Twisted Strings of Fate
Chapter 18
It was a thrill to see all four of them together. I never imagined that I would be lucky enough to have them with me, to spend time with them. I was like a teenager who finally got some attention from her crush. We were working together towards breaking my curse. Well…mostly together.
As Negaduck put the jammer helmet cover on, Fenton timidly came forward. "I think I have something else that could help us."
Charity looked worriedly at the muses that were lining up for the next jam. "Make it quick."
"I've been noticing several weaknesses from each of the muses," Fenton said. He tapped his temple, indicating the contact lenses.
Charity's eyebrows leapt up so quickly, they could have flown.
"I didn't mention it earlier because I wondered if it was cheating," Fenton said. "But more than likely, I'm sure Darkwing would have seen it eventually."
"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah," Darkwing said, grinning and looking away.
"You've been holding out on us," Charity said.
There was a whistle from Selene.
"No time for you to go through the run-down," Charity determined. "Fenton, you lead the pack of blockers. Let us know where to hit. Let's go, team."
The boys easily skated back onto the rink, but the lovebird was a bit slower getting to her feet. Her leg muscles were tight and achy as she forced them to move again. She could tell there would be blisters on her feet. But she could work through the pain. She always did.
When the two whistles blew, she leapt forward, feeling one of those blisters tear. How much blood would there be when she finally took her skates off? As she flew across the rink at the back of the pack, her calves burning just to keep up, she was proud of her boys. Negaduck was lead jammer, having given the opposite team's jammer a good but legal hit to take the spot. Darkwing, Fenton and Launchpad forced the muses to keep up with them at a faster pace. Even Darkwing was giving them a run for their money.
Charity pushed her body harder, hearing the two jammers coming from behind. She kept her head turned so she could watch them, letting Negaduck pass but getting in the way of the muse. Intentionally slowing down, she created a large gap between them and the pack, forcing the muse jammer to slow down or get knocked down.
She was glad to see the other blockers helping Negaduck get through the muses to gain points. If she could keep the muse jammer busy, it would be beneficial for them.
However, the muse—Terpsichore she thought her name was—skated from one side of the rink to gain momentum, then slammed her shoulder into Charity. Knowing she was going down, Charity bent her legs, letting her knee pads take the brunt of the fall as she slid across the rink. As soon as she could, she was back on her skates, sprinting with all her energy.
As she came to the straightway, her eyes caught a glimpse of red and yellow out of bounds.
With arms crossed and frowning deeply, Negaduck sat in the penalty box.
As Charity rolled passed him, she opened her arms, her mouth gaping open. "What the crap?" she shouted.
His face twisted into a snarl.
With their jammer out of the game for practically the rest of the jam, they were in a fix. When the whistle sounded, Charity skated to Negaduck as he exited the penalty box. "What were you thinking? We can't afford for you to be out of the game even for a second."
"Don't tell me what to do," Negaduck shouted at her, his earlier wildness back. "You need me."
"I don't need you that much," Charity said in a softer tone. "Not as much as you need me."
Negaduck smiled wickedly. "But there's nothing you can do about that, sweetheart. You're stuck with me. And you love it." Without warning, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed her against his body.
A mixture of emotions flooded Charity. Surprise and fear were there, but also excitement that Jim Starling was being so bold with her. Her cheeks reddened at the same time she pushed away from him. Her reaction only deepened his devilish grin.
"No, I don't have a choice with that," Charity said with fists clenched. "But I have other choices." She snatched the helmet cover from Negaduck's head and skated away.
"You're making a mistake," he called out.
She could live with that.
With the thirty seconds between jams used up, she called another timeout, bringing Fenton, Darkwing, and Launchpad into a huddle. Negaduck stood just outside of it. Darkwing glowered at him, having seen the interaction between him and Charity but hadn't heard what was said.
"Change of plans," Charity said. "Darkwing's going to be the jammer for a while." She handed over the helmet cover.
"Great idea. Let Darkwing Slug over there take the responsibility," Negaduck scoffed.
A defeated expression crossed Darkwing's face. "He's right. I'm not going to be a good jammer. It should be Fenton."
"Fenton's got eyes where I need him," Charity said, referring to the unique contact lenses. "Don't worry. We're going to up our game with some advanced techniques. Launchpad, are ya up for some whips?"
"I've got enough to cream them," Launchpad joked.
"Wait, what are whips?" Fenton asked.
"I don't have time to explain," Charity said. "Here's how we're playing it for a while. Launchpad and I are going to shadow Darkwing and whip him. Fenton, you and Negaduck hang back and block their jammer. If we're lucky, the muses will divide as well. And as before, skate for all you're worth."
That was the end of their timeout.
Darkwing took his place at the front of the line. The tough-looking muse that chewed gum and gave him dirty looks stayed close to his side. He was nervous, feeling the burden of the responsibility on him.
At the sound of the whistle, the muse jammer tried to barge into him, but his quick reflexes helped him to dodge. She skated away even before he could take a single step. The pack of blockers swarmed around him, catching up to him easily.
"Whip him," he heard Charity say at his side.
Before he could wonder what that meant, Charity and Launchpad grabbed his arms, flinging him forward at a speed he wasn't quite comfortable with at his skill level. Assuaging his fears, he concentrated on maintaining speed and staying upright. Taking the outside, he passed the other jammer easily, her face full of shock, most likely believing that he couldn't catch up to her.
As they rounded a corner, he and the muse competed for lead jammer until they ran into half of the blockers. As Charity guessed, the muses split into two groups when Fenton and Negaduck fell behind. Clio and Thalia were lined up to let their jammer through and block him.
In a flash, Negaduck slammed into the muse jammer, sending both of them falling to the ground in an aggressive but completely legal move.
With only one blocker to get passed the muses, Darkwing was at a disadvantage until Fenton called out to him. "Thalia's left side is her weakness." Then the scientist barreled into the said muse on her left side, the female duck goddess flinching away from the hit and leaving an opening for Darkwing to move forward.
As he came back to Charity and Launchpad guarding the other two muses, he found himself once more being "whipped" as the term was used, this time Charity weaseling her way between the blockers, then grabbing Darkwing's hands and pulling him with her before the blockers could stop them.
"Slap your hips. End the jam," Charity ordered him.
He obeyed and the skaters stopped. They had earned four points, while the muses only gained one after their jammer passed Negaduck.
"That wasn't so bad," Charity said to Darkwing as she rolled by.
"No, I guess no," Darkwing replied, although he felt that his role as the jammer was more like that of a ball than an actual skater with how much he was pushed around.
"But these tricks won't work again. We have to keep pushing them and trying new things," Charity said, looking worried.
Fenton stopped next to her. "I might have some ideas."
Jam after jam, Charity's team skated their fastest, keeping the muses divided. Darkwing played well as the jammer, being pushed and whipped by Charity and Launchpad, and sometimes by Negaduck and Fenton as they learned the different tricks. And when the muses started getting wise to their strategy, Charity switched back to the jammer. With her speed as well as her team's new knowledge of whips, she was a force to be reckoned with. They didn't do well on every jam, but they slowly closed the gap on the scoreboard.
Fenton's suggestions were just as useful. Not only did he keep everyone in the know-how of which of the muses were tiring or injured, but he also devised some moves that—while technically not illegal—weren't normal strategies in the game.
With the help of Darkwing and Launchpad, Fenton invented a whole new whip, that basically constituted throwing Charity in the air over the heads of the muses. The first time they tried it, Charity cleared all four muses and ended the jam early to the gaping mouths of the opposing team. The move was only possible with the three of them, no other combination was strong enough to lift a body that high.
But they didn't have entirely good luck during the second half. One time, Darkwing—completely out of habit—used a smoke bomb in the arena. Selene sent him to the penalty box for that.
And when Charity was trapped behind three of the muse blockers, Negaduck came from behind.
"Let me help you out there," he called out, his voice dark. His hands encompassed Charity's butt as he shoved her forward roughly and through the wall of blockers.
Charity wasn't sure if he purposely chose where to put his hands, but it didn't seem to matter to Fenton. The scientist saw the move and tackled his own team mate to the ground. They rolled and scuffled for a few seconds before Selene blew the whistle and sent them both to the penalty box. Luckily, Charity was lead jammer and their absence was only a minor set-back.
"I'm sorry, Charity," Fenton said between jams. "I normally prefer to find the non-violent solution to a problem, but something happened. I couldn't control myself."
"It's okay," Charity said with a smile. Even if she was angry, she wasn't sure if she could talk sternly to him as she had with Negaduck or even Darkwing. He had such a hang-dog look that it would be like beating a dead horse. "But next time, you should know that pushing the jammer's butt is quite common."
The muses did it to their jammers all the time. Charity just never pointed it out or suggested it for obvious reasons. Not that that stopped Negaduck.
Fenton blushed.
"Not that you should be copying them," Charity said, feeling her own face go flush. "Just…don't let Jim get under your feathers. We don't have many jams left to go."
In fact, there was less than six minutes on the clock, meaning three or four more to go. Looking at the scoreboard, they were only five points behind.
"We could really use another trick or two," Charity said, giving Fenton a questioning look.
The scientist shook his head. "I'm running out of ideas. But if it helps, the muses are looking a bit tired."
They did. When they first arrived with their godly glow, they looked perfect. But without their powers and after almost an hour of playing, they didn't look like the muses from legend with sweat stains and damp hair. Several had road rash on arms or legs and feathers floated on the breeze that had been plucked during skirmishes.
They weren't anywhere close to how Charity felt, but at least the boys still had their energy.
"Then we keep running them hard," Charity said. She had been the jammer for the past three jams and she was about to topple over. "Darkwing, you're turn." She wasn't sure if she could take over for the rest of the game.
The next jam ended with each team scoring the same amount to the frustration of Charity's team. The next one, Darkwing managed to be lead jammer after Fenton and Negaduck blocked Thalia from moving forward, swooping in a zig-zag pattern that confused the muse blockers and passing two of them before Charity and Launchpad whipped him forward, passing the other two. Normally, he would have ended the jam early before the muses could score again, but he could see Negaduck and Fenton struggling with two of the muse blockers, all four of them skating slowly. There was still time for him get two more points.
Putting on a burst of speed, he came up behind Negaduck and Fenton, the two of them in position to perform a whip. The muses knew it was coming, and were forming a barrier while keeping an eye on him.
Inspiration hit. Just before Fenton and Negaduck whipped him, he let go of their hands, feigning for the inside before circling them and taking the outside. Just as he was passing Terpsichore, she slammed her elbow into his face. Darkwing was knocked off course, slamming into the outside rail. A whistle sounded: a penalty for the muses. Not long after that, the jam ended. The mortals got six points while the muses only gained three.
"Great job, Darkwing," Charity said as she rolled by. "We're only two behind." She held one of her arms close to her body. Sweat poured down her face, and it wasn't just because of the exertion.
"You're hurt," Darkwing noticed.
"It's nothing," Charity said, although her voice said otherwise. "I can take it."
Fenton gently took the lovebird's arm—which Darkwing moodily disliked, his jaw tightening—and gazed at it in a way that said he was using his lenses. "Your wrist is broken," he announced, eyebrows down. "You can't play with your arm like that."
"I don't have a choice," Charity said. "If I don't play, we forfeit. We have to have five players."
"We have one more timeout, right?" Darkwing asked. When he got the confirmation, he raised the T-signal to Selene. "Fenton, you have one minute to wrap up her arm."
"If she plays with a broken wrist, it could get worst. It's only a hairline fracture, but it could compound. If that happens, I can't help her. She would need a hospital," Fenton explained.
"I know," Darkwing hissed, his anger more toward himself than Fenton. After all, he didn't have to ask how she broke her wrist. He remembered how he landed when the muse slammed him up against the rail, how his arm had been pushed against the metal bar. "Just do it."
They moved off the rink. They didn't have time for someone to go back to the plane to fetch the first aid kit. Instead, they used Darkwing's cloak, which had been discarded when the muses changed their gear. The material was sturdy and thick since it was designed to act as a parachute, although he hadn't been able to get it to work yet. As their time ran out, her arm was encased in dark purple material as tight as Fenton dared wrap it.
They lined up for the jam. According to the clock, they had a few seconds shy of a full jam and then the game was over. They needed three points to win, or two to tie, which would result in an extra jam. Darkwing narrowed his eyes as he prepared for the whistle, Thalia to the side of him. He had to do this.
At the whistle, he jumped forward, taking the lead. When he skated a full revolution, he was surprised to see that all the blockers hadn't moved far from the starting line. In fact, the muses had turned completely around and formed a complete wall, taking him head on. He looked to the others for help, but they had done the same thing to Thalia, having no choice but to change their tactics.
Trying to use brute force, Darkwing charged again and again at the wall of muses. He was bigger than any of them, but as a group, he couldn't get passed.
"Pass the star to Fenton," Charity shouted at him.
No, he had to be the one to make the winning score. After being the one to break Charity's arm, he had to make it up to her.
"Darkwing!" Fenton cried out, waving his arm over the crowd of muses.
Glancing to the side, he could see Thalia trying to pass her helmet cover to their pivot, copying their strategy. It galled him that he couldn't do this on his own, and he had to rely on Gizmoduck.
Snatching the star off his head, he rammed into the wall of muses, pushing them a few inches to reach Fenton. The scientist's fingertips barely caught the edge, and he was gone, zipping down the straightway while putting the cover on his own helmet. Once it was on, he slapped his hips, indicating the end the jam.
Charity whooped, throwing one fist into the air. "We're ahead," she cried out. They had two points above the muses. And less than sixty seconds on the timer. They were going to make it. "Way to go, Fenton." She flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Darkwing was more reserved about their predicament. He wanted to be the one to make those points, then it would be him getting a hug from Charity.
"Alright, we have one more jam, a short one. Our main goal is to prevent their jammer from scoring. That's it," Charity told them as they skated to the starting line. "Launchpad, now's your time to shine. They're going to try to stonewall us." She snatched the helmet cover off of Fenton's head and gave it to the large duck. "So we'll bowl them over."
Launchpad grinned, understanding.
As the jammer whistle sounded, the larger duck and Thalia raced around the rink, the smaller, lithe duck in the lead. Just as Charity predicted, the muse blockers created a wall to prevent them from moving farther, giving their jammer the opportunity to score before time ran out.
When Thalia came racing toward them, they created their own wall, preventing the jammer from passing them. However, as Launchpad came barreling behind her, Charity called out, "Out of the way." She, Fenton, Darkwing and Negaduck backed down, even allowing Thalia a way through.
Crouching, Launchpad became a proverbial cannon ball, bowling into the wall of muses. Skaters flew everywhere, down on the ground and hanging onto the rail. Only one tenacious muse had tried to take the large jammer down, only to find herself hanging onto his shoulders as he skated past them.
Charity and the rest of her team skated through the carnage. Although Thalia already scored on them, Launchpad had equaled her points, keeping them in the lead.
Not long after that, Selene blew the whistle. The game was over. They had won.
Charity collapsed, sliding onto her knees to a stop, allowing the weight of carrying the injuries and fatigue of all five of them overcome her. She laid down, not caring about where she was or that skaters were rolling around her. Only when someone pulled off one of her skates did she react, crying out. After an hour of ignoring her aching feet, she thought she was numb, but this reawakened her pain.
"Her socks are soaked in blood," Fenton said. "I can't believe she was skating with her feet in this condition."
Her other skate came off with another wave of pain, this time she bit back any noise. A hand touched her face.
"She has heat exhaustion, too. She needs some water."
Someone lifted her head up and pressing plastic to her beak. Water sloshed into her mouth, and she drank greedily, not knowing how thirsty she was until then.
"Stand back, honey. Give me some room." This new voice was stern and commanding.
A refreshing coolness spread throughout her body, and the pain and fatigue ebbed away. Charity sat up, seeing Clio squatting down and holding her hand. "I should hang around you more often," Charity said with a grin.
"I'm afraid this is the last time you'll benefit from my healing, honey," Clio said. "It's not exactly my realm of power, but for today, the gods made an exception."
The nine muses were encircling Charity with Darkwing, Fenton and Launchpad kneeing at her side. The sisters were back to their former glory, brilliant and beautiful. Any sign that they played a sweaty, dangerous contact sport was gone.
And all of them were smiling.
"Good game, girl," Thalia said, offering a hand up to Charity. "When you're done with your little quest, look up my old team back in Ducksburg. They could use someone as tough as you."
Charity took the offered hand.
"Congratulations. You have beaten the first challenge," Clio said, looking pleased. "And you played well. We are satisfied with your victory." She turned her head to look at her father, who seemed to be fuming at that fact. "As the winners of our game, you may ask one boon of us that is within our power."
Looking at her companions, Charity shook her head. "I don't even know what to ask for. Thalia already said she couldn't give me any information on my curse. And I'm not certain what we need in the future. I'm just grateful that you healed me twice."
Clio smiled. "Then let me give you this gift." She pulled out a bronze tube which looked like a container of lipstick, but on closer inspection, was a whistle. "You may use this to summon one of us. Only one. Call out the name of the muse and blow the whistle."
"Like a dog," Negaduck laughed.
"Boy, you better learn a little respect," Clio turned on Negaduck. "You may be a favorite of some of my sisters, but I don't like you. I'd slap you if I could."
Negaduck sneered at her.
Clio turned her back on the villain. "That man gives me the creeps. You be careful around him. He may have been under the light of the muses at one point, but he's quickly going north toward the faces of Janus."
"Once an actor, always an actor," the muse whom Charity had heard called Melpomene said. "He's just in a whole different play, one where he's the hero of his own story. If he isn't careful, he'll come to a bad end."
"The muse of tragedy," Fenton whispered nearby.
"Yeah, about that. I'm an actor, too," Darkwing said, still offended that he didn't get any recognition.
"Baby, you were an actor, although not a well-known one. You used to be our concern, but once you put on that mask and cape, you became some other god's problem," Clio said, shaking a finger at him. "Although, I'm sure you'll become more interesting to me when you're dead."
Darkwing's eyes widened before he remembered she was the muse of history. Hopefully he wouldn't be interesting for a long time.
"Time to go, girls," Clio said, skating away. "Say your good-byes."
Thalia threw her arms around Launchpad, giving him a lingering kiss on the lips that made everyone stare. "It's good to see you again, LP. I'll call ya if I get any more time in the mortal realm."
"Sounds good," Launchpad said, sounding cooler than he probably intended.
Before she skated away, she offered a fist bump to Charity.
The last of the muses to leave were Calliope and Erato, both of which had dual grins on their beaks. They went to Charity, eyes bright.
"We just want you to know how much we're enjoying your story," Calliope said, squealing. "Update soon, please."
"Say what?" Charity asked with wide eyes.
"I especially loved chapter fifteen." Erato's smile was cat-like. Her eyes turned onto Darkwing, roaming over him like she was starving and he was Thanksgiving dinner. "I'm sure you'll be inspired by your quest to write more."
Charity was both flattered and shamed at the same time.
"I have got to read chapter fifteen," Darkwing said as the girls skated away up into the sky.
"The next challenge will begin," Zeus boomed, sounding impatient with his daughters' lingering goodbyes. "The five heroes will come forward."
"Couldn't we get a break first?" Charity groaned, leading the way. Okay, so she was healed by the muses, but there was no guarantee that she would be so lucky with the next challenge.
"You're challenger has been waiting," Zeus said with a fierce expression. Lightning flashed behind him and thunder cracked.
The five rushed forward, their gait awkward as the skating arena as well as their skating equipment faded. The boys' clothing returned to what they wore before, hat and capes included, but Charity found herself clad in shorts and a tank top, not her usual attire. She highly suspected this was the work of certain muses.
The Duck family had already gathered around the king of the gods and his two children, Storkules and Selene on one side. On Zeus's other side stood a squat, compact duck with hunched shoulders and a misshapen face. He wore a blacksmith's apron and gloves, and in one hand, he held a large hammer. His muscles bulged even more impressively than Storkules. His dark beard and long hair was scruffy and seared in areas.
"Meet my son, Hephaestus," Zeus introduced with a gloating smile. "He'll be your next challenger."
"Wait, how many children do you have?" Louie asked, waving his hands toward the gods. "Nine muses, plus these three. Your poor wife."
"Technically, Zeus has had many children through many different women, both goddesses and mortals," Huey explained.
"Ewwww," Louie and Dewey said together.
"Don't get hung up on their family tree," Scrooge told the boys. "It gets a whole lot worse than that."
"Do I even want to know?" Dewey asked.
Huey put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Trust me. You don't."
"We're ready," Darkwing said, stepping forward. "What's the challenge?"
Behind him, Fenton whispered, "That's Hephaestus. He's the god of fire, and metal working, among other things. He's the one who forges lightning for Zeus."
"No wonder he's buff," Charity whispered back.
Hephaestus stepped forward. "I cannot believe my wife summoned me from my important work to participate in this impractical and asinine spectacle," the god grumbled, his voice like boulders grinding against each other. "As if she doesn't bring shame to me enough, she sends me to do her dirty work."
"He is also Aphrodite's husband," Fenton told the group. "They do not get along."
"Great. Nothing like dealing with family matters to make things fun," Charity grumbled.
"For my challenge, only one may participate," Hephaestus said, his eyes glowering at the five. Then he raised a beefy, gloved finger. "You."
He was pointing at Fenton.
"What?" The scientist felt as if he were shrinking as the god's attention zeroed in on him.
"Great," Darkwing muttered.
"You. Come forward, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera," Hephaestus boomed, crooking a finger.
Fenton gulped. Why did it suddenly seem like Hephaestus was growing bigger? He was shorter than anyone on the beach, yet he could have been a mountain.
"My challenge to you is…" Hephaestus reached into his blacksmith apron and pulled out a roll of blue papers. "What do you think of these blueprints?"
Fenton flinched as the papers snapped open, expecting something to pummel him. However, when he opened his eyes and took in the white marks against the blue background, he studied it with intrigue. "Hmmm. This design should work. Oh, but it looks like you're counter balance is a little off."
"That's what I thought, but every time I go through the math, it's correct," Hephaestus said, his voice still rocky but much more amiable than before.
"What materials do you plan on using?"
"Steel, of course."
"Hmmm. But if you use a tungsten alloy, it'll be lighter and tougher, which would even out your counter balance."
Hephaestus grumbled. "That's not exactly something we can import onto Ithaquack."
"Really? But you're gods," Fenton pointed out.
"Yes, but someone insists we keep things traditional around here," Hephaestus shouted pointedly at Zeus without looking his father's way.
"I told you, you can't have a cell phone," Zeus shouted back. "No mortal technology is allowed."
Hephaestus threw back his head and rolled his eyes. "Do you want to be stuck in the dark ages, be my guest, but don't make us all into ancient artifacts. Get with the times."
"I like Hephaestus," Louie said. "Something about him speaks to me."
"So, back to the challenge," Hephaestus said to Fenton. "Steel is the best I can do. What can I do about the counter balance?"
"Is this…a drawing of Apollo?" Fenton asked, pointing to a figure on the paper.
"Yeah, he's my power source. Solar is the best I can do here," Hephaestus said.
"Oh, then that's why your calculations are off. You didn't take into account Apollo's mass," Fenton said.
Hephaestus slapped himself in the face. "Right? Now I got to track down that chariot-riding yahoo. I can't believe I didn't see that. Thanks buddy. Hey, do you think you could look at a couple of my other projects? My forge is just inside the volcano. I would really appreciate the feedback, especially from someone who is working under Gyro Gearloose."
"Oh, I wouldn't mind it at all, at least, once I'm done here," Fenton said with a smile.
"Right. Right. The challenges," Hephaestus said, looking around as if the others had suddenly appeared. "I guess we're finished up here. I declare Fenton the winner!"
"What?! That's it?" Zeus yelled, his face turning red. "That was the worst challenge I have ever seen since I let the nymphs take over the Olympics."
Selene chuckled and leaned over to Della. "All the competitions involved flower arranging. Imagine dozens of naked men skipping through meadows with bouquets."
"I don't want to imagine that," Della said with a frown.
"Too bad," Hephaestus said. "It was wife's idea, and if she thinks she can bully me around to strut and perform like some sort of hammer-wielding monkey, she has another thing coming." He shook his fist into the air. "That's right, honey. Take that." Then he turned to Fenton. "I don't suppose you brought the Gizmoduck suit?" His rough, disfigured face took on a child-like appearance.
"It's in the plane."
"Do you mind if I take a look?"
"Go ahead."
"Whoo-hoo." Hephaestus took off across the beach, skipping merrily.
Mrs. Beakley had a sense that the second challenge wouldn't be as exciting as the first. When Hephaestus started conversing with Fenton as if they were colleagues, she smiled. While some of the gods were inbreed, blowhards, others were quite charming and amiable in their own way.
"That's just great," Darkwing muttered. "Wrack up another point for Gizmoduck." He folded his arms in the classic pout.
Mrs. Beakley raised her eyebrow. She had heard of rivalries, but this was getting to be ridiculous, especially in this situation.
"May I talk to you for a minute?" Mrs. Beakley requested, leaning closer to the masked hero. "Alone."
Darkwing followed her away from the others, looking out of place in his dark gear against the tropical, white beach. "Okay, what do we need to talk about?"
"It's regarding Charity. I think you need to take better care when around her," Mrs. Beakley said bluntly.
"Don't you think I am?" Darkwing said, fists clenched. "Don't you think I'm beating myself up every time she gets hurt? I keep thinking, what if I step on something sharp? Or I bump into something? I won't know if it hurts me, and she doesn't let the pain show."
Mrs. Beakley could see just how much the curse was affecting the hero, which made getting the next words out harder. "That's not what I meant," Mrs. Beakley said. "I'm talking about your actions regarding Charity's feelings. I've seen how you are around the girl. I don't think that's a good idea, especially when there's no certainty that her feelings aren't real."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Beakley, I'm a big boy. If anyone is going to have hurt feelings after the curse is broken, it's going to be me, right?" Darkwing said, his expression darkening. "At least in that, Charity wouldn't be feeling it for me."
"I beg to differ," Mrs. Beakley said. "And it's not just that I'm concerned about, but also how you are treating Fenton."
If Darkwing was frustrated before, now it looked as if he wanted to punch something. But he didn't say anything.
"You need to accept the fact that Charity is just as much in love with Gizmoduck as she is with you. Whatever you have against Gizmoduck, you need to put that aside. This rivalry stops right now."
"What? What do you mean?" Darkwing said, still angry but feigning ignorance.
"Don't pretend. I know arrogance when I see it," Mrs. Beakley said, glaring down at him. "I didn't become one of S.H.U.S.H.'s top agents by not understanding the subtle intricacies of the male ego. I've dealt with my share of them, and I'm too old to put up with another posturing drama, especially with Charity in the middle."
Cowed by the woman's speech, Darkwing didn't say anything but his body language said he was pouting.
Mrs. Beakley continued, "I understand that you have protective feelings toward her, but make sure it doesn't go too far. That girl needs the support of friends, not be caught in the middle of two males vying for her attention."
Darkwing's pout deepened until her words sunk in. Two males vying for her attention. Wait, did that mean Gizmoduck also…
"We are all working together as a team," Mrs. Beakley said, poking Darkwing in the beak. "So check your pride at the door. Am I clear?"
Darkwing was tempted to use a smoke bomb just to escape this woman's lecture. He had met murderers that had less presence than she did. He didn't know what kind of missions Mrs. Beakley had gone on in her youth, but heaven helped anyone who crossed her.
"Am I clear?" Mrs. Beakley repeated.
"Like glass," Darkwing accepted, brushing off his bruised ego.
"Good." Mrs. Beakley left to join the others.
"Well, that was a colossal waste of time," Zeus grumbled. "On to the next challenge." Here he looked positively delighted. "This time, you won't get off with an easy one."
"Nothing is ever easy with me." Out of the vegetation that formed the border between the beach and the rest of the island, a petite, female hawk stepped out. She held a bow in one hand, and over her shoulder was a quiver of arrows. A large, white wolf padded at her side. "Selene," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Artemis," Selene said in the same arched tone.
"Moon rivalry," Fenton told the others in a hushed voice. "Selene is the personification of the moon, but Artemis is associated with it and more well-known."
"You may have gotten away with skating with pretty girls, but I assure you, I'm much tougher than the nine muses put together," Artemis said with a predator grin.
"What's your challenge?" Charity asked, stepping forward. "We'll take it on."
"There's a saying from your mortal world, 'You're only as strong as you're weakest link'," Artemis said. "So, I'm going to be testing your weak link. A trial against my hunting skills. If your weakest link can survive for one hour, you will have passed my challenge."
Four pairs of eyes all turned onto Charity. The lovebird gulped, her eyes widened.
"No, you morons. Don't look to her," Artemis yelled at them in disgust. "She's been carrying you burdens around for years." She shot a finger out. "You two. You are the weakest link."
Darkwing and Fenton's eyes widened, confused. They both protested.
"How can I be the weakest? I'm Darkwing Duck."
"I'll admit that I'm not the strongest person in the group, but I'd beg to differ. I have a lot to offer the group. I have a degree in…"
Artemis smiled knowingly. "Save your breath. I'm the goddess of the hunt. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's spotting easy prey. You have one hour. If any of my arrows pierce one of you, you both loose. You may use any weapons or traps or anything against me. Or you can just run. Your choice." She shrugged nonchalantly.
Darkwing checked his supplies. He still carried all his gear. He just hoped that Fenton could keep up with him.
"Oh, and two things. No relying on a woman to protect you. I may not know much about this curse of yours, but I can at least negate the effects for an hour."
Charity stepped forward. "No," she called out, looking afraid. "Please."
Artemis gave her a disgusted look. "Do not worry, child. Your men can do without you for my little game. It'll do them good to get a little scuffed and bruised. I will not shoot to kill.
"And the last thing," Artemis said, looking excited. "A little gift from me." She waved her hand.
A heaviness weighed down Darkwing's left hand. A silver manacle encased his wrist with a chain attaching to a similar restraint on Fenton's right hand.
"Wouldn't want you two to lose each other," Artemis said with a laugh.
"Wait a minute," Darkwing called out, pulling on the manacle. "This sounds more like a game of cat and mouse. You call this a challenge."
"Quit complaining," Artemis said. "I'm giving you a ten minute head start."
Darkwing opened his mouth to protest again.
"Counting now," Artemis said, drawing an arrow through her bow.
Yanking on Fenton, Darkwing raced into the jungle undergrowth.
(Author's notes: A big thank you to all my readers! Thanks for the reviews and for reading my work. )