none of us were angels
Character: Cana Alberona, Laxus Dreyar

Summary: This is your life, you made it this far

Deities AU

AN: Happy Birthday, grayinblack-art. I am sorry for being this slow with this but I got ill.

There was someone in the darkness and her heart was racing inside her chest, too loud, too fast. She was not scared, not at all. Because this was a temple and inside the temple, she was safe. So there was no logical reason for her to be afraid. No one would dare to harm her in front of the gods and so she should better calm down and think.

"Praying won't help her, would it?" a male voice asked, somewhere in the dark. "Prayers only work when the god it is addressed to feel gracious and – wait, who's temple is this, anyway?"

"Sherry," a woman replied, a little irritated. "This means: someone who might actually bother."

"Sherry never bothers with anything that might disturb her from focusing on you-know-who," the man who had spoken first replied and Cana who had now located him, swung a candle holder into his direction, highly aggravated because Sherry, the Goddess of love and beauty, was Cana's patron and having strangers in her patron's temple who had the nerve to badmouth her was something that annoyed the brunette quite a bit.

Flames lit up the wide room made of white marble and the man caught the candleholder in midair with a hand that was covered in flames. "Alright, alright," he said as he sat it down. "Uh, hello, weird woman who attacks me randomly. We are looking for-"

The woman, a tall redhead, rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her armoured chest. "Open up your eyes, fool," she commanded. "That's her. The description fits perfectly."

"Her? C'mon, Erza, you can't be serious. She looks nothing like him … also, she lives in Sherry's temple … what sort of normal person would under that woman's protection?" the man with oddly pink-coloured hair asked as he groaned. "You of all people should-"

"-know that Sherry protects what's hers quite fiercely, yes," the woman snapped. "Excuse me, Cana, he never knew how to behave and lately, he seems to have some sort of private vendetta against Sherry which is quite troublesome for all of us."

The fire on the man's hands flickered and Cana stood there, feeling like the only person in the room who had no clue what the other woman was talking about – which was actually the case. She was confused, no, more than that. She was absolutely lost. And then, the redhead stood in front of her before Cana had registered her movement and pushed some sort of golden pill into the brunette's mouth.

And blackness overcame her.

"—I don't care what Urania is saying, she stays in the sickbay until I say otherwise!" a harsh voice thundered through the room as Cana slowly regained consciousness in a room that was not hers and a body that did not feel like hers either.

"Mind saying this to her face, Porlyusica?" a man asked, obviously amused. "We can all understand that this situation has been stressing you out but telling this woman that we refuse her orders will only bring us one step closer to the next Eternal Winter."

"Urgh, then, for all that's holy, go and take her up to the room. I am sure that you will enchanted to see Urania and Gildarts while they are fighting, again," the woman said as the man approached Cana. How did the brunette know? She did not know. She just did.

"Oi, woman, it's time to get up," the man said as he shook her, not exactly gently.

"Excuse me," she snapped as slapped away his hand and sat up before the room started spinning around her. "What the hell did that redhead give me? And where am I?"

"Erza slipped you one of my grandmother's patented pills to allow your body to get accustomed to the different … situation here. You can ask the old lady for a better explanation when she has a better mood which might be … in two hundred years but for now, follow me," the blond man with the scar said. "Also, if you listen carefully, you might hear Sherry yelling at the poor fool Natsu for badmouthing her … the woman needs anger management, quickly."

The sudden cold aura radiated from the white-haired man who had appeared in a twirl of cold air. "I am sure that you wish to repeat this when she can actually hear you and curse you with another century of failed romances, Sting?" he asked and within his polite voice, there was a barely concealed threat. "I didn't think so. Nonetheless, I have to leave."

"Take her out for dinner or something and charge it on me, I cannot have her cursing me, again," the blond man groaned, rubbing his scar. "Seriously, the time she cursed me to believe that I was ugly as hell was damaging for my self-esteem, I don't need an encore."

"Although she would be so happy to deliver," the white-haired man said amused. "Anyway, I will go check on her and Natsu before he is the one who ends up cursed … on the other hand, this might produce amusing results for everyone…"

Another twirl of air and a pink-haired woman made her appearance. Cana did recognise her because this was the woman she had prayed to quite a few times in her life, the woman who had been the patron of the temple where Cana had grown up. The Goddess of Love and Beauty smiled haughtily as she looked at the man called Sting. "Sting," she greeted. "You got roped into the Oldest' business once again? What a shame, what a shame."

"Sherry," the man growled, obviously aggravated with her attitude. "I thought you'd be too busy chewing out Natsu for badmouthing you in front of your own altar…"

"I dealt out the punishment he deserved," she replied, seemingly uncaring. "Also, Sting, it seemed like Rogue and Yukino were looking for you … you might want to go and check in with them. Lyon and I shall take Cana to the Hall in the Middle."

"No funny business, though, or the old lady will have my head," the blond man sighed before he vanished in a flash of light, something that left Cana confused.

"Between Sting and old lady Polly, she probably doesn't know what's going on," Lyon remarked as he sighed deeply. "Okay, girl, let me explain this. Uh, eighteen years ago, Gildarts – you know, Destroyer of Worlds and all that stuff – lived on earth for a while after a terrible fight with Ivan, God of Deceit. Since Gildarts fails at common sense and basic responsibility, he fell in love with a mortal – something Sherry should and would have prevented if she had not been asleep – and well, you came to be. You are a demi-goddess, welcome to the family."

Cana was speechless for a moment and then, in a flash of pink, Sherry rammed her elbow into the man's side before she smiled sweetly. "I am sorry that it had to be Lyon to tell you this in his way … which is just as rude as always," she stated. "Nonetheless, he speaks the truth. Your father is indeed Gildarts, the Destroyer of Worlds."

"There are worse things, however," the cold god shrugged. "Your father could be Ivan … and under those circumstances, the Garden would be less welcoming … because no one wishes for a second tricksters … Gildarts is popular with most of us … a good friend and valuable ally. I am not his greatest supporter but I know people who are."

The door to the hall at the end of the long hallway was opened and a woman made of black, white and blue appeared. She was – for the lack of a better expression – breathtakingly beautiful as she crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips together before she spoke. "Lyon," she stated calmly. "What took you so long? Also, Sherry, there is a rip in your sleeve you might want to fix before stepping in front of the eldest."

"Yes, mother," the white-haired man said with a sigh. "Come on, Sherry, let's hurry."

And this was how Cana met the Mother of the Eternal Winter and her son, the Ice God, along with her long-time patron, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, and the God of Light, Sting. And Cana had no idea what she was getting herself into.

The silent woman was always there. Steady, stoic and smiling. Ever since Cana had arrived in this place, she had waited to catch her father alone, to talk to him about her mother but how was she supposed to ask any questions when the dark-haired woman was always there, silently smiling to herself – as if she had just heard the best joke ever.

She remembered visiting the Destroyer's temple before she had known that it had been her father, praying for advise – and she remembered the smaller statue. Some questions later, she had learned that this was the Goddess of Ice and Sacrifice … and that she was always honoured in some form where people honoured Gildarts … because they had been partners since long before the start of time.

And this was where Cana's bitterness originated from. Urania might be her father's partner and this was all they had ever been, at least according to Erza, the goddess with the scarlet hair, but it was still weird to see the ice goddess always around. People said she had not been seen in more than hundred years yet neither had Gildarts and even though it was unwise for both of them to appear at the same time, they where there, standing side by side with the weird beaded bracelets wrapped firmly around their wrists.

"Urania," Gildarts said as he rested a hand on the cold woman's shoulder. "Are you well?"

"Best I have ever been," she said sarcastically as she crossed her arms. "When can I leave?"

So she did not want to be here either – which prompted the question of why she did not leave and rather remembered things that made her unhappy. Cana noticed. Cana knew. Cana saw things that were true and things that would be true. It confused her but it made sense somehow.

"When Makarov is done with chewing me out," her father replied, smirking at the woman.

"Your sense of humour is unrivalled to the date," she sighed before she faded back into the background, becoming one with pale moonlight.

"Too good for this world, really," the destruction god muttered, his eyes unreadable. He then extended his hand and patted her shoulder. "We are okay, aren't we?" he inquired.

"Have we ever been anything but?" she asked, voice calm and even. There was something hidden beneath the surface, of course there was. Goddesses were not all that different from the mortal ladies Cana knew, used to know. So maybe, just maybe, goddesses got jealous as well. They were just better at keeping their emotions in check, in making sure not to slip. Cana was not sure how she understood. Her mother was dead so her father was not, if he had ever been, obligated to be faithful. A part of her wanted to hate the woman in blue and silver and white but it was surely impossible as Urania was a goddess who could only be feared or loved, sometimes both, never neither. It was impossible to hate the winter after all because there was always something tender, fragile in all the deadly beauty.

She followed her father, unsure of where the way would lead them. This place was perfect with the golden trees and the shining diamonds everywhere but the true gems were the deities. The woman with the aquamarine hair that seemed to be made of waves who stood by the well captivated Cana for a moment because something about her seemed to draw her closer.

"Juvia's special charm gotcha, huh?"

She turned her head, catching sight of the blond man, the thunder god. She had been to his temple, once or twice. "Juvia?" she repeated, never having heard of her before.

"Goddess of Water but mostly of rainstorms," he shrugged. "The name's Laxus, but you know this already. Prayed in my temple once or twice, didn't you? Asked me or someone else to reconnect you with the missing father. Though of course, it was Ultear who spun these timelines together," he added, mentioning towards a woman who was the splitting image of the cold and frozen woman. "Whatever concerns fate concerns her. Never make her your enemy."

"I am not heartless," the woman said, a little annoyed but smirking nonetheless. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Cana. I just said to Lyon that it was time for more children of the eldest to join us here in the Garden. We have tea parties together a lot, talk about our chronically absent parents. It's not all that bad once you realise that we all have the same problem … to be only second best. Laxus' father has long forgotten that he has a son and … I cannot stay long in my mother's presence as she is always accompanied by the greatest cold."

The older goddess was made of black marble or so it seemed to Cana. Words came easy to the goddess of time and Cana had learned that people who spoke easily could make their words a weapon and they could not stop until the world would be captivated by them. She was wary of the older woman, very wary, and she did not know why.

"Most of us form alliances according to the alliances our parents have," Laxus said, nodding at the blue-haired siren by the well. "Juvia, for example, has formed an alliance with Gray, Urania's youngest child. That's, well, it was to be expected, huh?"

"Indeed," Ultear said, her lips forming a sly smirk. "Gray and the only daughter of our mother's only … what is Aquarius again to mother? A rival, a sister? Both? Neither? I don't know."

"The question might get answered soon," Laxus remarked as he sighed. "Because Aquarius just made her appearance and is on your mother's case again."

In that moment, Cana could have wished a thousand wishes to get away. The newcomer, a blue-haired woman who wore something akin to a tiara and a blue dress that was obviously made of ocean waves, strolled over to the ice goddess who was already frowning at her. This would not end well, as much was already obvious.

"Ur-a-nia," the water goddess said in a childish singsong voice. "When will I become an aunt again? It has been how many centuries since Gray came to be? I think I deserve a little more love from my only little sis-"

She never got to end her sentence as the ice goddess turned around and her glare literally froze the other woman. "I asked you this before, Aqua," she said, a little dark now, "but just stay out of my business. Gildarts, I am going ahead."

What was the deal with her father and Urania, Cana mused. She liked the woman because when she had first arrived in the realm in between the worlds, it had been the ice goddess who had welcomed her, who had offered her something to drink and eat. She still wished the woman would leave for a while so that Cana could speak with her father without anyone around.

"Aquarius," Gildarts said darkly. "What is your problem, anyway?"

"As long as you stay around, I will never manage to hook her up with someone nice," the woman complained, poking his side. "Why don't you go on a long, long trip, destroy some worlds and let me handle Urania's business? I'd make a better job than you ever could." She reached out, patted Gildarts' head in a belittling way and smirked. "It's not that I dislike you, dear, but my sister's business is mine as well."

"Your sister is not even your sister, woman."

"Here we go again," Ultear groaned as she speeded up her steps. "Let's head straight for the Garden. No one has to listen to their arguments about who cares more about mother."

Cana followed the duo. "Will this keep happening?"

"With Aquarius around you can always be sure that people will get into fights with her," Laxus. "She is not a bad person but she has a habit of involving herself with someone else's business, most likely her fellow elders, of course."

Cana nodded, feeling lost once again. She had never imagined that this mess might be her life because her ambitions had been so much less … weird. She had aimed for something else, she had dreamed of being head of the temple she had lived in for so long once the current head would retire because really, serving a god was about the safest way one could live his or her life.

"Juvia will go and restrain her," the woman Cana knew as Juvia muttered in passing, her pale cheeks coloured crimson. "Really, this is such an embarrassment for Juvia!"

"Have fun with this, Juvia," Laxus said as he rolled his eyes. "Also, Gray, you should aid your ally."

"Of course you would say this, Laxus," the dark-haired man said with a sigh. "It will be a pleasure meeting you properly, Cana, once we got this settled. Wait up, Juvia, will you?"

And then, finally, they reached the stairs that led into the Garden.

"You know," Laxus said, "the best thing you can do is getting not intimidated by anyone … in the end, the others are just as scared of you as you are of them. It has been a long time since someone new joined us … and many take not lightly to change. The easiest way for you to deal with this mess might be to join forces with Ultear and me, we are the least likely to backstab you."

And this was exactly what she did.