Hello everybody!

This is it! The beginning of the end! Though I am sad that this story is slowly coming to its conclusion, I am excited to finally get to the climax of the story; I've been building up to this moment for months, and now we finally get there!

This is the first chapter of a multi-chapter arc, which builds off of the new information learned from the last couple chapters. These next few chapters will all take place on Friday, May 2nd, 1997, on the night of Elijah and Amanda's choir competition. It will feature multiple POVs, along with time changes, though I made sure that it was not too confusing. And, of course, there will be a lot of action, drama, reveals, and so much more!

I hope you all enjoy it!

Note: I know it's in the story's specs, but warning for language and violence, including blood

Also, "This is sign language,""This is possessed," and "This is Japanese," unless otherwise stated

The Longest Night - Part One

Art POV:

6:54 PM

Art had no idea how long he had been stuck in this dark, barren stretch of emptiness that Matisse and the other souls called the Eye.

It must have been a few days at least, but it was hard to tell what time it was without the sun or a single clock; even his wristwatch had stopped working. It also did not help that he felt no need to eat or go to the bathroom [he doubted that he would find a kitchen or bathroom in this place anyway], and while he had never been one to believe in magic or anything, being stuck in an endless void with a group of trapped souls was enough to make him rethink things.

At least they were all friendly, even the gargoyles [though they seemed to keep their distance from the humans]. They had been surprised to hear about the gargoyles Art had seen on the news [but he had to spend at least thirty minutes explaining how TV worked to the whole group], since gargoyle clans apparently kept to themselves and out of human sight centuries ago. They also asked a lot of other questions about the outside world, and were stunned to hear the news of world wars, airplanes, and microwaveable pizza.

One of the souls, Matisse, seemed to be in charge of the group, and had explained to Art how they all got there, who this Mab person was, and what must have happened to Elijah. The man had died in the thirteenth century, and while he had not been in the Eye the longest, he had been in his sixties when he died, making him the most mature out of the others, who had been younger when they had died.

Matisse explained that Mab was the former queen of a group of beings called the Third Race, who were magical beings that throughout history, had worked their way into human folklore and ancient religions. Mab had been the queen of these creatures before being overthrown by her son Oberon over a thousand years ago. However, before she was imprisoned, she plucked out one of her eyes and sent it to the human world, where a gargoyle [gargoyles had no names, but they called him 'the First One'] found it.

Very quickly, he realized that this Eye [which looked like a small, round rock] gave him an unbelievable amount of magical powers, allowing him to do almost anything his heart desired. He heard Mab's voice in his head, even when he was not touching the Eye, and as months passed, he slowly fell under her influence. Soon, his lust for power grew too much, and his body burned into a crisp, and his soul became trapped in the Eye. Afterwards, the Eye had rolled into a small river, carrying it to a distant country, where a wash-woman plucked it out of the river one morning, holding it in her hands.

And so began a cycle. Someone [usually a human, but sometimes a gargoyle] would find the Eye, realize that it gave them power, and under Mab's 'guidance,' became powerful and feared individuals. But the cost was great; their families, friends, and homelands were either destroyed or abandoned, and in the end, the Eye burned their bodies and sucked up their souls, trapping them in this endless void, where they have remained with no way of escaping and no way of finding eternal rest as they lived with the guilt and embarrassment of what they had done while under the Eye's influence. However, the last person to have been sucked into the Eye had been a man named Frederick, who had the stone in France in the 17th century. That is, until Art himself had showed up, not just with a piece of furniture, but very much alive.

"So you're saying that Elijah didn't really trap me in here," the teen asked Matisse. "It was this Mab person controlling him?"

"Hmm… I do not think so," the ghostly man replied, sitting cross-legged from him. "By the way you described him and his behavior the days before, I say that he trapped you here of his own accord, with some prodding and aid from Mab. You must understand how she works; she wriggles her way into your mind, amplifying your worst fears and deepest desires, making you want to act on them. And the more you do, the more powerful you, and she, become."

"So he wanted to trap me in here," the teen said, a frown coming onto his face. "What a dick!"

"Though you have not exactly been kind to him, have you," Matisse asked, coking his head a little, his pale, pupil-less eyes seeming to bore into Art's head. "By the way you have spoken of him… you appear to hold him in very little regard."

"Well, yeah, because he's a loser." Some of the other souls turned towards him at that statement, confused expressions on their faces. "I mean he's… unpopular. He doesn't fit in with the crowd. He's… different, and not just because he's deaf. He's just a weird person, and if he's friends with that gargoyle [Nashville or something], then that would explain a lot."

"What's wrong with gargoyles," one of them asked, a scowl on his face as he towered over the human.

"N-Nothing," Art said quickly, and the gargoyle soul frowned at him before gliding towards his friends several yards away.

"So you do not like him for being different," Matisse asked. "No one is exactly like the other; we are all unique in someway or another. And it seems to me that you being here is partially your fault."

"What?!"

"Think about it; if you had not tormented him like you said you had… I believe you even mentioned hitting him the day before he trapped you in here. Mab needed something to get him on her side, and what better than to have him use his newfound abilities on someone he despises for hurting him?"

"Don't pin all this on me," Art said, feeling both angry and called-out on his behavior. "I'm not the one who had a magical eye that can trap people in the middle of an endless void!"

The soul sighed, shaking his head a little.

"Maybe, as the years pass, you will come to accept what you have done," Matisse said. "Like we all have."

"I don't plan on being here for years," the teen said. "Are you sure there's no way out of here for me?"

"You do not think we have tried before," a woman asked, walking over to him. "We have had centuries to come up with ways to escape, and nothing! We have tried walking away, but we always end up back with the group! And the gargoyles cannot fly; they need air currents to glide on, and there are none in here!"

"But there has to be a way out," Art said stubbornly. "I mean, all of us got in here somehow, so there must be a door or something that we can go through!"

"When you find it, let us know," the woman said sarcastically, gliding away with a sour expression on her face.

"I understand your anger and frustration," Matisse said, putting a hand on Art's shoulder. "Most of us were like this after we first got here; back to being what we were before we met Mab, trying to escape so that we could get revenge. But we have learned that revenge gets you nowhere, and that there are some problems we cannot solve."

The teen shook his head, refusing to accept the soul's words. His mom had always said he was stubborn and head-strong, and it would take a lot more than a see-through man to tell him what was and was not possible.

"But I'm here," he said. "I'm still alive, and I've never met Mab or seen the stone! That makes things different for me… it has to! I mean, I even ended up with my bed here!" He pointed to his nearby bed, which had been stripped of its blankets so some of the souls could feel warmth again. "This could be the key to escaping!"

"How," the soul asked. "We cannot fly away, and walking away gets us nowhere."

"Fuck," the teen snapped, slamming his fist on the ground next to him. Freezing, he slowly looked down at the flat, blank ground, which was cool to the touch yet not hard like stone. It felt like… he could not explain it, but he could tell that there was no earth underneath the surface. A sudden idea popped into his head; finally, after who knew how long he had been in here, he finally had some hope for an escape.

"I've got it," he whispered. "I… I think I thought of something."

"While I admire your enthusiasm, what could you have come up with that we have not tried already," Matisse asked. "We've tried everything-"

"But you never had a living human or a kid here before," Art replied, looking over at the bed. "And you haven't had a decent amount of wood, either."

[][][]

Amanda POV:

7:24 PM

The night of the Choir Competition had arrived.

Technically, it was the final night of the competition; we had competed the past two weekends in smaller competitions, which weeded out the bad-sounding groups until only eight were left. Weisman High had not made it to the finals in over ten years, and Mrs. Flemming was more erratic than usual now that we had finally achieved what many on the school board had called 'impossible.' She must have been frazzled, because she did not yell once during our final rehearsals, but her hands were shaking so badly that Cecilia suggested we call a medic to make sure she was okay.

Besides the choir teacher trying her best not to have an aneurism, we Weisman High Choir teens were excited, having enjoyed a fun afternoon in New York City before the final competition. We got to leave school after third period, busing into the city to eat lunch and have some free time before the competition. We got to hang out around Times Square, and few students with polaroids or disposable cameras were taking pictures of their friends and the various signs that decorated the space. Some people were still saddened by Art's absence [he had been missing for nearly a month now, with no sign or word of where he might have gone to], and we had decided to dedicate our final performance to him.

Elijah and I were a happy couple, holding hands as we wandered past shops selling NYC merchandise, looking at all the marquees advertising Broadway musicals. I was a Broadway fan, having seen The Phantom of the Opera with my family last summer. Elijah had listened to some of my tapes and CDs when I brought them over to his house, but he was not as big a fan as I was. We were two of the happiest-looking teens in the world, but secretly, I was worried about Elijah.

Sure, he was giving me more attention; we called each other at least every night, even after hanging out and studying each evening, and he had promised to take me out to dinner for our upcoming three month anniversary. But there was something about him that seemed… off. I could not explain it, but sometimes, as we sat together on the couch holding hands, I felt like I was with a complete stranger. But he seemed so in love with me and wanted me to be happy, so I pushed these thoughts aside, secretly wondering if there was something wrong with me.

Now, all of us were waiting backstage at the theatre, waiting to be called onstage. The group before us was just finishing up their final song, so nerves were high among us. Mrs. Flemming had been cleared by the medics earlier, but was sitting in a chair with a bottle of water, just in case.

"Nervous," Elijah signed to me, being the only one who seemed at ease. I nodded in reply.

"A little," I confessed, hoping that I was signing the right words. "You?"

He shrugged. "Not really. We're gonna be great, and tonight's gonna be one we'll never forget."

He took my hand, and I felt an almost static shock run up my arm. Looking into his eyes, I saw the kind-hearted boy I had fallen in love with last year, but I saw something else. His eyes had an almost hard glint in them, and did not match the smile on his face. Also, they did not look as blue as they used to be; what once looked like the sky now looked like the ocean, with flecks of green slowly overtaking the blue. Once again, I felt that I was looking at a stranger, and not Elijah Robbins. However, he pulled my hand up to his cheek, and the harshness in his eyes vanished.

"You're beautiful," Elijah signed with his free hand.

I smiled back at him, though I could not shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in my stomach. It was just pre-competition nerves… it had to be.

"Thank you," I signed back, right as the choir group on stage finished, earning modest applause from the judges and small audience.

Ten minutes later, after the stage hands had rearranged the risers, the Weisman High Choir took to the stage to perform their three group songs and one solo song. Mrs. Flemming had calmed down, and walked to her podium with a cool and confident expression that we were all familiar with. We took our places on the risers, and Elijah took his seat at a nearby grand piano, making sure the microphone over it was turned on after setting up his music. I caught sight of him from her spot on the risers, and I held up my hand in the sign 'I love you.' Smiling, he signed it back.

A few minutes later, after getting confirmation from the sound booth that all the mics were working, as well as confirmation that the judges were ready, Mrs. Flemming cleared her throat. Everyone immediately stopped rustling around, and the choir teacher raising her arms as the choir turned to her with rapt attention. She looked over at Elijah, who simply grinned at her, hands poised and ready to play.

"One," she whispered to herself, starting to move her hands to conduct us. "Two, three-"

And as Elijah played the first notes on the piano, we began to sing.

[][][]

Brooklyn POV:

7:34 PM

Nashville roared loudly as he and the other gargoyles woke up, their stone skin breaking into a million little pieces. Immediately, he looked around, wary of any danger that might befall them; instinct from his years travelling through the Phoenix Gate. But there was no danger to be found; his family were there, along with the rest of the clan.

"Morning, everyone," he said light-heartedly, stretching his limbs a little as he looked out over the city skyline.

"Some morning this is," Lex said, the sky slowly darkening from evening into night.

"Anyone want breakfast," Broadway asked, holding out his hand to help Angela down from her roost.

"I'll just have some tea," Hudson said. "I'll be goin' te Robbins' house to wait up with him; Elijah's singin' contest is tonight, and he'll be back late."

"Oh yeah," Brooklyn said, grinning a little. "Too bad it's indoors, or else we would've gone to see it." He looked over at his son. "Wanna go with Hudson to the Robbins house?"

"No," Nashville replied a little shortly, not looking his father in the face. "Mama, is it okay if I fly around and stretch my wings a little?"

"Only if someone goes with you," Katakana said, stepping off of her roost and immediately going to check on Egwardo in the Hatchery.

Brooklyn frowned a little, but nodded. He had noticed his son acting strangely these past few weeks, particularly when he mentioned going over to the Robbins house. When he asked Nashville about what was going on, the young gargoyle had simply put a smile on his face and said it was no big deal. But most of the time, Brooklyn saw his son with a frightened expression on his face, looking at the rest of the Clan as if they were in danger. And, some times when they woke up from their stone sleep, he noticed that his son was breathing heavily, as if waking up from a nightmare.

"Brooklyn," Goliath said, interrupting the gargoyle's thoughts. "It looks like we have company."

The gargoyles turned to find Xanatos and Fox walking towards them, little Alex holding his mother's hands as he took a few shaky steps before stumbling a little. Behind them, looking stoic and serious, was-

"Hunter," Brooklyn asked, gaping at the Scottish woman, as well as the other individuals behind her. "And the… What do you call yourselves again?"

"The Redemption Squad," Dingo replied shortly, crossing his arms. "Though I never agreed to that name."

"Neither did I," Fang complained.

"We're not changin' the name," Hunter snapped, looking like she was a few seconds away from strangling her teammates. "Besides, we're here on more important business. We got your call-"

"Call," Lexington asked.

"Yes," the ex-gargoyle slayer explained. "We received a message from ye two days ago, saying that there was going to be trouble here tonight, and that ye needed our help."

The Manhattan Clan exchanged confused looks.

"We've sent no message," Hudson said, looking over at Xanatos. "Did ye-"

"I'm afraid not," the billionaire replied. "Usually when I invite guests over, I try to clean the place ahead of time and prepare the guest rooms."

"But if you did not send the message, then who did," Yama asked.

I ANALYZED THE MESSAGE, Matrix spoke up, currently covering Dingo as his super armor. HOWEVER, I WAS UNABLE TO DETECT AN ORIGIN, NOR WAS I ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHO SENT IT. BUT SEEING THAT IT WAS SIGNED 'THE MANHATTAN CLAN,' WE ASSUMED IT WAS MOST LIKELY FROM YOU AND THAT YOU ENCRYPTED THE MESSAGE TO KEEP YOUR LOCATION A SECRET.

Brooklyn and Goliath exchanged frowns, wondering what this could possibly mean. Who would want the Redemption Squad here in New York City? And why would they pretend to be them?

"What was this 'trouble' the message spoke of," Goliath asked.

"Ah have it here," Hunter said, taking a folded piece of paper from her pocket, opening it and reading it. "'Hunter. There is going to be an attack at the Torrance Theatre at 8 PM on May 2nd. It concerns your brother, John Castaway, and his group of Quarrymen. Please come assist us, since the threat is too great for us to handle.'" She held out the note to Brooklyn, who quickly scanned the page.

"Who would do this," he wondered aloud. "And why?"

"Wait," Angela spoke up. "The Torrance Theatre… is that where Elijah's competition is?"

Brooklyn's eyes widened as he realized this was true.

"You mean that deaf kid," Fang asked.

"But why would they be there," Broadway asked. "The Quarrymen hunt gargoyles. Why would they be at a high school choir competition?"

"They might know that he's a friend of ours," Goliath spoke up. "But how would they have found out?"

"Mason Grant," Fox suggested, picking up Alex as the toddler tugged at her pant leg. "We never did find him, and he knew that Elijah and Jeffrey were friends with you."

"But isn't he part of the Illuminati," Lex asked, turning to Xanatos with a frown. "Are they working with the Quarrymen?"

"Hey, I'm not that high of a member," the man replied. "I'm not privy to everything every other member does. And no, the Illuminati does not support Castaway or his Quarrymen, nor do I." He smiled and ruffled his son's hair, causing the boy to gurgle happily. "What kind of father do you think I am?"

"Well they could be a serious threat to Elijah," Brooklyn said. "And to Jeffrey."

"But what's your plan," Dingo spoke up. "Storm into the theater guns blazin', with who knows how many Quarrymen waitin' to kill ya? 'Cause it's obvious to me that this is a trap."

"What choice do we have?"

"Might I make a suggestion," a new voice said, and everyone turned to find Macbeth walking towards them, dressed for a fight in his signature trench coat. "I received your message."

"Not ye too," Hudson groaned.

"It looks like someone is trying to lure all of us into a trap," Yama spoke up. "No doubt that they are planning to us Elijah as bait."

"Or Mr. Robbins," Angela added.

"Then let's split up," Brooklyn suggested. "Some of us go to the Robbins mansion, make sure that Jeffrey's safe, the rest of us go to the theatre. The gargoyles will keep back, and the others will take the lead with the theatre."

"So we're your meat shield now," Fang asked, frowning at the idea. "I don't think so!"

ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS, THIS IS THE PLAN WITH THE MOST SUCCESS, Matrix spoke up. THE CHANCE OF ANY GARGOYLES BEING HUNTED IS DOWN TO A 27% CHANCE.

"I don't like those chances," Broadway whispered to Angela, and she slid her hand into his, squeezing it a little.

"We don't have any other options," Brooklyn said. "Elijah and Jeffrey may be in trouble, and we need to help them." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nashville shifting from foot to foot, but Hunter spoke up before he could question this.

"We'll take the lead with Macbeth," she said. "Fang and Yama can join the group goin' to the theatre; Fang looks enough like a gargoyle, and he seems scared te check up on an old man."

"I'm not scared," the winged mutate snapped, glaring at her as electricity cackled around his fingers. "I'll go wherever ya want me to, just to prove ya wrong!"

"So long as it's not near me," Yama muttered in Japanese.

"What did ya say?!"

"Nashville, you'll stay here," Brooklyn said, turning to his son. "Look after Egwardo and-"

"NO," the young gargoyle yelped, causing all eyes to turn to him. He blushed a little, looking down at his feet as his father frowned.

Something's going on, the one-eyed gargoyle thought. He's not telling me something.

"Nashville," he said, trying to sound kind, yet firm. "What's going on?"

The youngest gargoyle quickly looked up at him, eyes wide with fear for a moment. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but shut it moments later. He looked back down at the ground.

"... Nothing," he muttered. "I just… Want to go with you, is all. Make sure you all stay safe. Besides, you know how mom is with Egwardo."

Brooklyn nodded, sensing that while his son was being truthful, he was still keeping something secret. Right now, however, they did not have time to play Twenty Questions.

"Fine," he replied in English. "Let your mother know the plan."

His son nodded. "Hai." Giving everyone one last look, he hurried off along the turret, heading towards the Hatchery.

"Will someone tell me where we're going," Macbeth asked. "Why did ye send me that communication-"

"We'll catch ya up on the way there," Dingo said. "Now, we oughta start gettin' ready." He turned to Xanatos. "Can ya get us a layout of the theatre?"

"Naturally," the man replied. "Lex, can you give them the frequency for your communicators?"

ALREADY DONE, Matrix said. I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF SCANNING YOUR SYSTEMS AFTER WE ARRIVED, AND WE WILL ALL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE ON THE SAME FREQUENCY BAND NOW.

"Really," Xanatos asked, looking impressed. "I'll have to make sure Owen patches the holes in our system."

ALREADY FIXED THEM MYSELF, the AI said. I FIGURED THAT IT WOULD HELP YOU BETTER ACHIEVE LAW AND ORDER.

"If he mentions 'law and order' one more time," Fang muttered darkly.

"He doesn't say that all the time," Hunter said.

"Yeah… he does," Dingo said tiredly. "Let's get a specific plan together, alright?"

"Agreed," Brooklyn said. "We don't have a moment to lose."

[][][]

Thailog POV:

7:46 PM

Thailog was in the darkest, furthermost part of the theater's audience seating, high above the others in the empty balcony as he watched the choir leave the stage, save for the teacher and a solitary teenager.

"Teams ready," Shari whispered, holding her earpiece. "Move on my signal."

Looking around, the gargoyle clone could almost see where the various Quarrymen were hiding throughout the theatre. Some were up in the balconies with him, ready to fire a zipline gun and swiftly approach the stage. Others were in the audience below, smaller weapons hidden under their jackets as they stared at the stage with rigid expression. He also knew that there were at least eight backstage, ready to make the mad dash to grab the boy.

Their scanners showed that the Eye was with Elijah Robbins on stage with him. Thailog had no idea if the boy knew what it was, or if its power was already consuming him [assuming the legends were true], but he had decided to take nothing to chance. Each Quarrymen was armed with a tranquilizer gun that would knock the teen unconscious, allowing them to pick him up and take him away. If he somehow managed to avoid them… then Thailog himself would fight him. Sure, it would cause a bit of a scene with the humans, but once he had the stone, a little mishap at a choir competition would become the least of their worries. Plus, if he got to kill Goliath and the gargoyles, then it would be an added bonus.

"And he's alone on stage," Shari whispered, looking through a small pair of binoculars [they were really far back in the auditorium] at the boy, who still sat at the piano.

"The competition pamphlet said he has a solo," Thailog said. "Be ready to attack; once we have the Eye, we'll hold the boy as a hostage to lure Goliath and the others in." He grinned. "And from there they will watch me recreate this city in my image!"

"Are you sure about that, though," his assistant asked, a concerned look on her face. "The legends say that the Eye corrupts whoever possesses it, using them up until nothing remains." She put a hand on his arm. "I don't want anything like that to happen to you."

"I won't let that happen," the clone promised, his eyes focused on the solitary figure on the stage. "Nothing like me has ever existed before, so I am not bound by whatever laws or prices this Eye comes with."

"I hope you're right," Shari muttered, removing her hand and still looking unsure as she looked at the stage. "What song is he singing, if I may ask?"

"'Place in This World,' if the pamphlet is correct."

"How fitting, since you've wanted a place in this world for a while, haven't you?"

"Yes," the gargoyle clone replied, lifting the communicator to his mouth. "I hope your Quarrymen are ready."

"I assure you they are," John Castaway replied, the slight gargle of the communicator showing that he was far away from their location; most likely back at the Quarrymen headquarters. "They will capture the demons once they are lured to this spot, and they will bring them to me. You are welcome to come after you get what you desire; we're going to have a little party at dawn."

"I'm afraid I cannot," Thailog replied. The foolish human had no idea that he himself was a gargoyle, and if he had, his men would probably be coming after him by now. "But seeing their clan dragged away in chains will be enough for me."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the announcer said. "Weisman High School presents its solo song 'A Place in This World,' sung by Elijah Robbins." There was a polite smattering of applause from the audience, and the lights faded in the auditorium while they brightened on the stage.

"Get ready," Shari said into her communicator. "Move on signal. Five…"

The teen smiled at the audience, nodded to the music teacher, and then set his hands on the keys.

"Four… Three…"

Thailog leaned forward a little, not wanting to miss a second of whatever was to come.

"Two-"

The sound of hands slamming on the piano keys filled the music hall, and there were several gasps from the audience as Elijah Robbins fell off the piano bench and onto the stage, holding his head in his hands as a loud scream flew from his lips.

[][][]

Owen POV:

7:50 PM

At the exact moment the pain erupted in Elijah's head, a similar, but significantly less dull pain, struck Owen as he stood in Mr. Xanatos' office.

"-converge a few blocks north of the theatre," David Xanatos was saying. "And be ready to- Owen? Owen?!"

"I…" The spectacled man held up his stone hand when Fox rushed over to help him up, holding his head with his other hand. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes. "The Eye is not here."

"W-... Excuse me," Xanatos said, pressing a button on his computer. "Owen, what do you-"

"Bring up the security footage of the Eye," the man interrupted, walking over to the computer and typing furiously at the keyboard. David and Fox exchanged emotionless looks, walking over to look at the screen. All three of them stared at the screen as the secure vault the Eye was in showed nothing but an empty room.

"Impossible," Xanatos said, typing a few commands onto the computer. "No one's gone in there since we put it there, and no alarms have been tripped." He looked over at Owen. "How did you-"

"I felt her," Owen answered curtly, standing up and walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window that offered a view of the city. "In my mind just now; she's angry, and in pain, and not in this building."

"But how," Fox asked. "Who could have taken it from here?"

"No one did."

"... What-"

"Rewind the security footage to the exact time you placed the pouch in the vault."

Xanatos immediately did so, pressing play when he saw himself carefully placing the pouch with the Eye in the vault, protective gloves on his hands. Then, he left the room. Fast forwarding a little, about two weeks later, the Eye and the pouch were gone, and Xanatos had to go back and replay the point to make sure he was not seeing things.

"I thought we had magical protection," Xanatos said. "You used it as a lesson for Alex so you had an excuse to use your magic."

"And it would have worked," Owen said. "Had the Eye been there in the first place."

Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos exchanged another glance.

"You mean-"

"We never had the Eye; I can see that now," Owen said, turning back to them. "I felt its presence and its power when we brought it here; I could sense it, but it did not feel as strong as it should have been. I thought it was because I was Owen and not Puck, but now…" He shook his head. "How did I not notice it before?! Did she mess with my mind… Most likely." He walked back to the computer. "The last place we know that the Eye was actually there was at the Robbins household, before we moved it here. So-"

"Are you saying someone took it during its transfer," Fox asked. "But who? Why would they; everyone knew the risk of what would happen if they touched the Eye."

"Not everyone," Xanatos said. "Only two individuals were not privy to this information, given their ages."

Fox's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

"It's exactly what he means," Owen said. "Elijah and Nashville were the only two individuals there that could have found it and taken it without realizing what it was."

"And then what, they projected a fake Eye for us to take," Xanatos asked. "How would they know to do that?"

"I'm sure Mab must have done it herself," the assistant replied. "Her power and essence is in that Eye; it's what causes its wielder to go insane."

"So who has it? Elijah or Nashville?"

"It's very easy," Owen said. "Now that I felt that brief moment of pain from her. A pain that will no doubt attract the attention of the ruler of Avalon." He looked at Fox as he said this. "Including his wife."

"Mother," the woman muttered. "Could you tell where it came from?"

"I can do you better; I briefly felt the thoughts of the individual who has the Eye before the pain was suddenly stopped." He sighed. "Elijah has the Eye, and I don't know what just happened to cause that much pain in him and Mab, but they're both going to be really angry."

"Then we need to tell the gargoyles," Fox said, starting for the door. "We need to-"

"They've already gone," Xanatos said, going back to the desk and hitting a button. "Brooklyn! Brooklyn, can you hear me? Brooklyn?" He checked his computer. "Something's interfering with the signal."

"I'll give you three guesses," Owen said. "And if she can do that, then it's no mystery who wrote those letters to Macbeth and the Redemption Squad."

"Well keep trying," Fox said. "They're walking into a trap!"

[][][]

Elijah and Mab POV:

7:50 PM

The pain was unbearable. It dug into their minds repetitively, hitting them again and again as Elijah fell out of his seat, screaming.

What is it, Elijah thought, writing around on the stage.

It's that boy, Mab replied, also writing in pain in his mind. He's using the bed leg to stab the inside of the Eye! Get rid of him!

But he hasn't been punished enough yet, the deaf teen protested. I like keeping him trapped in there!

DO IT, the former queen commanded, and Elijah complied, focusing his powers as he let out another scream, holding up his hands as the Eye appeared in the air between them.

Suddenly there was a loud thump from nearby, and the pain instantly ceased. Elijah gasped, lowering his hands as the Eye dropped onto his chest. Breathing heavily, he could already feel Mab giving him strength, and he looked over to see who was there.

Art Reaves was laying on the stage, a large piece of wood that looked like a bed leg in his hand. Both teens immediately sat up, gasping and looking at one another with wide eyes. There were several gasps and screams from both the audience and off-stage, and the sound of quickly approaching footsteps reached their ears.

"Elijah," Amanda called, stopping short when she saw Art. "Art?! How did you-"

Suddenly, there was a flash of green light, and the remains of Art's bed appeared, falling onto the stage and breaking into smaller pieces. The resulting sound caused more people to scream, and a few people in the audience started to panic and rush for the exits.

"Amanda," Elijah said, standing up as a scowl came onto his face, now holding the Eye protectively in his hands. "Get behind me."

"W-What," his girlfriend asked. "What are you-"

"YOU," Art suddenly screamed, getting to his feet and holding the bed leg like a sword. "You trapped me in there! You put me in there with a bunch of dead people and gargoyles and-" He abruptly cut off, as if realizing something. "Elijah, how much of a hold does she have on you?"

"I do not-" Amanda started to say.

"Silence," Elijah said, holding up his hand. The piece of wood flew out of Art's hands, narrowly hitting Mrs. Flemming as she stared at her formerly missing pupil in shock. "You will not touch her!"

"He's crazy," the formerly missing teen screamed, looking around to see if anyone would hear him. "He trapped me in the Eye… In Mab's eye, and there were all these souls and-"

The deaf teen swung his hand down, and Art's body obeyed, slamming down onto the stage. His face hit the stage, his nose breaking with a sickening crack as the bully screamed with terror. Elijah slowly closed his fists, and the teen started to writhe in agony on the stage.

"Elijah?! ELIJAH!" Amanda was pulling at his arm, trying to stop him. "What are you doing?! How are you- Stop! Stop, you're killing him!"

That's the idea, Mab said in his mind.

"That's the idea," the teen said out loud as Art's screams became louder. "He was going to hurt you."

"No he wasn't," the girl protested. "Elijah, what-"

To your right, Mab said.

Elijah let go of Art, bringing up a green shield to protect him before the various darts could hit him. Tossing it aside, the deaf teen turned his eyes to the auditorium, scanning the rows until he saw someone that made him smile.

"Looks like someone came prepared," Elijah muttered, looking the gargoyle clone straight in the eye. Behind him, there was the sound of running, and he simply held up his hand as the Quarryman ran into an invisible wall, crumpling to the ground, unconscious. "But so are we."

See, Queen Mab said. I told you they would come for you. Come for the power you now possess. And Amanda… they will try to hurt her to get to you.

Elijah's eyes widened, and he turned towards Amanda, who had a frightened look on her face. Behind her, another Quarrymen was running from backstage, quickly reloading their stun gun.

"NO," Elijah screamed, the discarded piece of Art's bed flying into his hand. Pushing Amanda back with an invisible force, the teen ran forward and swung the piece of wood at the attacker, knocking the helmet off their head and breaking the bed leg in the process. The man fell to the ground, groaning as he held his head; Amanda screamed simultaneously, scrambling away from him with terror all over her face. From the audience and backstage came sounds of screaming, shoving, and other commotion as more Quarrymen ran from the shadows, coming for Elijah.

Stop them, Elijah, Mabs ordered, her soothing voice momentarily calming him as he turned back towards the auditorium. Already he could sense more sleeping darts coming his way, and Amanda might get caught in the crossfire. They are nothing but bullies… Make them suffer.

"I will," Elijah promised, his eyes glowing as he raised his hands to make the bullies suffer.

[][][]

Shari POV:

7:52 PM

The last thing Shari saw before Thailog pulled her out of the way was the grand piano flying through the air towards them, demolishing the balcony they had been standing in moments before.

[][][]

Nashville POV:

8:02 PM

Nashville was scared as he and the rest of the group landed on the building across the street from the theater, a feeling in his chest telling him who they were about to face. Already on the streets, screaming humans were running out of the theatre and causing a panic as people driving and walking by started to scream and run as well.

What's going on, Nashville thought.

"What," his father was saying, speaking into the earpiece. "Xanatos, your signal's not coming through; I can't hear-" He groaned with frustration. "Communications are down."

"Great," Fang said sarcastically, arms crossed as he looked down at the panicking people. "What's got them all twisted up?"

"Knowing the Quarrymen, nothing good," Goliath said. "But Elisa and the police will be here any minute; we should go inside and investigate before we are spotted."

"Agreed," Brooklyn said.

"No," Nashville whispered.

Instantly, his father whirled around to face him, startling the young gargoyle and everyone else when they saw the furious expression on his face.

"What's going on," Brooklyn demanded, walking over to him. "For the past three weeks, you've been acting strangely and keeping to yourself!"

"Brooklyn," Angela said. "I don't think this is the time-"

"Why are you acting so secretive," the gargoyle continued, ignoring her words as he glared at his son. "What is it that you're keeping from me, because I'm getting sick and tired of seeing you twitch and flinch and shake your head out of the corner of my eye!"

"I… I-I-I," Nashville stammered, aware that everyone was looking at him. He looked down at his feet, unsure of what to say.

Weeks earlier, the gargoyle had found a mysterious glowing rock underneath Elijah's bed, and upon touching it, learned some horrible things about his friend. This was confirmed when the deaf teen walked into the room and his eyes started to glow. Nashville had soon learned that the stone was not a stone, that his friend could now use magic, and that with his new powers came a new personality.

If you tell anyone about what I've told you tonight, Elijah had said weeks ago, his eyes glowing a melevolent green. We will know, and we will make your family and clan suffer. He had chuckled. You'd hate to lose your baby sister, would you?

That last line had scared Nashville the most. He had no idea what Elijah would do to his parents, but to know that his unborn younger sibling was a girl, and that he was willing to kill her… He had had nightmares about the deaf teen putting his foot through the gargoyle egg, unable to wake up from his stone sleep during the day. Naturally, he had not said a word to his parents or anyone else in the clan, but it was clear to him now that his father had become suspicious of his behavior.

"Well," Brooklyn said impatiently, arms crossed, his one eye narrowed at him.

"I… I'm j-just scared," Nashville said honestly, shaking like a leaf. "I… W-We shouldn't b-be here."

"It's okay," Angela said kindly, walking over to him and kneeling in front of him, giving him a quick hug. "We all get scared sometimes. But we're gonna be fine; we'll go in there, get Elijah and Amanda, and stop the Quarrymen."

"And we can't wait for Xanatos any longer," Goliath said. "We're going down there now."

"Finally, some action," Fang said, cracking his knuckles and drawing the two guns he had strapped to his hip. "Though if this kid's too scared, he can stay up here-"

"NO," Nashville said, pulling away from Angela. "I'm going with you all… And I'm not leaving without you, either!"

"Nashville," his father said again, still looking stern, but less so. "Don't think this discussion is over." He unfurled his wings, and the others followed suit, gliding down towards the theatre.

They found an entrance on the roof, and quickly climbed down the steps, finding themselves on a catwalk above the auditorium. Looking down, they saw no signs of fighting, but the place looked like a mess; parts of the seating were destroyed and covered in debris, and the stage itself was on fire. A few unconscious Quarrymen were strewn around, but there was no sign of Elijah, Amanda, or any civilians.

"The hell happened here," Fang said as they glided down to the floor. "I thought the Quarrymen were the ones attackin' this place, but it looks like someone got them."

"Unless it's a trap," Brooklyn realized, drawing his blaster and looking around the theatre.

"I don't think anyone's here," Yama said. "At least not anymore."

"Still, let's not stick around to find out," Nashville's dad said. "Grab the Quarrymen and get them out of here before the whole place goes up in flames."

The group did so, taking the bodies and carrying them out the back stage door. When they were sure that they got everyone, they climbed the nearest building and watched as the fire department showed up from the flat rooftop.

"This makes no sense," Goliath said. "Someone sends a note to Hunter and Macbeth pretending to be us so they would help us stop the Quarrymen, yet the Quarrymen were the ones that got attacked. Who would-"

"Guys!"

The small group of gargoyles [and Fang] turned to find Elijah stumbling towards them, supporting an unconscious Amanda. Both looked a little worse for wear, and Eljiah was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. Brooklyn immediately ran forward, helping his friends.

"Elijah! How'd you get up here?!"

"We… We made our way up here," the deaf teen explained, laying Amanda carefully down on the ground. "Thailog… Thailog attacked during our performance, and there were these guys in armor or something-"

As Elijah told his story, Nashville watched him closely. Though he could not explain it, he could tell that the teen was lying. His eyes were steely [and no longer as blue as they used to be], and in his left hand he kept rolling something between his fingers. Squinting, the young gargoyle realized it was the Eye Elijah had shown him weeks before.

It gives us power, Elijah had said, holding up the marble-sized rock for him to see. He had caressed it softly. It makes us happy.

Power, Nashville thought, staring at the green stone as he started to put two and two together. Elijah's not acting like himself, and he seems to be really protective of the stone… or Eye, whatever. Maybe...

"... I just brought her up here, since I figured you guys would show up," Elijah was saying. "And then she passed out from exhaustion or fright or something!" A few tears appeared in his eyes. "Please help her!"

"We will," Angela said kindly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get you both out of here; we already sent a group to your uncle's house to make sure he's okay."

"Thank goodness," the teenager said. "Who knows where Thailog will strike next? The Labyrinth? The castle?"

"We'll let them know of his activity," Goliath assured him.

"We need to make sure everyone's okay," Elijah continued. "What about Katana and the baby? I'd hate for anything to happen to-"

Something snapped inside Nashville, and before he lost his nerve or thought through what he was about to do, he leaped forward and tackled Elijah to the ground, trying to grab the rock from his hand.

"NASHVILLE," Brooklyn and Angela gasped as the youngest gargoyle tried to pry the Eye from his friend's hand. Elijah fought back, snarling and growling as he tried to push the gargoyle off of him.

Almost got it, the young gargoyle thought. If I can get it away from him-

His father grabbed him, pulling him off of Elijah. Nashville roared, struggling to break free of his father's grip as Elijah shakily got to his feet.

"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU," Brooklyn shouted in Japanese. "DID YOU TWO HAVE A FIGHT OR SOMETHING?! IS THAT WHY YOU'RE ACTING SO STRANGELY?! I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT; I'M ENDING IT!"

"Dad, you don't understand," Nashville protested. "Elijah's got-"

"Brooklyn," Elijah said, his voice sounding really calm and soothing for someone who had just been attacked. "Calm down. Let your son go, take a few steps back and let's talk about this."

Brooklyn stopped moving, immediately letting his son go and walking back several feet. Nashville fell forward, scraping his arm on the roof of the business building. Wincing, he looked up to see Elijah slowly walking towards him.

"We didn't have a fight," Elijah said, looking at the young gargoyle with a steely expression. "But your son has tried to take something that's very important to us."

"Us," Fang asked. "What are ya-"

"And do you know what we do to people that try to take from us," the deaf teen continued, standing over Nashville, who cowered at his feet. "We take something from them."

"Wait… NO!" Brooklyn started to yell, but it was too late.

Nashville's katana flew from his sheath and into Elijah's hand. Both the blade and the teen's eyes suddenly burned with a green fire, and before the youngest gargoyle could react, his back exploded with pain as his wings were cut off.

[][][]

King Arthur POV:

3:05 AM [in another time zone]

"Merlin," Arthur Pendragon gasped, sitting up with a start and startling the gargoyle who stood sentry nearby.

"Sire," Sir Griff said, the British gargoyle rushing to his side. "What's wrong? What is this about Merlin?"

"We have to get to the city of New York," the King of England told him, standing up and rushing towards the small boat that was moored nearby. "There's trouble there!"

"What kind of trouble," the gargoyle asked, immediately grabbing their supplies and following him. "Trouble with Goliath and his clan?"

"I just had a dream," Arthur explained, accepting the supplies and tossing them into the boat. Together, they pushed the boat into the water, jumping aboard. "Or a vision; no doubt from Merlin. I saw Goliath and his clan, facing some unknown entity. We must go help them!"

"Agreed," Griff said, grabbing the oar as the familiar magical fog descended upon them, ready to take them to where they needed to be. "I just hope we get there in time!"

"I hope so too," the man agreed, fingering the hilt of his sword, Excalibur. "I hope so too."

Woah! A lot to take in, I know! We finally learn why Xanatos and Owen never wondered why the stone was missing from them if Elijah had it the whole time [apparently, magic can do a lot of things in this universe]. We see Art finding a way out of the Eye, the Redemption Squad and Macbeth joining the Manhattan clan, and finally, Nashville suffers a devastating loss.

What will happen next? What happened to Thailog, Shari, and Art? What about the other group that went to Weisman? And did King Arthur really get a vision from Merlin, or is that also a trick from Elijah and Mab? Only time will tell.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Have a great weekend, everyone!

-aggiefrogger

I do NOT own 'Place in This World' at all