Hey guys! Welcome to chapter 26! You are officially more than halfway through golem, though we have quite a ways to go still. No housekeeping this chapter that I can think of off hand, so you guys enjoy! :)
THIS FIC UPDATES EVERY THREE DAYS: Post, Break, Break, Post!
CHAPTER 26
Maenad
Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy through a combination of dancing and intoxication.
Early the next morning, Chelia found herself waiting on the beach with Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, and Metallicana. Surprisingly, the rest of the nest on the island had come out to see them off. Many of them were, of course, friends with Gajeel and seemed sorry to see him go again.
But Chelia was eager to be on her way too. As interesting as it had been to meet dragons, she was excited to meet their friends back on Galuna again. Their next stop before heading back to the mainland.
"It was nice meeting you all." She told the assembled dragons cheerfully. They might not have become friends exactly, but she'd found the dragons to be a lot of fun after the first day. Her godslaying was close enough to their magic that they'd only been too happy to spar with her for a while.
"Train hard hatchling." Skiadrium's queen rumbled in amusement, "I hope one day I can see how much you've improved."
"You bet I will!" Chelia replied with a fierce grin, "And I'll come back to visit once the war is over! I promise!"
"I look forward to it little one."
"Alright." Metallicana rumbled loudly, catching everyone's attention, "Let's get going."
He stepped back and swiftly transformed into his dragon form before carefully lowering himself down on the beach and holding his foreclaw out, "All aboard." He rumbled in amusement.
The group hastily finished their goodbyes and ran over to the proffered claw. Even Gajeel, though he had the ability to balance and fly with Metallicana without needing the support, he'd elected to remain with the others. Mostly Levy.
Once they were settled, Metallicana curled his claws around them in a loose fist so they wouldn't fall, and gently plucked up their boat before taking to the air.
The trip back was considerably shorter than the trip going since not only were they flying, the motion sickness often associated with transportation didn't seem to take effect now that they were being carried by Metallicana.
Lucy thought that was a small blessing, but she still kept close to Natsu should he take a turn for the worse. As it stood, he was merely reclining back on the palm of their ride.
He had his hands tucked behind his head, his expression vacant as he zoned out to everything around him. He caught Lucy looking at him though, and flashed her a smile that put her at ease.
So when they arrived at Galuna Island, they were all in considerably better shape than they had been when they arrived the first time.
"Wow! That was incredible! I wish I had wings!" Natsu stretched out, groaning a bit from having been sprawled out or hunched down for the duration of the trip.
"You might have wings in your full demon form." Lucy offered as he helped her off Metallicana's claw, "Maybe one of these days we can figure out how to call them up at will."
"That would be amazing!" Natsu agreed fervently, excited at the very thought of being able to soar through the air under his own power.
He remembered vividly how he'd unlocked his power while fighting Phantom Lord, but no wings had appeared then. Maybe it was something Lucy had to order him to do? He heaved a mental shrug and shoved the thought aside as the Galuna locals rushed out to investigate the giant dragon landing on their beach.
"I see you had some success!" Bobo told them as he stared at Metallicana with wide eyes, and the dragon chuckled as he shifted down to his human form.
"They did." He rumbled and walked over to greet the demons with a bow, "I'm Metallicana. Drake of the Tenrou Island nest."
"We're honored to meet you." Bobo replied, "I'm Bobo, the Chief's son. I apologize for him not meeting you himself, but he's currently away."
Metallicana nodded, "That's fine. My son told me you had a number of contacts you traded with."
Bobo laughed, "Not that many!" He replied, "But a few yes. There are a few settlements on other islands that don't turn their noses up at demon made goods."
"I can well imagine." Metallicana replied, "If it weren't for the current political situation I would be very interested in becoming a trading partner with you. I have a mind to expand my nest, but..."
He trailed off with a shrug, and Bobo nodded, "We understand. Come. Allow us to at least offer you some hospitality before your return." He smiled at Natsu and the others, "And we would like to hear the news from our friends as well!"
They all filed through the familiar tribe, moving past the walled off area. It appeared as if there were damages done to the walls as they crossed by.
"It looks like you didn't get out of your interaction with Tartaros totally unscathed," Levy came across a portion of the wall which had been totally obliterated.
"Luckily, it was just a wall," Bobo nodded, "Jackal was not happy you managed to escape, but they're long gone now. Thankfully the only damages done to us were of the proprietary kind. We were lucky enough to be spared other kinds of punishment."
"Bastards," Natsu growled, his teeth gritting down into angry points as he saw the utter carnage which greeted them.
It was times like this where he wished he could access his full strength at will. He wondered what would happen if Lucy commanded it. He knew it wasn't really necessary if he was angry enough, the power burst out of him from no where then. Unfortunately it had only happened when Lucy was in mortal peril. Only then had Natsu ever gotten worked up enough to utterly smash his opponents.
Still, he wished that was the case with these Tartaros freaks.
They had hurt their friends, and for some reason that thought alone made Natsu unreasonably furious.
Lucy reached over and gently curled her hand around his arm, "We'll get him Natsu." She promised, "One of these days Jackal will pay for this and every other crime he's committed."
Natsu slowly let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding and nodded. He hated that he couldn't go after Jackal now, but he understood why. Even if he could defeat Jackal now they'd just gone through a fairly intricate plot to escape Tartaros and doing so would undo all their hard work
"It still pisses me off though." He growled, "They didn't deserve this!"
"No one ever does Natsu." Lucy replied evenly, "These people didn't, the people demons kill every year don't. Even the villagers that ran us out of town don't deserve what happens to them either." She shook her head, "That's the problem with war. It hurts everyone, and it doesn't have borders. No matter what some people think."
Natsu stared at her a little in surprise. He hadn't actually thought about it that way at all.
Lucy just smiled at him, "Don't worry too much. We're working to put an end to it, and once we do things will start to get better. Maybe they won't be perfect, but that's why the world will need guilds like Fairy Tail right?"
Natsu blinked and grinned back at her, "Yeah!"
Natsu huffed in agreement and forced himself to relax. It was a happy time anyway, they were back with their Galuna Island friends. If nothing else that was cause for celebration.
He wanted to use his strength to learn how to protect his friends. They were the most important thing to him.
His power seemed like it was always in flux, dependent entirely on the height of his emotions. His fear for Lucy, and the rage he associated it had been the most powerful thing he had felt up until that point. And if he were honest, he was almost afraid of the force of his own emotions.
Passion was always there, just under the surface of his skin. It made everything else feel like he was seeing things in shades of pastel in comparison.
Natsu wanted to feel more. He was growing greedy for it with each new discovery he made.
Lucy had a point though, they needed to end this war to bring peace to everyone. The more he learned, the stronger he felt and the less 'pastel' followed him around.
Part of Natsu felt like it was still asleep, just following Lucy around like an automaton until he received an order or purpose. Those feelings were beginning to fade the more time he spent with Lucy though.
She was helping him learn about himself, teaching him how to protect what was important.
He curled his hand in hers.
He wanted to learn more, and he had a feeling his mistress was more than capable of helping him in that front.
Bobo clapped his hands loudly for the attention of the demons around, "Our friends have returned from their hunt!"
Natsu's attention snapped up to him, his posture relaxing as he realized they were being spoken about.
"I believe this calls for a celebration, to rejoice in their success!" Bobo laughed.
There was a cheer from the other demons and it didn't take long for them to split up in groups to prepare for the feast while others tugged Lucy, Levy, and Chelia off to get cleaned up.
"Why do they need to get cleaned up?" Natsu asked a trifle sulkily, "They didn't get dirty on the way over!"
"It's a female ritual." Bobo chuckled, "It would be wise to simply accept it and admire the results when they're done. I promise you won't be disappointed."
That just confused Natsu even more. What was so special about a bath? Sure, Lucy smelled nice after one, but she smelled nice anyway. And he'd already seen her in her Galuna costume.
"Try not to catch your brain on fire thinkin' about it Salamander." Gajeel smirked in amusement, "Not that there's much to burn up there."
"What?" Natsu snarled spinning to face Gajeel, "You calling me stupid metalhead?"
"Well if the shoe fits!" Gajeel snarled back.
"My shoes have nothing to do with this!"
"It's an expression you moron!"
"You want me to kick your ass again?"
"As if you could!"
Metallicana eyed the wrestling pair for a few moments before shifting to his partial form and coughing loudly, "You brats have three seconds before I forcibly re-locate you."
"Re-locate?" Natsu asked from around a mouthful of metal where Gajeel had crammed it into his cheek. He was yanking on handfuls of Gajeel's hair, almost smug that he no longer would fall victim to that himself.
"He means he's probably gonna drop us off on a mountain somewhere so we don't break the village worse than Tartaros did," Gajeel grunted, but reluctantly pulled away. He was in no mood to hike back to the village.
He was even less interested in missing Levy when she came out of her little whatever-it-was that the demons were doing.
"Alright fine, I'll play nice for now,' Gajeel grunted and backed off. Natsu rolled forward on the balls of his feet and snapped his mouth shut.
He too wasn't a fan of being separated from his mistress. It wasn't like their connection made it so he was trapped at her side, but he couldn't bodyguard her sufficiently well if he was tossed on the other side of the island.
So instead they opted to help preperations with the impromptu party, which involved stoking up a huge bonfire in the center of the village.
Natsu's mouth watered at the sight of it, and he couldn't help but take a few meaty chunks out of the flames when their backs were turned.
It was just starting to grow dark outside when Natsu realized it was taking an excessive amount of time for the girls to get ready. They had been gone for hours and the food was already done sizzling on the spit and spread out on tables.
Just then, there was movement to one side as the women reappeared. He blinked as he realized they were all dressed in outfits both a lot skimpier and more elaborate than he'd seen before. Which was impressive since the demons didn't wear much to begin with.
Their normal clothes didn't include things at their wrists and feet that made them chime when they walked, or being draped in jewelry that made his palms itch a little with the desire to pick it up.
The lead demonesses twirled and stomped their feet as soon as they came into the light, swaying their hips in an elaborate fashion Natsu couldn't begin to understand as they danced over to specific male demons, who grinned eagerly and curled their arms around slender waists as they joined in.
Within moments the couples were dancing energetically around the bonfire as music started up from somewhere, and suddenly Natsu felt his heart pounding in time to the beat as everything came together. He growled softly as fire stirred in his belly, and he itched to join the others even though he didn't know the moves to the dance.
Bobo glanced at him curiously when he growled, but then smiled happily, "She should be out in a moment." He murmured.
And sure enough, just as he was starting to get impatient, Lucy, Levy, and Chelia appeared with the younger demonesses who led them over to where they were sitting with much ceremony before spinning off to either pick a partner or dance on their own.
There was a new kind of pull in his chest, one that he couldn't quite smother as Lucy approached him with a smug looking smile. Everyone was paired off now, and even Levy had coaxed Gajeel to his feet.
For Natsu though, he didn't even hesitate when Lucy held a hand out to him. He had no idea how to dance, but he wasn't going to pass up on something which looked so fun.
Lucy's hands felt cool in his hands, the soft stroke of her fingers sliding against his arms until one rested at his shoulder and the other at his bicep. He licked his lips, throat feeling suddenly tight.
Natsu liked the way she chimed as she swayed in his grasp, his heart pulsing heat in his blood and making him itch to do... something. At the same time, he wanted to stay like they were.
Neither of them knew the steps to the dance, but they made up their own, slowly working up the speed to match the beat of the dance. It was a push and pull, working in tandem as the fire reflected around the spinning bodies around them.
And Natsu supposed making up the steps was fine too. Many people seemed to be breaking off with one another and finding other partners to mesh and make up their own dances with one another.
What they had suited him fine, the high spirits of the song as Lucy spun in his arms and he caught her. A bark of laughter bubbled out from his chest, one that was reflected by her as she wrapped her arms around his neck for him to lift her into the air.
Their own, uncoordinated dance meshed perfectly with one another. Natsu thought that was the true importance as they laughed and danced until they were out of breath and holding one another.
Eventually they wound their way to the edge of the dancing group as Lucy was starting to show signs of strain from the exertion. Natsu felt like he could go for a while longer, but he had no interest in finding another partner while Lucy rested. It just felt unnatural to even consider it.
So he guided her over to the spread out feast and grinned as he handed her a cup of something while she caught her breath.
"Thanks!" Lucy panted as she caught her breath and took a gulp of juice, "Mind if we sit for a while?"
Natsu eyed her for a moment and glanced at the other dancers, "I've got a better idea."
He grinned as he snagged one of the platters that hadn't been used for the food and piled it up with as much as he could get his hands on. When he finished he hefted it easily in one hand and reached out to her with the other, "C'mon Luce! Let's go!"
"Where are we going?" Lucy asked as she took his hand.
"To the beach!" He replied proudly, "You'll cool off faster there, and your star friends will be out right?"
Lucy giggled, "They're out anyway." She replied, but hastily snagged a blanket on the way for them to sit on.
She loved her costume, but she had no desire to try and keep sand out of it.
Natsu grinned as he tugged her excitedly towards the beach, his hand balancing the platter against his shoulder as they ran off together.
Special thanks to all our awesome reviewers! Apologies, but I'm currently at work, and a little pressed for time, so I won't be listing you guys out individually. There are a bunch of you lol. However, know you are greatly loved and appreciated, and enjoy your well earned sneak peek! Love you guys!
Thirty reviews equals a sneak peek!
Natsu's cheeks flushed over being caught staring so intensely, his finger sliding over the smooth gold. Out of the firelight, it didn't have the same lively glow as it did before. But it still gleamed beautifully under the moonlight.
It looked haunting, like Lucy was draped in pearls instead of molten gold. He rather liked it on her.
He licked dry lips while Lucy rubbed her legs.
"Man you really are hard to keep up with sometimes Natsu," Lucy groaned, "I'm totally exhausted with all that dancing."
Natsu grinned at her, "But you had fun right?"
Lucy smiled and nodded as she grabbed a piece of fruit and bit into it, "I did." She replied, and looked out over the water, "This is nice too though. It's so peaceful."
Natsu's breath caught at the look on her face. She was utterly breathtaking sitting blissfully in the moonlight, and despite the now muffled sounds of drums his heart thumped in his chest. His mistress was as beautiful outside as she was inside, and the itch to do something welled up inside him.
Unbidden the memory of the kiss she'd given him reared up again, and he suddenly wished she would give him another one. Unfortunately, she hadn't even so much as hinted that she was interested in doing so.
