Chapter 2

Thalia's eyes narrowed at the younger version of herself. She may not have been a daughter of Athena, but Thalia was taught by Shirou Emiya. Of course, she didn't need to be a genius to be able to recognize a younger version of herself, albeit with shorter hair than she remembered. It was rather tense, considering Thalia wasn't sure about what the heck was going on.

Then again, now that she looked around, that wasn't the only difference she noticed. Recognizing small details on the fly and analyzing the situation was one of the first things Shirou taught her. So, when she looked around and noticed that Annabeth's appearance was slightly different, as was little Lacy's. There was also the absence of Miyu and Ophelia, which would be unthinkable. Where one sister was, the others were close by.

There was also the appearance of the other demigods, as well as the fact that some were missing. Percy in particular, he looked and even felt weaker than she remembered. Not to say this Percy was weak, he just wasn't at the same level as the one she remembered. However, there was one glaring piece of the puzzle missing.

"Where's Zoe?" She asked, the crimson lightning around her easing up, though it was still active. Her question seemed to shock everyone, though it was evident from the hunters faces what had happened. Thalia actually felt like throwing up. Zoe was one of the girls who helped raise her since she was ten. 'This isn't right. This has to be a mistake.'

However, she began to notice the absence of many others who should be there. Shirou's children could have been written off, if their mothers weren't sitting in the room. Honestly, she felt like she was about to hyperventilate. However, before she could dwell on this further, Zeus opened his mouth.

"Enough, no matter who you might be, disrespecting us and openly mocking us will not stand!" With a motion of his hand, a lightning bolt flew across the throne room towards Thalia. It wasn't one that would kill her, but it would incapacitate her. Artemis was about to intervene, as she could easily tell that this was Thalia, especially because of the silver circlet on her head.

As it turned out, her assistance wasn't required. Thalia simply raised her offhand up as the bolt was about to reach her and grabbed it. The force of the bolt being stopped so suddenly caused the ground to shatter, but Thalia didn't so much as budge. She turned her head towards Zeus with a dark glare. The sound of thunder filled the room, causing most to jump.

Though one thing was clear, everyone had seen Thalia catch Zeus's conjured bolt like it was nothing. Thalia turned to face Zeus and with a defiant glare, lifted the bolt up and simply absorbed it like it was nothing. To the demigods, it reminded them of how water would flow towards Percy when he was injured, or when it empowered him. The lightning being absorbed and channeled into the aura around her.

"So the king of the gods has to rely on cheap shots now? Now, I know for certain, this world is a mistake. Despite likely being saved by children, your children, you refuse to show any sign of improvement. Show no sign of remorse, despite the fact that these kids lives were dragged into a war, likely seeing their friends and siblings dead." As Thalia spoke, everyone noticed the crimson lightning growing more wild and powerful.

The sword in her hand was even glowing red, shaking with barely restrained power. Her normally lightning blue eyes, replaced with red. The feeling was similar to the god of terror, who was able to simply give off an aura of fear, but this fear was because of anger. Young Thalia couldn't even imagine herself growing into the woman standing before the gods, before her father, without fear.

"If this was my world, I would have renounced you long ago." She spat her words out, with all of the gods being surprised by the sheer audacity of the girl. However, it was only half the gods, those touched by the book and those that did care simply sat and watched. However, it was Ares that decided to show off his godly might.

It all happened within the span of a second. The Demigods, those that had trained their senses, managed to catch what happened. Ares flashed towards her, intent on teaching the girl a lesson, but Thalia easily reacted. No, to say she reacted was an over exaggeration. She simply lifted her sword up and held it horizontally in front of her on both ends. Red lightning pulsed from her body like a sphere, destroying the area around her completely.

Ares was launched away by the sheer amount of power that was built up and collided with a wall. Thalia then lifted her sword up to the sky with both hands on the handle. If what they saw earlier was impressive, what happened next was even greater. "Boil my blood, rage against the sky." Two parts on the blade began to retract downwards, with a massive pillar of purple and red lightning shooting up from it.

The ceiling was beginning to fall apart, only for a few of the gods to use their power to maintain it. The incantation of Thalia's attack was enough to worry some onlookers. The fact that it looked like the lightning was striking against her, only being repelled by her red jacket, was enough to say that her words were likely literal. Younger Thalia could tell that her older self was simply channeling the pain into her anger, fueling whatever attack she was doing.

Her hands appeared to be burning up, with steam rising up, though only sharp eyed individuals caught it. "Bring down the sky..." Just as she was about to launch her attack, Thalia felt someone grab hold of her waist, wrapping their arms around her. Then there were some hands that were placed over hers, preventing her from swinging.

Then she felt a familiar feeling. It was the warmth of the woman who had become a mother to her. It was enough to wash away her rage, causing her build up of power to instantly drop. She had stopped using her powers altogether, allowing her to disperse what she had built up safely.

She turned her head to look around, seeing that it was Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite physically stopping her from dropping her attack, with Hestia placing a hand on her shoulder, likely using her power to calm her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that it was Annabeth who had grabbed her from behind.


Hestia let go of the older Thalia, before turning around to look at Zeus. "Enough, Zeus! This child was brought here against her will, away from her home, and I will not allow any of you to threaten or harm her. It's obvious that she was brought here by whatever brought that book to us. If that's the case, then she is here for a reason."

"She deliberately spoke down to us, Hestia. Whether she is my child or not, that can not stand. We are gods. We cannot allow such a thing to pass."

"Enough!" A voice boomed, causing everyone to wince. They noticed it had come from the screen. "Any further violent actions will be met with harsh punishments. This girl was brought here to add context or answer certain questions, not to be attacked. She does not fall under your jurisdiction, nor will I allow you to harm her."

Zeus appeared ready to speak against this, however, he was quickly teleported away. "Where did you take him?" Poseidon asked, letting a out a sigh of relief.

"Away." Was the only reply received. "Now, I ask that you all calm yourselves and continue when you are ready."

Hestia took a deep breath, before smiling again. She turned to the older Thalia, who had put her sword away in the time they were speaking. "Hello, I'm assuming you don't know why you're here?" Thalia looked at her for a moment, before nodding.

"We were sent a book that detailed a story and a warning about our world. We were learning about this story when you suddenly appeared." Thalia hummed for a moment, before looking up at the screen.

"The only thing capable of that is the second true magic, the operation of parallel worlds." She answered, before sighing. "Fine, I understand the situation. What story is it?" This time, it was Aphrodite who answered.

"Oh, it's a story detailing Hestia falling in love with a mortal named Shirou. The guy who you share a name with somehow." She let out a hum at the last bit, with Thalia's eyes widening a bit. Hestia didn't miss that detail. She guessed that this Thalia was from that world. The next thing Thalia said just confirmed it.

"Of course I share his name, he's my dad." She replied as she inspected her hands. Hestia could see that the younger Thalia wanted to know about her other self. She seemed to not understand how or why her other self was so different. "He adopted me after I left home and he's treated me more like a daughter than my actual father ever did."

It was clear that she didn't care about Zeus in the slightest, which surprised the younger Thalia. "So, this story is about Shirou? You're all in for a wild ride. Especially since it seems you don't have a Shirou in this world."

"Oh, does this mean I was right?! This is Shirou and Hestia's love story, isn't it?!" Aphrodite asked excitedly, with Thalia laughing at her interest. She could tell that the other gods were interested, some even seemed a bit upset at that prospect.

"Well, I don't think it'd be in my best interest to ruin the story. Besides, I don't know the whole story myself, so I'm rather interested in learning the specifics like you." She replied, even though it was slightly a lie. She didn't know the specifics, but she had heard the story of Shirou and Hestia many times before. Hestia loved to share their love story any chance she had.

She looked towards Aphrodite, barely recognizing her current form. She smiled to herself, remembering that it was Aphrodite who often told the story of Shirou and how he met the other goddesses. The fact that Shirou's scarf basically told their still unfolding story was just another way for her to share that story.

Still, she thought it was a beautiful scarf made of materials from Olympus. She wondered what would have happened if she appeared wearing that shroud.

"Well, I'm rather excited to see the rest of the story unfold. Especially if Shirou ends up meeting others like us. I mean, he saved you, so I'm guessing he'll meet everyone eventually right?" Aphrodite asked with a smile, with Thalia simply shrugging. She knew it was probably best not to share too much right now, otherwise it'd likely bother some of the gods.

Not to mention, she didn't know just how much was different. She glanced towards Annabeth, who seemed to be studying her. 'I just have to remember that these people aren't the same as where I'm from. This Annabeth isn't my sister.' She thought, before looking at her younger self. 'I'm not even the same.'

She let out a sigh, before looking at Hestia. "Will you be reading the story, Aunt Hestia?"

Hestia smiled at her, before shaking her head. "We've been taking turns. Though, Athena has been the one to read it so far." She then looked towards Athena. "Do you still feel like continuing, Athena?"

She let out a small hum, before nodding. "Yes, I admit that I'm rather interested in this myself. We can continue at anytime." She said, before heading back to her throne where the book was sitting on the armrest.

"Do you still need time to acclimate to everything? We can still wait..." Hestia asked, however, Thalia shook her head and interjected quickly.

"No, no, I'm ready. I'd rather not to be swarmed with too many questions so soon after arriving. Though, I will say that I'll happily answer questions you may have regarding the story. Well, I'll answer them to the best of my ability." She finished, as she could answer technical questions, but answering things regarding Shirou and the way he did things was a fool's errand.

"Very well, then you may take a seat wherever you wish." Hestia replied, before making her way back, along with Aphrodite, towards their seats.

Thalia let out a small sigh, before seeing a seat next to Mia. She couldn't help but smile, before making her way over. She exchanged a few greetings, but it seemed like most of the hunters were fine with her sitting with them. It was likely because she still wore the same circlet as her younger self, which was given to her by Artemis herself.

She could tell that her younger self, along with a few other demigods likely wished to speak with her, but that they were willing to wait. She wasn't looking forward to that. She was never good with crowds, not to mention, she was already missing her friends, who didn't seem to be here for whatever reason. Then again, she figured that not all the demigods were present, so her friends were likely still in the camp, or living their lives.


Athena looked around and made sure everyone had calmed down and was waiting. While Hera seemed a bit upset at the older Thalia's appearance, she wasn't saying much, since she probably didn't want to end up like Zeus. Ares was mad, but she honestly didn't care about that. Since everything seemed fine, she figured that it was alright for her to start. She took a deep breath, before deciding to continue.

Hestia was rightfully stressed, granted, she wasn't as stressed as earlier now that her mother was with him, but still. Shirou was a good friend and she enjoyed spending time with him, even his personality and beliefs were refreshing. However, his tendency to not care about his own well-being bothered her.

She did like that he wanted to help and save people, but she found that he would go too far. It wasn't all that much of an issue, as Shirou was much stronger than most humans. However, this recent incident with Orion was a step too far. She was going to have to have a talk with him about his actions.

"Has Orion remained dead?" Artemis asked, looking at Thalia.

"Yes. Even with certain incidents popping up with other monsters returning, Orion has never returned." She answered, with the other gods growing a bit apprehensive at such a thing. Thalia understood what they were worried about, "Shirou wouldn't use a weapon like that lightly."

"They're called Noble Phantasms, right? What are they exactly?" Annabeth decided to ask, still interested from when they were mentioned earlier. Thalia thought about it for a moment, before deciding that it wouldn't hurt to talk about.

"Uh, the way Shirou explained them to me, was that they are the symbol of a heroic spirit. They are manifestations of their legend. Shirou has access to weapon type noble phantasms, but not all noble phantasms are weapons." She replied, hoping that answered that question.

Thankfully, when she arrived at her hearth, everything seemed to be going well. There was no news about Orion or the huntresses. Of course, Hestia knew that it was only a matter of time until the news did break. When it did, well, she had a few ideas to help Shirou hide and not die.

She scooped her hand into the hearth and pulled out a piece of the flames, holding it in her hands. 'Shirou still possesses a fear of flames, though he himself does not know it. Rather, that part of him is muted so much that it doesn't register.' She thought to herself, before placing the flame into a small bottle.

"Um, what are you doing taking a piece of the hearth's flames? Surely, you aren't thinking about giving it to him." Poseidon spoke, with Hestia sighing a bit.

"I'm not sure myself. Unlike that version, I haven't seen Shirou's memories. Maybe I'll use it as a form of blessing?" She wondered, unsure of what her alternate self was doing. She guessed that it had something to do with what she saw from Shirou, but she wasn't sure what a piece of divine flame would do.

"Do you know?" Apollo asked, looking towards the elder Thalia, who simply nodded at his question. "You going to tell us?"

"I'd rather not. Skipping to the end of a story is never satisfying. You should just wait and see what happens." She answered with a shrug. Though, the ones used to Thalia were surprised to hear such a thing from her. She raised a brow at their looks, "I'm not that bothered by my ADHD or anything like that anymore. Perhaps this will help you all learn about patience." She stated with a small smirk.

"Aunt Hestia, you appeared troubled." Hestia stiffened for a moment, before turning towards the voice with a smile. Internally, she was very worried as the one who was speaking to her was Artemis. Though, a part of her wanted to giggle, as she couldn't help but imagine Shirou's stories of his Artemis.

Artemis's eye twitched a bit at that last line, causing a few of the hunters to quietly chuckle at her reaction. Hestia could only shoot her an apologetic look in response.

"Oh no, everything is fine. I was just thinking about some personal matters. Did you wish to speak with me, Artemis? You seem a bit troubled yourself." She noticed Artemis tilt her head, before she let out a sigh.

"Yes, actually, I was wondering if you may have heard anything about an exceptional human. You see, my huntresses encountered one recently. He saved them from Orion and proceeded to defeat him. I wish to find him to thank him for his assistance, as well as to ascertain the truth of his ability with a bow." She answered.

Hestia sat next to the flames, a bit surprised by Artemis's words. She considered it for a moment, but thought better of it. If she told Artemis, then Shirou's identity would spread and she didn't wish for that to happen yet, if at all. She didn't like lying, but it was for the best.

"I don't know, I feel like his personality would end up causing him to expose himself either way." Hera said, crossing her legs as she did so.

"I don't believe that I'd spread such information lightly either, then again, I'm not sure what year this is right now." Artemis muttered, though Elder Thalia heard her loud and clear.

"At this point in time, probably 1992 or 1993." She stated, crossing her arms and sitting back in her chair. Though, a few people took notice of the time and wondered if it had any significance to them. Athena and Annabeth, in particular, focused on what she had said. 1993 was the year Annabeth was born, though they both thought it was just a coincidence.


Shirou stood among his weapons, inspecting each with a heavy heart. It was disheartening to know that he would likely never get to see them again. However, he knew that those that cared about him would be happy knowing that he was still alive and moving forward.

The older Thalia looked at the screen and saw the surrounding of Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works. "So, that's what it used to look like."

"So, then it does change according to the user? Interesting." Athena said, looking up from the book. Thalia couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her reply, causing her to raise a brow at her action.

"Sorry, you just reminded me of something. Yes, it can change, but it isn't that easy to actually do." She answered, looking at the screen a bit more. "It's not easy to change your ideals and beliefs. That would require something more drastic." She finished a bit solemnly, causing Athena to hum at her response.

"If I may, could I ask why you're here?" He asked as he looked towards Rhea. She was wandering around the world and closely inspecting some of his weapons. She let out a small hum at his question.

"Well, my daughter is quite worried about your safety and well-being." She replied with a small hint of chastisement, "She rarely ever gets so out of sorts, so I decided to come and offer my assistance and maybe some advice." She said before taking out one of the swords and looking at it.

"I can't believe that mother is actually deciding to help him for you, Hestia." Poseidon spoke with a hint of jealousy in his tone. Hestia could only shrug at his words, since Rhea tended to do as she pleased.

"Mother is one of the nicest beings in the world though. Very similar to our sister in that regard." Demeter added with a smile.

"I do apologize for that, I didn't mean to cause her any trouble. Running into Orion and the huntresses was just my usual bad luck at play." He replied to her while rubbing the back of his head. He thought about all of the caster servants that tried to help him with that particular quirk.

Even with all of the magecraft and charms they made for him, all it did was cause good things to happen because of his bad luck. Like when the branch broke when he was fighting Orion, causing him to fall but to also cause Orion's arrow to miss hitting him.

"Is his luck really that bad?" Aphrodite asked, not imagining something being that bad, unless someone was cursed.

"Yes, very much so." Thalia answered, with Hestia and Aphrodite looking at her questioningly. Thalia sighed, "My dad has a penchant for finding trouble even when he's not looking for it. The curse of being a hero I suppose. I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin the story." She finished with a wry laugh, knowing how his luck passed on to his children.

They weren't unlucky per se, but they definitely tended to get drawn into trouble. Then again, they wanted to be heroes. They wanted to make their parents proud. It didn't help that certain prophecies basically guaranteed that they'd be drawn into said trouble. 'Honestly, I don't know what to do with those girls.'

"Oh, trust me dear, I know that you never intend to trouble those close to you with how you act. I've seen a decent amount of your memories, which includes those memories of your potential future paths." She said to him, causing his eyes to widen.

'So, she saw Archer and our alter.' He thought to himself, before opening both his hands, causing the sword Kanshou to appear in his left hand and the gun Bakuya to appear in his right. Unknown to him, but Rhea's eyes narrowed at both.

"Though you cannot feel it, I know you possess fear of becoming either. I know that Hestia would feel immense sadness in seeing either, so I have locked those away, so that she would never see them." She said to him, walking up and taking the weapons from his hands.

"I feel like that's something the other me would like to know sooner, rather than finding out on her own later. That's kind of unfair." Hestia said with a small frown.

"Plus, were his future selves really that bad?" Percy asked, with some of the demigods all looking towards him, along with Hestia. "I mean, they're 'heroic spirits' right? How bad could they really be?"

"Hey, fish face, just because they're called heroic spirits doesn't automatically make them good guys." Thalia replied, a bit of sadness on her face. Though, it was clear that Percy was caught off guard, but the others were confused by her words. "The way it was explained to me is that they are beings who achieved great deeds, being worshiped in some manner after their death. People and beings who left their mark on humanity."

"Though, not all heroic spirits are good. Medea, Medusa, Carmilla, famous pirates, Assassins, criminal masterminds like Moriarty, monsters and oni, the list goes on. Some were evil and are remembered for such, yet they became heroic spirits." She informed them, before shaking her head, "As for his future selves, well, if you knew what they were you'd fear becoming them too."

Percy looked at Thalia questioningly, but it was clear she wasn't going to elaborate. Though, he didn't quite understand why they'd still be called heroic spirits if that was the case. It didn't make much sense to him. Though, he wondered what she meant by saying 'if he knew what they were'. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Thank you, Lady Rhea. I wouldn't wish for her to know about those things, when even I wish I could unsee them." He thought, remembering the battle of the Emiya's in Shinjuku, with Rhea getting a glimpse of said event.


Atop a skyscraper stood Shirou, wearing some form of armor underneath his jacket, with gauntlets and greaves over his pants, though his color scheme was black and white, instead of the red and black of the Archer next to him. He stood wielding Caliburn, the sword of one of his servants, while being reinforced by Caster.

Next to him, was Archer with his two signature swords. The two were facing towards EMIYA Alter, who was looking towards both with a look of disdain and disgust, something mirrored by Shirou and Archer. The three each readied their weapons, "Trace on!" All three said, just as Shirou and Archer charged forward.


"He even has Caliburn, as in the sword in the stone from Arthurian legend?" Annabeth asked aloud, being rather surprised by that. It meant that Shirou had access to a lot more weapons than she initially thought. The world they saw was huge, but she didn't think it was filled with legendary weapons.

"The very same. Shirou has pretty much every weapon you could think of, except for divine constructs. Shirou doesn't really have the ability to trace those. Though, there are certain exceptions and caveats when it comes to divine weapons and other similar weapons." Thalia explained, answering Annabeth's question, as well as clarifying the limits of Shirou's powers. The answer actually made the gods breath a sigh of relief, knowing their weapons couldn't be copied so easily.

"He had a battle with his future selves on top of a skyscraper? This guy seems to know how to make things look good at the very least." Apollo added, half jokingly, though Artemis narrowed her eyes at her brothers words.

"And it seems like Shirou and Archer have a particular dislike for their Alter. If Shirou and Archer don't like each other, then their Alter must really be something else for the two of them to team up like that." Athena shared her thoughts on the matter, making the others think about what she just said, in particular the demigods. They couldn't imagine themselves disliking a version of themselves that much.

The memory faded, with Rhea frowning at the three versions of a hero who were destined to be unhappy. However, that was in another world. Here, she was going to make sure that the boy her daughter cared about, would finally be able to find peace.

"There is no need to fear those things, for you are not them. Part of the reason why I'm here in your internal world is to make sure that your future will be changed for the better, for your sake and for my daughter's." She said to him, giving him a kind smile that reminded him of his mother's.

"I'm not sure what you mean?" He replied to her, causing her to only shake her head.

"Don't worry, it's already done. It won't happen all at once, since I wouldn't want to terrify you, however, you should start feeling better and noticing a change when you awaken." She said to him, placing a hand on his head. "Sadly, I can't do anything about your hair." She joked.

"Uh, what happened? What did she do?" Apollo asked, a bit puzzled. Athena paused and thought about it, but couldn't think about what happened either.

"Thalia, do you know what happened?" Hestia asked, once again asking the only person who had the answers.

Thalia looked around and saw that they were all interested, making her sigh. 'It seems that I'll be answering a lot more questions than I initially thought.' She cleared her throat, before speaking, "She removed the damage done to his mind. Well, kind of. From what I was told, she mainly made it so that Shirou could feel things normally, like his emotions and stuff like that. She'll likely explain why."

"Oh, I bet Rhea was able to notice how much Hestia and Shirou care about each other, so she made it so that Shirou could experience it like a normal person." Aphrodite added with a smile, causing the others to groan, save for her daughters.

"Well, mother has always joked around about finding Hestia a suitable husband." Hera said with a laugh, causing Hestia to let out a small groan.

"If she had that much power, how come she couldn't fix Shirou's hair?" Percy asked, with some of the others wondering the same thing.

"Because that damage can't be fixed, unless you manage to do it right after it occurs. It has something to do with Shirou's magic circuits. Overusing them turns his hair white and causes his skin to darken. It's why his older selves look so different." Thalia answered. "Before you ask, magic circuits are tied to the soul, so any damage resulting from them is almost irreversible."

"It's fine, I've gotten used to it. Can I ask why you would do this for me? I know you've told me it's for Hestia, but I can't help but feel like there's more to it." He asked her, as he had spent a lot of time around people who omitted information.

"Hmm, it's a bit complicated. However, just know, that dreams are powerful things, often holding visions of things to come. I had a dream, one that will remain secret from the other gods, at least, until the right time." She said to him, before turning and walking away.

That caused the gods to wonder what kind of visions she had if it was enough for her to keep it secret from them. Most of them thought that it was something bad, with the demigods a little frightened, since their experience with prophecies were never good.

Only Future Thalia had a small smile on her face, since it was the prophecy that made it possible for her to find a new family. It was also the prophecy that led to the birth of her sisters.

"There are some things that cannot be changed, Shirou Emiya. But, perhaps you can prove otherwise. Allow me to inform you of a part of my dream." She said to him. "A blade will be drawn in defense of the hearth, a guardian and savior of humanity. A lost hero, one that will be bring about change, within the home, within the mind, within the heart, and within nature."

"A blade unbroken by war, unbending to time, and unyielding to evil. He shall cut through fate, bringing about a new age for divinity, humanity, and for those that came before." She finished before continuing on. "I hope you are ready, hero. For this world needs you, as does my Hestia. Rest and be ready for a scolding." She giggled before disappearing.

Four specific goddesses each reacted to the first of the prophecy in nearly identical ways. Three with shock and a bit of fear, but one with excitement and joy. Needless to say, it wasn't hard for them to realize that it was talking about them. For Hestia, it was only confirming what she was already thinking was happening. For Athena and Artemis, they couldn't imagine how such a thing could occur, especially if it was a change similar to Hestia.

Aphrodite though, she was happy knowing that she was going to be a big part of the story. She was also excited to find out what kind of change the prophecy was talking about. Not to mention, it was going to very interesting, since it mentioned the three virgin goddesses together with her. If the other two ended up like Hestia, then it was definitely something she was wanting to see.

The other gods reacted in a multitude of different ways, but jealousy and anger was a major one for a few of the male gods. Apollo and Poseidon, mainly because of Hestia and the fact that their own advances long ago were for nothing, yet a human stranger seemed to succeed. Ares because he knew that one of those lines was about him, and he couldn't fathom such a thing. His own ego taking it as an insult.

For the others, it was a bit puzzling, but scary, especially about the 'new age' and the fact that it said he could 'cut through fate'. For the demigods, they were surprised and a bit jealous, as they wished they could cut fate as well, since it was the one thing that caused most of them to experience some rather bad things. Annabeth and Lacy were both shocked, since that meant their mothers were going to be tied to this man in some way.

Annabeth understood that he would interest her, but to cause a great change in her? She wondered if that meant the change would be good, with her getting to grow closer with her mother sooner. Lacy was a bit worried, since she wondered if she would get to be born. Though, from what she knew of her mother, she wasn't that afraid, but she was glad that some kind of change might happen in regards to her life. Her worries about being born were actually shared by another daughter of Aphroditer, Piper, who had stayed relatively quiet since the beginning of this whole ordeal.

"Future girl, what is the meaning of that prophecy?!" Ares yelled out, causing the others to jump, but Thalia simply raised a brow, before laughing, causing Ares to become a bit angry.

"What do you think it means? It means that you're going to get your ass kicked by my dad and I don't even mind spoiling that. Of all the gods, I hate you the most for what you've done to my family." She answered plainly. Ares's divinity began to rise with his anger. Thalia simply smirked. "Wanna go? I'd be more than happy to make you reform in hell." She continued, leaning forward and grabbing onto Clarent's handle.

Before anything could escalate, someone stepped in. "ENOUGH! Sit back and shut up, Ares!" Aphrodite commanded, her power flaring and her charmspeak being empowered by her divinity. Ares immediately sat back so forcefully, that it appeared someone pushed him into his seat with his mouth shutting forcefully. The demigods all froze, being a bit afraid of the outbursts. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at Ares, before breathing out calmly and smiling at Thalia. "There will be no need for that dear. Wouldn't want you to be punished like your father after all."

The older Thalia simply sighed, before smiling and leaning back in her seat. Hestia watched the interaction closely, noting that Thalia listened obediently, despite her apparent dislike for the authority of the gods. Athena and Artemis both noticed the detail too, causing them to wonder about her relationship with the Aphrodite in her world.

The young Thalia watched and was surprised by the whole ordeal. She didn't like Ares herself, but the level of animosity her older self showed bordered on unnatural. She wondered what kind of happiness she must have felt from this new family she found in her world. Just looking at her told her that she had never been turned into tree, meaning that this Thalia grew up normally. So, she wondered when that change occurred.

Hestia sighed, before calming everyone's nerves with her power. "Well, before anything else happens, why doesn't Athena continue with the story?" She said, with no one wanting to disagree, especially since they had noticed Hestia's eyes when Ares was about to attack the future Thalia. Athena simply nodded, before focusing back on the book, but the words of the prophecy were stuck in the back of her mind.

Shirou stood within his world, puzzled by her words. 'That sounded like some sort of prophecy.' He thought to himself, but that didn't make sense. He wasn't of this world, so why would he be in a prophecy, unless his presence changed things in this world that bad.

'So, I became a singularity of sorts. Well, that's a bit disconcerting. Though, I suppose it's not all bad. Rhea seemed to want to help him and Hestia. She even knew I was a sword incarnation. Though, I'm a bit concerned about what she did to help me.' He thought to himself, sighing, figuring he'd find out soon.


Shirou's eyes slowly fluttered open. His body was aching and he could feel where the wounds he sustained were patched up. 'Suppose I don't get a miracle healing like the first time.' He thought to himself, pushing himself up from the bed. He realized that he was alone, much to his relief.

He didn't feel like getting yelled at by Hestia as soon as he woke up. So, he lazily picked himself up off the bed and rearranged some of his things. It had been awhile since he first arrived here, but he always made time to look through some of his things.

He picked up the phone he was given in Chaldea. It wasn't like a normal phone, it was more of a walkie talkie, only being able to connect to another of its kind. However, it did have a function that ended up being used by some of the servants quite often.

He tapped the photo album icon and scrolled through some of the pictures that were taken. He wasn't a photographer, nor did he really take a lot of photos, but other servants did it for him. The last photo taken was of him and Fujimaru, a day before everything went to hell.

"Wow, she's really pretty." Annabeth said, looking at Ritsuka. The other girls agreed, though some of the boys internally agreed as well. It was nice for everyone to be able to put a face to the name. In the picture, it was very clear the two were close. Aphrodite even agreed that the girl was beautiful. It was clear that she was somewhat similar to Shirou, in that she obviously worked out, making her body look very attractive. She wondered what their relationship was, also wondering what Shirou's significant others thought about her.

He let out a sigh. 'I wonder if this feeling will ever go away? First, my adoptive brother, now her?' Shirou knew that he couldn't have done anything else, but it didn't stop him from thinking about it. He did spend a long time searching for his mom's first son, finding him in America as a mercenary, calling himself Sigma.

This was the first time the story had mentioned him having a brother, which was surprising. Though, this only made Hestia more sure that her other self's choice was the right one. At least his world, he would have had family remaining, but after being dropped in theirs, he didn't have his brother.

"Man, his family is really full of violent professions, isn't it?" One of the demigods pointed out, though this thought was mirrored by many others.

"My question, is why did he have to search for his mother's first son? Did they get separated or something?" The younger Thalia asked. It was a good question, as they couldn't imagine a reason behind it. Though, some of the gods knew that the answer wouldn't be pleasant. Especially when they saw the expression on the elder Thalia's face.

"He was taken from her when he was a baby." She answered curtly. "Let's just leave it at that." She added, causing the others to realize that it was probably best not to pry. Whatever happened, it was obviously not something she wanted to talk about.

The elder Thalia may not have known Shirou's mother, but she still felt bad about what had happened to her. She remembered when Shirou had told her about his mother and brother. She remembered being upset about it for a few days after hearing about it, if only because she was a woman too. Imagining a scenario like that wasn't something she wanted to spread to the others.

'Well, at least he'll have a future since we corrected the singularities.' He thought to himself. He scrolled through more pictures, seeing Tamamo, Nero, Kiyohime, Suzuka, Serenity, the Gorgon sisters, Circe, Medea, and so many others, enjoying happier times.

Thankfully, the pictures shown had taken their minds off of the previous subject. They knew Nero was a woman in his world, so that wasn't as much of a surprise, nor was the gorgons' appearance. However, Circe and Medea's, as well as a few other's, was shocking to say the least. They looked so much more different than the ones they were all familiar with.

They were also able to see the appearance of the other heroic spirits that were mentioned before. For the hunters, when a picture had passed that showed them Atalanta, it was a very big surprise. For Artemis, seeing that she had become a heroic spirit was comforting, though seeing her animal features just reminded her of bad memories and regrets.

He then noticed feeling more emotions than he normally did. 'Is this what Rhea meant?' He shook his head, deciding not to worry about it. 'Maybe, I'll make some desserts or something, to apologize for what I did.' He thought, as Hestia enjoyed sweet foods for some reason.


It had been three days since Hestia had seen Shirou's injured form, but she was confident that her mother had everything taken care of. So, she was able to move around Olympus freely, being sure to keep an eye on Artemis. The moment Artemis was satisfied with her search, she returned to her hunters.

Hestia immediately returned to her Hearth and transported back to her and Shirou's home. Of course, she didn't realize she had begun to refer to it as their home. The moment she appeared, a very sweet scent entered her nose. She could tell right away that it was Shirou's baking.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what happens! I'm sure that I'm right about what's going to happen next." Aphrodite said out loud, her excitement being easily noticeable. A few of the others simply sighed. Hestia though was a little nervous about what was about to happen. She had a feeling that Aphrodite actually knew what she was talking about. Considering her domains, it was more than likely that she was right.

She turned and saw Shirou standing in the kitchen, wearing the purple apron she bought for him. He was wearing his black t-shirt and pants, and his scarf as usual, which made it easy to see all of the bandages on his arms. Hestia frowned when she saw the bandage on Shirou's face.

Hestia then straightened her dress, before making her way over to Shirou, who turned around when he noticed her presence. He looked at her with his usual smile, which cause Hestia to stop for a moment, but she steeled herself when she looked at his bandages again.

"Uh, hey Hestia, I'm just about done with the first batch of cookies." He said to her, before she stopped in front of him. Shirou saw her raise a hand up, causing him to realize what was about to happen. He'd received a few of them over the years, so he simply closed his eyes and readied himself for the coming punishment.

The males all winced a bit, already knowing what was likely to be coming, especially the ones who had received such punishments.

However, instead of a stinging pain, all he felt was Hestia's soft and warm hand place itself gently onto his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly, before seeing Hestia standing there in front of him, looking into his eyes with a sad expression. Her fiery red eyes were watery as she moved her hand across the bandage on his face.

Some were surprised by the lack of a slap, though those that knew Hestia already knew such a thing was likely to never happen. Shirou would have had to seriously screw up for such a thing to occur. However, almost everyone couldn't help but feel bad the moment they looked up and saw story Hestia's saddened expression. It was something that no one enjoyed seeing.

Hestia couldn't help but feel a bit odd about seeing her other self so upset. Though, she had a feeling that if she were in her place, she'd likely be reacting the exact same. It was obvious to her that her other self cared about Shirou a lot more than she thought she did.

"For the last three days, I was thinking about what I was going to say and do to you as punishment for what happened." As her hand went across the wound, he felt the pain subside. "It occupied my thoughts, but now that I'm actually standing here, looking at you. That is the furthest thing from my mind. Now..."


For a moment, Hestia's face was overlaid with multiple other women, each flashing by with the same worried expression and tearful eyes. 'How many times have I caused someone to have that look on their face?' He thought to himself, remembering each one vividly. Remembering how much they all cared for him.

'But, why would they? I don't deserve that.' Flashes of the fire he survived went through his mind. Flames for as far as his eyes could see. The overwhelming smell that filled the air. All of the cries for help that went unanswered, including his own. The person he tried to save, who only ended up dying anyways.

'So, I kept walking, an empty husk who only wished to live.' He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve all that he had. But, that didn't stop others from giving it to him. He realized it now, he was still walking in that fire. Slowly, others came and pulled him out of it. Their loving faces flashing through his mind.

Hearing Shirou's thoughts, as well as seeing what he felt and saw told them a lot about why he was the way he was. For the gods, especially Athena, they were able to see why Shirou was so broken. Athena realized that Shirou basically discarded everything to survive that fire. 'The person he was before the fire died, the one who came out was an entirely different person.' She thought to herself sadly.

Though, it was a good sign that he was able to acknowledge what had happened to him and what his mindset was. As well as acknowledging the efforts of those that cared about him. It was sign of progression on his part.

Thalia Emiya, however, could barely keep herself from crying at what she saw and heard. Shirou had told her about it, but what she was seeing and hearing was much worse than anything she had imagined. She could hardly even believe that Shirou could talk about it the way that he did. She would say that he was detached, but he didn't talk about it like that. For him, it was in the past and something that happened that led to him becoming who he was.

For her, as well as the other demigods, they realized that Shirou had experienced hell at such a young age, becoming accustomed to death, suffering, and loss even earlier than most demigods. Percy couldn't help but imagine how much different Shirou could have turned out. Most thought about what they might have been like if such a thing happened to them.

"We are the same, you and I. We went through hell and flames. No one else understands, master. That, for us, we remain in those flames. Though, I believe I can escape those flames now, because of you. However, I shall remain with you, so that you don't have to be alone in your suffering."

"For surely, if even the Dragon Witch deserves to be saved, then one such as you surely deserves such a thing too." He didn't believe that, yet, those words stayed with him. Those faces, stayed with him. He realized, he didn't truly understand what he felt back then. He didn't realize, until now, that his heart didn't die in that fire.

"Who was that? She seems like she understands and is pretty close with him." Demeter asked, deeply interested in the woman. Though, she just managed to voice her question before everyone else. Some looked towards Thalia, who was inspecting the appearance of the woman on the screen.

"Dragon Witch?" She muttered to herself, "If I'm not mistaken, that is Jeanne D'Arc, her Alter to be specific. She's an avenger class, one of the extra classes of servant. I can explain all that later, but she's basically an inverse of Jeanne who embodies Gilles de Rais's resentment and vengeance because of what they did to her." She answered, before humming, "I think."

"It seems that Shirou was able to help her with all that hatred in the end." Annabeth said, thinking on the words she had said.

"She was his servant for awhile, so it stands to reason that it is the case. Whether or not they had a thing going on, Dad never told me." The older Thalia responded with a shrug, though most could pretty much guess that they did. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes a bit at her words, before being sure remember the appearance of Jeanne Alter for later. She had to admit that her body and face were to her liking.

Though, Hestia and Artemis were sure to focus in on what was being said, as well as Shirou's thoughts on the matter. The fact that Shirou, up until that moment, had thought his heart died in the fire was quite sad for them.

It was damaged and scarred, but it didn't die. He was saved, and in the process, he saved another. For a moment, he recalled his mother's face looking at him with her usual faint smile for the first time, with tears running down her face. The moment his heart beat again, the moment he was able to feel, once again.

'Maiya Hisau, my mother, it all started with her. It only makes sense, that it should end with her face as well.' He thought to himself, remembering sitting beside her bed just before she passed away from illness. He remembered feeling her touch his face with that same smile on her face one last time.

It may have appeared faint to anyone else, but to him, he knew how happy she was. There was only one wish that she ever had, one she may not have voiced, but one he knew of. She only wished for Shirou to live a full and happy life. She didn't raise him only for him to die somewhere, alone.

Hera could only softly smile at those words. Being the goddess of motherhood, as well as family, she couldn't help but be glad at Shirou's realization, as well as the respect and love he had for the woman who raised him.

'A hero of justice. It was never for the man who supposedly saved me.' He thought to himself, 'It was always for her. To repay the love and kindness she showed me. Unknowingly, I spread that to others, under the guise of that ideal. Perhaps, that is why Archer put up with me, when such a thing betrayed him. Because they were different dreams, born from different circumstances.'


He then returned to the present. Looking at Hestia's face, feeling the warmth of her hand on his face. "Now, I'm just glad that you're okay." Her voice was warm and pleasant, though he could still hear the sadness in her tone. "I was really worried when I saw you."

"I thought you were going to die and I didn't know how to feel about that. It was strange. There was one thing I thought about, it was something I wanted to ask you when you woke up." She then removed her hand and took a step back. "Shirou, do you really think so little of your own life, that you're willing to sacrifice it for strangers?"

"Do you not think of those who care about you? Those who would be saddened if you were to die? Do you think so little of me that you think I wouldn't be saddened by your death?" She asked him, her voice raising steadily with each word, with even the fire in the house's hearth growing larger.

A giggle made itself known in the room, with all seeing Aphrodite smiling to herself. "I told you." She said proudly, causing others to roll their eyes are her. Hestia couldn't help but be embarrassed at what was happening. She couldn't even try to say that it wasn't what Aphrodite thought, because she could see. Her other self may not have understood her feelings, but that was a benefit of looking in from the outside.

"I don't think he has ever thought about it before." Poseidon spoke, surprising everyone. They all looked towards him, seeing that he was rather upset. "His guilt and his mind told him that no one would care, or that they would get over it. It's not that he didn't care, it was more like he couldn't convince himself why someone would care so much."

Percy couldn't imagine such a thing. One of the first things he always thought about was his friends and family and what they might think if he was dead.

"Hestia, I..." He started to speak, but Hestia quickly interrupted him butting her head against his chest, which surprised him and knocked the breath out his lungs. He sometimes forgot how powerful she was. Hestia's eyes widened, before she began to wave her arms in front of his chest.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean...no wait, I'm not sorry. You deserved that." She quickly did a 180, but it only caused a small smile to appear on Shirou's face. "I-I don't know what to do. I never interacted with heroes, nor have I cared to, but here I am. Shirou, I realized earlier, that I care about your well-being. You're my friend and I don't want you to die."

Thankfully, Hestia and Shirou's interaction was enough to amuse everyone and broke up the rather serious atmosphere. The younger Thalia peeked over towards her other self, seeing her chuckling to herself as well as smiling at the interaction with fond expression. It was obvious that her older self had seen the two together and how they acted, with this scene causing her to become a bit nostalgic. She couldn't help but be a bit jealous of that fact.

"I must admit, I didn't expect to ever see you become so emotional with someone, Hestia." Demeter stated, letting out a small laugh. Though, it only caused Hestia to become more embarrassed.

"Very much like Hestia to nearly apologize after headbutting someone in the chest." Hades added with a small chuckle, surprising some of the demigods.

"I know that you probably don't see anything wrong with what you do, but I do. If you keep doing things like that, you'll disappear one day." Her words caused Shirou to remember Archer. "You're strong, Shirou, but are other people so important that you'll disregard other's feelings?" She finished with a sad expression.

Shirou only let out a sigh. 'I'm such an idiot.' He shook his head, before walking up to Hestia and sending a sad smile towards her. "It's not wrong to help people." He said simply, causing her eyes to widen, however, Shirou continued. "Is what I would normally say. So, instead, allow me to say something I have never been able to say."

Shirou grabbed Hestia's hand and placed his other hand on top of it, looking her in the eyes. "I'm sorry." Two simple words, yet they were enough to cause Hestia's breathing to hitch.

"I don't fully understand, but I want to try and be better. I have always been chasing after something, but I think I'm ready to try and move on. It would be an insult to everyone who helped me along the way to squander this third chance I was given."

"I was saved once, by my mother, and I lived my life saving others, trying to atone for surviving. Then, Chaldea happened, once again, I threw myself into saving everyone. Then, I almost died and appeared here, where I was saved a second time, only to almost throw away my life again."

"I thought about it and, while I won't stop trying to help people, I won't recklessly charge into things anymore. My mom wanted me to live a full and happy life, and I want to try and honor that wish. I, honestly, never did consider anyone else's feelings, and I realize that was selfish."

"So, I swear, by whatever it is you swear to, that I won't do that ever again. So, I'm sorry, and I hope that you'll forgive me for disregarding your feelings like that." He finished, bowing his head. It was quiet for a few minutes, with Shirou not moving from his position, even though he was worried about his cookies.

"It's good that he's realized his mistakes and actually apologized." Artemis spoke, before looking at some of the other gods. "Not many would be able to have such insight on themselves."

"I think Rhea fixing his emotions and stuff really helped out with that. I mean, I doubt he'd react in such a way if it wasn't Hestia who was the one telling him all that." Aphrodite added, leaning to the side of her chair.

"Dad said that this was the moment that saved his life. If this didn't happen, he said that he likely wouldn't have been able to change and become who he is now in my world. He's had his ups and downs, but he has tried to abide by his promise to Aunt Hestia."

"Does he love Hestia, Thalia? Come on, you can tell us." Aphrodite asked, though everyone else was interested in her answer too. Seeing what was happening, as well as hearing the prophecy earlier, said that Hestia and Shirou cared about each other and implied something deeper, but considering how gods were as well as other circumstances, it could just be that they were really good friends.

Aphrodite may have been able tell that there were sparks there, and Hestia could already tell her other self cared about Shirou, but they did want to know for sure. Artemis and Athena were interested as well, since they knew they would be involved sooner or later.

Thalia looked at Aphrodite, then looked around and saw everyone looking at her, causing her to sigh. She then smiled, "At this moment in the story? Yes, but he doesn't actually know that's what he's feeling. But currently in my world? Very much so." She finished with a small laugh, causing Aphrodite to nearly let out a victorious squeal, with her daughters reacting in a similar manner, as well as a few other female demigods.

Hestia couldn't help but feel a bit flattered, especially at Elder Thalia's last words. Aphrodite wasn't finished though, "Okay, what about Hestia?" She quickly added, though Athena narrowed her eyes and before clearing her throat loudly to get everyone's attention. Aphrodite pouted, but was happy with at least knowing about Shirou. Once everyone calmed down, Athena continued on.


Hestia was surprised by Shirou's apology. She hadn't expected him to give in so quickly. She actually had a long list of things that she was going to bring up, but Shirou's apology rendered it all null. She knew about most of the things Shirou said.

She hadn't bonded with him all these months without knowing the important facts about him. She had even seen some of his memories and dreams, though she was sure he didn't know that. She often used her powers to help him, to try and correct the damage that had been done to him.

Shirou was a broken person, one could even say he was a bit crazy. However, what was in front of her wasn't a broken person. Rather, it was a person who had somehow managed to piece himself back together. While there were cracks that would forever show, he was whole again.

She could feel the change, even seeing the change in his eyes. 'I wonder if mother had something to do with it?' She thought, before she frowned. 'Of course she did.' She shook her head and looked at Shirou. He was cracked, fractured, but he was holding it together. She realized something as she was yelling at him.

She cared a lot more than she thought she did. Originally, she promised to stay with him, to make sure he wasn't alone in this world, but it was more of a goddess promising to watch over a hero or mortal. He was interesting and she enjoyed his company, but it wasn't anything beyond familial.

However, she found herself worrying for the whole three days. Wondering if he would die in his sleep. Wondering if he went back out, if she would find him dead when she searched for him. The more she thought about it, the more her heart felt like it would shatter. It pained her to think about him, but it also made her happy.

Aphrodite didn't say anything, but her eyes glowed slightly as a small smile made its way onto her face. She knew what story Hestia was feeling, and judging by the look on her Hestia's face, she knew it too. Even Demeter and Hera seemed to get it, though that wasn't a surprise.

Athena, herself, could tell what Hestia was feeling. No one was saying anything, but it was probably because of surprise. To be honest, she was surprised, and she could tell that Artemis was even surprised. It wasn't anything they thought could happen to Hestia, yet they were reading and seeing it happen.

She was telling the truth, she didn't know what to do. Her thoughts were a mess. She wanted to confront him and yell at him, but the moment she saw him, all of the fight she had left her body. She saw him smile and she was happy to see it on his face, then she saw his wounds.

It brought back the anger, but she needed him to know she was glad he was okay. She then told him what she felt, because she needed to. The thought that Shirou wasn't thinking about her angered her. She was all he had and he nearly killed himself for some huntresses who probably hated him.

That caused Artemis to frown, though mainly from sadness. The hunters couldn't help but feel a bit bad at that either, since it was kind of true. They felt like they were getting a bit better, but for the most part, they didn't really like men.

She didn't understand him. She couldn't understand why he acted this way. Everything she liked about him, became something she hated about him. She was confused, but then he apologized. She forgot how inhuman he was. That he was just as inhuman as a god was at times.

Those words actually caused the gods to think about it for moment, before agreeing with the thought. He really didn't act like a normal human most times. It was more like he was mimicking a normal human, but it was clear that there was some things that were off about it.

However, with the apology came happiness. She didn't know what to do. She was fully prepared to stay angry, but that was impossible now. He acknowledged her feelings and apologized, even swearing to be better. It was almost like he read her mind. That thought scared her. She hoped she wasn't so easy to read.

Thalia couldn't help but smile. She knew that Shirou likely knew Hestia as well as she knew herself by the time she arrived in the other world. The inverse was also true. Being able to hear and see what the two were like before she met them was actually quite fun and enlightening. She kind of wished her sisters could be there to enjoy it with her.

So, she did the only thing she could think of doing. She was the goddess of the hearth, fire, home, and most importantly, family. Shirou was her family and this was their home, so, she would make it so that Shirou would never forget that. She would help him, just as she swore when she first met him. This time, it was because she cared about the human in front of her.

Hestia walked up and pushed Shirou upwards from his bowing position, seeing a surprised expression on his face. She looked at him with a straight face, before she walked forward into his chest and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, ignoring the warmth she felt in her cheeks.

"Just...don't scare me again." Were the words that slipped from her mouth. She felt Shirou hum in response, before she felt him place a hand on her back, rubbing circles in it to make her feel better.

"I'll certainly try my best not to. You have my word." He replied to her. Strangely, she could feel that Shirou was nervous, but that he was happy. She wondered if Shirou wasn't used to affection, but failed to realize that he was unused to feeling emotions so strongly.

Suddenly, a small shriek filled the air, causing everyone to turn to see Aphrodite hugging Hestia from behind. "Oh, I'm so proud of the other you, Hestia. You have officially pushed Percy and Annabeth off the throne of my favorite couple. Sorry you two." She said while lifting the much smaller goddess into the air, with Hestia simply allowing her to do so with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Seriously, being able to witness this would be like seeing this idiots swear off women." Demeter said, motioning towards the other male gods, causing them to frown and mutter under their breaths.

"It is sweet to see, sister. I'm sure mother would be crying tears of happiness if she were here." Hera said with a satisfied grin on her face.

"Are they like that in your world, Thalia?" Annabeth asked, causing both Thalia's to jump a bit. "Uh, Older Thalia, I mean."

She shook her head, "You can just call me Emiya if that helps. And you're talking about Shirou and Hestia? Or the others?" She asked, trying to clarify the question.

"The others, like Aphrodite." Annabeth answered, with Thalia letting out a small laugh.

"Uh, kind of? It's kind of complicated, but Hestia and Aphrodite get along really well in my world too." She answered while scratching at her cheek nervously. She didn't want to say too much and give away the story, so she was being careful with what she was saying.

Thankfully, after everything calmed down, Athena was able to continue.


Rhea did her job a little too well, making it so that he was thinking the emotions he felt were new. He had been subject to many heroic spirits and their displays of affection, but he had never felt like he did at the moment. He found that he didn't mind the feeling too much.

That pretty much confirmed the thoughts of the others, knowing that Shirou likely didn't understand his emotions at the moment. Though, everyone noticed how he mentioned being subject to affection from many heroic spirits.

"Wonder which heroic spirits he's talking about?" Apollo wondered, being a bit jealous since almost all the heroic spirits shown were incredibly beautiful, almost matching the beauty of the divine.

"And how many?" Hermes added with a smile, though the women simply shook their heads at their antics. Thalia Emiya couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable about the whole thing. Imagining her dad with anyone other than, well, who he was currently with, bothered her immensely.

After managing to save his cookies from a burnt death, Shirou and Hestia finally managed to speak about more pleasant things. However, he was somewhat surprised to hear about Artemis, though he wasn't going to tempt fate and show himself. He still didn't know how he felt about meeting the other deities.

"Shirou, you still want to be a hero of justice, right?" Hestia asked him, kicking her feet off of a stool as she ate some of the cookies. Shirou was cleaning dishes as he replied to her.

"I would like to continue helping and saving people. I don't think that my idea of a hero of justice is the correct way of putting it, but it'll do for now." He replied, before placing another plate in the rack.

"Well, most of the heroes were all selfish and only wanted superficial things like recognition. I think that a hero like you would be a nice change of pace for the world. It sounds like something this world needs. Someone who spreads love and saves others without asking for something in return. This world needs less hate and greed." She replied, standing up.

Shirou let out a small chuckle. "Maybe, but I think I want to take it easy and help where I can, rather than look for trouble. I'd rather not worry you unnecessarily." He replied, before feeling Hestia pull his shirt, causing him to turn around.

"And I really appreciate that. Knowing that is enough. But, I also want to be able to help you. You can't argue either, because it'll help me worry less." She said, before pulling out a bottle with a beautiful red flame in it. Shirou raised a brow, before looking back at her.

"I know that flames aren't your favorite thing, even if you say otherwise. But, flame is so much more than something used to destroy. It brings warmth and light, gives people hope and acts as a refuge at night. People gather around fire, be it a campfire or a hearth. Flames symbolize and mean different things."

"I want you to be able to look at fire and think of home, to remember that it brings more than destruction." She said, before opening the bottle. "This is a gift, from me to you, so that wherever you go, a piece of me will always be there with you. And it will serve as a reminder, that you will always have a home to return to."

She then placed the flame into her hand, before placing her palm onto Shirou's chest. A part of him recoiled, but he managed to hold himself still. Rather than burning him, he felt an calm and loving warmth spread throughout his body as it entered his body.

"Wow, Hestia, you're really good at this. No wonder he's in love with you, especially if you keep talking and doing things like that." Aphrodite said, actually being a bit impressed by the fact that Hestia was able to say something that romantic without having any experience.

"I-It was just a nice thing to do! That other me isn't trying to make him fall in love with her on purpose." Hestia stuttered before managing to catch herself. She had a feeling that the rest of the story was likely going to keep her embarrassed.

"Sister, is that other you seriously giving him a piece of your sacred divine flame? You know your divinity is tied to that, right?" Hera asked, though it was clear that's what was happening. The other gods couldn't imagine doing something similar themselves, then again, they weren't Hestia.

"Not only that, but he seems to be able to take it without issue. Quite interesting." Hades added, being quite interested in the human. The fact he could take divinity like that was nothing any human should be able to do, yet, Shirou did it without issue. Granted, he may have had an elevated view of the hero because of his relationship with Ereshkigal.

"Wouldn't that cause some sort of change in him?" Annabeth couldn't help but ask, with some of the other demigods thinking the same thing. They were born half-divine, and even they couldn't handle the gods divinity in such a way. Athena narrowed her eyes, before sighing.

"It likely will affect him in some way. Considering his reaction to it, I doubt that it'll be harmful. I wonder if his integration of it has something to do with his inner world? Even if he is from another world, he'd need to be compatible with it. As for the changes, I am unsure. Perhaps he will become stronger as a result? His body would likely have to acclimate to the power, at least physically, that'd take time, years even." She theorized, but shrugged. "It's tough to say, this has never happened before."

"It took him five years to fully acclimate to her flame, another two to three to control it properly. It did enhance him physically, though Shirou didn't notice until some time later." Thalia Emiya couldn't help add, if only to confirm her suspicions. Despite not having met Shirou, nor knowing anything about his world, Athena's deductions about Shirou were quite accurate. She figured it had something to do with being the goddess of wisdom, but then again, Athena was always smart.

Hestia then removed her hand and looked at him with a happy smile. She then walked to one of the spare rooms and entered it, leaving Shirou for a moment. He didn't know what to think about what happened.

He then realized that he could feel the flames of the hearth, almost as if it were a part of him. He looked to it, before swiping his hand to the left, causing the flame to answer and dance to the left. The sight actually caused him to nearly combust. 'Did she just give me something amazing as a gift?'

"Trace on." Without thinking, he summoned forth the first weapon that entered his mind, Kenmyouren, the sword of Suzuka Gozen. In his hands, rather than the blue magical energy he was used to, magical energy in the form of red flames appeared and summoned the sword in his hand.

'Even my magical energy changed?' He thought, before shaking his head. He figured it was likely a blessing from Hestia. He knew how blessings worked, to an extent, so he figured that was what the flames were. 'She did say it was a piece of her.'

He held up the sword, 'It seems a lot better quality than it should be.' He thought to himself. 'Well, I won't complain. I actually like the thought of my weapons forming from flames, considering Unlimited Blade Works is basically a forge.'

'So, his inner nature and inner world played a factor in being able to accept her power.' Athena thought to herself, before thinking about the change in his magic circuits and magical energy. "Why did his magic circuits and magical energy change, Thalia Emiya?"

"Magic circuits aren't physical." She answered, "What you see is only the physical expression they cause upon activation, though they do require organic material to work. Magic circuits are actually located in the soul, as I mentioned before. It's why he can't pass them on, well, not without immense risk to himself and the transferee." She explained, rubbing her arm a bit. Something not missed by Athena. "When Aunt Hestia gave him that flame, it immediately affected his soul and magic circuits."

"Previously, Shirou's magic circuits weren't all that impressive, even with the improvements made to them while in Chaldea. However, after the flame changed him, his circuits jumped up in quality by quite a lot. He jokes that they're 'divine circuits', but they did increase his power as a mage. His overall number of circuits is 27, which does limit how much magical energy he can effectively output at any given time, not to mention his own body, but considering who Shirou is, this isn't that much of a problem."

"Why isn't it a problem?" Percy asked, as being limited by how much magical energy he could output sounds limiting. Especially if he has so much of such high quality. Thalia Emiya only smiled.

"Shirou only performs basic magecraft. Reinforcement, Alteration, Projection, or his tracing, are all rather simple spells in terms of magecraft, being centered around material transmutation. He can use runes and talismans, and maybe perform a few other tricks, but those are his main spells. Instead of trying to learn new things that would be almost impossible to use, he instead worked to perform those spells to perfection. So, being limited by the number of circuits isn't a problem." She finished before taking a deep breath.

"And the reason the sword seemed better quality?" Annabeth added in.

"The divine flame. The divinity actually helped make them stronger, even if the rank of the noble phantasms didn't increase by much." She answered, "Before you ask, it's impossible to perfectly replicate a noble phantasm, no matter what you do. Not unless you have true magic. So, the rank always decreases when he traces them." She then thought about saying he could perfectly replicate Avalon, but he lost access to it and it was an exception to the rule, so she decided against it.

"He really taught you all about this stuff, didn't he?" Artemis said, looking at her with a small smile. Thalia's eyes slightly widened, before nodding with a happy smile.

"Shirou treated me like I was his real daughter. He taught me everything he could, hoping that it might come in handy. Plus, he said that just because I didn't have magic circuits, didn't mean that I couldn't find ways to perform magecraft with my own power. He's why I can do what I can now." She then held up her hand, before causing a ball of purple lightning to appear in it, before allowing it to dissipate harmlessly.

He let the sword return, watching it dissipate into embers. He let out a sigh, before realizing why he summoned her sword. On a nearby shelf, sat a replica of Suzuka's hairpin. A small smile appeared on his face, before Hestia reappeared from the room. "I've returned with my second gift." She happily announced.

"Second gift? You're really going all out with this, aren't you?" He said to her with a grin. Hestia's eyes widened, before a sheepish smile appeared on her face.

"Well, I just want to make sure you're safe. Besides, this will help keep you hidden." She replied, before holding out a black jacket with a hood. "Normally, this would be a cloak, but I changed it to match the more modern times. You won't really need it, now that the sacred flame is in you, but it will keep you hidden and protect you."

Shirou raised a brow. 'So, the flame will keep my body heat regulated? Good to know.' He then reached his hand out and took the jacket. "Did you put the Chaldea symbol on there?" He asked, pointing towards the symbol on the right arm.

Hestia responded with a sweet smile. "I did. I figured you'd like it." She said to him, before grabbing it from him and holding it out. "Put it on." Was all she said, causing Shirou to sweat drop. He shook his head, before turning around and doing as she said.

"Works perfectly. Your aura is hidden a lot better, though since it's mine, I can tell right away." She revealed to him with a nod. Honestly, he hoped this was the last gift. He didn't want her getting carried away.

"Nice and stylish, I approve completely, Hestia." Aphrodite said with a sagely nod.

"I can't believe you're even giving him your cloak, Hestia. Honestly, if this was anyone else, I'd be afraid they'd try to take advantage of your kindness." Demeter couldn't help but say with worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I doubt she has to worry about something like that. It looks like Hestia already has the poor guy whipped." Apollo snickered, before barely dodging an arrow from Artemis.

"Just because Shirou is respectful and cares about Hestia doesn't mean he's whipped. It's called being a good friend, or whatever the two of them are." Artemis then looked towards Hestia, whose face was already blushing a bit. "Uh, sorry, Aunt Hestia."

Thalia Emiya, however, just kept quiet. She knew her dad really well, and Apollo's statement was actually pretty much on the mark. Then again, she was pretty sure that Hestia was same way in regards to him. They both just loved each other that much and tended to listen to whatever the other said. The others were similar, but only Hestia and Shirou would listen to each other with no questions asked.

"I'm a bit disappointed you didn't tell me, otherwise I would have gotten something for you too." He joked, but Hestia simply kept her smile on her face.

"Well, you're still in trouble from earlier. So, you have to make it up to me. Why do you think I put the jacket on you?" She casually said, before happily bouncing towards the door.

"You do realize I just woke up from a mini-coma and that I'm still covered in bandages from injuries, right?" Shirou said to her with a raised brow, but Hestia simply shrugged.

"You're a hero, aren't you? Besides, I know mother patched you up pretty good." She said to him, before a sad look appeared on her face. "Or, are you saying you don't want to spend time with me?" Shirou only let out a sigh, before rubbing the back of his head.

"What a troublesome goddess you are." He muttered, before making his way over towards her, seeing her face light up again. 'I have a feeling I'll be making this up to her for a long time.' Of course, Shirou had no idea how true that statement actually was.

"Yeah, I agree with Apollo, Hestia's got him wrapped around her finger." Aphrodite laughed, already seeing what their relationship was likely going to be. Funnily enough, mostly everyone couldn't help but agree. Though, considering it was Hestia, none of them could actually blame Shirou for that way. Especially when considering the fact that Hestia's young adult form was so beautiful on top of her already amazing personality.


Shirou would admit to being happy, even though he still had trouble accepting it. Old habits are hard to kick, or rather, trauma is hard to get rid of. Hestia helped with that, though no matter what, his dreams always ended with those seven lights falling from the sky.

He knew why he saw them. It was his lingering regret, feeling like he abandoned Fujimaru. However, he had done what he could and managed to save who he could. Of course, he had no way of knowing that he wasn't to be harmed during that raid on Chaldea. He had no way of knowing that his "death" actually helped Fujimaru.

If he did know, maybe he would have felt less guilty. Though, it may have had the opposite effect, as he would have known how much his "death" had hurt his friend, Ophelia. So, it was for the best, that he was kept in the dark. Ignorance was bliss, besides, Shirou had his own problems to deal with.

"Wait, so Shirou wasn't even supposed to end up in our world?" The young Thalia asked, with Percy wondering the same thing.

"I don't know the details myself, at least not completely, but no. He was supposed to be captured and hopefully recruited, or something like that, mainly for Ophelia. Shirou said that when she found out, she was angry and depressed, before deciding to help Chaldea stop whatever was going on. That was what Shirou said at least, but I'm not entirely sure on the full details.

It had now been a year and a half since he arrived in the world. He officially listed himself as 20, since he figured he looked around that age anyways. He had went on, doing as he usually did, helping people and traveling. Though, he was more vigilant than before.

Artemis's huntresses were a rather savvy bunch, managing to almost catch up to him a few times. However, there were monsters to kill and young demigods to save, he wouldn't compromise on that. Hestia managed to help him keep under the radar, though both could tell something was coming.

Artemis couldn't help but be a bit impressed that he was able to outrun her hunters for up to a year and half. Even with the help of Hestia, her hunters were more than capable of finding their targets pretty easily. Then again, tracking down people may not have been their strong suit. 'Maybe I should begin training them on how to do so. Holding a few drills might help them in case something like this ever happens.'

The hunters couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed that Shirou had been able to avoid them for so long. It had more to do with their pride than anything. Though, they didn't feel as bad since Shirou had been trained by one of Artemis's most famous hunters. They also knew that their lady would likely up their training to account for this particular part of the story.

More monsters had popped up since Orion's death. Nothing he couldn't handle, but it was getting ridiculous. If any chimera's or hydras started popping up, he'd need to start pulling out the big guns, secrecy or no. Luckily, nothing had forced his hand just yet.

"Did he just say 'big guns'? What does he mean by that? Is it literal?" Clarisse asked, sitting back in her chair with folded arms. It was a decent question, one Thalia had no problem with answering.

"He means noble phantasms capable of blasting them out of existence." She answered, "Metaphorically speaking of course. They aren't something he would use lightly, mainly because of the radius. You'll know them when you see them." She continued, before thinking to herself for a moment. "For example, he said he could have used one on Orion and been done with it, but he would have destroyed a good chunk of the forest and killed the hunters nearby as well."

Mia and the hunters' faces all paled at that thought. Though, Clarisse kind of wanted to see one in action now. The gods though, they were a bit worried, since that power sounded rather dangerous.

The United States were a bit different from what Shirou remembered, then again, he wasn't sightseeing when he searched for his brother. It was a beautiful land, filled with many wonderful things, with supernatural stuff hidden under everyone's noses.

Shirou was visiting D.C, deciding to check out the Smithsonian and other museums, as Hestia said he'd enjoy it. He tended to do whatever she suggested these days. He couldn't get the sight of her upset face out of his mind, so he did whatever he could to try and make her happy.

Hestia couldn't help but smile a bit at that line. It was obvious how much he cared about her. Though, a part of her wondered if it was possible for such a thing to happen her. She hadn't ever experienced anything close to what her other self had, so she was a bit unsure. She couldn't help but think that there had to be something different about the two of them.

Finding ways to make more delicious food was one of those things. So, he traveled and searched. He found it oddly fulfilling. Now that he thought about it, he had actually been to the U.S twice. Once, when he searched for his brother. Twice, during a singularity. 'That was wild.' He thought to himself.

He idly wondered if he should buy a revolver like Billy's, though he rarely used guns, so he shot that idea down. Shirou was looking through a few exhibits in a museum when he caught sight of a small group on a tour. He raised a brow, before shrugging his shoulders.

As the story reached this point, Thalia Emiya couldn't help but sit up a bit straighter. Her eyes slightly widened, before she smiled to herself with a quiet laugh. Some of the hunters nearby noticed, but decided to ignore it, though they had a feeling that Thalia knew what was about to happen.

Which was true. 'This is when it happens, isn't it?' She thought to herself, before taking a small peek at Athena, who was still looking into the book and reading.

He was looking through an exhibit of weapons when a woman walked up beside him. She didn't say anything, so he figured she was looking at the weapons. His eyes narrowed when he looked at a certain spear. "Durindana." He whispered to himself, saddened at the state of the weapon.

He supposed it only made sense, considering the age, but still. "You know that spear?" An elegant and soft voice asked him. He turned his head and finally looked at the woman. For a moment, his breathing hitched. She had braided blonde hair that seemed to be faded into more of a silver, along with piercing gray eyes.

Immediately, Athena's eyes widened. She hadn't expected herself to meet with Shirou so soon. Annabeth was also deeply surprised, immediately recognizing her mother. "No way, Athena got to meet the hero before I did?! How is that fair?!" Aphrodite complained, pouting after she was done.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that to happen. This guy's luck really is bad, isn't it?" Apollo chuckled after talking, though he immediately looked away when Athena glared at him.

"I suppose it does make sense for me to meet him in a museum. Still, this is rather surprising." Athena said herself, holding a hand up to her forehead. As she did so, the book in her lap was immediately transported away, causing her to look around, before seeing that Demeter had taken the book for herself.

"Sorry, Athena, but now that you're in the story, perhaps I should continue reading in your stead?" Her suggestion was met with Athena sighing, before nodding to her. Demeter smiled, before getting ready to continue the story.

Her appearance was nearly identical to Nightingale, if slightly younger and less well endowed. She was wearing a black turtleneck with a red jacket, with black tights worn underneath a gray skirt. Her appearance caused him to grip the strap of the traced shoulder bag he carried.

She was incredibly beautiful, more so than the real Nightingale, but he managed to pull himself together. He actually wondered what Aphrodite would look like to him. Though, he figured she'd appear looking similar to one of the more beautiful goddesses he knew, either Quetzacoatl or Tamamo. Pesudo-servants didn't count.

Aphrodite frowned a bit, though she would admit that she was actually a bit interested in knowing that as well. Especially when considering all of the heroic spirits he knew and how physically attractive many of them were. Then again, he seemed rather affected by Athena's looks, so maybe her form would actually be a bit different than what she imagined it would be.

Thalia couldn't help but think about the fact that Athena still dressed in a similar manner after all the time she had known Shirou. Though, if Aphrodite was to be believed, it was because Shirou actually enjoyed seeing Athena dressed like that. Athena had a very distinct style that she adhered to most of the time, though Aphrodite had managed to get her to wear different things over the years. It was still quite amusing to think about.

"Isn't that Hector's spear, mother?" Annabeth asked, getting her attention. Athena proceeded to nod, though any surprise about Shirou knowing about that spear had been lost knowing he likely encountered it at some point.

Thalia couldn't help but think about the differences between the two versions of the spear. If she were being honest, she preferred Shirou's world's Durindana. She wondered what everyone would think when they found out that Shirou had taken a blow from said spear and its wielder.

He looked back towards the weapons. "Something like that, I've read a lot of stories. Plus, there's an inscription near the pommel." He said, pointing towards where he knew the inscription was. It was faded, but it was readable if you knew Greek, which he did.

He heard the woman hum, "What about that one?" She asked, pointing towards the remnants of a shield. He was able to tell what it was immediately, but he took a moment, he didn't want to seem odd.

"Well, going by its appearance, I'd say that was the shield of Aias the Great. Though, I couldn't say if it was genuine or not..." 'It wasn't.' "But the seven layers is a dead giveaway." He replied to her. He noticed the woman's had a slight upturning of her lips. 'Is she impressed?'

"Considering how Athena is, I'd say she's more interested than impressed. Though, he's probably getting there." Hephaestus knowing that he'd be rather interested in Shirou's knowledge of weapons and such.

Athena hummed in response, "Considering the knowledge he possesses, I'm sure that my other self would be quite interested to speak with him. If he existed here, I'm sure that I would enjoy speaking with him as well. I'll likely ask to join him, that is, if the other me is anything like myself."

"I see. You seem to know a bit about weapons and mythology." She said to him, before both walked to another part of the exhibit. "Do you mind if I join you? It'd be nice to talk to someone who enjoys history." She asked him. Shirou raised a brow, before shrugging.

"Sure, I don't mind." He replied with a small smile. "Do you visit museums often?" He asked her, before both stopped at an exhibit of other artifacts.

"Not a whole lot. Though, sometimes I enjoy the novelty of it. I'm a college professor, History and the like." She answered, surprising him a bit. He hadn't noticed before, but he realized she had the faint scent of divinity. 'Is she a demigod? My luck isn't so bad that I'd run into a goddess is it?'

"Going with the college professor cover again, I see." Apollo pointed out, causing Athena to slightly narrow her eyes at him. He put up his hands placatingly, "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"She's quite the alluring college professor. I'd almost think that she was showing off on purpose." Aphrodite joked with a smirk.

"You know that's not what I'm doing, you dumb pile of foam." Athena growled out, causing Aphrodite to let out a laugh.

"Right, right, I doubt you could pull off that role play successfully anyways." She replied with a wave of her hand. Athena nearly through her spear at her, but managed to hold herself back. She was a dignified goddess and she wouldn't stoop to that level. Yet.

'What am I thinking? Of course it is.' "I see, so you probably know more about all of this than I do." He joked while rubbing the back of his head. He could see a faint look of amusement in her eyes.

"I might, though you seem pretty knowledgeable so far." His eyes widened at a withered golden book or tablet with familiar markings on it, before a faint smile appeared on his face. The woman quirked a brow at his reaction. "Something catch your eye?"

Shirou shook his head. "I was just reminded of a friend, is all." He said to himself, recognizing the golden book as one he had seen in Uruk. He knew it wasn't the same one, but the design was similar. It reminded him of the singularity, and of everyone there.

A part of him wondered what Gilgamesh would think of his treasures being put on display in a foreign land. He let out a small chuckle. "I'm surprised something so old managed to withstand the tests of time. Though, it appears they may have aged it wrong." He simply said, before moving on.

The woman let out a hum, before following. "What makes you say that?" She said with curiosity.

"The language written is older than what they listed. I can't read it, but I know it when I see it." He said while shrugging his shoulders.

"I see, so you're a linguist as well?" Her words had a tinge of amusement in them. She seemed to find the things he knew about amusing, even interesting. Almost as if she was impressed. 'She must be someone who likes intelligent people.'

"Ha, understatement of the millennia!" Hermes shouted out, causing some of the others to let out a small laugh. Athena simply let out a small huff, as she wouldn't deny it. If there was one thing everyone knew, it was that Athena loved anything to do with knowledge and intelligence.

"Um, is he really that good with languages?" Lacy asked, with Elder Thalia smiling at the young girl.

"He's pretty good with them. For example, he's taught me a few different languages." She replied speaking French, catching most by surprise. All of the Aphrodite children understood her perfectly, with Lacy smiling wide at Thalia.

It may not have seemed that big of a deal, but Thalia focusing on her and even speaking to her like that knowing she could understand made Lacy happy. She didn't know why, but something about the other Thalia made Lacy happy.

Aphrodite couldn't help but smile, being glad that Lacy actually spoke up. She also noticed the way that the older Thalia looked at Lacy. She appeared to look at her like a little sister, with a fond loving smile. It was enough to interest Aphrodite, as well as make her wonder what Thalia's relationship was with her children in her world.

"I wouldn't say that, I just know languages really well. I'm more of a jack of all trades, I know a whole lot about a lot of things." He revealed, before both stopped at another exhibit. It was an exhibit about Japan, specifically during the key moments of history.

"Ah, I wonder how America got there hands on a Muramasa blade." He said with surprise in his voice. 'They probably don't even know that it's a Muramasa. It is nameless after all.' He let out an amused huff. 'I'll be sure to put it to good use, for Muramasa's sake, though knowing him, he'd prefer it was forgotten.'

"Someone picked it up from the war with Japan. Though, I'm amazed you know what it is." The woman said, though she seemed a bit perplexed.

"It's hard to tell, but Muramasa blades have a distinct look to the blade. It has to do with the unique forging process." He said, before looking at a few other things, ones that related to Nobunaga. 'Nobu's three line formation, glad they made sure to mention that.'

That caught Hephaestus's attention. He wondered if he had that knowledge because of his tracing, or if Shirou had knowledge and experience with forging. He had noted the comparisons to a forge and what not, but he wasn't sure just yet.

If so, then he sincerely hoped that his other self was able to meet him in that world.

"You are an interesting man." He heard her say, causing him to turn and look at her. She had a hand on her chin, obviously thinking about something. "How long is your trip here?" She asked him, causing him to quirk a brow. 'She knows I don't live here?' He saw a small smirk on her face.

"From the way you're dressed, you don't seem like someone who would live here. Plus, not many people carry sturdy, green canvas bags like that." He looked down to his side, looking at his bag. It was a traced and modified version of Nightingale's pouches. 'She has really good observation skills.'

"You got me, I'm not from around here. This is actually my last stop on my trip, so I don't really have a set time. I figured I'd spend some time here, take in the sights and history, before heading back home." He answered, wondering why she wanted to know.

The woman let out a hum, before nodding to herself. "Well then, would you care to accompany me to dinner? You're an interesting person and I'd like to know more about you." She said to him, causing his eyes to widen. He rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed.

"Wow, Athena, I didn't know you were so forward." Artemis said with a quirked brow. Hestia was also a bit surprised, with a few others, since they never knew how she approached mortals. Athena had a small smile on her face, before responding.

"I'm not one to mince words nor have my intentions be mistaken for something else. I prefer to be straightforward and upfront. Considering the other me's observations, she likely found such an approach would be best regarding Shirou." Athena finished with a small nod.

"I'm guessing this is your approach with all men?" Aphrodite questioned, though Athena shook her head.

"No, not all. Shirou is a special case, considering his circumstances. Plus, it would be a shame not to get to know him better, so I likely figured it be best that I initiated the first move."

Aphrodite hummed, before having a mischievous smile. "Hmm, I wonder what Hestia will think of this when she finds out?" At those words, Athena's eyes actually widened a bit, before looking over at Hestia.

Hestia simply smiled at Athena. "Don't worry about it, Athena. I doubt my other self will care about you getting to know Shirou. Though, she might not like that he was found so quickly. But that has more to do with his luck."

Aphrodite couldn't help but giggle a bit. She knew that other Hestia might react a bit differently than prime Hestia thought. Especially if Athena was pulling her usual shenanigans with Shirou. She just had to wait and see.

Annabeth though, she was a bit worried, since this meeting could lead to her having a sibling around the same age as her.

"Uh, yeah, sure, but I should tell you now, I'm not all that interesting." He saw a small smile appear on her face.

"I'll be the judge of that." She then walked by him. "Shall we continue? I'd like to see how far your knowledge extends, Mr..." Her head tilted, reminding him of an owl.

"Emiya. Shirou Emiya, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss..." He extended his hand, which reciprocated.

"Alviss, Sophia Alviss." She answered. Unknown to Shirou, but he had caught the eye of a goddess, one whom would bring great change to his life. Though, this also worked both ways, as Athena would end up changed as well.

Athena hummed at that, though she already knew this because of the prophecy mentioned early. She was actually a bit interested to find out what that change would be, and how it would influence the future.

"See, Hestia, that's how you choose a name." Hera said with a small giggle, causing Hestia to pout a bit.


Hestia was dancing across the kitchen floor, taking out fresh pastries, cakes, and cookies, before placing them in a display or putting it on the table for whomever may have ordered it. A big smile was on her face, as she served the items to anyone who ordered, which was mainly women and children.

"Oooh, lucky, those people get to have food made by Hestia." Apollo pointed out, with the other gods agreeing on the sentiment.

"I could always make something after all of this." Hestia responded with everyone responding rather positively to her words.

She knew why this was, but the reason why was currently on a trip. She let out a sigh, wondering when he was going to be returning. Their little shop was becoming more popular, and while she was confident in fulfilling all the requests that came in, she wouldn't mind having Shirou there as company.

Just as she was taking a small break, another customer walked through the door. Hestia put on her usual sweet and loving smile, "Hello and welcome to the Unlimited Sweets Bakery!" She then heard an audible gasp, causing her to tilt her head, until she saw who entered.

"Wow, Shirou and you have a little bakery, that's so cute!" Aphrodite exclaimed, with Hestia blushing in response.

"I find the decision to be rather fitting, especially considering what Hestia said about his skills in cooking." Artemis added, with her hunters nodding as well.

"Ah, I forgot that's what Shirou called it. He's changed the name since then." Future Thalia said.

"What'd he change it to?" Her younger self asked, with her thinking about it, before deciding it was alright to answer.

"He changed it to 'Unlimited Baked Wonders', mainly because someone suggested it after realizing he could create some rather articulate goods. Plus, it was kind of a joke by that person, since it matched the initials of his reality marble, but Shirou ended up liking it and keeping it." She said with a nervous laugh, hoping that didn't give anything away.

'I take it back, I'm glad that Shirou isn't here.' She thought to herself. Standing in the doorway, was a perfectly beautiful woman with wavy blonde hair, wearing a stylish red satin dress with dazzling eyes like that of spring water. She had a large smile on her face, one that was just as dazzling as her eyes, even Shirou may have blushed at the sight of it.

Aphrodite let out a small gasp, "It's me! So, I do show up rather soon! I was beginning to wonder where I was. I mean, how could I miss something like this going on?" She said excitedly, before sitting back with a large smile on her face.

The other demigods were actually a bit worried, considering getting Aphrodite's attention was not something any of them would have wanted. Rather, they didn't want the problems that came along with it. Surprisingly, the form that was shown on the screen matched up with the form that Aphrodite was currently in. Though, they figured that it was likely one of her default forms.

She would have hit him for it, but she wouldn't blame him. Goddess powers were pretty potent, even if he should have some resistance to it. His blessings and her flame saw to that.

"Hestia? What are you doing here? Wait, do you run this bakery?" She asked with a happy tone, Hestia noted that the few men in the room were all looking towards Aphrodite with dreamy expressions. She let out a sigh.

"Aphrodite, what a pleasant surprise. I'm just filling in for the owner, I suppose. Though, I'm more interested in why you're here." She said with a huff, trying to divert attention from herself.

Aphrodite raised a brow, but only offered a shrug. "I heard some people mentioning a small bakery here, so I had to come try it for myself. Though, with you running the place, I can see why everyone's been talking about it." She said, sitting at the at the counter nearest the kitchen.

"Actually, the owner is on a trip. He's the one who usually makes everything, so really, he's the one who's responsible." Hestia informed her, giving a cookie to a young boy at the other end of the counter. "Though, I am surprised that you'd take the time to come by to try it."

Aphrodite simply let out a small giggle. "Well, course, I enjoy sweet things after all. This mysterious owner, he doesn't happen to make candy too, does he?" She asked with some excitement. Hestia tilted her head a bit.

"I actually don't know. He made some chocolate once, but he's never mentioned it. Though, considering how much he knows, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." She replied. 'I'll have to get him to make me some if he does know how.'

"It sure sounds like you know a lot about him. Hmm, you wouldn't happen to be in a relationship with this human, would you?" She asked in a teasing voice, causing Hestia's cheeks to slightly redden, however she wouldn't give Aphrodite the pleasure of seeing her embarrassed.

"I'll have you know, that we have a very good friendship. Of course, I would know a lot about him." She replied, before turning and taking out another batch of sweets. Aphrodite simply smiled at the goddess. She could fool anyone else, but she was the goddess of love, she could recognize love when she saw it.

'Best not to tease her too much, besides, I'm rather interested to see what comes of this. One of the virgin goddesses falling in love with a mortal? How fun and interesting is that?' She thought to herself, before an idea popped into her head.

"Exactly, it's something that I'd definitely want to stick around to see the outcome of. I wouldn't even interfere, I would simply just watch." Aphrodite pointed out, kicking her feet in her throne rather playfully.

"I doubt Aunt Hestia would appreciate you spying on her like that, Aphrodite. Besides, I highly doubt that you wouldn't interfere in some way." Artemis said with her arms crossed. Aphrodite just rolled her eyes.

"Hestia just said that my powers likely wouldn't be that effective on him. Besides, if I could seduce him away from Hestia, then that'd just mean he wasn't good enough for her." She answered, with Athena and Artemis being a bit flabbergasted at her justification.

"I find myself agreeing with her." Poseidon added, causing Athena to look over and glare at him. She knew that he just didn't like that he wasn't the one who caught Hestia's eye. Artemis, likewise, glared at Apollo, making him decide to not add anything himself.

"I see, then you wouldn't mind if I stick around and meet this human. If he's good enough for you to expose yourself like this, then he must be quite a man." She responded, as she knew that Hestia didn't enjoy the spotlight, being satisfied with only being noticed every once in awhile.

Hestia stiffened for a moment, before she turned to Aphrodite with a smile on her face. "I don't know, I'm not sure if he's exactly your type." Hestia replied. She inwardly groaned. 'He totally is though! He's handsome, strong, sweet, kind, a hero, and he's one of the best cooks I've met! Wait, I can salvage this.'

"Oh, don't be so sure, Hestia. The heart wants what the heart wants, love is like that. Besides, from what I can tell, he must be exceptional. Who else could claim to be friends with THE Hestia. Does he know about you? Or should I say, us?" Aphrodite had one of her usual looks, the kind that told Hestia she wouldn't let it go.

"I'll have you know that I've had mortal friends before. However, I will say that he is quite exceptional. Though, I think he'd probably be more of Athena's type than yours, also..." Hestia thought about it for a moment, wondering if she should reveal his knowledge about the supernatural. "He knows a little bit, but not a whole lot."

"Wow, Hestia, you really had no idea how on the mark you were with that statement. The other you should really have considered him running into Athena, you know?" Demeter pointed out, with Hestia letting out a small sigh.

"I doubt the other me thought Shirou's luck was really that bad. Besides, there wouldn't be much that I'd be able to do to keep him away from others, other than maybe locking him up in the house." She replied with a wry smile. "Which isn't something I'd ever do. Besides, it isn't like I'm jealous type." She added, with Hera and Demeter looking at each for a moment, before looking away with small smiles on their faces.

Future Thalia also made sure to not make any sort of expressions at those words, even though it was really hard. She nearly let out a laugh, before stopping herself. 'Maybe Hestia before she met Shirou wasn't like that, but I've seen her get pretty scary a few times.' She thought to herself, stopping herself from letting out a nervous smile.

"I'd prefer to keep it that way, I don't want him getting involved in our affairs." 'More than he already has. Though, I'm glad he's been helping some of the children, they deserve to have a hero be there to save them and to look up to.' Aphrodite had slightly narrowed eyes, but simply just let out a sigh.

"I see, so he's one of those brainy, intelligent types." She replied with a bit of disappointment. "Well, I suppose that's fine. A shame, I would have liked to get to know this human who's managed to catch your eye." She said, faking disinterest. Though, Hestia's eye twitched at her last sentence.

"Well, I suppose I'll just have some cookies and a chocolate cake and be on my way." Aphrodite then smiled. Though, Hestia didn't know that Aphrodite planned on returning many times, hoping to get a chance to see the human.

Hestia, however, was just glad that Aphrodite wasn't going to dig to deeply into his identity. She'd have to warn Shirou, since she knew that Aphrodite wasn't one to give up so easily. Something about her words bothered Hestia, so she knew that she was up to something.

'I'll have to keep an eye on her. I have a feeling that she's the biggest threat to Shirou's safety here.' She tried to tell herself. Though, it wasn't really his safety she was worried about. Little did she know, that Aphrodite wasn't the goddess she should have been worried about.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Athena asked with a glare. Demeter's eyes widened, before she pointed at the book.

"It wasn't me! It was the book." She tried to explain, with Athena letting out an annoyed huff. Thalia couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. She was surprised the story was saying things like that.

Annabeth was actually a bit shocked that the story said something like that as well. It made it seem like Athena was focused on Shirou in a similar manner as Aphrodite. Which, if she was right, meant that her mother was likely to have a brainchild with him. She had to admit, she was interested in finding out about who their would be.


Shirou Emiya was a very interesting person. At least, Athena thought he was. She found Shirou to be a very intelligent and thoughtful individual. She also noticed that he was a caring and kind man as well, witnessing his small acts of charity and kindness throughout the few days they spent together.

She supposed that the fact he was rather good looking was another plus. She could see that he was someone who trained his body religiously. In fact, his body almost appeared to be a well oiled machine. He could try and act like he was an ordinary person, but she could recognize a warrior when she saw one.

He wasn't a demigod, of that she was sure. She would have assumed him to be a soldier, but something told her that wasn't the case. At least, not completely. A mercenary? He didn't seem the type to really care about money. So, her thoughts went to one conclusion, he was a hunter of some kind and someone who was trained in martial arts.

He certainly moved like he was, plus his eyes had the look of a hunter's, moving like a bird of prey. She wondered what martial arts he was trained in, as the few times she was able to feel his body, she couldn't exactly get a good grasp of what it was he focused in.

That was when she remembered what he said about being a jack of all trades. 'So, he's more than likely trained his body to be proficient in just about everything? Perhaps, I can ask him to show me what he knows. It would be interesting to know. Besides, fighting someone is a good way to get to know someone.' She thought to herself.

"Man, poor guy, I wouldn't want to be that guy when he fights her." Apollo said, rubbing one of his shoulders. Athena raised a brow at his words, with a few of the other gods nodding in response.

"You do get a bit competitive, Athena." Artemis pointed out, with Athena letting out a small grumble.

They had a few, 'dates', as people called them. She had found them to be rather enjoyable, hearing about his travels and the people he knew was interesting. Even if she was the goddess of wisdom, she still found it to be a rather good time. He was a good story teller as well.

She did test him on his knowledge of warfare and history, being somewhat surprised by his capabilities. It was one of the reasons she assumed he was a soldier, as he made some interesting maneuvers that would imply that he studied in the military. Then he made some moves that were much older, strategies from the old age.

He told her that he enjoyed studying the old heroes and kings, those that led great campaigns and left their mark on the world. He surprised her more when he mentioned that he even looked up to some of the more questionable figures, those that were infamous. It was refreshing to hear his thoughts on it.

He often spoke of heroes and mythology as if he was there, or as if he heard it from the lips of the individual themselves. It was something she wasn't entirely prepared for, to be honest. It was why she was so interested in him, and why she invited him to the temporary residence she was staying in.

"I'm guessing that the reason his knowledge on such things was so good was because he was trained by heroic spirits?" Athena asked, looking at Future Thalia specifically.

"Correct. He was taught all sorts of things by heroic spirits, even things not related to combat." She answered, seeing some looking at her like they wanted to hear what she was talking about. "Uh, well there were a lot of different heroes he met and befriended, so it stands to reason he'd pick up a few things. Music, art, poetry, writing, etiquette, dancing, craftsmanship, science, blacksmithing, medicine, politics, religion, meditation, things related to magecraft, storytelling, sailing, and other stuff like that. Even tea-making, so yeah."

"They had a lot of hobbies and interests, and Shirou didn't mind learning all about it. Heck, Shirou could probably run a criminal empire spanning the whole United States or take charge of a pirate crew if he really wanted to, thanks to some of his friends." She continued, with Moriarty, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Francis Drake, and Blackbeard coming to mind as she said it.

"It's almost a shame that he relegated himself to running bakery then." Athena remarked, a small smile appearing on her face. Though, she figured that he likely did other things on the side, but probably chose a rather mundane vocation to make Hestia happy, which she was fine with. Still, she could only imagine the things he could accomplish if he really put his mind to it.

The other demigods were all surprised by the long list of things that Shirou had knowledge in. Though, considering all the people he likely met from different time periods, it made sense. Thalia Emiya couldn't help but realize that they likely had no idea he was taught some of that stuff by some really famous people. Music from Mozart and David, Etiquette and dancing from royalty, ranging from queens and kings to knights, and science from Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. It was really insane when she thought about it. Then again, just because he knew about these things, didn't mean he was all that great at all of them, so it balanced out.

It was rather spacious and had everything she would need to test him further. He admitted to being rather good with a bow, though he didn't elaborate any further. It was the only thing he didn't downplay about himself. He was a humble person, almost overly so, but she didn't mind.

She had known far too many self absorbed heroes and humans to last a lifetime. To meet one who wasn't greedy, self absorbed, lustful, or violent was a nice change of pace. She did notice that he wasn't perfect, as he almost seemed a bit uncomfortable at times, almost as if he wasn't used to being around others.

Honestly, she wasn't expecting to actually enjoy his company. She had asked him to dinner simply because he interested her in the museum. She expected to have a nice conversation and be on her way. Though, she found herself enjoying the time she spent with him, with him even making her laugh on a few occasions. It was refreshing to be around someone like him.

"You mean you can laugh and have fun, Athena?" Aphrodite asked sarcastically, with Athena glaring at the love goddess.

"I can and will stab you, Aphrodite." She replied, with Aphrodite simply giggling at the reply. Apollo and Hermes wisely chose not to say anything, even if that joke passed through their minds as well.

Perhaps, it was because he was younger than who she normally associated with. Or maybe, it was because he wasn't really the type of person she would associate with. Not to say the previous men she was with weren't kind and charming, but Shirou was very different from them. He wasn't intimidated by her and, while there were times he was uncomfortable, it wasn't because of her.

He treated her like a lady, though, he didn't treat her like she would break at the slightest touch. It was strange, he had the mannerisms of a knight, but he also had adopted certain aspects from other cultures, those that wouldn't be noticeable to modern people, but for one as old as her, she could see it clear as day.

She looked at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was nearly time. She changed and prepared a few things for the upcoming meeting. She hoped she would learn even more about Shirou Emiya tonight. This night would be the deciding the factor in her decision.

Thanks to Future Thalia, Athena now knew that those mannerisms and traits were because of the different heroic spirits he had interacted with. She was actually quite happy that he would act in such a way with her, despite not actually knowing who she was. It meant that he would have treated any other woman like that, not just a goddess.

Artemis and her hunters actually mirrored those thoughts as well. It was one of the things they hated the most, when men would treat them like they were frail or just treat them differently in general because they were women. Thankfully, it didn't seem like Shirou was one of those people. They guessed it had to do with the fact that Shirou had interacted with so many strong female figures in his life. Such as his mother, as well as the heroic spirits.

The others could see that Shirou was likely to have a child with Athena, thanks to the final line in that was read. Though, they were all interested to see what kind of child would be born from that union. They all knew that it would likely not be a normal demigod, thanks to Shirou being from a different world.


Shirou Emiya was not having an easy time. He let out a sigh, as he realized that he may be a little late to his meeting with Sophia. He was confident that she was some sort of divine being, but he wasn't sure what kind. She didn't feel like a goddess, but she didn't feel like a demigod either.

It was like being around a servant, or more specifically, a pseudo-servant. It was strange, but he didn't mind. If she was a goddess then, as he promised Hestia, he would give her a chance. So far, he thought that they could say they were friends, but then again, he was a human.

Hestia's flame and jacket were doing a really good job of keeping him hidden. Or rather, they were doing a good job of keeping his scarf and charms hidden. Then again, he wasn't sure how much aura they leaked, so he couldn't be entirely sure.

He didn't really plan on staying too long, but Sophia seemed to be enjoying their time together, so he lengthened his stay. He had a feeling that she was the type who never took breaks and tended to stay busy, so if he managed to make her take some time off, then that was fine.

"You do tend to do that Athena. Even Shirou was able to tell." Hestia said with small giggle. She was actually a bit happy that Shirou was the type of person to do such a thing because of a reason like that.

"I enjoy working and staying busy. Though, I suppose I should take more breaks from time to time if even a mortal could tell such a thing." Athena replied with a sigh. He really did seem like a good person.

She had invited him to her home, or rather, her temporary residence as she put it. He was a bit hesitant about doing so, but she didn't seem like the kind of woman who would try to seduce him. So, he decided to agree, which led to now. He was on his way there when he caught a familiar scent.

He then heard the cry of a young girl, "Help!" Shirou's eyes narrowed and he immediately began to run towards the location of the cry. 'A demigod?' He thought, though he also smelled something repulsive, meaning there was more than likely a monster.

"And there he goes. I wonder what demigod it is?" Hestia asked, a bit upset that he just went running to help without even considering what he was running into. 'Then again, he did say he knew it was a monster, so maybe he thought it wouldn't be a big deal.' She thought, before shaking her head. It was good that he was trying to help the demigods, plus her other self did want him to be someone for demigods to look up to.'

Thalia Emiya narrowed her eyes a bit, before thinking to herself. 'This seems familiar.' "No way, is this when it happens?" She whispered to herself, with some of the hunters catching onto her words and looking at each other with curious expressions. It was obvious that Thalia knew about who it was, making them curious.

"Trace on." His circuits activated and he reinforced himself, quickly running into an alleyway. As he ran through the alleys, he came across the source of the cries. It was a teenage girl, one that seemed a bit prettier than normal. There were two large men cornering her, maybe around nine feet tall, a bit shorter than Orion.

He then began to trace his two trusty blades, Kanshou and Bakuya, as he ran forward. His footsteps caused the two men to notice him, they turned around and saw him slide along the ground as his swords manifested in his hands. Without thinking, he swung his arms and struck the tendons behind their knees.

The two quickly yelled out in pain, but Shirou wasn't focused on them. He popped up and managed to reach the girl, who was staring at him with wide eyes. She had blonde hair and pink eyes like cherry blossoms. She was dressed in some sort of school uniform, though he saw that it was personalized to be more stylish than it was.

"Ooh, that's one my darling daughters! Shirou saved one my daughters, that's so awesome!" Aphrodite exclaimed happily, before humming to herself as she looked at the screen. "Huh, it kind of looks like Caroline. I suppose his arrival did change things." She said with a shrug, knowing that Caroline was never cornered like this. Sadly, Caroline wasn't in the throne room to see it. She was likely at her job or something, but Aphrodite did make a mental note to see if she could get her summoned there with the rest of them.

The other daughters of Aphrodite seemed more interested now that one of them was now the focus of the story. Piper and Lacy in particular.

The sight actually caused him to smile a bit, though he mainly did it to make the girl less scared. "Are you alright?" He asked with a small smile. She was trembling and he could see she was too scared to speak, but she managed to nod her head. "That's good. I want you to close your eyes, okay? This will all be over in a second."

The girl once again nodded and covered her eyes with her hands, which caused Shirou to let out a small chuckle. However, any levity he had soon washed away, as he stood up and turned towards the men. Once he did, he saw the singular eye each one possessed.

"Crazy how fast he switched from reassuring and kind to cold and calculated that fast." One of the daughters of Aphrodite stated. "It's kinda hot."

That caused Piper to sigh, with Lacy feeling a bit weird about it. Aphrodite simply smiled and winked at her daughter who said that. "That's a hero for you. Charming one second, then deadly serious the next. Though, he seems a bit more like a knight than a one the old Greek heroes." Aphrodite pointed out, with Athena and Artemis agreeing with the last bit. They ignored the other things that were said.

'Cyclops? Interesting, I haven't fought one of those before.' He thought to himself, holding his blades in front of him. "I'll give you both this one chance, turn and walk away, or forfeit your life." His voice was cold and full of steel. So far, he hadn't actually saved a demigod from intelligent monsters.

"You meddle in affairs not your own human. However, it just means we get more to eat." One of them replied with a deep and ugly voice. Just the sound grated on Shirou's nerves. Both were favoring one leg. It was obvious they didn't know why, however, Shirou did. His swords had properties that made them extra effective against monsters.

"So they kind of act like our weapons then?" Percy asked, though Thalia shook her head.

"Yes, but not exactly. Shirou said that his weapons can harm monsters likely because of their magical nature. When it comes to Kanshou and Bakuya, however, not only are they noble phantasms, but they have a monster slaying attribute added to them as well." She answered, making Percy actually think about how such weapons would be pretty great to have.

"Very well, then this day will be your last." Shirou replied, he quickly threw both his blades at one of them, catching them off guard. The cyclops raised his hand, but the blade easily pierced it and the other stuck itself into his chest. Shirou summoned another pair, throwing them, following up with two more barrages, sticking eight blades into the cyclops.

The other began to charge at Shirou, ignoring his ally who was turning into a pincushion. Shirou knew it wouldn't be enough to kill it, but they weren't meant to kill it just yet. Just as the other managed to reach Shirou, he reinforced himself as much as he could, before taking a stance and dodging the hands that came to grab him.

He slipped forward, the hands going over him, as he delivered an elbow to the sternum of the giant. It was like striking a wall, but he didn't let it slow him down. The strike caused the giant to recoil backwards, but Shirou then followed up with straight punch, using all of his strength, managing to make the giant stumble backwards.

Shirou winced at the resistance he faced, but he didn't stop. He turned his attention to the other giant, who had recovered and was delivering a strike towards Shirou. His eyes widened, before he brought his arms up and activated the charm on his wrist.

The strike sent him flying into a nearby wall, managing to make a crater in it. Shirou felt the full weight of the strike, but he had taken worse hits. Just as he managed to make it to his knees, the giant was bringing a fist down to crush him. Shirou rolled to the side, dodging the strike, before grabbing one of the swords stuck in the giant's body.

He swung himself onto the back of the giant, grabbing onto the two swords that pierced its back. He brought a hand up and traced Kanshou into it, though the giant was making it hard to keep a grip on him, bucking wildly. Shirou's eyes narrowed, before he brought down his sword onto his back.

"Burst!" He yelled, channeling magical energy into each blade, causing circuits to connect to each copy in the giant. The giant's wounds then exploded blood, causing Shirou to jump off while tracing the jet black bow of a certain apple loving huntress, and shot multiple arrows at the other giant's foot, pinning him to the ground.

The demigods watching were rather impressed with his abilities. Though, they were even more impressed with the technique he had used on the previous cyclops. It was almost like he used the swords to explode it from inside. His dexterity was also impressive, being able to jump off the cyclops and trace a bow to fire multiple arrows into the foot of the other enemy.

The hunters and Artemis on the other hand, were more focused on the fact that he traced Atalanta's bow and used it with such proficiency. Artemis was easily able to tell that it was Tauropolos, as well as the fact that he was referencing Atalanta. They all had to admit that his accuracy was really impressive, since they had only been able to see him use his bow on Orion. Which really only showed them how far he could shoot, rather than how accurate he could be. Then again, considering he hit every shot in that fight, they figured it shouldn't have been such a surprise.

'One down, one to go.' He thought to himself. "Trace on." He held out his hand and traced the sword of a knight, one who protected the maiden. Arondight appeared in his hands. He burst forward, allowing Tauropolos to dissipate. The giant ripped his foot from the ground and swung his fist down at Shirou.

Shirou, already seeing the attack coming, jumped over it and swung his sword against the chest of the giant, directly over his heart. When he landed, a blue line appeared on the giant's chest. The giant ignored it and brought his other hand up to crush Shirou, "Arondight, Overload!"

Just as the giant was swinging down, the wound and light from the line began to shine even brighter, causing him intense pain, before it exploded with magical energy, easily cleaving through the giant's body. Shirou stood still for a moment, before allowing the sword the dissipate.

He then dropped to a knee, feeling everything he had just been through, as well as the immense burden that Arondight's noble phantasm put on the body. He was breathing heavily and he could feel his body was pretty banged up from the attacks he received.

"Whoa, that was rather intense. What is Arondight? Or rather, who wielded it? It said it was a sword that protected the maiden, but that didn't answer who used it." Percy asked, with Annabeth actually being a bit puzzled on it too. She felt like she should know the answer, but she wasn't sure.

However, Thalia Emiya decided to answer the question for her. "Arondight is the sword of Lancelot, King Arthur's knight. It may go by a different name in this world, which is why Annabeth may not know it, considering how smart she is." Annabeth figured that may be the case, though it was still rather frustrating.

'I should have handled that better.' He thought to himself, but he was focused on saving the young girl and allowed his emotions to get the better of him. 'Live and learn. Next time, I'll do better.' He managed to pull himself to his feet, before looking at the bodies of the dissipating giants.

'Good, I managed to kill them. I didn't know if that would be enough to kill them, to be honest.' He shook his head, before turning to find the girl. However, he was surprised when he felt a body slam into him, causing him to take a step back to prevent himself from falling over.

"Thank you so much! You saved my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Shirou looked down and saw the girl he saved, holding onto him with a very strong grip. She was surprisingly strong, considering how fragile she seemed. She actually reminded Shirou of Ereshkigal a bit.

He let out a sigh, before patting the girl on the back. He figured that she must have been really scared if she was this thankful. He had a small smile on his face, one that the girl saw when she looked up at him. He noticed her gaze and looked down at her, before noticing her cheeks reddening.

"M-my name is, C-Caroline. Um, c-could I maybe, know yours?" She stuttered out, causing Shirou to let out a chuckle.

"Sure, the name's Shirou Emiya, and you don't have to thank me. I just did the right thing. You asked for help, so I came to help you." He said, patting the girl on the head.

"Why do I feel like that him giving away his name like that will come back to bite him?" Younger Thalia asked with a sigh. The other demigods nodded in agreement, since they thought he was trying to be secretive.

"Because it will." Future Thalia pointed out with a small chuckle. "In his defense, he said he did it to try and comfort Caroline, plus it was also kind of an automatic response."


Caroline wasn't someone who would normally be so flustered. In fact, she felt a little silly that she stuttered. But, she couldn't help it. Shirou had saved her life. She was just taking a walk, not wanting to return back to the dorms, when those two monsters appeared and tried to kidnap her.

She may have been a demigod, but daughters of Aphrodite weren't exactly strong fighters and her charmspeak wasn't too strong yet. So, she tried to run, but she only ended up getting cornered. She was sure that she would be caught, but she called out for help, hoping that those stories about heroes she read were true.

At that, Piper couldn't help but let out a small sigh. It was a sad, but mostly true view on children of Aphrodite. Not many of them were suited for combat, but she was hoping to change that in the future, since she had been able to prove that viewpoint wrong.

She didn't think anyone would actually save her, only for her to be proven wrong. A hero appeared, saving her from her fate. She promised to not look, but she couldn't help but peek. He stood tall, wielding and calling swords from flames. He was like a knight who had come to save her from the monsters.

He was handsome and looked strong. He had unique red hair that seemed be turning white on the ends. His eyes were a beautiful golden brown, though she saw some steel discoloration in there. He had a beautiful red and golden scarf, with a black denim jacket with a strange emblem on the arm. He wore a red shirt underneath it, while wearing blue jeans and black boots.

His voice was strong and cold when he spoke to the monsters, but it was so warm and caring when he spoke to her. It was so amazing to witness, to watch a hero fight against two monsters like that. Even when he was hurt, he stood back up and acted like it was nothing. She always wanted meet a hero from the stories, and she ended up being saved by one.

"It is most young girls dream to be saved by a dashing hero or gallant knight. Caroline specifically always loved stories about heroes and knights. It's so nice to see that Shirou was able to make her dream come true in that world." Aphrodite said with a happy smile on her face, before frowning a bit. "It's just her bad luck that she's up against Hestia."

"You were so amazing, I've never seen anyone move like. You're a hero, aren't you? Like in the stories?" She asked him with a happy voice. Shirou only shook his head with a smile.

"I wouldn't say I was hero. I just know how to fight monsters. You should be more careful, Caroline. Monsters tend to wander around more at night, especially when they know a demigod is around." He said to her, causing her to widen her eyes. 'So, he knows about us? Is he a demigod? But, the way talks makes it seem like he isn't.'

"I know, but I didn't want to return to the dorm. It's so cold and lifeless there. I just want to go home." She said sadly, causing him to tilt his head.

"Why can't you?" He asked simply, only for Caroline to smile sadly.

"I can't. My dad died in a fire last year. I didn't have any other family, so I was put into a home, but they just sent me to a boarding school. I don't have anywhere to go. It's so lonely, and for a daughter of Aphrodite, not having anyone or anything to love is painful." Shirou's eyes widened at the information.

Aphrodite visibly looked upset once she learned that. It was actually a bit surprising to the other demigods, considering most of the gods didn't seem to care that much about their children, even after Percy made them have to claim them at 13. "Is that true? About children of Aphrodite?" Percy asked Piper, who looked back towards him with small smile.

"Kind of. I'd say it varies from child to child. Imagine not being anywhere near water, or trapped in a desert, it'd feel a bit like that." She replied to him, with Percy perfectly understanding what she meant.

"I see. I haven't met any children of Aphrodite before, but I can imagine how much that must hurt." He said to her, causing her to shake her head. Really, she just didn't want him to see her tears. She knew that he would leave, as heroes never really stuck around. They were always fighting and going on adventures to save others.

She let go of him and turned around. However, he surprised her when his hand appeared with a handkerchief. "I don't know how much I can help you, but I would like to." She took it and tried to wipe away the wetness. She then heard him writing something on some paper.

"Here." She turned around and saw him handing her a piece of paper. She looked at it, seeing his personal information on it. "That's my phone number, address, and some other information for you to use. I don't know how much I can help, but you can always talk to me, through letters or a phone call."

"If being alone is that painful, then I'll be whatever it is you need me to be. I don't know how good at it I'll be, but I'm certainly better than nothing. In fact, if you call that number later tonight, there might be someone who may be able to help make you feel better." He said with a reassuring smile.

Hestia couldn't help but smile at Shirou's kindness. It was obvious how much he cared about helping others. Even when it came to something like this, he was more than willing to try and help.

Caroline felt really warm in that moment. A bright smile made its way onto her face. He really had no idea what he had done for the girl. She wasn't lying when she said that, for her, the absence of love was painful. It was dark and cold, but suddenly, a warm and bright light had appeared in her life.

She turned around, wiping away what remained of her tears. She looked up at him with a smile. "Does that mean you could even be my boyfriend?" She said with a playful tone. Shirou's eyes widened, before he let out a small laugh.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit too old for you, Caroline. Besides, I don't think I'd make a very good boyfriend." He replied, patting her on the head. She giggled at his response, before looking back at him with a playful and flirty smile.

"I'll have you know, I'm about to turn seventeen. I'm sure I can wear you down by the time I turn eighteen." Shirou shook his head at the 180 the girl pulled. He could tell that she was a daughter of Aphrodite, just by the way she spoke. "But, thank you, Shirou. Even if you don't think you're a hero, you'll always be one to me."

Caroline then showed him a sweet and sincere smile, one that seemed to catch him off guard. She was pretty sure she saw a slight reddening on his cheeks, which caused her to inwardly celebrate. He coughed into his hand, trying to refocus himself.

"Oh, she was able to make him blush! Caroline's beauty is something else, so I don't blame him." Aphrodite said while nodding her head. Artemis shook her head with a sigh.

"I think it was seeing her smile, rather than her beauty. He might not be used to seeing such a sincere and thankful smile. Plus, he's still getting used to his emotions." She explained, pointing out her own observation on that matter. Though, she knew Aphrodite would believe what she wanted.

"I...you're welcome, Caroline, and thank you for that. You really should head back, I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble." He said to her, "I'll walk you back to the street." She only nodded to his words, before grabbing onto his arm as the two headed back.

"I will see you again? Won't I?" She asked as they reached the street. Shirou looked at the girl and chuckled.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility. Besides, you know where I live. Chances are, we'll run into each other again." He said to her, before he reached into his bag. He pulled out a simple necklace, on it was a glittering light blue gemstone that Caroline had never seen before. "Here, consider it a gift. It'll keep you safe." He said to her.

Aphrodite, as well as all of her daughters, couldn't help but be in awe of how beautiful and amazing the necklace he gave to Caroline was, in particular, the gemstone. What she said was right, it wasn't one they had ever seen before.

Caroline took it into her hands and inspected the beautiful gemstone. She really hadn't seen one like it. "That'll hide your scent from monsters, though it will also generate a small barrier in case you're ever in trouble." He informed her. He took it from her hands and proceeded to step around her, before placing it around her neck.

"I'll definitely treasure it." She whispered, touching the gemstone on her chest. "You know, when you do things like this, it only makes me want to try harder to make you mine." Shirou quirked a brow, obviously not understanding what she meant. She let out a small giggle, before once again hugging him.

"Thanks so much, Shirou, for everything. You better believe that I'll see you again, and I hope you're ready to be getting many calls and letters in the future." She then let go and quickly turned around, heading back to her dorm. Her face was red and she didn't want him to see her face like that.

She was supposed to be a daughter of Aphrodite, someone who was able to charm men and make them fall for her. Yet, someone who wasn't even a demigod turned the tables on her. 'And it seemed like he wasn't even trying either!' She thought to herself, a bit frustrated. 'He'll see, next time I see him, I'll charm him for sure.'

"Well, it seems like someone has an admirer. Hopefully he knows he just made that girl fall in love with him." Hera said while shaking her head with a sigh. She knew that he didn't, as he seemed the dense type.


Shirou was obviously oblivious to these thoughts, so he simply smiled as he watched the girl run away. He shook his head, being happy that he managed to save someone from a terrible fate. 'That's another demigod I've saved. Though, that's the first time I've actually stayed and interacted with one.'

He was glad that he gave her the necklace, as it was a new mystic code he made in an attempt to help demigods lead more peaceful lives. He'd need to find a replacement gem once he ran out of the gems Ishtar gave him. Though, he supposed it was fitting that she received that particular gem.

'It was one of Ishtar's favorites, after all. For a daughter of Aphrodite, it's perfect.' He thought, before turning and deciding to head to his original destination. His body was still aching, but he figured he could power through the rest of the night. He checked his circuits, trying to figure out the time, before realizing he was late.

"No wonder it was so beautiful. It was a gem of a goddess. Still, pretty ingenious to make a necklace capable of helping half-bloods lead more peaceful lives." Aphrodite said, thinking over his words. She wondered if it was possible for someone to create something similar.

"Hey, can you explain what mystic codes are? They were mentioned before, but it didn't really explain what they are." Percy asked future Thalia, with her nodding to his question.

"In essence, they are simply magic tools or weapons. They can do a variety of things, simple auxiliary ones usually store or magnify magical energy. Specialized mystic codes normally have spells embedded in them, allowing someone to use the spell within by passing magical energy into it. Jewels, staffs, Shirou's shroud, his black keys, and other stuff like that are mystic codes. Most noble phantasms can be categorized as specialized mystic codes, if that helps answer the question." She answered to the best of her ability, knowing they'd likely see better examples in the future.

'Well, that's not good. I better run.' He thought to himself.


'He's late.' Athena thought to herself. She could have forgiven being a few minutes late, but he was nearing thirty minutes now. 'Surely, he wouldn't stand me up, would he?' She then shook her head, 'Why should I care? It's not like it's all that big of a deal.' Just as she thought this, her doorbell rang.

Her head snapped towards the door, causing her to quickly make her way there. She wasn't like Aphrodite, so she didn't check every detail of herself to make sure it was perfect, but she did straighten out her clothes and hair before opening the door.

Aphrodite did want to make a comment about that, but decided to hold it in. She was just surprised that Athena actually cared enough to actually even check herself before answering the door. In a way, it was actually some progress, considering it was for a man.

She had a bit of a scowl on her face when she opened the door, but that look vanished the moment she saw him. "Shirou, are you alright? What happened to you?" She asked, quickly taking him by the hand and leading him inside the house.

She saw that his knuckles were haphazardly cleaned off, though she could see remnants of blood on them. He had some dirt and other debris in his hair, with his jacket likewise having some dust and debris on the back of it. His face had a few scratches that he obviously couldn't tell were there, and she could see that he was rather tense.

In fact, she would have assumed he was sore from a workout if she didn't know any better. She quickly led him to the kitchen and proceeded to fix him up. "Some creeps were trying to take advantage of a girl in an alleyway, so I intervened. Most of this is self inflicted, so don't worry too much." He said, trying to ease her worries.

Hestia and Athena both frowned at Shirou's lack of care for himself. It was one thing to not worry someone, it was another when said wounds were clearly visible enough to warrant worry.

"Even small wounds can get infected if not taken care of properly, Shirou." Was her simple and curt answer. Shirou's eyes widened at her response, 'It seems it's not just her looks that are similar to Nightingale.' "I wondered why you were late, as it isn't like you. Though, saving a young maiden does seem like something you would do."

Shirou let out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. 'She really has no idea.' "I do apologize for being late, even if I had a reason." He said to her, causing her to look at him with some exasperation. She shook her head, before continuing on.

After putting some bandages on him, with Athena noticing the faint scar he had on his cheek, the two finally managed to take a moment to relax. "So, Shirou, judging by your heroics, would it be safe to assume that you have some combat training?" She asked him, as that was one of things she was most interested in.

"I know my way around most weapons. I've had a lot of teachers who specialized in different styles, with some hand-to-hand combat thrown in, just in case." He answered, deciding not to lie to the, maybe, goddess. Though, by this point, he was pretty sure that she was one.

"I see. You wouldn't happen to be up for a light spar, would you? That is, if you're up to it. I can see that you aren't a hundred percent." She asked him, though Shirou could hear some anticipation in her voice. 'If she's a goddess, then that must mean she knows how to fight.'

'Is she Athena?' He thought to himself, before clenching his fists tightly for a moment, remembering Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno. However, he let out a calming breath, relaxing himself. 'Not the same Athena, and not the same Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale.' He reminded himself.

"What?! He said he still wants to punch me in the face, yet he's fine with Athena?!" Poseidon exclaimed, causing Athena to smirk at his outburst and for Hades to silently laugh at his brothers shock and outrage.

"Just goes to show that he knows who the real problem lies with." She stated smugly, with Poseidon grumbling to himself. Though, Athena would admit that she did feel a bit bad about it. Though, it was mainly for Shirou's world's version, as it seemed like his version of events went a different way than hers. She thought she had some justification for that punishment, considering Medusa returned Poseidon's advances. She guessed that Shirou's version of events may have been less than willing to return those advances.

Shirou, with a faint smile on his face, replied to the goddess, "Sure, I wouldn't mind. You have a dojo, or a practice area?" He asked, deciding to go along with it. Sparring was one of the few ways he could clear his head and calm himself anyway.

"Of course, follow me." She said to him. The two made their way through the admittedly large house. It actually surprised him, since the house seemed bigger than what he initially thought it was.

"There are clothes in there, if you wish to change. When you're done, step through that door and I'll be waiting. There will be weapons for you to choose from in there, so there's no need to worry about that." She informed him. Shirou nodded his head, before heading into the room.

Admittedly, he wasn't sure why the goddess wished to spar with him. It was far different from anything else the two had done up to that point. Up until that point, they had mainly had discussions on varying topics, while playing some games or simulators, which he found pretty fun.

Though, he found the trip to the library to be the most fun, as he found many interesting books on different subjects that he hadn't been able to read before. Considering his thoughts on his world's Athena, he expected to dislike this one. Perhaps, not knowing she was Athena helped him not have any bias towards her.

It was similar to spending time with some heroic spirits, those that enjoyed to converse and bond over more intellectual things, or enjoyed teaching and showing off their chosen field of study. Medea was one of those people. He enjoyed learning magecraft from her and Circe, it was one of the few pastimes he enjoyed.

Athena smiled at the fact that Shirou actually enjoyed the time he spent with her other self. It also told her a lot about him. There were some men who simply went along with her suggestions, likely because of her beauty, but it was clear Shirou wasn't one of those people. It seemed like he actually enjoyed the time they spent together, along with engaging with her during such excursions.

He didn't expect anything from her, other than enjoying the time spent together. She could understand why her other self seemed to enjoy her time with him. It did seem to be rather refreshing when compared to others. Then again, considering Hestia, she supposed it only made sense he was like that.

As he sat next to his stuff, he idly remembered the fun times he had back in Chaldea. "Trace on." He whispered to himself, before a small model ship appeared in his hands. He found himself doing such things more often, ever since Rhea did whatever she did. Though, truthfully, he would probably still reminiscence without Rhea's interference.

Medea was the caster who enabled him to survive throughout most of the singularities, allowing him to fight on the front lines despite being a human. Why she was the caster he summoned, he had no idea, but he was thankful for all of the assistance she gave him.

He sat the model ship down next to his bag. It was one of many she helped him craft that he had memory of. As he stood up, he wondered what style he should use during the spar, before deciding to use the style of Ushiwakamaru. He was close to her and she taught him the longest, so it only made sense.

He would need to restrict himself to the basics and not use any of the more taxing techniques. Without reinforcement, he would feel a significant strain on his body. Besides, he was sure that Athena wouldn't try and push him that far. If it came down to it, he could always switch to his dual-wield style.

"He's definitely going to regret that." Hermes said, with Apollo nodding.

"He's injured, I'm sure that I'll take that into account, Hermes." Athena replied while rolling her eyes.

Artemis could only hum, as she knew this would likely not turn out how Athena expected.

Percy on the other hand, couldn't help but think about how different Shirou's Medea sounded. The other demigods that had encountered all thought the same thing. Unlike theirs, Shirou's Medea actually sounded like a reasonable person, along with Circe.


After stepping into the sparring room, he saw an impressive array of weapons on the wall. There were many different kinds, some of which had an impressive history. He was sure that some could even be called noble phantasms by how old and how much mystery they contained.

He saw Athena on the other side of the room, dressed in workout clothes, the kind that he associated with yoga. He idly wondered if all the goddesses possessed such beauty. He figured that it made sense, as they were goddesses. It reminded him of all of the female heroic spirits he saw, each possessing their own beauty.

"Wow, Athena, you actually have a great body there. I don't see why you wouldn't show that off more. I mean, you may not be as amazing as me, but you're still quite the beauty." Aprhodite said, looking up at the screen at the other Athena.

Athena let out a sigh. "Because I don't feel the need to show off like you do, Aphrodite. I'm perfectly fine with the way I dress. Besides, like Artemis, I don't particurly enjoy men leering at me wherever I go." She answered, with Artemis nodding in agreement.

"Oh, boo. You both should loosen up some time." Aphrodite added, with both goddessess shaking their heads. Aphrodite then smiled. "Well, no matter, I'm sure that you'll change your tunes when you see Hestia's beauty when she dresses up for Shirou." Hestia stiffened at the mention of her name, with Demeter and Hera both laughing at her reaction.

He passed by one of the racks and saw a wooden sword, one that was perfect for what he was going for, being a replica of a tachi katana, which is what Usimidori was. He grabbed it, before carefully inspecting the weapon, weighing and feeling its balance, before nodding to himself.

"So, that is what you chose? I must say, I'm a bit surprised." He heard Athena say, causing him to turn to see her holding a spear in her hands. 'I figured she'd choose a spear.' He thought to himself, before he nodded to her words.

"Yeah, it's probably the weapon I'm most comfortable with, aside from a few others." He said to her, thinking about the few noble phantasms he was much better at using without his magecraft. His preferred style, the one he came up with after gaining Muramasa's and his future selves' knowledge, and fighting other dual wielders, was actually wielding two katanas.

He thought about using that style, but figured he'd keep it hidden until she forced him to use it. Besides, he didn't want to strain himself too much. Though, if she thought that he would be a simple sparring partner, she'd be mistaken. His skills were gained from training and live combat against monsters and servants.

She may have been a goddess that was known for using a spear, but he was trained by some of the best lancers in history, including Scathach herself. 'And wasn't that some hellish training.' He thought to himself, before standing opposite the goddess. "We can start on your count." He said with a faint smile.

"Someone seems rather confident." Demeter stated with a small smile. Athena couldn't help but smile a bit at his confidence as well.

"He isn't wrong though. Considering all of the heroes he's likely sparred with, as well as actually fought against, he likely wouldn't be an easy opponent to face." Athena pointed out. She knew about Scathach as well, and since she had trained him, she expected for Shirou to put on a good show.

Annabeth was rather excited to see her mother spar against someone. There weren't many chances for her to get to see her mother actually fight, so she was going to be sure to watch everything carefully.


Mia was not in a good mood at all. This marked the twentieth time since the Orion incident, that they arrived too late to catch the mysterious hero. Each time, it appeared as if they arrived a day or two too late. This time, however, it had only been a few hours.

"Yeah, that would be super frustrating." Mia said with a sigh.

The problem was, there was no way to track him. There was no trace of him, despite the traces of a fight that happened. She blamed the smell of perfume in the air, as it was obvious the demigod he saved was a daughter of Aphrodite. She never understood why they needed to wear so much.

Since they couldn't find him, they decided to follow the demigod to get some information. Lady Artemis was quite adamant in finding him, as was she, so by the gods, they would find him. So far, they only had vague descriptions of him, along with the variety of weapons he supposedly used.

He was becoming something of a legend among the demigod circles. They referred to him as The Blade of Hestia, which was the cause of a lot of confusion. Apparently, whenever he saved people, he would give out gems with runes on them, though they often possessed a design similar to that of the flames of Hestia.

"That's rather sweet of him." Hera said while smiling in Hestia's direction. Hestia couldn't help but grow a bit embarrassed at the looks everyone was giving her. She wasn't used to all the attention everyone was giving her since the story started.

Though, Lady Artemis did tell them that Hestia didn't know about the hero they were searching for, so they figured it was just a hero paying homage to the goddess. It made some of the huntresses view him in a better light, though she noted that there were still some that weren't convinced.

She supposed that was only natural, but it still bugged her. She knew that he wasn't like the others. She couldn't explain why, but she had a feeling. She would find out for sure soon enough, as she was adamant on finding him as well. She still wished to thank him for saving her and her friends.

So, she would search for however long it took. He couldn't outrun them forever. The small group of huntresses finally arrived at their location. It was a dormitory of some kind. Mia lamented having to interact with a daughter of Aphrodite, but if she could help them, then it would be worth it.

"Yeah, the other me is definitely going to find him first!" Mia stated with confidence, with the other hunters smiling at her actions. Even Artemis seemed a bit amused at her attitude.


Athena had to admit, she was impressed. Shirou's skill with the blade was quite good. His movements were clean and practiced, with little to nothing wasted when he did move. His strikes were quick, powerful, and precise, while being sure to protect his openings. His footwork was just as impressive, being steady and firm.

While ordinary people wouldn't be able to notice, she could easily tell from sparring with him. While he held some talent, his skill came from arduous training and hard work. Yet, she could also tell, that he wasn't just someone who trained hard. He had certain habits that were only developed from real combat.

She couldn't imagine how he was able to have those habits, unless he sparred at full speed with no restraint. Though, she figured that he must be someone who had fought real enemies. 'Judging by his scars, I'm guessing he's fought against monsters.' She thought, easily seeing the marks on his arms and legs because of his sleeveless shirt and shorts.

Though, for Athena, this knowledge actually heightened her views on the man in front of her. If he knew about monsters and could see past the mist, then that would make everything much easier. However, for now, she wanted to see the true capabilities of his sword skill.

She wanted to see the accumulated knowledge of swordplay he had attained. She had a feeling that is what would be the deciding factor. It would be much different from any of the past humans, but with Shirou, she got a strange feel for him. Something that was far different from anyone she had met.

When the two clashed, she could feel his soul behind each strike. Without fail, she felt his true nature. Shirou Emiya was a sword. Underneath everything else she had learned from him, everything he showed her, the one in front of her was undeniably a sword. It was fascinating to her. She had never met anyone like that before.

His eyes and aura were all sharp and focused when the two sparred. His body and movements were the same. He was able to analyze her movements and adjust accordingly. She found herself enjoying it. It was one of the few times she actually enjoyed herself when testing someone like this.

When she thought she had him figured out, he would switch to a different style, modifying it to suit the Tachi he wielded. One of the styles intrigued her, especially when he said it was meant for a two handed broadsword, despite holding it off to his side, as if drawing it from a sheathe.

Another, that actually brought her some amusement, was a style that was meant for a sword much longer than what he had. He delivered two quick strikes, each within a split second of each other. He said could do better if he was at a hundred percent, but he didn't want to overdo it.

"I'm guessing those two were sword skills from other heroic spirits?" Athena asked Future Thalia, with her nodding to her question. Athena hummed, before looking at the screen. "It's rather impressive he's able to recreate them with a completely different weapon."

The fact that her other self was also enjoying the spar was something of a surprise. Though, that only told her that Shirou was likely someone that was compatible with her.

Annabeth on the other hand, was surprised at seeing her mother's skill with her spear. She was also impressed by Shirou's ability to adapt and continue to fight Athena despite her strength. Lacy was also similar. Even though she wasn't much of a fighter yet, only just beginning to learn how to fight from her older sister, Piper, Lacy actually enjoyed watching Shirou's skill with a blade.

Younger Thalia had the same thoughts, being amazed, and a little jealous, that her other self had such a skilled teacher and father. She was able to see why her other self seemed so different from her. It was all because of Shirou. If he was able to cause that big of a change in regards to her, then that meant a similarly large change would occur to the goddesses as well. She was a bit worried to find out what those changes were going to mean.

"Shirou, I know this may be asking a lot, but could you show me how you really fight?" She asked him, making sure to keep a fair distance away from him. She noticed his eyes revert back to their earlier softness, before he tilted his head at her question. The sight caused her to let out a small laugh.

"Despite how well you move, I can tell that you aren't using your preferred method of combat. I can't really say I've seen what you're fully capable of if you don't fight with all of your soul. I wish to see how you managed to survive those wounds." She said to him, though she could see some understanding in his eyes.

'Good, then he understands that I know he's different. I still wish to know how he managed to survive said monsters, but that can wait.' She thought to herself, watching him let out a sigh, before he walked back towards the rack of weapons.

After placing his previous weapon back, he took a moment before grabbing two more. Athena raised a brow when he picked up two wooden katanas. 'A dual wielder? Interesting.' She watched him weigh each one, before taking a few swings. He shrugged, before walking back to his previous spot.


"The weight of one of them is a bit off, but I'll get used to it." He said to her, before taking a strange stance. This was Shirou's personal fighting style. It wasn't Archer's or Muramasa's, nor their Alter's, it was his own. Attained through countless hours of training and combat, thanks to the knowledge of many teachers.

His stance blended aspects of Musashi, Archer, and even Serenity, though it contained hints of every swordsman he met. It was the culmination of his Unlimited Blade Works, something which wouldn't have been possible without Muramasa. Instead of gathering each sword into one, to create the ultimate blade.

He would instead blend all of the training, knowledge, experiences, and memories from those weapons, and focus it into his own personal style. It took countless hours of trial and error, but he finally managed it with magecraft, before beating the muscle memory into his body to achieve it naturally.

"Holy crap, that sounds like it was a pain to achieve." Percy couldn't help but call out. Though, his words were mirrored by many others, especailly those who knew how hard such a thing would be.

"It definitely would not be easy. It was likely painful and tiring, especially since he then had to spend more time on perfecting it." Athena added, being rather impressed by Shirou's ingenuity in creating such a style.

As for Hephaestus, he caught on to Shirou's words of gathering each sword into one to create an ultimate blade. He also caught on to the numerous mentions of Muramasa. It was enough to tell him that Shirou was in fact someone who was capable of forging weapons on his own, especially if he had Muramasa's knowledge. A part of him wished to see this ultimate blade, however, he knew that it lately came at a great cost to forge.

Though, the inner blacksmith in him still wished to witness that weapon.

This was what he would show to Athena. She instantly took to her usual stance, before thrusting her spear forward. Shirou deflected the attack, and with a simple step, sent his own attack forward without any delay. She quickly dodged the attack and reset, before seeing Shirou charge forward with another attack.

They were fast strikes, but not powerful in the slightest, at least, that's what she thought. She noticed that each attack was gaining in power, slowly and subtly. 'Is he trying to tire me out?' She thought, before deciding to chance tactics. She switched to a more offensive style, but Shirou's strikes changed again.

For every attack she gave him, he had a counterattack ready and waiting. Then there were attacks that were hidden, either by his own blade or by his body, waiting until the last second to reveal it. It was like a mirage. She had gotten used to it, so when she expected a counter to come, and it didn't, it caught her off guard.

Instead, he opted for an attack that came from the weapon he parried with, rather than the open sword that normally attacked her. 'I see, so he sets a rhythm, before completely disrupting it.' That thought actually caused a smile to appear on her face.

She decided to take it up a notch, enhancing her speed greatly. Two strikes managed to break through, glancing his arm and leg, before he took a quick hop backwards. She thought he was going to stop, but instead, his eyes narrowed, before he charged forward again.

This time, the attacks had much more force behind them. They were strong enough to throw her a bit off balance, though she knew if it was a normal human, it may have knocked the weapon from her hand and knocked her to the ground. The speed and ferocity was a surprise, but nothing she couldn't handle.

So, she set herself up in a way that could handle those strikes, while maintaining enough power to keep her speed up. Shirou must have noticed, because he switched again, though, it was a bit more disappointing. Sure, she was fighting with more speed and strength, but he was doing so well until now.

He was able to just barely keep up, even knocking her off balance with his strikes. Of course, Athena didn't know that she was actually moving much faster and using more strength than she thought she was. Shirou could feel the weight of her blows and he was just barely keeping up with his natural body.

"And there it is. You're beginning to get carried away, sister." Artemis pointed out, with Athena actually being a bit surprised. She didn't think she was actually that bad, but it was clear that she was. The proof was right in front of her.

'I guess I do have a tendency to get carried away.' She thought to herself with a small hum. Still, she wondered what was going on with Shirou and his fighting style. It did appear as if his skills became worse.

He almost activated his circuits, but he wanted to push himself. She wasn't at the level of a servant yet, but she was much faster and stronger than he was currently. His eyes could keep up, but his body was still banged up and he needed to preserve his strength for the spar. Which meant, no arduous techniques, like shukuchi.

"It's a very complicated and difficult technique and is hard to explain." Future Thalia said, answering the question before anyone ever asked it. She knew someone would be interested in knowing what Shukuchi was, but even she had a hard time explaining what it was and how it worked. In fact, she found doing it was actually easier than explaining it. Then again, she supposed she could explain it later. "I'll try to explain later if we have time." She added, making some of the demigods and hunters happy.

'If I do too much, Hestia will get upset, and I'd prefer for that to not happen.' He thought, before switching to a technique that would allow him to fight her at his current strength. His body couldn't keep up, but that didn't matter if he knew where she was going to strike at.

Athena couldn't help but raise a brow at his words.

It was an insane strategy meant for opponents that far outclassed him. Against most people, he would never use it, but Athena wished to see his skills, so he would show her. He emptied his mind, focusing only on what mattered. Now, she would see everything.

Everything so far had been so clean and perfect, with plenty of thought put in, but now it looked like he wasn't trying. Or, if he was, that he sacrificed defense for offense. 'A shame, I felt like we were close to achieving it.' She thought, before Shirou once again attacked.

'I'll end it here.' She thought to herself. However, to her shock, her attack was immediately blocked. The moment it was, an attack nearly took her head off. She dodged, seeing another opening, before quickly attacking it. However, this too, was parried.

'What's happening?' The two traded multiple blows, however, none of Athena's hit their mark. In fact, Shirou had actually paid back the blows he received. 'This is impossible.' She thought to herself. 'No, not impossible. But, no one would ever think to try it.' Every strike she made was blocked or parried at the last moment.

She could feel it, once again. It was beginning to take hold. The two were beginning to mesh. A smirk appeared on her face, 'How truly and utterly insane.' She did wish to see how Shirou would react in the face of defeat, when he knew the opponent exceeded his capabilities.

She had reached the core of Shirou Emiya, she could feel it. Even getting to see the answer to her question. Shirou would never give up. This style proved it. It was made for enemies that exceeded him. In the face of defeat, he would continue to strive onward.

As long as there was a chance, however slight, he would reach for it. He would never give in and never surrender. She could tell that he was already pushing himself beyond his natural limits. Yet, his eyes remained steadfast and sharp. They were looking forward, beyond this moment, into the many possibilities.

'In his mind, he has already experienced the many attacks I would levy against him.' In fact, his body was already moving, reacting to the attack she had just begun to throw. It was a minute detail, one not noticeable to any other, but she saw it. At the last second, he would parry her strike.

'It's so brilliant, despite the insanity of it.' She looked at him, watching as his body moved slightly to the side, allowing her spear to glance his left side. 'I never thought I'd see another human hero again.' The man in front of her was steel, shining and radiant.

"What is he doing mother?" Annabeth asked, with Athena smiling at the screen and words she was hearing. Ares was even begrudgingly impressed. Aphrodite seemed to be very aroused by whatever was happening. With the other gods in varying states of shock and awe.

"Something nearly impossible to do. While he is fighting me, he is intentionally leaving an opening for me to strike, knowing that I'll aim for it. Since he knows where I'll aim, he already has the knowledge of my attack, making him able to block or dodge said attack at the last second. Those that are trained will automatically aim for the opening. Of course, this is easier said than done. He has to make it look natural, as well as have the bravery to do it in the first place, as even the slightest mistake would mean death."

"It is a dangerous technique, but if one is facing an opponent that is far better than them, it could save your life and even give you a chance at victory." Athena finished, before looking at Annabeth. "It isn't something I would ever suggest any of you ever try. Only someone like Shirou would actually be able to pull it off with any real success." She then let out a low chuckle. "To switch from his own custom style to using a technique like that is quite something." He really was shining quite radiant and bright, even to her.

Then, she experienced something akin to an explosion inside of herself, just in time to see Shirou's arm slam down to his side. He wrapped his arm around her spear and spun his body around before jumping backward with all of his strength. The move caught Athena off guard, the spear was ripped from her hands.

Shirou's body then shot backwards, before knocking into her and causing both of them to fall towards the ground. As she landed on the ground, her eyes were wide and she was rendered speechless. She turned her head to see Shirou laying on the ground next to her, breathing heavily.

It was the first sign of exhaustion she had seen from him since they started. 'A draw? That's what he decided on?' She thought to herself. He could have swung his off hand sword and caught her when he spun around, but he didn't. She actually chuckled at the thought.

'Rather than go for a victory, he went for a draw. I wonder if it was because he didn't want to hurt my feelings.' She shook her head. It didn't matter, because she knew that he could have won. Sure, she wasn't putting her all into it, keeping her capabilities within the realms of humans.

Of course, Athena's realm of humans included many heroes who accomplished great deeds, so she had no idea that she had actually went far beyond what any normal human would be capable of handling. What she didn't know, was that Shirou didn't go all out either.

That revelation didn't occur until much later. However, at the moment, it didn't matter. "That was very impressive, Shirou Emiya. I don't think I've actually enjoyed a spar like that in a very long time." She said to him, getting him to let out a small laugh.

"I'm glad I could be of service." He replied, before laying his head against the floor. 'Not many are capable of gaining my favor like you, Shirou Emiya. You have no idea how impressive that is. But you will.' She thought, before standing up. She stood over Shirou, before offering her hand to him.

"Come on, we can have dinner after you've cleaned up." She said to him, causing Shirou's eyes to widen, before he let out a sigh. A faint smile appeared on his face, before he took her hand and stood up. "Thank you, Shirou." She said to him, before she turned began to walk away.

"It seems like I was able to bond with him through combat. How fitting." Athena said with an amused smile.

"I really can't wait to see what Hestia will think of this." Aphrodite couldn't help but add, amused at the whole thing. She had to admit though, seeing Shirou in combat like that was quite exhilarating.

"I'm sure that the other me won't react in any way that will be amusing." Hestia answered with a small huff.

Future Thalia couldn't help but smile, knowing that was definitely not true. Though, she wouldn't spoil any of that now.

Annabeth was more shocked that Shirou had beaten her mother. It was a draw, but like her mother said, Shirou could have chosen to win that fight. It was something she hadn't expected, even if neither was going all out. Percy was impressed, but also kind of fired up, knowing that Shirou was able to pull that off despite being a human. It meant that he could likely grow stronger as well. He then looked at Thalia Emiya, realizing that it was indeed possible to reach a higher level.


Shirou tilted his head at her thanks. He didn't know what he did that was worth being thanked for. But, rather than dwell on it, he decided to clean up and get dressed. This was his final night here, so he figured he'd do something special for the goddess.

He was pretty sure that she planned on cooking something, but he felt like he should be the one to do that, as a thank you for time she spent with him. Despite being one of his least favorite goddesses, he enjoyed the time he spent with her. The spar was pretty fun too, it showed him some things he needed to work on.

Particularly, his endurance. It would be tough, but he was sure he could do more to improve himself. He had expected her to ask him about his scars and if he knew about the supernatural, but she never did. In fact, she seemed to be a bit nicer and more expressive after he changed.

She was perfectly fine with him cooking, even asking him questions about it as he did so. Strangely, it was a pleasant and enjoyable time. It was a departure from what he expected of her, as she now had a strange warmth to her that wasn't there before. He wouldn't complain, as he actually liked her a bit more like that.

He was able to make her a traditional Japanese dinner. He even shared some of the sake he had from Shuten, though he had to dilate it. He still remembered what happened last time he drank out of it without doing so. It was sweet and amazing, but it nearly knocked him out as soon as it began to effect him.

Future Thalia looked over towards Dionysus, expecting him to make some comment about it, but found him with a bottle of sake. She raised a brow, before realizing that he must have been given some of what Shirou had if he was looking as happy as he did.

It was a pleasant dinner, one that felt like more of a date than just a friendly dinner that he assumed it would be. All the others were like that, so it caught him a bit off guard. Though, he did get to talk about his bakery, which was always fun. Of course, he didn't explain everything about it.

Such as the reason why he had one, which was Hestia. After what happened, he decided to make time dedicated to being around more. So, he pawned off some items he had, which may or may not have been traced, and proceeded to buy a building where he decided to base his bakery out of.

There was also a house, which is where his official address was. Of course, it was just a front, in case anyone tried looking for him, or in case anyone needed a place to stay. Hestia made it so that he could get to the cabin from there, in case she was ever too busy to just transport him there.

After dinner, he decided that he would head home. He didn't want to leave Hestia in charge of his bakery for too long. Besides, he was actually missing home. "So, will you be returning home after this?" Athena asked him, after walking with him to the door.

"That's the plan. I've been gone for awhile, plus my trip was a bit longer than expected, so I don't plan on making any detours." He replied to her. She brought a hand up to her chin, thinking for a moment, before she nodded to herself.

"I see, well, I enjoyed our time together Shirou. I'm sure that this won't be the last time we see each other." She said to him, causing him to rub the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, I did too. If you're ever in the area, feel free to stop by the bakery. It'd be nice to talk with you again." Athena smiled at him, which actually caused his face to redden. He had to admit, she looked a lot more beautiful with a smile on her face. He ran a hand through his hair, before offering a small smile back. "Well, I should be on my way."

Athena actually couldn't help but grow a bit embarrassed at Shirou's thoughts for some reason. She managed to hide it from everyone, but she would admit that it did have some effect on her currently. She blamed the connection to the book.

"Stay safe, Shirou, and try not to overdo it. I can tell you're exhausted. Until next time." She said to him, waving as he turned and continued on his way. He wasn't expecting her to be so nice at the end. He idly wondered if there was a reason for it, but decided not to dwell on it. He figured it had nothing to do with him.


After Shirou left, Athena decided to clean up around the house. She needed to return to Olympus for awhile, and she didn't want to return to a messy home. As she moved around the house, she made it to the changing room that Shirou used.

When she entered, another smile appeared on her face. She walked over to a nearby table, picking up the model ship that sat there. 'Did Shirou leave this here on purpose?' She thought to herself. As she looked at it, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia come over her.

'Perhaps, I'll place this in my temple when I return to Olympus. It is rather well made.' She took picked up the small model and returned to the main room. Unknown to her, but the model was actually built to resemble the Argo from Shirou's world, which caused the nostalgia. Of course, that didn't matter to her.

"Ah, the Argo. His world's ship looks a lot different from the one in our world. Though, I can understand how it would cause nostalgia." Demeter said, remembering the ship of heroes from long ago.

Athena couldn't help but be a bit amused that her other self kept the ship, as well as the fact that Shirou had left it for her. Though, she knew that she'd likely keep the model as well. She wasn't heartless after all.


"You did what?" Hestia's voice had a sense of resignation to it. After Shirou returned home, she was quite happy. She was always happy to hear about Shirou's adventures. She found it cute that he accidentally charmed a daughter of Aphrodite without knowing. He was able to save another demigod, of course, she knew about that already.

"Oh, and here comes Hestia! I hope your not too hard on the poor boy, sister." Hera joked, with Hestia letting out a small groan in reply.

She received a call from said demigod. Hestia was more than glad to offer her advice to the young girl. She understood why Shirou did what he did. She may have done the same if she was in his position. The young girl was quite forward, but that was to be expected of Aphrodite's children.

What wasn't expected, was for Shirou to run into a goddess. Let alone, Athena. It wouldn't have been a problem, usually. Shirou did say that she didn't ask him about anything supernatural or about anything that may have revealed him. Of course, she knew that had more to do with how well Shirou was able to hide himself these days.

Even without his jacket, she'd need to be touching him to completely feel the divinity in him. It brought a smile to her face, knowing her flame was doing its job. Though, any kind of relief she felt, was completely flipped around when Shirou told her what happened.

Hestia knew that was understandable, since she would be able to figure what had happened. Still, she was glad that her other self was happy that Shirou had saved Caroline.

"Uh, well, we spent some time together. It was pretty nice, to be able to talk to someone like that. It reminded me of some of my friends in Chaldea. Mainly, the smart ones. It was fun. Though, she caught me off guard when she asked for a spar. But, it all ended well enough. We said our goodbyes and I came home."

He finished with a shrug, before taking off his jacket and boots. His body was still tired and it was late, so he wanted to get some rest. At least, that's what he wanted to do, but the look on Hestia's face was bugging him. It was a look of panic, anger, and frustration. Oddly, it wasn't pointed towards him.

Hera and Demeter quietly laughed to themselves, knowing that their sister was freaking out. They really wished that their mother was there to see it.

Hades did offer Hestia a comforting smile, knowing that this was definitely hard for her.

"Uh, you alright Hestia? I didn't know I wasn't supposed to talk to any goddesses. I figured, as long as no one knows about me, it'd be fine." He said, walking up to her. However, she only shook her head.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I did want you to give the gods a chance, since I know you have a poor outlook on them. No, this doesn't have to do with you. It has to do with her." Unknown to Shirou, but Hestia knew how Athena operated. Everything Shirou said was enough to tell her what Athena wanted.

She was worried about Aphrodite, when really, she should have been watching Athena instead. Shirou was taught by heroes. He experienced things most people could only dream of. He had knowledge on things that most had no clue about. All in all, Shirou was someone Athena would target.

"Uh, sorry, Athena. I'm sure the other me doesn't mean any of that in a bad way." Hestia apologized, even if it wasn't actually her. Many thought that it was quite in character for the goddess.

Athena shook her head with a small smile. "It's fine, Aunt Hestia. I understand." She answered, and it wasn't a lie. She would probably react if she was in love with someone and had someone like Aphrodite come along and try to have a child with him. Okay, maybe that was a bit of leap, considering she didn't particularly like Aphrodite, but the sentiment was the same.

She was surprised to hear about the spar, but realized, that was probably the only way she could actually bond with Shirou. She let out a groan. "Shirou, I'm afraid that you're life is going to change soon." She said, before walking by him and turning off the lights to the cabin.

Shirou only watched with a quirked brow. "Um, I'm not sure what you mean by that. She knows about the bakery, but I kept everything else a secret. I'm not sure what could possibly happen." He replied.

"I refuse." Shirou heard her say. It actually confused him a bit. "Shirou, come here." She said to him, pointing next to her. Shirou shrugged, figuring he'd go along with what she wanted. She seemed like she wasn't in a good mood, so he'd do what he could to help.

"No, you aren't about to do what I think you are, are you Aunt Hestia?" Artemis asked, with Hestia's eyes widening a bit. Poseidon and Apollo both seemed shocked themselves, before convincing themselves that nothing would happen. Hades was actually quite calm. He actually didn't mind the human. He thought that if anyone was going to be with Hestia, it should be someone who cared about her like he did.

Once he reached her, she sat on the bed, before she pulled his arm and caused him to fall beside her. His eyes widened, before he prepared to stand up, but Hestia stopped him. "Shirou, could I...sleep with you tonight?" She asked him with a small, almost terrified voice.

Everyone's eyes widened considerably. They all knew Hestia wasn't talking about sleeping with him sexually, but anyone that knew Hestia, knew how big of a deal something like this still was. Even Hera and Demeter, for all their teasing, were incredibly shocked by this turn of events.

The moment he heard her voice, he turned and saw her trembling. He didn't know why this was, but his only thought was that it may have been because of him. "Are you sure? I mean, you seem kind of...terrified." He said to her, though she only shook her head.

"It's...not because of you." She replied. She closed her eyes, shutting them with a lot of force. "Can you...can you just hold me?" Was her simple question. He wondered what could cause her to be this way. However, he didn't like her being like this. So, he decided to help her, in the only way that he could.

He wrapped his arms around the goddess, causing her face to be next to his chest. He didn't know if this was the best course of action, but if it made her feel better, then he would do it. He cared for her. She was his family and this was their home. True to her words, he found himself looking forward to returning home when he left.

Thanks to Rhea, he didn't exactly know what he felt for the goddess. Love? He didn't know. It was times like this, that he wished he could speak with his mom.

Future Thalia could only smile at the interaction as everyone else was shocked. She knew how the two were, and she had heard the story many times. Yet, seeing it happen like this was another thing entirely. 'This is where Aunt Hestia decides to be with Shirou. Where she decides that she loves him.' She remembered how Hestia said that Shirou made her feel safe. Like she had found a missing piece of herself.


Hestia's trembling stopped, her breathing evened out, and she could feel the warmth from Shirou. She had struggled with her own thoughts and feelings for awhile now. Her mother didn't help matters, with her constant teasing. But, she thought that it was fine. Everything was fine, just the way it was.

At least, she had thought so. She realized something when Shirou spoke to her about Athena. She didn't like it. She found Shirou first. He spent most of his time with her. They were happy and their home was filled with happiness, most of the time. Unless Shirou did something stupid, which hadn't happened in a long time.

Future Thalia once again held in a small laugh. She was used to hearing that about Shirou, and it made her laugh when she heard it. It reminded her of home.

Hera and Demeter both let out a nervous laugh, since they both knew that Hestia could be rather jealous. Rather, it was some memories from when they were younger. They hadn't seen it in forever, but they did remember a few times, so they knew she could get jealous.

However, when she found out about Athena, knowing what her plans were, it caused her to act. She didn't know what she felt, but she wanted to find out. So, this was her plan. However, what she was terrified of, wasn't anything Shirou could imagine.

Hestia had no desire to be a mother. It was one of the main reasons she requested to become one of the virgin goddesses. She had seen the pain on her mother's face so long ago, caused by her children when Kronos swallowed them. The agony and pain in her mother's wails were enough for her to say no.

Then, there was Zeus's paranoia which was even worse than their father's. Even the smallest thing caused him to freak out. It was the second reason she didn't wish for one. Needless to say, the thought of a child terrified the goddess, so she never thought about having one.

All of these things caused the gods to frown. It was sad that Hestia was traumatized by such events. Hera being furious that Zeus's idiocy and egomania made it impossible for Hestia to ever consider such a thing, despite everyone knowing how great of a mother Hestia would be.

It was no secret that Hestia adored children. Yet, she never had one of her own. There may have been many reasons to be a virgin goddess, but having a child was still possible, as Athena had proven, yet she never did. It was enough for Hades and Poseidon to both want to beat their brother senseless, along with Demeter and Hera.

Hestia, however, was embarrassed about having her thoughts revealed like that. It was true, but that didn't mean she liked it. There were other reasons too, but still, those were the big ones.

Aphrodite was saddened when she heard the reasons. She did know about it, but being reminded of it still saddened her. She thought that Hestia deserved love more than anyone else on Olympus. Hestia was her best friend, after all. She deserved to have a bunch of little Hestia's running around to dote on and make her happy. Thankfully, it seemed like this other Hestia was on her way to that happening.

Then, she found out about Shirou and Athena. The thought then crossed her mind. Which led to now. She was completely terrified, but then, Shirou embraced her. All of that terror and negativity just washed away. She felt safe, warm, and as if the moment could last forever.

No one was able to make her feel this way. Her fears were washed away, as she realized, Shirou would go to the ends of the Earth for her and any child he had. In fact, she knew he would do so for her. It was a comforting thought. In fact, Hestia was happy.

At that, it actually caused the others to think about what was happening. In reality, that's all that anyone wanted for the eldest sister of the Olympians. And they were seeing a version of Hestia being happy and not having to deal with all of their problems, at least for a little while.

It also did seem like her view of Shirou was correct as well. So far, they couldn't imagine Shirou not doing what she said. He probably would go to the ends of Earth for her.

She found herself realizing, she didn't want to be away from him. She didn't know when it happened, but she found herself relying on him. She was fine only being noticed every once awhile before, but now, she wanted Shirou to always know she was there. She wanted him to see her.

Hestia couldn't help but smile. A part of her was a bit jealous, but she was glad her other self had found something like that. She couldn't imagine such a thing herself. At least, not with anyone in the current world.

A part of her was scared of that feeling. Humans who got involved with the gods always ended up being a part of a tragedy. It was the way things were. She didn't want that for him. He had been a part of so much tragedy already. He had even saved humanity once. Did he not deserve to rest?

Then, she realized that's what she was doing for him now. She had seen his memories, she had seen what he was like before. He was happy now, she could feel it with her powers. What would her disappearance do to him? Would he search for her?

It was too late. Before she realized it, the two had bonded together to the point where one couldn't be without the other. She would miss him and he would miss her. So, that answered her question, did it not? She didn't need to be like Athena. She would disappear from his life and Hestia would be there.

Athena slightly frowned at that. She was right, as she would likely disappear from his life. Still, it was a little hurtful to think about. She didn't know why, since she had done it before and it was one of the rules. She once again attributed it to the power of the book. It was bleeding over and causing them to resonate with their other selves. Still, if her other self felt like that, then what did that mean?

However, she found herself wanting something more. She was the goddess of the home and family. She then imagined a scene, one that caused her to feel an overwhelming sense of peace and warmth, rather than fear and trepidation. 'So, that's how I feel?' She thought to herself.

Aphrodite smiled, realizing that Hestia's other self had finally realized it. She looked and noticed that the demigods were all listening and watching rather intently, particularly her daughters. She knew they'd likely be drawn to a story like this. She was even surprised to see Piper was rather drawn into it. It was like a forbidden love story of two people realizing they love each other, before deciding to challenge fate to be together.

That was when she remembered the line of prophecy. Shirou was one who could cut through fate. Did that mean that this really was one of those stories? If so, then that really did mean Shirou would do anything for her, even if it meant defying fate. She couldn't help but grow jealous of Hestia. To have such a man fall in love with her like that was practically a miracle.

A big smile appeared on her face. 'I'm not an Olympian, nor is Shirou a human of this world.' She thought to herself. She laid her head on Shirou's chest, listening to his beating heart. As she laid there, she felt herself feeling more at peace. An overwhelming warmth throughout her body.

There was no need for any tests, no need to bond closer, no need for anything magical. In one moment, the sword and the flame resonated and became one. Their thoughts, dreams, and emotions were one in that moment. They had reached the same conclusion, but only one could voice it.

'I know it may be selfish and I know that it may cause problems later, but I can't help it.' She thought to herself, already knowing of what had occurred. She looked up at Shirou's face, who appeared to be sleeping. She managed to squirm her way up, before placing a hand on his cheek.

"I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't met Shirou." She whispered, "I couldn't imagine such a thing anymore." Her face became extremely red, as a certain thought crossed her mind, but she shook her head. She placed a small kiss on the hero's cheek. "I'll make you repay making me feel this way for the rest of your life, because..."

"I love you, Shirou Emiya.


Hestia was really blushing at this point. She never imagined saying something like that to a man. Nor did she imagine bonding with a man like Athena did. She knew what happened. It was exactly like what Athena did, only without the fighting. Her other self was going to have a child.

Thalia Emiya could only continue to look at the screen. For so long, she had the story of how Shirou and Hestia had fallen in love, but to actually see it was another thing entirely. She felt like she was watching a romance movie or something. It wasn't a bad thing, but she didn't think that Hestia was actually telling her the whole truth when she told those stories. She thought there was some embellishment, but no, it was all true.

Hera and Demeter were slightly freaking out, their sister's counterpart was going to have a child. She literally said she loved someone and actually kissed that person on the cheek. For all their jokes and teasing, they didn't actually think anything was going to happen. Where was their mother when they needed her!? She would love to be there reading and seeing this.

Aphrodite was so happy at the moment. She was practically glowing. She could feel the emotion from the last lines of the book, as if the connection to it had strengthened immensely. It was rather insane. She wanted to experience that. Even just a little piece of what Hestia's other self had, she wanted to experience something like that.

Artemis and Athena were both surprised and in shock. Their fellow virgin goddess was having a child and was in love with a human male. It really was surprising, even if they already knew it was going to happen eventually. Thankfully, Zeus wasn't there, otherwise he'd likely be throwing a little hissy fit.

The demigods and hunters were all unsure of how to react really. Especially Annabeth, Thalia, and Lacy. They felt the connection to the book, but hadn't said anything. What just happened caused them to feel like some kind of key opened a rusty lock inside of them. They were unsure of why that happened, but they were a bit scared of what it meant.

As everyone was acclimating to what just happened, Hades being the only one clear of mind to notice, another magical vortex opened up. It was similar to the one Future Thalia had dropped out of. One by one, everyone began to calm down and notice the vortex. Future Thalia in particular raised a brow. "Great, I wonder who'll come through next."


Done, man, this took awhile. You're talking 15,000 to 20,000 word chapters, being lengthened by another story length. Granted, it can be fun, but man is it some work. Anyways, I'll keep it short, since this is a reaction fic and there's not much plot going on, at least, at the moment. I hope you enjoyed Future Thalia's little display at the beginning. That wasn't even her showing off everything. It was more like me giving a little taste of what Thalia could be capable of in the future. Why she got that powerful, well, maybe she needed to. I won't say. Lol. Anyways, I hope I got this down good and managed to get some decent reactions. I also made sure to add in some clarifications as well as some background on other things about Shirou and his time in Chaldea. Thalia was my way to do that and I think I made accomplished that job well.

This second chapter was a bit hard to get how I liked, but I think that I managed to get something good out. Let me know if there are some characters you want to see react more, or if there's something I can fix. As for the vortex, I'm going to bring in another character. Maybe two. Let me know what future character you want to see from Lost Hero of Chaldea, I may add them. Right now, I'm thinking of introducing one or two of Shirou's eldest daughters. Though, I do kind of want to add in the mothers at some point, maybe Shirou too. I think it'd be funny.

Also, I thought I'd let you know, but I'm thinking of working on the next chapter of Lost Hero of Chaldea now, that way you won't have to wait for the next chapter so long. Plus, I kind of want to get to the canon storyline sooner rather than later. So, look forward to that. Anyways, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate all the reviews and feedback, as well as the enthusiasm for this story. Really caught me by surprise. If you have questions, questions, feel free to ask me, I usually answer what I can. Once again, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter and, as always, until next time.