Even once the game of tag had subsided, not all heightened feelings died out. Jet and Droy, the two men who had been in a yelling match with Gajeel when Lucy and the others who had returned, were still sore over being unable to "protect" their dainty friend, whose name was Levy. Gajeel couldn't stop himself from making jabs towards their "uselessness" and riling up hard feelings. Meanwhile, Gray and Natsu were still attempting to murder each other, strategically working together to move their fight around the room to keep away from Erza and Mira. Juvia cheered for Gray from her seat next to Lucy, who just sat there, holding the two bottles retrieved from the seafood diner not that long ago, yet already forgotten.

Lucy decided that all boys were stupid, regardless of their species, and stood up, face clearly displaying her opinion of the current situation. She made her way over to the table where Levy was sitting and sorting through some large books. Books had always fascinated Lucy, who had seen them on ships from time to time. Knowledge and stories captured in characters made of dark liquid on a thin sheaf, communication of thoughts and memories and ideas all in a magical item called a book. Lucy regretted that she hadn't had much of a chance to explore this fascinating object, but they didn't hold up very well underwater. They had a nasty habit of disintegrating rather quickly.

Levy looked up at Lucy when she stopped at her table, smiling. "You're Lucy, right? I'm Levy McGarden. It's nice to meet you!"

Nodding with a returning smile, Lucy gestured at the books. Levy thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you asking what the books are about?" When Lucy gestured affirmatively, Levy went on. "These books are on the Trident, its lore and history. Hopefully, we'll be able to find out something about it to give us an idea of where and what it might be, and how to use it once we've found it."

That sounded like an intelligent course of action to Lucy. She timidly reached out a hand towards the closest book, raising a questioning brow at Levy. The other girl responded by pushing it towards her and opening the cover. "Feel free to look through any of them that you like. I'd heard you can't talk. That must be hard. Can you write? I have ink and paper here you could use."

Thinking for a moment, Lucy thought to give it a try. Merfolk didn't often write, since there was no paper beneath the waves, but they did on occasion find the use of squid ink and rocks or shells to write out important things. Lucy didn't know if they used the same writing characters, but it was worth a try. They were speaking the same language, right? So she accepted the writing implements from Levy, and gently dipped the pen in the ink, being careful not to spill. When she wrote out her name on the paper, she checked with Levy to see if the girl could read it.

"'Lucy'? Did you write your name?" Levy asked. Apparently, it wasn't very readable after all. Lucy sighed in disappointment. Her hopes had soared at the chance for communication again, and she felt miserable at the crushed optimism.

A warm presence hovered over her left shoulder, inspecting her handiwork. "That's some awful chicken scratch there, Lucy. Did you do that?" Natsu asked. Lucy gave him a blank expression, unsure of what 'chicken scratch' was. He elaborated, saying, "Ya know, awful handwriting? Messy? Ugly? Unreadable?"

Instead of being unsure, Lucy was now too sure of Natsu's meaning, as well as the fact that his string of insults made her want to whack him over the head. How rude could someone be?

"Actually, Natsu's right for once," Gray commented, adding his two seashells from Lucy's other shoulder. "That is some messy writing."

Now Lucy wanted to whack Gray, too. Of all things for these two to agree on! These two men claimed to be nothing alike and were constantly bickering and punching each other, but when it came down to it, they were incredibly similar.

"Hey! I was right about a lot of things today!" Natsu protested.

"But not about this," Levy butted in. She held up Lucy's paper, pointing to the writing. "This is actually a different alphabet than we use, and the characters are pretty well-formed, easily allowing me to read her name. The only reason I questioned whether it was right was that I was unsure if I were using the correct language to read what she'd written. There are several languages that use this alphabet, but not always in the same manner. It either said 'Lucy,' 'light,' 'starfish,' 'papaya,' or 'lantern.' I assumed it was her name."

Lucy was ready to hug Levy. She grabbed the paper back, and hastily wrote out a note, then shoved it towards Levy and waited for a response.

"Yes, I can read your writing perfectly. I'm fluent in several languages, so it's no problem."

And then Lucy did hug Levy, barely repressing a sob of relief. She didn't have to keep everything inside anymore. If she had something to say, Levy could help her. She didn't have to be so alone anymore. Levy hesitated for a moment, but then returned the embrace. Lucy thought about asking Levy to teach her about this land's alphabet and books, about keeping a friendship with this girl even after she got her tail back and returned home.

Gajeel interrupted the pleasant stream of thoughts by shouting from across the room, "What the heck is a papaya?"

The girls separated, and Lucy looked to Levy for an answer. The little blunette's brown eyes narrowed at Gajeel. "How did he hear from all the way over there?"

Lucy didn't have the answer to that either. Gajeel had always had good hearing, but this was different. They had been speaking quietly at a sizable distance from Gajeel in the midst of a noisy guild. Lucy shrugged aside that question in interest of getting an answer to Gajeel's. She nudged Levy in an attempt to get an answer.

"Oh. A papaya is a type of tropical fruit."

"That doesn't make any sense. What does that have to do with star girl?" Gajeel demanded.

Levy stood up and slammed her hands on the table, shouting back to Gajeel, "Why don't you come over here if you want to be a part of the conversation?"

Gajeel in response jabbed a thumb towards his bandaged eyes. "In case ya haven't noticed, I'm blind! How am I s'posed to get around, huh?"

Straightening and placing hands on hips, Levy leaned forward and retorted, "It didn't to seem to bother you all that much when we were playing tag just now. You singled me out easily!"

"And tagged ya, too," Gajeel boasted, a smirk on his face. Lucy was glad to see a smile from him again.

"In that case, you should have no problem getting over here on your own," Levy taunted, returning to her original position.

Knowing her friend, Lucy saw the slightest hesitation before he took his first step. Lucy wasn't going to let him blunder over here, tripping and embarrassing himself, only to have bruised feelings and an incensed temper. That wouldn't help anything. Instead of allowing such a negative outcome, she flitted over to his side, putting a hand on his arm. He gave only a grunt in response. To disguise the fact that she'd come to help, Lucy put the tall green bottle, the one with the clue, in Gajeel's hand.

"Ya found somethin' at the place?" Gajeel felt the bottle up and down, then lifted it to his face and gave it a sniff. After a moment, he muttered, "This thing is really old."

Back at the table she'd just left, Natsu hollered, "That's what I said, too!"

How did these two do that? Hearing quiet conversations across rooms? At least neither of them could hear her thoughts. Lucy paused. Would that be helpful, or would it be a problem? She wondered… But she could think more about that less than likely possibility later. For now, she had someone who could help her communicate, and a clue in a bottle to open up. She pulled on Gajeel's arm to take him back to the others. Now she just needed to have someone fetch Juvia, and they would be ready to open the- Oh, Loke was moving towards Juvia already. That was nice.

All three merfolk reached the table at the same time. Lucy placed herself between Juvia and Gajeel, Loke standing behind the three of them, and across from Levy, Jet and Droy standing at either shoulder. Natsu and Gray stood at the right side of the table, arms folded. They all wore serious expressions, serious and curious.

The cork on the bottle was wedged in tightly, but Gajeel simply put in in his mouth and yanked it out, cork stuck to his sharp fang. He placed the opened bottle on the table, and spat the cork out behind him. "Someone tell me what's in this thing."

Mira approached the table, cork in hand, smile in place, and said, "Spit on my floor again, and suffer the consequences." Lucy felt like that was a sincere threat, but before she could become too afraid, Mira continued. "I'll send Erza over."

"Dude, you almost made her cry!" Gray admonished Gajeel as Mira walked away.

"Yeah, and usually only Gray manages that, the idiot," Natsu added.

Expecting yet another quarrel, Lucy grabbed the bottle and extracted a tightly rolled scroll. It felt thick, and old. Juvia held on to one side while Lucy gently unrolled the material to reveal depictions and scrawled inscriptions. Levy leaned over the map to get a better look, being short enough that most of her body seemed to be on the table. Lucy thought her new friend was cute, and she could tell Jet and Droy definitely agreed with her by the appreciative looks they continuously sent her way. She wondered if the two ever fought with each other over Levy's affections; they appeared pretty united standing against Gajeel earlier.

Natsu, face stretched out by Gray, who was intent on discovering how elastic Natsu's features were and if they had a breaking point, took a moment to glance down at the opened relic. "Ish thath a treashure mapth?"

Even if the corner of his mouth was being yanked to an awkward angle, forcing his tongue and lips into ungraceful pronunciation, Lucy was unimpressed with Natsu's delivery. She condescended to give him a disapproving look before returning her gaze to outlines of shorelines and towns and bodies of water. It did look like a map.

"It does look like a pirate map," Jet commented.

Droy agreed. "The kind you hear about in stories."

"Natsu, please don't do that to Gray's face," Juvia asked politely, nervously observing Natsu push the corners of Gray's eyes out until they were squinted shut.

"Why?" Natsu asked clearly, having shaken mostly from Gray's grip. "I'm just tryin' to fix his droopy eyes."

"There's nothing wrong with Gray's eyes!" Juvia exclaimed, her eyes blazing. Her need to defend Gray was on prominent display this evening.

Levy tapped the map pensively. "This map is inked onto old leather, very well done, too. The writing is in the same language Lucy uses, easy to read and make out. For being so old, it's in remarkably good shape."

Erza approached the table at this point. "So what is the map of? Does it say what we are looking for?"

"These notes along the side here are instructions, warnings, and tips, almost like a user's guide to the map. From what I've gathered from my earlier research and this map, I'm thinking that the Trident has been broken into four separate pieces and hidden at the various locations marked on this map. See these four 'x' marks?" Levy pointed to the four points. They weren't very close together, some being further inland, one even out in the ocean.

Lucy felt deflated. Every time they received new information, their mission only got bigger and harder. How discouraging. But she determined to not let her loss of heart be known to her friends, and instead be a bolster of hope lest all three of them be overwhelmed. Too bad just thinking about finding bits of an unknown object by travelling across an unknown world facing unknown obstacles racing against an unknown clock to save their very known and missed home all made Lucy want to curl up and shut her eyes against the world. Lucy didn't close her eyes, though. She forced her back straighter, and put on one of her best smiles. No one would know how down she felt.

A hand settled on Lucy's shoulder. "Don't let it get you down, beautiful." Lucy looked up to see Loke smiling at her. Huh? Hadn't she just decided no one would know how down she felt? How had he known? He had a nice smile. It didn't have the suave, intentionally seductive undertones his earlier smiles possessed; rather, it was just an innocent, friendly, warm smile. Lucy felt lighter.

An elbow rested on Lucy's other shoulder. "Say, Luce, ya feelin' alright? You're lookin' peaky." Natsu stuck his face in close to hers. This human really had no concept of personal space. However, instead of following her movements to maintain the same distance between them as he tended to do, when Lucy scrunched her nose and backed away, Natsu merely straightened into a relaxed forward-facing posture. His elbow still rested on her shoulder, leaving him hunched over with a good view of the map. Loke still had his comforting hand on her right shoulder.

How was she supposed to concentrate on Gray and Erza commenting on the various locations and how long it would take them to reach all of the pieces? What had felt like a familiar tingle a few hours ago had now returned, and instead of being a little feeling, was a warm sensation that filled her down to her toes. The only real word to describe it was it felt like light. She couldn't help but lean back into that light and warmth and familiarity, closing her eyes in a sense of tranquility.

"But what do we know of the Trident itself?" Erza was asking. "Is it something we can bring on the train with us after we collect the pieces, or will we need other accommodations?"

"Well," Levy began, pulling one of the open books towards herself, "from what I've found, it really is what it sounds like: a trident. However, the lore behind it is fascinating-"

Natsu tapped the map by pushing Lucy's body forward enough to be able to reach it without removing his elbow from her shoulder. "What I wanna know is why we're sittin' here gabbing when we could be getting this first one right here. I mean, look. It's right here."

"Just because it's in the lake doesn't mean we can just march out there without knowing anything," Erza reprimanded.

"Ya mean the water close to here? It's in there?" Gajeel jumped in. The group around the table looked at him, perplexed. He was blind; how could he know about the lake?

Levy, peeved at being interrupted, answered, "Yes, it's right there, but we were talking about the background information you need to know-"

"Let's just talk on the way," Gajeel cut in.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Natsu agreed excitedly.

Gray held his hands up. "Not to be a big party pooper, but the sun in close to setting. It'll be dark soon."

"How'm I s'posed to know that?" demanded Gajeel. "I'm blind, remember?"

"Then how the heck did you know about the lake being out there?" Droy asked incredulously.

"How could'ja miss it? It's obvious there's lots of water there," Gajeel returned.

Juvia slid into the little debate. "We know a little about water, you know. We're also very eager to finish our mission as soon as possible to save our home. Is there any way to go now?"

Lucy was grateful Juvia was so much more diplomatic than Gajeel; it certainly smoothed out their relationship with the guild they were clearly going to need during their journey. They had no way of navigating by themselves up here in the human world. They would need assistance to be able to go quickly enough to make a difference for those back in the terror of the darkness.

"Ah, c'mon, guys!" Natsu coaxed. "The sun isn't setting yet, and Levy can explain stuff while we're there. There's no real harm in going out now. And if we don't find it today, we just come back tomorrow!"

Juvia and Lucy nodded in agreement, sending pleading looks to the others. When there was no immediate response, Lucy grabbed Natsu's elbow and began to shake it, wanting him to take them if no one else would.

"Loke! A request came in for you!" called out a voice.

The warm hand left her shoulder as Loke responded to the call, and Natsu straightened a moment later. Lucy thought she saw his gaze trail after Loke for a moment, but her determination was focused on getting to the lake as soon as possible.

"Alright! Time to go!" Natsu declared, turning back to the group. "Juvia, you wanna come or stay?"

"Why would I want to stay?"

"Are you offering to carry her?" Gray asked at the same time Juvia derided Natsu's idiotic question. Juvia looked momentarily horrified, putting her hands over her mouth. Clearly, this was not in line with Juvia's wishes.

Natsu sent his rival a mischievous grin. "You jealous?"

Before Gray could give a response, Juvia emitted a small squeak of pleasure and blushed prettily, her negative feelings of only moments before instantaneously erased with the lovely thought of Gray's intense jealousy. Lucy sighed.

"Can ya humans stop bein' stupid for a few minutes so we can get outta here?" Gajeel asked, standing quickly enough to push back his chair with a clatter.

Lucy agreed, though she rose with much more poise than her friend. Natsu added his enthusiasm for the expedition by pulling out Juvia's chair far enough for him to get his arms under her legs and around her back. He scooped her up and ran for a hallway, shouting out, "C'mon, Juvia! Let's get Gray jealous together!"

There was a brief pause at the table. Levy put a hand over her face, Jet and Droy were unimpressed. Gray just looked ticked off, though because it was Natsu involved or because he actually wanted to carry Juvia himself remained a mystery to Lucy.

"Does he even know what that sounded like?" Gray scoffed.

"Probably not; he's Natsu," Levy said.

Erza turned to Levy, asking, "What did it sound like?"

Another brief pause. Gajeel was the one to break it this time. "Are ya kiddin' me? What do ya humans always go after mermaids for? Crazy humans go after 'em for their big eyes and bigger b-"

Lucy smacked Gajeel to get him to shut up, blushing. It was one thing to be admired from afar, another thing entirely to have everyone in a close proximity inspecting the body parts Gajeel blatantly pointed out. She wasn't the only one blushing, however: it seemed Erza was quite a bashful creature when it came to physicality. Lucy couldn't help but feel grateful for the blushing companion, because she already felt like she was standing out enough. Deciding enough was enough, Lucy took Gajeel's hand to lead him.

"Don't see why ya had to smack me. I was just tellin' it like it is," Gajeel muttered. Lucy ignored him, and instead gestured to Levy and her book, motioning for her to continue her explanation, and to Gray and the map, indicating he should lead the way. All party members acquiesced, and they followed the path Natsu and Juvia had taken.

"The Trident is from the lore of the Sea King. He had a trident made of gold and brass and infused with magic, his own magic. He used it to amplify his powers, control the ocean, and protect his kingdom from the dangers in the deepest waters." Levy paused a moment. "I hadn't thought of merfolk living in danger, but I guess there are sharks and such down there."

"Sharks aren't even the worst of it, pipsqueak," Gajeel informed her. Levy protested, while Lucy smiled. Levy was small. Gajeel could even tell that when he was blind.

They were now exiting the guild through a rear door, and Lucy could see the giant lake spread out before them. It was wonderful to see so much water again, even if it lacked the salty smell of home. She checked the position of the sun, and while it was getting closer to sunset, it wasn't there yet, so they had a little time to look around, depending on how long it took to reach the mark on the map. Knowing the way Natsu ran, he and Juvia were probably already there, with him complaining about how slow Gray was while Juvia defended Gray's speed and general abilities.

Gray pointed off to the right, a heavily wooded area. "The map pinpoints a location over that way, off the shore with the tall rocks."

The group continued on their way, and a disgruntled Levy continued on with her narrative. "Anyway, the Sea King grew tired in old age, but could find no one worthy to wield his powerful Trident. In the wrong hands, it could cause mayhem on land and at sea because of the ability to control the water and certain weather patterns. So to prevent potential destruction, the Sea King broke the Trident into four pieces and hid them."

Lucy thought about the facts she'd just heard. So this Trident they were after was clearly important. She hadn't heard of it before, but she had heard of the Sea King whose beautiful palace still stood in the center of their merfolk city. And, since Mavis had sent them for this Trident, it was crucial to their freeing their home and fellow merfolk. But that's where Lucy became a little lost. How was controlling the water and weather going to push back the darkness and the barriers?

Gajeel apparently had the same thought process. "And why would we want to be changin' the weather when we've got dark ones to contend with?"

"Dark ones?" Jet repeated.

"What are those?" Droy asked.

"I think you're underestimating the power of ocean and weather control," Levy sniffed. "But there is another facet to the Trident. It also has an even more powerful hidden ability. All of the accounts agree on that fact. It's just no one knows what it is."

Droy repeated his question as Gajeel grumbled at "yet another useless answer." Seeing that Gajeel was too busy muttering, and that Lucy clearly wasn't going to be answering any questions anytime, Gray piped up. "From what I could tell of their story, dark ones are more or less the mermaid version of zombies."

Droy fumbled in his steps. He looked displeased with the answer he'd received. Lucy wondered what a zombie was, and how it being related to mermaids might make it worse than its normal incarnation.

"So we need to gather the pieces, and then assemble this Trident," Erza summed up. "We can work to that point, then go from there."

That sounded like as good a plan as any to Lucy. It meant they would be doing something, and that fact alone was enough to soothe some of the anguishing impatience gnawing at her innards. As they walked around another grouping of trees, Natsu's voice came floating back towards them.

"Ah, man, he's so slow! And he's not even carrying anyone this time!" Natsu moaned. Lucy smiled, hearing her predictions come true being rather satisfying. She could even picture him placing his hands behind his head, slightly leaning back with that little pout of his.

"But he is in a group with Gajeel, who can't run madly through so many obstacles," Juvia protested. Lucy suppressed the urge to laugh. Yes, it did indeed feel glorious to be right.

"Oi! Ya nasty little lizard, ya know we're right here!" Gajeel hollered.

Natsu laughed. "Course I do!"

The group of guild members didn't seem as surprised at Natsu's declaration as they were at Gajeel's knowing that Natsu knew. Quite frankly, Lucy was surprised at anybody knowing anything at this point. So what if Gajeel and Natsu knew where each other were? What did that matter? Determined to move past their masculine idiocy driven urge to one-up each other, Lucy broke through the trees to come to the shoreline. It was beautiful, the land turning rocky and jutting out over the water. If she sat on the edge, Lucy thought she could probably reach the water with her toes.

"Be mindful," Erza cautioned. "The water here is deep, so don't jump in unawares."

Natsu had seated Juvia at the base of a tree, where her pale features and dark blue hair contrasted nicely with the rich browns and greens behind her. Lucy thought her friend looked fetching, and nodded with approval. Mermaids preferred to place themselves to their greatest advantage whenever above the surface, and even if in a forest by a lake rather than in the middle of the ocean, that principle rang true. Mermaids liked to look and feel beautiful.

To the right of Juvia, Natsu himself was standing with his back against the tree, arms behind his head and one foot propped up against the bark at knee height. "Took you long enough. Juvia didn't want to start without you, and it got boring."

Lucy moved to her friend, dress fluttering as she walked. This dress was really growing on her, even if she didn't really know how she felt about legs yet.

"This is the spot on the map, right about here and just off the shore," Gray said, consulting the map once more.

Levy did a double-take at the bottom corner of the map, where there was some writing in smaller print. "It's a good thing Juvia waited, Natsu. It says here you need at least two merfolk in order to retrieve any portion of the Trident from its hiding place." Levy looked troubled. "Huh. I didn't see that before we left."

"That's okay, Levy!" Jet comforted.

"Yeah, you're still the best!" Droy agreed.

Levy smiled over her shoulder at her friends turned cheering squad. "Thanks, you guys."

"Enough mush. Let's do this. In ya get."

The group looked at Gajeel blankly in response to his commands. Not hearing any movement, he extended a hand and snapped out, "Star girl. Get her in."

Still no movement, mostly because Lucy wasn't strong enough to lift Juvia without the chance of accidentally dropping or hurting her feet somehow. Juvia added her request, "Could someone get me to the water, please?"

"You want me to lower you down?" Erza asked, looking over the ledge and thinking of the best way to negotiate the drop without bumping Juvia's feet.

"Someone just throw her in!" Gajeel said.

"What, like this?" Natsu asked, scooping Juvia up and tossing her over the ledge into the water in one motion. Lucy was impressed with how far out Juvia went before hitting the water, considering Natsu wasn't even at the ledge when he'd thrown her. Yet again, he'd proven his muscles weren't just for show.

There was a collective gasp, and Erza rushed up to Natsu and grabbed his collar to lift him. "How could you do that? Juvia's feet are wounded!"

"What were you thinking?" Gray questioned emphatically.

"But they told me to," Natsu protested, pushing at Erza's fisted hands in an attempt to free himself.

"Stop freakin' out," Gajeel said.

When Erza only tightened her grip on Natsu, Lucy placed a calming hand on the redhead's arm and pointed out to the water. There was a little ripple, and then a large splash as a wave of spray followed a blissfully happy Juvia up and out of the lake, arching gracefully and returning to the water. When she resurfaced, Juvia did a little turn, water droplets circling her in what seemed a celebration of joyful reunion. The most beautiful thing of all, however, was Juvia's smile as she spun slowly around again with her arms extended to caress the surface of the water.

"Oh, Lucy! It's wonderful! It's wonderful! Come on!" Juvia called out, waving a hand above her head and flinging water into the water. The spray of water from her arms floated over to Lucy and propelled her towards the ledge. Lucy needed no further encouragement, and with a running start leapt into the beautiful blue lake.

The first thing she noticed was how different it felt to be completely wet, surrounded by water again. Air felt very different than water. Though it was a simple statement, it was also a profound truth when it came to sensations and how you understood the world around you. The second thing she noticed was that it was much harder to swim with no tail, two legs, and a dress dead set on getting wrapped around her limbs. How was Juvia being so graceful? The third thing she noticed as a result of the second: humans don't breathe underwater, and her lungs were beginning to feel mighty uncomfortable.

Fortunately, she didn't panic long, because Juvia rushed up from behind her and pulled her by the arms up to the surface. When they broke through, Juvia laughing and Lucy beaming, just bobbing in the water, Lucy felt so rejuvenated in was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. Lucy just relaxed as Juvia put her arms around Lucy's waist, and let her friend pull her around in the water for a few minutes. Lucy could feel the water responding to Juvia, almost rushing up to meet her, touch her, then part for her, both pulling her along and propelling her forward. Of course, Juvia and water. No wonder she could still be graceful, even as a human. But Lucy refused to let jealousy cloud this moment of happiness. Just she and her friend out in the water again. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine they were back in the ocean, nothing wrong and everything right, just playing and relaxing between jobs.

Thinking of jobs led to thinking about Natsu, and how he knew her name, and that led to other perplexing thoughts, like the situation back at home, and that brought Lucy quickly back to reality. Her tensing muscles cued Juvia to her changing emotions, and Juvia brought Lucy back over to the rocky ledge.

"Wasn't it wonderful, though?" Juvia sighed wistfully, clutching Lucy's hand. She waited for Lucy to respond with an excited nod before the water helped lift Lucy back to the ledge where Erza pulled her into a seated position. "So, where should I look then?" Juvia asked, using the water to suspend herself high enough to rest her elbows on the land. Lucy smirked in approval when the humans looked appropriately impressed with her friend.

Levy and Gray sat over the map, studying it carefully. After a moment, Levy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, but there's not much more information here than an 'x' marking a spot just a little ways out from this ledge. There's also a warning to mind the guardians, but gives no indication of what they might be."

Juvia merely pushed against the ledge, gliding away from land on her back with a satisfied smile. "Do not worry, friends. I don't mind looking around."

"But how are you gonna breathe down there?" Gray asked practically.

Finding the chance to show her abilities to the man who constantly impressed her, Juvia sparkled with enthusiasm. "Just watch me, Gray," she said as she lifted her arms out to the side. Water responded by rising around her in a sphere, pushing back the surrounding liquid to entrap Juvia in an air bubble. "With the air in here, I am perfectly fine."

"Then quit showin' off and get goin'," Gajeel barked. He was hunched in a sulk against the same tree previously occupied by Juvia, arms folded across his chest.

When Juvia obeyed, Levy looked over at the brooding merman on legs. "You know, you don't have to be so rude to your friend just because you're jealous."

"I ain't jealous!"

"Are, too! You want to get back in the water, but you can't," Levy deduced. "I can see the longing all over your face."

"You don't see nothing,' ya little shrimp," Gajeel insisted. "And who says I can't get in the water, anyhow?"

Jet and Droy were on Levy's side, which Lucy assumed was a constant for the little trio, and rushed to support her.

"Um, you're blind, buddy," Jet reminded him helpfully.

Levy piped back in, saying, "And you no longer have a tail or the capability to breathe underwater, so it's a drowning hazard."

"Yeah, you'd probably just end up drowning or something, even if you could get to the water," Droy added.

"And who would lead a blind mermaid to certain death? That's messed up," Natsu intoned, sounding very ethical.

Gajeel shot forward from the tree, directly towards Natsu who stood not far off. "That's it, ya stupid slime ball! I've had enough of ya callin' me a mermaid!"

"Oh, stop it, you two!" Levy said.

"What about the times I stood up for ya, huh?" Natsu asked, dodging Gajeel's arm swipe easily.

"Ya didn't stand up for me!" Another swipe.

"I did, too! You don't have a tail, so ya can't be a mermaid, can you?" Another sidestep, this time closer to Levy.

"Fine, argue away," Levy surrendered. "But try not to be so rude." She turned her attention back to the map over which she hunkered.

Gajeel took another step to his right, reached down and clutched his fist. It was the back of Levy's vest, and satisfied by her yelp it was Levy alright, growled out, "And you, what gives ya the right to preach, eh?" He yanked upwards, lifting Levy clear off the ground, legs kicking about in her protests. "Ya have no idea what's-" Gajeel paused in the middle of his tirade.

"What is it? Put me down!" Levy insisted, hands grabbing for Gajeel's.

"Ya really are a shrimp," Gajeel said bluntly. Levy's face took on an expression of shock. "Look, I can lift ya up and down without even feelin' it." And Gajeel proceeded to do just that, repeating his straight-arm lifts with Levy as his weight.

Breaking out of her silence, Levy's limbs went every which way as she shrieked, "Put me down, you big lug!"

Jet and Droy's cries echoed out with those of their little bluenette leader, and the four miscreants made a splendid cacophony. Natsu's laugh acted as the cherry on the top, making the whole situation funnier to Lucy, who was just enjoying Gajeel finally lightening up. She was sorry he couldn't go in the water, but it really was safer this way. Watching the scene made her think, however, of Gajeel's strength. Sure, he had always been strong, she had seen him lift some impressively sized debris and even rocks when the situation called for it. But straight-arming it out of the water without his powerful tail to back him up? Levy was small, but Lucy was thinking Gajeel was also just very strong. She was impressed, and her face clearly showed it.

"That looks fun, let me try!" Natsu shouted, trying to take Levy from Gajeel's grip, despite the fact Jet and Droy were also attempting the same thing.

Oh, sweet starlight, Natsu was involved. Something was going to fall over, someone was going to get hurt, something crazy was going to happen. Natsu was a force to be reckoned with, especially when he was wanting to try something "fun." Lucy had seen him playing tag back at the guild. No need for that right now!

Instead of watching the disaster in progress, Lucy ducked her head down into her lap and waited for the storm to pass. It wasn't like there was something she could do about it anyway. She turned her focus to the diminishing light: it was getting darker quickly. The sun was sinking low, making the sky beautiful with the deeper colors only the sleepy heavens could produce. Lucy pondered on why it seemed that sunrises were full of blushes and softness and promises, while sunsets were more brilliantly colored, almost heavier.

A two shouts and a squeal passed by her and broke through her thoughts. A splash. Yes, that's what Lucy had been waiting for. She opened her eyes to see Natsu and Gajeel still taking swings at each other while floundering in the lake below her. Poor Levy was still in Gajeel's grip, a mere fistful he didn't even bother to keep lifted up out of the water.

"Why didn't you let me try, jerk?" Natsu hollered.

"'Cause you're a jerk, stupid," Gajeel bellowed.

"Will someone get me away from these idiots?" Levy wailed.

Erza, who had been keeping her peace along with Gray as they patiently awaited Juvia's return, was now angered. Even if the redhead hadn't drawn her sword, Lucy would have been able to feel the irritation coming off the woman.

"Get out of there right now! Be responsible! The light wanes fast, and we have yet to find anything here."

Natsu was out first, scrabbling up the rocks easily. Gajeel was left awkwardly treading water, unsure of how to proceed or where to go. Levy sighed, noticing his hesitation. "Put me down, and I'll lead you to the ledge."

"Why would I want yer help?"

Despite the scoff, Gajeel did as Levy directed. They got as far as the ledge, preparing to climb up, before Erza lost her patience. Jet managed to fish Levy up safely, but Erza was none too gentle when she hauled Gajeel up by his jacket and tossed him behind her. Lucy took a moment to appreciate that everyone in the group, possibly with the exception of Levy, was astronomically stronger than she was. Although, the way this guild was proving itself, Lucy would be entirely unsurprised if Levy ended up displaying some superpower of her own. Maybe she would even carry Gajeel. Lucy tried to picture it, and tossed it immediately aside. Most definitely not happening.

"Poor Levy!" cried Droy. "You're all wet! Are you cold, too?"

"I can help warm you up!" Jet offered enthusiastically.

Gajeel sat in his crumpled, wet heap on the ground, entirely unamused by the scenario, even if Lucy was entertained by Levy's gentle refusals towards her eager companions. While Lucy still wore the silvery dress given her by Mavis, the one that was somehow always dryer than one would expect it to be, Gajeel had swapped out his gown in favor of something more masculine. As a result, he was sopping wet: his clothes, his mane of hair, his boots, everything save the silvery bandage fastened around his eyes.

"Huh. I always picture mermaids being more graceful comin' out of the water," Natsu remarked, just as wet after his douse. Gajeel growled dangerously in response, prompting Lucy to lean far back to offer a soothing hand. Another growl stayed her hand, and she pulled away cautiously. It was unwise to goad a hulking sea beast. Gajeel was no exception. She would allow him his space.

Since Gajeel wasn't wanting her help, and Juvia was gadding about underwater seeking something she'd never seen before, Lucy was left to shiver atop the ledge. The sun was completely past the horizon now, the sky barely lit with the remnant memories of sunshine. And it was cold with all this wet golden hair on her neck, trailing down her back. As a mermaid, Lucy usually kept her hair meticulously cared for, pearls and shells woven through braids, or left free and flowing through the water as she swam about. But even on the surface, she didn't just sit there with her tangled mess of hair chilling her. Whenever she became too cold, she could always just duck down into the comfortable water. Not so in her present circumstances.

A flare of light to her left pulled her attention. Her jaw dropped. Natsu, standing casually as if without a care in the world, was completely ablaze. On fire. Burning. Brilliant red and hungry orange flames covering his entire body. Head to foot. And he was entirely unconcerned about it all. As her jaw flapped up and down in an excellent imitation of a fish, Lucy noted no one else seemed concerned either. She would never, ever get used to this guild.

Taking a closer look, she realized his clothes weren't burning, and neither was his or hair. After a moment, the beautifully colored flames disappeared, leaving a dry Natsu much more satisfied with his lot in life. He looked over to see Lucy blinking wide eyes at him, trying to decide if he were bonkers or brilliant to be able to do something like that. Part of her also missed the warmth of the flames when he put himself out. In the end, she concluded that setting himself on fire to dry his clothes without damaging anything or anyone else was actually rather impressive. She allowed her lips to extend a little, and nodded her head in a sort of pouting nod of approval. Very well done, Natsu. She wished she could do a similar trick for her own wet hair.

"Not bad, huh?" Natsu bragged, coming closer to her. She allowed him another smile of congratulations before cutting him off lest his head swell too large with the praise. Her refined demeanor, however, was spoiled by another shiver running down her spine. "You alright?"

Lucy bunched her hair in her hand, lifting it from her neck. It didn't help much as far as warmth went, but it did bring it to Natsu's attention.

"Oh, here, I can help," Natsu offered. His extended hand burst into flame, and Lucy just about leapt back in the water to get away from it. He merely laughed at her reaction. The flame died down, and he pulled her hair away from her grasp. She could see the steam rising from the locks, but no smoke or tendrils of fire. "See? You can trust me." The last part was barely a whisper as he leaned closer to her ear.

So Lucy relaxed her tensed shoulders, and for the second time that day, allowed Natsu to manage her hair for her. The only thing she did was pull the blue ribbon from her hair, where it had been falling loose anyway, to pick out the knot while Natsu pampered her hair.

"Since when are you a hair stylist?" Gray asked. "Or useful, for that matter?"

"I'm plenty useful!" Natsu protested.

While listening to their argument, Lucy thought about what was happening with her hair. Was she just so used to the insanity of Fairy Tail she hadn't even paused to consider how Natsu was drying her hair with his bare hands? Or how he had set himself entirely ablaze a few minutes before? That can't be a normal trait in humans, she decided. Merfolk didn't know much more about human mages than they'd chanced across seeing on ships or boats or beaches. Lucy had seen Gray make a hammer of ice, and Natsu had used a fiery fist to fight said hammer. Erza pulled swords from the air to threaten people and open clams. What did the rest of these people do? Levy was a master of languages, but what about Jet and Droy? Or anyone else here? Humans were more impressive than she'd originally given them credit with skills like the ones she'd seen since entering the guild today.

Natsu had long since abandoned his task as her grooming specialist, and was now doing his best to punch Gray in the face. Gray was holding his own comfortably, and the insults were flying as fast as their fists. Lucy didn't bother paying them any mind, being too caught up in her thoughts. She wove the blue ribbon through her fingers as she sorted through her feelings and reactions to events. Maybe the reason she hadn't reacted much was because she'd reached her maximum capacity for shock and awe, let alone her need for answers. The world had become a very topsy-turvy place for three merfolk just last evening. It was amazing how quickly everything you knew could be ripped away from you. Lucy felt a pang of homesickness, followed by a hollow longing for something familiar.

Juvia's head popped above the water as if in answer to Lucy's heartfelt cry. What a welcome sight! Juvia in the water, just shoulders and up bobbing on the surface, was just about the most familiar thing Lucy could have asked for, even if she could barely see her in the near dark.

"I think I've found something deep down on the bottom of the lake," Juvia called to those waiting on shore. Gray and Natsu even paused, Gray holding onto Natsu's collar in to keep him from dodging his raised fist, and Natsu with elbow about to make contact with Gray's abdomen. When Juvia saw them frozen there, she added, "Natsu, please do not hurt Gray."

"But he started it!" Natsu said, not moving from his spot.

"Moving on," Levy said, coming close to Lucy. "What did you find?"

Keeping her gaze on Natsu and Gray, Juvia answered Levy's question. "It looks like a staff of some sort, buried in a long stone container with a broken lid."

"And what about the so-called 'guardians'? Did you have any trouble?" Levy asked.

"No, I saw no one else at all. Just some friendly fish who were very different than the ones back home."

Lucy wondered how different the fish could be in a distant body of water. Did it make a difference that the ocean where she lived was salty, and this lake was not?

"So do you think you can retrieve the staff without help?" Erza questioned, very task-oriented.

"The map did say that at least two were needed to retrieve any portion of the Trident," Levy offered by way of reminder.

"I think I'll need Gajeel's strength to get the lid removed from the container," Juvia answered. "If someone could help him to the water, I'll do the rest."

Gajeel barked out, "Anyone who touches me goes in the water."

Apparently, Gajeel was fed up with everyone in the group. Or perhaps it was with his status as a disabled member of the party who was forced to rely on others to get around. Regardless of the reason, Lucy watched him carefully as he stood and confidently strode towards the ledge. Lucy had to scoot over so he wouldn't trample her on his way into the lake. In he went with a splash, and the water was instantly around him, pulling him to Juvia. The other mermaid looked back to shore.

"And Lucy, it's too dark down there to see much. Do you think you could give us some light?" Juvia requested.

Now that was something Lucy could actually do, and that made her spirits rise. She was going to be useful again. She loved that feeling: being useful, needed, powerful enough to make a difference. Casting the ribbon down next to her, she stood and brushed off her dress. A little to the right, a part of the ledge rose a little higher and extended further into the lake. That was a good spot for what she was needing. Looking up as she walked out the path she'd noticed, Lucy thrilled to see so many stars. Her dear friends would surely help her.

At the end of the rocky pier, Lucy raised her right hand. She stilled her mind, and opened her heart. Dear friends, she thought. I need some light, a way to illuminate what I seek. It's important I find it in order to save my home. Please, won't you lend me some of your light?

And then she waited. She heard feet shuffling around behind her, heard some murmuring.

"What's she doing?" someone muttered.

"Just shut up and watch," was the only response they got from Gajeel.

The first sparkle landed on the tip of her forefinger: a single brilliant dot in the darkness. It didn't remain solo for long, however, when an increasing number of warm golden sparks gather around her hand, some joining to other sparks, some standing a little apart from the others. As the number increased, so did the strength of the light emanating from her hand.

Friends, it is dark at the bottom of the lake. Please help me spread this beautiful light deep enough to make a difference.

The light continued to grow. When Lucy moved her hand a little higher, going up to meet the spots of light that appeared a few feet over her head, the light trailed out behind her movements. She loved watching this effect, the beauty and grace of starlight in her hand. Just a little more light, and she'd have enough to start Juvia and Gajeel on their dive.

"I didn't realize how dark it'd gotten until the light came back," Jet remarked.

"It's so beautiful, Lucy," Levy said, awe in her voice.

"Where's the light comin' from?" Gray asked.

"Where'd ya think it's comin' from?" Gajeel responded with a question.

There was a longer pause as everyone watched the brilliant sparkles coming down to Lucy like so much illuminated sand to gather into a torch-like flame.

"They look like tiny little stars," Levy said dreamily.

Gajeel grunted in approval.

"Wait a minute," Gray said. "When you say 'star girl,' do you mean star girl?"

Juvia responded with enthusiastic pride, "Well, of course you would figure it out, Gray. You are so intelligent!" Lucy was amused, but tried to keep her concentration on her connection with the stars.

"Wow, Luce, that's pretty neat!" Natsu congratulated.

Of course his voice would pop in while she was attempting to focus. Normally, some human's voice wouldn't be that much of a distraction, but he was no ordinary human. Natsu knew things, important things like her name, and insignificant things like her preference for raspberries, and moderately personal things like the best way to handle her hair. And those facts made Lucy wary and unsure how to handle this man. Realizing she had let her thoughts wonder, she dragged them back to the matter at hand- her hand, actually.

Dear friends, just a little more. Let this light reach the depths, and let there be light for we who remain on the shore. Leave us not in darkness.

She smiled as her hand grew brighter, heart warming in the response from her friends in the heavens. They were constant, no matter what happened down here on land and sea.

"Loke!" Levy cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Are these-?" Droy's question was cut off with a thwump sound.

Footsteps approached Lucy, though she didn't remove her gaze to see who until a body was pressed closely against hers, and an arm snaked around her waist. Loke stood to her left, holding a lantern aloft in offering. "I thought you could use some light, beautiful," he said in that smooth voice of his. "It's getting mighty dark out here."

"Y'know I can just make a torch with my hand, right?" Natsu huffed in the background.

"Yeah, but you might just blow up the woods around us while you're at it," Gray jabbed.

In a slashing motion, Lucy pointed her hands towards the water by Juvia and Gajeel. Light shot from her hand, lighting up the underwater world as the beam delved deep into the lake. Lucy loved the way starlight banded together, seemingly one grand light, but it was still made of many tiny pricks of light huddling together. If she looked closely, she could see a starbeam or two wonder off from the main beam, lending a beautiful, magical feeling to it all.

"Thank you, Lucy! We'll see what we can do now!" Juvia called, wrapping herself and Gajeel in her water sphere once more before diving after the light.

With most of the light now shooting underwater, it became significantly darker on shore. Loke, still holding Lucy tight in his embrace, held his lantern a little higher. "Good thing I thought to bring some light, huh Lucy? Wouldn't want to abandon you out here in the dark."

"It can't be dark if I'm here," Natsu pointed out again. Lucy didn't know if he and Gray had fought over the last quip exchange since she had been preoccupied, but Natsu was still irritated about something. Perhaps he really took pride in being able to provide light or something.

"And we've been over the risk factors of you being the one to blast everything to pieces," Gray returned.

Lucy sighed, and looked back at the illuminated water. Thank you, friends. Thank you for the light.

"You're welcome," Loke murmured.

Lucy whipped her head towards him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking up into the heavens with such a longing look on his face, it was almost painful. Why had he responded to her silent gratitude? Was he a mage who practiced telepathy?

Feeling her stare, Loke turned his gaze to meet hers. "If I hadn't shown up, who knows what Natsu would have wound up doing?"

Oh. He was being proud, taking much credit to his actions. That was all. She had simply been reading too much into the situation, though she could hardly be blamed for doing it. Wasn't this whole horrendous adventure of theirs excuse enough for her to be wary and over cautious in her approach to everything?

"I ain't a fire hazard, Loke! I know what I'm doin' when it comes to fire. I'm a fire-"

Natsu's offended rant was cut off by an enormous splash erupting from the water. Something was happening. Something big. Walls of water were splitting, creating an opening in the lake surface. Blue creatures were zooming back and forth, surrounding two forms locked in a water sphere.

Juvia! Gajeel! Sweet Mavis, are you two alright?


Dear Friends,

I'm back. Hello again. Chapters will likely be varied in length from here on out, according to the needs and requirements of segments and flow of action.

I would like to make a public statement. It's very important: Astroman1000 is not chopped liver. At all. I just wanted everyone to know that.

Also, thank you to KitKattNinja for beta-ing even though I send chapters at irregular intervals late at night. Her helps makes me much more confident in sharing this with all of you.

In other news, I've signed up for a little writing something on tumblr. I don't know what I was thinking when I did that, maybe I wasn't. I'll give more information next time.

Whelp. I'm off to start the next chapter so it doesn't take another seventeen and a half years to get it up for you folks.

PLEASE review. Your response for the last chapter was incredibly heartening, and I so appreciated each review. Let me know what you liked, what needs fixing, if there are holes not being explained, if there are dumb jokes no one but me is getting, if you would like to shoot any of the characters, if you would like to play Jenga or Go Fish or Uno with any of the characters, or if you have any other confessions you'd like to make. Particularly if they refer to the story in some shape or form. But hey, I guess I'm not too picky. I like meeting people.

Cheers!

Anne-Marie