Hello, everyone! I'm a newcomer to this particular community, and I've been wanting to do a Gargoyles story for a while now. These plot bunnies having thumping like hell... so here's one. Demona and Goliath is my preference, and I have only seen a tiny few stories centered on this. It's saddening, but I thought 'nobody is going to write what you want― except you' so here it is. I re―watched some of the episodes and this idea came to me. Hope you like!
Unwanted
The Mirror/The Trick
The female gargoyle stared pensively at the screens in front of her, waiting for the first sign of the crew she'd employed to bring the item Demona had, in a grand decepetion, falsely attempted to steal. Cleverly, she played the decoy to avert undesired attention away from them. That very moment, her hired help had arrived at the gates of her home.
The gate's intercom rang. "Yes?"
The driver said the password. A formality more than a precaution in this particular case. She knew who it was, and what they had brought with them.
They parked outside her door, and the two men carefully lifted the long fragile package on to the porch. Once safely was set on the wall, the two started wittering. They jerked in surprise at the shrill noise when she activated the demon-head intercom beside her front door.
"Relax, it's okay. I've done this before," the thief told his associate.
An envelope fell from the demon-head's maw. "Take your money and go, while you still can," she warned. They didn't think twice, and left without word.
The mirror would have looked ordinary to most eyes, even she thought it looked plain. Yet despite its unremarkable appearance, she knew it was much more than a simple accessory. It was an object of incredible power, it was Titania's mirror. Within it was another dimension containing an especially reputed member of the Third race. It was her intent to use him to achieve her goals... With such a power at her beck and call, she would not be stopped! It was guaranteed to be a success. Yet... a recurring flicker doubt made her think― No... No doubts. "So far my plans have always be thwarted, one after the other. But tonight, I take control." This time, she would get what she wanted.
She lifted the occult bell and began the summoning ritual. After the fourth chime, she recited the Latin incantation. The mirror began to distort. She blew a feather towards it and watched as it was taken in by the now yielding surface of the mirror. The spell was going as planned so far. An ethereal light grew behind the mirror and quickly engulfed the whole room. She could make out a shape coming closer... then― the light was gone, fading instantly.
She frowned. Had something gone wrong? No, she couldn't have made a mistake...
This concern vanished when she looked down... at the creature. Puck.
He did not look pleased.
For a while she observed the fae as he struggled against the bonds she'd placed to ensure her control over him... not because she got any amusement out of it, but an encounter with any of the third race always carried a surreal animation that even she was captivated by. Eventually, he addressed her, breaking out of her thoughts. "Is this how you welcome all of your guests? " He complained, crossing his arms.
She sneered. "Any who might turn on me, and you're not a guest! You serve the human― now you can serve me." She knew that David Xanatos had Puck in his servitude, and if the all―powerful fae bends to humans then he would obey a Gargoyle...
"Serving humans is fun, they have a sense of humour," he explained. "You have none!"
He was jabbing like she should've been insulted. She grabbed him by the chains around his chest and lifted him to eye level. "Perhaps not Puck, but I have you." There it was... a hint fear. He was helpless to her right now, and he knew it.
She dropped him but before hit the ground his descent slowed down to a float. A grin broke out the trickster's face. She watched warily as he rose higher, moving languidly, and in changing angles, even suspending himself sideways in the in the air. He shrugged in resignation. "Well... let's just get this over with shall we?" He sped all about the room circling the mirror before getting right in her face. "How can I be of service? Out with it, I haven't got all night!"
Demona waved her fist at him, making him retreat back. "You've got all millennium if I chose," she groused.
She held her chin thoughtfully. "I'm too vulnerable during the day. I don't want to turn to stone anymore."
"Of course, you want to stroll down fifth avenue in the sunshine! I'm sure you'll fit right in," he mocked. It was an obvious hole...
"I could if there were no blasted humans!" Then it hit her. She smiled. "Yes, Puck. I want you to get rid of the humans... all of them!"
Her demands impossible. Far too lofty a feat, even for him. She must have understood that there were limitations, that even his power couldn't manage all that. Puck landed beside the mirror. "Does this look like Aladdin's lamp? I have limits after all. What is it you really want?" He poked the mirror, distorting it with his magic. What appeared was very interesting...
Goliath.
The trickster looked increasingly smug. "How quaint! After all these centuries, you're still carrying a torch. Well, if that's what you want I can make him love you again. Piece of cake... given your charming personality."
Out of reflex, she repressed her feelings as they weld-up at the sight of him.
Then in the background, she saw the human detective. Her resentment flared; that she did not repress. "That's it! That's what I want!" She hissed. "If you cannot get rid of all the humans then, at least, rid me of that human! Elisa Maza!"
"Did you say 'that' human? Or that 'human'?" She was going to injury him... "Oh, never mind, I'll figure it out." Puck considered her desires. "This might just be interesting after all."
He flew towards the mirror and carried out her wish. As he spoke the riddled words, a burst of bright light escaped Puck's mouth and eyes and went inside the mirror.
It seemed so simplistic that she couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong with Puck's magic, or that something wasn't exactly right with it... Approaching the mirror, she raised her hand to touch it, but stopped herself. She turned to Puck. "What have done?"
Puck looked satisfied with himself and swiftly soared around her. "The human: Elisa Maza is no more."
So he had done it! Finally, something was going in her favour! "Then let's do the same! To every human in the city!" She said, gesturing to all around her.
Puck frowned enigmatically. "You don't know what you're asking. Believe me," he warned.
She grabbed him. "Can it be done? Tell me the truth!"
He seemed to both smile and frown at the same time. As he considered it, the possibilities for amusement were both hazardous and exciting. Puck made his decision... he would humour her. "Yes― but not from here." A section of loose chain extended, and he handed it to her. She narrowed her eyes distrustfully but took it from him none the less. "Now. Where are we going," he asked.
The experience hadn't been nearly as disorientating as she thought it would have been. Travelling through the mirror had actually been rather ordinary... which was perfectly fine with her. It was a literal walk in and walk out trip to the tallest building; a place where Puck could do as she requested.
Puck looked out towards the city, which from here could be seen in it's totality. "Ahh, what a lovely view," he admired. She didn't think much of it, after all, how could it look lovely with the thunderstorm current overhead. Nor did she care that for his poor attention span. "That's not why I brought you here," she said yanking the chain.
He gave her an annoyed look. "Oh, all right..." He landed in front of her. "I've got to marshal my forces, so to speak. This may take a while."
She watched as Puck did just that, and it was one the oddest things she'd ever seen. Like a tornado, he spun on the spot... too quick for her to see more than a blur. Pale green light began to radiate from him and grew brighter until she was sure it could be seen for miles out. She didn't stop him, though. He was carrying out her demands and doubted that he could be stopped at this current stage. "All humans on this concrete isle! Demona finds your presence vile! So do you now as I command! And be not woman, child, nor man!" She could just make out his magic fly from him to the mirror, then bounce to the largest satellite on top of the building. After that, it became too bright to see anything.
When the spell was finished, she looked over Manhattan, feeling more pleased with herself than she had in very long time. "Take me to see my empty city!"
She turned to the trickster in time to see the mirror revert back to normal, and she also saw that he was laying on the ground. She went to him and nudged his shoulder with her tail; he did not move. The spell must have taken its toll on the fae. She looked up in time to notice, but not stop the incoming tackle from her former mentor.
They rolled until he managed to get on top. She conceded no more than that, kicking him off and getting to her feet. "You're too late this time, old soldier..."
Then the rest of the clan appeared, landing beside him, ready to fight her together. She ignored looking at anyone of them. Damn... Puck's performance must have been blaring enough for them to see from far away.
"You can't fight all of us, lass," the old gargoyle warned.
He was right, and she didn't intend to.
She took the fae under her arm. "Curse you, Puck. This is no time to sleep." In order to make her escape, she threw the mirror from the skyscraper. They would try to save it, and probably succeed, but it didn't matter. Puck had already done his work.
The second she had a view of the streets, she gaped in disbelief. "What..?" She looked all around, and they were everywhere... What in the hell... That trickster! Quickly making her mind up, she dove into the subway entrance on the ground. The clan was right on her tail despite her clever attempt to buy time.
When she landed, a train arrived... filled with gargoyles. She had to be quick, too quick to make any shrewd choices, so she went on the train. The crowd would be too thick for them to follow. She smiled. It wasn't actually that bad of an idea, she seemed to be inconspicuous among them. Taking a seat, she placed Puck next to her, and observed for a moment. They seemed completely at ease with themselves, and her presence... Clearly an effect of Puck's spell that alters the mind... Still, Puck had deceived her. She'd wanted the humans gone, not changed. They were not true gargoyles... just in appearance... She growled under her breath. The trickster would not get away with playing with her.
She watched a burly looking gargoyle come towards her. He nodded politely, and began to sit down on top of Puck. Cursing, she pulled him on to her lap earning a confused look from the newly turned gargoyle. She ignored him, and wondered why he didn't acknowledge the fae's existence at all. When she considered it, it occurred to her that Puck might not want to be seen by them... Even in his current state, just how aware was the trickster?
At the first stop, she left the underground, and regrouped in a dank alleyway near scrapped car. By that time Puck had awoken, and she was bristling with anger. Her voice trembled with outrage. "I wanted you to destroy the humans, not give them the gift of being a gargoyle! Change the gargoyles to humans!" She ordered threateningly.
Puck tiredly shook his head. "I must... regain my strength."
Did he think she was an idiot? "I've noticed you're not too tired to make yourself invisible to the crowd!" She said, yanking his bonds. She knew that if he could still concentrate enough to cloak himself from all those people after such massive spell― then he couldn't be nearly as worn out as he was pretending to be.
"Okay, okay... I was just catching my breath," he dryly informed. The trickster leaned against the banged up vehicle behind him. He looked into car's side mirror and smirked. "Don't worry, I'll do exactly as you ask..."
Puck used the car mirror as a medium to communicate with Titania's mirror. It not nearly as spectacular to witness, but if it work correctly then she didn't care. The exertion left Puck breathless, and she allowed him a moment to recuperate. Of course, the moment was fairly short as her impatience got the better of her. "Well?" Groggily, he raised himself off the ground, and led her from the alley. She frowned. "Is it done?"
"Yes," he said quietly.
She gasped at sight. No! He hadn't done anything... They were all still gargoyles! "I told you to turn the gargoyles to humans!" Dealing with him was taxing on her... Puck smiled drowsily. He knew exactly what was doing, and that it would rile her... "Oh, you meant these gargoyles? I thought you meant Goliath and his clan! My mistake..." He was mocking her.
She'd had enough. "Your last mistake."
Puck saw the red in her eyes and tried to placate her before she attacked. "Hold on! I thought you would be pleased! Goliath is a puny human now, and at. Your. Mercy." He saw that she was catching on, and seemed to approve of the idea. He was glad he'd thought that up on the spot... Hadn't actually done it for any reason beyond the fun of it.
It would work in her favour... They wouldn't stand a chance against her, even together. With Puck fighting them too their chances were even slimmer. "I need a weapon, then you can take me to him," she ordered.
"That's the easiest thing you've asked me to do all day!"
They both vanished, then reappeared in Titania's mirror. A laser rifle materialised in her hands― that very moment the mirror opened itself, revealing a closed piazza. The two of the burst out. Immediately upon exiting, she turned to first human she saw and fired. The human dodged the attack, and the blast shattered a window displaying ornamental weapons. He the rest of them took up the nearest object, in this one's case a sword and shield. As she scrutinised him, and felt a sense of recognition. Goliath... "I would know you no matter what your form, Goliath!" She aimed at him, and watched as he brought the shield up. She fired.
She turned to the fae. "Take care of them, Puck!"
"As you wish!" He dodged the attacks of the clan turned human, and flew to the arm of the statue in center of the fountain. "Humans love a battle hearty! So does Puck! Come on, lets party!" Tendrils of magic came from his eyes, and struck the clan. However, instead of doing them harm, the magic latched on to their weapons, and morphed them into more self―destructive objects... Puck watched them, bouncing gleefully on the spot. The average one's mace jetted him into a table canopy, the fat one wrestled against a giant sun flower, and the small one's axe was now trying to crop him. The old one had his feet were struck in the ground! He grinned, fine work!
He heard a growl from behind him and looked over his shoulder. The gargoyle beast was racing to him. He turned to the creature, and it leapt at him. "Let's improve your looks." He launched the same spell he'd used on the gargoyles and watched the beast turn into an ordinary, somewhat blue looking, dog. "Uh oh, should have tried the Chihuahua." The dog, unfortunately, still dangerous so Puck ran.
As he passed by the clan, he kicked through the giant sun flower, causing a chain of quick events that freed all of them.
Demona had easily disarmed Goliath, and had decidedly dropped her firearm. She didn't need it. As he was, he would be unable to last long against her. Now she held him under his jaw... but did not attack. With Puck at her command a revelation of possibilities occurred to her. She would not need to fight him, or any of them, but for now she needed to incapacitate him. "Now, to end this farce." Before she could even think, she was floored by the young members of the clan. They tried to hold her down, but their efforts were halted by the noise of an angry crowd coming towards them. She capitalised on their stolen attention, and ran for her gun.
"No, wait! You don't understand!" Lexington tried to appeal to the human turned gargoyles, but the mob only saw them as monsters.
Demona pointed the rifle at goliath. "You're no match for me as a pitiful human," she spat.
Goliath remained steadfast and stared back at her unwaveringly. "My strength never has depended on brute force, Demona!"
Before she could scoff, she received a surprisingly strong kick, sending her to the ground. She bit back her pain and turned to her attacker. "Who are you to interfere with―" her eyes widened. "You!" That. Damn. Human! "What does it take to destroy you!" Demona lunged at her, only for the detective to grasp her wrists halting the red―haired gargoyle with newly acquired strength.
"Goliath, run! I'll handle Demona," she said, taking advantage of Demona's anger and landing a punch in her face.
She heard Goliath reply but didn't pay attention. She skidded towards her laser rifle and opened fire on them. They both evaded the shot, but again she didn't anticipate the detective's new abilities and was both staggered and disarmed by a flying kick from behind. Turning rapidly to the detective, she failed to see Goliath who leapt at her back. It didn't matter, though. She grabbed his arm threw and him at a window, stopping him with ease before he could get a good hold on her. He hit the ground a level above, falling unconscious.
This time, she telegraphed the detective's movements and ducked under her swing. At the same time, she punched her in the stomach, sending her to her knees. She turned to where Goliath lay and climbed up the wall. As she neared him, she smiled. The idea was ingenious. He would never be willing to see things her way, that much was painfully apparent. But he could be made willing... with the right disposition.
For the moment, however, she couldn't allow any interference. She went to grab him. As she did so, she heard a shattering noise directly over head. She looked up and yelped at the inescapable mass before it drop on her. Everything went black.
Eventually, she came to, blinking wearily. Her head was throbbing.
She whimpered, and tried to lean up, but her movements were restricted. She couldn't move her arms... W―why? Looking over herself she realised that, similarly to Puck, she was now chained. It was an effort, but she slowly managed to get to her feet. It was then she finally noticed her observers. They all stared at her... each one's gazed held a different sentiment. Resentment, wariness, fear, disappointment, she could see it all, and she hated it. They dared to judge her... when they understood nothing? She met each pair of eyes with the wrathful challenge of her own. She shot an especially venomous glower at the former―human detective... Most were affected, and broke away, but one pair remained unchanging― resolute in their expression. The difference: it was she who looked away... She wanted none of him. Even as a human, their weight remained the same, and it bothered her.
Goliath turned his eyes on Puck. "It ends now. Puck, change everyone back to the way they were before Demona summoned you. Do it, and you win your freedom."
She strained with anger. She had lost again, victory taken from her. They had taken it, again.
Puck bowed in accord. "It would be my pleasure. But afterwards... I'm going to need a very long nap." He turned to the mirror. "First the humans, I'll attend!" Light beamed from his eyes, into the mirror, then out from the other side, towards the skyscraper's aerial. It was consumed by his magic, sending tendrils of light all over the city. He then turned to Elisa with glowing eyes, and reverted her back to normal as well. Just as Goliath helped Elisa up, Puck continued. "Then the gargoyles will I mend!" In an instant, the clan were turned back into their original forms. "If his efforts you commend, free Puck, let him homeward wend." He looked to Goliath imploringly.
Keeping his word, he broke Puck's chains, freeing him from Demona's subjugation. "You're free."
Puck wasted no time, and flew through the mirror, but not before grabbing Demona and taking her with him.
The clan watched as the mirror disappeared after them. Goliath turned to his clan. "Let's go home."
The mirror reappeared in Demona's home, with herself and Puck already out of it. She was sat in a large ceremonial chair, not longer restrained while Puck sat on his haunches next to her. "That was romp indeed!" He commended, sounding far too happy.
She gave him scornful look. That was how he summed up her failure? That obnoxious fraud... The imbecile had used her as his source of merriment the whole time, she realised that now. He had neglected to fulfil one single thing she'd asked. He had, instead, taken all her requests and made a parody out of them... Puck, the all―powerful trickster had turned out to be totally useless. She would have made him regret it if she could, but he was now free, and had full command over his magic again. To be honest, she just didn't care anymore. "Spare me you're gloating... just go," she told the fae.
He grinned mirthfully. "Without giving you something in return for all this merriment? Puck is many things, but never a poor guest," he told her proudly.
She regarded him defeatedly. For a moment she considered begging him to leave― but she stopped herself. He had made a mockery out of her... and now he wanted to further antagonise her? To give her something... Even more trouble probably...
She had had enough of Puck. Glaring at the fae's insufferable face, Demona knew exactly what she could give him. Yes... She had a few words for him she knew he would not like. "Oh right... You want to gift me now? Well, that is... disappointing. You haven't given me a single thing I've asked you for since I summoned you. Whatever you intend to give me now, I have no doubt its as useless as you are, so don't bother." Puck looked annoyed.
She latched on to this, and went deeper, as deep as she could. "This whole ordeal has been anticlimactic... You see, I have read the ancient folk tales... They painted an impressive picture. The 'wise knave', they said. 'Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck, You do their work, and they shall have good luck: Are not you he?' Good luck, is it? Rubbish. You have shown the fallacy of your legend. Merriment? Monotony is far more apt." She saw the look this gained, and twisted the knife. "It makes one wonder, are all your tales fabricated, or is it only the good ones? It doesn't matter what the truth is, I now know first hand the depth of your abilities... They are lacklustre."
She let the words settle for a moment, then jerked out of her chair. "You think I don't know humour? Hmph. Or maybe you just aren't as funny you think you are. I've met house plants that are more amusing than you. Dwell on that, you cretin." She felt such satisfaction at the abashed expression her rant had wrought. She had embarrassed Puck, and she felt great for it.
"Monotony. Lacklustre... Not. Fun?" His voice was toneless.
She smirked. Yes, fool.
The look of Puck's face went blank for a moment― then it twisted in fury. She paused. Prior to summoning him she had taken care to ensure both her safety and control, because she knew how powerful he was, but those precautions were now gone. In her mind, a sudden picture of an angry Puck came to sight. Both rare and perilous, like a natural disaster destroying everything in its path. Perhaps she had been... too brash.
"So thats what you think, eh? Puck's laughs aren't good enough for you...? Well... I still have one more punch line, Demona." Before her little speech he had considered giving her the gift of the sun, but now there was no chance he'd do that. Not even Oberon himself had spoken to so disparagingly toward him. None of his infamous tales were fabricated―! They were all true! In inanimate object, funny than he? She had belittled him! Offended him... in the worst way. "Here's something that at least I'll be laughing about for a long while," he jeered nastily.
She took a step back. "What are you doing?"
Puck gestured to the mirror again, displaying her impermissible desire. "The mirror never lies, Demona. We both saw what you really want."
Slowly, her eyes went wide. What was he going to do? "Wait!"
"Too late!" He loomed over her.
The fae gathered his power and converged the old magic. "She who lies, stoked by fear! Disguised in anger to never feel! I cast aside your petty shields! To be Unbound then enthralled― to always yield!"
She covered her eyes, as he chanted his curse. She just about understood the basics of what the words implied, and felt panic rise within her. She knew, if he did this... it would destroy who she was! Before she could even process stopping him, the light receded back into the trickster.
―It washed over her. She gasped.
Puck smirked wickedly. "Dwell on that, fool!" He then vanished, leaving behind one final laugh to echo around her.
Hesitantly... she touched her chest. "Oh no," she said shakily.
Well, that's the beginning! Hope you liked it enough to tell me about it. If you are feeling any confusion right now, then no need to worry. Things will become clearer as the story goes on. For now, I suggest you read Puck's final spell, its has all the information you need.
Additionally, the phase: (Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck, You do their work, and they shall have good luck: Are not you he?) is an actual quote, so if anyone is interested in that then look up the words and it will guide you to various sources.
