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September 13th, X778

It looked like it was going to snow again.

Lucy eyed the overcast sky, uneasy about what it might bring even as no one else seemed to care. The cold "summer" was apparently at an official end, she thought grimly. Back to the blizzards and potentially freezing to death as they went about their business. She was anything but happy about it.

At least they were getting close to the mountains now. Lucy didn't think she could handle another second of Gajeel, let alone a month. As nice as it was to have another god with a little more power in them to help chase off Vhalis that came sniffing around, he wasn't as pleasant to hang around. He was in an eternal state of grumpiness. He didn't seem to mind Wendy quite so much, nor did he appear to care about her white cat, who'd begun to fill out with regular feedings.

Huffing for breath as she hefted herself over a fallen tree, Lucy said, "The air's definitely getting thinner."

"Nah," Gajeel rumbled over his shoulder, teeth bared in a mocking smile. "You're just human."

He seemed to enjoy reminding her of that. Consistently. Every damn day. If he hadn't been a god who could definitely kill her with a twitch of his fingers, Lucy might have punched him for it. Glaring at him, Lucy shoved her chilled hands into her pockets and walked closer to Wendy. She wanted to find the springtime goddess more than ever – if only to rid themselves of their tagalong.

They'd been walking for a while when they had to clamber over yet another fallen tree, and this time, Natsu made sure to stop and help her over it. It was humiliating, though Lucy kept that to herself. Natsu seemed like he was truly only trying to help her without causing any embarrassment. He didn't say a word, and neither did she, grudgingly accepting his hand with only a small sigh. He helped Wendy, too.

It was on the third fallen tree that Lucy stopped, even as Gajeel hopped it with ease. Her brow furrowed. "Luce?" called Natsu as he stood atop the rotting bark, hand grasping Wendy's as he pulled her atop of the massive thing.

Lucy ignored him. Rather, she stared long and hard at the fallen tree. The tree was particularly large, she thought, frowning at it. A couple hundred years old when it had fallen and nearly as wide as Wendy was tall.

And they'd climbed it not once, but twice before.

"Stop," she said in a hushed voice, recalling what Erza had told her. "Everybody, stop."

Even Gajeel paused with some concern etched into his face, waiting to see what Lucy was so anxious about. Lucy took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and then looked around sharply. When she didn't continue, Natsu asked impatiently, "Are you coming or not, Luce?"

Ignoring the attitude he threw at her, Lucy wildly waved Wendy over. Curious, Wendy slid back down from the tree and skipped over, Charle leaping down after her. Once Wendy had come to stand beside her again, Lucy spun her around by the shoulders and said in her ear, "Wendy, that tree Natsu's standing on, the one you just climbed now–"

"Oh." Wendy's eyes sparkled with realization, and she shot Lucy an excited smile. "I see it now!"

"See what?" snapped Gajeel.

Lucy took great pride in telling Gajeel, "I don't think you get to pick which direction we're going anymore, Gajeel. I think we just found the spot we've been looking for."

He frowned, forgetting to be annoyed about Lucy bossing him around. He swung down, too, alongside Natsu. When Gajeel had reached them, he spun on his heel and studied the fallen tree, puzzled. Natsu came to join them, studying the tree, too. "I don't get it," said Natsu after a few moments.

Wendy smothered her giggle with her fingers. As Gajeel shot her a small scowl, Wendy scooped Charle into her arms. The white cat meowed in protest, but simply settled there, eyeing Gajeel in return. "We're going in circles," Wendy told them. Both gods stopped to stare in confusion at the fallen tree, as if they still couldn't see it, which only made Wendy laugh again.

Hiding her own grin, Lucy said, "Since you're the supposed expert, what should we start looking for, Gajeel?"

Gajeel uttered a soft curse that had Lucy throwing a small glare in his direction. "Runes. Symbols. Stuff like that. Probably starting on that damn tree."

So, as Natsu and Gajeel awkwardly stood there with annoyed looks on their faces, Lucy and Wendy did just that. Lucy circled around one side of the giant fallen tree, while Wendy checked the other. They both inspected every inch of the rotting bark until at long last, Wendy yelled, "Over here!"

Lucy darted from her end of the tree and by the time she reached Wendy, Natsu and Gajeel had, too. Wendy knelt beside the fallen tree, pointing to a tiny carving in the side of it. Lucy peered over her shoulder with interest. The rune was tiny, hardly noticeable unless you knew what to look for. It was old-looking – and rather creepy, in Lucy's opinion.

Gajeel squatted beside Wendy, not bothered at all by her proximity as he investigated the rune. Lucy could have sworn his gaze softened as he said quietly, "Levy."

The springtime goddess was here. That boded well for their search. Lucy shoved her hands into the coat Natsu had given her and glanced at him. He studied the area somewhat warily, not as excited as the rest of them. When she sidled over and nudged him pointedly with her shoulder, Natsu said without so much as glancing in her direction, "Levy's not going to be our friend when we figure out how to get to her. She's going to be dangerous – even for us."

Lucy fought the urge to throw her hands up and shout "Great!" It could never be easy, could it? She took a moment to take a deep breath and calm her thoughts before asking, "What does that particular rune do?"

"Redirection," said Gajeel immediately. "Takes people and throws 'em in another direction. It's one Levy uses all the time. She'd rather do that than kill anyone."

Definitely a better option, agreed Lucy silently. She glanced past the fallen tree and dumped her bag beside it. "Look at the frozen earth over there," she said, stamping a foot to compare it to the ground they stood on. "It's not frozen. Erza said the souls claimed there was no snow, but it looks like it's a little more than that. I doubt I'd even need my coat on that side of the tree." How had they not noticed it sooner?

Natsu considered the area, then muttered, "Hold on, I want to try something." Lucy's lips quirked as she guessed at what he was about to try and how it would be enormously funny to watch. She said nothing as he climbed over the tree, just as they already had several times. He slid down the other side.

Even Gajeel snickered when Natsu reappeared behind them a few minutes later, looking mildly annoyed by the sound of Gajeel's laughter. The annoyance faded when he heard Wendy's giggles, however. Hiding her own smile behind her hand, Lucy asked, "What happens if Wendy or I hop over?"

"You'd probably be fine," Natsu said, "but Wendy's half-spirit. I bet it does the same thing to her that it did to us." He jumped up again and offered Lucy his hand. Lucy took it without hesitation, trusting him immensely with whatever test he wanted to perform on the rune. She only took a pause when he helped her slip down the other side of the fallen tree and let go of her hand. She cast a quick look up to make sure Natsu wouldn't move before daring a few steps forward.

She felt the difference almost immediately and a gasp escaped. The temperature skyrocketed in comparison to what she'd been used to for the last year or so. A warm breeze caressed her face and she could have cried. It had been so long since she'd felt properly warm while outside. She could feel the difference in the earth beneath her feet, which was soft enough that she thought she could sleep on it. Lucy even thought there might be green grass in some spots.

She couldn't help the startled laugh that burst from her, and she whirled around, grinning like an idiot. "This is incredible," she shouted to the others, not caring if a Vhalis heard her. She could die happy now.

Wendy peeked around the side of the tree. After a moment's consideration, she decided to risk it. She whispered to Charle, who hesitantly lingered by the fallen tree, before she started forward at Lucy's nod of encouragement – and promptly vanished before their very eyes without a trace.

Lucy squawked in horror. "Wendy!"

Natsu cracked a grin. His gaze lingered on Lucy's face, something unreadable in his gaze. "Hold on, Luce. She'll come back."

Sure enough, after a few moments, Wendy staggered back into view, complaining, "I want to be warm, too!"

Lucy often forgot that Wendy wasn't entirely human like she was. While she required similar bodily needs, her mother was still the wind spirit. Her being unable to pass such a rune was a sobering reminder. Finding her joy wasn't as exciting when none of the others could celebrate the warmth with her, Lucy hurried to rejoin them. She made a face when she was slammed by the cold again. "So we can't go further without figuring out how to get past all the runes, right?"

"We can't," said Gajeel quietly, "but you can."

Silence fell as they all considered that, and when Lucy realized what Gajeel suggested, she immediately reeled back and threw her hands up. "Absolutely not," she said sharply, shaking her head. "No. Nope. No way in hell will you get me to go investigate on my own. One, Levy is a literal goddess. Two, who knows what's in there? There could be Vhalis – and then I'd be screwed. Three, can't we just, I don't know, cross the rune out or something?"

Gajeel's lips twisted into a smirk. "Try it," he challenged, jerking his chin in the rune's direction.

Lucy didn't dare. She turned to Natsu. "What do you think?"

His expression was grim and unhappy. "Luce…Levy's the only one who can alter that rune. I don't like it though. I don't like it." He emphasized that, repeating it for her. Still, Lucy could see the frustration in his gaze. He truly thought they needed to get to Levy, and he was bothered by what might have to occur for it to happen.

At least Natsu seemed displeased with it.

Gajeel looked delighted.

Wendy shuffled her feet nervously and glanced among the adults. "Are you sure we can't change the rune?"

Natsu shook his head slowly. "But we'll figure something out," he said firmly, eyes sparking with determination. Natsu folded his hands behind his head, firing a reassuring smile at Lucy. "Let's set up for the night a little ways away from here. We can think over all of our options. We found the spot we're looking for, so now we can take a little time and figure out how to get to Levy safely without getting Lucy or Wendy hurt in the process."

Gajeel's excitement vanished. "I ain't waitin' around to see if Levy's gonna show, Salamander."

Lucy sighed in exasperation, wondering where the strange nickname for Natsu came from. She didn't bother to ask; she doubted Gajeel would answer. Natsu hardly seemed to notice it. "He didn't say we would. "But we need to plan this out carefully, or we could put Levy or ourselves in danger."

She expected Gajeel to laugh – maybe even mock her, since the gods were so powerful and immortal when compared to her. Lucy didn't expect him to level her with a thoughtful, quiet look, as if debating. After a moment, he nodded. The astonished look on Natsu's face told her he hadn't expected it either.

"Good. Then let's go set up so we can start scheming." Lucy scooped up her backup and shouldered it, looking longingly over her shoulder. It would have been wonderful to camp out in the warm area beyond the rune for the night. She shook off her sadness and turned from the space – only for a flash of something to catch her attention. She snapped back around, searching the dense trees. Whatever it was had gone.

A shoulder nudging her own drew her attention back to Natsu, and he flashed her a grin. "Don't be too sad, Luce. Once we figure out Valhalla, you'll be warm again."

Lucy returned the smile and cast a final look over her shoulder before following Wendy and Gajeel with Natsu at her side. She couldn't shake the feeling that something – or maybe, someone – had been watching them.

For all her protests, Lucy thought it was starting to look like she might have to risk entering the space surrounded by a rune-barrier alone. Not that she was actually being asked if she'd be willing to; Gajeel was so enraptured with the idea of his lover being close by that he hadn't bothered to question whether or not she'd do so. Natsu was going back and forth on the pros and cons of the matter, though he looked guilty about it. Wendy wasn't participating in the "conversation" at all, instead playing with Charle after voting that she didn't like the idea. Lucy, herself, had given up on trying to argue against Gajeel.

It all came to a screeching halt when Gajeel suddenly uttered a frustrated, thunderous growl and spoke three words: "Levy is a goddess; she comes first."

It irked Lucy to the point that she rocked to her feet and stared spitefully at Gajeel. Natsu and Wendy stopped what they were doing to stare at her, wide-eyed. Both were familiar with Lucy's sharp tongue when she got irritated, but Gajeel only glared back at her. She understood his desperation. She'd have even done the same in his place if it had been either of her friends in danger.

But Gajeel was a god.

Natsu was a god.

Even Wendy was half-spirit, the reminder still fresh in Lucy's mind.

Lucy was only human.

"I never said," said Lucy icily, staring Gajeel down without an ounce of fear despite acknowledging the idea that he could rip her apart, "that I'd do anything for anyone, Gajeel. I said I'd help find your missing girlfriend. That never included the promise that I'd go into a potentially lethal situation entirely on my own. I don't mind helping if I can, because from what I've heard, Levy sounds like she deserves it, but like hell are you going to tell me that someone I've never met comes before I do just because I had the supposed misfortune of being human. You don't get to say things like that. I might not be a god, but you were once as pathetically human as I am."

The silence was ear-piercing. Natsu looked mildly guilty, though Lucy didn't blame him for anything regarding what Gajeel had suggested. Wendy furiously petted her cat, as if it would erase the awkward tension in the air. Gajeel even averted his gaze after a moment. The grunt he gave was the closest Lucy thought she might get to an apology from him.

Huffing in satisfaction and certain he'd listen to her now, Lucy turned a look onto Natsu next. He flinched at the realization that her ire was turned onto him, and she swallowed her aggravation reluctantly. Being angry wasn't going to help them. "Natsu. For the love of everything, did you ever think that maybe we ought to check those maps we've been carrying for months now?"

He gaped like a fish, cheeks turning red. He'd been complaining about not knowing what was on the other side of the rune-barrier for the better part of an hour now. He hastily retrieved the maps from his bag, which Lucy gently took from him and spread over the ground, grateful for the little amount of sunlight that was still lighting the forest they camped in.

Lucy's gaze skimmed over the map of Fiore, unsurprised when the others all leaned over it with her. "We have to be somewhere around…here." She tapped the spot on the map. "Which means there isn't much difference between where we're sitting now and what might be in the area Levy's in."

"Lucy," said Wendy, indicating a tiny mountainous town marked on the map.

Lucy adjusted her calculations immediately. Most humans would have preferred the safety of a town in the end of days. There were supplies, buildings, other people…the list went on and on. And if there was a god with the ability to craft runes that would protect them all… "Gajeel, does Levy know any runes that might fend off Vhalis?"

He wrinkled his pierced nose, thinking it over. "Dunno. Never had to before."

So it wasn't impossible. Levy might be capable of protecting an entire community, which left a whole new possibility. "Maybe Levy isn't trapped," suggested Lucy, glancing at Natsu. "Maybe she's been protecting this town since the Fall. That doesn't explain where she might have been before, but…"

Natsu shrugged, not agreeing or disagreeing. "Could be."

"Doesn't matter if Levy's in a town or not, lady. We still can't get there." Gajeel huffed, rocking back with a frustrated grumble in his throat.

Lucy sucked in a breath, trying to summon patience. It was a rather difficult thing to do with Gajeel in front of her. Letting out the breath slowly, Lucy gritted out, "It does matter, Gajeel. It changes the way we approach things." She wanted to ask how he could possibly be the god of warfare. Did warfare not involve strategy?

Lucy dragged her bag over, rifling through it until she found her notebook and the pen attached to it. "Here's what we're going to do," she told them. "Let's jot everything we can think of about the situation at hand. We'll want details on the kind of things we might want to watch out for with Levy, too. What her diale looks like, what kind of signs there are when she's around, that kind of thing. And if you start complaining about this, Gajeel," she added sharply when he opened his mouth, "then you can figure out a way to get past that rune on your own."

Gajeel looked like he was trying to figure out whether he wanted to eat her or not. Finally, he gave a curt nod and drew a hand down his face, muttering something to Natsu that Lucy didn't catch. Whatever it was drew a dark look from his fellow god. "S'a flower crown." When Lucy only furrowed her brow, confused, he repeated irritably. "Her diale. It's a flower crown. And if you repeat what it is to anyone else, I'll rip you all to shreds, Favored or god or not. You hear me? Natsu might be an idiot about his, but Levy doesn't like people knowing."

Finally, they were getting somewhere.

Lucy put her pen to her paper and began to write.

Lucy's getting tired of Gajeel's shit, and I love it. ANYHOW! The next few chapters are going to be ones I'm so excited to share. I've had them written for literal years. ;) On another note...two things!

One, thank you for your well-wishes regarding my dog bite! It actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought (though my hand turned green for a couple days). Everyone being understanding regarding it is wonderful, and I appreciated it a lot!

Two, if you didn't know yet...I've officially joined AO3! This fic was the first thing to go up, and I plan to put ODAS up over there as well! Unfortunately, some fics (such as BTL, much to my disappointment) will not be able to go over there due to the fact that I no longer have their original documents. If I decide to rewrite an updated version, that will, but until then, the selection won't be quite as extensive as I like. So, if you're interested, feel free to check it out! I'm under the same username.

Now back I go to Hazbin Hotel, the obsession that's occupied me for the last week. Who knows, maybe I'll write for it. See you next week!

Thanks to reviewers (xennia-x, UnnamedOne, hopelesskar, Brooke0315, marn-marn, stranger1999, Meow Orbit, Erisbornintheyearofthedragon, BurstingDragons, TaraPasty, & MPrime!) as well as those who favorited and followed!