Chapter 146: The True First Hero
'Damn it, damn it, damn it! We were so close! Are the Fates conspiring against me or something?!' Somewhere far away from the Chaldeans, on a ship sailing through a heavy storm — that luckily had stopped its downpour on them for a few moments —, a blond man dressed in a not-so-fancy white tunic complained about the recent events. This man was Jason, someone who assembled a crew made of some of the most famous Greek Heroes at that time, the Argonauts. He was also the current enemy of the group.
His bad mood had to do with the fact that they failed to capture the Goddess they needed. What's more, there were two of them! It is unbelievable they couldn't get a single one. How was this possible?!
Hahhh... How he missed the old days. His crew then was competent, able to respond to any type of situation that could arise. Now? Now, although he had some of the originals, his crew was composed of useless retards.
"Can you please show me more of those creatures?"
"Please, lady. I have a hard time already controlling the Leviathan, and even then, I can only give simple orders. Could you please stop asking me that question over and over again?"
"I am only asking in the name of science. You can exert yourself a bit with that in mind, can you not? Besides, I was always a woman who thought that knowledge could be better obtained from animal lifeforms, even if my current state suggests otherwise."
He stood corrected. They weren't just useless retards. They were annoying, loud, useless retards.
'Ah...what did I do wrong...? My original crew would have been perfect. The only one I can count on is Herakles, and he apparently got a curse inflicted upon him...' He was lucky enough to have those feeble Servants come right into his palm, only for it to be a complete failure. Hektor was the most useless of all. He went and died without having much to show for it after they went through the trouble of resummoning him. At least Herakles was able to kill that woman. She was the one that provided them with the most trouble of all, but now she was dead, so it was a cause for celebration. No matter where they ran to, Jason was sure they wouldn't get someone as strong as her. With that in mind, he could relax and already celebrate his victory. The blond-haired man wasn't worried about them not coming back. After all, they needed to defeat him if they wanted to succeed in their quest. Sooner or later, they would have to fight again.
"...And then there is that woman... Why did it have to be her? Pollux would have been so much better... even with her siscon of a brother." Jason muttered his complaints to himself, not knowing how to deal with the current situation. It creeped him out.
"Did you say something, Lord Jason?"
"—Gyah?!" Jason uttered a cry in a not-very-manly voice after hearing someone suddenly speaking behind him.
"Me-Medea?! What... What are you doing here? Ne-Nevermind that. Were you listening to what I was saying?! I... I mean, to what do I owe the pleasure of having your company here? The rain will resume soon, so you should go inside as to not get wet." Quickly recomposing himself, Jason tried to distract his wife's younger version from his talk with himself earlier. Being honest with himself, he was terrified of her. Good thing she wasn't aware of the events that happened in her late years.
If only he knew...
The young Medea blushed as if touched by his concern about her. "I am happy you are concerned about me, lord Jason, but you don't have to trouble yourself with my well-being. I am more worried about your safety."
The Argonaut just mustered the most charming smile he could give. It wouldn't end well for him if he ended on her bad side. She might act all bashful and cute, but that didn't change what she had become. "Your words make me the happiest man in the world, my little Medea. However, as you can see, there is nothing to fret about. Our victory is assured. We already saw that not even one of the Twelve Olympians could do something about Herakles' might. As long as we have him, nothing can stand in our way. Not even that other God you are so wary of."
Caster gave a cute little pout in response to his nonchalance attitude. "He was able to negate my Noble Phantasm's effects. Naturally, I would be wary of him. What if lord Jason ends up hurt, and I can't heal you?"
"That is why I will just be commanding from the backline. That way, I will not be getting hurt at all. But if you feel that strongly against it, we can test the waters for now." His face of reassurance soon turned to the bickering duo from before, instantly morphing into one of annoyance.
"Oi, Thesus, send that big snake after them. Order it to go wild and sink their ship if necessary." His voice was loud and clear, carrying the strength of a natural-born leader, one that commanded respect.
Theseus was a green-haired man wearing simple armor. It was so simple that it looked like it would not block even a single arrow from a common Archer. However, those that thought so couldn't be more wrong. After all, looks could be deceiving. More so when it came to Greek Heroes.
The man turned to Jason. He was internally frowning, but outwardly he just scratched the back of his head while nodding wrily. 'Tch. What bad timing. I have noticed the beast looking somewhere for a while now. They must be already on their way. Sigh... As they say, the stars favor the fool. I am sorry, Asterios, but I can't do much about this. Jason will order Herakles to kill me if he knows I am not on their side. Seeing how things are, I can help you way more by being alive than dead.'
"Sure thing, Captain. Though, I am not responsible if this ends up failing." Coincidentally, he wanted just that to happen. If the other God beside Artemis was able to command the Leviathan to rescue Asterios and others, then he might erase his control over it. Unfortunately, he couldn't just do that himself, as he was sure Medea was observing every single one of his moves. That little schemer may fool others, but he was well-aware of her true nature. The crazy scientist was the same as him. She acted like a stereotypical researcher in a place where everything was new and unknown, but Theseus knew she was very clever, enough to know things that not even people like them would. If he had to say who Medea was the wariest of, it was her. After all, who said that she wouldn't betray them and side with humanity, something that, in theory, should be the normal thing to do? And if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he didn't want to have her as an enemy.
"It doesn't matter, just make it go wild," Jason ordered before noticing the rain starting to fall again. With nothing left to do, he quickly went to his cabin. He wanted to get away from this crazy woman as soon as possible.
Medea followed suit, as well as did Darwin. They each went to their respective rooms while leaving Theseus alone with Herakles, who was silently approached the former.
"It must be hard for you, cousin. Torn between what is right and maintaining a friendship with a fool." Theseus said to the hulking figure behind him. He had just given the Leviathan the mental order to attack the Chaldeans, so he had nothing to do. Being the son of Poseidon, the rain didn't bother him. As for Herakles... Well, nothing seemed to be able to change his countenance.
The only response he got was an animalistic grunt. It was not like he expected anything else, though. "As for me, I am in a similar situation, just that the fool is a likable one. That said... I can't help but feel something extremely bad is going to happen. At that moment, I will change sides without hesitation."
He was not worried about Medea hearing him, as the rain masked his voice perfectly.
"However... Herakles... One thing I can say for sure. The ocean is afraid. Someone—some... thing is going to disrupt the calmness of this world very soon. And it has its eyes on you." Theseus calmly said, uncaring for what his cousin might have to say.
"...But of course, you already know that, don't you?" Rider turned his face to look at Berserker. The man himself was just staring at Theseus impassively, but even then, the King of Athens was able to detect a slight narrowing of his strange eyes.
"When you see a snake on the road, you take the long way around it. You just don't poke it with a stick. Now, that snake is coming to bite us, and its venom is enough to poison the world. Let's see if we can get out alive from this. My expectations aren't the highest, sadly." Theseus said while lightly tapping Herakles' arm.
Being a hero sucked. You always had to face the impossible and somehow are expected to come out victorious. He didn't think it would be the outcome this time.
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"Are you sure this is the right direction? I don't want to sound skeptical, but I need something more plausible than 'just a feeling' to set a course." Drake asked Seth, who had just transformed back to his human form after locating the Leviathan. He had been doing this periodically to prevent any miscalculations.
"You are fighting dead people, fought a God before, have two of those in your crew, have seen people doing stuff out of fantasy for the common folk, and you have trouble believing this?" Seth asked back with raised eyebrows. He had expected her to have come to terms with things like these that were so far from common sense.
"You've got a point. Still..." Drake seemed unsure. Honestly, she and the scallywags were already tired of the continuous fighting against crazy powerful people. She didn't want to waste time in an aimless search.
Seth responded after a quick sigh. When talking to dumb people, you had to say dumb things for them to understand. "Think of it as your ability to sense treasures nearby. It is something like that."
"Oh! You should've said so before! It wasn't that hard to go for that first, right?" She had the gals to laugh. It was at times like these where he wondered if humanity was worth saving.
"...Forget it. Just go in that direction, though be prepared for immediate confrontation. It wouldn't do for the ship to break in open waters." The option of Leviathan attacking from under them was there. Being ready for that outcome wouldn't hurt anyone.
"I know. Honestly, you are acting more like a captain than I do." She joked a bit. If the journey was going to be arduous and long, she must as well have some fun while they were at it.
"Hmph. I am just speaking from experience. You always need to be alert in this kind of job." Seth stated while looking at the sea. While it looked calm now, he was sure that wouldn't last long.
"I am sorry, but I was never one to know history unless it involved treasure, so unlike your companions, I don't know much about you. Speaking of them, shouldn't you be thinking of a way to fight? Even I recognize the importance of teamwork." Francis said while resting her hands and chin over the helm, seemingly tired.
"This is different. There will be no teamwork, no ganging up, or whatever. I will be personally taking care of it and only me." His matter-of-factly answer surprised Drake, proven by her raised eyebrows and confused look.
"Don't take this as me doubting your skills, but I feel like you would have a better chance of going against that thing if we all worked together. I have seen that beast in action. It took care of all the monsters that we were having so much trouble dealing with single-handedly. I don't think it's something you can face on your own." A short sound of amusement escaped Seth's mouth at her words. It wasn't like he didn't understand her concerns, but just one capable man could do what hundred incapable ones could not. He had always believed in that philosophy. More so in this case.
"It is not a question of skill. You can say it is a question of principle. I don't expect you to understand; I never expect anyone to do so. Sometimes there is more than winning or losing, than living or dying." The Egyptian God said, turning to meet her blue orbs.
The Pirate Queen just scratched the back of her head with an exasperated expression. "Honestly, why men always have to say the most complicated stuff."
"Kids never understand what adults say. Once you are on your death bed, you can ask me again. Maybe by that time, you would have matured enough to get what I am saying." The Egyptian God said monotonously. Sometimes he wondered why did he bother to explain things if it always turned out this way.
Francis' eyes widened, and her mouth followed suit. "Y-You... What did you say?"
"Huh? Unless you are deaf, there is no meaning for that. I am not going to repeat it." Seth didn't understand what got to her all of a sudden. But then again, women were known for having mood swings out of nowhere. Only he knows how he had suffered for thousands of years due to that exactly.
"Do you know of some man named Thomas Garret?!" If it weren't for his face that said 'come closer, and you meet the sharks, ' she would have already grabbed his collar to ask that question.
"What's with that suddenly? You are asking an Egyptian if he knows someone with an English name? Where is the logic on that? Though... for some odd reason, now that you said it. The name does sound familiar." It was strange. He didn't have any recollection of meeting some with that name—oh... So it was like that. Now it all made sense.
Repeating the name over and over again made some memories resurface—one of an older man who had no family, alone forever in the world. The only comfort came in the form of a young kid who he had come to regard as a successor to his dreams.
'But he was a boy, though...' That or he was just a tomboy girl. And looking at the woman in front of him, the theory seemed plausible enough.
"Now that I think about it, he was the one that gave you your first ship, wasn't he? One that looked the same as the one I was carving." Before he deleted those memories into oblivion, he would use them a bit.
"Yes, yes! That's the one! So you do know him after all!" Drake got all excited. She had her doubts before but now was glad that she wasn't wrong in her assessment.
"You have a question you would have liked to ask him, don't you?" Seth seemed to have gotten it right, as the pink-haired woman instantly went down.
"Yeah... I just wanted to ask him if he—"
"Save it for later. If fate wishes for it, you will get your answer. We have company." The Egyptian God said while looking forward. Although he could not technically see, he could still feel a massive figure rising above the waters. 'He is not even bothering to sneak attack us... Talk about confidence.'
Drake wanted to protest, but the sudden cry of his crew took all of her attention. They seemed to be panicking big time. She couldn't blame them, though. Keeping a heart of steel in front of that monster was not an easy thing.
Luckily for her, most of the Servants on the ship have already taken their position on strategic locations to attack better and to prevent any damage to the ship. However, they didn't have the confidence to achieve the latter with total success.
"Even if it was momentarily, having it as an ally was reassuring. Now though... It is giving me the chills." Sanson commented while positioning his sword defensively. As much as he hated to admit it, this was not a battlefield for him. Their ranged Servants would be the one in the spotlight today.
"Thy reaction is not unfounded, executioner. However, a beast is still a beast—one that we must hunt." Atalanta said while nocking an arrow on her bow, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.
"Kyah! Atalanta is so cool, darling! Did you see it?!" If anything, Artemis' easy-going attitude worked to lighten the pressure they were feeling. Sadly, her Huntress ignored the remark. She was too embarrassed even to react. If she had had actual parents, she felt this was what it was like to not wanting to be seen with them.
"Please stay behind me, Master. This is about to get dangerous." Mash was also ready for combat, but her priority — as always — was to see that her Senpai didn't get too close to danger.
Fujimaru nodded, already knowing how this worked. Honestly, he was scared. Anyone would when a giant snake stared at you as if you were its dinner. However, having dependable Servants by his side helped in calming him down.
"...I want to go home." Others didn't meet that criteria, though. Stheno seemed to want to be anywhere, but this place right now. She was NOT a fighting-type Servant. There was nothing she could do here.
"Don't worry. You don't have to do anything. I will take care of it." Seth appeared on the main deck behind them with words that surprised the ones present. Nevertheless, Stheno was thrilled.
"As expected of Papa! You sure know how to keep your daughter away from danger!" If Seth's twitching lips were anything to go by, he didn't buy her cute act. Even Euryale next to her had a wry smile on her face. Sometimes her sister could be shameless beyond belief.
"Wait, wait, wait. Don't be reckless. God or not, that is the beast of the legendary class. Going against it by yourself is suicide!" EMIYA tried to be the voice of reason, but that didn't work to deter Seth from his objective.
"I wasn't asking for your opinion." There were times where he could stand Archer's bullshit, but now was not one of them. Besides, the Leviathan was not going to wait forever. He could feel his intentions, and they all screamed rage, murder, and most importantly, pain.
"Are you sure you can win? We are not at the peak of our powers, you know~?" Artemis touched her cheek with her index finger while tilting her head. It seemed Seth was in 'God mode,' meaning he would do whatever he wanted without bothering to listen to everyone around him.
"It does not matter. It's my job, after all." After saying that, he started advancing toward the front. Nobody tried to stop it.
There was... something. It spoke to them on a conceptual level. It was hard for them to explain, but if they had to put it into words, it would be like a feeling of security, that everything would be okay.
Funnily enough, the first to understand it was Fujimaru. If he had to describe what Seth looked like to him now, he wouldn't use words like God or murderer. They wouldn't do him justice.
As Seth advanced, one by one, all came to the same realization. His words were not boasting; they were not arrogant in nature. Since ancient times, people like him were always alone in the face of danger, so they could not be any of that.
Eventually, the black-haired man reached the bowsprit in the midst of the widening eyes of the Servants present.
His figure and the Leviathan's soon juxtapositioned themselves to those of an animal God with the Sun at his back against a Serpent with incredible length. His spear was his greatest weapon, and his body his greatest shield.
They couldn't see more than that, but it was already enough to reach a conclusion. As Servants—as Heroic Spirits, it was a natural one.
Materializing his trusted weapon, Seth locked eyes with the monster in front of him.
Even before Humanity had that concept.
'Apophis... I couldn't save you. I killed you without knowing the person who had helped me since I was young was the same I battled every night.'
Even before Humanity was created.
'The one in front of me might not be you... but as one of your descendants, I will promise this...'
He had already been...
'I will save him!'
...A Hero.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
FinalPath
FinalPath It's been so long since I have shown two different situations happening at once. I got an aneurism or something and forgot I could do that lol
Btw, I just made the name up, don't think too much about it
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone