It was another few hours before everyone was able to go home.
Xanatos had briefly run through his plan, and while Elisa saw the wisdom behind it, she didn't necessarily like it.
After a brief meeting with Maria where no information was withheld, there was another discussion with the other officers where a whole LOT was either withheld or 'tweaked'.
It would have been a whole lot easier on everyone had the NYPD not been there, but in the end a solution was reached.
The Wing's airship would be impounded, since, after Halcyon Reynard's airship had crashed causing a whole mess of damage and the Hunter's airship had crashed into St Damien's Cathedral years ago, airships this size in or near Manhattan had been made illegal for safety reasons.
Xanatos would claim them as his "employees" and pay a hefty fine.
The kidnapping attempt was glassed over as a miscommunication and a false report.
The Wing members would be released into the Xanatos Enterprise's care as his "employees".
Nianzu would remain under the care of the clan for the Council to deal with, and the human officers agreed once it was pointed out that he would be able to escape any normal restraints and jail cells.
There was a lot of grumbling from the officers, but in the end, they all accepted that it was a "false report" and since no one was pressing charges on… well, anything… they had no reason to hang around.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Maza," Maria said as she passed by on her way to the NYPD boat that had ferried them all over.
"Me too," Elisa responded.
Elisa watched as more XE helicopters were flown in, courtesy of Xanatos's security staff. They were separated so that the magic users were all in the same one, under the careful eyes of Skyler, Angela and (much to Elisa's disbelief) Demona. They would be transported back to the castle at the same time as everyone else.
Nianzu was to be transported in his own helicopter, surrounded by as many gargoyles that could fit into a single helicopter.
The rest would be splitting up between the two remaining helicopters.
Elisa got into one, and gratefully leaned against her husband's side. With Nayeli tucked in one elbow, he raised his free arm and allowed Elisa to burrow into his side.
"Sleep," He ordered his stubborn wife. He needn't have worried. Between the complete lack of sleep, the fear and stress over both her and Nayeli's safety, and finally dealing with the fallout after, she had been asleep almost before he had finished speaking that single word.
It was a slow ride, but they finally made it to the castle. He looked out and found every helicopter that had come to pick them up, was circling the castle. He wondered why this was, until he saw the first one land, expelling a few clan members, Fox and David Xanatos.
Theirs was next, and he firmly handed Nayeli to Brooklyn so that he would be able to carry Elisa down with him to the ground.
Once that helicopter took off, next came the one carrying Nianzu. He was (none too gently) escorted off, and practically marched to the elevators where Goliath knew he would be taken to the dungeons and the special iron cages.
Finally, came the two helicopters with the humans. First the non-magic users, then the magic wielding ones.
The last helicopter took off, leaving the courtyard filled with gargoyles, the black-clad humans who had dared to try to take his wife and child away, a select few human allies, a couple human/fae born and Puck.
The Wing members were lined up in the center of the courtyard, each holding themselves very straight and very still.
"Now then," Xanatos said in a clear voice, causing Elisa to stir and wake in Goliath's arms. "I have a proposition for you." He began to pace, looking each of the Wing members in the eyes as he passed them. "While I can't say that I'm thrilled to have had you be able to bypass my considerable security protocols, I must admit that I am impressed. However," He glared at them as a whole, irritation on his face, "I will not allow this to happen again. I have a feeling that if I were to let you go, or have you put in jail, more of your group would just keep coming. That would be putting lives in danger, both yours and those who live under my protection. What I propose is this," He said, coming to stop in front of the group. "You stay here. You work for me, exclusively in the castle. You will be able to defend it against any others who would come to harm those who live here, and," He glanced at Goliath. "You will be able to report to the rest of your group that Nayeli, the child you attempted to abduct from her family, will be well guarded and safe here. There will be no need for any others to come."
Elisa patted Goliath's arm, and he gently lowered her to her feet. She had gotten the cliff's notes version of his plan on Governors Island, but now she was beginning to understand. He was beefing up his own security at the castle with this highly trained group, and at the same time, he was making it so that the other Wing members would stay away.
…Or at least, she HOPED they would stay away.
The Wing members didn't move, but Elisa saw the brief eye movements, as if they were waiting for someone to speak up first.
Elisa let out a frustrated sigh. She strode up to David Xanatos and stood beside him.
"If I may," Elisa said, glancing at Xanatos, "I would like to make a suggestion."
Xanatos nodded.
Elisa turned to Shen, and singled him out to the multi-gazillionaire. "That's the one who took the most time and effort to make sure that Nayelli was taken care of. He's the one who fetched formula and diapers. He thought ahead to taking care of us." Elisa turned to Xanatos again. "If I were to choose a leader amongst them to head this new super-secret security team, he's," she jerked her head at Shen, "who I would choose as the leader."
Xanatos looked at Shen. "Is that right? Did you do all that Detective Maza has said?"
Shen hesitated, then nodded jerkily.
"Very well," Xanatos said, approaching him. "What say you? Would you like to help keep everyone here safe, or would you rather you all go to the dungeons and remain there under lock, key and magic suppression?"
The eyes of the group swung to Shen.
Shen asked a question of his own. "What of the Promised One? And the Chosen One?"
Xanatos raised an eyebrow at him, and asked, "Which is which?"
Shen shook his head in frustration. "Elisa, The Hope Bringer, is the Chosen one. The child is the Promised One. What of Nayeli and Elisa? I have been told that they do not live here all of the time, and our main focus must remain on them. That is our main purpose, even if we were to accept your offer."
"Of course," Xanatos said. "We will work on the details…"
"No," Elisa said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to live with the Wing members in my home. I already have enough people breathing down my neck."
"Elisa," Xanatos said, looking down at her with his best 'shut up and we'll talk about it later' look.
Elisa shut her mouth. If that's how he wanted to play it, fine, but she was NOT going to have them in her home.
"We will work on the details," Xanatos said again, "so that they will be satisfactory to everyone."
All eyes swung to Elisa.
Wait… how had SHE become the center of attention again.
"Fine," she ground out between clenched teeth. "We'll talk about it."
Shen nodded then, a look of relief on his face. He looked from side to side, meeting the eyes of his comrades. "Very well," He answered. "We would be honored."
"Excellent," Xanatos said with a smirk. "Come inside, and we will discuss things further."
Elisa felt her jaw clench at his self-satisfactory tone. My God, was there another man on the planet as egotistical as Xanatos? She sincerely hoped not.
With a sigh, she put them out of her mind, and whirled to those remaining in the courtyard. "Alright," She said, still simmering in her frustration over the situation. "Now that that's taken care of," She met Angela's eyes, "What did you want to tell me earlier?"
"Uh," She said, hesitating because she knew how Elisa would take the news in her current state. "Well, Elisa, you see…"
Angela met Skyler's eyes, pleading with the young woman to take the reins on this one.
Skyler stepped forward. "When the ship began to fall," She said softly, approaching Elisa cautiously, "we… that is, uh… Okay," She burst out with a huff. "Honestly, I don't know what happened, let alone HOW it happened, but Elisa… We," She gestured to Angela and had to look for Demona. Finding the red haired Gargoyle in the back, looking as if she were about to run and pointed, "and Demona, somehow made the ship slow down so that it wouldn't crash."
Elisa felt her eyebrows raise, catching sight of Demona only after Skyler pointed her out. Honestly, Elisa was surprised Demona was still here without active warfare breaking out.
Skyler shrugged. "Problem is, I don't know how it happened."
"We joined hands," Angela said. "I'm pretty sure it was involuntary, but I was in the middle, so I know our hands were clasped."
Elisa closed her eyes and prayed to whatever Gods were listening for patience, because hers was wearing thin…
And if hers was wearing out, Goliath's was probably…
His growl was enough of a warning that she knew she'd been right.
"Oh, enough," Demona said with a snarl of her own. "I didn't come to help any of you anyway. I know better, and I know how that would be received."
"Then why come?" Goliath practically growled.
"Father," Angela said softly. "She came to help. Please don't be so…"
"Snarly," Elisa suggested.
"Yes," Angela said. "Please, just… listen to her."
Goliath heaved a deep sigh. "Very well," He said, still a little snarly, but Elisa considered it an improvement, considering that the last time they'd been face to face was when she'd sent Elisa into the past with no way to get her back. He glanced at the rest of his clan, and most had vaguely hostile and distrustful expressions on their faces. If they were to avoid more violence this night, one of them was going to need to remain calm. As the leader… It pained him knowing that it was going to have to be him. "How did you come to be there?" he asked a little more calmly.
Demona must have been just as surprised, because she hesitated in her obvious attempt to leave. "Xanatos's wife came to talk to me." She began slowly, but gained speed as she spoke. "She told me that Angela would be in need of help. She also explained a few other things." Demona crossed her arms and glared at Elisa. "How the fates could hate me so much as to make YOU the Chosen One from that damnable legend, I will never know."
"You're just lucky, I guess," Elisa said with a smirk.
"Don't push it, human," Demona snarled. "I still don't like you."
"Right back at ya," Elisa said, and the females exchanged a nod of acknowledged loathing for each other.
"However," Demona said between her clenched teeth, "As much as I would love to wipe that one off of the face of the earth," she waved vaguely at Elisa, "that would only serve to alienate me from Angela. From my daughter. Plus, there's that one," she gestured towards Brooklyn who still held Nayeli. "The 'Promised One'," Demona seemed to fight the urge to make those air quotes that she'd seen humans do to emphasize just how ridiculous she found the name. "But I find myself torn about that one. She has enough human and Fae that I would rather not care about what happens to her. However," She raised a hand to stop the snarling that she knew would be coming. "She is still part gargoyle. I have seen enough death of our kind, Goliath. I have seen enough destruction." Demona sounded tired now…almost as tired as Elisa felt. "Hybrid magical mix of genes or not, I'm not going to stand aside and allow another gargoyle child's life to end. Especially not the sister of my daughter, who means so much to her."
Elisa felt her eyebrows shoot up almost to her hairline in shock.
Her confession seemed to make those of the Manhattan clan almost freeze in place, almost as if they collectively held their breaths, having expected… well, almost anything but an honest show of emotion.
Not from Demona.
"Regardless of how you see me," Demona was back now, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, "My concern has first and foremost always been keeping the gargoyle race safe."
"First and foremost?" Elisa repeated back.
"For the most part," Demona snarled at her in warning.
Elisa almost rolled her eyes.
"Oh, Demona!" Xuilan called, joining the conversation. She bowed to the red haired gargess. "I was hoping to see you here. Are you ready to take your seat on the council, at last?"
Demona frowned, looking a combination of anger and confusion.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Elisa looked from face to face before heaving a deep sigh. She was too tired for this, and her patience was officially gone. May the Gods help her if she had to be diplomatic tonight, because it was going to be touch and go.
For now, she just wanted to move the conversation along.
"The Council made concessions for those gargoyles who prefer to live outside of a clan," she said. "Since the council exists because of your efforts to gather them all, a spot has been reserved for you."
Demona glared at Elisa.
"But," Elisa continued, choosing to ignore the glare, "That would mean that you would have to adhere to the rules put into place and upheld by the council."
Maybe it was her imagination, but Demona's glare seemed to lose some of the power behind it.
"Speaking of upholding our laws," Xuilan said softly, "The council members have requested an emergency meeting to discuss the events of the last few nights."
Goliath let out a growl of frustration.
"Let's go," he said, turning to lead the way into the great hall.
As the others followed, Elisa turned to Demona.
"Well?" She said abruptly. "What's your choice? Are you going to play nice, or continue on how you have been. Alone."
Demona's eyes narrow at her, eyes flashing red before fading back to normal.
Without a word, she stormed past the human and into the castle.