Chapter 1
It was an ordinary day, just like the many other ordinary days. Being a god was like that at times. Though, Hestia didn't mind it all that much. As long as there was nothing substantial happening and the world was at peace, she was happy. That was when she felt herself being forcefully teleported away.
When she opened her eyes from the bright flash of light, she was inside of the Olympus throne room. She looked around and noticed other groups of people that had been forcefully brought as well. Mainly Percy and some demigods, followed by Artemis's hunters.
They all seemed a bit out of their element, and a bit uncomfortable. Hestia used her powers to calm them down, getting the attention of the other gods. "Hestia! You were brought here too?" Hestia turned and smiled at Aphrodite.
"I was, though I'm not sure why. Do you have any ideas, Aphrodite?" She asked, causing Aphrodite to shrug her shoulders.
"No clue, but nothing else was going on so I'm good with it. Who knows, maybe something interesting will happen." She said with a laugh. Hestia hummed, wondering why she was included in this. She didn't really count herself as an Olympian, but she supposed it must have been important if whatever caused this brought her.
Just as she was thinking this, a bright flash appeared above her, before a book fell into her hands. "Huh?" She looked at the book, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "The Lost Hero of Chaldea?" A note then dropped out, but Aphrodite managed to grab it. She then read it out loud.
"Your world will be receiving some visitors soon. Some rather troublesome visitors. So, I thought I would send you some assistance. This book is the first part, while the second part will come in the form of the one you are about to read about. He will bring great change, both good and bad. So, help him when you arrive, Goddess. The Kaleidoscope."
The throne room seemed to erupt at those words, causing Hestia to sigh, before she used her powers again. Some sort of screen then appeared, though it was made of magic of some kind. However, there was nothing on it at the moment. "So, are you going to read that Hestia? Whoever it is that brought us here obviously wants us to read it."
Hestia nodded at Hera, before opening the book up. There was some strange power connected to the book, though there was a portion of it that reminded her of her own power. It was nostalgic, and almost caused her to cry for a moment, but she held it in. She shook her head, before deciding to read.
Shirou made his way through the forest. He had no idea where he was, only that he wasn't in the best shape. He looked down and saw where he had been shot and stabbed. His black cloak was ragged, torn, singed, causing him to look more like Old Man Hassan than the mage he was supposed to be.
'So, the protagonist is named Shirou?' She thought to herself. Though, a few of the gods reacted differently to the previous words. "Hassan? Who's that?" She heard Percy ask, with Annabeth answering rather quickly.
"Well, the Hassan were a group of assassins, from Persia I believe. Though, it seems he's referring to a specific one. Perhaps he knew one?" However, most of the gods knew that wasn't possible, as their order died out long ago.
His red and gold scarf from Ereshkigal, and Archer's black sleeveless armor, were the only things remaining from his protective gear. He had lost his jacket, breastplate, his gauntlets and greaves, and even his quiver of blades. His pants and combat boots weren't faring much better, having holes and rips with some blood from his rough patch job.
His gloves were torn, making the white wrap underneath them easily visible. The black leather bracers he wore were the only things that managed to hold up, though they were enchanted, so that was expected. He leaned against a tree, propping up his rifle/crossbow next to him.
As soon as Hestia finished with that, an image popped up on the magic screen, showing the one she was reading about. The moment they each saw it, everyone winced. They all wondered how he was even still alive and moving. Though, everyone there reacted to the name Ereshkigal.
"He received a scarf from one of the Mesopotamian goddesses? Who is he?" This time, it was Athena who spoke, her eyes narrowed at the young man on the screen. They all knew he was a mage, but that didn't really mean he'd know people like that.
Even Hestia was surprised. Aphrodite though was noticing something else about him. "He's quite a handsome man, even with all the blood and injuries. Actually, it sort of makes him look better, don't you think Hestia?" Hestia gave her a small smile at her words. 'Still the same as ever.'
"I don't why, but it feels weird to think of him like that." She heard Annabeth reply to one of Aphrodite's daughters. Though, she was surprised when one of Aphrodite's daughters nodded. It was the youngest blonde one. Hestia couldn't help but raise a brow at that.
He reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out some gauze and medicinal salves. He proceeded to patch up the injuries that he could, though he wouldn't be fully healed for awhile. 'Nightingale would freak if she saw me right now.' He ran a hand through his red hair, though he noticed some white beginning to form on the edges.
He looked through what gear he had, noticing he had five black keys and the wakizashi he received from Ushiwakamaru. His rifle still had one sword bolt ready to be fired. He was low on magical energy, so he'd need to wait to create more. His pouches were still full and his gourd flask from Shuten was still intact, somehow.
He removed the bracer from his right arm and looked at the charm and feathers that hung from a bracelet. 'Circe, Medea, I certainly hope that your magecraft still works wherever I'm at.' He thought to himself. He let out a sigh, he was glad he still had a few of his cherished items still with him.
Those words caught everyone's attention. It seemed this whole beginning was a shock really. 'Circe and Medea, plus the name Nightingale? Who is this person?' She thought to herself. "Those two made something for him? Also, what's magecraft?" Percy asked, having encountered the two before.
"Magecraft is something that has been dead for a very long time. It was the humans' way of reproducing miracles, or magic. Hecate taught it to them. With the appearance of the mist, it made such things impossible, as well as them not having anything to process magical energy. There are still magicians and such, but they are far more limited than someone who can use magecraft." Athena answered.
She was deeply interested in the individual on the screen. To be able to use magecraft and knowing such figures of history personally was a surprise. Those names were familiar to her. She hummed to herself as she looked at him closely. Hestia noticed this, being surprised for a moment, before sighing. 'Suppose it makes sense.'
If there was one thing that bothered him, it was that he wouldn't be able to help Fujimaru anymore. However, he had faith that she'd manage to overcome whatever was thrown her way. He was really only support for her anyways. Though, he hoped she wouldn't take his sacrifice too hard.
He still didn't understand exactly what happened. It all happened so fast that Shirou didn't have time to comprehend the events, only focusing on escorting those he could to safety, mainly Mash and Fujimaru. He remembered a servant and a large force of masked soldiers appearing and wrecking everything.
An image appeared, showing what happened in a blur. 'Servant?' Hestia thought, with her noticing everyone watching the screen closely. However, for her, she was more focused on what he did. 'He went out of his way in that chaotic situation to help others. He's like one of the old heroes.'
Many were killed and Chaldea was no longer considered safe. The soldiers all possessed considerable strength, though with his abilities being strengthened by Archer, as well as mystic codes and charms from servants and Da Vinci, he was able to protect everyone long enough for them to escape to the Shadow Border.
It was during this time that he was injured with his gear sustaining considerable damage. Even with his rifle/crossbow, which was a high level mystic code built by Da Vinci herself, able to withstand broken phantasms being fired non-stop, he was still being overwhelmed. He had to switch to Kanshou and Bakuya, but even then, he was still only human.
"Interesting." Athena said aloud. She noticed the others looking at her with a quizzical expressions. "I'm guessing these mystic codes are magical items, though I do not understand what Broken Phantasms are. However, those swords he is holding, they are special."
"I agree. The craftsmanship on them is amazing. Even his rifle. Da Vinci always found ways to create amazing things. Though, it's odd that the book called him a woman." Hephaestus stated, looking at the swords.
"Well, this seems to be a different world. Perhaps there are differences between ours and his." Hestia added. Though, it was mainly conjecture, well, mostly. The note did make it seem like it.
He remembered pushing Fujimaru onto the Shadow Border as more of those soldiers began to approach. He loaded Caladbolg into his rifle and fired as the door closed. He loaded another bolt when the resulting explosion engulfed his being. He didn't know what exactly happened, but he remembered falling and then he woke up in this forest.
"That's a weapon from celtic mythology, isn't it?" Percy asked, as it sounded familiar. Mainly from games and such.
"Yes, wielded by Fergus. He certainly has access to a few legendary weapons from different lands. I wonder how he gained access to them, not to mention, he just seems to be able to use them recklessly." Annabeth replied. "Maybe some kind of magic?"
"It seems like magic of some kind, but I'm not sure of any magecraft that ever allowed such a thing in our world. Maybe magecraft is different in his world. I'd like to know." Athena added in, though everyone figured that would be the case.
He put his bracer back on and stood up, shouldering his rifle as he did so. As he was about to begin walking, he noticed something on the ground. He leaned down, his eyes widening as he rushed to pick it up. It was a small pistol. He smiled as he wiped away the dirt with his cloak.
'Must have fallen from my holster when I fell.' He thought. He never used it, but it was important to him, being a memento that belonged to his mother. After checking the magazine, he holstered it into the holster behind his waist. A feeling of relief washed over him, as he felt complete again. He then shook his head, before focusing.
"A memento of his mother? A gun is sort of a strange thing to have as a memento, right?" One of the demigods asked.
"Well, it's the feelings that matter when it comes to things like that. Perhaps her job involved her needing to use a gun. Like a police officer or something. As long as the object reminds you of home, anything can be a memento really." Hestia replied. It was strange, but she understood it.
He needed to find shelter for the night, he'd rather not be stuck out in the elements in a foreign land. He had to admit though, he didn't mind the serene feeling the forest was giving him. The smell of the forest and nature was amazing. Even the mana felt much higher quality, causing him to wonder about the reason why.
This time, Hestia saw Artemis and her hunters react to his words. It was nearly unnoticeable, but Hestia saw it. Artemis herself was interested in the last bit of that paragraph.
At least, that was until he noticed the smell of phantasmal beasts. His eyes narrowed and he quickly readied his rifle and ran towards the source. He caught another scent as he grew closer, recognizing it as human, though the only human he was used to being around lately was Fujimaru, and the two of them weren't exactly normal.
He shook his head, deciding to ignore it. "Trace on." He said, imagining the hammer of a gun firing off, activating his magic circuits and using a little bit of reinforcement to speed himself up. He didn't have much, so he'd have to make it count. He wouldn't let an innocent be harmed by a phantasmal beast, singularity or not.
He was an Emiya, he was meant to save people. That was what his mother told him. He didn't know his father, but apparently he saved his life by sacrificing his own. He was adopted, but still, any memories from before the fire didn't feel like him.
A new name, for a new life. He wasn't normal, he knew that. But, he lived for protecting others, for those he considered family. His mother, Maiya, told him about how his father was someone who saved others, but he could tell she was like him, she didn't fully grasp what that meant.
Hestia and Hera felt a bit saddened at that. They both wondered what he meant by saying they didn't fully grasp what that meant. In fact, there were many that seemed troubled by those words.
He remembered that it was difficult in the beginning, with neither really knowing what to do. However, the two learned and grew together, becoming slightly more complete. She dedicated her very being to raising him and taking care of him as a son, only finding out that it was because the man who saved him was everything to her.
At least, that was what it was at first. It was only until later that the two realized they were a family who cared about each other. While he would admit that he didn't have a normal childhood, being raised by a professional killer who knew magecraft was the farthest thing from normal, he wouldn't change it.
"Are you kidding, his mother was a hitman? That's insane." Percy yelled out, though many of the demigods agreed. However, for the gods, they were more surprised that he seemed to be happy with it.
"I don't know, it sounds kind of awesome." Nico added with a laugh.
"It seems that he still had a happy life, despite having a mother like that. The two must have been able to bond through trauma and a search to become whole." Hera said, having a small smile on her face. Hestia agreed with her sister. It was amazing to see two people become a family like that.
She was his mom and he learned a great deal from her, or rather, they learned a lot from each other. He sometimes wondered what he would be like if he was raised by the man who saved him, but those times were few and far between. While he dedicated himself to protecting and helping others, he vowed to take care of those he cared about first.
Which was why he sacrificed his self for Fujimaru, Mash, and the other survivors. It was why he was in Chaldea in the first place. It was also why he was heading towards an unknown enemy while injured, low on magical energy, and only having one bolt in his weapon. If he could save even one more person, he would do it.
"He sounds a bit crazy, doesn't he? He's fully willing to sacrifice his life for strangers? He may be moving normally, but it's obvious that he's running on fumes." Aphrodite said, looking at him with a raised brow. She couldn't understand it.
"Perhaps, the fire and the ideal of saving others are deeply linked. A trauma like that is sure to leave a scar of some kind." Demeter answered, wondering what kind of fire it was exactly.
"I think it's kind of cool. He's like one of those heroes you read in books nowadays, you know?" Thalia said with a small chuckle. "He went through some kind of a trauma that made him want to be a hero. Though, in this case, it really happened. Plus, his senses are pretty insane, right Lady Artemis?"
Artemis nodded. "His senses are amazing. It's one of the things I noticed. Though, it seems to be mainly his sense of smell. He's also traversing the forest with ease, despite it being tough for those not used to it. He's a true hunter." She said, causing the huntresses to gasp a bit.
Even the gods were surprised. For Artemis to recognize someone, let alone a male, as a hunter like that meant he was special. To be called a true hunter by Artemis was a big deal.
He was still a fair distance away, but he could see his targets. Three hound-like beasts were approaching a young girl with a brown cloak. He couldn't see her with her features obscured as they were. They were black beasts, appearing to be the size of, almost, a Rhino.
The moment Hestia read that, her heart began to beat fast. She knew herself well enough to recognize, well, herself. She also knew that those were hellhounds. "Oooh, Hestia's going to meet the hero before any of us, I'm so jealous." Aphrodite said, causing Hestia's face to redden a bit.
"It's not that big of a deal, Dite. Besides, I'm sure he'll run into you soon enough." She replied, while shaking her head.
"I don't see what's so great about him. If he's that injured, then he can't be that strong." Ares said with a huff. However, just as he did, the screen had words appear.
'Crossing the boundaries of the world injured Shirou more than the wounds from the soldiers. He has fought things that would make you tuck tail, God of War.' That was actually surprising to many of them. Though, it caused Ares to fume, and Aphrodite to make a rather, Aphrodite-like expression.
He was a bit surprised at their appearances, but he had faced phantasmal beasts much scarier than them in the singularities, that wasn't counting servants. His eyes narrowed as he took aim. He only had one bolt, but it was enough. He could hit three targets with one bolt with them lined up as they were.
He did wonder why the young girl didn't seem intimidated, but he figured she may have been paralyzed with fear, he had seen it happen. He took a deep breath, before pulling the trigger. The bolt was a twisted blade of purification, meant to target beings that didn't belong in the world.
"Using a blade as a projectile? That's a new one." Artemis said, humming as she listened. "Though, I must admit, that range is impressive. Even with that crossbow rifle, he'd need to do many different calculations. But, the blade will strike true, I can tell."
The blade flew through the air, before striking the first beast and ripping through it into the second, however, the hide of the beasts must have been tougher than they looked. The blade stabbed into the second beast, injuring it, but not killing it. It let out a deep roar, before the remaining two turned their heads towards him.
'Well, that's not good.' Hestia thought, before her face reddened at the next line. 'No way that happened. It's just a coincidence.' She said, shaking her head, before she heard Aphrodite hum with amusement. She then plucked the book from her hands.
"My turn, you have to give some of us a chance to read as well." She said with a melodic voice, though Hestia had a pout on her face.
'Well, that's not good.' He thought to himself, before seeing them begin to run towards him at full speed. 'At least that girl's safe now.' He quickly reached into the pouches on his legs and pulled out two black keys. 'Let's take down the injured one first.' He quickly ran forward and jumped off a fallen log towards a tree.
He quickly bounced off the tree and threw the two black keys, piercing the back of the beast. He noticed the blades easily slice threw the hide of it, even causing far greater damage than he thought it would. 'It's weak to the black keys.' He quickly reached into his pouches as he landed on the ground.
The second beast was charging directly at him, causing Shirou to dive to the left and throw the two keys he had in his right hand. He hit the beast's right shoulder, causing it to fall forward and roll on the ground. He quickly charged the critically injured beast, reinforcing his legs to the max and jumping over it.
As he did so, he stuck the black key into its head, aiming for where the brain was. It easily pierced through, though Shirou ended up landing hard on the ground. The moment he did so, he could feel the injuries he had patched up begin to open again, while those he hadn't treated worsened.
"This guy's insane, but he's definitely amazing for a human. I'd give him five stars for looking good while killing those things." Apollo said with a laugh. Artemis rolled her eyes at his words.
The pain was worsening, though he couldn't stop now. There was still one left. He pulled out his wakizashi and stood in a stance with the blade in front of him. 'Alright Circe, I hope that barrier you put in this thing works, otherwise I'm going to die.' He took a few quick breaths, before the last beast charged forward.
"What's that idiot doing?" Athena yelled out, surprising everyone. Though, Hestia couldn't blame her, she was thinking the same thing. Honestly, it made her want to rip her hair out. They both understood he was basically out of energy, but to do something foolish like this was too much.
It then opened its mouth to reveal flaming maws that could easily tear his arm off, but he believed in his friends and family. He quickly thrust his arm forward, sending what little magical energy he still had left into Medea and Circe's charm, and stabbed into the beast's throat. It quickly chomped down, causing Shirou to let out a yell.
The barrier held, but the heat still burned his arm. He quickly turned his wrist and let go of the wakizashi, a red gem being revealed to be gripped with the wakizashi. The beast shook its head and threw him away, before preparing to attack again, however, the gem finally activated. Exploding the beast from the inside out.
"A dangerous strategy, though he kept calm and planned it accordingly. I must say, as a last ditch effort, it was impressive." Poseidon said, with a nod of his head.
"One that could kill him. He could have jumped out of the way and left the gem to explode. He doesn't seem to possess an ounce of self preservation, only caring about saving Hestia. He's broken." Athena said, quieting down near the end.
"I agree with Athena. While it was amusing at first, this kind of stuff is definitely not good. What good is a hero if he gets himself killed, you know?" Aphrodite added with an annoyed huff. Artemis agreed with her. 'It'd be waste for someone of his skill to die like that.'
Shirou quickly pushed himself up, or at least, as quickly as he could manage right now. He looked towards the phantasmal beasts, before noticing the ones he killed were dissipating into particles of some kind. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing that they were dead.
He was in quite a bit of pain, his arm was broken and burnt, his ribs were probably broken or at least cracked. His wounds were aggravated and he had no more magical energy to use, at least, none he could use without damaging himself. He reached up towards the scarf on his neck.
'Is this where my journey ends, Eresh?' He thought to himself, with a somewhat bitter smile on his face. 'I wonder if I'll see you after I pass, though I would've like to see the others one last time.' He shook his head, before seeing the wakizashi stabbed into the ground nearby.
Trying to heal himself with what he had left wouldn't work, not to mention, there was only so much it could do. He looked down and saw the gourd. 'Why not? At least it will take away some of the pain.' He thought, before opening it with his one hand. 'Please don't be poison.' He then took a quick swig before capping the gourd.
As he placed placed it back on his belt, he could already feel it begin to work. 'What in the world did you give me, you crazy oni?' He did feel better, but it was insanely strong and quick acting. He shook his head and began to pull himself towards the wakizashi.
"A man deserves to have a last drink." Dionysus spoke, surprising everyone, as he usually didn't say anything that wasn't disparaging. "Though, I wonder what he drank."
The screen lit up, with a small portal opening above Dionysus. 'Sake personally made by the Oni of Mount Ooe, Shuten Douji, for Shirou.' A small bottle appeared, with Dionysus quickly taking it. His curse wasn't activating for whatever reason, so he was going to enjoy it.
The moment he drank it, he was captivated by the taste. It was sweet like fruit, though it was clear it was sake. It wasn't inferior to wine he made. 'Oh, how I wish to meet this Shuten Douji and compare drinks.' Needless to say, all the other gods just shook their heads. Zeus just let out a sigh, deciding to allow it.
Slowly, but surely, he grew closer. He could feel the drink going through his system, though he kept his mind on reaching his blade. It was a gift and one he wasn't going to lose. He kept going, with one arm, foot by foot, until he finally reached it. He was weak, so it took considerable effort to pull the blade out.
His vision was going in and out, but he still managed to wipe off the blade with what remained of his cloak, before placing back in its scabbard. As he did so, he rolled onto his back and looked up into the trees and the night sky. High in the sky was the moon, shining beautifully in the air.
"Oh, it looks like someone admires Artemis a bit, don't you think?" Aphrodite teased, hoping to get a reaction out of her, though she was surprised by her response.
"If he is a hunter, then it is only natural. Hunter's thrive in the wild, with my moon illuminating the darkness so they can return home. While it is cold, the moon is supposed to offer comfort in the black night." She replied while looking at the screen, at Shirou laying on the ground.
Most of the gods, demigods, and even her hunters were all surprised to hear her say such things. Though, there were a few that seemed unaffected. Thalia, Annabeth, and Lacy being the main ones. Hestia noticed this, but couldn't understand why.
The sight reminded him of the times he would look up at it with his mother. He never knew what it was that he found entrancing about it, nor why his mother thought so, but he was drawn to it. 'A light in the darkness.' He thought to himself, before weakly reaching his hand out towards it. 'I saved her, mom.'
As his consciousness faded and his hand dropped, he felt someone grab onto it. "It's alright, I've got you now." He heard a sweet voice enter his ears, giving him a greater sense of peace. "Rest now, young hero. I'll take care of you." He wondered who it was that said that. Her voice reminded him of certain Heroic Spirits. 'Is that Greek?'
"Heroic Spirits? I assume these heroic spirits are simply heroes of legend?" Zeus asked, with the screen popping up an answer.
"Correct. Heroes of all ages, past, present, and future, each being incredibly powerful entities in their own right." It answered, before changing back.
"So, this man has interacted with many of these heroic spirits? It could account for his skills and endurance." Athena mumbled to herself.
A woman wearing a simple brown dress and a scarf around her neck, carried the young man back towards a small house that was nearby. She was a beautiful woman with medium length brown hair and fiery red eyes. She looked down at the young man with a curious gaze.
"Do you always change into an older form when you're walking around, Hestia?" Athena asked, but Hestia simply shook her head.
"No, not always. When I'm in populated places, I prefer looking like this. Though, being in an older form is better when I'm walking around in the woods. Longer legs makes it easier." She replied with a smile.
She was taking a leisurely stroll through the woods, deciding to visit one of the huts she liked to stay in when she visited the mortal world. It was there that three of those hellhounds appeared. She was ready to banish them back to where they belonged, when some sort of bolt killed one and injured another.
She was rather shocked by the suddenness of the attack. The hellhounds immediately retaliated, moving quick, though she was able to turn and see the young man who had fired the bolt. She noticed that he was heavily injured, being rather surprised he was even moving at all.
"Seriously, the guy was literally a dead man walking." Apollo stated, still surprised that a human was capable of moving in that state.
Rather than be terrified, he just pulled out some weapons and battled the creatures. She was surprised by the accuracy of his shot, being nearly a mile away at the time, yet hitting two of his targets, it would have likely hit the third if the attack went through the second.
He was surprisingly efficient with his attacks and movements despite his injuries. She was interested in his those hilts that manifested blades, as well as that short sword. A wakizashi, if her memory was correct, as well as how he managed to blow up that hellhound.
He also managed to keep his arm attached when he stuck his arm into the beast's mouth. She could tell he used magic of some kind, especially when she realized that he wasn't a demigod. She made her way to him and watched him crawl towards that weapon, despite his injuries.
She knew that it likely held sentimental value if he went that far. She could feel and hear his thoughts about home, family, and friends. To be so close to death, yet only caring that he saved someone's life and thinking of his family was heartwarming.
"Ah, Aunt Hestia, it seems this version is just like you." Artemis said, with everyone nodding their heads. Hestia simply smiled, being glad that she was still her. Though, she wasn't sure what that meant in the long run.
He appeared to be in his late teens. His red hair had white tips, which was rather curious. She noticed his golden brown eyes just as he passed out. He was a rather handsome man, if she were to be honest. 'To possess such abilities and skill, despite not being a demigod. It has been a long time since I've met a fully human hero.' She thought.
"Mmm, it has been awhile since a normal hero has appeared. Oddly enough, it seems this one is much like Jason, having a connection to Medea." Athena said, wondering if he was special, or if there were others like him. She remembered the names he mentioned, so she assumed they were normal too, somewhat.
"Hopefully he doesn't end up being a disappointment like the original Jason." Hera added with a huff. The demigods couldn't help but laugh nervously.
She laid him down on the bed in the hut, before thinking about what to do. 'He doesn't feel like a normal mortal. In fact, while I know he is mortal, he possesses something more.' She thought to herself. She left the room and returned with a small vial.
"Really, Hestia? You know mortals can't partake of nectar, it'll kill him." Hera said with a sigh, with Hestia merely scratching at her cheek nervously.
"Well, he's already on death's door. Plus, I'm guessing with whatever Hestia saw, she guessed that he'd be able to take it." Athena answered, "Though, it is super risky." She added, bringing a hand to her chin.
"Can normal people really not drink nectar?" Percy asked, not really knowing that.
"Correct. For most, it would end up melting them from the inside out. It's too much for their mortal bodies to withstand." Poseidon answered his son, with Percy shivering at the thought of such a thing occurring.
She opened his mouth and poured a small amount into his throat. She closed one eye, worried about the result, but to her surprise, nothing happened except for his wounds beginning to close. Her eyes widened, before she placed her hands on him. 'Hmm, he is a mortal, but he possesses some sort of circuits that help him circulate magical energy.'
She shook her head, 'Not important.' She continued to scan him. 'Ah, there it is. He possesses some blessings, or little strands of foreign divinity.' She was rather shocked at the discovery. 'I can't pinpoint them all, but I can feel some of our power in him, as well as some from other lands.'
"It seems that humans in his world have a way of circulating magical energy to produce miracles. These magic circuits must have been invaluable for most mages." Athena added. "Though, he simply used something to reinforce himself, I wonder if he can do something more impressive?"
"Well, I'm sure we'll find out. He did use a gem to blow up that hellhound. I'm guessing using jewels as a catalyst can produce magical effects." Poseidon replied, as he was rather interested in the human's skills.
She was shocked by the discovery. She wasn't the greatest at sensing such things, so she couldn't get a good read, but she could tell that much. 'Who are you, young hero? What things have you seen?' She placed a hand on his heart. 'Though, I can sense that you have a kind and loving heart.'
"Yeah, Hestia's still the same as ever. Despite possessing small strands of divinity, all she cares about is what kind of person he is." Hera said with a small laugh. Hestia's face reddened at her words. She wasn't to blame for that. The fact that her other self pointed that out, meant that this human was a selfless person. A rarity among humans, both old and new.
"How would a human like him possess such things though?" Zeus said aloud, though he didn't expect an answer.
"If I had to guess, maybe it has to do with him being around those heroic spirits mentioned earlier. Depending on the hero, he could have unintentionally absorbed some of their divine presence into his magic circuits. Though, that's only a guess." Athena answered, as she was also quite interested in knowing the reason.
"I'd like to know what heroes he had met before. He knew Greek when Hestia spoke to him earlier, so he likely knew Greek heroes. But, I wonder who else there was? Maybe he also knows some french?" Aphrodite said with a small hum and a glint in her eyes. Hestia could only sigh at her antics.
'I should change you into something clean. I wouldn't wish for you to wake up in bloody clothes.' She then began to remove articles of clothing. She found his pistol and frowned at it, before she felt the connection he had to it. She was a bit puzzled, but decided to stow it away with his other weapons, namely the strange rifle, crossbow thing.
'You can hold onto this charm, I can sense it will benefit your healing.' She said, leaving his bracelet on. She removed and folded up his scarf, taking note of the power it held. She then removed his belt, taking great care in removing anything in them that may not be safe.
"Oh, Hestia, I'm so jealous. You get to see what his body looks like before I do." Aphrodite teased, though Hestia managed to hide the blush on her face from the other gods letting out small chuckles at her embarrassment.
In them, she found other things that had strong emotions tied to them. A black and gold foldable fan with flames on the fan, a purple rope of woven hair that smelled of snakes and divinity, and a black and blue ribbon that smelled like a fox and possessed the smell of an eastern divinity of the sun.
Athena's eyes narrowed at the rope. "Do you think he's met you in his world, mother?" Annabeth asked, causing Athena to flinch slightly.
"I don't believe so. Otherwise Hestia would have likely been able to tell. The divinity I possess should have been easily noticeable, so she would have mentioned it. Though, if I had to take a guess, I'm guessing that hair is tied to me in some way." She answered softly, with Annabeth raising an brow.
Hestia was still observing everyone's reactions. She noticed a few people that seemed to react quite differently to everyone else. Herself, Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Annabeth, Thalia, Lacy, Dionysus, and even Apollo seemed to have different feelings towards Shirou. She didn't know why, but she guessed it had something to do with the book.
She placed them all on a small table next to the bed, along with the gourd she found on him. There were other small trinkets that had some emotion to them, but they weren't as strong as the others, save for a small sword trinket painted gold, blue, and silver.
After removing most of his clothes, she was able to see the numerous scars on his body, as well as the healed injuries he had just before she found him. 'So, you really are a hero?' She thought, with a small smile. She had witnessed many heroes, though none really possessed the aura of this young man.
"Oooh, can you put a picture up on the screen?" Aphrodite quickly asked, getting a groan from the others, save for her daughters. The screen seemed to be waiting for a moment, before a picture popped up, revealing Shirou's scarred body. Hestia rolled her eyes at Aphrodite checking out the body of Shirou.
Though, she was rather intrigued at a few of the reactions of the names she mentioned before. They all reacted in interesting ways. Even Lacy, who was the youngest Aphrodite child there, at 12, should have reacted in some way to the image, yet she seemed a bit put off. It caused her to let off a small hum.
"Those injuries, I wonder how he got them. Multiple stab and slashes on his chest, burns, cuts on his arms, even his neck looks to be slashed." Athena said looking at each injury. Hestia had to agree, and wondered if that was why he wore the scarf.
She was intrigued by him, though she knew she'd have to keep him hidden. She didn't wish for the others to find out about him, especially Zeus. He was already extremely paranoid, if he heard about the young hero with blessings and strands of divinity from other lands, who knows what would happen.
Despite what was said, Zeus seemed to be more depressed at the thoughts of his sister than angry. Which was surprising to the demigods, though the gods understood why that was. Hestia was loved by all and had a universal love for all, so to see such words was rather disheartening.
Actually, she had an idea of what would happen, which was why she would hide and protect him. Though, she was a bit worried about the smell and blessings she sensed. Snakes were an Athena thing, his scarf felt a bit like Hades, his charm felt terrifyingly close to Circe and Medea, not to mention the blessings, one of which felt like Aphrodite's.
Then, there was his strange rifle. She couldn't even understand how it possessed the feeling, but it felt like Artemis. After she replaced his clothes with clean jeans and a black shirt, she sat down on a chair nearby chair. She felt like she was going to have a hard time with him.
"I wonder why one the blessings felt like mine?" Aphrodite asked, though it was Hestia ended up being the one to reply.
"Well, if he met Ereshkigal, it's likely that he met Ishtar as well, considering they are two halves. That might be why he felt like you, considering her domains." She answered, with Aphrodite nodding, before she smiled.
"Well, I can understand that, but it seems like this human must have met Artemis, or someone associated with her, don't you think?" She hummed, though Artemis only narrowed her eyes at her.
"But, there aren't many people associated with my little sister." Apollo said, tilting his head to dodge a silver arrow with a smile on his face.
'Perhaps, it was the will of the fates that I ran into him and not any of the others.' She thought to herself. She turned and looked at the hearth in her home. 'Perhaps, I was meant to find you, young hero. Well, don't worry, the goddess Hestia will keep you safe.' She thought with a gentle smile on her face.
Despite all of the things surrounding him, Hestia wasn't drawn to him because of any of them. Rather, she was drawn to him because, despite having all of those items, blessings, and strands, he was naturally a loving, kind, and courageous man who cared about family and friends.
Hestia smiled at the description, unaware that the others were all secretly watching her reactions. While it did seem like a very Hestia thing to say and do, they couldn't help but feel like there was something more going on in Hestia's brain.
Though, Aphrodite knew exactly what was going on. Even if she wasn't there, she could tell that a spark had lit within Hestia. It was nothing but a spark, but she had a feeling that it would blossom into a fiery flame of love. Honestly, a big part of Aphrodite hoped that she would get to see it. 'To see one of the virgin goddesses fall in love with a mortal is so rare and interesting.'
'He likely won't wake for a good while. I should return to the hearth, I wouldn't want anyone to look for me.' She thought, making her way to the hearth of the hut. She stopped and began to use magic to write some inscriptions on the mantle. After she finished, she looked back towards the young man.
"I'll return when you awaken. So, rest and heal until then." She decided to speak aloud, hoping her words would reach his mind. She noticed a slight change in his breathing and facial features, one that would be missed by even most gods, but she saw it. She gave a gentle smile once again, before disappearing into the flames.
Aphrodite couldn't help but become rather interested in the young hero. From what she could tell, Hestia was going to be a main character in the story that was being told. However, she was more interested in what way was she going to be involved. She could already tell that there was something pulling her towards the young hero.
While Hestia was the kindest soul to maybe exist, going out of her way like this was something she didn't expect. Especially because she was trying to keep him hidden from everyone. She agreed with the reasoning, but still, it was odd.
She could tell everyone else had some thoughts on the matter, though they didn't say anything, only whispering to themselves. However, Aphrodite couldn't help but feel something from the young hero. From the moment she held the book in her hands, she could feel a strange feeling of love come from it. She had never felt it before, but she wanted to know more about it.
Shirou's eyes slowly opened. He felt minor aches, but that was all he felt. He expected to be in a decent amount of pain, but wasn't, save for a small headache that was likely from what Shuten put in that gourd. He sat up and found himself on a bed in a small house.
He had clean clothes on, being dressed in jeans and a black shirt. He didn't remember much of what happened after he took that drink, except for trying to retrieve wakizashi he received from Ushiwakamaru. He looked over himself, noticing his wounds had healed and he had no blood on his body.
He looked around and noticed his gear on a nearby table, laid out neatly and organized. He then saw where his weapons were, being placed in a corner nearby, along with his gun on a shelf near them. 'Someone must have found me and healed me, but to heal me to this extent? It must have been a capable mage.'
"His world must be crawling with mages if that's his first thought." Poseidon said aloud, with Athena raising a brow at that.
"I wonder why that would be his first thought though? His injuries were so bad that Hestia gave him nectar. Could mages really reproduce a healing effect like that?" Demeter asked, obviously confused.
"Well, maybe we'll get an answer? After all, Hestia is rather good at disarming people and getting them to open up to her." Aphrodite added, wanting to read more about the hero.
He was glad they didn't throw anything away, especially his mementos. While most weren't anything that could help him in combat, they meant a lot to him. He was surprised that whoever helped him, showed such great care to his stuff, considering he was just a stranger.
Now that he wasn't on the verge of collapsing, he could tell the quality of mana reminded him of the Okeanos Singularity. Thankfully, it wasn't like Babylonia, otherwise he may have died. He felt a lot stronger than he normally did, probably because of the high quality mana and whatever was used to heal him.
"That's the second time he's mentioned the mana. Also, what does he mean by he may have died?" Hera asked. Though, none of the others had a real answer for it.
"Perhaps, the magical energy generated by the world has a certain quality that changed in his world. In our world, this hasn't changed, but in his world, it is possible that is what happened. Though, I'm guessing that there's more to it, otherwise he wouldn't have mentioned dying by just being in it." Athena surmised, though she didn't really have a clear answer.
"Well, it's just good that it wasn't a problem. Otherwise, the other me would have saved him for no reason." Hestia added, happy that Shirou didn't end up being poisoned by mana.
"I still find it weird that he mentions all these places from history, as well as referring to Okeanos, since it hasn't been referred to that in a long time. The way he speaks of them, it almost sounds like these singularities are the equivalent of the quests we give out to demigods." Hermes added in, as he was one of the people that travelled a lot. To see someone visiting so many places interested him.
The demigods responded to the correlation to quests. "Man, I wonder how many of these singularities he's been on? If they're like quests, then I'm surprised he's still alive. I barely survived and I'm a demigod." Percy added. Annabeth herself was also interested in it, as she was present on said quests.
He wondered if he may have somehow ended up in a singularity, but knew that wasn't possible. He wanted to know where he was, but knew that he should just be thankful he was alive. He stood up and looked through his things, placing his scarf back on, along with his belt and a few other items.
He didn't need everything, since he only wanted to look around. He placed his boots back on and decided to check outside, before noticing himself in the mirror. He stopped breathing for a moment, noticing that he was younger. He didn't remember how old he really was, but he knew he wasn't 18 or 19.
Then there was the white tips on his hair, which didn't bother him as much as his age, but it was still a little disorienting. He shook his head, deciding that it didn't matter. He needed some fresh air, afterwards, he'd see about making some food, 'Hopefully the owner won't mind too much.'
"Yeah, I was about to ask about that. He appeared to be in his early twenties before he ended up in our world. I wonder why that happened, plus there's his hair." Hermes said, a bit freaked out at the regression.
"I'm guessing it was a side effect of traveling between two worlds. As for the hair, maybe it has to do with the stress his body went through during said travel." Athena surmised, though it was merely conjecture.
"Well, whatever happened, I think he looks better with the white in his hair. It makes him look more exotic and he stands out more." Aphrodite added, though she did prefer him in his older state.
After stepping outside, he noticed the hut was actually a bit larger than he thought, being about the size of a three bedroom house. He saw some doors, but didn't go into any of them. He figured since the bed was located in the rather large room, that the other doors were for storage.
Apparently, that line of thinking was wrong. He must have been in pretty bad shape if he wasn't put into one of the other rooms. He took a deep breath and looked around, noticing the location of the hut and the fence making a decent sized barrier.
"Do you have a cabin like that here, Aunt Hestia?" Artemis asked, with Hestia flinching slightly.
"I do, but I don't use it much. Usually I'll visit whenever I want to relax after meetings." She informed them, though she refused to elaborate further. She didn't want to reveal where she kept it. Though, chances were, the book was going to do that for her.
Speaking of barriers, he noticed a rather powerful and impressive bounded field had been set up. It reminded him a bit of the shadow border, though that bounded field served a different purpose. 'A servant? Or maybe I'm somewhere in the past.' He thought to himself.
He was wary of leaving the bounded field for some reason, so he steered clear of it. He looked around and enjoyed the sight of the forest. He could even hear the sounds of the animals if he focused hard enough. 'Wherever I am, it's obvious that the world is alive, which is a good sign.' He smiled at the thought.
A few of the gods reacted to that. It was as if he was afraid the world would have been destroyed or something. They each wondered the same thing, 'Was his world on the verge of destruction?'
After nearly dying countless times, Fujimaru and him both, he couldn't help but happy that he was seeing a living world that wasn't a singularity. He had gotten used to knowing when he was in one, this was definitely a real, living world.
He decided to head back into the hut after spending a few more minutes outside. However, he felt a bit more relaxed after seeing the outside of the house. He was worried about the phantasmal beasts he killed, hoping they weren't the norm, but it wasn't like he couldn't handle himself.
After stepping inside and heading towards the cooking area, which was rather well supplied, despite being in the middle of a forest. Everything was high quality, reminding him a bit of the Chaldea kitchen, though nowhere near as big. Still, he could work with it.
He found himself making a bit too much for one person, considering he was used to cooking for others. He just made some meat and potato stew out of habit, considering he used to make it a lot. Besides, he didn't feel making anything too complicated.
Just as he finished up, he noticed a presence inside of the house. He turned and saw a women standing in the house. She appeared to be a young woman, close to the chosen age of Ereshkigal and Ishtar, though he noticed that she possessed a beauty that he compared to Martha.
"Oh! Our hero is finally going to meet Hestia face to face! I'm so excited to see what happens." Aphrodite practically squealed, causing many to wince from how loud it was. Hestia was surprised that the other her had chosen to use a form in her late teens.
"He said her beauty was like Martha? Who is that?" Percy asked, as he was surprised that there was anyone who could match the beauty of a goddess. To answer his question, the screen displayed a picture of Saint Martha.
'This is Saint Martha, from the bible, who was stated to have been able to defeat a dragon.' The words said, with many of the onlookers noticing that the parallel was quite apt.
The woman's beauty was gentle, warm, and had a loving and kind feel to it. It wasn't like Ishtar, Tamamo, Nero, or Medusa. She wore a brown dress with black leggings, and had beautiful medium length brown hair and entrancing fiery red eyes.
Many nodded their heads with the words describing Hestia, though a few narrowed their eyes at the names Nero and Medusa. Specifically the ones who had seen those people. In Nero's case, they didn't quite understand, but in Medusa's case, it just brought up bad memories.
"That's where that divinity came from. At least, that's what I'm guessing." Athena said, though it was clear she wasn't too happy about it.
"It's strange, is his world really that different from ours? I mean, I get that its another world, but those last two are strange examples." Apollo said, as he didn't quite understand. The screen then flashed two pictures of said heroic spirits. "Never mind, I get it." He quickly added, before shutting up.
None of the other gods could refute that, even if it was weird that Nero was a woman. Poseidon, however, had a guilty expression at the blindfolded woman. Something that Percy was able to pick up on.
"I'm home!" She said happily, but he noticed her deflate a bit with a sigh. "Or so I want to say, but you're probably still asleep." She said to herself with a bit of exasperation. 'That's english, particularly American english. So, I'm in America.' He thought, thankful for that bit of information.
He noticed that he felt a strange warmth from her. She then noticed him, a look of surprise on her face, before greeting him with a kind, excited, and happy smile, one that would likely melt the hearts of most men. He could tell she was powerful, reminding him of some of the strongest caster servants he met. However, she wasn't a servant. She wasn't human either.
"Impressive, he was able to tell right away that Hestia was different." Poseidon said, as he hadn't met many people who could do that. Though, he would admit to feeling some annoyance at the smile the hero received.
It was no secret that Hestia was one of the most loved goddesses on Olympus. So, it was no surprise that there would be some jealousy running amok. Hestia, however, turned her face away, trying to hide her reddening face, embarrassed at the words Shirou said about her smile.
He could tell, just by feeling the aura around her. Her human form was amazing, he would admit that, but she couldn't hide the powerful divinity that leaked out of her. A normal person may not notice, but he wasn't a normal person. He had gotten used to the scent of divinity, and her's was definitely potent.
"You're awake! I'm glad, I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up." She said to him, her voice having the same warmth and kindness that she radiated. As she spoke, he realized that the feeling she exuded reminded him of Euryale and Stheno. 'So, she's definitely a goddess then.'
"Wow, he even knew the two of them? Was he friends with the Gorgons in his world or something?" Hermes asked, knowing he'd likely receive an answer. The screen then changed, showing another picture, this time, it was Shirou with the three gorgon sisters. Specifically, it was them teasing Shirou and Medusa.
"Huh, they seem like normal people in that picture. It's so different from what I know of them." Percy said, a bit put off about the difference.
"They're all so beautiful too, and not half snake." Annabeth added on, as she expected to see some sort of snake characteristics.
He then responded with a small smile, "So, you saved my life? It's a pleasure to meet you. I, uh, I hope you don't mind, but I thought I'd make some food." He tried to be as polite as he could, as he didn't know which deity he was interacting with. She felt similar to the greek servants, but he didn't know for sure.
The woman tilted her head and simply smiled. "Oh, that's fine. After being asleep for five days, I'd probably be hungry too." That little bit of information caused Shirou's eye to twitch, but managed to hold himself together.
"That's a long time." He muttered to himself. "Well, thanks for watching out for me during that time. Um, would you like to have some? I made a bit too much out of habit." He said, pointing at the pot of stew on the stove. She turned her head and noticed it, but nodded her head, maintaining her sweet smile.
After sitting at a table and eating some of the food, Hestia looked at him with a surprised expression. The food was delicious. She wouldn't have been surprised if the other gods thought the same. Though, she may have been biased, as she could tell that he was thinking about his loved ones when he made it.
However, it was an objective fact, the food was good. 'For a mortal to make food like this, I wonder who taught him?' She thought to herself. She supposed she could have looked into his dreams and memories, but that would have been a bit much, plus, she wasn't sure if she could.
Almost all the gods didn't say anything. Honestly, they were just shocked to hear Hestia complimenting someone's food. It was fact that Hestia's food was the best there was. However, she was openly saying that this mortal's food was delicious, meaning, it was likely at her level.
Even Hestia was a bit surprised, however, she took this moment to snatch the book away from Aphrodite, who looked at her with a betrayed look. "Someone else needs to read sometimes." She said, handing the book to the Athena, who simply shrugged.
"Where did you learn to cook like this, if you don't mind me asking?" She decided to ask him. It had been a long time since she conversed with a human, so it was rather exciting to be able to sit and speak with him like this.
She watched him look up at her, before he took a moment to think of an answer. "Well, I always enjoyed cooking. I suppose, I was self taught at first, since my mom couldn't cook to save her life." He then smiled, obviously at a memory of some kind. "So, I learned how to cook. After that, I began to buy cookbooks."
"Then, I began to travel for awhile, before I finally stopped at a certain workplace where I met many different kinds of people with different tastes and styles of cooking. They taught me a lot. I suppose this is just the culmination of all of my experiences with people and places, though this certain dish was something I made quite a lot, so that may have a bit to do with it."
"Did you make it for your friends?" She asked him, interested in what he was saying. He spoke as if he was older than what he appeared, which was possible. She could tell that his heart and mind were older than his physical body.
He looked up at her with a sad smile. "I did. It was something that was easy to make and, usually, everyone enjoyed." He replied, before leaning back in his chair. "My name's Shirou Emiya, by the way." Hestia looked at him with another surprised expression.
'Japanese? He doesn't really look Japanese, nor does he have an accent. In fact, his english is perfect.' She thought to herself. "It's nice to meet you, Shirou. You can call me, Tia." She replied to him. She paused, before deciding to ask more questions. "So, are you from America? Or, did you learn english?"
"Really, Hestia? Tia?" Hera asked, chuckling a bit, with even Demeter doing the same.
"What? It's a normal name you'd hear anywhere. Besides, I don't talk to humans a whole lot, leave me alone." She said with a pout on her face.
"No, I'm from Japan, from a place called Fuyuki. I know many different different languages. Those friends of mine, I asked them to teach me. I thought that they might enjoy speaking in their native tongue from time to time." He said with a smile.
"So he can speak different languages! That means he likely knows french! I called it." Aphrodite added in with a large smile. Though, everyone merely groaned at that, already used to her obsession with the language.
"That's very kind of you, Shirou Emiya. There aren't many people I know that would take that kind of effort for their friends." She replied, placing her elbows on the table. "Did they also teach you how to fight?" She decided to ask, seeing him make a surprised expression, causing her to giggle. "I noticed you were quite skilled when you fought those hellhounds."
"So, that's what those were." He whispered to himself. "Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that." He said with a nervous smile while rubbing the back of his head. "They got me to that level, though, the one who first taught me to fight, was actually my mom." He revealed, which surprised Hestia.
"Well, I mean, his mom was basically an assassin. So, it makes sense she'd teach him how to fight, huh." Percy said, though he was interested in what such training would look like. They only got flashes from his fight in Chaldea, and he was heavily injured in the hellhound fight, so they didn't get a good look at his skills.
"Really? That's rather surprising. I don't know many men who were taught by their mothers." She said to him, though she was thinking about mortals, though not many goddesses did so either. At least, not without blessing them with the talent and knowledge beforehand, which didn't count.
He let out a small laugh. "Well, I'm sure not many men these days would admit to being beat up by a woman without it hurting their pride. For me, well, I have no problem with it. Most of my life I've been surrounded by strong women. Though, I'll always be thankful what they taught me. Especially my mom."
Artemis and the hunters each reacted positively to those words. They could see that he was different from most of the men they interacted with. Though, they were mostly looking at him positively because of Artemis's view on him. Though, his words certainly helped his case.
"That's not to say she was a bad mom, she just wanted me to be able to protect myself and others. It was something she was adamant about. In fact, that gun over there is actually hers." He revealed to her. "While I'm proficient with it, I haven't actually used that gun. It just, reminds me of her I guess." He smiled.
Hestia had to admit, she enjoyed seeing the smiles he had when he remembered those he cared for. She could tell that he wasn't lying about anything he said either. He was being upfront with her and hadn't told a single lie. "Could you always see past the mist? Or was that something you learned?"
It was here, that Hestia was a little worried. Shirou only looked at her with a strange expression. "I'm sorry, the mist? I'm afraid, I don't understand." He revealed to her, not understanding why he didn't know about it. 'So, was he born with the ability to see past it? Something's wrong here.'
"That is rather strange. Does his world not have the mist to keep the mundane world separated?" Athena asked to herself. She couldn't imagine how such a world could function, especially if mages were as numerous as she believed.
From his words so far, she was able to deduce that his world had a magical side much like theirs, but this made it seem like it was simply hidden in plain sight.
"That would make things rather complicated. How would they deal with people who came across the magical side?" Demeter said with a frown, though she felt like she had an answer already. But, it was one she didn't want to be true.
"The mist, it's what separates the supernatural from, well, the mundane. The mist doesn't allow normal people to see what we see. Those hellhounds, well, a normal person wouldn't have seen them as you do. In fact, you being able to kill them like you did was something entirely different. A normal person shouldn't be able to do that." She explained.
"Would a normal person be able to see you?" He asked, causing Hestia to still for a moment, before she quirked her head to the side. He gave her a small smile. "Your form is perfect, but my sense of smell has always been heightened. I've been around divinity before, and you definitely have the scent of divinity."
"So, you've know that I was a goddess since you've seen me?" She asked him, a bit impressed by the fact that he knew that. She then smiled at him, "What are you, Shirou? You're not a demigod, or any other kind of immortal. You are a human, but I can feel the blessings of other divinities, then there is the strange circuits in your body."
"No other person has those. I know they help you circulate magical energy, and the items you have, they're all special to you, yet they too hold blessings. You are skilled in combat, then there's your heart and mind. They're older than your physical body." She asked, surprised that he seemed a bit shocked at her words.
"Demigod? Immortal? My magic circuits are odd? I don't understand? There hasn't been demigods for a very long time, let alone gods. I mean, sure, the mana is potent here, and then there's you, but I figured you were a goddess who didn't leave and managed to stay in this territory."
Everyone reacted differently to those words, but the main thing they all shared, was shock. "His world has no gods anymore? What does that mean?" Zeus asked, obviously a bit more shocked at this than the others.
"No wonder he kept mentioning the mana. It'd be far more potent with us here, as opposed to nothing." Athena added, holding a hand to her forehead. "How different is his world compared to ours?"
"How does his world function without the gods?" Demeter asked, as she did a lot for the mortals in her domains. In fact, most of the gods helped the mortals through their domains. So, it was a shock that there was no gods operating in his world.
"As for me, well, I shouldn't have any divinity in me, let alone blessings. At least, I don't think I should. I've interacted with divinity, but that was a very isolated and special case. This is Earth right? I mean, I don't get it." He said, bringing hands to his head.
"He's likely as shocked as we are. These heroic spirits must not be something you see everyday. Chaldea must have been a special case, meaning that his view of the world has been turned upside down." Hestia said, a sad expression on her face. "Not only that, but he's learning that he's alone."
Hestia raised her hands up, before deciding to stand up and walk over next to him. "Shirou, the gods never left. This is Earth, but what you're saying is odd. If you could see through the mist, then you'd likely have met a demigod at some point. The monsters are attracted to their divinity." She slowly and calmly told him.
She placed a hand onto his shoulder, using her powers to try and calm him. When she did, she could sense the confusion and turmoil he was feeling. "My true name is Hestia. The Greek gods moved to America after Greece, our power is more stable here. Magic circuits, I haven't seen anything like them." She paused, before kneeling down and grabbing ahold of his hands.
"It's a good idea to calm him after something like that. Just hearing it, I can feel the storm of emotions he had going through him. He felt heartbroken." Aphrodite stated, a bit surprised that she could feel it. It was enough to cause her to have to take a deep breath for a moment. She didn't know how Hestia's other self managed to stay calm with her domains.
"Where are you from, Shirou? I don't mean you any harm, in fact, that's why I brought you here. I wanted to keep you safe, because of the divinity I felt from you. So, you can tell me, Shirou." She said to him, looking him in the eyes. She noticed his golden brown eyes radiated a warmth that she didn't notice before.
"I woke up in the woods after an explosion. I was a part of an organization called Chaldea. I'm a magus, someone who can use magecraft. After an event in my hometown, I travelled around helping people where I could, until I heard about Chaldea."
"I applied there, only to make sure that whatever was happening there wasn't being used to harm innocents. There was an accident, or sabotage, followed by Chaldeas, a mystic code that simulated the world's future, predicted that Earth had no future."
For most, this answered why Shirou was glad the earth wasn't destroyed. He was likely worried that the world was still gone.
"Following that, most of the mages meant to correct these issues were killed or injured, except for four people. My friends, Mash and Ritsuka Fujimaru, The Director, Olga Marie Animusphere, and myself. All of this is really just simplification, but you get the point. There were singularities we had to fix, because it was all a twisted plan."
"We travelled to each singularity, a different point in history for each one, and corrected the flow of time. We met heroic spirits, heroes from the past, and the future, who were summoned to these singularities or were the cause of them. Those were my friends, and probably where that divinity came from."
"It wasn't easy and we barely survived most times, even with help from heroic spirits, but we did it. We saved Earth, at least, that's what we thought." Hestia listened intently, becoming more and more fascinated with his tale. What he was saying, from what she understood, was far different from what she knew.
"After a singularity in Salem, Massachusetts, something happened after all the heroic spirits left Chaldea and it was only us humans. We were attacked by an unknown enemy, and despite doing what we could, we were overwhelmed. I escorted who I could to a vehicle and pushed Fujimaru in, before I delivered one last attack to buy time."
"I'm not sure of what happened, but an explosion occurred. I remember being swallowed in it, feeling like I was falling, then I woke up in the woods." He finally finished, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself after. "My best guess, is this is a parallel world. How I ended up here without the second true magic, I don't know."
"Wow, that was definitely a lot to take in at once. Hestia's power really is something else. To get him to open up like that is incredible." Poseidon said. Many of the gods agreed, though they each felt some pity for the hero. He saved the world, and his reward? He was sent into another world with gods and prophecies of doom.
"That poor child. Well, I suppose it was for the best that Hestia was the one who found him." Hera stated, with many of the demigod children agreeing. Percy couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but he also felt some admiration too. Shirou was a lot like him, being dragged into saving the world and almost dying many times.
"I am interested in this second true magic though. He makes it sound like his world has a magic that allows one to travel between worlds freely." Athena added, in deep thought about everything she had heard. "The Kaleidoscope, the person who sent us the book and letter, and the screen. Maybe it has something to do with it." She said, though the screen didn't reply to her words.
That caught Hestia's interest. Parallel worlds? She heard of such theories, but they were never proven. Though, from what she heard and saw, it was true. He didn't know how or why, but he clearly wasn't from there. However, he didn't have a way home, meaning he was stuck there.
'To have no home, no friends, and no family, I couldn't even begin to imagine. Though, this does explain why he feels so familiar, yet unfamiliar. He must have met other divinities, as well as Greek divinities. He's changed and doesn't even know it.' She thought sadly. However, she made a promise to herself.
She became determined once again. 'If he's stuck here, then I'll help him. I won't let him fall into despair.' She thought to herself. "I believe you, Shirou. I truly do, and I promise, I'll help you." She said to him, putting a happy smile on her face. "I think it was fate that led us to each other. So, you don't have to worry."
"Aunt Hestia really was the best person to handle this. Besides, it's clear that Shirou is a good man." Artemis said with a nod. "I doubt any of us would have had a better outcome with him." She added, knowing that it would likely end in a fight with any of the others, save for Hades. She had a feeling that Hades and Persephone would have been able to help him too.
"You won't be alone here." She said to him, causing Shirou to widen his eyes at her words. He thought about everything that happened to him, before realizing, he did save those he cared about. His mom passed away before he left for Chaldea. Most of his friends were mages or killers. Those that weren't had their own lives.
While he did wish to help Fujimaru, he couldn't return. The best he could hope for, was for them to somehow find and retrieve him. Even that was a long shot. So, really, what was there left to do? He was in a new world, where everything was different.
In front of him was the Greek Goddess Hestia, who was promising to help him and telling him he wouldn't be alone. 'There are monsters in the world and who knows what else.' He thought. 'No matter where I am, I'm an Emiya. That means, I save people.' He thought, before regaining his resolve.
"A hero's mentality, even if he's broken, he keeps pushing forward." Apollo said, with even Ares grunting in approval.
"Still, Hestia will have to keep a close eye on him. Even if he is a hero, the weight of what he's been through will inevitably come crashing down on him if he doesn't confront it." Demeter added, with Hera nodding.
"Oh, I'm sure that Hestia will be keeping a very close eye on him in the coming future." Aphrodite said with a wink towards Hestia, who simply turned her head away. However, Aphrodite had a feeling Hestia knew it was true. There was something there, a spark, but it could grow into something more.
"I understand, Goddess Hestia, I thank you for your help." He said to her, but she immediately changed her expression, looking a bit angry.
"Just Hestia is fine, Shirou. Don't start treating me differently. From now on, we're in this together. Okay?" Shirou looked at her, gazing into her fiery red eyes. He couldn't help but find them beautiful, but managed to nod to her words. However, unknown to him, but Hestia saw something when she looked in his eyes.
She hadn't meant to do it, but the moment she looked into his eyes, she looked into his soul. What she saw, amazed her beyond belief. She saw a whole world, one with a night sky and falling snow. There rose petals, purple butterflies, small cages suspended on sword handles, and a few other objects.
"Whoa, wait what?!" Apollo exclaimed. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades each reacted strongly to the strange feeling around them, despite nothing happening. The screen changed, showing what was happening.
"It feels like a domain." Zeus said with narrowed eyes. "No, it feels stronger, more concentrated."
"He's manifesting his inner world. His soul made manifest." Athena said, easily deducing what was happening.
"But, no mortal should have something like that. The fact it feels like a domain is even more bizarre. What could he represent and have control over? It makes no sense." He said shaking his head.
However, Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Hestia were a bit too busy to reply, being entranced by the beauty on the screen. Artemis noticing the moon high in the sky, with the snow adding to its beauty.
Though, those weren't what caught her eye, they looked like they were simply reflections or items associated with important things. What really caught her eye, were the swords, spears, shields, and the other large variety of weapons that spread as far as the eye could see.
At this, Ares and Athena could feel something similar to their domains, but more concentrated. In fact, it made Ares feel weak. He couldn't understand why. On the contrary, Athena actually felt more powerful. It was a strange sensation. Hephaestus's eyes were practically glowing as he looked at each weapon, his own domain resonating with the world being seen.
She noticed many of the weapons felt familiar, but were far different from what she knew. She could feel the bonds and memories he had in each one that she saw. One that really felt familiar, was Tauropolos, a bow that was blessed by Artemis and Apollo.
The twins' eyes widened at that bow. Artemis more so, as it belonged to a hunter of hers from a long time ago. The fact that he had it, meant that Shirou must have encountered her at some point. The thought that she became a heroic spirit did make Artemis happy, as that was always one of her biggest regrets.
She then realized, Shirou was far more special than she had ever realized. He had an internal world, with infinite legendary weapons, each that she had a feeling he knew how to use. Each was special and some even held divinity. Specifically some red barbed spears, a purple scythe with a chain, and multiple katanas and swords.
'Hephaestus must never learn about this.' She thought to herself. Before she returned to the moment she entered his soul. Without missing a beat, she merely smiled as Shirou nodded. 'Shirou, you have no idea how special you are, do you?'
"Whoa, now that's a big reveal. This guy has a world of unlimited swords? That's insane. I wonder how it works?" Hephaestus said, with Aphrodite simply scoffing at his excitement. She knew how personal that was, she could feel it. Though, she had a feeling that there were others that knew, as she noticed a few people reacting strongly to it.
Hestia, Athena, Artemis, herself, her daughter Lacy, and Athena's daughter Annabeth all reacted to it. To them, it felt warm for some reason. Aphrodite knew that was his soul, what he represented and who he was. She knew it was very important.
Rather, she knew that what she saw was Shirou laid bare for all to see. It was a very personal thing. The fact that she could feel something from it was incredible, despite not actually being there. She wondered if he had some sort of connection to her.
Shirou stayed in the Hestia's hut for months, often conversing with Hestia and spending time with the Goddess, telling stories and other things, like showing some talents he picked up. He often hunted in the forest, killing monsters who appeared and guiding lost hikers back to their trail. Hestia revealed that he was in the Rockies, in a forest on a mountain.
They were in a rather remote area, so no one would stumble upon the hut by accident, especially with the mist and bounded fields set up. He enjoyed his time there, especially when he saw her smile and laugh when he told her stories. His time in Chaldea often had its fun moments too, after all.
"I'm surprised that you spent so much time with a human, Hestia. Though, I suppose it makes sense considering everything that's happened to him. Though, he appears to be adjusting well." Hera noticed that the two did get along really well. While they had often teased Hestia over the years, they never believed that Hestia would actually grow close with a man.
"Though, I'm more worried about his mental state. But, if anyone can help him, it'd be Hestia." Athena added on, a bit interested in the outcome of the two's relationship.
She enjoyed hearing about his time with the people and heroes she remembered, as well as hearing about the lands he traveled. She was amazed at the differences in history as well, with Shirou being similarly surprised. He was saddened to hear about Medusa and her sisters, as he was when he first heard it.
He had grown close to the gorgon sisters, so it didn't help that their fate was still the same. He wasn't surprised to learn that most gods were still ego maniacal children with great power, though he was holding out hope that he was wrong about that in some way.
Many of the demigods each winced at those words, as no one really talked about them that way and got away with it. Though, they noticed that Shirou seemed to have a dislike for the gods. The area was heavy as most of the gods seemed a bit angry, though considering everything that had happened since Percy and the lightning bolt, as well as a few of the goddesses glaring at the others, there wasn't any big outbursts.
Hestia had showed him that not all gods were horrible, so if he ever met another, he would give them a chance, but he wanted to punch Poseidon in the face at least once. Maybe a few others, but mainly him. He did wish to see a few of the people he remembered, but was a bit afraid of their personality shift.
Zeus and Hades couldn't help but smirk at the fact that the hero seemed to dislike their brother the most. "That was mostly Athena's fault, why am I being singled out?!" Athena merely scoffed.
"Because it was my temple that was sullied. Surely he knows that if it wasn't for you, none of that would have happened. Besides, we don't know if the stories line up the same as here." Athena said with a smirk on her face.
Though, some of the others couldn't help but think that there was more to it than that. If he was truly angry about their situation, then he surely had some distaste for Athena as well.
In particular, Circe and Medea. When he heard about how they were here, he was wary of ever meeting them. He was also wary about meeting Artemis, considering Orion wasn't the same in this world. Though, he would find this out the hard way. Hestia had given him a protective charm that would hide his scent and divinities.
Artemis's eyes narrowed at that. She was able to deduce that his world likely followed the interpretation that her and Orion fell in love. Though, she wondered what it meant that he would find that out the hard way.
"So, he did meet Arty in his world. I wonder what she was like, especially considering he's alive, and a male." Apollo said, laughing at the thought of this other world's Artemis.
She had given it to him, in case he wished to visit cities and towns. Which he did, because he was wanted to try and help those that he could. Though, the two often went together when she had time. Strangely enough, he found that Hestia was a rather sneaky goddess.
She had managed to spend a decent amount of time with him, despite needing to keep up appearances in Olympus. No one had asked about her or where she went. It was a rather peaceful existence for awhile, one that Shirou found to be enjoyable.
"Hestia is rather sneaky now that I think about it." Aphrodite said, as she couldn't remember a time where she was anywhere but her hearth. However, it was clear that she wasn't only there.
"I'm not someone who enjoys being noticed all the time, that's all." Hestia said with a smile. Most of the demigods knew that to be true, as well as Hestia's siblings.
He hadn't used his rifle or anything in awhile, preferring to use his bow and a few swords that he traced. He didn't wish to draw attention to himself or Hestia. Though, he did continue to wear Ereshkigal's scarf, as it was rather important to him.
He had begun to wear the jacket he wore in Babylonia, since he found it went with his scarf, as well as being a reminder of Fujimaru. There were times that he would wonder what she was doing, but knew that she had capable friends with her.
Shirou often travelled after he finally decided to leave the mountain after some months. Mainly, when Hestia had to be gone for large periods of time. Thankfully for him, Hestia had given him a gift, well, actually a few gifts, but the main one helped him travel. It was a black and red motorcycle, one that didn't need gas.
Rather, it ran on magical energy, which was amazing. He didn't even know such a thing existed, but supposedly, Hestia just asked someone to make it for her and that was that. He was still amazed that she was able to do that sometimes. Especially when she was able to get him papers for his identity, which helped immensely.
"Wow, Hestia, you really went all out with helping him out. I mean, even gifting him a motorcycle made by Hephaestus." Aphrodite teased, though she could see Hestia getting a bit embarrassed.
The demigods were also rather surprised, as getting gifts from a god was a rather big deal. Not to mention, Hestia had given him quite a few things that seemed amazing. "Well, most of it is meant to help him in the world, so it's mostly practical, Aphrodite." Athena added, narrowing her eyes at the love goddesses antics.
"I don't know, my sister has never went that far for anyone. I'm starting to wonder about your intentions, sister." Hera added, also teasing, though she couldn't help but see some truth to it. 'She likely doesn't even know though, considering she's never had such feelings.'
He decided to visit one of the big forests one day, Cherokee National Forest if he remembered correctly, particularly when he smelled the scent of something strange. He wasn't exactly keen on being in the domain of Artemis, especially with the sun setting, but the scent troubled him.
Shirou ventured off the main path, followed the scent and tracks of what he was following. Unlike others, he never saw or felt the mist, so he never knew when he passed barriers until he felt a shift in the air. Which was exactly what happened when he was deep in the forest.
The scent thickened, though he picked up more scents, as well as the smell of blood. He noticed the other scents were human, or well, mostly human. He was having a hard time differentiating humans from special humans. He needed to be closer to actually tell.
"Is he talking about us, my lady?" Thalia asked, looking up towards Artemis, who's eyes were narrowed.
"I can't imagine it being anything else, though I can't remember this event. Perhaps, it is something happening because his arrival changed something." She said, trying to remember the exact time, though without a clear timeline, she was having trouble.
However, the fact that there was something similar to humans and blood was never a good sign. "Trace on." He activated his magic circuits and called his black bow. He quickly dashed through the woods, eventually deciding to jump onto the branches of the trees as Atalanta had taught him.
"Oh, so that's why he moves like a hunter." One of the hunters called out, though Artemis felt like that was only half true. Some of the movements looked like a huntress from her hunters, but there was more to his movements and skill than that.
"He was likely taught by many different people who dwelled within nature, but it seems like Atalanta's style is the one he based the rest off of. However, his tracking was likely all her, combined with his natural sense of smell." Artemis informed them, though she was unaware that her words were very close to true, as Atalanta had actually helped hone his sense of smell even more.
Granted, he wasn't nearly as good as her. He would occasionally fall after a tree branch snapped, so it wasn't something he did all that often. However, this was an emergency. This world was different from what he knew, but he still felt a need to save others.
Hestia did warn him not to stand out too much, but some things outweighed his own personal safety. Such as the safety of the innocent. 'Besides, what's the worst that could happen?' He thought to himself. He still had Hestia's charm that hid him, so really, it wasn't a big deal.
Hestia's eyes narrowed at those words, as she likely knew her other self wouldn't be too happy about that line of thinking.
His eyes finally caught sight of what he was tracking, that being a group of ten young girls dressed in silver, each smelled of nature. They were all in rough shape, though a few managed to still be in that state to fight. 'The others will die if they don't get medical attention.'
"Dang, there's not much that could leave Arty's hunters in such a state. I wonder what it is that they're facing?" Apollo asked, though most of the others agreed, even the demigods. Artemis's hunters were known to be incredibly skilled and strong.
"I have an idea, and I don't like it." She replied, her silver eyes glowing intensely.
He noticed a large arrow then come into view that nearly pierced one of the young women, however, they managed to dodge at the last second. Without a second thought, Shirou lifted his bow and nocked an arrow, firing off an arrow with magical energy directly towards the hidden attacker.
He couldn't tell who or what it was, but it wasn't a human, he knew that much. It was too large, though he could tell it was some sort of hunter. The girls wouldn't hold out much longer, so it didn't matter, even if they appeared to be capable huntresses. They weren't normal humans, so he held out hope they'd be okay.
The moment his arrow exploded, he saw a look of surprise on the huntresses faces. Granted, he understood, his range was quite long. Archer could fire up to four kilometers, while Shirou could only manage two at the moment. Maybe if he used runes and magecraft, he could up that to three, but he was fine where he was at.
"Whoa, wait what?! I could understand if he was a demigod who'd trained in nothing but the bow, but even then, that'd be next to impossible for anyone that isn't us." Apollo quickly interjected, with even Artemis being surprised at the range.
As her brother said, for a god, that wasn't that hard, but for a human? Artemis couldn't help but be even more impressed with the hero. A human archer of that skill was nearly unheard of. She couldn't help but also feel some sort of connection with him, though she couldn't quite understand why.
He was a little under two kilometers right now, so he was confident in hitting his mark. He then continued, firing multiple shots and seeing the arrows he was shooting explode. He knew that the enemy hadn't moved yet. Just as he was about to project a low ranked noble phantasm, the branch under his foot broke causing him to fall.
However, just as he did, a large arrow hit where he would have been, causing his eyes to widen. 'It seems I'll have to try harder.' He thought, before landing on his feet. He still had some pouches on his belt, just in case he required a different method of attack. He didn't want to fight up close, but he was thinking he needed to.
Whoever this opponent was, they were not on the level of someone he could fight halfheartedly. He positioned him behind a tree, before taking a few deep breaths. "I am the bone of my sword." He could feel all of his circuits begin to awaken. With each one, he remembered a time of his training.
At that, Aphrodite felt a strange feeling that she didn't like. She frowned, not understanding what it was, though she knew it had to do with the phrase. Admittedly, she didn't like it, nor what it might mean, but to have such a reaction shocked her. 'That book, why is it causing these reactions? Maybe we'll find out as we continue, but still...'
"He was only going half-heartedly this whole time? Well, I can't wait to see what he's like when he fights seriously." Percy said, interested in the whole thing. Admittedly, he enjoyed fighting, though he couldn't help but be slightly worried. He was a demigod, but Shirou was a human. Even with magic, he wasn't sure if it would close the gap that existed.
He remembered training his close combat with the mightiest and most skilled of the heroic servants, learning archery with legendary archers and marksmen, perfecting his magecraft with casters that could put anyone in the modern age to shame. He learned many things over his time in Chaldea, and he would put them to use.
'I won't let any of you down.' He thought to himself, before moving from the tree just as an arrow pierced the trunk. Another arrow came, but it was easily dodged. More and more were fired, however, Shirou simply weaved through them, before firing off arrows of his own.
Those that were predicting where he would be, were shot down first. He wouldn't allow someone to best him here. He had trained too hard and with too many people to allow such a thing to pass. He raised his bow and batted away an arrow, allowing it to fall to the wayside. 'Analysis complete, projection ready.'
Two swords then appeared in his hands, one black and one white. They were the married blades, Kanshou and Bakuya, the preferred weapon of his future self. Each arrow that came forward were cut down and parried away. The runes on his boots activated, causing him to burst forward with greater speed.
So far, everyone was either watching the screen that was showing what was happening, or were listening intently. Honestly, no one really had anything to say, simply wishing to see the skills of the hero of the story. However, there were some that noticed Shirou's words, or rather, that he had met his future self.
'Then it's likely that he became a hero in his old world, or there is a version of himself that did. Either way, it means that he is capable of being remembered as a hero, alongside other great heroes.' Athena thought to herself, trying to learn as much as she can.
The demigods were each surprised and enthralled at what was being shown on the screen. They couldn't believe that a normal human was able to perform feats like them. Rather, even they would have had difficulty pulling off the exact stunts as the one they were watching. Dodging arrows was one thing, but shooting down arrows with your own was another.
He noticed that each arrow was striking harder and with more precision, however, it didn't matter. The swords would hold, even if they didn't, he had more ready. He saw the group of girls notice him, finally. He could see shock evident on his eyes, as well as a bit of contempt, though he also noticed fear present in their eyes.
He didn't dwell on it, it wasn't any of his business anyways. He only needed to make sure they didn't die. He continued forward, before beginning the process of his projection once again. Just as he reached them, the projection completed, he held out his hand and a number of large blades formed in front of him.
They weren't too large, but they offered enough cover to protect the girls from any stray arrows. He had to admit, Gilgamesh had quite a large amount of weapons that weren't wieldable for normal people. It would have been impressive if he didn't have a natural dislike for his Archer form.
"So his magic is this 'projection' of swords. Not only that, but it must have some correlation to the inner world we saw earlier, considering he's mentioning someone else's weapons. I wonder if he has a similar ability to me." Athena muttered, referring to her ability to know everything about a weapon. Ares had a similar one, but Athena's was far more potent.
"Who's Gilgamesh?" Percy asked, not understanding some of the references that the gods likely knew. Thankfully, he had Annabeth there to explain.
"Gilgamesh is referenced as the first hero, mostly because of the fact that his story is the oldest recorded epic ever discovered. I use the term hero loosely, as his story has him doing many things that aren't very heroic." She said with a frown, though she was happy that Shirou didn't particularly like him either.
'At least his Caster form wasn't nearly as bad.' He thought to himself, before turning towards the groups girls. "I don't know what's going on, but if you stick around any longer, those wounds will end up being the death of you. I'll hold this thing off and give you time to escape." He said simply, before turning forward again.
He knew that the swords wouldn't hold against the strength of those arrows, especially with them coming even quicker and stronger than before. He reached into his jacket and pulled out some gloves. They were imbued with magecraft and runes, so they would give him an edge, just in case.
He then bit his lip, causing it to bleed, before taking the blood and writing a small rune on his temple. "Kenaz." He whispered, before reaching into one of the pouches and pulling out a small blue gem. He used Bakuya to inscribe a rune on it, "Keep this on the one whose in charge, when you leave, stay together. It will protect you."
"He has knowledge of runes." Zeus grumbled, knowing that those were a mostly Norse thing.
"It would appear so. Chances are, he met a hero who taught him how to use them. I'm interested to learn who it was." Athena spoke, looking at the screen closely. Runes weren't something anyone could learn. Another difference between the worlds.
He then threw one of the stones to one of the girls, "Tiwaz." The moment one of the girls caught it, a barrier formed around them. Their eyes widened, realizing that the one in front of them must have been a magician, or even a demigod, though he didn't really feel like one, nor smell like one.
One of the girls, presumably the leader stepped up. "We didn't need your help, but thank you. My name is Mia, one of the huntresses of Artemis." She revealed, before looking him in the eyes. "Be careful, that monster is Orion. We're still young huntresses, so we couldn't do much, but I promise, I'll come back with help."
"Hey, that's me!" One of the huntresses said with a smile. Mia looked up at the screen with a frown though. "But, this fight never happened. Also, we totally did need help, 'other' me." She said with an annoyed huff, causing some of the girls to laugh.
Artemis, however, only glared at the screen. It was Orion, just as she was thinking. She was glad that Shirou was there to save her hunters, though she couldn't help but feel like it was a fool's errand.
Unknown to her, but a lot of the others thought the same thing.
The moment she revealed who was fighting him, Shirou's eyes widened and his blood ran cold. 'Orion?' A sad look appeared on his face. 'What could have possessed you to do such a thing, Orion?' He shook his head, before looking back towards Mia.
Everyone's eyes widened. The way he spoke, it sounded like he knew Orion. Meaning he likely met a version of him from his world. The one he met also sounded like he'd never think about doing something like this.
For Artemis, this only cemented her belief that Shirou's world aligned with the stories. However, there was another worry. 'If he reacted in such a way, then he must have had some sort of friendship with Orion.'
'Hestia said most of the huntresses hated men, but she did say they were young, so maybe they haven't fully developed into man-haters just yet.' She had blonde hair with green highlights, and appeared to be in her mid to late teens. Her overall appearance reminded him of Atalanta, without the animal features.
He offered a sincere smile, "No, thanks necessary. If you want to thank me, get out of here alive and see to your injured. That'll be enough. Now, go, I've got this." He said to her, unknowingly mimicking the words he would say to Ritsuka from time to time.
The demigods were surprised, as was the hunters and Artemis. "He's going to face Orion alone?" Artemis said in disbelief.
"It's his hero complex. As long as they survive, he's fine with it. Plus, from the last part, it seems he's done this many times." Athena said, though her daughter was looking at the screen with a strange expression. Most of it was worry, but it also looked like she didn't understand why that was.
Hestia was being extra sure to keep an eye on the ones who had been reacting since the story started.
The girls then gathered up their comrades and began to head deeper into the forest, though they weren't moving too fast, as they were all pretty banged up. However, when Shirou turned forward, he failed to notice Mia turn around and look upon him once again.
He was sincere with his words and his smile matched that sincerity. He was strong and she knew that he was strong. Just from the look in his eyes and the way he stood, she could tell that he was a hero. She wished to know more about him, if only to thank him later, if he survived.
But, her first priority was the other hunters. She refused to allow them to die, especially since they were still young and she was the leader for this hunt. They hadn't planned on running into Orion here, but she knew that, without the strange man's appearance, they would have likely been brutally killed.
She would need to get reinforcements and return with haste to save the young man. Hopefully, she would be fast enough, otherwise, Orion would escape and their savior would die. That was not something she was willing to let happen. The girls then hurried their pace the moment their heard steel shatter.
"That was the right choice, Mia. While I may not agree with his decision to fight alone, it would have been insulting to not follow through with his offer." Artemis said, seeing Mia looking a bit guilty about leaving him. However, her words seemed to set the girl at ease.
Artemis was being honest too. If Mia was training young hunters, her first priority should be protecting them. A part of her was hoping Zoe was around, since she would be of great help to him.
The moment the swords broke, Shirou de-materialized everything else, before charging forward and swiping away arrows. However, he was surprised when the arrows stopped. He knew Orion knew that his swords were cracked. Of course, he also knew that Orion was clueless about his magecraft.
His thoughts were cut short when a deep voice called out. "I was surprised by your talent in the bow. I had thought you to be a demigod, or maybe even one of HER hunters, but I see now, that you are naught but a human. I admit, I'm impressed. However, I must tell you to step aside and cease your foolish actions human."
The hunters couldn't help but shiver a bit at Orion's voice. He was the natural enemy of the hunters and Artemis. Even just seeing his picture on the screen was enough for them to recoil. Artemis, though, simply glared at the screen, her eyes were cold and piercing.
Shirou saw Orion step out of the shadows of the trees, seeing a nearly ten foot tall muscular and handsome man with dark hair. His eyes were mechanical, appearing like night vision goggles, and his clothes resembled and old fashioned hunter. The moment Shirou looked at his bow, he felt a sharp pain, before he shook it off.
He saw many images of death, of many huntresses and animals. He saw many things, but the bow was forged after his time with Artemis, so he didn't see what caused him to be the way he was. However, what he saw was enough to cause Shirou's blood to boil.
At that, Artemis quirked a brow. 'So, his ability goes that far with tracing the weapon?' Though, she, like many of the gods, were surprised when they heard that Shirou's blood was boiling. Since the start, he didn't seem like the type to get angry.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. You are going to kill those girls, despite the fact your quarrel isn't with them. I don't know what caused you to be this way, but I cannot let this stand." He said in a calm voice. 'I must correct this, for my friends, Artemis and Orion. I will not allow you to taint their memory.'
Artemis's features slightly softened. 'So, they were your friends? I can only imagine how jarring our world was for him.' She thought.
A few of the others were each in agreement with Shirou's motives. It was the duty of heroes to punish the corrupt. It was something they all agreed on. As was to protect the memories of your loved ones.
He heard Orion scoff. "Those girls are Artemis's huntresses, as such, they are part of this. I don't know what stake you have in this, why you, a human, would attempt to fight me. But, if I have to kill you to get to them, then very well. But, tell me one thing." He said to him, raising a finger as he did so.
Shirou's eyes narrowed, "Are you doing this because you have a relationship with a god? Or do you maybe feel something for one of THEM? No human in their right mind would face a giant, let alone any other monster or magic creature. I mean, didn't you wonder why I stand here unfazed by your attacks?"
"It's because a human cannot kill me. Humans aren't worthy enough to even be harmed by most weapons of divine beings, so, why are you doing this? You must know, you will die here. So, tell me." He said to him with genuine curiosity.
Everyone focused, wanting to listen to Shirou's reply. Hestia in particular, since she was the god in question.
Shirou only let out a sigh. "I am friends with a goddess, yes. Though, that friendship isn't what decided this. Perhaps, I am not in my right mind. I wouldn't know. However, I intervened, because those girls needed to be saved. No more, no less. Even if I die here, if even one of them can be saved, then I will die with a smile on my face."
"A heroic reason, but foolish, since he obviously doesn't value his life as highly as the ones he's saving. It is as Athena said, he is a broken person." Hera said, shaking her head with sadness.
Hestia could only feel saddened, as she knew that was true. She could only imagine what her other self would think when she found out about it.
His words caught the giant off guard. He then began to laugh. It was a laugh that was demeaning, one that thought the whole idea was absurd. Shirou had heard it many times. However, he didn't care. This thing didn't know about what Shirou had been through. He didn't know about those he saved and those he loved.
Maybe he was crazy, but it didn't matter. He would fight and chase that dream, the unfulfilled dream of the man who had saved him so long ago. His mother told him about him and he admired those goals. A Hero of Justice, that was what that man wished to be. The dream that saved his mother, the dream that saved him.
He would be a Hero of Justice, if it meant he could do for others, what had been done for his mother and him. The smile he saw on his mother's face when she spoke of the time he found and saved her, that smile was what he wanted to be on others faces.
If he could make others smile in their darkest times, that would be enough. His mother wasn't one to show emotion, but when she did, it was always a beautiful sight. Those smiles and moments of happiness were only possible because there was someone who wished to be a hero.
Maybe he was going about it wrong, maybe he wasn't as heroic, perhaps he wasn't strong enough, but it didn't matter. Even in a world where gods as kind as Hestia existed, there was still suffering and those that needed to be saved. Because of that, he would strive to be the Hero of Justice the world needed.
At those words, everyone felt like they had to somewhat reevaluate him. He was still a broken person, but he understood that. However, he was undeniably a hero with a valid reason to be one.
The demigods, particularly Percy, couldn't help but feel some awe at the hero. He thought about his own mother, and knowing that he would likely be the same if the roles were reversed.
"You would put your life on the line to save others? How utterly ridiculous. You are a fool. Whatever it is you wished to accomplish will die out here, human. I will track down those huntresses and kill them, so just know, that what you're doing is nothing more than a mistake." Shirou felt his hands clench the swords tighter.
"Very well, giant. I've heard those words before, and just like then, I won't falter in my beliefs. Saving those girls, will never be a mistake." He said to him, dropping the swords in his hands. "However, there is one thing I must do, a wrong that must be righted."
Athena's eyes narrowed the moment the swords were dropped. She knew he wouldn't do that lightly. It meant he had a plan on how to deal with Orion, but whatever it was, she hoped that it was something viable.
"Oh, and what's that?" The giant said with a smirk on his face, obviously looking down on Shirou.
"You have been corrupted by hate and vengeance, as such, I must stop you here. That is my obligation as a friend. I don't know what happened to you, but you have lost your way. So, I will stop you, for the memories of the two I called my friends." He lifted his hand in the air, before a burst of magical energy erupted from it.
At that, everyone's eyes raised. It felt similar to what Hestia had seen. "Can he...can he manifest that world?" Zeus said, a bit shocked. If it was true that he could, then that meant his power was not something to be taken lightly. However, no one answered, each a bit too lost in their own thoughts.
The giant's eyes narrowed, before he quickly pulled his bow up while nocking an arrow, intent on shooting Shirou down. "I am the bone of my sword." An ominous blood red spear appeared in Shirou's hand, before another appeared in his off hand. The spearheads being as long as a short sword.
Before he could fire his arrow, both spearheads came forward causing the giant to deftly move out of the way, while using his bow to push one of the spears away from him. For some reason, he felt like those spears had the ability to harm him, even if it was a human wielding them.
'What?' Artemis thought to herself, her eyes widening a bit. To actually harm him, one would need to separate him from the Earth, as Gaea would heal him. However, those spears must have had some property that made that infeasible.
Athena's eyes narrowed at the weapons, trying to get a read on the weapons, but was having trouble with it.
"Tch." He then jumped back with his strength, firing an arrow as he did so, however, Shirou simply spun one of the spears and deflected the blow. 'I need to get him in the right position. I have an idea.' Shirou thought to himself. "Steel is my body and fire my blood."
"That's something new." Percy said, his head tilting a bit, not understanding it.
Aphrodite, though, she couldn't help but feel a little sad at the words. It wasn't like her to feel like this, so she wondered just why it was bothering her.
"Maybe, it's like a spell. He has to cast an incantation, or something." Annabeth said, bringing a hand to her chin, focusing on the screen. Athena hummed at that.
"If he is doing what we think he's doing, then it's likely. To do such a thing would require a lot of power to accomplish, as well as concentration." She responded. She was getting a bit excited, as it was rather interesting.
The giant quirked his brow, wondering what the human was doing. However, he didn't have much time to ponder, as Shirou burst forward with much quicker speed than before, extending the spear by allowing the spear to slide forward on his hand grabbed the edge of the handle.
This was followed by swinging the second spear the side, slashing towards where Orion would land. He quickly pulled out his hunting knife and used his bow to block the strike. He would admit, the human was much stronger than he thought, as well as much faster. He was faster than most demigods, if he was being honest.
Even the strikes had some genuine weight to them. Whoever he was, Orion wouldn't hold back. He couldn't, otherwise Artemis would arrive with her huntresses and he wasn't confident in that match-up. So, he'd kill the human and escape. "I have withstood over a thousand blades." Another strange chant.
It was as if the human was reciting a poem of some kind. He let out a growl, before attacking himself. With furious swings from both his bow and knife, the human's eyes narrowed, before spinning the spears and parrying or dodging the strikes. Strikes which shouldn't be able to be dodged.
However, the human did just that. However, Orion could tell what he blocked was getting to him. He could keep up for now, but he would tire. "Forged in battle, I strive onward." The next line came, though now Orion could feel the magic in the words, however, he wasn't worried.
As Shirou finally made a mistake. He slowed only slightly, but it was enough for an arrow to strike his thigh. However, Shirou didn't react, he only continued to attack and defend. Though, even he knew he was no Scathach. He couldn't keep up this level of combat for much longer.
"The Rune Witch and the Queen of the Land of Shadows, no wonder those spears have the power to injure him. They likely have a curse so that whatever wounds sustained won't heal." Athena said, sitting back in her throne. Percy didn't know who that was, but Annabeth whispered that she'd tell him about it later.
Percy had a feeling that this Scathach must have been similar, at least in some way, to Athena, for her to react that way. Though, it might have just been him. Though, the effect of that spear sounded pretty gnarly.
One more slip up, the knife sliced his arm and part of his chest. However, Shirou used that attack to land a hit on Orion, stabbing the giant in the leg. Orion wasn't worried, at least, not until the wound didn't heal. With a quick kick, Orion struck Shirou's stomach, however, Shirou managed to block the attack with his spears.
The strike pushed Shirou back until he hit a tree, where more arrows began to rain down on him. Shirou quickly used his spears the swipe away the attacks, though some arrows hit his arms, left shoulder, his right leg, and one hit his chest. "Withstood pain to create weapons, pushing past my limits."
He could feel his body beginning to creak under the continued pressure he was putting on it, but he couldn't stop. Rather than stop, he pushed farther. Even with his wounds, he wouldn't slow any farther. He dodged and parried away arrows, before Orion slashed at his neck.
Shirou stepped back and swung one of his spears at the same time, both men hitting the other. Orion was cut on the chest, Shirou on the left side of his face. "I have no regrets, this is the only path." He went through one more line, before jumping back with all his strength. "My body will always be..."
Orion's eyes filled with rage at being struck twice, by a human no less. 'No, it's time to end this.' He thought, before using every ounce of his strength to charge forward with is knife. He brought the knife down towards Shirou's head, far faster than any attack he made previously. "Unlimited Blade Works." But it was too late.
"An apt description for that world." Hephaestus said aloud, excited to see the world again. The other gods just nodded.
Aphrodite though, she only let out a sad sigh. Something that Hestia picked up on. She thought that Aphrodite would have been loving this whole interaction, yet, she seemed more upset than anything.
She looked at the book, before looking at Aphrodite again. 'Could Aphrodite be tied to this somehow?' It was a strange thought, considering the fact that she was just as puzzled when they were summoned. Though, there was something strange about the whole thing.
Unknown to her, but Athena was also beginning to pick up on a few things. For one, the book was clearly magical in nature. There was no way for such a book to be able to detail a story to such a degree. Then, there was the fact that there was an odd resonance occurring between her and the book.
However, she couldn't maintain her focus on the book, as whatever Shirou did had managed to catch her full attention. Though, it had caught everyone's attention.
A light exploded from Shirou's chest, a ring of flames spread from his body and engulfed the entire area. The whole thing blinded Orion and caused him to recoil and attempt to protect himself from any attack. However, he felt nothing.
He then looked around, realizing that he wasn't in the forest any longer. In fact, he couldn't feel his connection to the world like he did previously. This land of blades was unlike anything he had ever seen. There were weapons of all kinds, not to mention many different types of bows.
"He was able to manifest his inner world onto the outer world? How is that even possible?" Zeus asked, his voice in disbelief, but also filled with trepidation. It didn't take a genius to figure out why, even if the demigods didn't fully understand the true reason behind it, they knew he was scared of his power.
Of course, it was Athena who answered the question. "I'm not as well read as Hecate when it comes down to magic theories, but from what I can surmise, the process creates a boundary and overlays his inner world onto the material world."
"I wish I knew the specifics, but it seems rather interesting. If my guess is correct, Shirou is effectively akin to a god within that world, being that he can control the contents freely." She answered, though it was mainly conjecture.
"Is it possible for others to do the same where he's from?" Was another question, however, no one actually knew the answer to the question.
"Unlikely. At the very least, such an ability must be rare. The fact it appears to be his trump card should be enough of an indication to that fact." Athena said, before focusing on something she had noticed earlier. It was the state of which the world was in.
If the world was his soul, then it meant that it reflected the owner. She wondered knew that everything in there likely had a reason to be there, with even the time of day and weather being a factor. It was interesting to say the least.
He was wary of the moon, as well as the many different items scattered around. However, he couldn't focus on that now, he needed to kill the human now. Otherwise, he would be caught, and he wasn't going to allow that. However, what he didn't know, was that Shirou was counting on Orion's slight break in concentration.
"Stab and pierce..." Orion turned and saw Shirou thrusting the spear in his left hand forward, striking him in the chest. Though, he didn't feel it penetrate his body, however, his body was immediately pulled off the ground and into the air, his arms and legs being restricted by red energy "Thrust and Drill!"
No matter what he tried, he couldn't move. Even with everything he tried, he could only manage to struggle a bit. However, he knew that this wouldn't hold long. What he didn't know, was that it didn't need to hold long. He looked back down at Shirou and saw him holding the second spear back like a javelin.
Artemis was amazed that there was something capable of holding a giant like what she was seeing. The other gods were also impressed, but Artemis was more effected by the fact that it was Orion being suspended in the air.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Giants were dangerous. The fact that Shirou was going against the Fates' decree and managing to harm him as a mortal was beyond belief. No, it was more than that, especially considering she was confident that Orion was actually about to die.
The spear was radiating a red energy, twirling around the spearhead like a cyclone. It had engulfed the entire spear, causing Orion's eyes to widen. The signature of the spear was one he recognized. It was one from Ireland. If it was what he thought it was, then... "Wait!"
Shirou, however, had gathered the required magical energy, that being a whole lot. He then stepped forward, "Gae Bolg Alternative!" He released the spear, causing a shockwave of energy to explode from it. The spear flew fast and quick, causing multiple booms, before finally striking Orion in the heart.
The energy travelled through and onwards into the sky, before Orion and the spear exploded. Shirou's arm was now busted and he was injured, however, he had a feeling he couldn't go back empty handed. He quickly grabbed the purple scythe that appeared next to him, just as Unlimited Blade Works deactivated.
"Whoa, his attack actually injured himself? Also, what kind of attack was that? I've never seen an attack like that before." Percy said, as he had seen many different and amazing things, but the spectacle of Shirou's attack was something else entirely.
"I don't believe that was Shirou's attack exactly. The attack injuring him was unexpected, but considering the power behind it, it makes sense." Annabeth answered, wondering about the red spear she saw and trying to think about why he spoke those words before attacking. 'An incarnation perhaps?'
"I believe it was the spear that caused that, rather than Shirou. He activated it, but the power came from the spear. In fact, I noticed he was moving like someone else this entire time, just adjusted for his own body." Athena spoke confidently. "He can likely replicate the skills and abilities of the weapons as well as trace them."
"That's such a broken ability." Thalia said, wondering if Shirou actually killed Orion.
Artemis was more focused on finding out if Shirou actually killed Orion, rather than listening to everyone else. She was also interested in the scythe he grabbed as the world receded. Though, she also wondered about the other version of herself.
Considering he was injured, she supposed it wouldn't be that hard for her to track him down.
Shirou was leaning forward on the scythe. His blood dripping from his wounds and his arm hanging limp at his side. He limped forward, heading towards the area he knew Orion's body was. He had one last thing he needed to do. When he reached him, he saw Orion laying on the ground.
There was a giant hole in his chest and his body was nearly torn to shreds. Shirou didn't know if he was dead or not, but he wasn't going to take the chance. He mustered what strength he had left, lifting the scythe in the air and bringing it down onto the giant's neck, severing his head entirely.
Right after, the weapon dissipated. 'With Harpe, I know you're dead. Hopefully, you can rest now. I wonder, was my Orion as strong as you?' He shook his head. 'No, I have a feeling that he was far stronger than you, but still, I would have lost if you didn't underestimate me and let me finish my chant.'
"Wasn't that one your weapons, Hermes?" Demeter asked, looking at the scythe with an intrigued gaze. Hermes only frowned at the appearance of the weapon.
"I gave it to Perseus to slay Medusa, but it was lost after his death. How does this mortal have it? Maybe one of the heroes he met was Perseus?"
"Considering the implied relationship he had with the Gorgon sisters, I find that to be a stretch. From the way he spoke, he made it sound like Harpe was capable of slaying an immortal completely. Though, that's merely conjecture." Athena added, trying to get a read on the weapon.
Artemis was focused on his words about his world's Orion. Then thought about how he killed Orion. "He separated him from the Earth to remove his blessing, then attacked with cursed weapons to counteract his healing. It seems he's a rather quick thinker."
"He's dangerous." Was all Zeus growled out, seeing how Shirou had the means to kill an immortal. Though, many just ignored him.
He shook his head, deciding he didn't want to stick around. He began to limp away, trying to go as fast as he could. He didn't stick around to see if the body would dissipate or not, as he only wanted to go home and rest. He needed to fix his arm and patch up his wounds.
Honestly, if he hadn't activated those runes beforehand, he may have died. If he didn't use runes and reinforcement to the max, he would have met his end far sooner. 'Preparation is always the first thing before a battle.' He thought, remembering many of the heroic spirits telling him that.
'I hope Hestia's busy. I'd rather she didn't see me like this.' He thought to himself, taking a deep breath. It was going to be a long day and long ride home. He thought about stopping at a hotel, but thought better of it. Besides, his motorcycle was pretty fast and had some pretty decent functions.
Hestia narrowed her eyes in annoyance, while Aphrodite giggled to herself quietly. Athena only let out a sigh, while Artemis was a bit frustrated since tracking him would be difficult if he escaped.
The demigods were all immensely impressed with Shirou's abilities. Especially since he didn't seem too much older than them, along with him being a human.
Mia was not in the best of moods. She wanted to try and save the stranger who saved her, but it took forever for them to return to their campsite where their healing items were. After that, they contacted the other huntresses and Artemis. Despite them being with Artemis, it still took hours to arrive.
"Oh, it's me again! Wait, does this I'm one of the main characters in the story?" She asked, with a few of the girls a bit surprised at that thought, but also happy that the hunters would be a part of the story.
"It appears so. I wonder if we'll get to see anyone else, like Percy, Annabeth, or even me?" Thalia said, a bit excited to see what that interaction would be like. Annabeth couldn't deny that she was curious about that as well.
'There's no way he's still alive.' She thought sadly. However, since they were still alive, she knew that Artemis and the huntresses could still track Orion down. She quickly led them through the forest, finally reaching the spot where she left her savior. What they found amazed everyone, even their goddess.
The entire area was littered with marks from blades, arrows, and craters. There was a lot of blood in multiple areas, as well as fallen trees and destroyed rocks. She noticed Artemis's eyes were narrowed as she checked everything, however, they all heard an audible gasp from her, causing them all to become surprised.
That was before they followed suit. In another clearing, one that was far more destroyed than the one previously, was the slowly dissipating head of Orion. His bow was laying a short distance away. 'How strange, I wonder why it's taking so long?'
She then shook her head, before realizing something that caused her eyes to widen. 'Orion's dead.' She thought. 'He actually managed to kill him. But, wait, how? Could another god have come and saved him?' She couldn't fathom something like this happening.
"It would be tough to imagine. It makes sense that you'd be unable to think he could kill him." Artemis said, looking towards her hunters. Mia didn't feel as bad after hearing that.
However, there was one indisputable fact, Orion was now dead. The huntresses, animals, amazons, and their goddess no longer had to worry about him. He wasn't going to hunt them down anymore. Honestly, the whole thing seemed unimaginable to them.
"What was the name of the one who did this?" Was the simple question from their goddess. Mia quickly ran forward and stood up straight to report to her.
"Um, I'm not sure milady. He didn't give a name. He was busy trying to keep Orion from attacking us. He gave us this. It activated some kind of barrier when he spoke in some kind of language." She said, offering her goddess the gem he threw to them.
Artemis took the gem, inspecting it closely. 'Runes?' She thought to herself. 'We would have known if one of the other pantheons entered domains. So, this had to be someone who had the knowledge of runecraft.' She looked towards the head of Orion. 'I must find the one who killed him.' She thought to herself.
"Search the surroundings for anything that could be used to track him. Someone wrap up the bow and store it away. Those spoils belong to another." She said to her huntresses. Her huntresses then scattered, hurrying along with her orders. She reached down and touched the blood.
'A human? So, I'm looking for an exceptional human with knowledge on runes. I'll follow the trail of blood, it seems to lead away from the battle.' She quickly tracked the blood, following it until it reached a small spot on the side of the road. She noticed the tracks of what appeared to be a motorcycle.
They seemed to begin to head away from the forest, before they just disappeared. As if they just vanished into thin air. However, she could tell what happened. 'So, he was teleported away by someone, or had the ability to teleport himself. I'll need to investigate.' She thought to herself. 'I will find you, stranger.'
"Oooh, Hestia transported him away, he's going to be in trouble." Apollo laughed, with a few smiling at his words.
"Finding him will be harder for my other self if Aunt Hestia is helping him." Artemis pointed out with a small huff. Hestia couldn't help but grow a bit embarrassed at the situation.
"Oh, I bet Hestia and Shirou are going to have a romantic encounter because of this. I can see it now." Aphrodite added, with a few of the gods growing a bit annoyed at the thought.
"Not if she can't find a way to fix whatever is wrong with his foolish way of thinking." Athena scoffed, with Aphrodite frowning a bit in response.
Shirou had many happy memories. Hestia had looked through them when she felt like Shirou trusted her enough. She was surprised when she looked through his memories at first. She had originally believed his mother to have been rather bad, but realized that she was just as damaged as Shirou was.
He had shared a lot of his past with her, including some fun stories about Chaldea. She particularly enjoyed hearing about his version of Artemis. She couldn't imagine Artemis being an overly loving maiden, or the psychopathic Orion as a small teddy bear because of Artemis.
Artemis felt like gagging at that thought and shot an arrow at Apollo the moment he opened his mouth to try and make a joke. Funny enough, the other gods were amused but couldn't imagine such a thing either.
Hestia was just glad to know that Shirou trusted her enough to share such things with her.
Hera though, she was interested in what her sister had found out about the young hero. Chances were, Hestia had found out some rather important things that would help them understand him a bit better.
She shook her head, she was getting off track. Shirou and his mother were both damaged individuals who didn't possess a sense of self. It was actually a very odd thing to witness, but the more she watched, the more she was intrigued. She watched as the two slowly transformed.
The two found a sense of self in each other. She watched, arguably, the worst person to be a mother slowly transform into a proper mother. Someone who showed no emotion began to have them, even if they weren't conveyed a whole lot.
Then there was Shirou. He learned by watching others, being a very impressionable kid and somehow becoming the man he was now. From a mother who was a professional killer, to even past heroes, and everything in-between, they all shaped him into who he was.
He was still damaged and she could see times where he would slip, but those times were becoming fewer as he spent more time in his new world. She often wondered if she would ever see a time where he would be able to express himself like a normal person.
"Wow, Hestia seems rather invested in this, don't you think Hera?" Demeter asked, a bit teasingly, but also a bit surprised as well. She couldn't remember a time where her sister actually involved herself with a human to this degree.
Hera nodded, though she wasn't too surprised. Looking through memories tended to bond people together. Plus, her sister was a very caring person and trying to help a damaged person like Shirou seemed just like her.
Though, there were times where she wanted to throttle him, such as now. Now, Hestia was, arguably, the kindest and most loving and caring goddess there was. She wasn't one to get angry, but when she did, it was never a good thing. Shirou hadn't really caused her to be angry, considering he never did anything to warrant it.
He did do things to annoy her, like constantly fighting monsters and protecting people. She didn't mind it too much, but he was starting to be noticed by some of the demigods. So, she decided she needed to speak with him about these habits. However, when she returned, he was nowhere to be found.
She assumed he was out traveling, as she did tell him she would be busy. However, when she decided to check on him, she found him getting on his motorcycle with several serious injuries. She quickly transported him back home, before grabbing him and taking him inside.
She hadn't seen his injuries this bad since she found him in the forest. She did her best to treat him, though it was obvious that he lost too much blood to stay conscious for too long. So, she let him sleep, but not before he told her about what he did. It was what he told her that caused her to want to hit him and interrupt his sleep.
But, she held it in. 'It's fine, he only killed one of the biggest mortal enemies of the gods and huntresses ever. It's not a big deal. It will be fine.' She thought, putting a sweet smile on her face. 'It is not fine, not at all!' She thought with a groan. 'Artemis is going to be looking for him now, I just know it.'
Hestia began to pace back and forth, wondering what to do. Shirou didn't give a name out, he had her charm, and he didn't leave any weapons there. The motorcycle was brought back with him. 'The only thing I need to worry about is his blood. Artemis could track it, but I teleported him away, so that should be safe.'
"You know, stressing out isn't good for you Hestia." Aphrodite said with a small smile. Hestia's brow twitched at her words. "I'm sure everything will work out just fine in the end, you know?"
"Why does it sound like you're worried about me finding him, Aunt Hestia? It isn't like I'd kill him or anything." Artemis added, a bit upset that she'd try to hide him from her to such an extent. It wasn't like she was that scary.
The demigods and hunters wisely chose to remain quiet, though they all kind of understood Hestia's worries. Even the hunters could understand the worry, especially since Shirou was a male.
"It's a different version of me, actually. Besides, I think the other me is just worried about other gods finding out about him, not you in particular." Hestia quickly pointed out, though she knew that her other self was worried about Artemis in particular for several reasons.
"Why did you have to go and save them, Shirou? I mean, I'm happy you did, but I don't want anyone to find out about you and try to kill you, particularly Zeus." Needless to say, she was exasperated. "What am I going to do? I need to ask someone, but who could I trust with this?"
"See, she's just being cautious." Hestia said, internally relieved that it explained that after her words. Though, unknown to her, Zeus was a bit upset that Hestia seemed to have a rather low opinion of him.
As she pondered on the question, she came to a decent conclusion. 'Maybe mother could help me? I mean, if there was someone who could help me, it'd be her.' She thought to herself. 'But, she tends to hide and wander around. So, how am I going to find her.'
"Really, sister? You'd drag mom into this?" Hera said with an exasperated sigh.
"It's a different me! Besides, mom's the only one who wouldn't care about the situation. She's the perfect choice now that I think about it." She replied, actually a bit surprised that she hadn't thought about it earlier.
"So, this is the mortal that's caught your eye, I must say, I'm rather surprised." She heard a very familiar voice from behind her, she quickly turned and saw Rhea, the mother of the gods standing over Shirou's sleeping body. She hadn't changed since the last time she had seen her mother.
Dressed in jeans, shirt, and a jean jacket, her brown hair hanging freely behind her. Hestia was rather surprised, as her mother just happened to appear. "Don't be so surprised, I heard you thinking about me and I found your plight interesting. Especially because of this one." She said with a smile as she pointed at Shirou.
"No way, mother actually came to help?! She rarely ever comes around." Poseidon pointed out, with his brothers also rather surprised.
"Maybe it's because I'm her favorite?" Hestia said with a happy smile on her face. The others grumbled about it, but didn't want to argue, otherwise they'd be there forever, plus Hestia was technically everyone's favorite.
The demigods were just surprised that Rhea had just shown up to help Hestia. Rather, it was that Shirou had managed to meet Hestia, a giant, the Hunters, and now Rhea, all in the span of a year. Six to seven months, to be exact.
Hestia let out a sigh. "Do you think you could help me? I'm not sure what to do." She said, figuring she'd get it out of the way.
"Well, first, you should run back to your hearth before Artemis suspects you. After she leaves, I'll still be here. I'll watch over him for you. It's been awhile since I've spoken with such an interesting human." She replied, causing Hestia to realize she was right.
Without saying anything, and trusting her mother implicitly, she quickly teleported back to the hearth, leaving Rhea alone with Shirou. She let out a small hum as she inspected the young man. She reached out and touched his forehead.
The moment she did, she saw what Shirou was seeing at that moment. She looked around and him standing on a piece of rubble overlooking a sea of flames. She already knew what he was watching, but was surprised that he was so calm when he looked upon it, before she came to realization.
"No way, this is unreal. Is this really his memory?" Percy asked, disturbed by the scene in front of him. Even the other demigods and hunters were disturbed. Percy even noticed that Lacy looked like she was on the verge of tears, and that Annabeth herself was rather shaken by it.
"Yes, but it seems like a bit more than that." Athena said, with the other gods agreeing. Though, they had seen things similar to the memory, it was still unsettling, even to them.
"You see this quite a lot, don't you?" Shirou's head popped up, before he turned his head to look over his shoulder. She began to walk up with a smile on her face. Though, Shirou only responded with a small smile.
"You look a lot like Hestia, you even smile the same." He said to her, causing her eyes to widen, before she chuckled at his words.
Hestia couldn't help but smile at those words. It wasn't a secret that Rhea was arguable one of the most beautiful beings in the world, so to hear that was quite heartwarming. Plus, the fact that Shirou didn't seem troubled by seeing her mother was a plus.
"Well, you have it backwards, Hestia looks like me. I'm her mother, Rhea." She revealed to him, surprising him. He shook his head and let out a small laugh at his situation.
"She mentioned you. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure you already know who I am. To answer your earlier question, yes, I often see this place. Less than I used to, but I still see it every once in awhile." He answered her, looking back towards the flames and the young boy walking amidst them.
Rhea walked up beside him and saw the same sight, becoming saddened at the thought of such a thing. Shirou's eyes narrowed, before he looked up into the sky. "I see the flames, but since arriving here, I now see those before the landscape changes." He said, pointing up towards seven bright lights descending downwards.
Then, everything froze, before the dream began to shake. Rhea was rather amazed at what she was seeing. Not so much the sights, but rather the fortitude of the man beside her. To survive such things was no easy feat. To lose so much, yet still have the will to continue forwards.
Unlike Hestia, she was able to see a lot more than her daughter. The moment she was present in the dream, she was able to see a whole lot of the man's life. Even seeing memories that weren't his. She had a feeling, if any other person was where he was, they would have broken long ago.
"She saw memories that weren't his? What does that mean?" Percy asked, though not many understood what it meant either.
"Maybe she was talking about his future self's memories? It's possible that he gained memories from his old self." Annabeth answered. Of course, they didn't know that these memories also included the memories Shirou was shown during the dream cycle with each of his servants.
After the shaking stopped, the landscape completely changed with a flash of light. Then, the two were standing in a land of blades. This was what Rhea was interested in. The moment she saw it, she was intrigued. This was the deepest part of Shirou Emiya. It was his soul.
"Wow, so mom knew about it already too. Though, I suppose that makes sense." Hades said, bringing a hand up to his chin for a moment. He wondered when his other self would meet the hero. Considering Shirou's connection with another ruler of the Underworld, he had a feeling that he would get along with him.
"So, that finished the first chapter. I'm quite interested to see what happens in the next chapter. With mom there, she's sure to meddle and probably end up helping more than expected." Hera pointed out. She knew that Rhea's abilities were quite amazing and would likely be someone who could assist Shirou with his issues.
"I feel like I need to bring this up." Athena said aloud, gaining everyone's attention. "This book and even the screen, I've been feeling a strange connection with it. It's only conjecture at this point, but I think that there is some sort of resonance occurring between some of us and our other selves."
"I agree, I felt it too. I wasn't positive, but after you brought it up, I can tell that something is happening. I can feel my domain and soul resonating. It isn't anything dangerous, but it seems to be more empathic, allowing us to understand what is occurring more intimately." Aphrodite said, surprising some of the demigods with how serious and smart she sounded.
Of course, for them, that was a low bar. Though, her children all seemed really awed by their mother's words. Annabeth and Lacy chose not to speak up about themselves, neither did the hunters and Thalia. They felt something, but didn't know for sure if it was this resonance or if it was just themselves. Unlike the gods, such things seemed a bit beyond them.
"Well, as long as nothing dangerous occurs, we will continue with this story. It seems that it is a mandatory condition to finish it after all." Zeus finally spoke up, thinking on the young hero. He didn't know if the hero would be the one sent, but if it was, he wanted to at least gain an understanding of the boy and find out if he was a threat to Olympus or not.
At the moment, he doubted it, considering his actions so far. Then there was Hestia, who likely wouldn't have anything to with someone who wished to harm any of them. Still it was imperative to understand what was going on before drawing any definite conclusions. Especially if there was something coming that they needed assistance with.
"Well, do we just continue reading then? I wouldn't mind reading further." Athena spoke up. However, before anyone could reply. Some sort of magical vortex formed in the middle of the room. Each of the gods immediately tensed and kept their guard up in case it was something dangerous, with the demigods and hunters responding the same way.
Then, a body fell from the vortex and came crashing down into the floor, leaving a small crater. "Ow. I thought I told those three no experimenting with spells inside of the camp! I bet it was Ana. Though, it could have been Miyu. I doubt Ophelia would have done it." She muttered to herself, dusting herself off.
Immediately, everyone noticed her short black hair and silver tiara. She was wearing a black hoodie with a red leather jacket over top with a camp shirt underneath. There were multiple buttons and pins of bands and such on the lapels. She wore blue jeans with black combat boots and had a red and silver sword on her back with a silver and black bow and her quiver.
After regaining her bearings and looking around, her face immediately fell into a frown with a look of annoyance present in her lightning blue eyes. The girl appeared to be in her twenties and everyone could tell that the girl was quite the beauty. The demigods all noticed that she had a scar over her right eye.
"Great, Olympus, shoulda guessed it was you guys. Well, in case you all forgot, your saviors are on vacation. Deal with the problem yourselves." The girl then crossed her arms and huffed. "Now, please send me back, Auntie." She said in a much softer and sweeter tone, looking towards Hestia, before a look of confusion came across her face. "Huh, that's a new look."
Hestia was rather shocked, as she hadn't seen the girl before, but she seemed to know her. Then a loud crack of lightning resounded throughout the room, with everyone startling for a moment. The demigods all looked at the girl with dumbfounded expressions, wondering why she was speaking to the gods that way. It was insane.
Zeus and a few of the other gods looked at the girl with disdain, though the girl seemed unbothered, even by Zeus's show of power. His lightning filling the room above them and surrounding him. The girl only smirked.
"Oh?" Rather than fear, like the demigods expected, the girl seemed excited. She raised a hand and grabbed the sword from her back and held it in front of her like a knight. "I always wanted to find out how far I've come, I suppose today's my lucky day, isn't it, father."
The word father was spoken more like a curse, but it definitely caught everyone's attention. As did the purple lightning that began to emanate from her eyes. Lightning then began to surround her, however, the color quickly changed from purple into crimson.
Everyone stood shocked at her words and at the power of the girl standing there. Even Zeus was dumbfounded for a moment, before Percy called out, "Thalia?" The girl let out a sigh, before turning towards him, but keeping her red lightning up around her.
"So, he got everyone else before me." She muttered. "What's the problem, fish boy?" She asked, with everyone in varying degrees, though none more so than Thalia Grace.
"You're...You're Thalia Grace?" He asked, with her eyes narrowing at him dangerously.
"It's Thalia Emiya, Percy. Call me that again and I'll hit you with a lightning bolt." However, after she said that, she seemed to notice her other self. "Who the heck are you?"
And done, I did it guys, whoo! It only took forever, but I did it. I struggled because I wasn't sure how to write one of these. I still feel a bit odd about it, so let me know what you guys think. Let me know what I should and do a bit differently to make it better. I focused mainly on the characters from Lost Hero of Chaldea, but if you guys want others to have more spotlight let me know. I also wanted to add in some characters that will give more context, like Thalia. The three sisters will show up too, along with some others, maybe. Also, some wanted reaction from FGO, I'll do it, but you'll get that in the core story when they find out about it. I may add archer or some others to this, but let know what you all think. Heck, maybe I'll do something similar to another reaction I found and add the other versions of Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena. But, I'm glad I did it. It'll get better now that I have a grasp on it, and with some feedback from all of you. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for the reviews and feedback, I appreciate it. I'll be working hard on this so more will come out soon. Feel free to ask questions, I usually answer. Anyways, thanks for reading my story and, as always, until next time.
