The Gods of Fairy Tail

Chapter 15

The next day Lucy was in the middle of organizing her scrolls when she received word that someone had arrived at her temple seeking her services. After to making herself look presentable, she went to greet her customer who was none other than the God of the sea Jellal.

"Jellal to what do I owe this honor?" She said.

"Forgive me if I am disturbing you Lucy."

"Oh no there was no disturbance. Please have a seat and tell me what brings you by?"

"Well Lucy the thing is I need your help with something. You see...I'm in love."

"You are? Oh that's wonderful! Just wonderful! And who's the lucky girl?"

"Erza goddess of wisdom."

"Oh..." She said.

"I realize that it's a loss cause but I can't help it. She's all I ever think about, she's on my mind every hour of everyday, and she's the most important person in my life."

"But she's chosen never to marry."

"I know and I've tried to have relationships with other women but every time I look at woman I can only think of her. She's the only woman I'll ever love."

"I see. You know I can't make her to fall in love with you... Actually I can but I'd rather not do that."

"I'm not asking for that."

"Then what exactly are you asking for?"

"I was wondering if maybe you could make me fall in love with someone else. Someone willing to marry me?"

"Of course but I only do that in extreme cases like arranged marriages for example. Besides is that what you want? To be forced to love someone?"

"It's not ideal but it's better than sitting alone and longing for what will never be."

"I suppose but I really don't like forcing people to love someone. Maybe I could try to set you up with somebody more suitable and see if it happens naturally."

"It won't happen naturally. I can't love any woman except Erza and it's torture for me."

"Love is torture. But it's a torture that so many people enjoy going through."

"Truth be told I don't know what else to do. Part of me thought that maybe deep down, Erza actually loved me but then again if she loved me why would she reject my proposal of marriage?"

"Perhaps I can find that out."

"What do you mean?"

"Well before I do anything rash like make you fall in love with someone else, why don't I try to figure out what Erza's feelings are toward you? Maybe she does love you but something else is keeping her from marraige."

"You can actually do that?"

"I'm the goddess of love and marraige, I know a woman's heart like the back of my hand."

"Oh if you could really do that I'd be eternally in dept to you."

"Now go on back to the sea, I'll send for you once I get information. It won't be easy and I don't know long it will take because Erza has a very a big wall around her heart but if anyone can figure out what's in that heart of hers it's me."

"Thank you. Oh thank you Lucy. I promise you'll be rewarded handsomely for this."

"Oh you don't have to reward me. I love bringing people together."

"Still I believe that you deserve one. By the way I've been maening to ask have you seen my brother Natsu?"

"No. I heard that he had disappeared and I've kept my eyes open for him but I haven't seen anywhere."

"It's so strange. It isn't like him to just up and disappear without a word to anyone. I worry for Mother, this all thing has put her under a whole lot of stress."

"Is she that stressed out?"

"Very. Mother's always been so protective of all three of us. But considering what our father did to us who could blame her?"

"Your father? You know I don't really know that much about your father. I mean I know he was a tyrant but the relationship he had with you and your brothers is a complete mystery to me."

"It's complicated. Natsu wasn't exactly as exposed to Father's wrath as Gray and I were."

"Wrath? His wrath? My goodness! Just what in the world did he do to you boys?"

Jellal flinched as he thought back to those horrible days of being trapped with Gray in the endless dark abyss known as his father's stomach. Unlike Gray who had been swallowed at age five, Jellal having been swallowed as an infant did not remember the outside world he had been born into. That forsaken stomach was all he had ever known during his entire childhood. Growing up in there his only solace was Gray's stories to him about the outside. About the sun and the trees and the seas and the animals. Things that he never had the pleasure of knowing. His favorite stories were always the ones about the sea and it's creatures. Oh how happy he was when Natsu finally freed him and he could see the glorious sun and the blue sea for the first time, to feel the sun's warm light and the sea's cool waters. It was all even more beautiful than he had ever imagined it would be. No more darkness, no more endless darkness. To this day he still had an intense fear of the dark becuase it reminded him of that terrible place.

"Jellal are you okay?" Lucy asked him after he had gone silent.

"I'm fine. Forgive me Lucy but I don't really like to talk about what Father did to me and my brothers. It brings up bad memories."

"I understand." she said. "I'll still keep an eye out for Natsu, I'll keep you informed on Erza, and if you would like I have some special bath salts and oils that lower stress, I could give them to your mother."

"That's very considerate of you. I think she would like that."

"I'll head over to her temple and drop them off tomorrow."

"Again thank you very much Lucy. You have been very helpful."

Up above on the the temple roof was Natsu who had heard the whole conversastion. He had always suspected that Jellal had feeling s for Erza but he never thought that they were that deep. It made him feel sorry for his brother and hope that Lucy would be able to bring him and Erza together. He always felt bad about hearing how stressed out he was making his mother. If only he could somehow explain to Mavis that he was alright.

"What's the matter?" Lucy asked later that night, noticing how melancholy her bird friend looked. She knew that he couldn't answer so she just picked him up and gently stroked his wings to make him feel better which did in a way but he still felt guilty.

"I think we should go to bed now."

She took Natsu with her to bed and the little bird fell alseep, curled up on to her chest. Little did they both know that they were in for a big surprise tomorrow morning.