Was I exhausted? Well.. yes I was. I had just engaged in the most massive battle I had ever fought since I got into it with my uncle Vortigern.. and that guy had turned himself into a giant dragon that continuously grew bigger and bigger as I fought him. 

That fight itself had lasted hours, while my fight with Kronos had lasted a sum of 10 minutes, not really much of a comparison, I know.. but Kronos was different type of foe.  The power of a Titan combined with that of Luke's Servant Enhanced body also combined with the Curse of Achilles. If anything, I was fighting a guy who injected himself with three different super mega powers.

My wounds healed quickly of course.. My elder goddess body ensured that, but my mana was very drained, I'd need to rest, but I couldn't allow myself to, there was too much to be done.

The Plaza Hotel lobby was filled with campers, Servants and Hunters alike, getting healed up, or else helping themselves to the food and various aspects of the hotel.  It must have been fun at least to do that much, I knew it wasn't every day you got a five star hotel to yourself, and modern day luxury had things that even the kings of old never had before. Hot steamy baths for one, and various tasty foods...

Whoa whoa... Arturia.. control yourself.. don't pig out.. not now..

"Hey, Arturia!" Jake came up to me. "Reports are coming in that-."

"Not now.. later Jake.. Have you seen Shirou?" I said quickly.

Jake's face fell. "Oh yeah.. nearly forgot.. sorry. He's upstairs, by the way, King Hassan's here too, he'll  be waiting for you where Shirou is."

"Thank you.." I said.

Shirou was up in one of the large luxury suites which had several beds moved into it where the injured were being treated. Nightingale had pretty much converted the room into  makeshift hospital.

She hummed cheerfully to herself as she sorted through boxes of medical supplies apparently from nearby pharmacies.

"I had those puppies Travis and Connor go and steal us some more supplies." said Liz, folding her arms. "Hopefully... that'll help."

"You're helping Nightingale?" I said, feeling surprised.

"Of course! It is the duty of an Idol to visit people at their sickbeds and use their cute charms to cheer them up!" said Liz.

"Saber.. over here.."

Annabeth and Rin were sitting next to a bed where Shirou was lying, having already been patched up by Nightingale.

I walked over and Shirou grinned at me, looking exhausted. "hey.."

"Lucky for him, he still has Avalon inside him.." said Rin. "He healed up pretty quickly.. still needs a bit of rest.. but.."

"I'll live." said Shirou. "Thank god for this sheath in me though.. I don't think I could take ambrosia.. "

I had almost forgot that Kiritsugu had implanted Avalon, the physical embodiment of the place as Excalibur's sheath, inside Shirou, granting greater healing abilities than that of any normal human.

I sighed with relief as I held Shirou's hand. "You.. are going to kill me with how many risks you take.. you know that?"

"Sorry.." said Shirou, grinning. "Guess that's how I am.. I wanna become a hero of justice.."

"Yes.. I expect you do." I said quietly, smiling at Shirou's very idealistic dream.

"Sorry about this Saber.." said Annabeth. " I know you just got back and everything, but Grover just came back with Mrs. O'Leary and needs to talk.. plus.. well.."

Annabeth nodded over to the corner of the room, where the tall King Hassan stood, like a silent dark sentinel..

I nodded at King Hassan. "Lord Hassan.."

Hassan nodded and beckoned to me with a hand.

I walked over.

"I hope you realize, my ability to interfere is minimal." said King Hassan. "I am a Grand Servant.. as a servant who holds power surpassing those of all others.. as the original Assassin.. I cannot fight this entire war for you.."

"I know. "I said. "But granted, you have already done much to help us.."

Hassan nodded. "Good.. I shall continue to do what I am able to..  if I cannot interfere directly, at least I can provide comprehensive surveillance."

"Does that mean you have something to report?" I asked.

"Yes." said Hassan. "I have seen far beyond the city.. I have found that Typhon continues to grow in strength.. he is headed directly for Olympus.. the gods.. they have not been able to slow him down."

"Could you interfere in this instance?" I asked.

"Yes.. but I wouldn't be able to help much." said Hassan. "I am an Assassin, massive beasts of chaos are not proper Assassination targets.. I am needed more here. "

"I see." I said.

"I can slay titans and gods properly however.. Kronos knows this though, he has kept some of his fellow titan troops back after finding out about my presence.. and thus he has released a titan that I myself cannot assassinate."

"What?" I said. "What kind of titan?"

"A Titan of Light.. his light purges through my power of darkness and concealment, weakening me.. I cannot fight him.. another being must instead face him with light of it's own."

"I see.. I will handle him then." I said.  "Anything else to report?"

"The Satyr will inform you of the rest of the relevant information. " said Hassan. "In the meantime.. I must go.. there are no watches set over the Lincoln Tunnel at the moment.. "

I bowed my head to Hassan as he vanished seemingly into thin air.

I went back down into the lobby, thinking hard to myself. Nothing looked good, that was for sure. Even with the new advantage I had thanks to Rhongomyniad, overall we were in a bad position.  Kronos had us boxed in from all sides likely.. and his army definitely was large enough to keep us encased.

Overall this wasn't a battle to win, but a battle of endurance. We were fighting to last out the fight until the gods were able to deal with Typhon, which wasn't going well from what Hassan said.  I knew that perhaps victory would be possible if I could just manage to kill Kronos,  but after he saw just how strong I was, fighting at the front lines wasn't something he'd likely risk until one of the other titans managed to take me down.

And if the other titans managed to take me down, it could be disastrous for the others.. this involved way too many cards I needed to think about how I could flip this into a battle for victory and not a glorified Helms Deep Style standoff.

How could we turn Kronos's forces into the cornered ones..?

I shook myself from my thoughts as I went into the hall to find Grover sitting  on a couch, and practically chewing it to shreds like a typical goat.

"Mmmff.. h.. hey Saber... this type of linen.. delicious.."

"Grover.." I said gently.

"Oh.. right, sorry.. and.. did you change your look? Never saw so much cleavage before..."

"Grover!" I said a little more sternly.

"Sorry, sorry." said Grover. "Well, I've mobilized all the nature spirits, we've got a fair number on our side.. but some are still on the side of the Council and are kinda refusing out of spite."

"That's... stupid!" I said, feeling there was no other word for it. "How petty can you get?"

"Doesn't really matter, about 80 percent agreed to come with me.. and Arturia.. you really need to hear this.. there's another titan leading the forces down there, more powerful than the rest.. many of the Dryads reported seeing a titan in golden armor with amazing light running around..  he's thwarted 20 attempts by King Hassan to assassinate him.. and anybody who can block out the Assassin of all Assassins is not somebody I wanna mess with."

"Grand Servants.. they aren't a legend I'm familiar with, but they are the Servants to top all Servants.. " I said. "They are capable of powers to equal and surpass gods..."

"Annnnd?" said Grover.

"That's all I know." I said with a shrug. "I didn't even know King Hassan was a Grand Servant till I felt his power in person..  The Grail doesn't provide much knowledge on the subject. But considering his power's niche, I think light is sort of his natural enemy.."

"What are we going to do Arturia?" said Grover nervously. "All the nature spirits are pretty much reporting that some of the lights that Hecate's been casting have grown more frequent.. and to top it off, we're dealing with Kronos here.. he's like.. cunning beyond cunning.."

"I know.." I said, heaving a heavy sigh. "Don't worry Grover.. we will prevail."

Grover nodded, and I wished I could believe myself as much as he did me.

"Anyways... Arturia, you look like you've been worn to the born." said Grover. "You should really get some sleep. "

I wanted to protest.. I wanted to visit all the other injured.. and to maybe go comfort Euryale after the tragedy with Stheno, but Grover was right, it wouldn't help my troops to be exhausted upon the time for command...

So I did what Grover said and I found myself a large bed in Nightingale's makeshift medic camp and collapsed into it.. letting Rhongomyniad lean against the wall nearby, glimmering innocently like some sort of well made movie prop.

And of course.. no surprise here.. I HAD A DREAM! yay.. and it was probably the worst kind of dream you could get while a war was going on.

In the dream Nico was talking to a ghost.. a ghost I knew to be his Sister Bianca Di Angelo.

"Nico.. please.. don't do this...  Father has forbidden for you to talk to our mother.. " said Bianca carefully.  "At least wait for Karna to come back."

"Karna can't leave, he's staying on Olympus to deflect Hecate in case she makes it past the Wind Gods." said Nico. "Plus there's not much he can do against my father without the light of the sun to grant him greater strength.. "

"Nico, please.. "

"NO! " said Nico. "I need to know.. what he's hiding!"

Nico swiped his hand through the mist, and Bianca's spirit dissipated.

"Maria di Angelo," he said again. "Speak to me!"

A different image formed. It was a scene rather than a single ghost. In the mist, I saw Nico and Bianca in the form of  little children, playing in the lobby of an elegant hotel, chasing each other around.

There were marble columns all around.. and narrowing my vision (not sure if it were my eyes.. do I have a body in dreams?) and noticing the traits closely resembled italian architecture

A woman sat on a nearby sofa. She wore a black dress, gloves, and a black veiled hat like a star from an old movie that I once saw Irisveil make Kiritsugu watch. She had Bianca's smile and Nico's eyes.

On a chair next to her sat a large oily man in a black pinstripe suit. With a shock, I realized it was Hades. He was leaning toward the woman, using his hands as he talked, like he was agitated.

"Please, my dear," he said. "You must come to the Underworld. I don't care what Persephone thinks! I can keep you safe there."

"No, my love." She spoke with an Italian accent. "Raise our children in the land of the dead? I will not do this."

"Maria, listen to me. The war in Europe has turned the other gods against me. A prophecy has been made. My children are no longer safe. Poseidon and Zeus have forced me into an agreement. None of us are to have demigod children ever again."

"But you already have Nico and Bianca. Surely—"

"No! The prophecy warns of a child who turns to an age of reckoning. Zeus has decreed that the children I currently have must be turned over to Camp Half-Blood for proper training, but I know what he means. At best they'll be watched, imprisoned, turned against their father. Even more likely, he will not take a chance. He won't allow my demigod children to reach 16 or even 13! He'll find a way to destroy them, and I won't risk that!"

" Certamente ," Maria said. "We will stay together. Zeus is un imbecile. "

"You don't understand still." said Hades quickly. "This isn't just any war.. this is a Holy Grail War.. the largest of it's kind ever!!  Servants have been summoned, some of them have power to equal gods..  and the Einzberns on Zeus's side.. rumor is they found the sheathe of the legendary sword of King Arthur.. if they use that as a catalyst.. if they send THAT servant after us.. I'm not even sure I could protect us!"

"you are a god my dear, you will protect us." said Maria. "And surely not all the servants agree with Zeus."

"No, some don't, some do." said Hades. "He doesn't tell them everything. And regardless, as Servants summoned by the Grail they MUST obey their summoner. Zeus has complete control over what they do. I don't have many servants left on my side, and I can't summon more, save Cerberus.

Maria kissed Hades on the cheek. "I'll get my clothes... we can leave after that okay my dear?"

Maria went off into a separate room as Hades waited tentatively... but then..

Hades's eyes widened, he stood up. "WAIT... NO... NOOOOOO!!!"

But he was too late, Hades had only time to erect a wall of dark energy around him and his two children as a large explosion blew the hotel to pieces..

Hades was stooped over the broken form of Maria Di Angelo, tears in his eyes as he held her.. wreckage of the hotel all around them..

Meanwhile, Alecto flapped down from the smoke, "Master.. Cerberus cannot hold them for long, they are coming.. "

"CURSE Zeus... CURSE Him... he did this!!" growled Hades. "He.."

"I did warn you.."

A girl was standing in the rubble. Looking at her sent a jolt of chilling recognition through me.. she looked a lot like Sakura Matou..  Well a little older, with beads and stuff adorning her.. but other than that.. they could've been twins.. or perhaps distant relatives..

"I told you to hide them sooner did I not?" said the girl sadly. 

"YOU!! YOUR GRAND PROPHECY!!" roared Hades. "It's killed my love!! It's doomed my children!!"

"I only speak prophecies.." said the girl. "I cannot create them.. "

Hades's gaze turned most foul, but he turned to Alecto. "Wipe their minds in the River Lethe.. bring them to the Lotus Casino.. my brother musn't find them there.."

"Sending them away and freezing them in time will not solve the problem." said the girl. "They cannot rejoin the world lest they turn to the age of reckoning.. "

Hades breathed with fury, and I had the sudden urge to tell the girl to run..  "Do not dare.. seek to give me advice.. GIRL.. your clan of magic has always been a bunch of do nothing FOOLS.. for this.. your clan shall pay this day... hear the curse of Hades Oracle.."

"Y.. you wouldn't!" stammered the girl.

"From this day forth.. the Oracle will NEVER be able to pass from you... " said Hades.  "Your body will grow old, wither and die.. but the Oracle shall remain locked within you.. as long as my children remain outcasts.. as long as this prophecy haunts me.. you will speak your bitter prophecies till you crumble to nothing... the Oracle will die with you!!"

The girl screamed and as she did.. the mist displaying the image was  swiped away.

The present day Hades stood over Nico, his face every bit as angry looking as he had that day. "Well then... having fun?"

My dream shifted.. 

This time I was staring at a bright sunny beach..  Rachel Elizabeth Dare was wearing a swimsuit and drawing in the sand..

It was all in Ancient Greek, which made me feel absolutely shocked. Rachel was smart, bright, and eager to learn. But she was never learned in Ancient Greek.

She stared at all she had written in the sand and breathed deeply with realization. "so that's what it means.. damn... "

Rachel got up frantically and ran towards the condo sitting in the distance. On the front porch, Mr. and Mrs. Dare were sitting on lounge chairs, reading business magazines... really? Who read business magazines on vacation? Even I would leave my Kingly attitude at the office if I were on vacation.. at least I think I would. (*reads description in Summer Version* oh.. guess I would)

"Dad.." Rachel said frantically. "I need to get back to New York.. now.."

Rachel's father looked up emotionlessly. "Why? we just got here."

"Something VERY very wrong is happening! I need to go now!" said Rachel quickly.

"No.." said Mr. Dare. "We paid very well for this vacation.. I don't see any reason not to stay... "

"Dad... listen.. have you received any calls lately?"

Mr. Dare sighed. "Of course not..we are on vacation.."

"You ALWAYS have calls." said Rachel. "Come on.. even YOU have to admit that's a LITTLE strange.."

"Even so.." said Mr. Dare.

Rachel gritted her teeth. "FINE you win.. If you let me go I'll go to the stupid Clarion Lady's Academy thing!"

I could feel chills running up my spine in my dream. I yelled out "NO RACHEL! Don't!" but no sound came out.

Mr. Dare glanced at Rachel, a new interest peaked on his face, he picked up his phone and spoke into it. "Jared.. get the chopper ready.. "

"Thanks dad!!" Rachel hugged Mr. Dare. "I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

Mr. Dare smirked, as if already seeing the proper lady his daughter would become. "Yes, I'm most certain you will.."

I woke with a start.. and to my own surprise I found I was sweating profusely... a cold type of nervous sweat. Rachel's decision, not to mention her intent on coming back to New York in it's current state was probably driving nuts..

Annabeth had been the one who shook me awake, and she was standing next to my bed.

"You better come down here now.." said Annabeth. "There's a titan from Kronos's army coming down here under the flag of truce, and he wants a meeting with you. "

Announcement:

For those of you who are familiar with the main FGO fandom community on Twitter, you'll know that starting with Saber_Says there are a whole lot of Servant Says accounts that have banded together to create an RP for all the characters of the Fate franchise, From Nobunaga Says to Gilgamesh Says... etc. etc... With luck, I have managed to find out that a Saber Alter Says was in fact, never nabbed after all this time.. and I was lucky enough to take that role. If you wanna chat with me as Saber Alter, your dark tyrant and Santa Clause this season, you can find me at SaberalterSays on twitter, where the other Servant Says accounts have already seemingly embraced me as their own XD. Merry Christmas everyone!