The Gods of Fairy Tail

Chapter 17

It was night time in the underworld of course one could hardly tell because it was always dark down there. The underworld was one of the few places where the sun light never reached making it so very cold and dark. Juvia found it hard to sleep in such a dark not to mention unfamiliar place. So she slipped on the robe Meredy left for her and decided to walk around the palace and maybe look at the stars. Unfortunately she quickly learned that you couldn't see the stars from down here. All you could see was pitch black.

"I don't know how anyone could possibly live down here." She thought to herself. 

She started to head back to her room but as she walked by the closed door of one room she heard a noise coming from inside. It almost sounded like whimpering. Was someone hurt? Though she knew better than to disturb someone or meddle in their business she didn't want to ignore someone if they needed help. However she wanted to be polite and respectful, so she first gave the door a few knocks. When no one came to answer she slowly and cautiously opened the door.

Inside was a very impressive bedroom which unlike hers had windows that allowed whoever slept here to look out at the underworld. In the grand master bed was Gray tossing and turning, sweat dripping from his face. 

"No Father!" He cried out in his sleep. "No! I won't try to destroy you! I promise! Don't put me in there! Please!"

He was having a nightmare and judging by his whimpers and the look on his face, it was horrifying. She approached his bed and gently started to shake him. It didn't work so she tried a little harder when that didn't work she grabbed the pitcher of water that stood on his nightstand and poured a little on to his face. That did the trick and he sat up breathing like he had been suffocating for hours. 

His hand went to is face and he felt the water that had dripped on to it. He turned to the side and saw Juvia holding the pitcher. 

"What the Tartarus did you do that for?!" He said.

"I'm sorry." She said trying not to tremble at his angry voice. "But you were having a nightmare. I was only trying to wake you up."

"What do you mean? How did you know I was having a nightmare?"

"I heard you crying out in your sleep."

Embarrassment crossed his features and looked away from her in shame.

"It must've been very awful." She said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I don't."

"Alright then. If you don't mind me asking, do you have nightmares often?"

"With all due respect that's none of your business."

"I see. I'll just leave you alone then. Goodnight, I'm sorry if I bothered you."

She walked toward the door.

"Wait." He said turning around. "I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. Thanks for waking me up, it was a really bad dream...What did I say? In my sleep I mean."

"You seemed to be begging your father not to do something to you."

"Oh...Yeah that."

It had been many years since he had escaped the stomach of Zeref but he still had nightmares about his father some how escaping Tartarus and swallowing him up again. He still he couldn't believe he did that to begin with. His own father.  He never told anyone about these nightmares because he didn't want his mother to know that he still harbored fear and anger toward Zeref.

You see despite what Zeref had done, Mavis still loved him and she understood that it wasn't his fault. She had forgiven him for his mistakes and she often hoped that one day her husband would be cured from his madness and become the man she loved again. Her children on the other hand weren't as forgiving. True Zeref had been stricken by a madness set upon him by his father before him  that drove to try to destroy his children but Gray just couldn't forgive him and neither could Jellal or Natsu. 

"How could you still love him after what he did to us?" He asked her once.

"Because I knew your father before he went mad." She answered. "He was different then. He was good and gentle and wise. He loved me and I know he would have loved you and your brothers if Acnologia hadn't of cursed him. Oh Gray I know it's hard to forgive him for what he did to you especially since you were so young when it happend but please try. At least try to forgive him for my sake."

He did try, Sonya knows he tried but it was so hard. He didn't remeber Zeref the way his mother did. He remembered him as a cruel mosnter who swallowed him up, a five year old boy. He stole fifty-five years of his life and during those fifty-five years he was scared to death that he would never see daylight or his mother's face again. How could he forgive that?

"Are you going to be okay?" Juvia asked him.

"I'll be fine." He told her.

"You sure? I could stay here with you until you fall asleep."

"Why would you do that?"

"That's what my mother would do for me when I had nightmares as a little girl. Of course that was a very long time ago, before she and my father had to leave to perform their duties as titans."

"Look that's sweet of you to offer but I'm not a little kid, I don't need someone to watch over me when I have nightmares. You can leave now."

"Okay. Goodnight to you then." Once again she walked to the door but stopped "You know when my parents had to leave and I had nightmares my sister would light a candle and leave it on my nightstand. She said that the flame kept the bad dreams away, oddly enough it worked. You may want to try it."

She left after that. Once he was sure that he was alone he pulled out a candlestick, lit it, and placed it on his nightstand. He didn't think that it would work forever but he hoped that the flame would keep his nightmares away at least for awhile.