Hello everyone!

Yay! I got many reviews today so I decided to upload for this week, instead of monthly. And I'm surprised, to think that I've got so many to follow this story already. It makes me so happy! Not to mention, all your reviews on this is very wonderful!

So here's your lovely update, fellow readers! This story is leading the pole right now along with A Fairy Tale, after all. So yeah, thank you for the support!

Enjoy!

Seventeenth Wish:
A Request

"Loki? Umm. . . I think it's time for me to go back. . ." Lucy told him.

"To the Heaven's Realm?" the Celestial of Mischief perked up at that.

She huffed at him. "Of course not! I mean to Natsu! Geez . . ." Why is he so persistent!?

He deflated, though he had already expected it. "Okay, okay. I get it . . . just . . . just wait for a little bit longer. . ."

Confused, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh? Why?"

He hesitated. "I . . . I just want a talk with him."

"What!? NO! You're just going to threaten him!"

He sighed. He knew she wouldn't like the answer. "Just do as I tell you! I'm just going to warn him!"

She stood in his way. Being way up in the air, the wind blew harshly making an ominous sound. She looked at him seriously. "Loki, I know you. I know how you warn people. . . So I'm going to warn you now," she glared at him, her eyes glowing and turning to the color of amber. "Touch him . . . hurt him . . . and I will make sure that you'll regret it."

The wind gathered around her, making her beautiful golden hair dance in the air. He gulped.

Lucy, who was usually surrounded by amiable and harmless aura, was now radiating with a very powerful energy. The flow of spirit around her gathered and surrounded her. The energy was being absorbed to her aura.

One would usually forget due to her naïve and innocent nature, but Lucy was among the first goddesses to be born. And now, he was forcefully reminded how powerful she could be if she truly wanted.

"G-Geez, Lucy . . .Do you take me for a fool? I won't do anything to harm him. I really just wanted to have a talk, I swear!" he said, forcing a smile. However, his back was filled with sweat.

At that reassurance, her dangerous aura disappeared, dissipating as if it was never there in the first place. Was she even doing that consciously?

". . . Really?" she was still suspicious.

"Yes . . . Really" he told her. Now she looked like a child again, pure . . . innocent . . . naïve. He was beginning to wonder if what he saw earlier was just an illusion he made up. Such a sweet and amiable girl like her would never hurt a fly (literally).

He took out a jade bracelet and gave it to her. "You can send a message through there and call me if you're in trouble" he told her.

She raised an eyebrow at it. "And why will I need this?"

"Just take it! And let me warn you, if you ever saw the Fates, turn and run away from them, okay? Close your ears and eyes, and call for me immediately."

She was now confused. "The Fates? Why should I run away from them? Besides, they won't show up to the gods unless they are called." That was the order the King had made.

"Just do as I say and be a good celestial, wait for us at the city's library . . ." he told her.

She thought about it, a finger on her lower lip as she looked up. "Hmmm . . . okay. But I've got a favor to ask you" she told him, smiling cheekily.

He frowned. Since when did you ask for conditions? He looked at her suspiciously, "What? What is it? If it's about your memories or –"

"No, no, no. It's not about that. Don't worry, since it's of benefit for you too. . ." she told him, explaining. "Okay. If you're still doubtful, you got the right to refuse if it's too bothersome . . . but I know you'll accept it" she said, smiling.

He still looked at her suspiciously. "Alright, what is it?"

She turned away from him. "I'll tell you when Natsu's here! Hurry up with your talk, okay?"

With that, she jumped off and flew to the direction of the library.

"Oi! Wait!" he called out to her, but it was too late. She was already gone.

He sighed. She got me this time . . . he thought frustratingly.

. . .

"This . . . was your request?"

The bald carpenter asked at the two boys, carrying the wood planks. They were at the forest lake.

"Yup! Thanks for the help, old man. I don't think I'm good with building stuff. . ."

Natsu smiled pleasantly. Romeo sweat-dropped.

"I'm not old, you brat! I'm just thirty-five! Anyway, building something like this is easy. . ." he told him, rolling up his sleeve. He might not have hair on his scalp, but there were plenty of that brown hair for his beard, making a bushy one.

The little boy leaned at him. "Ne. . . Natsu-bro, why are we building a shrine here?" he whispered.

Natsu smiled at him. "Don't you know, Romeo? They say that a very good and wonderful deity lives here in the forest lake. A mysterious lady told me that building a shrine here will ward off bad luck. What do you know, maybe she will help with the sickness for those who made the shrine for her."

Romeo wondered why he kept staring at the lake as he speak, especially the last sentence with heavy stressing of words. It was like he was referring to someone and making himself overheard.

"Oh, the mysterious lady? Could you be referring to the lady that Wendy girl talked about?" the carpenter interjected between the two of them.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Uh. . . maybe?"

He highly doubted that since the lady he talked about was just right at the lake in front of them, and he was the only one who could see her.

"So you met her too?" he was amazed at that, nodding in approval.

Whatever he was talking about, Natsu doesn't care. "Yeah, right. Oh! Can you add something too? Ah, make an epitaph – ah! I mean, a label. . ." he said, changing the last words as he glared at the lake.

"Oh? Of the deity here? It's been said that a named shrine makes a spirit more powerful. "

"Yeah, write Seawe – ah! I-I mean, write. . . what's the name again? Hydra? Oh! Hydrea! I mean, write Hydrea!"

The two people raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure?" he looked like he had another name in mind.

The young man sweated, glancing at the lake. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure . . . just . . . put 'Hydrea' over there. . ."

The way he talked, one would think that someone was threatening him behind his back. He was acting odd, but the two people just shrugged it off.

Of course, there was really someone threatening his back, and right now, she was glaring daggers at him.

"How could you forget my name so easily!? Lucy had been calling my name all the time you were here!" she was angry at the fact that she had to remind him herself, worse off, he dared mistake her name to that of a monster. Such an insult!

Natsu just crossed his arms stubbornly and looked away. What can I do? I got too used calling you Seaweed. . . of course he wouldn't dare say that out loud. Not only would the two people in front of him think he's crazy, but the deity in the lake might suddenly grab and drag him down to the depths of the water.

"Hah. . . you are too cheeky for a human. Your conceitedness will be your doom one day. . ." the deity said, annoyed. "Ah. . . but no matter, you should be glad that my shrine is being built right now. I'm quite in the good mood. . . Otherwise, I would have drowned you in my home already."

Well, considering that it was her who was asking for a shrine to be built in the first place, he could hardly be grateful at all.

Not that he could retaliate at her anyway. They would think he was crazy if he did. But what made his situation worse was that this spirit kept on talking ever since he arrived here. He was trying his best to ignore it, but that was just hard. This mission of building a shrine is just way too troublesome!

"Ah-ah-ah!" she said, waving a finger at him. "Don't even think about running away and leave the work to this poor guy. In the first place, it should be you doing it. Be glad that I let you off the hook since your handwork will be too shabby for my tastes."

See what he meant when he said it's too troublesome? She kept nagging him to talk back. He was on the verge of collapsing. He was about to retaliate at her when a thought came to his mind.

Wait. . . you . . .can read my mind?

Hydrea smiled. "Bingo! We are water beings after all. The water has the power to reflect everything, even a person's mind. Of course, we are natural mind readers. How do you think the sirens and other naiads attract their prey to come to them?"

You! If I knew earlier, I wouldn't go to all the trouble! He thought angrily. He was torturing his self earlier for not being able to retaliate at all and letting her barrage him with her nagging.

She laughed hysterically. She was actually enjoying the passive Natsu who was keeping quiet at her teasing earlier. It was good while it lasted. Well, I had a good laugh. . .

"Be careful though, lad. If you let your emotions show too much, you might actually just blurt out those words. You're friends will think you're crazy. . ." she smiled knowingly.

Natsu was too annoyed. Yeah, right. I can see you're enjoying gloating at me earlier!

She laughed again.

"Well then, leaving that aside. I have a gift for your good friends. Deep in my lake, there are seaweeds of green and purple color. Take it and bring them to your doctors, they can heal your sick people. . ."

He raised an eyebrow at her. And why are you giving that? If he remembered correctly, they only agreed on cleansing the river and chasing away the fimorians. The sudden generosity of this Seaweed was rather surprising. Not to mention, she's letting them eat her kind.

She smiled. "Keep your insults to yourself, human. You're too suspicious of everyone. You need to trust others more, you know?"

So why are you giving that? Natsu remained stubborn.

She shrugged. "Well, as you said, I'm a very good and wonderful deity that lives here in the lake. Although you're obviously being sarcastic, you better take my generosity while it's still granted. . . Besides, I don't want to see that girl cry for seeing death."

So it's for Lucy. . . At that, Natsu nodded. It's for the good of everyone anyway.

Besides, that will surely make the golden-haired genie happy.

. . . * . . .

End of Chapter

With the shrine and the herbs in line, will the plague that's bothering the kingdom finally end?

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