Chapter 528 + Arachne 7

It's funny; I was getting College of Winterhold vibes as we walked through the halls. It was much less...structured in appearance. But there were clearly classes going on, clearly students learning from teachers, and people just randomly studying in various places.

Of course, it wasn't just studious lessons either. The Ancient One took me past a courtyard where they were doing combat lessons without magic, funnily enough.

It seems like they taught hand-to-hand and martial arts here as well.

It didn't take us long as she took us through several corridors, venturing deeper into the monastery-like building.

I glanced to the side to see a man sitting in a seat in the corner of the newest room that she led me into.

"Master Hamir, thank you." She exchanged a polite bow with him as the man snapped a book shut, setting it on a nearby shelf before excusing himself without saying a word.

He never even once glanced at me.

She gestured to a table, and I took a seat as she joined, tea already prepared and steaming in front of me.

"I thought robes denoted status within the sect?" I spoke randomly with the thought that popped in my head. "Along with that guy and some others before, they seemed to have their own sense of fashion."

"We're not a sect." She corrected him with a noticeable hint of amusement in her tone.

"Really? A secretive group of immortal-like beings hiding away in the mountains practicing the mystic arts?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we aren't immortal." She responded.

"Ancient One." I pointed at her, specifically calling out her title.

"To be honest, that was mostly due to just some legends that spawned around me when I wandered the world in the past." She shook her head. "You make some vague comments, and they seem to propagate all over. One day I went down the mountain to some corner of the world, and wouldn't you know it, there are some tales of this revered 'Ancient One' spreading the teachings of Magic to those lucky few."

"How old are you exactly?"

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age?" Her lips twitched. "A couple thousand years, I don't quite remember anymore. The calendar has changed enough that I can't pinpoint the exact year of my birth."

"That's it?"

She blinked. "I'm sorry, is that not old enough? This is the first time I've told someone my age, and they were disappointed."

I shrugged, not bothering to explain that I literally kissed a woman older than humanity quite vigorously before coming here.

"With the name 'Ancient One,' I guess I expected a little more. Maybe you should go with something like 'Somewhat Older One'?"

"Oh yes, that certainly just rolls right off the tongue." She let out a faint snort at that.

I found myself smiling. Despite only knowing her for... hours, I felt I got along with her rather well. However, I was…skeptical about some things, so I decided to change gears. "I'm curious why you're being so good to me. It might make someone think you have a hidden agenda." I took a sip of the tea I was given.

It was rather good.

"Oh, I do." She admitted without hesitation. "It would be strange if I didn't have one, I think."

I tilted my head back and forth and couldn't argue with that. "True, I suppose."

"But if you wish for a more concrete answer, I can answer. I was already forthcoming with my intentions to apologize for my actions."

"And I accepted the apology. Generally, we would have gone our separate ways after that." I pointed it out.

"Perhaps. And you could have refused my invitation, and that would have mostly been the end of things." She pointed out as well.

"Again, that's true." I did willingly accept her invitation to come on over. It was fully above board and without any sort of manipulation. Honestly, it's refreshing when someone is just fully open about keeping secrets.

Everyone has secrets; everyone has their own goals and agendas. I don't mind people 'using' me for their own benefits if they're just open about it.

She hummed for a few moments under our combined silence before opening her mouth again. "There's a Master within the temple. He's from another dimension. If I had to describe him physically, he would be reminiscent of a Minotaur but with green fur. He's a rather kind and soft-spoken man despite his large stature."

"As interesting as that is, I don't understand the point you're making."

She smiled warmly. "Our job is to protect the world from Mystic threats. Our job is not to gatekeep the world from visitors in its entirety. You call us magical police, which isn't untrue. But if we're using a similar example, we're more like border patrol that sometimes has to deal with some internal matters."

"I see." I processed what she told me and the underlying insinuations. It seems we're just dancing around the elephant in the room—that being my origin. "What if the world is going to shit by non-Mystic threats?" I asked curiously.

"Well, that is a rather difficult question to answer. The vast majority of the time, we do not interfere with the mundane world. Wars, death, famine… these things are unfortunately a natural part of life."

"Would have taken a simple flick of your fingers to kill Hitler." I played a bit of devil's advocate, though I did agree with her stance.

"Undeniably. I could have ended the entire war with a snap of my fingers if I were so inclined. But where does it end? Humans need to handle human matters like the adults they are. I can't babysit them every time a dictator or a would-be conqueror rises to power. And likewise, who am I to say that they're wrong? As much as I don't like to say I agree with your example, if Hitler succeeded and thousands of years into the future, we had a utopia, would you be singing a different tune?"

"Ah, the philosophy of killing Hitler or not." I snorted. "If you're asking me seriously, I would still kill him. The future will take care of itself." I finished with a shrug.

"That's the problem. We're not leaders, we're not kings or what-have-you. These kinds of decisions shouldn't be made by us. We are Masters of the Mystic Arts, and our job is to simply continue to let the world keep spinning unabated by things beyond humanity's comprehension."

"Hypothetically, what if a country wanted to release enough nukes to blanket the world?"

"Hypothetically, every rule has an exception, and certain countries may find that their weapons of mass destruction have suddenly disappeared in such a scenario." She replied without missing a beat.

I was well aware I was asking blatantly absurd questions, but I was just curious about her response in how it differed from the 'Magical Police' back in Kunou's world and how even my birth world handles supernatural stuff.

"Do you intentionally keep magic things a secret?"

"To an extent." She revealed. "If tomorrow the world suddenly discovered our existence, I also wouldn't care overly much. But it's easier to do our jobs when we're still obscure and unknown to the populace at large."

"We went a bit off topic. We were talking about why you were being so nice to me and all that." I leaned back, relaxing a bit.

"To be thoroughly blunt, we couldn't afford to be anything but nice." She didn't hold back. "I can't say it's easy to predict you, Mr. Shimoda— "

"Wilhelm." I interrupted. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg. Takao Shimoda is my birth name, but it's not the name I go by."

"Mr. Schweinorg then." She smiled. "As you had guessed, I am able to…predict certain outcomes." She said with an intentional amount of vagueness. "You are exceedingly difficult to catch any glimpse of. However, to be thorough, I looked at possible scenarios if we took a more hostile and blunt approach to your presence. The results were…well, I believe the word catastrophic is appropriate in this case."

"How hostile?" I furrowed my brow.

"I admit fully that we have killed quite a few demonic beings who have tried to sneak in and cause harm to the world. In my haste, as I mentioned, I assumed it had been the case every single time beforehand."

Ah, I could read in between the lines.

Perhaps she couldn't outline me through whatever means she used to peer at possible futures, but the consequences are probably much easier to observe in some way.

If she and hers actually tried to kill me…if I was pushed enough, well, I would lose all guilt about destroying them as well.

So, she was being thorough when 'checking' in various ways to deal with me. Killing, exorcising, etc.

I wouldn't get upset from hypothetical scenarios.

Shit, I'm pretty sure at least several pantheons back home have various 'hypotheticals' in case they have to deal with me.

So I can understand her stance now; she's trying very hard to be friendly. Likewise, I do believe her attitude has been genuine up to this point.

She sat silently for a moment or two as I contemplated that before speaking again. "May I…?" She gestured to Sir Wiggles that had still been sitting on my shoulder.

I rubbed him, and he happily bounced over the table and into her hands.

Far be it for me to reject Sir Wiggles getting attention.

"He's very well behaved…considering." She spoke softly, and it made me realize she understood his nature. "And it's rare to see a genuine familiar these days. It's fallen out of practice over the years. Mostly used by a few witch covens."

To be fair, it's common but not heavily used back home either. A lot of people simply don't want the extra responsibility that comes with caring for a familiar.

Though, suddenly, her head jerks to the side, and it looks as if she were watching something with a very serious expression.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She blinked once and shook her head. "Apologies, someone just broke through the barriers of the world, and it was via a method I hadn't seen in a long time. It caught me by surprise."

"...something concerning?"

"Not at all." She smiled. "Some have permission to come and go. It's just been some time since these ones have paid our world a visit." She hummed. "New Mexico is going to be popular for a bit due to a certain hammer."

"A hammer?" I perked up. "Is it a good hammer?" Because I need a hammer for my Nidhavellir spell symbol.

Her lips curled up. "Oh, most certainly a good hammer. You're welcome to go inspect it for yourself."

Why did she sound extremely amused as she said that?

Regardless, I was here for something particular. "About Vibranium."

"Ah yes, Vibranium. Specifically, what are your intentions for it?"

"For a sword." I said simply.

"Well…that's significantly more mundane than I anticipated. Very well, the story of Vibranium. Basically, a meteor hit the planet some thousands of years ago; that's where Vibranium comes from. It hit the African continent and was discovered by a tribe living there."

"Oh, so they should be open to selling, right?" This might be easier than I thought.

She let out a laugh. "Oh heavens no."

"…..I feel like I'm the butt of a joke here."

"They are… and I'm being generous here, the most advanced country in the world."

"...alright. Well, I might have some stuff they're willing to trade. I have some rare and exotic metals myself. And I don't need much vibranium, I don't think."

"They've also completely hidden themselves from the rest of the world. Everyone believes they merely possess a rock-sized chunk of the precious metal and that they're a third-world country with severe poverty issues."

"...the fuck?"

"Quite." She chuckled. "Suffice to say, you won't have any luck simply purchasing it despite them having a literal mountain of it underground."

"Because they won't give up their masquerade for some gold." I frowned.

"I could be wrong if you have something sufficient to trade with. Or maybe if you do offer enough money, they would be willing to offer you a small bit." She continued to scratch Sir Wiggles's head. "I almost forgot to ask, what's this adorable boy's name?"

My annoyance quickly disappeared. "Behold, Sir Wigglesbottom Fluffytail Octavius Benedict III, Crown Prince of the Emerald Kingdom, Duke of Carrot Island, General of the Northern Armies, Lightning born, The Devil Slayer. Head of the Chaldean Department of Phantasmal Beasts. King of France, First Mate of the Flying Dutchman and King of Asgard, and Sorcerer Supreme!"

She gave me the most deadpan look. "I don't recall handing over my title."

"Sorry, it already happened. Sir Wiggles is now the Master of Kamar-Taj, leader of the Masters of the Mystic Arts." I sighed helplessly.

"Well, I can say that we're in good hands then. But if it's the same for you, I will continue to handle the day-to-day activities to not burden our Sorcerer Supreme."

"Sir Wiggles finds this acceptable." I nodded.

She smiled warmly again. "Now, on to other matters. If you insist on the approach of asking them to purchase their metal, I'll give you the relevant information. For now, I wish to discuss a trade in knowledge. Rare is it for someone versed in mysticism to find their way here as you did. Most of the time, they're usually hostile entities or accidental arrivals of the mundane variety, like in Master Rintrah's case. If you would be open to a trade, I'm sure we can reciprocate to your liking."

"I'm not against a trade in knowledge; I've hoarded quite a bit over the years myself. If you're willing to make copies, I don't mind leaving some books with you about various things."

"That would be most wonderful. However, I do wish to request nothing of…displeasing nature."

"I thought you didn't reject the 'darker stuff' outright?"

"We don't teach it here. And there's a difference that should be addressed. There are, of course, some things we don't accept here that will see to your expulsion if practiced. Using an example, necromancy is something we don't look kindly towards. Certain degrees of it will land you with a one-way ticket out of the mountain if caught. However, even necromancy pales in comparison to some of the more…darker aspects of mysticism. The kind that taints your soul and corrupts you just from practicing or knowing them. Those sorts are kept under a very tight lock and key."

"Fair enough." I saw no reason to argue with her points; they were very straightforward and with good logic behind them. "To be honest, I don't practice that kind of stuff. I have a wide range of knowledge, but my specialties lie in Lightning-elemental spellcasting, Runes, and Onmyōdō. However, I'm proficient in quite a bit more."

I began setting books out on the table. Copies of the wand-based spells, copies of the tomes from Skyrim, and even stuff from other places.

Obviously, I wasn't just going to drop everything I had into her lap, but it was a good start.

"You're welcome to explore the temple at your leisure. Nowhere should be off-limits to you outside of private chambers and the vault where we keep the darker stuff, as I said. I will make sure it's known that you have free access to the library and the relic chambers. However, please do not take anything without permission this time."

"Oh, so this is where you keep the good stuff?" I pursed my lips.

"It's one of the locations. We simply don't keep too many powerful relics at the London Sanctum due to the degree of incidents that happen in that area. And keeping everything in one location seems too much like putting your eggs in all one basket. So, a hefty portion of the more powerful relics are kept in the American Sanctum away from the more magically inclined locations."

Huh, she was being really forthcoming, wasn't she? I suppose we've already reached that point then. I gave her shit for her age, but honestly, once you get that old, you're probably done with the bullshit.

"Got it, raid the American Sanctum when I'm free."

I could see her roll her eyes. "Try not to cause too much of a problem for any sanctum. They're literally focal points for Earth's Mystic defenses."

Huh, that's neat. I'll have to look into that.

So many new things to explore; I'm excited!

"By the way, do you know of a goddess with black hair in a death realm that likes to throw swords at people?"

"….no? And that was oddly specific." She seemed taken aback.

Well, I suppose it doesn't matter.

"So how does one normally get their hands on a 'relic'?" I asked. "You mentioned some sort of 'resonance'?"

"You mean other than simply stealing them?" She gave me a look. "But yes, that's the most simplistic method. Often, certain individuals appear that just align so well with a relic that they act up when getting close. You met Master Mordo; he has several artifacts that have chosen him over the years. His primary weapon is known as the Staff of the Living Tribunal; it chose him when he was still an initiate when wandering the halls of Kamar-Taj."

"What if you don't get 'chosen'?"

"Well, it's not like we don't have other avenues. We're not that rigid yet. For…lesser relics—and I use that term loosely in this context—you can simply apply for them. The majority of the time, if something isn't particularly noteworthy, we'll basically sign off on it without a second glance."

Hmm, makes sense, I suppose.

"What are your plans?" She then asked. "Do you wish to visit the library? Explore the temple? Or simply wander off somewhere?"

"To be honest, I want to try my hand with the—what was the place called, Wakanda? I'll go see if I can't convince them with ample amounts of money or other valuable things."

"Well, it's your prerogative. But I don't see you succeeding."

"I just have to be my normal charming self to convince them." I adjusted my tie.

"…..As long as you don't create problems that threaten the world." She shook her head. "Don't expect help from me or, rather, us here at Kamar-Taj. We have certain…ancient agreements."

"That sounds ominous."

"It was before my time. And even I'm rather vague on the details, only following my predecessor's teachings."

"So there are Ancient Ones?" I looked at her before standing up.

"Wait until I tell you about the Ancient One." She smiled. "Would you like a lift?" She offered, the beginning of her portal magics faintly forming.

I snapped my fingers, creating my own portal. Of course it wasn't to Wakanda because I didn't have any idea where that actually was, but I just wanted to make a point. "You have my permission to change your underwear after this."

"No one likes a showoff." She dismissed her magic. "If you give me a moment, I can retrieve the records we kept on Wakanda before you depart."

[Line Break]

I actually stepped out of a portal this time.

Sir Wiggles was absent, or more specifically, I left him with the Ancient One because he seemed to enjoy her attention. I also let Lady Wiggles join in, and the Ancient One seemed equally excited at the new addition of the pregnant Lady Wiggles.

But I didn't really want to waste any time; I specifically came here for Vibranium. And despite also using this chance as a working vacation, learning new things, exploring, and doing some work, I did want to knock out the main objectives first.

If I upgraded the metal of Greed, I was confident in getting it to absorb Fenrir's saliva without issue.

Of course I had other metals to work with, but after what Gramps explained about Vibranium—well, I wanted to check it out before making any decisions.

I had an old map out in my hands and a notebook under my arm as I noted my location.

I was about…10 minutes away from the Wakanda border?

It was only a few countries southwest of Egypt, interestingly enough. This country doesn't exist on any other Earths that I've visited before.

Supposedly the most advanced country in the world, completely hiding themselves away. It sounded rather absurd to think about, but then I'm reminded of how many worlds that Magic is kept a secret.

Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable, blah blah.

Well, I can say that the air here is rather fresh!

I should visit Africa more often; it really is a beautiful place. It's just another reminder that even back home, there are so many amazing places to explore and visit that don't need such extreme measures to travel to.

But I digress.

The trek to Wakanda only took like twenty minutes, mostly because I was admiring the views.

I opened up the notebook I had and basically just copied information from the records they had at Kamar Taj. And I got a pretty good idea of what I was going with; the supposed 'Border Tribe' handles the border, which sounds rather obvious. But more so, they are literally stationed at every conceivable entrance to Wakanda, acting as border patrol.

There were some farmsteads up ahead, densely packed enough to look like a village at first glance.

I looked at the map, then at the natural formations around me, and I measured my steps carefully.

Counting them, I took a couple more steps forward, took out a chair, and sat down on it.

And then, I waited.

It didn't take long for me to be noticed, but no one came over immediately. Instead, they just kept stealing glances at me, whispering to each other, and seemingly gesturing stealthily to bring others over.

Oh well, I was just patiently waiting and biding my time.

It was important to be polite when I was the one asking for something.

Eventually, after what felt like a couple of hours, several people rode over on horses. I couldn't hear them from this distance, but several of the farmers pointed at me and clearly were talking to the newcomers before they started approaching me.

I crossed my legs, taking up a non-aggressive pose with my hands in my lap. "Good day, gentlemen." I greeted them.

They didn't greet me back.

In fact, they didn't express much emotion at all seeing me, their feet shuffling until they were about 10 feet away from me.

I made it look like I was reaching into my pocket to take out a pair of glasses; they tensed slightly before seeing that it wasn't anything dangerous.

I hummed as I put them on, giving them a once-over.

Oh, wasn't that interesting? These…guards, they were wearing these thick cloaks, almost like blankets. Different designs, different colors, different styles, but they all wore one. I couldn't comment on the cultural aspect, but they were all giving off strange energy.

It wasn't Magic, of course, but even my rune-carved glasses could at least see that faint energy.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" The one in the front was the first to speak, a thick accent, though I suppose I would be the one with an accent since it's their home.

"Good evening, my name is Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg." I politely introduced myself. "As for what I want, I wanted the opportunity to purchase some Vibranium from you. I have much to trade: gold, precious stones, and precious metals." I decided to just lay all my cards on the table.

The man's face didn't change. "Go away, outsider; we have no Vibranium here."

"...everyone knows that Wakanda has Vibranium, though." Well, the Ancient One did say they were going to reject me. So time to work that Schweinorg magic. "I don't need a lot, perhaps four pounds of it." If my estimates were right, considering it was less than a third the weight of steel. "I'm open to negotiations."

I put on my most charming smile.

"Go away." He said again with a gruff tone.

"Alright, Mr. – What was your name again?"

"I didn't give you my name." He responded bluntly.

"Alright, Mr. I-Didn't-Give-You-My-Name, let's talk price." Clapped my hands, only to pull them apart, revealing a gold coin, and I flicked it over to him. He caught it easily, giving it a look without any change in expression still. "Ten thousand of those for four pounds of vibranium."

There seemed to be a flicker of something, surprise in his gaze?

"We have no Vibranium." He repeated again.

"Look, can we be candid for a moment?" I tried to be approachable in my tone. "I know you have a lot of Vibranium; I don't care about what you all are doing hiding away. I just want to buy a few pounds of it, then I'll be on my way." I offered sincerely.

I could imagine that they have to be careful with their 'secret,' so just being forward and direct is probably the best path.

"Your giant shield…" I pointed way behind us; it was only barely noticeable and only so because I was wearing these special glasses. "Yeah, I can see the giant shield poking over the mountains; presumably it's around your capital city? And I can even see your cloaks glowing…" I pointed to them next.

They stilled, eyes widening.

Honesty is often the best policy in these kinds of situations.

When you make inroads and find common ground—

Ah, they're pulling weapons out.

Several of them held up these weird bead-like bracelets to their ears and started shouting orders as they lit up.

"You will come with us now!" The assumed leader held up a curved sword, pointing at me and making a declaration. Well, it wasn't curved like a scimitar; it was curved forward, interestingly enough.

Well, things escalated quickly.

What did I do wrong?

I found myself sighing amidst the commotion.

Ddraig, I was polite, right?

[You were very polite.] He responded.

I nodded to myself.

They were shouting, but I wasn't having any of it, lots of calls to surrender, to get on the ground, etc. etc.

I took out an apple and bit into it right in front of them, slowly chewing it a few times before swallowing. "A simple rejection would have sufficed. Sure, I would have annoyed you for a few more minutes with several more offers, but that's about it."

"This is your last warning; put your hands behind your head and get on the ground." The 'leader' of these guys commanded, and he looked ready to follow up on it this time.

"No, I don't think I will." I pointed at the ground. "Unless you want to cross sovereign lines and break international law. I'm fairly positive Wakanda borders end just under three feet in front of me, but I left room for error."

Well, it didn't mean anything to me, maybe not to them either, but it would assuage my guilt when I inevitably teach them the error of their ways.

And it's not like I couldn't understand their point of view; it's just that I didn't really care.

I tossed my apple; it made an arc in the air, and all eyes seemed to follow it for a brief moment. It smacked right into 'something' before hitting the ground. That 'something' made a small noise—a rather human noise.

Invisibility tech?

My interest is piqued.

But I generally don't fuck with regular people.

A few people appeared 'out of thin air'; of course, I could see them the entire time. These ones were wearing different garb and held metal spears.

Were those made of Vibranium?

I had the urge to steal one, but from what I understood, already forged Vibranium was a bitch and a half to reforge, nearly impossible outright without certain variables.

Whatever, this was just my first stop. It's not like there won't be any other Vibranium deposits in the world. If a meteor crashed into the land here, there most likely were broken pieces of that same meteor that hit other places, most likely the ocean.

However, tracking it down will be hard when Vibranium and Magic don't play well together.

I turned around to leave, and then I felt something.

A pulse of energy emanated from one of the spears; I turned around just in time to see it, and my hat was flying off my head.

The hat that I was happy to have found… now had a big hole through it, steam drifting off the seared edges.

I wasn't angry.

I wasn't angry.

My Reiatsu didn't surge outwards.

I wasn't pressing them to the ground, forcing their souls to shudder under the weight until they collapsed, unconscious.

I wasn't angry.

Steal their stuff?

No, that would give them an excuse.

I had a better idea.

[Line Break]

"You're back." The Ancient One greeted me. "How was your trip?"

I threw the hat on the table next to her.

"...You didn't destroy the country, did you?"

"I have more self-constraint than that." I snorted. "But I do have a favor to ask."

"Hesitantly, I will ask for details."

"What do you know about Nigeria? The country that I was in that bordered Wakanda?" I asked.

"Not much? It was never a particularly magical hotspot. Why, what do you want to know?"

"Oh, not much. Name of their current president. Land costs, specifically the lands bordering Wakanda. Oh, and any treaties and border laws shared between the two countries would be wonderful."

I paused again.

"And some painting supplies; I'm going to need a lot of painting supplies." I muttered.

[Line Break]

Non-Canon Omake: The Little Spider, Chapter 7

Athena watched as Apollo strolled into the main chamber on Mount Olympus, having put his chariot on autopilot so he could watch the fun.

"Pretty ballsy of you to bet your cabin, Ares." He said casually, taking his seat along with the majority of the other gods.

Ares scoffed. "As if I'll be losing my cabin."

"Careful, Ares, that arrogance will be your downfall." Athena took a shot at him.

"Sorry, who are you again?" He looked at her with a blank expression, and she nearly reacted.

Well, just getting even a twitch from Athena was considered a success, considering that there is very little that can make the Goddess of Wisdom change expressions so severely.

"My dear brother, as much as it pains me to agree with her, making a wager with the thought you could never lose is a certain kind of madness." Dionysus spoke up, a goblet of wine in his hand and a flushed face.

The moment he got the go-ahead to be allowed to start drinking, he already was drunk.

All the Olympians were present, even if they didn't all join in on the bickering. Most of them were just content to watch the small bit of entertainment even if they weren't particularly fond of fighting.

"Don't worry, Ares. When you lose your cabin, your kids can bunk with mine." Hermes chuckled.

The God of War rolled his eyes. "There's no possible way she could beat my brat. How long had she trained, huh? Sure, she looks confident, but she's barely even a teenage brat compared to Clarisse, who I've given personal training to as a reward a few times."

"Didn't she punch your kid?" Aphrodite asked.

"Cheap shot." Ares scoffed again, dismissing it entirely.

"So, you intend to cheat." Athena summarized by his attitude. "My daughter foolishly didn't set terms for the wager, allowing you to dictate everything. There was never a clause to forgo divine intervention on either side's behalf."

Ares shot her a grin. "You're more than welcome to help your daughter out too; I won't even be upset." He said in a rather magnanimous tone.

Athena felt a mild annoyance she hadn't felt in quite a long time.

She had genuinely questioned if the girl calling herself Arachne was truly hers despite all the obvious evidence.

But after what's happened so far, that is certainly Wilhelm's child; there is no doubt about it.

Only that man would spite her by calling their daughter Arachne.

She didn't sigh in front of her fellow gods despite the desire to. Truthfully, it merely elicited a few fond memories of the past that she quickly pushed away.

There were too many inconsistencies, however, with her daughter. The ways he moved, her attitude, even her presence, they weren't missed by the Goddess of Wisdom. Nor were they ignored by the other gods, even if they cared not for the peculiarities.

As a Goddess of War, she could tell her daughter had been properly trained. Ares as well could see it even if she disliked being compared to one another.

Though, he fully believed his own daughter would never lose regardless.

Ares wasn't completely inept when it came to strategy; he just preferred the more blunt approach. That is to say, he knew that Athena would not lend her aid to her daughter after the blatant disrespect.

"It will be a lesson for my daughter; I will not interfere." Athena said pointedly.

Her daughter had potential, but it needed to be tempered by hardship. The arrogance and disdain she showed to the gods would need to be remedied. If that meant that her daughter lost her so-called 'pet,' then so be it.

She will see that having the grace of a God will be instrumental in her life.

And of course, the important thing was that the Bane of Olympus would be entering Olympus's hands.

It wasn't said outright, but she could feel the uneasiness in the room after it was discovered.

Her fellow Olympians all wanted it 'taken care of' and into secure hands, not those of a child.

None of them had any real idea of what would actually happen if the Ophiotaurus were sacrificed per the prophecy, but none of them wanted to find out. You need not act flippantly with prophecies that involved beings born from Chaos.

The Ophiotaurus, from just a single glance, was weak. All the Olympians could tell; a mere demigod could kill it without breaking a sweat. But that just served to further their collective anxiousness around the creature.

The fact that it was so 'weak' yet hadn't been found since the Titanomachy meant it had a significant and heavy fate around it.

Regardless, the important matter was that the Ophiotaurus be turned over to the hands of Olympus. But that didn't mean she didn't have other plans to utilize after her daughter's inevitable defeat.

She was sure that once her daughter tasted defeat and humiliation so openly, she could approach her and figure out the anomalies far easier.

And of course, get her out of Poseidon's cabin!

That was an insult of the highest order that she willingly housed herself in the cabin of his!

No matter what she said, Poseidon would ignore her with regard to Annabelle living in his cabin.

There was technically no rule that said a child of a God had to live in the God's cabin. Merely that it was obvious without needing to be said anywhere. Something she would have to remedy in the future.

Athena, along with the other Olympians, looked down upon Camp Halfblood, where the majority of the campers gathered around the arena.

The Goddess of Wisdom was never one for overt action; she was ready to swoop in when the time was correct and content to bide her time until then.

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Arachne hummed to herself as she was led to the arena in the camp.

She didn't know they had an arena; that made her mentally give bonus points to this place. What was the point of a training camp if there was no arena!?

"Moo~" Mr. Blueberry nudged her, and she happily rubbed his head as he floated next to her.

"Are you going to be okay? That girl is like twice your size, and she's kinda ripped." Percy asked her, having heard everything that happened and knowing what was happening. "I don't know much about everything yet, but she looked pretty strong. And isn't her dad like the 'fighter' and everything?"

"Hmm?" Arachne blinked, looking at him. "I am fine. My mom taught me, and I have fought a lot of strong people." She said with a hint of boredom in her tone.

Sally was also with them, feeling rather awkward about everything happening. She was sort of an outsider in this regard, a mortal woman swept up in everything because of her son. Though, she was also a little curious to see what her son would be like in a few years.

"Is your mom a goddess too?" Percy knew at this point that she wasn't talking about her Greek parent.

"No, but she trained herself until she could kill gods." Arachne shot him a big grin. "She's pretty famous in other parts of the world. She even trained some demigods too."

"Oh, that's cool." Percy nodded along.

He was still processing everything, so whatever she said didn't really register as odd for him, considering he didn't know any of this existed a day ago.

Sally, on the other hand, she knew a few things due to Poseidon telling her long ago. She knew very well the absurdity of the things that Arachne was spouting but chose to keep her mouth shut.

It wasn't just Arachne's group running around.

Word had gotten around camp that Clarisse was going to fight a newcomer in the arena. Many people heard that they had a couple new campers; news around the camp usually travels fast. But they didn't expect one of them to immediately start a fight with the notorious Clarisse.

Usually, they only hear about Clarisse's 'welcoming ritual' in that she gives every newcomer a swirlie.

Plenty of other campers running around nearly stopped to look at Arachne's group, recognizing her and Percy as new campers. Not to mention Mr. Blueberry was very hard to miss, a literal floating fish the size of a shark.

But no one approached them; traffic seemed to congregate further away as the view opened up for Arachne, and they found the 'arena.'.

It was an amphitheater, not that Arachne expected any different. Greek architecture was the assumption when she visited here.

It appeared as though they were among the last group to arrive. The excitement was clear from how all the seats nearby were filled and how loud the chatter was.

Clarisse was already waiting there, a spear in hand that seemed to crackle with lightning with a casual swing of hers.

Nearby, Chiron also stood impassively.

All eyes landed on Arachne as she pushed her way forward, stepping ahead of the group and onto the arena grounds.

Chiron was about to open his mouth and speak, but a meteor fell from the sky, landing in the arena. Rather than causing an explosion and crater, instead, trumpets played, and all the straw dummies for practicing around the outer edge began to come alive and start dancing.

Dionysus stood there, arms up triumphantly.

He was drunk.

"Mr. D…?" Chiron hesitantly asked amidst the stunning silence.

"What a tough audience, not even a little applause?" He frowned, snapping his fingers. And all the watchers were forced to clap under his power. "Oh, too kind. Too kind." He bowed. "Ah, it's been a while since I've felt this refreshed. It almost makes it worthwhile putting up with all these brats. Now, what's on the agenda today? Oh right, Clarence vs. Arachne, battle to the death; the winner gets the blueberry."

Chiron nearly fell over.

Not for the 'fight to the death' part, which he would correct momentarily. But the fact that he willingly used another camper's real name.

That isn't something he does.

…well, there was an argument that it wasn't her 'real' name.

"Mooo~" Mr. Blueberry let out a strange noise of excitement at being mentioned.

"Hooyah, he gets it!" Dionysus snapped his fingers, pointing at the Ophiotaurus.

Chiron let out a sigh, covering his face.

It had been a long time since he'd dealt with a drunk Mr. D, but it was far from something he was familiar with.

Chiron only hoped that he would settle back down, merely excited that he could finally drink again and went a bit overboard.

"It's not a fight to the death. In fact, any attempt to kill your opponent will be met with harsh penalties." Chiron clarified, looking at both fighters. "And since one of the participants is a new camper—" He was specific on the last part. "I will be watching closely." He looked at both of them.

On one part, he didn't know what Clarisse would do under the ushering of Ares. On a second, Arachne was a new camper; he didn't know what her mentality was. She was clearly trained if she could kill the Minotaur, something he should have probably mentioned to the others. She could have been used to simply killing everything she ever fought, and some habits were hard to break.

Regardless, things were out of his hands. He knew that she was strong-armed into this fight; she literally had just arrived in camp, and this was all set up. It didn't take a genius to see that it was all forcibly prepared.

"Yeah, yeah." Dionysus grunted. "Now to the fun bits: maiming is okay! As are debilitating wounds; heck, gouging out each other's eyes might be a bit exciting!"

"...don't, please." Chiron sighed.

"Anyways, we got a proper wager here!" His voice picked up, booming over all the sound. "On one side, we have Arachne, daughter of Athena, with her Mr. Blueberry, the Bane of Olympus. On the other, we have Clarence, daughter of Ares, and the Ares Cabin at stake. Winner takes all!"

Chiron resisted the urge to sigh again. That was technically correct, but he personally would have worded it more politely.

But he just cast a wry smile knowing that Dionysus could be so flippant without any repercussions.

"If either of you want to back out now, you can." Chiron offered.

"Denied!" Dionysus countered.

Chiron twitched. "Do you need a weapon, Arachne?" He didn't know what else to call the girl, and since Dionysus named her that way, he was practically given permission.

"She probably doesn't even know how to wield a weapon." Clarisse snorted. "Look at those scrawny arms; I bet she's never trained a day in her life before."

Chiron almost wanted to tell her that Arachne defeated the Minotaur, a legendary monster. He held his tongue because he didn't want to influence the fight.

"No need." Arachne held her hand out, and before everyone's eyes, a wooden quarterstaff appeared from thin air, and she gave it a little spin.

"A wood stick?" Clarisse scoffed.

"You're not worth my spear." Arachne said simply. "I don't want to be accused of being a bully."

If it were a true fight, all bets were off. But since it wasn't potentially to the death, Arachne didn't want to bully the girl who was being used by her father to steal her pet.

Oh, she would most certainly teach her a lesson, but if she used one of her good spears, it felt too much to Arachne like being a bully.

Chiron gave them both a glance then backed away.

"Hmph, this spear was given to me by my father." Clarisse took a proper stance, and that same faint crackle emanated from the spear.

Clarisse thought it was a good intimidation tactic; she bet the girl had never seen a magic spear before.

Arachne, on the other hand, found it amusing.

Arachne sort of drowned out the words that Chiron spoke as he went over the 'rules.' If anything, she was still rather bored and didn't treat this fight seriously.

He made some prayers to the Gods to acknowledge the 'duel' and such with some Godly displays happening above them, indicating that the Gods approved the duel and would support the winner.

It was only when he finally declared the duel to begin that Arachne became alert and refocused.

Clarisse rushed forward, akin to her blunt and aggressive demeanor; her spearmanship reflects this.

If she could take out her opponent by brute force, she would.

The spear of hers shot forward, quicker than a 'normal' human could hope to manage. Despite Arachne looking down on the demigods here, they were far above the level of a normal human.

Arachne flicked the bottom of her wooden quarterstaff up, colliding with the tip of Clarisse's spear, knocking it off its trajectory.

She followed up by swinging the other end of the staff towards the older girl's head in one fluid motion.

Clarisse was taken off guard, surprised by the skill revealed, and left herself wide open. The wooden staff smacked her on the side of the square on, sending her stumbling backwards with a moment of daze.

It didn't even take her a single second to reorient herself, and she looked back at her opponent. Arachne spun the staff around and made a 'come-at-me' gesture with her hand.

Clarisse clenched her teeth and started to take it more seriously, realizing that her opponent wasn't some complete novice. With a proper stance, she slowly and methodically took steps towards Arachne.

It was a method to push someone to the corner of the arena—in a true fight, to push them into a literal corner.

However, Arachne held her ground.

When Clarisse attempted her usual method of controlling and pushing, Arachne simply began to dodge. The electric spear shot out, and Arachne gracefully swayed to narrowly avoid it.

A flurry of stabs was released by the older demigod, yet each one of them hit nothing but air.

Clarisse, growing more and more angry, just pushed forward with her whole body. Her opponent wasn't using a bladed weapon, so she went fully aggressive in utilizing her bigger frame.

It did put Arachne in an awkward spot—if she wanted to keep playing around in the same way and simply dodge every attack.

It was difficult to dodge someone using their whole body to try and trample you.

With a mental sigh, Arachne dodged another spear strike and ducked down, sweeping at the girl's legs. It was swift and unexpected, catching the girl off guard. In a singular motion, her quarterstaff spun around at quick speeds and caught her before she could hit the ground and flung her up into the air a dozen feet or so using a good amount of strength.

Arachne didn't even glance upward; calculating the right spot, she simply stood there with her quarterstaff planted firmly against the ground, and the girl fell down on top of the tip, letting out a rather painful cry before falling off it and hitting the ground proper.

There was silence as Clarisse lay there unmoving; a strange silence permeated the arena.

She had long let go of her spear unconsciously, and Arachne walked over to pick it up. As she reached for it, the spear suddenly trembled and shot back towards Clarisse.

Arachne had to jerk her head to the side, and even then, a faint line was cut across her cheek.

The girl stood back up; there was something around her mouth, presumably whatever she had in her stomach came up, and even if she wiped it away, there were still remnants from when she landed on top of the staff.

She trembled slightly, using the spear to hold herself up.

Arachne licked the corner of her cheek; the blood stopped flowing rather easily, but a few drops, but it annoyed her.

It annoyed her because she was more than familiar with the feeling of Divine Power, and while as a demigod, her opponent possessed Divine Power, the portion that was utilized was most certainly not from a demigod.

Arachne knew cheating when she saw it.

She guessed that the girl's father—the God of War—prevented Arachne from taking the spear and sent it back to his daughter.

Arachne hated cheaters.

Narrowing her eyes, she could see a faint bit of divine power flow to the girl from the spear, a catalyst for the God of War to continue cheating.

Arachne didn't say anything; she just stood there unmoving.

Clarisse gritted her teeth and looked like she wanted to kill Arachne. She was steady again and ready for another fight. She rushed at Arachne, her speed on a different level than before.

As the girl approached, Arachne kicked her quarterstaff at her; the wooden weapon flew through the air before Clarisse used her spear to deflect it awkwardly.

Arachne rushed up in that moment and threw a punch, one that was surprisingly blocked by Clarisse, and the younger demigod noted that not just her speed but her strength had improved temporarily by a large margin.

It didn't matter; she just wanted to get within range.

Clarisse attempted to push her away with her spear, but Arachne's hands flashed out, grabbing the spear shaft with one hand, and with the other, the Power of Destruction erupted, and she swung it down a bit further up on the shaft, destroying it, the spear tip falling to the ground.

Clarisse was stunned, momentarily stopped, a taboo in a fight, and Arachne used that chance to swing her body around, her foot hitting the girl's cheek, sending her soaring across the arena, tumbling on the ground.

Arachne grabbed the spear tip this time, holding it firmly in her hand as Clarisse got up, blood trickling out of her mouth.

"No more help now?" She spun the spear tip between her fingers.

Clarisse looked at the spear in her hand, what remained of it. "...That was a gift from my dad." It was hard to make out her emotions in that moment.

Clarisse was the epitome of a berserker. She generally got stronger the longer a fight went on, a blessing from her father. The more blood that flowed, the more steel that shattered, the stronger she would get.

But right at this moment, she blanked because she felt the loss of her treasured spear that was a gift from her father.

Her dad told her that if she needed help in the fight, to just call out to him. That winning here was the most important thing.

She didn't think she would need his help. And Clarisse's pride didn't let her call out to him before, but with the loss of her spear, the pain of losing it overrode her normally inflated sense of pride.

Clarisse looked up to the sky. "Dad."

Arachne's eyes widened because the subtle feeling of Divine Power was nonexistent; that is to say, it was no longer subtle.

She was sure that everyone in the camp could feel it as it descended on Clarisse.

She became encased in a malevolent-looking armor, and the spear of hers that was broken, it seemed another spear overlaid it.

Not only that, but she was wreathed in divine power, and her strength soared exponentially.

Arachne, though hating cheaters, felt a big grin tug on the corners of her mouth.

Now she felt like a proper demigod!

"Not even hiding it now?" Arachne smiled happily. "Do you need more time to cheat? If you need more power, call on your dad again."

"If you don't like it, you can ask for help too. There are no rules against it." Clarisse growled under her helmet.

"I think this is a little much for a simple duel." Chiron tried to interject.

"She's right; there aren't any rules against it." Dionysus said, sitting in a manifested lazy-boy chair. "She's more than welcome to use the strength of a god as well. Proceed with the duel."

What went unspoken was that a demigod's backing from their godly parent was just as important as their individual strength.

Arachne looked at Dionysus. "No rules against using a God's power?" She asked again.

For some reason, Dionysus felt something in his chest, a strange sense of giddiness. "No rules against it." He repeated happily.

Arachne's grin grew wider.

It was rare that she got the chance to use this on an opponent!

She reached out, and another weapon appeared in her hand. It was a spear, long with a blue handle, a silver blade, and a golden wreath looped around various parts.

There was also a very…Holy feeling about it.

Though only a handful of people present there stiffened at its presence.

Particularly, Clarisse felt it, wrapped so tightly in her father's divine power. Chiron felt it as well, being an immortal. And Dionysus felt it as well, the strange prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

Arachne held the spear aloft, pointing it at Clarisse.

It was a replica of her Da's spear, but it was still powerful in its own right.

"False Longinus—Balance Breaker!"

@***@

A/N

Clarisse: Ha, witness the power of a God!

Arachne: Oh, I can start trying now!

Clarisse: Confused demigod noises.

If you want to read 2 Arachne omake chapters ahead, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

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A/N

Obviously, he's going to write the Wakandan government a stern letter reprimanding them for their actions and nothing else.

If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

I also have a boosty if you can't read the above under the same name. 

I also have two chapters ahead of Arachne and 1 of cyclops over here if you're interested.