AN: Not much to say, other than that I hope you enjoy the update.

Please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Fairy Tail.

( - )

(Last Time)

"Maybe, but after having just faced Natsu, I wouldn't count him out," Percy muttered, his gaze shifting back to Natsu as the pink-haired dragonslayer grinned and accepted Knightwalker's brusque challenge.

Sitting back and watching, Percy couldn't help but feel good about their chances at the Grand Magic Games.

It was just over a month away, and after seeing how much everyone, not just Natsu, had improved, he was pretty confident about their chances.

His smile faded; he was also looking forward to finally meeting up with Wendy but decidedly less confident about how that would go.

( - )

Chapter 37

( - )

(In Magnolia with Erza Scarlet)

It had been nearly three months since they had left Magnolia and headed to the beach to begin their training.

Time seemed to have passed very quickly.

Or at least, that was what Erza Scarlet thought to herself, as she continued unpacking her belongings, and looked around at her new home.

During the seven years that had passed since she first left for Tenrou Island, all her belongings had been boxed up and put in storage, and her tenancy at the Fairy Hill dormitory had lapsed. Thankfully, upon her return, it had not taken her too long to pay off the three months back rent she owed – it was a part of her tenancy contract – and both get her old room back and her belongings.

It was the best-case scenario really, which was more than could be said for some of the others who had been with her on Tenrou Island. Gray for one had ended up having to find other accommodations very quickly after his return as his previous landlord had sold up and moved away during the intervening year. Which had all culminated in a very awkward exchange when the half-naked ice user had tried to gain entry to what was now a family home.

A slight smile played across her lips.

At the time it had been mortifying, probably more so for the young family that had taken ownership of the property. But several months on, it was now just a humorous story. One which had been retold several times, especially the part which involved the very angry husband/father chasing the half-naked Gray down the street with a ladle.

That said, in the end. Despite renewing her tenancy, she had only ended up spending a few nights in her old room, before she had left for the beach with the others. And now, three months later, she was back and had lost her room again.

Only this time she had given it up by choice.

Carefully folding the clothing in her hands, and putting them in her new wardrobe, Erza took a moment to look around her new room fondly.

The room was not massive by any means. It was actually quite a bit smaller than her old room at the dormitory – though that was mainly because she had rented several of them and knocked through the walls to make it an extra-large suite.

At the same time though, her new room was comfortable.

The furniture – a double bed, wardrobe, dresser, and two nightstands – was simple, and made of sturdy-looking, polished wood.

The walls, meanwhile, had been covered in an assortment of pictures. At least half the pictures were framed drawings, while others were old canvas paintings. There were also some newer photographs in the mix. The kind that had been created using 'Photography Magic'.

She smiled.

Some of the photos she recognised. In fact, she was actually in some of them, as were Gray, Natsu, Mira, Laxus and many of the others. Many of them had been taken in the Guild Hall, or around the town.

Shifting her gaze around the room, she spotted other framed drawings and paintings that she didn't recognise. They were of places she had never seen, people she had never met, and events she had not attended.

Walking forward, her brow furrowed as she focused on one of the smaller and older-looking drawings.

It was of three people.

One of them was a blonde-haired girl, grey-eyed girl, who had her curly mane of golden hair tied back in a ponytail. On her head she wore a blue cap, and around her neck was a necklace with a number of beads threaded onto it. She looked young in the drawing. Sixteen or seventeen years old at most.

One of the other people in the picture was a young man with curly ginger hair, blue-eyed and oddly enough, a pair of short stubby horns. He looked the oldest of the bunch. But even then, he only looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. It was difficult to tell from such an old drawing.

And in the middle of the two, was the familiar figure of Percy.

Only it was not the Percy she knew.

No, the one in the drawing looked much younger than the one she knew.

Scanning the three figures, she noticed that all three of them were wearing matching orange t-shirts with some kind of foreign writing written on the front, along with the sigil of the ancient-looking helmet.

Focusing on Percy, she smiled.

The artist, whoever it was, had done a pretty decent job of capturing his likeness.

However, as she looked closer, she could pick out a number of imperfections.

But then again, the Percy in the picture was an adolescent version of her boyfriend.

Instead of the serious, guarded and reflective man she knew, the grinning version of him in the picture was practically a child in comparison.

Her smile faded as she continued to pick out more differences between Percy and his younger self. It was strange to compare the serious, seasoned Percy she knew, with the fresh-faced kid in the picture.

But then again, a lot of time had probably passed since this picture was first drawn. And in that time, Percy had gained several lifetimes worth of experiences.

Reaching out, she picked up the picture frame and looked closely at the blonde girl.

Whoever she was, she looked pretty.

She also looked like she had once been a close friend.

Though, considering how old the paper looked beneath the glass frame, she also imagined that the girl in question was long since dead.

An old lover?

Or an old friend?

She wasn't sure.

Not that it really mattered.

Percy's past was his own.

If he wanted to share bits of it with her, then great. And if he didn't…, well that was also fine. For her, she was far more interested in his future than she was in his past.

Putting the frame back down, she looked around at the rest of the room and smiled.

It was homely.

Which was good, as it was now her new home.

While they had been at the beach, and after they had consummated their new relationship in the most physical and gratifying of ways, Percy had asked her to move in with him. And naturally, she had accepted straight away.

Turning back to her remaining belongings, she spent the next half an hour unpacking and putting the last of her things away.

She had no regrets.

Despite the obvious age difference, she still loved Percy, and he, as far as she could tell, loved her too.

Taking a moment to look out of the window at the setting sun, her mood brightened as she thought back to the beach. Their time at the beach had been both fun and useful. All of them had taken part in the training, and all of them had grown stronger because of that.

Natsu, Gray and Lucy had probably improved the most in terms of raw ability.

Knightwalker and herself, meanwhile, had both managed to refine their techniques and styles.

Sparring with Percy had been most useful in that regard.

His magic was highly versatile, and his experience and skill were enough to push all five of them to their limit.

Individually, none of them stood a chance against him.

But as they worked together, improved and honed their skills, they quickly found themselves pushing him too.

She smiled fondly.

Percy had also gotten a lot out of their trip to the beach.

He hadn't just lazed around, nor had he spent the entire time training them. Instead, he had taken some time to train himself and had worked to improve in a way she had never seen him do before.

It was kinda sexy.

She bit her lip as she thought back on the image of a shirtless Percy, standing atop the ocean wielding his magic. His eyes had been practically glowing green as he easily manipulated and shaped the surrounding water into the image of whatever they called out to him.

She grinned, as she remembered the finale when he created a twenty-foot-tall water sculpture in the form of Happy.

She'd never seen the little cat that happy before.

Shaking her head in amusement, she finished her unpacking and glanced down at the heavy-framed double bed, her cheeks going a little pink.

Smiling, she turned and hurried out of the room.

The townhouse was a decent size, especially considering it was located in the centre of Magnolia, as such it took a few minutes to descend from the master bedroom and get back down to the cosy kitchen on the ground floor.

Before their return from Tenrou Island, Wendy had lived in the house. Her smile faded. Until she had eventually given up on them ever returning and had both left the house, Magnolia and the Guild.

Which was a shame as she had liked the younger girl. Wendy had been sweet, kind and good-natured. She had been the complete opposite of her irritating companion, Carla.

Shaking her head at that thought, she pulled her boots on.

Percy had not said much about Wendy since they returned, but she knew he was concerned.

He wanted answers, and she imagined Wendy did too.

She was also pretty curious about the matter as well. Despite having long since made peace with not knowing Percy's full backstory, she did still at least want to know if he had a kid out there.

From what he had said, he was fairly sure he didn't.

But the evidence… well the evidence they had gathered from Edolas suggested otherwise.

Frowning as she thought back on Edolas – it felt a long time ago now – her mind shifted to thinking about the other Erza.

Knightwalker.

Her relationship with Edo-Erza was… complex, to say the least.

Unhooking her key to their new home, she took a moment to take pleasure in the thought of it being 'their home', before with a small smile she stepped out into the garden and locked up behind her.

Knightwalker was a bitch, plain and simple.

But despite that, she wasn't irredeemable.

She was loyal to those who earned her loyalty and had the best of intentions. In Edolas she had done terrible things. But she had done them to save her world. To protect the many, she had allowed herself to become a monster. It wasn't an excuse for her actions. After all, she had killed a lot of people. Most of whom had likely been undeserving of death. But her motivations were still understandable… even if her actions were deeply distasteful.

Had things been different for her, then Erza could have seen herself going down a similar route.

When she had been enslaved as a child in Rose Village by Dark Wizards and shipped off to work and die in the Tower of Heaven. She could have very easily gone down a dark path.

If she had not met the people she had there, like Uncle Rob, Milliana, Sho, Wally, Simon and Jellal… her heart clenched slightly at the thought of her old friends. Had she not met them, then she could have gone down the same dark path Erza Knightwalker had walked.

His expression shifted, as she headed for the street, her thoughts shifting to her old friends.

Considering it had been over seven years since she had seen them, she didn't know where Milliana, Sho and Wally were.

But Uncle Rob had died protecting them.

He had once been a Fairy Tail wizard, and it had been his tales of his adventures, and his last desperate act of self-sacrifice that had convinced her to come to Magnolia and join Fairy Tail.

Simon had likewise died protecting her. His last act had been to throw himself in front of her and protect her from Jellal.

And as for Jellal… he had been corrupted by dark magic and had become like the very monsters who had enslaved them.

A bitter taste filled her mouth at the thought of her old friend.

He had been a sweet boy, but like Knightwalker he had been led down a dark path. He had been manipulated and twisted into believing his horrific actions were good. He had become a monster. If things had panned out differently, and if she had remained at the half-completed tower with Jellal, then she could very well have become just like Knightwalker. A monster that thought she was doing right, but instead only brought death and destruction to those around her.

Only of course, unlike Jellal, Knightwalker had realised the error of her ways and was actively trying to change and trying to be a good person. On Tenrou Island she had fought and risked her life to protect her Guild mates. Her bloody ledger might not have been wiped clean just yet – she still had a long way to go – but she had at least taken the first steps toward redemption.

Her hands clenched into fists at her side.

Had she not killed Jellal, could he too have been redeemed?

It was a question that she would probably never get an answer to.

Gritting her teeth and shaking her head, Erza pressed on through the bustling streets of Magnolia and headed for the Guild Hall.

As far as Knightwalker went, she was prepared to give her a chance.

She could even see herself eventually become friends with… well, with her alternate self.

If only her other self could be less overt in her obvious affection for her boyfriend….

Her lips quirked into a wry smile.

Obviously all Erzas, no matter where they came from, had good taste.

( - )

Arriving at the Guild Hall, Erza quickly noticed that she was one of the last to arrive.

Laxus had contacted Percy ahead of time and had asked him to come to the Guild early. Initially, he had wanted him to come to the Guild for a meeting the moment they returned from the beach. But in typical Percy fashion, he had put the Guild Master's request off so he could help her move her stuff into their new home and spend a day to two settling in with her.

That afternoon, however, he had finally complied and had left her to grab the last bits and pieces from her old dorm and hand the keys over to her wistful landlady.

Closing the door behind her and looking around at the noisy main room. She quickly noticed that the rest of her immediate group of friends had already assembled and were sitting at tables laughing and drinking together.

Mira, Cana, and Lisanna were all sitting at the bar chatting.

Elfman was getting shouted at by Evergreen.

Natsu and Gray were arguing about something.

Lucy was laughing about something with Laki and Levi.

The rest of Team Shadowgear seemed to be having an intense conversation with a scowling Gajeel.

As for Bickslow and Freed, they were both sat to one side chatting with Wakaba, Macou, Alzack and Bisca.

It all looked very normal.

It didn't feel like it had been three months since she had seen most of them.

Not much had changed.

Entering the Guild, she immediately saw Knightwalker standing off to one side with a slight frown on her face. She was alone and had taken up a position at the side of the room.

Following Knightwalker's gaze, Erza quickly found herself looking at Percy.

Or rather, at the back of his head.

He was standing with his back to the rest of the Guildhall, dressed in just a button-up blue shirt and black trousers, but she'd recognise his broad shoulders and raven black hair anyway.

Standing across from Percy, and in deep conversation with him, were two other familiar figures.

She could see Gildarts's hulking form and gingery mane, and also Laxus bright blonde hair.

The Guild Master's brow seemed to be furrowed in thought.

"What are they talking about?" She asked Knightwalker in lieu of a proper greeting.

"Don't know," Knightwalker shrugged. "They've been at it for a while now. They're not arguing, but whatever they're talking about has been a bit heated."

Erza frowned.

She'd probably ask Percy about it later.

"Want to get a drink?" She instead asked the other redhead. It was an attempt at extending the proverbial olive branch. She wasn't much of a drinker herself, but she had seen that Knightwalker was.

"Yeah sure," Knightwalker shrugged after a moment of thought. Before smirking. "And don't worry, you can just get some cheesecake or something if you want. I don't mind paying."

"Or we could get both and split the bill," Erza suggested. "I get the cake, and you get the drink, and then we share?"

"You don't really seem like the sharing type," Knightwalker shot back, her tone turning a little flat.

"You'd be surprised," Erza replied easily as she headed for the bar, smiling and waving to some of those she passed.

Behind, she could practically feel Knightwalker's confusion.

( - )

(With Percy)

"Are you serious?" Laxus grunted his tone flat, and his electric blue eyes narrowed.

"I don't see why not," Percy shrugged easily. "It might not be to the spirit of the rules, but it will be to the letter."

"They won't be happy," Laxus frowned and shook his head. "The Grand Magic Games are a big deal. They're sponsored by both the Royal Family and the Magic Council. Not just them either, but some of the old noble families get stuck in too. Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Sabretooth, all of them have noble families financially backing their entrance into the games, and not I'm talking minor nobles here. I'm talking some real big names; Dukes, Earls and Viscounts. We're not just talking minor Barons and Counts here. We're talking about well-connected and influential families with very deep pockets that invested hundreds of millions of jewels, if not over a billion all told, into the games. Basically, there is a shit tonne of money invested in the games, and the ones footing the bill are the kind of people that hold grudges."

"Why would they put so much money into it?" Gildarts grunted his brow furrowed.

"Reputation, ego, fostering powerful new wizards, buying both favour and favours. There are a lot of reasons. Thousands of wizards are gonna be involved in the games, and not just from Fiore either. We're talking wizards from all over the continent. I mean yeah, most will be weeded out in the early stage. But for those that make it through. We're talking a hell of a lot of money and prestige. If a Guild wins then they'll be officially recognised as the most powerful Guild, and that brings a lot of lucrative contracts and even more funding and sponsorships, and that's not even including the prize money." Laxus took a moment to breathe, his scowl still prominent. "And the nobles that are ponying up the money to fund the different Guilds are expecting a return on their investment. Same with the Magic Council and the King. The games aren't just being put on to create flashy spectacle."

"I still don't see the problem," Percy said.

"Then think about it this way. Victory in the Grand Magic Games will bring a Wizarding Guild glory. Failure, however, will bring humiliation. Wizarding Guilds live and die based on reputation. At the moment we're a middling Guild which gets by due to a few strong wizards, and from riding the coattails of our glory days. A victory in the games would restore our reputation as Fiore's number one, and with it bring in a tonne of funding and new contracts. But a loss would condemn us to insignificance."

"And you think we'll lose?" Gildarts asked with a snort. Showing the both of them exactly what he thought of the idea of the Fairy Tail Guild actually losing the Grand Magic Games.

"No, I think we have a pretty good chance at completely crushing the competition," Laxus said bluntly. "But we can do that by playing to both the letter and spirit of the rules. What you're suggesting goes against that and could end up pissing off a lot of very powerful people. Each Guild traditionally only puts forward one team. Not once has a Guild put forward two teams."

"Traditionally? The Grand Magic Games are only a couple of years old. There is still time for its 'traditions' to change." Percy said his arms folded. "The way I see it putting forward two teams is well within the rules of the competition and will give both our Guild and its members far more exposure than sending just one team along."

"It will also mean forcing out another potential team, and that will piss off all the other Guilds taking part," Laxus added on.

"It'll only piss them off because they hadn't thought of it first," Percy shot back.

"Do you really believe that?" Laxus scoffed. "People have tried sidestepping the rules before. Some have even tried to cheat. Do you know where those Guilds are now? They're gone. Their contracts dried up and their charter from the Magic Council was withdrawn. As was the government funding and private funding from the nobles. Some went bankrupt and were disbanded. Others became Dark Guilds and were either annihilated by the other Dark Guilds to remove the competition or were destroyed by Light Guilds after an angry noble put out a contract for their destruction."

"People have died, Percy," Laxus continued seriously. "Despite the name, the games aren't a fucking game. And you might be strong enough to thumb your nose at the Royal Family, the Magic Council, the top Wizarding Guilds, and the Nobility. But the same can't be said for the rest of the Guild. If we try to bend the rules, even if it follows the letter, there will be a backlash. Just how bad it will be, I don't know. I can't see the future. But there will be consequences."

Percy frowned.

He hated politics.

It was one of the reasons he refused to join the Wizard Saints, avoided the Magic Council, and point-blank refused to be a Guild Master. The position was a poisoned chalice, and although Makarov might've had the right mindset for it, not everyone did.

He already knew wasn't patient enough for the role, nor did he think far enough in advance. He had always been more of an act first and think later kind of guy, and although he had gotten better with time and curtailed his more reckless side with strategy and forethought. He was still not suited to politics and all that came with it.

Rubbing his temple, Percy let out a sigh.

He was probably out of his depth.

He'd been treating Laxus like the kid he had once been, and not the Guild Master he was now.

"Well, you're the Guild Master so in the end the decision is on you," Percy said after a moment.

The argument they had been having – not that he would quite say it was an argument – was about who they would be sending to the Grand Magic Games. The official rules for the games stated that a team was made up of five wizards and that two additional wizards could be included in the team to act as substitutes should the need arise. At the same time, however, there was nothing in the rules that restricted a Guild to only sending one team. It was implied sure. But there was nothing in the legislation to state that a Guild couldn't send both an A Team and a B Team if they were minded to.

This was the basis of their ongoing disagreement.

He was of the mind that, due to the limited numbers allowed in a team, Fairy Tail should send two teams instead and therefore give fourteen members of the Guild a chance to shine and represent the Guild on the grand stage. This would include both the newly arrived members from Tenrou Island who needed to reintroduce themselves to Fiore, and the staple members of the Guild that had become the Guild's core over the seven years the old core members had been gone.

Gildarts' thoughts had been along the same line. Only he had specifically wanted Cana to take part – he hadn't even tried to deny his bias. But then again, he had also wanted to ditch the Guild and go travelling too. Leaving the rebuilding of the Guild to everyone else, while he swanned off again. Both Laxus and Percy had quickly shut that idea down.

As for Laxus, in a strange reversal of how he had once been, he had wanted to play things straight. Gone was the cocky reckless young man, Laxus had once been. Instead, he was calm, measured and methodical.

Unlike in his youth, the Laxus that was now Guildmaster thought far in advance now as he weighed up the consequences of every action.

"I know," Laxus muttered, his frown slowly shifting into a wry smile. "Gramps definitely would have been up for sticking a middle finger up at the Magic Council. I reckon he would have thought the same as you and decided to make a big splash at the games."

He shook his head.

"But I'm not gramps," Laxus sighed. "And the Fairy Tail of today is not the same one you remember. Nor is Fiore the same country as before. The time for malicious compliance, and muleheaded stubbornness is at an end. Right now, the most important thing is that we work together and grow our strength. Anybody who causes trouble or puts the unity of the kingdom in jeopardy…, the kingdom and Magic Council won't let that kind of thing stand. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?" Percy cut in. "About the country not being the same, I mean."

"Alvarez," Laxus said, his expression darkening.

"The empire to the west?" Gildarts asked. "What do they have to do with anything?"

"It's complicated, and the kingdom and Magic Council have been trying to keep it quiet to avoid panic, but well… not long after Tenrou Island disappeared the Alvarez fell into complete chaos," Laxus said, his brow furrowing once more. "Their Emperor, or 'the Great Unifier' as he was also called. A guy named Spriggan. Apparently died without warning, and when he did, he left a power vacuum, one that all the old kings and rulers of the dozens of kingdoms Spriggan had conquered and united quickly moved to take advantage of. Only before they could tear the empire apart, they were stopped with brutal and violent force by Emperor Spriggan's twelve high generals. Nowadays, Alvarez isn't so much an empire as it is a republic that is ruled over by a council of twelve stupidly powerful wizards, and when I say stupidly powerful, I am talking Wizard Saint and Gods of Ishgar level."

"Sounds shit for them, but what's that got to do with us?" Gildarts asked.

"Well, it turns out that the new ruling council has a specific goal in mind, one that unites the twelve of them. Just what their endgame is, I don't know. But whatever it is, it has something to do with Fiore."

"Do you think they're planning on trying to invade again?" Percy asked, sharing a glance with Gildarts. The two of them were old enough to remember Alvarez's failed invasion. Not that it could be called much of an invasion, considering it pretty much ended before it even started after the Magic Council flexed its weapons of magical destruction and forced them to back off.

"Planning?" Laxus scoffed. "It's pretty much a certainty at this point. They've already been testing the borders over the last few years, and their agents have been running amok across the kingdom. Magic Councillors have gone missing and turned up dead. Noble houses have been destroyed. Entire Guilds on the West Coast have been wiped out. Nobody can connect it to Alvarez. But the common consensus, or at least within the Magic Council and the between the Guildmasters, is that it's them. They're paving the way to invade Fiore and the wider continent, and the higher-ups know it."

Laxus sighed and massaged his temple.

"And that's part of why things are so tense right now. The Royal Family is antsy and has been becoming more so over the last few years. I'm not sure what is happening. But there is something going on behind the scenes with them that has them acting erratically, and whatever it is it's been getting worse. The games are supposed to be an event to encourage unity between the different Guilds and to encourage competition to make Fiore's forces stronger. Or at least that was the initial intention behind the games, and in a way, it is still working towards that end. Though admittedly, money and ego also play a big role in its running now too."

"And that's why you don't want to rock the boat?" Percy guessed.

"Pretty much," Laxus nodded. "Things are tense at the moment, and the last thing I want to do is draw attention to Fairy Tail in a negative way. The entire kingdom is like a tinderbox that's just waiting for a spark to ignite it. Nobody knows who to trust, the Royal Family are acting unstably, the Magic Council are coming down on any dissent with an iron fist, and the nobility is running amok. The situation isn't good."

"Okay," Percy said after a few moments. He was still trying to get his head around just how much the situation in Fiore had changed. He'd had an inkling of as much when he'd first spoken with Laxus. But he hadn't thought the situation had deteriorated as much as it had. "Then we do it your way. Are you still sure about your picks?"

"It's the best thing for the Guild," Laxus nodded.

"Fine," Percy nodded.

He turned around and looked out at the rest of the Guild. The main room was packed with chattering, laughing wizards.

Almost immediately his eyes sought out Erza.

He quickly found her sitting at the bar with Knightwalker with a slight grin on her face as she ate a piece of cheesecake. Next to her Knightwalker was halfway through a tankard of ale.

From behind him he sensed Laxus round the table and come to stand at his side. Gildarts moved to stand on the other side of Laxus.

"Oi! Listen up!" Laxus shouted, his booming voice quickly quieting down the waiting wizards below. "It's time to announce the team we're sending to the Grand Magic Games!"

Almost at once the entire room quieted down, as those below turned to look up at Laxus.

"With the return of those we once thought lost, the Fairy Tail Guild has a very real chance to win the Grand Magic Games this year!" Laxus continued loudly, looking around at the assembled wizards. "But to do that we will need to send our strongest along to compete. A task made all the more difficult by just how many powerful wizards there are in the Guild now."

A murmur of appreciation shot through the crowd below.

"If I could, I would send all of you." Laxus continued. "But that's not the case. For those not picked, don't get downhearted or take it as a criticism. The teams change every year. Last year the team of Freed, Bickslow, Elfman, Lisanna, Evergreen, Laki and Max, did an admirable job."

The named wizards raised their drinks and cheered, with the rest of the Guild likewise cheering them on.

They had placed middle of the pack last year. But from what Laxus had said, that was a definite improvement compared to the year before.

"I will be picking seven of you to go. Five will make up the main team, and two will be acting as substitutes." Laxus raised his hand for quiet. "The three of us have discussed who we will be sending. But in the end, the final decision belongs to me."

Looking out across the main room, he could see several of those below exchanging looks and muttering.

"The main team will be made up of Erza Scarlet. Natsu Dragneel, Erza Knightwalker, Mirajane Strauss and Gajell Redfox. Both Perseus and Gildarts will be going along as substitutes."

From the side, Percy could see Gildarts frown. The younger man had wanted to send Cana in his stead. But in the end, Laxus had shot him down.

Noise exploded from below as many of those assembled started cheering and shouting.

The team from last year added their own cheers to the mix, as Evergreen, her child in her arms, smiled, while Freed and Bickslow clapped and grinned. Both Elfman and Lisanna threw their arms around their now younger sister, Mira's, shoulders.

Similarly, those who had been selected likewise celebrated in their own way. The two Erzas, shared a nod, with Knightwalker looking somewhat bemused at having been selected while Erza Scarlet looked resolute.

Natsu let out a crowing roar and started dancing on the spot, with Happy gleefully flying around him.

Gajeel tried to look stoic as Jet and Droy clapped him on the shoulder, though his facade quickly broke down into an embrassed blush when Levy through her arms around him.

Searching the crowd for a few faces, Percy saw Lucy clapping along. She looked slightly disappointed, but still smiled and showed her support.

Cana meanwhile, looked entirely unperturbed, and instead just smirked up at her father. She seemed more amused about her father getting roped into going to the games than she was disappointed about not being selected.

Zeroing in on the last face, Percy frowned as he saw the half-naked Gray slip out through the front doors.

This was why he had wanted to send more people along. Ideally, he would have wanted to send Cana, Gray, Levy, Elfman, Freed, Bickslow and Lisanna along too. But it was not to be. Laxus had far more knowledge about the political climate than him, and as the Guild Master, he also had the final say.

Scratching his chin as those below him continued to cheer and celebrate, her glanced over at Laxus.

"As you taught me, Percy," Laxus met his gaze steadily. "You can't make everyone happy. Those in positions of authority need to make the hard decision, regardless of who they might upset or disappoint. Fairy Tail needs to make an explosive entrance this year, and to do that we need to send our strongest and most experienced wizards."

"I get that," Percy said after a moment. "But I noticed that you're only sending those that have just returned. Won't that upset the ones that stayed behind and kept the Guild running?"

"I doubt it," Laxus folded his arms. "They've all had plenty of opportunities to compete, and all bear the scars from their defeats. It took us three years to even make it past the first stage and into the tournament proper. After we did, we then faced humiliating defeat after humiliating defeat as those we sent faced off with the elites from the other Guilds. It is only through time and hard-won experience that we managed to place where we did last year. They've done their part, it's about time they have a break and let others take up the slack."

Percy frowned, he didn't know the people they had become as well as Laxus did. But even so, he personally wouldn't appreciate grinding for years to make it to the top, only to be replaced when he was on the cusp of finally achieving victory.

"Besides, they'll get another chance next year. It's good to change things up and give other people the opportunity. And considering you lot have been 'dead' for the last seven years. The Grand Magic Games is probably the perfect platform for you all to reintroduce yourselves to the world."

( - )

AN: So I changed my plans up a bit, and so decided to wrap the training arc up and move things along. Next chapter will be the beginning of the Grand Magic Games, and Fairy Tail will be sending a pretty stacked team. That said, the games won't be the only thing happening, these will also be other stuff cracking off both canon and noncanon, and of course more drama, action and what not as the ripples from previous changes begin to make themselves known.

On another note, I will start going through my previous chapters cleaning and tidying them up when I can, as having read through them, I quickly noticed that they were very rough.

So yeah, that's gonna be happening in the background.

Other than that though, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think in the reviews.

Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later.

Seagate.