As always, thanks for all the love, and happy reading!
Two weeks after revealing herself, Lucy was working in the gardens when she felt someone enter her temple. Immediately, she formed within the human world, right in front of her altar. "Nat- who are you?"
Kneeling before the altar was a man holding a small bouquet of flowers. No, Lucy thought as she studied him, it wasn't a man. It was a teenager. She wouldn't guess at an age, but he was too thin to be an adult, having not yet grown into his body. "Who are you, human?"
"My name is Zeref," he replied, keeping his eyes on the floor.
"Zeref? Wait." Lucy took a step forward. "Are you the one Natsu spoke of? His brother?"
"Yes, goddess. I am Natsu's brother."
Fear tickled along Lucy's spine as she retreated and sat on her altar. "Is he alright?"
"He is… okay," Zeref answered. "He is in no danger, I can assure you."
Lucy noted the way that he took care with his words. She wondered if Natsu had told him of her hatred for lying, or if he was just being careful because she was a goddess. "If he is well, then why has he stopped visiting?" Her voice lowered an octave as she asked, "Have you kept him from visiting?"
"I promise you, goddess, I have never stopped him from visiting." The truth.
"Then why has he been absent? Please stand and answer my question. You do not need to stay on the floor."
Zeref rose to his feet but continued to avoid her gaze. "I am sorry, goddess, but he was afraid to come here. He did not want to risk your wrath, but he also wanted you to know that he is sorry."
Dozens of questions flew through her head, much too quickly for her to sort through. "What is he sorry about?"
"Before I tell you, I want to have your word first that you will not punish him in any way. Promise me that if a punishment must be dealt out, it will be dealt to me instead." His fists clenched. "Natsu assured me that you take promises very seriously, so I can only tell you once you tell me you won't hurt him."
"Punishment?" Confused, Lucy tried to see his face more clearly. "What has he done to deserve punishment?" The boy remained silent and continued to avoid her eyes. "I promise I will not harm Natsu," she reassured him, "I just want to know what happened."
"He lost your gift, goddess." Zeref raised his head fully to meet her gaze. His eyes widened when he finally looked at her face, but his expression remained wary. "Some men in town saw him with it and were convinced that the only way a poor boy like him could have it was by stealing it. They tried to take it from him," Zeref said as his fists clenched at his side, "and Natsu fought back."
He closed his eyes and ground his teeth. "He fought to keep it, but they beat him and took it. Ever since, he's been too scared to come back here. He's worrying himself sick, so I offered to come speak to you on his behalf."
"Grown men beat a young child over a scrap of cloth?" When Zeref looked at her again, he took a step back. "Not only did they steal a goddess' gift, they beat a child to take it?!" Her constellations woke and began to shine, reminding her that she needed to reign herself in while she was in the human world. She pet Leo's head where he had formed near her shoulder; the action helped to calm her. The darkness around her disappeared and she sat once more on her altar.
"How badly hurt is he?"
Anger cloaked the fear in Zeref's eyes. "He is bruised and cut up. I suspect that he may have broken his arm, but we can't afford to have a doctor look at it. I made sure it was straight and have tied it up so it won't move, just in case."
Lucy was relieved that nothing too terrible had happened to Natsu, but she was also furious that he'd been beaten over her gift. A gift from a god was expected to be treasured, and some gods would punish humans who were not careful and either lost or sold them. She'd never understood why the humans should be punished when it was the gods that offered them, but she'd never had an excuse to intervene. Still, she understood why he had avoided visiting her.
She sorted through her feelings as the boy stood silently and watched her. She was still getting used to having emotions again, so sometimes it took her some time to figure out them out. This time, though, she knew exactly which one was at the forefront.
Anger. It wasn't Natsu's fault that his gift was taken. It wasn't his fault that he'd feared for his well being. It wasn't his fault that he was beaten.
It was hers.
So she was going to do something about it.
Lucy smiled at Zeref. "Would you please give me a moment?" Zeref gave her a brief nod, obviously still afraid but committed. "Don't worry, I just have something for you to give Natsu."
She saw his eyes widen as she disappeared, and once she had returned to her home, she went into her room and searched through her baskets as she allowed her anger to course through her. To think someone had dared to harm her follower. She vowed to herself to find them and show them why that had been a very bad idea, no matter how long it took.
Aggressive action against another god's follower could incite them to act against her, but she didn't care. She couldn't just stand around and do nothing. She raised her hand triumphantly when she finally found the right bottle. With it held firmly in hand, she returned to the human world.
Zeref hadn't moved an inch while he waited. Lucy smiled at him once more before holding out the bottle. "Here. Make sure Natsu drinks this."
The boy's face hardened. "What will it do to him?"
"It will make him feel better." She sighed as he relaxed but continued to stare at her with suspicion in his eyes. "I promise. I do not blame him for what happened and I will not punish him. You have my word," she said carefully, wrapping his hand around the bottle. "A goddess's vow is sacred, so when I say that I won't hurt him, you can trust me.
"When you return to him, make sure he drinks the whole bottle. It will ease his pain and heal his body." Her smile widened. "Please, let him know that I miss his visits and look forward to seeing him again."
"Thank you, goddess," Zeref breathed, finally relaxed. "I will return to him at once."
Lucy spoke again before he could leave. "If you need anything, or if you or Natsu have trouble again, please let me know."
"Of course, goddess," he said as he bowed.
"Please, you do not need to be so formal. You may call me Lucy." She chuckled when Zeref's eyes widened and he nodded. "Your brother has been a great comfort to me as of late. I have not had a follower before, so it has been interesting getting to know him. I hope you are taking good care of each other." She began to disappear, allowing her form to slowly fade from view as she spoke one more time.
"I hope you will find time to visit me, too. Take care, Zeref, brother of Natsu."