Thanks everyone for your kind words regarding the chapter! Notes at the bottom, but we won't bog it down! Enjoy your chapter! - Mslead


CHAPTER 21

Chantey

Song sung together by sailors or pirates in unison, while they work


Lucy smirked as she settled down in the same seat Natsu had used to watch her performance feeling entirely smug about things for the moment.

Her usual curse about being on land had come into play, but as far as she knew, the fallout had been more good than bad this time. Something she was positive she could thank Levy for. Her friend had slipped away while they were hauling Natsu and Juvia out of the crowd, and by the time she'd rejoined them there was a pronounced change.

The tent where Happy had been held captive had been swarmed with priests and city guards and the man himself clapped in irons. It had been wonderful to watch. It had been even more so when he'd gone nuts over the sight of them and had started screaming about how they were the real culprits only for the High Priest himself to snort derisively.

"Don't be absurd." The man, Freed, had said loudly, "Lady Heartfilia and her crew are well known to us as devout worshipers of the Navigator. Furthermore, they show proper respect to the Tempest and her children. As is evidenced by the fact two of them are part of her crew. To even suggest buying a mermaid is tantamount to sacrilege. You're fortunate you weren't struck down where you stand for that insult!"

It had been entirely satisfying. Moreso because he'd proceeded to apologize to both Natsu and Juvia for the insult on what was meant to be an open and joyous festival for all, and extended an offer for royal treatment by way of apology.

They'd turned it down, but Lucy suspected that they'd earned more than a little blessing from Juvia for it.

"Thanks for that back there." She muttered as Levy settled down beside her.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Levy said with a saucy wink. She swung a leg over her knee, booted heels scraping against the floor. Her shoulder shrugged and she poked her friends shoulder, "Try not to get too caught up on what's going to happen and enjoy the moment. We have to pick our fights."

"True," Lucy smirked at Levy, "But I think this one was worth the effort for the disrespect to my crew."

"Can't deny you that Captain!" Levy laughed, bending forward and curling her hands together. Gajeel approached from a step behind, dropping heavily down in the seat next to Levy. Her slender hand made its way into the crook of his elbow, the man looking all too pleased with himself by her touch.

"Gajeel, I'm surprised you're not competing in the competition," Lucy smirked at the god. He gave her a sour glare that on anyone else would have been mistaken for a glare. Lucy however knew Gajeel well enough to recognize it for it was. A pout.

"I missed the sign ups fixin' my damn ship!" Gajeel grouched at her, "Can't you go a week without scratching her up?"

"Yours, mine. Details," Lucy snorted and waved her hand at the god, "I'm giving you work, so don't complain."

Really the Fairy Tail could get a scratch on its paint and Gajeel would act as if she'd scuttled her ship. Although the damage they sustained from Charybdis was significant, Gajeel had managed to repair it to nearly brand new. His skills really were beyond compare.

And Lucy was beginning to realize that even though her crew mates and friends were gods... it hadn't changed much about them at all.

The same announcer from before moved out onto the arena, drawing their attention before Gajeel could snap out a grumpy reply. The competition began and the stadium was filled with sea shanties, rousing ballads, and the occasional off pitch melody.

Lucy listened to every song, enjoying each moment as it bled into the next. However she was more excited for what Natsu was going to come up with.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait much longer. After a hauntingly beautiful sad sea song the announcer came back on stage and announced Natsu's entry with much excitement, but little fanfare and no mention of the altercation from earlier. Either he hadn't heard about it yet, or he was downplaying it out of respect to the Pirate Queen's wishes.

Either way, Lucy was grateful.

She leaned forward as Natsu stepped out, still dressed in his regular clothes, and smiled at the audience. He waited a few beats before opening his mouth and Lucy felt her heart stutter.

Whatever his protests to the contrary, to her ears his voice was sweeter than the finest honey. She didn't recognize the song. It was ancient, and in a language she didn't understand, but it didn't matter. He had poured himself into it, and every motion and syllable evoked a feeling.

Feelings of loss, and longing. Of discovery and triumph. There was the sense he was searching for something he could never find. It pulled at her heart as she watched him passionately sing his story. There was no accompaniment, but he needed none. His voice cut through the air and enraptured the senses without needing anything else.

She couldn't take her eyes off him as his song shifted from one of endless longing, to a surprised discovery, and finally... to love.

That was the only word she had for what she felt in her heart. Love. He was singing about finding love. And the realization had her nearly in tears as she experienced all of it with him.

As the final notes of the song came to a rolling end, Natsu's eyes opened and locked on Lucy. It was like his gaze had picked her out of the crowd, pulling away only when the audience began to cheer and the announcer spoke to him.

Gajeel grunted from across the way, his eyes turned towards Lucy. She blinked in surprise, not having expected him to look at her after a song like that.

"You seemed pretty caught up in the Salamander's pipes Blondie," Gajeel observed.

"He's got an amazing voice," Lucy defended herself, although she was unsure from what.

"I guess," Gajeel grunted, not willing to admit Natsu was good at anything. He frowned and turned his eyes towards where Natsu was laughing sheepishly to the little pumpkin-man and running off the stage.

"I haven't heard that song in centuries," Gajeel said, his voice quiet and almost hard for Lucy to catch.

Gajeel recognized the look in Natsu's eyes. His captain was beginning to know, or at least suspect the truth. Because the last time Gajeel had heard that song, was on the day Natsu steered them right into the path of an angry god.

The calm moments right before the storm. A moment in time with Natsu and his queen, together when they thought they were alone. When they thought they were finally safe. Gajeel hadn't been out of Natsu's range, but his captain was so smitten and in love that Gajeel could have thrown an entire cannon at his head and he wouldn't have noticed.

He wasn't sure his captain would notice now.

Despite this Lucy not being much like the gentle and beloved, if mischievous, princess that had captured Salamander's heart in an instant, or the one who had accepted his proposal, it seemed the attraction was starting all over again.

And that, more than anything, was what worried him.

He didn't know the full story of the Celestial Princess, the very first of Lucy's past lives when she was a goddess. Jellal and the older gods were very close mouthed about it. All he knew for sure was that something terrible had happened to her that had caused her to fall and be reborn as the Lucy he'd known four hundred years ago. The same Lucy who had also had something terrible happen to her once her memories had begun to unlock. The surge of power that had accompanied them had attracted Acnologia's attention.

And now the cycle was starting again.

He didn't think he could handle watching it again. Once was already too many times.

Sure, there were plans in place. Contingencies. The other gods were aligning themselves with the heavens to fight against one of their own, but that didn't stop his unease.

Or the gut feeling that Natsu's song might well be another portent of the storm to come.

He scowled slightly as Natsu was named the winner, and all of Fairy Tail cheered around him, the uneasy feeling in his gut growing. It made him itch. As if his skin was a little too tight, and he twitched restlessly with the need to do something. Even if that something involved picking a fight with Salamander.

"What's wrong?" Levy asked lowly as the crew got up and surged towards Natsu to congratulate him.

"I got a real bad feelin'." He muttered back, "Storm's comin'."

Levy frowned, her hand raising up to gently settle against his arm. She knew the pain in his eyes. The heaviness in his heart. At the time Levy hadn't known him much at all, staying out of the affair of the gods as much as she could get away with.

But she had always kept an eye on Gajeel while he was mortal. He was intelligent and had often prayed to her. And furthermore, his intelligence coupled with his sharp instincts were a deadly combination.

"He's not going to let it go, is he?" Levy asked.

The way Natsu looked at Lucy, it was as if he wanted to pull apart her secrets.

It wasn't love, but Levy knew there were only so many steps between curiosity and love. And Natsu was already halfway there.

Gajeel didn't respond, but Levy took his silence for enough confirmation. The horizon overhead was filled with storm clouds, the past looking into the present.

This wasn't a storm they could avoid. The best they could do was prepare.

Levy hoped it would be enough.

—::—

Far away, on the edge of a scarred and empty battlefield, the dark figure of Acnologia stood alone. Around him laid the strewn bodies of the mortals who had worshiped him and his ears. Their battles were delightful to listen to, but their lives meant ultimately nothing.

For now though he paid no attention to the war around him. Instead his eyes were on a lacrima rolling in his hand.

It had happened, for just a few minutes, but he had felt it. A glimmer of her magic. Of the one who had tried to escape him centuries ago.

At first he wrote it off as a one off. Occasionally those who summoned celestial spirits almost gave off the same vibe. How many times had he followed after the wrong source in the past?

This time however, it was accompanied by another divine pop of magic shortly after.

One that had been unmistakably the Tempest.

The wretch who ruined Acnologia's plans for revenge in the past. She was on land and somehow had managed to keep her tail for however brief a moment.

He scowled as he contemplated the situation. As much as he despised the Tempest he knew better than to underestimate her. Even before she'd thwarted his plans four centuries ago, he'd been wary of her. She'd been the one to create the many and varied creatures that guarded the abyss after all, and had proved herself a canny and ruthless protector for millennia.

It had only been pure luck that he'd discovered she'd left the sea for the first time since their battle. Pure luck and exquisite timing.

He would've thought that once she'd discovered her precious prisoners were gone she would return and stay. Was it possible she didn't know yet?

He wasn't sure, but whatever the case was he could hardly let this go. His princess was waiting for him.

The thought of her pulled a smirk on his face. He vividly remembered Jude's report, and memory, of Lucy's beautiful reaction to the arranged marriage. He hadn't been sure then that she was his princess, but the display had been both delightful and encouraging.

Now it wasn't something he could ignore.

If he had any hope of making her his he needed to move quickly. Before that accursed champion of hers resurfaced again.

He tossed the lacrima slightly, and glanced around, checking for any sign of his counterpart. However, the Titania was fully occupied several hundred miles away. Perfect.

He smirked again as he activated the lacrima, "Mard Geer."

"Lord Acnologia." The demon greeted politely, "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"There's been a stirring in Crocus." Acnologia growled, "I believe my bride is beginning to come into her memories. And she's not alone. I sensed the Tempest nearby."

A dark look of pure malice flickered across Mard Geer's face, "I shall send Jackal at once." He purred, "He will retrieve your bride unharmed for you. And as for the Tempest..." His eyes glittered with a hatred Acnologia could only appreciate, "We will remind her why even one demon gate is not to be trifled with."

Acnologia respected the bloodthirsty nature of his demons. Motivations like revenge often saw the best results. It was part of the reason Acnologia was even interested in aligning himself with demons. Once upon a time they had proved themselves to be his most devout followers, long before he had even come into his own power as a god. At the time his magic had mutated his human acolytes into power hungry monsters, a thing which had horrified Acnologia at the beginning.

Until he realized how they could serve him to bring more war, bring him more power. At least until he was forced to seal them away when their ambition outgrew that of the gods and resulted in a war which plagued humans for centuries afterwards. A result that suited Acnologia just fine even if the other gods could not see the value. A minor setback.

After their sealment into Tartaros, he considered them worms hardly deserving to be in the same room as a god such as he, even if he had been the one to accidentally create them. However if the end result saw the Creator being thrown from his throne it would be more than enough for him to lie with his former enemies.

"Don't forget our mission. It comes as no surprise that the Tempest is on that particular island. If she has truly discovered that the demon gates have escaped the abyss then that can only mean she is trying to gather help from the Navigator." Acnologia grunted in irritation. In fact that was very likely the case. Juvia would hardly ignore her duties either, which meant she would be trying to recapture the gates.

If they were killed without Tartaros being freed, the demons would die permanently this time.

"Eliminate the threat of the Navigator," Acnologia smirked into the lacrima, "lay a trap for the goddess and force her to expose herself. Mard Geer, elevate yourself to the rank of god. Take her powers and lead us to the temples."

"And how do you suppose we take on a God? She will be powerful in her anger. And any trap that will be strong enough to lure her attention may cause her to become invoked," Mard Geer murmured, but was interested in the idea of godhood.

Acnologia smirked, his eyes cold as he stared into the lacrima.

"We use what I stole from the Creator's older brother," he tugged free a cord that was wrapped around his throat. Dangling from the leather cord, was a golden key broken at the handle.

Glittered in the red light cast by the war around. Fires warmed the metal but he looked at it with such icy reverence that he could frost over even the hottest volcanoes.

"The Celestial Spirit Kings magic," he smirked.

Mard Geer's eyes widened in awe, "You possess that magic?" He breathed, "How?"

Acnologia glared at the key for a long moment, "I took it from the Celestial Princess's Champion after I killed him." He growled darkly.

Took it for the indignation of interfering with Acnologia's suit for Lucy's hand.

He remembered well when the young goddess was born, how very lovely she'd been even as a babe, her light shining brightly in a way her brother simply did not. If Jellal's presence had been the eternally patient dark between the stars, Lucy had been the stars themselves.

And it had grown the older she got. Though he hadn't appreciated it until much later. It had been a genuine surprise to him when the goddess had come calling on her uncle as he was discussing the finer points of a war with the Creator, and discovered the bright child had grown into an exquisite young woman.

He'd fallen in love on the spot. Her bright light beckoned to his darkness, teased it into a gentleness he'd never known he possessed before that moment, and he'd been unable to resist. He would never forget how he'd eagerly attempted to woo her in those early days, before he'd found out the horrible truth.

He scowled at just the memory of that awful day. The day the Celestial King had explained that he could never win his daughter's hand. Not because he would be averse to giving it if Lucy held him in the same regard he did her, but because Lucy's heart had already been stolen.

By a mortal of all filthy things.

That was bad enough, but the humiliation of finding out that many of the other gods had known while he'd made a fool of himself was far worse. That they approved of the match was intolerable.

How they could possibly approve of such a terrible match was beyond him. As beyond him as understanding how his beautiful star could lower herself to giving herself to such filth.

At first his denial had reared its head. Surely when the princess saw him, she would tire of her mortal affair. After all, he could never hope to give her everything Acnologia could. They came from different worlds that did not touch.

Perhaps the mortal gave her interesting perspective, but it was nothing more than a novelty.

So he held onto the humiliating hope that given time, he could turn her head.

Nothing had been worse when the gods gathered at the festival to honor the eclipse. It was held by mortals in their honor, and Acnologia had planned to give the Princess the gift of his hand in respect to that.

The Celestials, even among gods were considered royalty. They came first, sparking the first signs of life with the Spirit King guiding the spots of life which would come to decorate the world and the Creator forming them.

Water, ancient and ever patient bubbled up afterwards, giving way to the Tempest. There were gods more ancient than he, but that meant little. Acnologia held the power. He ruled over one of the strongest forces imaginable. The rage of man.

Weak little creatures, hardly worth the effort it took to pit them against one another. But he was one of the most powerful and everlasting of the gods. A fire and darkness to match the spark of Lucy's light. Perfection.

There would always be destruction just as there would creation. She was perhaps an even better counterpart to him than Titania would one day become.

But that day he saw something that made his blood go cold and rage build in his heart.

The mortal, the first one who had earned the title of 'champion,' sat next to Lucy by a bonfire.

He sat there making shadow puppets in the flames, entertaining children as if their happiness was worth the time. Perhaps for a maggot it was, but his place was under her feet.

He laughed with her, acting like he was deserving of his spot by her side. He wasn't. He never would be.

And Acnologia had made certain of that.

Or he thought he had anyway.

It had shattered him when Lucy had been killed instead of her obnoxious father during his attack on the celestial kingdom. He truly hadn't intended for that to happen. However, he'd patiently waited for her rebirth, quietly enduring the scorn and derision from the other gods as he did.

He knew they didn't see. They didn't understand. The Champion had had to die to free Lucy from his influence. He had not expected the Celestial King and Jellal to both side against him. He hadn't wanted them involved. They were Lucy's family after all. However, they'd crossed the line when they'd declared that no matter what he would not have Lucy's hand.

In an instant they'd gone from his future in-laws to obstacles that had to be removed.

So remove them he had. With prejudice. Unfortunately the result had been Jellal was the only Celestial remaining alive besides the Creator himself.

The other gods hadn't understood that. To them he'd murdered two of their most beloved. A view Jellal had been only too quick to capitalize on no matter what Acnologia had said otherwise.

He hadn't minded though. Because he'd known Lucy would one day be reborn and when she was he would accomplish what he hadn't before and show everyone the truth.

That had been his plan until that accursed Champion had resurfaced again to stop him with that ridiculous ship. And now he could tell events were in motion to thwart him again.

His grip tightened on the lacrima enough that it started to creak under the pressure, and Mard Geer raised an elegant eyebrow.

"That's quite an expression you have on your face Lord Acnologia." He said mildly, "The history of that artifact must be even more intriguing than I thought to put it there."

Acnologia transferred his glare to the demon, "That is one thing you'll be left to wonder about for eternity." He growled and the key shard glowed briefly before appearing before Mard Geer, "Use it well."

"It will be our delight to pass this power through our ranks Lord Acnologia." Mard Geer purred as he picked it up, "Our absolute delight."


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The goddess stared at him in confusion, her hair cascading in beautiful waves over her shoulder. The tips of which lightly tickled at his bare stomach, drawing his attention away from his dream as it faded into the aether.

"Juvia?" He asked, shaking his head as he took in his surroundings. He was on the deck, but under the shaded overlay leading into the kitchen.

He groaned and shook his head, "Oh damn. Is it time already?"

Juvia nodded solemnly, her expression apologetic. He sat up, shoving himself upright, regretting his decision not to disappear into his quarters for a quick nap.

"You can do it Gray, I know you don't like this part of your rank, but you're the best person to do it," Juvia murmured, hands settling against his shoulder and chest.

"How do you know that?" Gray couldn't help but ask, his eyes narrowing to the goddess giving him assistance.

Juvia smiled back when he finally stood up, "Because you care about this ship, the captain, and her crew. You'd do anything to protect it."

"I've known you for a very long time Gray," Juvia settled her hand over his thumping heart, "You're just as much a part of the ocean as I am. And I know you are the best one to handle this."