CHAPTER 27:

DESPERATE STRUGGLES

Artemis was worried for her child. True, it was understandable, given that she was a mother, and to a boy who was currently in a very dangerous situation. But there was more to it than that.

She persuaded her son to join the Holy Grail War as a test, one that he could die in. This was no big deal per se, as not only was she confident in her son's abilities, but she had tested him with potentially lethal situations before. She wanted her child to be capable of handling anything life threw at him.

Artemis had adopted Harry on a whim. She had raised only a few children in her entire existence. Most she had left to others, redirected fate. Such as with Atalanta, whom she had a she-bear suckle. She had many who gave her devotion. In hindsight, she could have done more.

She glanced at Medea, taking her eyes from the scrying crystal the former Caster had summoned briefly, with Orion taking a nap elsewhere. It took Harry living with her to realise it consciously, but she may have toyed too much with the mortals. Even though she did less than the other Olympians, there were moments she looked back on, and found herself wanting. The Calydonian Boar, not just because of the destruction it caused the area, but also because it caused so much misery to those devoted to her. Meleager, killed by his own mother when he killed his relatives in defence of Atalanta. And Atalanta herself, closest to falling for Meleager, forced to watch him die, not long after suffering the scorn of his relatives for being a woman.

Medea was also toyed with by the Olympians, particularly Aphrodite. All because Jason was favoured by the Olympians. More than Medea, who, through her divine heritage, was probably closer to family. Then again, the Olympians bickered and fought amongst themselves on a regular basis anyway.

Anyway, she gave Harry this task, along with Atalanta, to do it himself. True, if need be, she would intervene, to save him, and, given what had happened with Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, the world. But she wanted him to be strong enough to do it with the minimum of help.

Artemis smiled softly to herself. A small aspect of her was old enough to remember the days of the White Titan Sephyr, and older than that, the Mother of All and the Beast of Regression, Tiamat. True, it was not really her memories, but rather, those passed down through her predecessors. Tiamat's trouble was that she never realised that one day, children do not need the mother, that growing and leaving them was part of life. But Artemis knew this.

It didn't make it any less hard to watch, though.

Medea clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Karna destroyed all of Harry's arrows, and Achilles disposed of one of Atalanta's," she griped. "A shame that the one Harry used on Karna didn't work, but it was a rush job. I may have strong abilities in Item Construction, but trying to copy the properties of Rule Breaker in a hurry…then again, maybe it was also because of Karna's invincibility. I'll have to apologise to Harry…assuming he succeeds and survives."

"He will survive," Artemis said solemnly.

But the lessened amount of conviction in her usually cheerful tones was noticed by Medea. The two didn't have that much in common in the end, save for motherhood, lecherous partners, and a tendency to be disproportionate with their vengeance. But they had developed a friendship since Medea won her Grail War, and learned of Artemis' continued existence. The former princess of Colchis looked back to the viewing crystal. "…Artemis, I am sure Harry will do his best. But he is facing multiple Servants, including a leftover Ruler from the Third Holy Grail War. Assuming Shirou can be stopped, I am going to head to Germany and give the von Einzberns a piece of my mind."

"Don't worry, I intend to come with you," Artemis said. "But…in truth, they couldn't have foreseen this. Shirou is not a truly evil person. His self-righteousness and need to redeem not only himself but all humanity has blinded him to his evil acts, or rather, he views it as an acceptable sacrifice. In fact, that is why he is so dangerous, because of his complete and utter conviction. Conviction can move mountains and destroy worlds. It was Jason's conviction that led him to seek the Golden Fleece at all costs, and we know how that ended up, especially what happened to you."

Medea scoffed. "It's only a poor consolation that blonde bastard got crushed by the rotting prow of the Argo. That was too good an end for him. Why is it that the half-decent heroes of our time got more miserable ends than pricks like Jason or Achilles? Meleager got murdered by his own mother, effectively burned alive when she burned that log linked to his life. The Olympians enjoyed toying with us."

"I know. I would get angry, but I've reflected over my own actions over the years. I admit, I find it hard to value human lives as a whole, given my nature as a goddess of the wild and the hunt. But even so…let's put it this way. If he does actually need my help…I will. Every good story needs a deus ex machina every once in a while, right?"

Harry dashed along the walkways, away from where Sieg and Karna were about to begin their duel, Jackie following while Astralized. Harry didn't want to leave the Homunculus to fight a Servant by himself, but he was on a mission. All he could do was hope that Sieg could handle it, and that Jackie would be enough to help him. Against Semiramis, maybe, given that she was female, and Maria the Ripper worked best on female targets during a misty night. But against Shakespeare? Well, he didn't know what tricks the playwright had up his voluminous Elizabethan sleeves.

And there was, of course, Shirou. He didn't know what abilities the rogue Ruler had. The cliché said that what you didn't know wouldn't hurt you. Harry knew from hard experience that the opposite was frequently true. Even what Jeanne had told him about Shirou's past didn't really help, only that he may have some magecraft abilities.

Like it or not, he needed backup. True, he had Jackie, but he needed more, and with Jeanne and Eve nowhere to be seen, let alone Atalanta or Chiron, he needed to do something. Mordred and Kairi were due to make their entrance soon, true, but he didn't know when, and Astolfo was still decimating the defences of the Hanging Gardens. He could even hear the loud thrum of the energy attacks, as well as the distant explosions as Astolfo destroyed the defences.

His mind made up, he activated his earpiece. "Atalanta, can you hear me?"

"I'm here, Harry. I'm a bit busy at the moment," Atalanta said. "If you need me by your side, call me with a Command Seal."

"I could do with the help, I only have Jackie with me. Are you okay with that?"

"I'll be leaving Chiron alone with Achilles…"

"Harry, this is Chiron. Use a Command Seal. I can handle Achilles on my own, and you need the help," the centaur said.

Harry nodded, before he activated the Command Seals. "…By my Command Seal, Atalanta, come to me." She suddenly appeared next to him, looking a little worse for wear. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, though she looked pensive. "I hope Chiron will be all right taking on Achilles on his own. Even as Chiron's student, I am sure Achilles has some tricks up his sleeve."

Harry frowned. In Ancient Greek, hoping that Semiramis couldn't speak it, he asked, "How many left?" He meant Medea's arrows.

Atalanta held up a single finger. "Achilles got rid of the other one," she replied.

Harry nodded, only to come skidding to a halt when he saw who had appeared in front of them. Semiramis was standing in front of them, shooting them rather annoyed glares. "Persistent, aren't you?" Semiramis asked. "Forcing me to come out here and deal with you myself because Lancer and Rider are easily distracted, and Caster's a coward. Still, if you want something done right, you'd best do it yourself, and…"

Suddenly, there was a crash of rubble and debris, and Astolfo fell to the walkway from above, his clothes tattered. The debris that followed kicked up a lot of dust, and Harry, realising he had an opportunity, hissed quietly, "Jackie, Mist, now."

"What was that?" Semiramis demanded, coughing as the dust from Astolfo's landing reached her…only to be augmented with a mist. A mist, no, more of a smog, that enveloped Semiramis.

"Atalanta, help me," Harry said, dragging Astolfo away from the immediate area, with his Archer Servant helping. And then, they heard Jackie's voice come from the mist.

"We come From Hell," she hissed. "We are flames and rain and power…let this be a slaughterhouse. MARIA THE RIPPER!"

A scream of pain came from within the mist, which dispersed, to reveal Semiramis, clutching at a wound to her side, oozing blood, Jackie staring at her. "But why? That should have killed you!" the diminutive Assassin complained. Harry noted she hadn't used Medea's daggers. It was probably wise, as Semiramis had possibly spotted Harry's use of the arrow against Karna.

"This is my territory, you little brat, and enemy curses don't work as well as you think they should," Semiramis sneered, before she sent Jackie sprawling with a chain that shot out of a magical sigil she summoned. Jackie was caught by Atalanta. Semiramis grimaced, her wound presumably throbbing in agony. "…Little monster still managed to catch me with a grievous blow, but it's not going to kill me yet, if at all. I have more than enough time and strength to…"

"OI, BITCH!" roared the voice of Mordred, echoing in the distance, with the sound of a jet, the one she was piloting, suddenly becoming audible. Harry knew that the ornery Saber was flipping Semiramis off from the cockpit of her jet. "LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE THIS!"

"RUN!" Harry yelled at Atalanta, hurriedly picking up Astolfo as best as he could, and running like hell.

"SABER!" Semiramis roared, summoning a shield. But it was too late. Harry and Atalanta, along with their respective baggage, were forced to dive for cover in an alcove as the jet smashed into the shield. The corridor shook and trembled, and a gout of flame singed Atalanta's tail, causing her to hiss, beating out the cinders.

As they inched out from the alcove, peering out at the burning wreckage, Jackie asked, "Do you think the mean hag is dead?"

"…No, I don't think so," Atalanta said. "Your attack probably did more damage. She may have retreated, but as an Assassin, her Presence Concealment would hide her from us." They saw Mordred and Kairi clambering from the wreckage of the plane. "That was reckless, Mordred. You nearly killed us, to say nothing of your own Master."

"Hey, I knew how to crashland this thing so that my Master could walk away from it, plus I had faith in your abilities," Mordred said, shrugging. "And that bitch ain't dead yet."

"No. If she was, this place would already be collapsing around us," Atalanta mused. "It's her Noble Phantasm, after all. But between Jackie's Noble Phantasm and your attack, she's weakened, if not dying."

"A cornered animal is often the most dangerous," Harry muttered, thinking back to his training and the missions he had undertaken in the past. "And she's got elements of a Caster as well as an Assassin. Mordred, you'll probably have to be our vanguard. As a Saber, you have Magic Resistance, right?"

"Yeah," Mordred said, nodding. "Whaddya reckon, Master?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, let's go for that."

Suddenly, there was a crackle in Atalanta's earpiece. "…Atalanta…" came the pain-filled voice of Chiron.

"Chiron!" Atalanta exclaimed. "…Are you all right?"

"…Do I sound all right?" Chiron asked, though his tone held no rebuke, just wry humour. "…Achilles has bested me. His spear allowed him…to create a Duel Field. Time had no meaning there, nor did our divinity or Noble Phantasms. He beat me…and I don't have much time left. I managed to hit his heel with Antares Snipe…so he's vulnerable now. However, I asked him a favour…to deliver his shield, the Akhilleus Kosmos…to Astolfo…because he may need it…to help Sieg. Eve and Jeanne have boarded the Hanging Gardens…but I'm afraid I can't help you. Sorry."

"You do not need to apologise, Chiron. If anything, I myself am sorry that I do not get to fight by your side for longer," Atalanta said, her eyes glistening with tears.

Painful laughter echoed up the line. "…Thank you. You know what's at stake, Atalanta. And when you do…I hope you find happiness…with him…" And then, a dying sigh reached her ears, followed by strange noises that, she realised, was due to the earpiece, now freed from Chiron's dissolving body, falling off his aeroplane.

Atalanta closed her eyes. "Thank you, Chiron. Rest well, and watch over us from the sky."

Astolfo stirred, the crossdressing Rider waking up. "Ugh…did someone get the license number of the Noble Phantasm that ran over me?" he asked, getting gingerly to his feet. He looked at Atalanta, noticing the sorrowful looks on the faces around him. "…Who's gone?"

"…Chiron."

"…Damn. I'm sorry."

"I know. But Achilles has been left vulnerable. Astolfo, Chiron has asked Achilles to deliver a shield Noble Phantasm to you, to bring it to Sieg to help him against Karna. Go and find him."

"Got it," Astolfo nodded, all-business. He then dashed away.

"Do we wait here for Jeanne and Eve?" Kairi asked.

"We'll wait a little while," Harry said. "But we can't afford to wait too long. Shirou may have expedited using the Greater Grail, and given that Chiron is dead, and more Servants may soon follow, to say nothing of wanting to avoid being here if Semiramis dies of the wounds Jackie gave her…"

Suddenly, they saw a pair of figures running up from behind them. Jeanne and Eve. The Ruler looked amongst them, before she asked, "Sieg? Chiron? Astolfo?"

"Chiron's dead. Sieg's fighting Karna, and Astolfo's gone to help him," Atalanta said. "Semiramis has been grievously wounded by Jackie, but we don't know whether it will kill her."

Jeanne considered this with a grimace. Eventually, she said, "Jackie, you scout ahead, using Presence Concealment. Mordred, Eve, be our vanguard. Atalanta and I will protect the Masters. We must make haste…"

CHAPTER 27 ANNOTATIONS:

Well, that just happened. The final battle continues…

No numbered annotations this time.