Hope everyone had a good Mothers day! Here is your chapter from me! Mslead! Quick note before we begin, there may or may not be a chapter this Wednesday. Kytrin usually posts the chapters on Wednesdays and she will be on the move, so that leaves it up to yours truly. However because I work weird hours during the week, I may not be able to get it up in time. So just be patient, you'll definitely get your update on Sunday and I'll certainly try for your Wednesday update. Just don't be alarmed if it doesn't show up in your inbox!


CHAPTER 27

Bilge Rat

A rat living in the bilge of a ship. It is considered the lowliest creature by pirates, but many pirates take to eating the animals to survive. An insulting name given by a pirate.


"Water slicer!" Juvia shouted as she arced a fresh wave of water blades at her opponent along with her boomerangs.

The fog they'd shrouded the ship in had long since burned away, unsustainable as it was without constant focus in these weather conditions, but it had proved unnecessary. Fairy Tail had launched itself into the fray with an abandon that fully lived up to her memories, following after their enraged captain with a devotion that brought back even older memories.

"Ice make hammer!" Gray cried out behind her and she spun around just in time to see a giant hammer of ice crash painfully into an opponent that had snuck up on her, "You alright?"

"I'm fine!" Juvia replied as Gray fought his way to her back, "I wasn't expecting so many though!"

"Yeah, they spared no expense on this one." Gray growled as he glared up to where Lucy had traded her twin swords for the raw strength of Taurus as she tore through the ranks in a bid to reverse the tide and board the other ship. Both to get back Natsu and to deal with that treacherous slime behind all this once and for all.

Natsu, for his part, was being held captive towards the rear of the ship. He was face to face with a couple of men who were looking far too satisfied with themselves.

The first was a familiar figure, Bora. Natsu wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into the man's throat and pull for another betrayal to his captain. What was more concerning though was the man he was speaking to in the lacrima he held.

Natsu had only seen the man once before in Magnolia, but he recognized Jude Heartfilia immediately. He groaned as they discussed payment and bartered for a deal. Natsu suspected Lucy had been the original target of Bora's attack had Natsu not interfered.

Although he had to say he was getting tired of being put into these situations. Lucy was going to kill him, how many times had she been forced to rescue his sorry tail at this point? Some former pirate king he was.

Granted, Natsu's strategy of leaping before looking often saw him screaming as he tumbled down slippery slopes. Natsu's jaw locked as he panted into the wooden paneling. His knuckles cracked as he fought to push himself upright but was betrayed by his own body.

The other man with Bora though took concerning straight to worrying. He had sharp claws and black speckled markings along his face, the tip of his nose, and over his arms. His sandy hair fell over a cruel eye and Natsu couldn't help but feel a sharp sense of danger from him.

This man out of everyone else on board the ship was the true danger.

He did nothing though as the battle raged between the pirate bands. At least, not that Natsu could see. He just watched as the two sides fought. It seemed that as long as they were stalemated the man saw no reason to join the fray.

Unfortunately, the stalemate was bound to fail.

Natsu wasn't sure just how long it had been. It was hard to keep track of time when he was both trying to keep an eye on the enemy, and every little motion had his stomach rebelling violently against him. It didn't really matter though. The stalemate was doomed from the beginning for the simple reason Fairy Tail was the one fighting. And Lucy was both savage when she fought, and an inspiration to her crew.

It was a combination that had no doubt won them many raids over the years, but this time he feared it would backfire.

However, before he could muster the strength to so much as gargle a shout, let alone a coherent warning, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia landed solidly on the deck.

"Titania grant us strength." Lucy breathed as she stalked forward, looking every inch an avenging angel. She flashed Natsu a grin as she approached.

"That's enough loafing about for you sailor!" She called, "Gray, do something about those chains will you?"

"Aye cap'n!" Gray replied as he knelt to freeze them solid.

Meanwhile, Lucy's gaze was locked on the paling Bora, her expression murderous, "Bora!" She shouted, "You are going to pay for this!"

However, before she could reach her treacherous ex crewman, the man next to him stepped forward at the sight of Lucy, the smirk on his face growing, "Get back worm, deal with mop up."

He fished out a lacrima from his side pocket, lifting it up to Lucy's face, "Is this the one you want my lord?"

A dark, crushing presence seemed to emerge from the crystal, suffocating them in the very pressure from the small object. Natsu groaned, forcing his hands apart with Grays help.

Juvia stepped forward in a flash, shoving Lucy behind her as the weight of evil eyes landed on her, "Get behind me captain!"

It seemed too late though, as Juvia was just a fraction of a second too slow.

"Why Jackal, it seems you have found my bride. And in the company of trash." A dark voice, one that struck a familiar cord down to the pit of each of them.

"Tempest, how fascinating to see you here. And weakened?" the voice of the Destroyer rumbled with the weight of wars behind it, of fires and brimstone and the cries of those lost to the blade.

"How opportune. Kill the goddess Jackal to take her place and bring me my bride."

"Like hell!" Gray snarled, jerking to his feet and dragging Natsu up with him.

"Jackal, those two men," The Destroyer's hated voice burned through the air, the pressure of his presence alone was almost overwhelming.

"I want to see their faces."

"No!" Juvia gasped, fear tinging her eyes.

Jackal raised an eyebrow at the request, but obligingly shifted the lacrima away from Lucy to Natsu and Gray. There was a moment of silence before the aura around the lacrima began to press down on them like a physical weight. Natsu hissed at the sensation, struggling to glare up at the fury mounting through the air.

It was like an oppressing miasma.

"You!" The Destroyer raged, his fury stifling enough to make Lucy's knees buckle, "You will not interfere Champion!" The god roared, "Not again! Never again will you take what is mine! I will see your bones scattered and your soul fed to Tartaros itself you and your brother! Kill him Jackal! Kill them both!"

"With pleasure my lord." Jackal purred as he tucked the lacrima safely away, taking the horrifying aura with it, and flung his arms out with his thumb, index, and middle fingers outstretched. In an instant both Natsu and Gray were engulfed in a pair of transparent orbs.

"Time to die!" He cackled insanely, "Now which one of you should go first? Any preference my lord?"

Juvia gasped, her hand lifting snap a blade of water at Jackal, not waiting for Acnologia's response.

She didn't take into account Bora's flame to meet her water, counteracting the magic and causing a burst of steam between them. Juvia swore, knowing the damage was already done now. She couldn't react in time as a demon's clawed hand snapped out from the fog, clamping down on her face. Juvia's eyes only had a split second to widen before an explosion tore through her, dropping her hard on the deck.

The fog cleared, and Jackal smirked as he stood over the felled goddess. Blood pooled under her head, pooling in a shimmery light that was almost gold.

Jackal grinned at Gray and licked the golden blood from his fingertips, "Tasty."

Gray stared in shock, unsure what had caused Juvia to panic in such a way to mount an attack, but the numbness of it was starting to wear off to boiling rage as he stared at her prone body, still on the deck.

He lunged at the barrier with a snarl, "You bastard!" He raged as he unleashed his ice magic, but to his shock it had no effect whatsoever on the orb.

Jackal burst into laughter, "Stupid worm!" He cackled, "There's no way you can escape my curse!" He grinned wildly, "You're already dead! All I have to do to make it reality is will my pretty bombs to explode!"

He was cut off, however, as a loud whip crack sounded, "Earth wave!"

Jackal and the others looked up just in time to watch Lucy's whip impact the deck with the force of a cannon shot, rocking the boat and sending splinters flying everywhere in a straight line to Jackal. Startled, the demon gate leapt to the side, and directly into a charging Lucy's kick.

Caught off guard twice in a row, Jackal choked a little in shock as the force of her impact sent him flying.

"Forget about someone?" She growled as she rushed to Juvia's side and frowned, "Sorry about this Juvia." She muttered as she hoisted the goddess up and pitched her overboard, "But you're better off down there."

She looked up as the orbs around Natsu and Gray both popped, dropping them back to the deck and lunged for Natsu just as the merman's tail came back with a vengeance, "Overboard with you sailor!"

Natsu yelped as Lucy threw him in an over the shoulder carry and tossed him in the sea after Juvia.

Gray landed on the deck in a crouch, Lucy turning angry eyes on Jackal, "Deal with Bora." She snapped, "I'm going to deal with the demon."

"Deal with the demon?" Jackal mocked. His lip curled, a twisted smirk flashing over his face and transforming it into something cruel.

"I don't think you're in a position for that," Jackal pointed at Lucy. She glanced down at herself, freezing at the sight of strange targets on her body.

"If you touch me, you go boom," Jackal smirked at Lucy, "And you hit me quite a bit, didn't ya Blondie?" Jackal growled at Lucy, "Shame, I'll have to give you a little bruised to the boss man. Consider it revenge for taking away my chance to be a god!"

He snapped his fingers and the bombs went off, explosions bursting the skin wherever she had been touched. Lucy screamed and dropped to her knees, unable to grit her teeth through the bursts.

"Captain!" Gray shouted and raced towards his captain, only to be distracted by the flames of Bora.

"You punk." Gray snarled at the annoyance. He wasn't particularly powerful, but Jackal was and he was using Bora as a particularly irritating distraction with his timely interferences, "Your flames aren't anything compared to that flamebrain's!" He snarled and hurtled himself forward.

Jackal for his part had rushed Lucy the moment she dropped, grabbing her and peppering her down with as many bombs as he could muster to keep her flat. She screamed from the explosions tearing at her stardress, her teeth gritting together.

She spotted a flicker out in the ocean, the passing flip of a ruby tail, and she summoned every ounce of her willpower to wrap a hand around Jackals ankle.

"That's not going to do you any good," Jackal sneered at Lucy, "What did I tell you about touching me? Talk about stupid!"

He snapped his fingers, the explosion ripping through the nerves in her hand. Lucy bore through it though, riding through the pain.

"Call me stubborn," Lucy panted smirking up at him, her grip tightening. She bore down, her fingers crunching together, "Titania give me strength."

Lucy shifted herself, throwing her weight to the side and using every ounce of her stardress to jerk Jackal to the deck and throw him through the railing.

The demon smashed into the wood, tumbling into the choppy waters down below.

"You threw him overboard?" Bora yelped, "But why?"

Lucy shot him a disgusted look as she settled back against an intact section of railing to rest, wincing painfully as her wounds started to make themselves known, "And that, right there, is proof you're a moron." She replied, "Not that we needed more." She glanced at Gray and smirked, "How long d'you think that jerk will last against Natsu and a pissed off goddess?"

"I give it five minutes." Gray drawled back, ignoring Bora's indignant shouting over being ignored, "If they're slow." He grinned at her smirk, "You?"

"Put me down for two." She replied instantly, "Usual bet?"

"You're on." Gray chuckled, "Keep an eye out for me cap'n? It seems I need to finish taking out the trash."

"Hop to sailor." Lucy grinned and eyed the waters where Jackal had fallen.

-::-

Beneath the water, Jackal was finding himself in a world of trouble.

The impact alone had knocked the breath out of him, but no sooner had he regained his senses than he was hit with a wave of fire and boiling hot water.

"Aw, how nice of the cap'n to give me a chance to play too!" Natsu smirked darkly, "I gotta remember to thank her when I get back aboard."

"Indeed." Juvia agreed as she materialized next to him in her divine form, completely healed and a look of cold fury on her face, "I shall have to thank her for this as well!"

Natsu smirked as Jackal paled and tried to make his way back to the surface only to find himself caught the moment he'd gasped for air as a water whip lashed around his ankle and dragged him back into the depths.

"Oh you're not leaving that easily." Juvia hissed as she dragged him closer, "Not only did you escape your prison, the prison I was in charge of, you threatened my friends and my darling Gray. That will not go unpunished. Natsu!"

"Got it," Natsu smirked, speeding towards Jackal. He let out a jet of fire, engulfing the demon. More ties of water trapped Jackal, keeping his body pinned.

Natsu closed the distance, his fists slamming into Jackal with crushing force under water. The fury on his face was unmistakable, and it was clear he had heard every one of his captain's screams.

And he wanted to pay that pain back to Jackal in kind.

The explosions Jackal attempted let off were ineffective against Natsu. He had learned from watching Lucy and for every explosion he devoured it.

Until they no longer came.

Juvia's eyes narrowed when the still seething Natsu backed off, dragging Jackal's body further down.

"He's dead," Juvia murmured, her lips curling up in thought.

"Yeah, that's what happens when someone decides they want to hurt our crew," Natsu growled.

Juvia just laughed at his sullen expression, "You misunderstand me. The demons of Tartaros have always returned as part of a cycle. It has been almost impossible to keep them down."

"With Tartaros still trapped in the abyss, it seems their death is a permanent one," Juvia lifted her hand to Jackal, tapping a slender finger against his forehead.

His body burst into a shower of bubbles, fading back separately into the sea.

"Come, lets go back to the captain and Gray. They're no doubt worried," Juvia held her hand out to Natsu.

He looked at Juvia, his eyes narrowing.

"I heard what Acnologia said to Jackal," Natsu said, "He knew me. He knew Gray."

Juvia sighed, "I know."

Silence stretched between them for a moment and Juvia looked down, "My spell of protection seems to be growing weaker by the day. I don't wish for it to break prematurely though, please Natsu. Be patient."

"Patient ain't my strong suit." He admitted, but he took her extended hand. He wasn't happy about it, but also knew there was little he could do to actually get answers.

Acnologia had looked at him directly in such rage, Natsu had been certain he would be killed by just the force of the glare through the crystal. His presence had been immense and overwhelming. His hatred for Natsu ran deep.

And he had called him Champion.

Three Levy had said. Three Champions in all of history. All to different gods. One they knew about, but nothing was known about the other two. Was it possible he had been a Champion in the past?

The thought was vaguely disturbing. Admittedly he'd had a long life, but he'd always followed Metallicana and later Juvia when he thought about gods at all. And anyway, hadn't Levy said being a priest was a requirement? There had never been a time he could recall where he'd had the kind of patience needed to be a priest to any god.

'But you don't exactly remember everything do you?' A little voice whispered in the back of his head, 'Your memories are still scrambled.'

Well that was true enough, but even so he vividly remembered leaving on his Journey even before he was really supposed to. So when could he have been a priest? Juvia was hiding more than what he originally thought.

He bit back a sigh of frustration as they reached the surface, wishing for the millionth time that he could just get some straight answers about everything already. He said nothing however as Sting and Rogue swooped down to carry them back to the ship.

"How's Lucy?" He asked as soon as Sting had a grip on him.

"Not great." Sting replied grimly, "The hits were deliberately non-fatal, but she took a serious beating. Wendy says she'll be down for a few days at least while she recovers."

They were dropped onto the deck, Juvia's resting on Fairy Tail's deck as she manipulated the water off her to reform her legs. Natsu had to lay there for a bit longer, using his flames to dry off, his tail receding quickly and the scales drifting away from his body.

"You lose more clothes than Gray," Cana laughed at Natsu's sour face. The only thing remaining on him was his scarf. The fabric had strategically fallen over his crucial parts, but the merman didn't seem to mind or care.

He only grunted in acceptance as she threw him a pair of pants and he crammed himself in them. Standing up, he took a quick stock of the ship and her crew. Everything looked alright and the boarding lines were all gone. Not that it mattered, it looked like Boras ship was well on its way to joining Jackal in Davy Jone's locker.

Juvia wrapped herself up with a grateful smile and looked around, "I'm afraid things have gotten more dangerous. Acnologia has seen Lucy, and furthermore he's seen Natsu and Gray."

"Me? What do I have to do with this?" Gray asked, his eyes locked on Juvia. He had never even met the Destroyer before, but he had felt that incredible hatred.

"Your ancestor that was cursed by the Destroyer," Juvia murmured to him, and Gray suspected by the meaning in her eyes there was more to what she was saying, "The hatred he has for him is almost as powerful as the hatred he has for Natsu. Your ancestor was the one who stopped Acnologia's last plan."

"He will be blinded by his rage," She murmured, "It's imperative now, more than ever that we retrieve the rest of the staff at the temples."

"No kidding," Cana muttered, "But how do we go about it? Our Captain is down right now."

"All this travel ain't gonna be good for her either," Gray groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Natsu raised an eyebrow and nodded to Elfman in thanks for providing him with a shirt.

"Levy where's the next temple?" Natsu called out to their navigator. She was still pale and sad from the incident in Crocus, but since visiting Galuna she looked in better spirits.

"It's in the Midrean sea," Levy looked at them, confused over the relevance.

Natsu nodded and worked the buttons of his shirt up, "Thats not too far off from here."

"Weren't you listening? We need to get the captain off the ship! She's injured, and we could come under attack again by more of Boras men!" Cana protested, "That slime was working for Lucy's old man!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her, "Maybe. But I'd rather us take our chances with the Heartfilia fleet than make ourselves sitting ducks for an angry god out to kill a third of the crew and steal the captain as his bride."

"So long as we are at sea, Lucy is safe from Acnologia, right?" Natsu glanced at Juvia who nodded back at him. His eyes snapped to Cana once it was confirmed, "Wendy is a healer that can even bring back someone even from the verge of death."

"Lucy's wounds are non-fatal, and she wouldn't want to risk the fate of her crew by dropping anchor on land just to have her injuries tended," Natsu responded back, this time turning to Gajeel, "What's concerning me now is the state of the ship. How is she?"

"We ain't takin' on water, but she'll need repairs," Gajeel replied. Natsu nodded in consideration and his lips pressed together.

"Can we get to Midrean sea?" Natsu asked, causing Gajeel to nod again.

"There's an outcropping off islands nearby, we will need to dock for repairs there, but we'll be fine until then," Gajeel grunted, "But are you sure Salamander, Blondie is?"

Natsu snorted out on a loud laugh, surprising everyone on board. His smile broadened over his face and he rolled his eyes, "What? Are you guys really worried about the captain? Come on, you know a couple of smacks like that from Jackal ain't nothin'. Have a little more respect for her. She just needs a bit of rest first."

Cana stared at him for a long moment before a smirk curled her lips, "Damn right!" She agreed, "That woman's a terror in battle! Plus..." She curled an arm around Wendy, "We got the best damn healer around patching her up! Remember what she did for me?"

"Aye, I remember." Elfman grumbled, "And you haven't shut up about it since!"

"Now brother, it was a miracle." Lisanna soothed, "You can't fault Cana for being happy about it!"

"Yeah, but does she have to bring it up all the time?"

"That ain't the point!" Canna snapped, "An' one more comment outta you will see you gettin' an up close and personal view of my card magic!" She took a breath, "Point is, Wendy saved me when I was set to make a one way journey to the Locker! The cap'n's gonna be fine!" She nodded at Natsu, "Until then... I'll follow ya lead Cap'n Dragneel."

"Aye." Gray agreed with a smirk, crossing his arms, "Only person worthy of being Acting Cap'n while Lucy's down would be you."

"But Gray, you're First Mate!" Lisanna protested, "Command should fall to you!"

Gray shot her a smile, and shook his head, "Should maybe, but that'd leave another vacancy. Besides, Flamebrain ruled the seas for centuries, an' captained the first Fairy Tail. Can any of you think of anyone more qualified to lead until Lucy's back on her feet?"

"Well when you put it like that, I don't see how we can refuse." Mira replied, and slowly agreement rippled around the crew until all eyes were on Natsu expectantly.

He swallowed a lump at the show of faith, "Just so you know, Lucy's still my cap'n. And once she's out of bed, she's cap'n again. I don't want anyone thinkin' otherwise."

"Heh, trust me Pyro..." Gray replied, "If we thought for even a second you'd do that, we never would've agreed to this. Now what're your orders?"

Natsu took a breath and nodded, "Right. Levy, plot us a course to the nearest islands Gajeel needs to make repairs! I want us underway five minutes ago! Anyone not immediately doing a task stay sharp! I don't trust that bastard not to have more ships hanging around. Gray, set up a pairs watch in the nest. I want two sets of eyes on the horizon at all times until this is over."

"You heard the man!" Cana bellowed, "Get moving you dogs!"


Alright guys! You earned yourself your preview! All my important notes are at the top of the chapter so make sure you check it out! Anyway, thanks so much for all the reviews everyone, you did such a great job you made me proud! Here's to the next update which might be on Sunday if I can't get it up on Wednesday!


"As it turns out, I do have a masseuse in my shirt!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that and Natsu arched a saucy eyebrow at her, "What? it's true!" He laughed at her disbelief, "You don't believe me? Even if I didn't have a crazy amount of sisters in my nest, I'll have you know my sister and brother under the sea outright demanded I learn."

"How does that work exactly with tails?" Lucy asked, but more believing now.

"Hey, our fins get sore same as your feet," Natsu grinned and crooked his fingers, "Now c'mere Luce and roll over. Your acting Captain is going to take care of you so he doesn't have to bark orders anymore."

"Awww, you're only giving me a massage because you don't want to be in charge?" Lucy teased, but slowly rolled over onto her stomach obligingly. She was glad she was wearing something lighter this time and hoped Natsu would be able to work around it.

"You bet," Natsu purred back, "I put captaining behind me four hundred years ago. I'm more than content to swab the deck and have adventures and if it means treatin' ya like a princess so I don't have to do it anymore then I'm about to roll out the best finery."

"And who said romance was dead?" Lucy laughed into her pillow, Natsu moving in next to her.

His hands, so very warm against the coolness of her skin sent a shock through her body. She shivered at the feel of his large hands against her back, his strong fingers beginning to press into her back.

"Trust me princess," Natsu bent down to her, his voice a soft purr in her ear, "You ain't seen nothin' yet."