A snowy evening in Manhattan, one of the coldest ones this winter. However, tucked safely away in the clock tower above the police station, Willow was far from cold. In fact, she was rather warm and happy. Dressed in only some dark blue sweatpants, a matching hoodie, and a pair of fuzzy socks, Willow had her I-Pod plugged into her ears as she danced around her home, singing along happily to her favorite song.
As she belted out the lyrics to Ed Sheeran's 'Galway Girl', she had no idea that the gargoyles had long since awakened. They gathered in front of the door leading to the balcony, happily watching the show. Even Goliath cracked a small smile, despite the dark memories of his lost kin fresh in his mind. As Willow went to sing the chorus, she finally saw the gargoyles out of the corner of her eye and froze. Turning beet red, she slipped her earphones out of her ears and turned off her music.
"Is it sundown already?" she murmured.
"Aye lass." Hudson replied with a smile. "For about the past five minutes."
"And how long have you been standing there?" she asked.
"About five minutes." Broadway replied.
Willow turned even redder and stowed her I-Pod away in her pocket, shuffling towards her room to go put it safely in its drawer. The gargoyles then split up, going to do their usual nighttime activities. Hudson went to his usual spot in the arm chair, turning on the TV with Bronx by his side. The trio, however, decided to go and see a movie.
"You wanna come Willow?" Brooklyn asked. "We're gonna go see that Fantastic Four movie."
"No thanks." She replied, walking out of her room with her laptop. "I've heard too many negative reviews for that one. Hope you guys don't regret it."
Brooklyn shrugged, then turned.
"What about you Hudson?" he asked.
"Why go out in the snow to see something that will be out on DVD soon enough?" Hudson replied "Besides, someone has to stay and guard our home."
Lexington chuckled.
"Hudson, we live above a police station." He said "Nothing could happen to us."
"Remember lads." Hudson remarked, raising a claw. "A gargoyle can no more stop protecting the castle-"
"Then breathing the air." The trio replied in unison, their voices portraying their annoyance with the phrase.
This earned them a glare from Hudson, as well as Goliath. As they walked out of the clock tower towards the terrace, they muttered to themselves about how they didn't live in a castle anymore. They flew out into the snowy weather just as Elisa walked in.
"Man, it's nasty out there." she commented, pulling her scarf tighter around her. "I'm surprised those guys are even risking going out."
"The cold does not bother us as it does humans." Goliath replied, a note of irritation in his voice.
"The cold may not, but something is." She replied, catching on to Goliath's negative mood.
"Is it not time for you to go on duty?" he asked her, turning to face away from her.
Elisa turned to Willow, who had settled at the dining room table with her laptop. The police officer raised an eyebrow in confusion, to which Willow didn't even bother looking up to.
"The trio said something to tick him off." She explained.
"Ah." Elisa said with a nod of understanding. "I see. Well, he is right though. It's time for me to go do the ole Protect and Serve."
At those words, Goliath perked up.
"Protect?" he asked, turning towards Elisa. "And serve?"
"It's the police motto." Elisa explained. "It's what I live for."
"Protect whom?" Goliath questioned, now truly intrigued. "And serve how?"
"The people of Manhattan." Elisa answered. "We protect them and serve them, doing the same for each other."
You mean the police." Goliath surmised. "Your clan."
Elisa nodded, accepting the analogy.
"Yeah." She agreed. "My clan, who will disown me if I don't get back to work."
Goliath landed in front of her, wrapping his wings around himself.
"Allow me to accompany you." He requested. "Perhaps I can learn something from this."
Elisa shrugged.
"If you want to, sure." She allowed. "Just make sure Matt doesn't see you. He's already obsessed about conspiracies and mythical creatures enough."
Willow perked up, closing her laptop and getting to her feet.
"Mind if I tag along too?" she questioned. "Not much to do up here, and I've always enjoyed the snow."
"I see no harm in it." Goliath decided. "Make sure to bring your gauntlet and dress warmly."
Willow grinned, her socks shuffling on the stone floors as she slid towards her room to get ready. Elisa chuckled at her enthusiasm, sliding her hands into her pockets.
"Well, looks like tonight's shift is gonna have a bit of an audience." She observed. "Should be fun."
…
Around that time in the Eyrie Building, the highest tower in Castle Wyvern has been transformed into a Frankenstein Laboratory. A prone figure laid hidden beneath a large white sheet, electrodes and wires peeking out from under said sheet. Electricity danced across the figure, causing the lights to fluctuate throughout the tower. Walking around the figure, Xanatos examined different meters and dials to make sure everything was working while Demona consulted old pieces of paper stolen from the Grimorum. She was concocting a magical powder that, if the pages were true, could do what she and Xanatos were planning.
"If this works, it will be a miracle." Xanatos commented as he went to examine her work.
"None of your plans have worked." Demona countered. "The Pack, the Steel Clan robots, they've all been proven useless."
"Your stolen spells haven't done any better." Xanatos replied.
"This is true." Demona allowed. "Neither science nor sorcery alone have defeated Goliath, but perhaps the two combined will be just what we need."
Finished with her magic powder, she tossed it liberally onto the prone figure. The dust began to glow brightly as it seemed to sink beneath the sheet and into the figure itself. The greenish smoke mixed with the sparking electricity in a flurry of power.
"I have done my part." Demona said curtly. "Now it is up to your machines."
Xanatos turned to Owen, who had been standing in the tower tucked safely away in a corner, and gave him a single nod.
"Pull the switch Owen." He ordered, resisting the urge to shout it like a mad scientist.
"Yes Mr. Xanatos." Owen replied in his usual monotone.
Owen reached over and grabbed the large power switch, pulling it down to double the electricity flowing into the figure. The flurry of power became a small hurricane of light and energy. All three co-conspirators shielded their eyes from the bright light as the machines monitoring the figure began to go haywire. The energy swirled around the figure in a combination of the magical smoke and the electrical charges, until it began to flow into the figure's forehead. This went on for a few seconds before everything suddenly stopped.
Everyone stood still, waiting for something to happen. All of a sudden, a large claw came out from under the sheet, shooting up into the air. Unable to contain himself any longer, Xanatos cackled.
"It's alive… IT'S ALIVE!"
Demona looked at Xanatos like he was a madman, and the man just shrugged.
"I've always wanted to say that." He commented.
As he said this, the figure began to slowly rise up from the table it was resting on, tearing the sheet away from it. The wires and electrodes fell away, still sparking with leftover energy. As the sheet and wires fell to the floor, the large inhuman figure slowly looked around, a single eye glowing bright red. As it moved, it made a combination of gargoyle-like growls and metallic hissing noises.
"As you said," Demona said with a smile. "It's alive."
The thing looked at Xanatos, then Owen, then focused on Demona. It turned slightly towards her.
"Do you remember me?" she asked.
The creature nodded once, then its glowing eye looked over at Owen and Xanatos.
"This is Owen Burnett and David Xanatos." She explained. "They are my servants."
Both men gave Demona a hard glare, but said nothing. The creature slowly stood up, metallic hissing and whining filling the tower.
"What- Am I?" it asked slowly, as if trying to figure out how to talk.
"You are cold stone, brought back to life." She replied.
"Cold- Stone…" It repeated.
"You were not always like this." Demona added. "You were once a gargoyle, proud and strong. But then, we were betrayed by the very humans that we had protected for years. They smashed our clan, because of Goliath."
"Goliath-" the creature repeated again. "My Rookery brother- Our leader…"
The creature clutched its head as a flickering memory of a light purple gargoyle flitted through his mind. Demona saw this and slowly walked towards a large object covered by a sheet.
"He was our leader, and he betrayed us. He allowed the humans to brainwash him with their ideals and beliefs. It is because of him that we are all but extinct. It is because of him, that you are like this."
She yanked the sheet away, revealing a full body mirror. The creature looked into it, and was horrified by what it saw. It was a large, male gargoyle, but half of him was made of machine. Wires and bolts sank into his skin, keeping him together like a patchwork doll. His wings were fully metal, as well as his torso, and most of his joints. Half of his face was metal with a glowing red, right eye.
Terrified at the sight, the creature smashed the mirror, howling in agony that was both physical and psychological.
…
In one of the rougher districts of Manhattan, Goliath landed on a small rooftop overlooking a local grocery store. Inside, Elisa and her partner Matt were talking with the store clerk. Through a pair of binoculars, Willow got a good look at the guy's face, and shook her head sadly.
"That's Mr. Wilkins." she muttered. "Born and raised here. His father owned that store before him, and he's kept it open ever since."
"You say that as if it's a bad thing." Goliath commented.
"It's not." Willow insisted. "Believe me, it's not. The bad thing is he keeps getting robbed. This is a pretty rough part of town."
"That's a bit of an understatement Willow." Elisa commented, speaking through a Bluetooth set hanging around her neck.
"How so?" Goliath asked through a similar set around his neck.
"This area is in the middle of a large turf war between rival gangs. Most of the other stores have long since packed up and moved out. Only Wilkin's Grocery still remains."
"Why has he not left with the others?" Goliath questioned.
"Because if he did, the good people who live here won't be able to buy food." Willow explained. "I guess you could say his people need him."
Goliath thought about this for a second before Elisa's and Matt's radios began to blow up with chatter.
"ALL UNITS! CODE 3 AT TIME SQUARE! I REPEAT! CODE 3 AT TIME SQUARE!"
Both Matt and Elisa ran for the car as Goliath scooped up Willow. She looked a bit nervous.
"Elisa, refresh my memory." She requested. "What's a Code 3?"
"Unidentified threat terrorizing the city." She replied, making it sound like she was talking to Matt.
"Right." Matt replied. "We need to get there now!"
Elisa gunned the engine, forgetting about the slick roads for a minute before taking off down the street, Goliath and Willow close behind. She pulled the glove off her right hand, revealing her gauntlet.
"I seriously hope I won't need this, but I've got a bad feeling about this." She let out.
"I do too, Willow." Goliath replied. "I do too."
…
Arriving at Time Square, Goliath and Willow could see the large mass of cop cars in the area. A bus was currently laying on its side with firemen helping to get people out. At least three fire hydrants were broken, and about five electrical poles were laying on the ground.
"What's going on down there?" Goliath asked.
"I don't know…" Willow replied, searching through her binoculars. "But from the looks of the devastation, something very big and very angry is tearing up Time Square."
An inhumane roar pierced through the wind as a strange figure began to glide to the ground, grabbing one of the cop cars. The silhouette looked like…
"A gargoyle?" Willow questioned aloud.
"Demona?" Goliath added
"No, this one's bigger." She informed him
The two landed in an alleyway and peered out at the figure, which tossed the car into the air, narrowly avoiding hitting a large group of cops. One it did, the two managed to get a look at the thing, and both were completely horrified.
"It IS a gargoyle!" Willow exclaimed. "A cyborg gargoyle! How is this possible?!"
Goliath, however, could only stare. Willow noticed his silence and turned to see the stunned look on his face. It was a look Willow had seen on his face only one time before, when Demona had revealed her treachery to him.
"Goliath?" she asked softly, gently shaking his arm. "What's wrong? What is that thing?"
"He was- is… My rookery brother." He whispered in shock.
Now it was Willow's turn to be shocked.
"That's your brother?!" she shouted. "I thought the rest of your clan was destroyed by the Vikings!"
"They were…" Goliath replied in disbelief. "How is this possible?"
Willow suddenly froze, lowering her binoculars as she slowly pointing out into the street.
"Ask him yourself." She muttered softly. "Because I think he just saw us."
Sure enough, the cyborg gargoyle's red eye was focused solely on the two, and he began pushing his way through the cop cars, police bullets ricocheting off of him as he walked passed.
"Goliath!" he snarled. "You traitor!"
Goliath instinctively pushed Willow out of the way just as the cyborg grabbed ahold of Goliath, yanking him out of the alley and into the snow. The cops quickly scattered in abject terror as the two beasts tussled. Willow ran after them, but was intercepted by Elisa.
"What is that thing?" she questioned frantically.
"A gargoyle!" Willow replied. "One of the lost ones from Goliath's clan!"
"How is that possible?" Elisa asked in surprise.
"I don't know." Willow admitted. "But I'll bet you a jar of jalapeñas that he's not here for a family reunion."
As she said this, the cyborg threw Goliath into the overturned bus, where Willow and Elisa quickly ran to his side. The cyborg came closer, pointing an accusing finger at Goliath.
"It is because of you I have become this monstrosity!" He accused.
As he said this, a blaster came out of his arm, firing off a wild shot. The three instinctively dove for cover, avoiding the attack. The cyborg stared at this new weapon in fascination and horror.
"What has become of me?" he muttered.
Thinking quickly, Willow brought out her own blaster, ripping through the sleeve of her coat. She let off a shot, which knocked the cyborg back a step but did not cause him to fall.
"Jalapeña, he's strong." She said in fear.
The cyborg snarled at her in anger, aiming his weapon at her. Before he could fire though, Goliath grabbed her and yanked her out of the way. This only seemed to enrage the cyborg even more.
"Even now, after all that has happened to us, you still side with the humans?!" he bellowed. "She was right, the humans have brainwashed you!"
Goliath ran through the snow, tackling his former brother to the ground. Willow, still in the snow where Goliath had left her, contemplated what the cyborg had said.
"She was right?" Willow repeated. "She?"
A sinking feeling hit her like a ton of bricks. There was only one person who could create advanced enough technology to create a cyborg, and only one "she" who saw the humans as evil, foul creatures.
Xanatos and Demona.
Suddenly scrambling to her feet, Willow turned and began running. Much to Elisa's confusion, she wasn't headed towards the fight, but towards one of the surrounding buildings. Elisa quickly intercepted her again, grabbing her arm.
"What are you doing?" she demanded. "We need to help Goliath!"
"I am!" Willow replied, pointing upward.
Elisa looked up at the building to see the Time Square Movie Theatre sign hanging loosely from the building.
"Brooklyn and the others are inside." Willow quickly explained. "Trust me on this. I think I know what's going on, and if I'm right, we're gonna need all the help we can get."
Elisa looked over her shoulder at Goliath, who was currently trying to talk to the cyborg while wrestling to the ground. He was failing miserably at both. She released Willow and pushed her forward.
"Go." She told her "Hurry!"
…
Inside the theatre, the trio sat watching what they could only describe as the worst movie ever.
"Man, Willow was right. This movie stinks." Brooklyn commented.
"Yeah." Lexington agreed. "These guys aren't anything like the comics."
"We shoulda gone to see that Mission Impossible Movie." Broadway added.
It was about that time that an explosion rocked the theatre. The three looked around confused.
"Umm, I don't think that was the surround sound." Lexington said fearfully.
A second explosion cemented his fears as the other patrons began to quickly vacate the theatre. However, one person quickly ran into the theatre, a person the three quickly recognized.
"Willow!" Brooklyn called out, leaping from his seat in the rafters down to where she was. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"
A bit out of breath, Willow gasped and tried to speak.
"Goliath- Fighting- Cyborg- Gargoyle- Rookery brother- Trouble!"
The other two quickly jumped down, eyes glowing brightly.
"Where?" Broadway asked.
…
Back outside the two of them were still wrestling, Goliath doing his best to get the upper hand without hurting his brother.
"Rookery Brother!" he exclaimed. "I am not your enemy!"
"I am not your Rookery Brother anymore." The cyborg replied. "I am Coldstone!"
Coldstone then let off another blast, this one hitting Goliath right in the face. It sent the gargoyle flying across the snow, where he hit a building hard and slumped. Coldstone stalked over to him, leveling his weapon for the killing blow. Goliath stared up in fear.
"Now you will pay for destroying me, and my clan!" Coldstone declared.
A laser blasted Coldstone right in the side, sending him back a few steps and shooting sparks into the air. Both he and Goliath turned to see Willow standing on the overturned bus with Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington.
"Get away from Goliath NOW!" she screamed.
Lexington struck one of the tires on the bus, sending the hubcap into the air. Brooklyn snatched it up and send it flying, where it struck Coldstone on the side of the head. This gave Goliath the time he needed to get to his feet and leap over to his comrades.
"Goliath!" Willow quickly said. "I think I know what happened to him!"
"You do?" he questioned.
"His weapons, his armor, his anti-human mentality, that's a combination of two of our worst enemies." She quickly explained. "Xanatos and Demona must have worked together to bring him back from the dead!"
A steady, slow clapping caused everyone to turn towards the rooftop behind them. There, Demona stood, smiling and applauding with the red Steel Clan Robot next to her.
"You're rather clever for a human." Demona commented.
"You!" Brooklyn snarled angrily.
"You brought him back?!" Goliath demanded. "You turned my rookery brother into this… monster?"
"The only monster here is you, Goliath!" Coldstone shouted in reply.
He went to attack Goliath again, but a second hub cap from Brooklyn stopped him in his tracks. Goliath took a slow step forward, hoping to solve this conflict without further violence.
"Whatever she has told you, you must not listen." He tried to explain to Coldstone. "I lived for my clan."
"And they died for you!" Demona shouted, pointing an accusing claw at Goliath. "Smashed to rubble by the humans YOU trusted. Coldstone! Destroy them! Destroy them all!"
The red robot put a metal claw on Demona's shoulder.
"I want them alive." Xanatos' voice said through the robot.
"They only way I and Coldstone can survive is if they are all dead!" She snarled, freeing her shoulder from the robot's grip.
Coldstone seemed to hesitate.
"Survive?" he asked, looking down at himself. "Like this?!"
"Appearances don't matter!" Demona snapped. "We are the true gargoyles! They have been corrupted by the humans. They are no longer our brethren."
Coldstone looked up at Demona, then at Goliath and the trio. His eye then focused on Willow, who was flexing her metal claw.
"Coldstone." she said softly. "I know you have no reason to trust me, or any human for that matter, but please. Goliath is no betrayer. Not a day goes by that he doesn't regret the day he lost you and everyone else."
Goliath stepped forward again, placing his claw on Willow's shoulder.
"She is right." He began. "I regret that day, and all the death that was brought upon our clan. There are so few of us left, my brother. I do not wish to lose anymore."
The two gargoyles stared at each other for a moment, until the sound of large vans pulling up drew their attention. Willow quickly whispered into Goliath's ear.
"We need to scram." She hissed. "The last thing we need is to be the top story on the 11 o'clock news."
Goliath nodded, then turned towards Demona and the Steel Clan robot
"I know you can communicate through your machine Xanatos. Heed my words, and let us move this somewhere less…. Delicate."
Demona went to refuse, but once again, the robot stopped her.
"An excellent suggestion." It said. "Let's be off."
Demona and the Steel Clan Robot took off, Coldstone following close behind. Willow ran up to Brooklyn, practically jumping into his arms.
"Let's go." She insisted. "Quickly."
The gargoyles jumped off the bus and began their ascent, disappearing into the sky, leaving the flabbergasted police still trying to figure out what was going on. Elisa watched them fly away, then quickly made her way through the crowd. She quickly got to her car and gunned the engine.
"Willow was right." She decided. "We're gonna need all the help we can get."
…
One of the bridges connecting Manhattan to the mainland was currently under construction, the perfect place for a gargoyle fight to the death. Surprisingly, the Manhattan Clan got there first. As Brooklyn set Willow down, they all looked around.
"Did they all just run off?" Broadway asked.
A laser blast from the sky quickly answered their question as the red Steel Clan Robot shot down at them. This sent them all flying in opposite directions, barely staying on the snow covered bridge.
"Not hardly." Willow replied.
Demona swooped down at them, claws bared. Everyone prepared for an attack, but surprisingly, she went straight for Willow, snatching her up from where she stood.
"Gyah!" she screamed as Demona hoisted her into the air.
"Willow!" Brooklyn shouted.
He quickly prepared to go after Demona, but the red Steel Clan robot halted his efforts. With a quick grab, it managed to get Brooklyn by the tail, tossing him off the top of the bridge and straight into the suspension cables. Many were still loose, not fully connected to the supports of the bridge, and made short work of the gargoyle.
"Jalapeña…" he swore, trying to free himself from the cables.
Meanwhile, Demona glided over to a different part of the bridge, dropping Willow on one of the large towers the support cables hung from. She landed in the accumulated snow with a small thump, looking up as Demona snarled at her.
"Consider yourself lucky my alliance with Xanatos hinges on you remaining unharmed." She growled.
Willow simply took a shot at her as Demon dove back towards the fight, leaving Willow stranded. She crawled over to the edge, aiming her gauntlet down at the gargoyles below.
"Thanks for giving me a good sniping position, Demona." Willow whispered under her breath.
Meanwhile, Broadway quickly went to try and free Brooklyn from the cables, but a blast from Coldstone sent him careening into them as well. Within seconds, he too was also tangled in them. Soon, all that was left was Lexington and Goliath. Coldstone dove straight down at Goliath, who intercepted his brother, albeit reluctantly.
"I don't want to hurt you, my brother." Goliath told him.
"You already have." Coldstone snarled in reply.
Meanwhile, Lexington was narrowly avoiding the red Steel Clan robot. He attempted his usual maneuvers in dealing with the robots: i.e. trick them into crashing into a wall. However, it was not working this time. This one was smarter than the rest, as if it was adapting instantly.
"Well, if it won't go down the easy way, then it's time to get creative." Lexington mused.
He caught an updraft and shot upward, spinning around and diving back down again. He landed right on the robot's back, and dug his claws straight into the metal.
"Let's see if I can find anything important in here."
He yanked hard, pulling out the back panel, as well as a few wires. The robot spun in the air quickly, throwing the green gargoyle off it. It then shakily landed on the bridge, pulling at its head and revealing Xanatos. Lexington stared in absolute amazement.
"So he was trying to build a suit!" he exclaimed. "I knew it!"
Suddenly, a loud roar rang out across the bridge. Everyone turned to see both Coldstone and Goliath taking a nosedive off the bridge. They splashed down into the icy water, much to everyone's horror.
"Goliath!" Broadway screamed, struggling in his bindings.
"No!" Willow shrieked, scrambling towards the side where the two gargoyles had fallen.
As the two gargoyles slowly sank to the bottom of the river, Coldstone found himself staring his unconscious rookery brother. As he did, Hudson's old saying began to echo in his head.
"A gargoyle can no more stop protecting the castle, then breathing the air."
These words, as well as the look on Goliath's face spurred the cyborg into motion. He grabbed hold of Goliath's arm, pulling him into his grasp before rocketing out of the water. As the pair landed on the bridge, Coldstone turned towards the captive gargoyles. He aimed his blaster, shooting the cables binding Brooklyn and Broadway. Now free, Brooklyn made a beeline for Willow grabbing her and bringing her down to ground level as Lexington approached Goliath.
"Is he-?" he began.
"He lives." Coldstone assured him.
Goliath began to cough up water, slowly regaining his senses as the clan gathered around him. Willow let out a sigh of relief.
"Jalapeña, he's alright."
"But you're not." Demona swore.
Everyone turned to see her standing before them, her eyes glowing a bright red.
"Thank you for saving Goliath for me, Coldstone." She snarled. "Now I can destroy him myself."
"I won't allow it!" Coldstone snapped. "You say that destroying my brother is the only way to survive. Is that all there is for us? Mere survival?"
"Isn't that enough?" Demona retorted.
"No." Goliath replied, rising to his feet. "Gargoyles protect. It's our nature. Our purpose. To lose that is to be corrupt, empty... lifeless."
Coldstone looked at his brother, his eyes drifting across the clan before settling on Willow. Seeing her closeness to the clan, as well as how protective Brooklyn seemed around her, he began to understand.
"Now I understand." He said quietly. "You have found a new castle to protect."
"Enough of this!" Demona shouted.
She pulled out a small laser gun from her belt, aiming for the group. Once her shot was fired though, Coldstone quickly jumped in the way, taking the shot himself. He fell back, sparking with intense electricity. He stumbled some more before falling off the bridge and into the water below.
"NO!" Goliath shouted.
He dove into the water after his brother as Demona leveled another shot. However, this time Xanatos stopped her by blasting the gun from her hands with his arm blaster.
"I think you've done enough damage for one night." He told her.
All of a sudden, he was tackled to the ground by Bronx, the large gargoyle dog snarling like a wolf. Demona turned to grab her gun, only for a large brown gargoyle claw to stop her.
"I don't think so, lass." Hudson warned.
"Hudson!" Willow exclaimed. "Bronx!"
"You were right Willow." Elisa said as she approached the group. "We were gonna need all the help we could get."
She then turned to Xanatos, leveling her gun.
"It's over." She said.
"Not quite." He replied.
Xanatos then hit the thrusters on his suit, sending Bronx flying off of him and into the snow. As he made his getaway, he managed to grab Demona on his way out. As they disappeared, Elisa stowed her gun and looked around.
"Where's Goliath?" she questioned. "And where's that monster?"
"It was no monster." Goliath replied, dripping wet from the river. "His name was Coldstone…. And he was one of us."
The gargoyles and Elisa all looked at Goliath, who sighed in sadness and grief.
"Let's go home." He declared.
…
The gargoyles all huddled in the tower's living room, Willow passing out cups of hot cocoa. Elisa wrapped a large blanket around Goliath, both for the chill, and for comfort.
"I'm surprised you survived two dips into that icy water." Elisa commented. "Whether the cold bothers you or not, that couldn't have been pleasant."
"Had it not been for Coldstone, I doubt I would have survived the first one…" Goliath said sadly. "He saved me… he chose to protect the innocent, like a true gargoyle."
Lexington then spoke up.
"Is that what you meant before?" he asked. "When you said we protect the castle like breathing the air."
"Aye lad." Hudson replied. "The castle is not a physical place. Much like home, it is the people that make the castle."
"And our castle… our home… is this city. And we will protect it." Goliath added.
Willow smiled brightly.
"Spoken like a true gargoyle." She declared.
…
A few days later, a robber made his way into Wilkin's Grocery, a look of abject terror on his face. Recognizing the robber from his attack not too long ago, Mr. Wilkin's sighed and put his hands in the air.
"Not again." he sighed. "Can't you rob somebody else this time?"
The robber approached the counter, sweating like a pig.
"I'm not here to rob ya." He told him, setting the gun down and pulling a large sack of cash out of his coat. "Can you do me a favor and call the cops so I can turn myself in?"
He was asking the questions as if his life depended on it, so as Mr. Wilkin's reached for his phone, he had to ask.
"Why?" he questioned.
"Because some creepy little girl and her six monster friends just told me to." The robber answered, quaking in his boots.
Outside the store, perched on the rooftop across the street, Elisa and Willow stood with the statues of the gargoyles watching the events unfold. The two humans exchanged small proud smiles as the sun rose above the city, the first of many brighter days for Manhattan.