A Brewing Storm

The train finally came to a stop in Dahlia a few hours past noon. As it came to a halt in the train station to let passengers off and new ones on, Lucy watched Laxus finally begin to stir. She stood up while looking down at the man. "Hurry up, Sparky or I'm going to leave you." Lucy said and started to walk off, she vaguely heard Laxus muttering something under his breath that she was sure wasn't appropriate, but he was stumbling after her within a few seconds.

As soon as they exited, Laxus let out a big sigh of relief and stretched his arms high into the air. "Please tell me you're not going on anymore train rides." He said while Lucy looked out at the city.

The train station sat atop a hill looking over the city, a flight of wooden stairs led down to the city nestled in a valley between mountains. The mountains were covered in lush evergreen forests that spread throughout the town too. Trees surrounded most if not all of the buildings, making the stone streets stand out against the greenery. "I finally made it to Dahlia and it only took 6 days. Somewhere down there is the cure for everyone." Lucy thought. She wasn't aware of how worried she had been that this was all some elaborate ruse or she had misheard until she let out a long sigh of relief as she felt herself fill with determination from being so close to her ultimate goal.

"I wasn't planning on it." Lucy said back and began descending the stairs.

Laxus quickly caught up and looked over at her. "So when are you planning on telling me this grand mission and why you've decided to go at it alone?" He asked.

Lucy groaned, she wasn't looking forward to telling Laxus anything personal, but she knew he wouldn't stop pestering her if she didn't. She ended up telling him everything, from the moment she and the rest of Team Natsu had set foot in Rosewood to the fateful encounter in the Rosewood ruins, her encounter with Celestia, Ares, and Hermes, and finally her decision to leave on her own to make up for her weakness. She purposefully left out her falling out with Team Natsu, not wanting to have to retread the painful memories.

"…And for almost the past week I've been traveling with one destination in mind, Dahlia. I have to find Dionysus." Lucy finished, upset at herself for her voice quivering a few times as she recounted the events. They were now both standing a few feet away from the long staircase and to the side to allow other people to pass by.

Laxus looked down at her with a frown on his face and Lucy bit her lip as the silence stretched. "I don't need you pity if that's what you're thinking." Lucy said, not able to handle the silence anymore.

"Well good cause you're not getting any. I never knew you were stupid, Blondie." Laxus said matter-of-factly.

Lucy gaped at the man and sputtered as she tried to find something to say to him. "I-I am not stupid!"

Laxus let out an exaggerated sigh. "Then tell me why you had such a dumb idea." He said.

"Dumb idea? This was the only way! You should understand more than anyone that I need redemption. I was weak and because of that Lisanna is still suffering. And I don't need you calling me stupid on top of all of that!" Lucy exclaimed and began to walk away.

Laxus grabbed her arm before she had taken two steps and she whipped her head around to look back at him. When she stopped, he let go, and looked at her directly in the eyes. "Come on now Blondie you don't really believe that do you? A long time ago I would've agreed with you. When I heard that Fairy Tail was destroyed because of some rich girl who couldn't fight for herself rebelling against her father, I was furious. But then I started the Battle of Fairy Tail and I was defeated by the same weaklings I hated so much. You and those damn idiots proved me wrong, you aren't weak, and all of this isn't your fault. I'm sure no one blames you." Laxus said and Lucy was taken aback at how genuine he seemed.

Lucy recovered quickly and scoffed scornfully while looking away to the side. "Tell that to Natsu and everyone else. They all pretty much hate me now."

Laxus' right eyebrow shot up. "No way that idiot hates you. From what I've heard it was like you guys were married."

"Well everything changed when Lisanna came back. Not that I'm upset or anything, I'm happy for them both." Lucy said in a rush and grit her teeth at the smirk on Laxus' face.

Laxus brushed past Lucy and held his arms out in a shrug. "Whatever you say Blondie…I just never took you for the jealous type." He said as he walked further down the street.

Lucy clenched both of her hands into fists and glared at his retreating form. "I am not jealous!" She yelled after him.

Celestia

"Well she actually led us to the right place." Hermes said while looking down at the woman he was talking about.

Celestia sniffed and tossed her head to the side, making both of her ponytails sway to the side also. "Of course, I told you to have some faith in the brat." She said. As soon as she had neared the city, she had felt the magic power that only an Olympian could muster, and was able to sense two different sources.

Hermes looked back at her with narrowed eyes. "Whatever you say, Celestia." He said in a tone that Celestia did not appreciate.

Before she could teach him a lesson that would wipe that smirk off of his face, Ares jumped up onto the rooftop with them. He pushed the hood of his cloak down and shook his head, his loose shoulder-length hair swinging side to side.

"Well are you two ready? It might get messy." Celestia said as she stepped up onto the rooftop ledge.

Ares smiled and nodded tightly, his eyes glinting darkly as a fierce aura rose around the man. "Nothing would make me happier." He said.

Laxus

Laxus and Lucy were standing on a side street with less traffic when she pulled out her key ring. "Open gate of the Eagle, Aquila!" Lucy slashed the silver key through the air and a tall man with wings for arms appeared in front of them. Laxus had seen Celestial Spirit Magic before but for some reason it still surprised him that Lucy was capable of such rare magic.

"Good afternoon ma'am, it is nice to see you again so soon." The celestial spirit said.

"Aquila, it's nice to see you too. I need you to scout the city for me please. I'll make the connection and let you know what I'm looking for." Lucy said and Aquila nodded before taking off to the skies.

Laxus shifted his gaze back to Lucy as she sat down on the ground with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. Laxus crouched down to Lucy's level and cocked his head to the side. "So any chance you'll tell me what's going on with big bird and why you've decided to meditate."

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. "Shut it, I need to concentrate." She said and her face smoothed back to a blank expression.

Laxus frowned but stayed silent. "I think I prefer when she was scared of me." Laxus thought ruefully and shook his head. While Lucy did whatever she was doing, Laxus watched the people and sometimes wagons pass by on the main streets between the small one they were on. The sun was sitting high in the sky, there were still a few hours left before it would set, and all kinds of people were out around the town, some glancing strangely at the woman sitting on the side of the street but quickly being scared away with just one glare from Laxus.

Minutes passed and Laxus felt his patience waning. "If she wants to find someone why aren't we out looking for them?" He asked himself while rolling his stiff neck. As he looked up, Laxus saw someone jump from one rooftop to the other, soaring over Laxus and Lucy. Two more figures followed quickly and Laxus narrowed his eyes at the strange sight.

Suddenly, Lucy flinched violently, and started to breathe heavier. "Sorry, still not used to that Aquila…" She said with her eyes still closed. "Is it possible to maintain the connection without focusing on it…that's great news! Okay this is what he looks like…Let me know if you see him…You might also see this woman with him…" Lucy continued her seemingly one sided conversation.

Lucy finally opened her eyes and stood up, looking at Laxus as he raised an eyebrow. "Aquila is one of the spirits I got from Azalea the other day. He's a scouting spirit so if I concentrate, I can connect to Aquila, and see through his eyes. I have him looking for Dionysus right now." She explained.

Laxus wasn't sure yet if he bought into the whole ancient Olympians coming back to life and causing mischief story that Lucy told him. According to Lucy, he was there when the Celestial Spirit King had explained it but he couldn't remember that part of the night. To him, it sounded like it was just a dark mage using the name from the legends, but either way they needed to catch the man first.

"Well since you have your spirit scouting for us, I say we go get some food. I don't know about you but I'm starving." Laxus said.

Lucy looked as if she was going to object but instead she agreed. "Fine it has been a while since I've eaten." She said and they walked back onto the main street. They quickly found a café and sat at a table on the outdoor patio.

As they sat across from each other at the table, Laxus couldn't help himself from trying to embarrass the blonde, something that was quickly becoming one of his favorite hobbies. "So when was the last time you went on a date like this?" He asked in as innocent a voice as he could.

Lucy's eyes widened as she choked on her water she was drinking. She coughed a few times while a blush erupted on her face. " T-This is not a date!" She sputtered.

Laxus chucked at the display and dodged when she threw a spoon at his head just as a waitress came to their table, eying them suspiciously as she took their order. "…I'll be right out with all of that…and extra silverware." She said and walked away.

Their food quickly came out, plates and plates spread out in front of Laxus while Lucy only had one in front of her. Laxus saw Lucy shake her head as he dug into his food. "What?" He asked.

"You eat so much." She said.

"Well maybe if you did you'd get big and strong like me." Laxus said.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him and they continued their back and forth while they ate their food. Laxus was almost done with his last plate of food when Lucy jumped in her chair. She quickly closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them. "Aquila found him…and he's fighting! We have to go." She said hurriedly, standing up, and vaulting over the metal fence that bordered the café's patio.

"Wait up!" Laxus yelled before taking his last bite of food and throwing money on the table. He quickly followed Lucy, catching up to her with his longer strides easily. She led him through the streets for a few minutes before announcing they were getting close.

"He should be right up here!" She said as they turned the corner to the right.

As soon as they rounded the corner, Laxus saw a wave of a dark red liquid rushing towards them, and was overwhelmed with the scent of wine. Reacting quickly, Laxus grabbed Lucy who was a step ahead of him, and threw her up towards the rooftop of the building to the right of them. He let go just as the raging wave crashed into him, sweeping him off of his feet, and carrying him down the street. He tried to fight the current but it felt as if it was clawing at him, desperately trying to prevent him from surfacing.

Just as Laxus began to cast a spell to summon lightning to free him, the wine disappeared around him, and he was deposited on the street in a drenched heap. Laxus got onto his hand and knees while coughing, trying to clear his throat of the sickly sweet liquid.

"That wretch!" A woman's voice shrieked.

Laxus looked over to his right and saw the owner of the voice. The woman was raging but he couldn't bring himself to focus on her words, his attention was solely on how beautiful she was. She was wearing a white dress that had become slightly dyed by the wine and clung to her dark skin, white heels that added a few inches to her height, and was holding a wide brimmed white hat with a black ribbon. She shook her head violently causing her many braids to shake also, the golden rings wrapped around her braids glinting as they caught the sunlight.

"Let's get to the fun part already." A deep voice said from further down the street. Laxus ripped his eyes away from the woman and saw a somewhat familiar muscular man dressed in a red shirt with only one sleeve, exposing part of his chest, a golden sash wrapped around his waist, baggy white pants, and his feet were wrapped in white cloth. His shoulder length black hair was tied back into a low ponytail, showing off his scarred face twisted in a gleeful smile.

The woman laughed, a pleasant, almost enchanting sound. "I'm sorry my dear, Ares, but you know I'm not one for fighting." She said and finally seemed to notice Laxus. Her amber gaze shifted to him and before he knew it, she was crouching down in front of him. She grabbed his chin with a surprisingly strong grip and smiled at him. He started to stand up as she gently pushed up against his chin. Even with her heels, she was significantly shorter than him, but she still held his gaze as if she had owned it.

"Help me out would you?" She asked and Laxus felt himself fill with the urge to serve the woman. He saw the man rush forwards and quickly moved the woman out of the way.

"Lightning Dragon's Claw!" Laxus thrust out an electrified hand in a claw shape at blinding speeds, expecting to hit the man but instead hit thin air.

"You must have never fought a dragon before if you think that will cut it." The man said from behind Laxus and as he made a move to jump away from the man, he felt a hand pressed against his back.

"Dragon Palm." Laxus felt the wind get knocked out of him and he stumbled a few steps as he coughed, seeing a little blood shoot out of his mouth.

Laxus steadied and turned to face the man. He was in a low fighting stance with one hand extended in front of him and the other close to his chest. "Still standing…Impressive." The man smirked.

"Looks like I have to get serious." Laxus thought as he threw off his fur coat and returned the man's smirk.

Lucy

Lucy screamed as she flew through the air and grunted as she landed on the roof of a building. Once she landed, she quickly scrambled over to look over the edge, watching as the strange wave of red liquid swept Laxus down the street. Now that she could see it, she saw that it was more of a blob that rushed along like a wave, and it was only a few paces long.

Lucy called after him but she didn't see him surface before the wave blob disappeared out of view behind another building. She heard the flap of wings next to her and looked over to see Aquila land on the roof next to her.

"Sorry for not catching you ma'am." He said while bowing his head.

"It's okay Aquila." She said and was about to ask if he could help her down so she could go after Laxus when she heard a familiar voice. She looked down to her right and saw an interesting scene playing out.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the silver haired ponytails. "So they were following me! But how?" Lucy thought as she looked at Celestia whose focus was on something down the street.

"Give it up you drunk!" Celestia yelled at the same man that Lucy had met in the Rosewood ruins. He was still dressed in the same clothes as before and was holding the same overflowing golden chalice except now the liquid that spilled out of his cup defied gravity and flowed around him in a spiral.

"You should learn to respect your elders." He said back to her and suddenly the red liquid shot towards Celestia, strands of the liquid twisting together into one point.

"Last Bastion!" Celestia outstretched her arms to either side and a multilayered glowing white shield seemingly made of light appeared in front of the woman. The liquid slammed into the shield and lost its shape, spraying out in all directions.

"Judgement Chains." Celestia swept her right hand through the air and several magic seals appeared scattered on the street and on the sides of the buildings. From each seal, a chain shot out towards the man.

Lucy's eyes widened even more at the sight. "That's the same spell that was used against Vulpecula when she stole my keys!" Lucy thought as she watched the chains snake through the air.

The man jumped nimbly into the air, soaring high into the air while holding his chalice up high. He muttered something unintelligible and an impossible amount of the liquid poured from the cup. The wave of deep red liquid split into multiple strands, each one beginning to move on its own, and shooting towards the chains coming for him. The spells collided with each other, deflecting into different directions before streaking towards each other again, over and over.

"Bordeaux Breaker!" He swept his chalice through the air and more liquid spilled out, this time forming a similar wave to the one that Lucy had saw earlier.

Celestia cursed and while she adjusted to defend against the attack, Lucy saw the man begin to run away. "We can't let him get away Aquila!" Lucy said and her spirit reacted immediately. He flew into the air and Lucy barely had time to register his yellow boots transforming into four-toed bird feet with wicked talons before they wrapped around her forearms and lifted her into the air.

They glided down into the street, soaring over Celestia as they raced towards the man. "What the…what're you doing brat?" Lucy heard Celestia called after her but she was focused on the man as he turned the corner into a forested section of the city between two buildings.

"Drop me off on the other end and then keep watch over the trees." Lucy told her spirt as they turned the corner too.

"Roger that." Aquila said and swooped closer to the ground so Lucy only fell a few feet when he let go. She landed in a crouch and quickly straightened before running into the forest.

Lucy weaved through the trees as fast she could until she heard the sound of someone else crashing through the forest ahead of her. As the sound got closer, she reached down to her Flueve d'Etoiles and activated it causing a concentrated jet of water streamed out, and formed into a whip. As the man came into view, she flicked her wrist, and her whip shot towards the man, wrapping around his ankle, and she pulled it taut to make him trip.

He tumbled to the ground and his head whipped up to look at Lucy. His teeth bared and his eyes blazing for a second before his face visibly calmed. "You…I recognize you." He said in an eerie way with narrowed eyes.

Lucy gulped but stood her ground. "And I recognize you. I've been waiting to see you again, Dionysus." She said the name with an accusatory tone.

The man chuckled as he stood up with the magic whip still wrapped around his ankle. "Looks like someone's been doing their research." Dionysus said and began to walk towards her.

Lucy took a few unsteady steps back as the man approached. She brought her whip back and whipped it back at the man, this time wrapping it around his neck. He stopped in his tracks while looking down at the whip with a disinterested expression.

"You did something to my guild mate. Tell me how to undo it." Lucy said as firmly as she could, hoping that it came off even the slightest bit intimidating.

Dionysus smiled sleazily. "I would love to but only I can get rid of my Mark of Madness…and I'm willing to help you if you help me. A little quid pro quo?" He suggested.

Lucy frowned, anything the man wanted couldn't be good, but she didn't see any other better options, based on his fight before with Celestia, Lucy doubted she could force him to do anything. "What could I do for an Olympian?" She asked.

"Well a good start would we unwrapping this handy little whip from my neck and helping me escape this city." He said.

Lucy thought about the proposal for a moment. Of course she knew that the man had ulterior motives and he would likely leave her in the same state as Lisanna as soon as he was done with her. But then again, did she have any other choice?

"Okay…you have a deal." Lucy said regretfully and unraveled her whip from around Dionysus' neck.

Dionysus smirked. "Let us go then. I have a feeling this is the start of a very profitable partnership for the both of us." He said as he walked past her.

As soon as his back was turned to her, Lucy sprung into action, she once again wrapped her whip around his neck and pulled it tight, sending him to the ground. Lucy then stepped onto his right wrist and applied more and more pressure until his grip loosened enough to drop the golden chalice.

"As if I'd ever trust you." Lucy said while Dionysus glared up at her.

"Wrong choice, you've obviously not understood the weight of who you're dealing with." He said and suddenly a magic seal appeared under them.

"Mist of Madness." A strange mist suddenly rose and from the ground and enveloped Lucy. Lucy felt herself instinctively close her eyes, expecting something bad, but a few moments went by without anything happening. Lucy hesitantly opened her eyes and looked down at Dionysus who was still looking up at her in the same position.

Before she could say anything however, the Olympian exploded into a flames. Lucy screamed while jumping away from the man and scrambled backwards on the ground as fast as she could. She looked on in terror as the burning man stood up and began to shamble towards her.

Just as it neared though, it disappeared, and Lucy was looking at Dionysus with his torso completely wrapped in rope, holding his arms tight against his sides.

"I would venture to say that she made the right choice Dionysus." Hermes stepped out from behind a tree in front of Dionysus. The ginger leaned casually against the tree and looked amused with the same playful smirk on his face that he always wore.

"Hermes, I was wondering where you were skulking." Dionysus growled.

Hermes held a hand against his chest and gaped. "Skulking? Me? Never." He said in an exaggeratedly shocked tone.

"Come on Hermes, ditch Ares and that insufferable woman, and ally yourself with me. With both of us together we don't have to bow down to anyone." Dionysus smile was obviously forced.

Hermes clicked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment. "And now you're taking me for a fool. That's strike number two, my friend."

Dionysus opened his mouth again but Hermes snapped his fingers causing the end of the rope snake up and wrap around his mouth. Dionysus' eyes darkened and muffled yells came from the gagged man.

Hermes took a few steps towards Dionysus, a hand cupped over his ear as if he was trying to hear something. "What was that? You're going to have to speak a little louder." Hermes teased.

Hermes chuckled for a few seconds at his own joke and then turned his head slightly. Lucy saw the small crystal earring in his ear start to glow. "The grape has been picked, waiting for delivery…What? Come on we went over this…Sorry! Jeez no need to yell, yes I captured him, quite expertly I might add…On the way." He finished his seemingly one-sided conversation.

Hermes finally turned to Lucy and acknowledged her for the first time with a smile. "Well funny meeting you here. Small world isn't it? Are you okay?" He asked and Lucy gulped before nodding stiffly.

"Well that's a relief. I would stay longer to chat but I have a very busy schedule and a deliver to make." Hermes said.

Lucy bit her lip and watched as Hermes made a move to grab Dionysus. "I can't trust him either. I need to take Dionysus before him." Lucy decided and quickly made a plan, calling out to Aquila to give him instructions.

Lucy took a step forwards and held out her hand. "Wait Hermes! Why are you guys here? And why are you against the other Olympians?" She asked and took another step closer to the two Olympians.

Hermes sighed and threw his head back. "I wish I could clear everything up for you but I'm afraid it's better the less you know, trust me." He said.

"Yeah right! There's no way I'm staying on the sidelines." Lucy thought and called to Aquila. The eagle spirit dropped from the sky and grabbed Dionysus with his talons. With a single powerful beat of his wings, he took flight, and Lucy leaped forwards to grab onto Dionysus' foot as they ascended into the air.

Within seconds, they were above the surroundings treetops and buildings by several paces. Hermes yelled something unintelligible to Lucy but she quickly lost sight of the man as they rose higher and higher.

"Where are we going ma'am?" Aquila asked and hung in the air by flapping his wings every few seconds.

Lucy tried to ignore the muffled voice of Dionysus while she thought of a plan. "I don't know…where is Laxus?" She asked herself. She knew that it would probably be best to escape from the city but she didn't feel good about leaving Laxus alone to fend for himself.

Suddenly, Lucy saw a lightning bolt streak down from a cloudless sky, and pointed to where it struck a few blocks away with one hand while the other still held onto Dionysus. "Down there Aquila! We have to get Laxus."

Aquila swooped down towards their destination. As they neared they Lucy saw that Laxus was standing with his back facing her. He was facing off against the other Olympian that Lucy knew, Ares, and between them stood a giant blackened crater. "Laxus!" Lucy called and let go of Dionysus once she was only a few feet away from the ground.

Now that she was close, Lucy was surprised to see how ragged the dragon slayer looked. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily, one hand was pressed against his side where his ribs would be, and he was slightly bent over. Ares on the other hand appeared unperturbed and the picture of serenity.

Laxus looked over at her. "Nice of you to show up, Blondie." He said between breaths before turning his attention back to the man in front of them. "You know I'm starting to believe you about these all-powerful Olympians." He chuckled lightly and then let out a pained groan.

"Why are you fighting him?" Lucy asked.

"Well because…because this woman told me to." He cocked his head to the side as if he was confused.

Lucy was just as confused but Ares provided an answer. "Aphrodite's charmspeak magic is troublesome for those who aren't aware of it." He said.

Ares took a step forward. "Thank you for bringing Dionysus with you. Now I'll be taking him with me." He said and held out his palm.

"Heaven's Palm!" Laxus yelled a warning a split second before a blast of red magic shot out from Ares' palm and struck Aquila. Lucy's spirit cried out in pain and dropped Dionysus to the ground.

"No Aquila!" Lucy reached out to Aquila as he dissipated into golden particles, forced to return back to the Celestial Spirit World to heal. Dionysus's body made a solid thump as it fell into a heap next to Lucy.

"You're getting off easy, brat." A voice said and Lucy turned her gaze back to the sky. A winged figure was silhouetted against the bright sky and it grew larger as it got closer and closer. Eventually, Lucy was able to make out that it was Celestia. The woman had sprouted flawlessly white, feathery wings on her back. Celestia looked down at Lucy and Laxus as she hovered above them with her arms crossed.

"That was a fun trick you pulled off earlier. And that's a lot coming from me." Hermes voice said and when Lucy looked, she saw that he was crouched on the rooftop ledge of the building to her right.

"Any plans?" Lucy asked as she looked from Ares to Hermes to Celestia.

Laxus shook his head. "This is your mission, Blondie. You should be the one with the trick up your sleeve." He said with a hint of a joking tone.

"Make this easy on yourself." Celestia said.

Lucy bit her lip as she thought desperately of something to do but before she had to think any longer, a resounding boom echoed throughout the city. "Was that thunder?" Lucy asked herself while covering her ears from the almost deafening sound.

Lucy looked at Laxus and he shrugged. "Not me." He said and she saw that Celestia, Hermes, and Ares looked just as confused before realization seemed to dawn on all of them along with…was that fear?

"We should ru-…" Hermes was interrupted by another thunderclap that sounded much closer than the last and was followed by a blinding flash of light. Lucy held her arms up both to protect her eyes from the light and against the gust of wind and tiny pieces of debris that rushed past her. When the wind finally died down, Lucy lowered her arms while opening her eyes slowly. She looked over at Laxus and saw that his eyes were completely focused on something else and his teeth were bared in a grimace. Lucy followed Laxus' gaze further down the street, a few paces past Ares, and saw another man standing there that hadn't been before.

This new man appeared to be older with flowing white hair and a severe looking tan face, but he was every bit as muscular as Ares was. His beefy arms were crossed over his chest and he was wearing a similar outfit to Dionysus except his toga was a dark purple with a thick gold band wrapped around his waist and along the top and bottom hem. On each thick forearm was a golden bracer and a simple golden circlet wrapped around his forehead and through his hair. Lucy didn't notice until the man's eyes focused on her but they were completely white, almost too bright to look at it, and she suddenly became aware of an overwhelming pressure that she was sure was exuding from the man. The sense of dread that seeped into her felt the same as seeing dark clouds rolling in along the horizon, a storm was coming.

The man grit his teeth hard, baring them, his blank eyes narrowed, and streams of white magic began to flow from his eyes. Lucy heard the sound of more thunder and saw Ares jump back towards her.

"Requip: Paladin!" She heard Ares say and in a quick flash, he was dressed in full ruby red, metal armor, and carrying a huge ornate shield that matched his armor. In less than a second he was in front of Lucy and planted his shield in front of them just as Lucy heard some kind of explosion. She felt a shockwave pass by and when she looked behind them, she saw that the street was crumbling on either side of the small strip protected by Ares' shield as the glass windows shattered on every building along the street. Laxus, who was just outside of the protection of Ares, flew back down the street with a pained shout.

Ares grunted before standing from his crouched position. "What a warm welcome." He said, still completely focused on the man down the street.

The man snorted and his face scrunched in what looked like disgust. "More than a traitor like you deserves." He said in a deep booming voice and he disappeared.

Ares quickly turned to his right and Lucy barely had time to shift her eyes over to look before the man appeared right in front of them and slammed a fist into Ares' shield. Ares flew back into the building behind, leaving Lucy to face the man alone.

Lucy willed her body to move but the man looking down at her had her completely paralyzed. He raised his right arm and spread his hand out, his palm only inches away from Lucy's face as his entire arm was enveloped in sparking white magic, and a magic seal appealed in his palm.

Lucy opened her mouth in a soundless scream, feeling the swell of magic in the air, and terrified at the strength of it. Just as she was about to close her eyes and brace for the impact, Hermes suddenly appeared next to her. "Supersonic Kick!" He said as his left leg whipped up impossibly fast and hit the man's forearm. The man's right arm was pushed away, his palm now facing the sky, and within a second a solid white bar of purple lightning shot from his hand. The beam streaked through the air and dissipated after a few moments.

Without missing a beat, Hermes turned and grabbed Lucy's hand in one of his own, and began to run with her away from the man, swooping down to grab Dionysus by the rope wrapped around his body, and dragging him behind them.

"Holy Arrows!" Lucy looked back and saw that Celestia was now standing between them and the man. A giant magic seal appeared behind her and then arrows seemingly made of pure white light shot towards the man.

Lucy turned back to look ahead of her and as her gaze shifted, she saw a familiar body laying against a building, and surrounded by rubble. "Wait!" She said to Hermes and pulled her hand from Hermes' grasp. She ran over and knelt down. "Are you okay, Laxus?" Lucy asked the dragon slayer.

Laxus chuckled lightly before bending over and coughing a few times. "Nothing getting the hell out of here and getting a strong drink won't fix." Laxus said snidely as he pushed himself up onto his feet. "I'm assuming that angry old shit was another Olympian." He held himself up with one hand against the building wall and Lucy could see that although he was trying to appear nonchalant, he was in pain.

"Bingo! That was Zeus, the head honcho himself. Now I would suggest we leave fast." Hermes said to them, still holding the wriggling Dionysus in one hand by the rope.

"Just leave poor Dionysus with me will you?" A woman stepped out behind the building Laxus was leaning against. The first thing Lucy noticed was how beautiful the woman was followed quickly by her brilliant amber eyes.

"Aphrodite you're timing is as impeccable and unfortunate as I remembered." Hermes stepped between Lucy and Laxus and the woman.

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes. "I could say the same thing about you." She said.

"You always say how you're not a fighter, I don't see any point in breaking that rule now."

"You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeves." Aphrodite said as she raised both arms and curled her hands together into a heart shape.

"Move out of the way!" Hermes yelled the warning and pushed Lucy and Laxus to the side. Lucy took a few stumbling steps and looked back at Aphrodite just in time to see a pink magic seal appear in front of her outstretched arms.

"Love Me Blast!" The woman said and a heart made of pink magic shot out from her hands towards Hermes.

Hermes jumped high into the air, letting the attack pass underneath him, and landed on the edge of a rooftop. Aphrodite scoffed and looked up at the other olympian with a scowl darkening her gorgeous face. Another heart-shaped attack shot towards him but he jumped out of the way at the last second, the attack exploded into a pink cloud of smoke, and Hermes landed safely on the rooftop of the building to the right.

Hermes wasted no time and jumped into the air again. "Take Dionysus!" He yelled and threw the entangled olympian towards Lucy and Laxus. Dionysus flew through the air and collided with Laxus, knocking the injured man to the ground.

"Now you have my full attention." Hermes said and held out his hands as ropes shot out from under his sleeves and snaked towards Aphrodite.

Lucy looked down at Dionysus on top of Laxus and pushed him off of the dragon slayer. Laxus growled as he sat up. "Well if I wasn't already fed up of these fuckers before, I definitely am now." Laxus said and stood up.

"Tell me about it." Lucy mumbled as she looked back at Hermes who was currently dodging more of Aphrodite's magic attacks and then at Dionysus who was trying to squirm away. "Can you run?" Lucy asked, she was impressed Laxus was even standing after being hit with such an intense magic strike from Zeus.

Laxus leaned down and grabbed Dionysus. "Just try and keep up, Blondie." Laxus smirked and began to run down a side street away from Hermes and Aphrodite. Lucy quickly followed and they ran as fast as they could away from the chaos of the fighting olympians.

"Where should we go?" Lucy asked between heaving breaths. She knew that they could only run for so long and considering that Celestia, Ares, and Hermes had tracked her all the way from Magnolia, she assumed they wouldn't lose her anytime soon.

They turned the corner onto a new street that was more crowded. Lucy felt how many stares they were drawing and couldn't blame them. Two disheveled people running through the streets as fast as they could with a man wrapped tightly in rope and gagged wasn't something you saw everyday.

"As far as we can get from them." Laxus grumbled as another roll of thunder sounded causing a few people around them to jump.

Suddenly in front of them, Celestia, Ares, and Hermes appeared in a white flash kneeling on the ground. Ares had blood running down his face from a wound on his forehead and Celestia's dress was torn in multiple place, but other than that they looked okay.

Celestia stood up and looked at Lucy and Laxus, seeming to size them up for a few moments before she rolled her eyes. Lucy opened her mouth to say something but suddenly it felt like the ground was falling out from under her feet and everything went blank. As quick as the sensation came, it disappeared and Lucy felt solid ground under her feet again. She collapsed down onto her knees, feeling soft grass instead of the hard pavement she should've felt.

Lucy and Laxus were now on a sheer cliff face covered in grass and trees, Celestia's group still a few paces away from them. Lucy looked behind her over the cliff, seeing that they leagues above Dahlia, the city an intricate grid of buildings from this bird's eye view.

"Well that went about as well as you could expect." Hermes said cheerfully.

Ares mumbled something unintelligible as his armor disappeared in a flash and was replaced with the same tan shirt, baggy brown pants, boots, and tattered cloak that Lucy had seen him in before.

Celestia abruptly turned away from them and held out of of her arms, one crossed over the other, and just her thumb, index, and middle finger were raised on each hand. A thin silver line about two feet taller than her appeared front of her and as she slowly uncrossed her arms, the vertical line split, and expanded into a rectangular opening. Lucy gaped at the sight, it seemed Celestia had tore an opening through space, and instead of seeing what should've been behind the opening, there was a view of a sprawling white palace. "That must be some sort of spatial magic but I've never seen something like it before." Lucy thought.

Celestia turned from her creation and walked the few paces over to Lucy and Laxus. "Normally I would take Dionysus and leave you two behind to fend for yourselves but you're lucky I'm feeling generous today." She said and pointed behind her at the gateway.

Ares walked through the doorway first, appearing on the other side in front of the giant white building.

Hermes was next, making a move to go towards the portal. "A fashionable exit as always Celestia." He bowed to her dramatically and then skipped into the portal.

Celestia mumbled something as she watched him go in and then turned her head to look at Lucy and Laxus. "Well are you coming? Zeus is famous for his temper and nothing is going to make him more pissed than losing us. Also don't forget that idiot." She said, looking at Dionysus still in Laxus' grip for a second, and then looking back at her gateway before striding through it.

Lucy tore her eyes away from the gateway over to Laxus. "What do you think?" She asked and smiled weakly.

Laxus was still looking at the portal with a frown. Hermes was looking back at them expectantly while Ares just crossed his arms, and Celestia stood with her back to them. "Unfortunately I don't see any other option. I hate to admit it but I wouldn't want to face that man again." He said and Lucy couldn't help but agree, thunder still boomed every few moments in the city below them, and she felt her heart race faster and faster every time.

Lucy and Laxus walked side to side up to the portal, looking at each other one last time before Laxus stepped in. Lucy watched him and Dionysus appear next to the others and took a deep breath as she stepped up to the edge. She closed her eyes and took one stride into the gateway and the unknown.

Natsu

It was a miracle, a sudden, inexplicable miracle. Natsu was in Porlyusica's cabin along with Happy, Gray, Erza, Mira, Elfman, and Porlyusica when all of a sudden the spoiled stench that had permeated throughout the room moments before, disappeared. And a few seconds later, Lisanna's eyelids fluttered open.

Lisanna shot up in the bed and looked around wildly before her gaze focused on Natsu. "Natsu…Natsu what happened?" She asked but Natsu didn't answer instead he leaped forwards and wrapped his arms around her.

He felt joyful tears pricking his eyes as he held her as tightly as he could, almost as if he was scared she would disappear, and to be honest he was. "I'm so glad you're okay, Lis." Natsu whispered and they slowly separated.

They looked at each other, black meeting blue as they stared into each other's eyes deeply. Natsu felt a strange urge pulling at him, yanking at him, and instead of fighting it he let it control him. The next moment, he leaned in, and his lips locked with Lisanna's.

Lucy

Lucy didn't know how long her mouth was agape but she couldn't help herself, this was truly a sight that trumped everything she had seen before. When she stepped through the portal she was dumbfounded. The grand palace made of pristine white stone was impressive alone but what truly took her by surprise was the fact that the palace was located on a piece of land that had appeared to be ripped from the earth. The sizable island was floating in an endless void of brightly shining stars, and a giant moon that bathed the landmass in bright moonlight, causing the stone of the palace to glow softly.

To either side of a long rectangular pool of crystal clear water were paths made of stone tiles that led to steps up to the grand entrance of the building. The doors matched the rest of the palace, both of them huge and ornate with wide trim. Either side of the paths was lined with statues of all different kinds of monsters, men, and women chiseled out of marble along with hedges that have been meticulously trimmed, and white stone columns.

The palace grounds seemed to be mostly taken up by sprawling gardens brimming with flowers of every species and hue. Lucy also saw multiple entrances to walkways that she assumed would cut through the gardens.

The gateway behind her, now showing the cliff face they had just left, shut closed back to the thin vertical line before blinking out of existence.

"Well we're stuck here now." Laxus said, seemingly unimpressed by the change in location, but Lucy noticed the way his slightly widened eyes darted around.

"Ares take Dionysus inside, I'll be there soon." Celestia ordered her companion and he followed her instructions although he didn't seem to enjoy it. He walked up to Laxus and silently held a hand out, Laxus grimaced, but after a few moments handed the olympian over to Ares. As Celestia watched Ares stalk away, Lucy noticed that her wings had disappeared at some point when she wasn't looking.

When Ares and Dionysus entered the building, Celestia turned to look at Lucy and Laxus. "It's time you go back home brats. I'll send you back to Magnolia." She said.

Lucy stepped forwards to face the woman eye to eye. "No, I'm not leaving until I get Dionysus to reverse his spell." She said firmly.

Celestia brushed one of her ponytails hanging in front of her back over her shoulder before talking again. "That's not a problem anymore. Once he crossed over into my dimension, his grip on anyone should've dissolved." Celestia explained.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Her dimension? Just who is she?" Lucy asked herself as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"Are you sure about that?" Lucy asked.

Celestia's eyes hardened and she glared at Lucy. "You're much too inexperienced to doubt me. The Mark of Madness is gone." She said with a tone of finality.

Lucy felt herself become physically weak from the enormous wave of relief rushing through her body. She bent down slightly and put her hands on her knees to hold herself up.

"Are you okay, Blondie?" Laxus asked.

Lucy nodded and sniffed as she unsuccessfully tried to hold back her tears. "…I'm just glad." She said as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her right hand.

"So now you're ready to go?" Celestia made her question seem like a statement.

Lucy straightened and sniffed one more time before once again looking at Celestia in the eyes, hoping her eyes held even an ounce of the strength she saw behind Celestia's. "No, you still need to tell me what's going on with the Olympians and who you are. You owe it to me b-because without me you wouldn't have captured Dionysus." She said.

Celestia's eyes blazed and she grit her teeth. "I owe you? You have some nerve brat!" She exclaimed.

Lucy put her hands on her hips and stood strong under the woman's glare. They scowled at each other for moments that seemed to stretch for an eternity before Hermes interjected. "Can I talk for you for a second, Celestia?" He asked and not waiting for an answer, he took Celestia's arm, and dragged her away far enough down the path that Lucy couldn't hear what they said.

Laxus suddenly dropped to his knees with a pained groan and his hand pressed against his side. Lucy hurriedly dropped down next to him. "I knew you weren't okay."

Laxus winced painfully and opened one eye partly. "It's nothing. That Ares guy just really knows how to pack a punch…might've broken a few of my ribs. And then that old geezer might've broken the rest of them." He hissed out.

Just then, Celestia and Hermes walked back up to Lucy and Laxus. Celestia was visibly aggravated and walked stiffly while Hermes smiled and seemed to be sauntering. Celestia looked down at her feet as she spoke . "Okay you ungrateful brat…I'll tell you about the Olympians." Her gaze shifted to Laxus who was still kneeling before continuing. "But on one condition." She added and locked eyes once again with Lucy.

"What condition?" Lucy asked hesitantly while rising to stand up straight.

"You need to leave Fairy Tail. I'm sending you and that brute back to Magnolia, I'll even heal him, and in one day I will come to your apartment, be ready with your decision." She finished.

Lucy opened her mouth to object to the absurd condition but suddenly both her and Laxus were enveloped in a white light and with a flick of Celestia's hand, everything went white.

Author Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Meeting another Olympian is always fun, especially when it's one as infamous as Zeus is, you'll be seeing a lot more of him soon! And by now I'm sure you've figured out what Ares' magic is and how his Requip is unique to him...but if you haven't don't worry! It will be explained along with Hermes and Celestia's in the near future ;)

Please let me know if the action sequences are hard to follow! I try my best to describe how things are playing out but I know sometimes it can be confusing so some feedback would be much appreciated!

And real quick before I go, I just want to thank all of you for the amazing support for this story, I appreciate every review, follow, and favorite that I see :)