AN: So for this chapter I don't actually know how old Lucy is but I figured 20 years old wouldn't be a bad guess. Basically Lucy was supposed to be the next Mistress of the Seas and the mermaids had to wait those twenty years Lucy grew up for the Mistress to be 'reborn' again. Anyway this chapter explains a bit more on that whole subject. I hope you guys are liking it so far and just a warning we're getting close to the end. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. The only thing I'll claim is my original characters, Rizzy and Lolita plus the persona of the Mistress of the Seas.

"What were you idiots thinking!" Aquarius scolded the entire crew of Fairy Tail when they were finally free from danger. "Taking the Mistress head on is a death wish! And what's more you could've killed Lucy as well!"

The battered crew sat in silence in the hull of the ship, most members sitting around a large table while others stood behind them. Aquarius took a moment to scold them the minute the large wave stopped them on the far side of Fiore. With a booming voice, hands on her hips, and a sharpened glare she looked over each member scrutinously. Many of them had casts, those that didn't had bandages and others still were being kept in sick bay.

Gray stood up quickly, speaking his mind where the rest of Fairy Tail remained quiet. He winced at the sudden action but remained resolute. Gray had taken a blow to the back from the Mistress but he refused to stay in sick bay after his wounds were treated. Now he stood with the rest of Fairy Tail bent on getting at least one of his best friends back before the Mistress took anymore. "What were we supposed to do then, huh? Just let Lucy be controlled by that water witch?!"

Gray confronted her, Aquarius met the pirate's bad attitude with a will of her own. "You're supposed to strategize! If you had come to me for help I probably could've found a way around this!"

Erza, who was slightly more level headed, took Gray's place. "If you have any better ideas we'd love to hear about them."

Aquarius's frown increased, she sighed. "First of all, it's hardly wise to go charging into battle over something you barely understand." Fairy Tail directed it's full attention to Aquarius as she explained. "The Mistress of the Seas is a goddess, and as such she requires the connection of a human vessel to appear in our world. We rely on her as much as she relies on us. Like I explained to Lucy, mermaids need magic to survive, magic that the Mistress provides. In order for the Mistress to provide us with magic she needs the faith and devotion of all mermaids. Which is why sharing a kingdom in the overworld with mermaids is so imperative to our loyalty to her. After the Mistress's vessel is destroyed, as it was twenty years ago, a new one must be raised. Thats where Lucy came in.

"Lucy was supposed to be the next vessel for the Mistress," Aquarius turned her gaze from Fairy Tail and her eyes darkened. "That's why we needed her, so the Mistress could use her as a vessel and restore our magic. Going too long without magic for mermaids is fatal and twenty years was much too long already. I had to make the choice of saving my own kind at the expense of Lucy's life. I regretted that decision immediately."

"What does that mean?" Levy stood up. "Is Lu-chan gone forever then? Can't we get her back?"

"I was getting to that. Lucy isn't gone, she's just dormant. Her soul still lives inside her body with the Mistress, but too much suppression could send her soul to the spirit world permanently. In other words, the Mistress will eventually become the only soul occupying Lucy's body. I don't know how long Lucy has, as it is she's probably halfway to the spirit world already. So we have to force the Mistress's spirit out by severing her connection to this world."

"But you said Lucy was her connection, wouldn't that mean-" Gray started, meaning to imply Lucy's death but his words caught in his throat and hung in the air.

"Lucy's not her only connection. Yes the Mistress needs a vessel to appear here, but she also needs the spiritual connection of a lacrima. When Lucy touched the lacrima at Manatee's Bluff she awakened the connection between her and the Mistress. Then the Mistress was allowed to take over. If we destroy the lacrima the Mistress won't have that connection anymore."

"And she'll be forced to leave Lucy's body?" Erza finished.

"Yes, but we need to engage a plan to do this quickly. I've only ever heard of a soul affected by divine possession surviving for a few weeks at most. Lucy doesn't have much time left."

"So if we destroy this lacrima, Lucy will come back to us. It sounds easy but there must be more to it." Erza stated.

"There is." Aquarius confirmed. "The lacrima has been merfolks sacred artifact for eons, even getting close to it under normal circumstances would be hard. Given that the Mistress is guarding it, makes it almost impossible."

"If this lacrima is so heavily guard then how the hell do we get close enough to destroy it?" Gajeel started by asking the important question.

Aquarius pondered for a moment. "The Mistress knows of my betrayal, and of Rizzy and Lolita's...which means she'll be expecting an attack soon. If I didn't have to expose myself by protecting you we might have had a chance at getting close!" She spoke with purposeful blame in her voice. Fairy Tail visibly shied away, Aquarius continued. "It won't be easy, to state the obvious. But with my remaining magic we might be able to do it."

"I guess you have a plan then?" Said Gray.

"It may be a long shot but if I can disguise some of you as mermaids do you think you could get close enough to destroy the lacrima?"

Fairy Tail was lost in thought, Erza was the one who spoke next after a long silence. "Fairy Tail will do whatever is necessary to protect our friends."

"Juvia would like to volunteer." A small, calm voice spoke up from the back of the room. "Lucy protected Juvia once, she wants to return the favor."

Gray raised his hand next, "There's no way I'm not going. Lucy's my best friend and that witch killed Natsu. I got a bone to pick with her."

"I would also like to go," Erza started. "And I would like to lead you in this, Gray," She turned to the pirate in question a somber look on her face. "but you are hurt already from the last battle. I can't risk you getting hurt again."

"What!" Gray's face pulsed with rage, his fists clenched as he rounded on Erza. "Are you saying I can't handle it!? Erza I gotta help Lucy! I-"

"I know!" Her voice penetrated the air, stopping Gray in his tracks. "But we don't have time enough for you to heal. Lucy needs our help now, and you are too wounded to carry out this mission."

His face sunk, bangs hiding his expression. "I gotta help Lucy…"

Erza came up to him and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "But you'll be no good to her dead. Please Gray…" Erza's voice shifted and she suddenly spoke with purpose and love. "Promise me you will stay safe on the ship."

Gray seemed taken aback by her request. He stared at her for a while contemplating how hard it must be for her to watch him risk his life. "Erza…"

"PROMISE!" She commanded not giving Gray much of a choice.

"...Fine...I'll stay here." He said finally.

Gajeel stood up. "I'll go in Gray's place." He locked eyes with Gray as he said, "Don't worry, ice princess, I'll make sure Lucy's safe." Gray remained expressionless but sat down and the next volunteer spoke up.

In the end the list of Fairy Tail pirates to go into mermaid territory was; Juvia, Erza, Gajeel, Levy, Wendy, and Cana accompanied by Aquarius.

"Very well," Erza began taking up position next to Aquarius as leader. "we have enough volunteers to make this work. Keep in mind it's an espionage mission so we'll have to be as quiet as possible. We also don't have much time, we'll only have one shot!"

"C'mon!" Cana began to shout, lifting their spirits. "Let's do this one for Lucy!" She cheered with the rest of Fairy Tail, now congregating outside the interior of the ship ready for action.

Erza addressed Aquarius when the rest had left. "We have to make this work. Which means I'll be counting on you as much as them." She studied Aquarius with a sideways glance.

Aquarius turned her head, "I wouldn't have come here if I thought it wasn't possible. I assure you I will do everything in my power to bring that brat back."

Erza smiled, content enough with the conviction Aquarius had shown so far. She followed Fairy Tail outside.

Bringing the ship too close to the new mermaid kingdom might be too risky, Fairy Tail would have to rely on the mermaid abilities they obtained from Aquarius if they wanted to get close. Of course, though, the Mistress has already seen Erza's face and has most likely warned her kind of the redhead. So Aquarius added a bit more magic to make Erza's hair change color and shape, that way she wouldn't be recognized. Instead of it's usual red locks she now had deep purple hair that curled below her waist. In the meantime Fairy Tail opted for a decoy. They would sail the ship close to the Mistress's kingdom. Close enough to open fire and engage in naval combat with most of the mermaids. This was meant keep the Mistress occupied long enough for the disguised pirates to sneak into where the lacrima was being kept. If luck was on their side and all went according to plan they may be able to make this work.

Erza waited under the water her purple tail slashing back and forth getting tangled every time it passed through her extra long locks of hair. She knew too well the odds of this mission going awry and just the thought she could lose Lucy made her shiver. Wendy, Cana, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel and Aquarius waited with her watching her grow more agitated by the second.

"Juvia hopes it is not too late to save Lucy." Juvia turned to her friends and stated her fears.

Aquarius muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, then loud enough to hear she said; "Given previous vessels track records it may already be too late."

"I don't know about everyone else," Levy spoke up addressing the entire group. "but I'd rather believe in Lucy's resolve to survive than give up now!"

"Right!" Wendy agreed. "Lucy is strong, she would never give up so we can't either."

"Even so, I wish we had more certainty this will work." Erza voiced still swishing her tail back and forth and staring to the surface where Fairy Tail was trying to get the Mistress's attention. When the fighting between Fairy Tail and the mermaids began was Erza's que to lead her comrades into the kingdom, find the lacrima and destroy it.

Gajeel scoffed in his usual mannerisms and slammed a fist into his palm. "C'mon. We're fuucking Fairy Tail for crying out loud! The entire continent of Fiore knows we're the strongest pirates in the world. We can't fail." Gajeel held a confident shit-eating grin while his sharkman teeth looked even more menacing up close. His words may have motivated the others but Erza remained unsure.

She sighed, then shook her head of the uncertainty, knowing if she let it consume her the worst would be inevitable. She smiled slightly at Gajeels speech and forced herself to relax a bit. Elfman let the first cannon fire fly, it struck the water with no serious damage but exploded the minute it touched any sort of surface. From a safe distance under the water Erza and her comrades could see the cannon ball had impacted a large portion of the mermaids newly built kingdom. Mermen and mermaids swam around the damaged area irritated and more than a little furious. She saw flashing of spears, gnashing of teeth, and some dared to get close to Fairy Tail only to be nearly blasted out of the water by repeating cannon fire.

A few minutes of watching the merfolk struggle and the Mistress decided to show herself. If they weren't already concealed by magic and a reef trench Erza would have ducked. The way the Mistress looked around her destroyed kingdom suggested she saw everything. Her eagle eyes- no- Lucy's eyes searched everywhere with tremendous precision. The Mistress took one look at the pirate ship floating above her and snarled. She quickly ordered a small infantry to be gathered amidst the barrage of cannon balls.

Erza moved forward when the Mistress led her armies to the surface. She didn't say a word and motioned for the others to remain quiet as well. They swiftly spliced through the waters with the quickness gained from their merfolk tails. The disguised pirates made their way quickly around fallen spiral columns and broken reef structures. The merfolk that weren't fighting were causing a mass confusion among the rubble. Fairy Tail made use of the chaos, because there wasn't anything more profitable on the battlefield than confusion.

Finding an entrance to the Mistress's quarters was easy. After all it's hard to miss a castle of stonework sitting atop a large coral reef, especially when the sunlight shone through the surface perfectly enveloping the crests of it's architecture. The castle was much bigger than any of the other buildings around it, and it practically screamed royalty. Erza found it fitting for someone as big headed as the Mistress.

So far, so good, Fairy Tail had made it through the panicked merfolk without being noticed but the Mistress was still no fool. She had guards heavily posted within and around her castle. Although the few on the outskirts of the castle were preoccupied with watching a pirate ship blow up their home, but the rest inside the castle would not be so distracted. One by one Aquarius hurried each Fairy Tail member into the underside of the castle.

The tunnel Aquarius led them into seemed to have been a clandestine and unfinished project. There were broken light crystals placed along some parts of the walls but they ended the closer they got to the inside of the castle. The tunnel started out as a mere cave barely big enough to crawl in and expanded into a tightly fit corridor made of meticulously placed stones.

In keeping with the silence Wendy crawled out of the tunnel first. She came back a few minutes later with her usual 'all is clear' hand sign. The pirates followed her out into the prison. Cells lined the walls containing varying torture items from chains to foreign merfolk devices, that Erza didn't want to even think about what they were used for. They kept up their silent raid by allowing Aquarius to take the lead, saying with hand signs they were to follow closely and quietly. Cana however stayed back, no one noticed until Erza did a quick head count. She looked behind her and saw the darkly colored mermaid by a cell talking in hushed tones to someone Erza couldn't see.

"Cana!" She whispered into her friends ear loudly. "What are you do-" Before she could finish her question a familiar seaweed green head of hair came into her view.

"You guys are gonna get us out of here, right? I think Rizzy's going to pace herself into an early grave if ya don't." Cana and Erza looked from Lolita, held captive with Rizzy behind bars, to each other. Erza shot her a look of distress trying to portray how important this mission was and how little space there was for things like this. Cana replied with a determined face on, as if to say, "They're our friends, and we help friends."

Erza resigned herself with a frustrated grunt and grabbed the hilt of her sword. Using the blunt side, she smashed the lock on Rizzy and Lolita's cage. Both mermaids swam out as fast as they could.

"Ah ha ha! I knew you'd come for us! You Fairy Tail pirates have a soft spot for that kinda stuff!" Lolita announced loudly doing a little backflip and truly enjoying her freedom.

"T-thank you very much!" Rizzy did a little bow. "It was very cramped in there."

"Look guys keep it down!" Cana warned them. "We're trying to destroy the lacrima without drawing attention to ourselves."

"Oh so it's a top secret spy mission!" Lolita said with a glint in her eye.

Erza then confronted everyone present. "We need to keep our voices down if this is going to w-"

"What are you still doing here!?" Levy came in hurriedly, worry clear as day on her face. "Aquarius wants us all to stay together." Suddenly her eyes wandered to the two new mermaids before her. "Rizzy and Lolita!"

"'Sup?" Lolita flashed Levy a casual wave, as if they weren't in a life or death situation.

"Hello." Rizzy answered more quietly.

"There's been a change of plans. We can't possibly move together efficiently with this amount of people now." Erza began as quietly as she could. "Rizzy, Lolita?" Each mermaid addressed gave Erza their full attention. "Am I right to presume you would know where the Mistress's precious lacrima is being kept?"

Lolita shrugged. "Sure. Just about every mermaid knows that."

Erza nodded her head. "Good. Then you two can lead us to it. Levy, go back to Aquarius and tell her we are splitting up!"

Levy hesitated before saying. "Are you sure?" She nervously tapped both index fingers together as she met Erza's steel gaze. "I mean, in every horror story if they split up everyone dies…"

Erza seemed honestly confused at Levy's uncertainty. "Why would what we are doing be relevant to a fictional horror story?"

Levy puffed out a stream of bubbles. "Fine. We'll split up, just make sure you get there in one piece."

"You have my word. No hurry, we are running out of time!"

Levy, with new determination on her face, thrashed her tail as she left the corridor of cells. Erza turned to the remaining mermaids.

"Well, lead us to where the lacrima is." She locked eyes with Lolita who nodded in agreement.

"I'm assuming you'll explain why you're here on the way, right?"

"Whatever you want, but we gotta get out of here! Lucy's counting on us!" Cana said, pushing Lolita forward.

Now in two teams, the disguised pirates slowly made their way to the lacrima room. Each member as uncertain as the other. But with the sounds of their fellow Fairy Tail members still shooting cannons outside there is no room for hesitation. They needed to get Lucy back now!