15 Arriving in a new place.

POV: Doll

"So, this is another continent we're heading to? How many are there?" I asked curiously to the Good Hunter.

Several years have passed since we left Uruk and bid farewell to everyone.

During these years, the Good Hunter and I wandered aimlessly, enjoying each other's company, sometimes spending months, other times years, in silence. Not that it bothered me or the Good Hunter; time was something of little concern.

For me, the passage of time with the Good Hunter was only noticed when the seasons changed, and even then, not often.

The only assurance I had of knowing how much time had passed was if the Good Hunter mentioned it himself.

"How many actually exist, or how many do the humans of this era think exist?" The Good Hunter asked me back, his voice as restrained and polite as ever, as if he himself were untouched by time.

He was, I knew that.

"Both, please," I replied, looking out at the surrounding sea.

I had never asked about the geography of the world in general, only the local one, but this would be the third continent we would visit, and I couldn't help but be curious.

Madaras, the name we gave to the snake of Madaras Whistle himself, swam slowly through the sea, with us on top of his head.

I felt a bit sorry for the humans on the few boats that spotted the snake; they must have been scared.

Over time, I learned that humans seemed to become weaker, with a few exceptions, and more ignorant of the world's terrors.

"In total, there are six continents," the Good Hunter began to explain, the sea breeze trying and failing to even ruffle his hair, "But the humans of this era only know about three." He raised a closed hand and showed one finger, then another. "Asia and Africa, which we have already been to."

I nodded in agreement as the Good Hunter continued, raising a third finger.

"Finally, this one, which we will reach in a few days, Europe." He lowered his fingers along with his arm. "Not that they call them by these names, at least not in this era."

"I see..." It wasn't hard to guess the "secret" in the Good Hunter's words, if I can really call him that.

The continent names are not called that now, but they will be in the future.

"How many days until we reach the coast?" I asked.

"Two days," the Good Hunter replied. Something must have transpired in my voice, as he asked immediately afterward. "Why? Do you want us to arrive faster?"

At the end of the Good Hunter's words, the sea around us seemed to tremble, as if waiting for the order for the waves to assist us on our journey.

The same happened with Madaras, who tensed, ready to start tearing through the waters at high speed.

"It's the opposite, actually." I felt a bit embarrassed to answer. "I like the sea breeze and the ocean." The walks we took on the beach always cheered me up, as did the sea.

Even if this ocean seemed... different, well, at least for a moment, until the Good Hunter touched the waters and the welcoming sensation returned.

Without the Good Hunter answering me, the sea calmed down, and our speed decreased.

Madaras, who had seemed tense before, relaxed, barely seeming to move, just letting the waves carry him slowly.

"Sly snake..." the Good Hunter muttered without emotion. "We'll arrive in a week, okay?" Five more days?...

"Okay." I smiled.

The Good Hunter nodded, with no changes on his face, or the part of it visible, not covered by the mask.

Even so, after so many years, I knew he was happy, at peace.

With the conversation finished, the Good Hunter turned, looking ahead, actions that I copied, standing beside him in silence.

Minutes later, I was the first to speak when a doubt arose in my head.

"Are we going somewhere specific?" Since Madaras had entered the sea, I realized we were following a specific route, just didn't know where.

"This time, yes..." The Good Hunter replied. "...We're heading to Greece."

A week later, we reached the coast.

 ~Fate/The Hunter and His Doll~

POV: ???

Being summoned by the gods usually meant that something important had happened or was about to happen. I didn't like either option, as it often meant that the event was something bad.

Upon receiving the summons, I didn't hesitate to run to the divine abode on Mount Olympus at the fastest speed my four legs could carry me.

I arrived there in less than five minutes.

Upon reaching there, I waited for a few seconds before being granted permission to enter the grand throne room and kneel.

"King of the Gods," I offered my greetings to the king before doing the same to the one sitting beside him. "Queen." Finally, to all the others. "Gods."

I had a certain "freedom," not needing to greet everyone. Small perks for my work as a hero trainer.

"Chiron." The voice of the King of the Gods was heavy, emotionless, making me tense.

The Sky King, in the few times I had spoken to the king, always had a certain emotion in his voice, or amusement, sometimes discontent, but always carrying a regal pride... Not this time.

The Lord of Lightning showed no emotion in his voice; I didn't lift my face, but I was sure the same happened with his face.

It was as if all emotions, feelings, had vanished from the king, leaving only something completely rational.

"I want you to go to the southern region, bordering the Aegean Sea, and wait there. In about five days, a guest will disembark on the coast." The emotionless (mechanical) voice of the Lord of Lightning echoed throughout the area, making the uneasy feeling in my chest increase.

"Should I prepare for war, Lord Zeus?" I didn't like to ask questions to the gods, but in this case, I didn't hesitate.

"No." The answer was a single word that momentarily relieved me before the King of the Gods continued.

"The one you await is a guest from the 'Celestial Body' itself, which warned me not to be hostile. Treat him as you would treat me." I almost wished it was a war...

A guest from the World?! Someone whom Lord Zeus himself ordered me to treat as his equal?!

If I weren't already kneeling, I would have probably fallen to the ground from the sudden weakness that surged in my legs.

I hesitated but dared to ask a second question.

"Do I need to know any more information, Lord Zeus?" To my relief, the voice of the King of the Gods remained as emotionless as before.

Listening to it, as strange and unsettling as it was, was better than his enraged or irritated voice.

The voice echoed, like a list of orders.

"Do not attack him under any circumstances." I didn't dare interrupt to ask if I couldn't even defend myself.

"Do not offend him under any circumstances." I didn't intend to do that before, much less now.

"If ordered, be his guide wherever he wants to go." Was the abode of the gods included? How I wished I could ask...

"Lastly and most importantly, the guest from the 'Celestial Body' has a companion; treat her as you would treat the Queen." Oh, yes... The guest has a companion, and I was supposed to treat her like the Queen of the Gods herself...

Am I allowed to faint?

I guess not...

"Go, you will recognize them as soon as you see them, dismissed." The voice of Lord Zeus continued emotionless, even as he ordered me to leave.

I only realized when I was already out of the divine abode that none of the other gods spoke, and I didn't even hear them move...

It was as if they had all become statues... Their bodies made of stone... Metal...

 ~Fate/The Hunter and His Doll~

POV: Doll.

"The air here is... Different," I commented as we landed on the coast.

The air in Greece seemed more... Polluted? No, that wasn't the word. It was as if various types of "air" were mixed into one, some stronger than others and more prevalent.

"Does it bother you?" The Good Hunter asked, blowing the whistle as Madaras disappeared.

"No, it's just strange. What's in the air?" It was similar to the air in Uruk and some other places we had been to, like Persia and Egypt.

"Divinity, or more specifically, the lingering divinity of The Machine Gods." Machine?

I didn't need to ask; the Good Hunter explained at the same time he turned, looking into the distance, as if observing something or someone specific.

"Aletheia, the name given to the original body of the Greek gods, who are beings native to another universe." Another universe? Like us?

Before I could ask, I heard horse hooves in the distance, in the same direction the Good Hunter was looking.

To my surprise, when I turned to look in the same direction, what I saw was not a horse but a being, half man, half horse.

The lower half of the man was that of a horse with a light brown coat, the upper part was that of a man, wearing attire resembling a brown dress and a white shirt.

He carried a bow on his back and had a polished appearance; his hair curiously matched the color of his coat.

As he approached, the man-horse stopped about ten meters away and knelt in a servile manner.

"Lord Guest, Lady Guest, I welcome you." His voice was polite, not like the Good Hunter's, but more like that of a butler.

"Chiron." The voice of the Good Hunter seemed to make the man-horse tense. "I see your gods were informed of our arrival." The Good Hunter seemed almost amused.

"Yes, Lord Guest, Lord Zeus was informed by the Celestial Body of your arrival." Chiron, as addressed by the Good Hunter, confirmed.

"I am here to be your guide and assistant if necessary." Chiron continued, still kneeling, not looking directly at the two of us.

It was almost like how Naram had acted when we arrived in Uruk... Would the gods of this place be like those there?

"It won't be necessary." The Good Hunter's denial seemed to make Chiron even more tense, like someone about to face death.

This lasted until the Good Hunter continued speaking, visibly making Chiron breathe a sigh of relief.

"But, as I don't want to cause you trouble with the Olympians, I will accept you as a guide." Would he have trouble just for not being accepted as our guide?

Yes, these gods were like those of Uruk.

"I appreciate the opportunity to serve you, Lord Guest and Lady Guest." Even relieved, his voice was still tense, continuing to be polite.

"Chiron, you will learn that I am not like your gods, as long as you treat me with respect, I will do the same. You can relax, stand up, I won't attack you." The Good Hunter's words seemed to have some effect, as Chiron stood up, a relieved look on his face.

"Drop the 'Lord' as well; you can call me Hunter and my dear companion Doll." It always pleased me when he called me "Dear companion."

Chiron nodded in agreement.

"I will call the Lord Guest Hunter and the Lady Guest Doll then, as instructed." The Good Hunter didn't correct the fact that it hadn't been an order but a request; it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

"Did Zeus tell you anything he learned about me from the World?" When the name "Zeus" left the Good Hunter's lips, Chiron looked up, as if expecting something to fall from the sky.

He stayed for a few moments staring at the clear blue sky with slightly widened eyes before responding.

"Lord Zeus only told me that you are a guest of the 'Celestial Body' and that I must treat you with respect, as well as your companion." Even as he spoke, he still glanced quickly at the sky, as if incredulous about something.

"I figured Gaia wouldn't disclose much. Well, let's get going." The Good Hunter turned and offered me his arm; when I took it, we started walking.

Chiron followed us hesitantly, at a polite distance.

"The city, what is its name?" I spoke for the first time, and Chiron seemed surprised for a moment before composing himself.

"The city we are going to, Miss Doll, is the city named in honor of one of the gods." Chiron's voice had changed slightly, as if he were teaching in a classroom.

Was he a teacher?

"As for the name, it bears the same name as the goddess it was dedicated to: Athens."

[...]---[...]

First of all, it took me a little while to post Hunter's story because I was figuring out which timeline to follow.

Well, regarding the explanation, the Greek story in FATE has some confusing parts, and I'll fill in those gaps with real-life Greek history and the Greek Lostbelt without really changing much, just to patch up the holes.

As for the chapter: Well, Zeus was informed of Hunter's arrival and sort of forced himself into a state "close" to when he was a Machine God, suppressing his own emotions and compelling others to do the same.

Their Machine God bodies were still shattered by Sefar, and this "suppression" is just an improvisation he made.

Well, I'll keep it brief, so as always, if you have any questions, just comment, and I'll respond with my best without giving spoilers.

As always, good night, and happy reading!

PS: Any theories?