Twisted Strings of Fate
Chapter 22
A broken heart can be mended, but it will never be the same. It will never be as strong as before, and wary to love again. But a heart that has been divided and shared, while not whole, is the strongest thing on Earth.
Charon pushed away from the dock with all his passengers onboard, straining as he directed the boat against the current. He whistled a tune in anticipation for the upcoming show through the tunnel.
Darkwing and Fenton tensed at the memory.
Suddenly, the air was pierced by triple howls, the eerie noise more than just chilling; it was as if it were calling for their souls. Each of the mortals felt a vibration within their bodies as if the Underworld was summoning them back.
"Cerberus doesn't sound happy," Charon said with a chuckle. "I don't know how you snuck passed him, but he'll track your scent."
"Will he follow us through the water?" Fenton asked. As much as he dreaded the song and puppet show, he urged the Ferryman to get them into the tunnel.
"Maybe," Charon said with a shrug. "He's never done it before. Usually he stops them before they get through the gates."
"Can't we go any faster?" Darkwing demanded, turning his head. He could already see the giant, triple-headed dog wiggling out of the gates of the Underworld.
"We're heading upstream. It's a little slower," Charon said. He didn't seem to be in a hurry. The Ferryman's actions were slow and steady, his rhythm and pace constant from centuries of work.
Darkwing looked around the boat for anything to help and found a second pole. He jabbed it into the water, pushing against the bottom of the river to make them go faster.
Launchpad found another, helping Darkwing keep the boat in the right direction.
Charon, surprised at their innovation, slacked off. It was good to be given a break for once in over three thousand years. He even didn't mind it when Fenton yanked the pole out of his hands. Instead of complaining, he took a seat in the boat and relaxed.
Bounding to the water's edge, Cerberus howled and whined and sniffed at the river before jumping in. His large mass diving into the river formed tidal waves in all directions.
"Hang on!" Fenton shouted. "Darkwing, Launchpad, we need to ride the wave into the tunnel. If we miss, we'll be smashed against the cave wall."
The three worked in tandem, keeping the bow of the boat pointed at the tunnel mouth as the tidal wave loomed over them. In addition to the danger of the wave smashing them to pieces, it also increased their speed, which was both a blessing and a curse. They were making good time, but it was harder to steer.
Through teamwork and luck, the nose of the boat entered the tunnel when the wave crashed down on them, pushing them forward and soaking them at the same time.
Charity screamed, writhing on the bench where she sat.
"Charity! What's wrong?" Launchpad asked, dropping his pole and cradling the lovebird in his arms.
"Acheron, the river of pain," Fenton said. "The water must actually cause pain, which means…"
"She's feeling it for all of us at once," Darkwing finished, looking darkly at the water that sloshed at the bottom of the both. "Hey, Ferryman. Don't you have something to bail with?"
Charon, still lounging on the bench, replied. "What a pain, pun intended. I'll take care of this." With a wave of his hand, the water receded from the bottom of the boat. Even their soaked clothing and feathers dried off.
Charity relaxed in Launchpad's arms, curling up like a child. "I thought you couldn't feel pain in the land of the dead," she rasped.
"Agony is left at the gates of the Underworld," Charon said. "Even the dead feel pain if they touch the Acheron."
"And speaking of agony," Darkwing muttered, the tinny, musicbox-like song catching his ears, the first of the dancing puppets coming into sight.
"Oh, good. Cerberus's wave didn't damage anything," Charon said, sounding excited. "And with your coins, I was able to add an extra verse to the song."
Fenton and Darkwing didn't like the sound of that.
So you're leaving now
Going back upstairs
You've passed the test
And fair is fair.
You think you're secure
That you're lives are assured
You're going to die after all.
You're going to die after all.
You're going to die after all.
You're going to die after all.
You're going to die after all.
Even Negaduck and Launchpad's eyes were as wide as saucers at the lyrics.
"That's…a lot darker than I thought it would be," Darkwing said, trying to lighten the mood, but he only laughed nervously.
Fenton echoed the laugh. "Well, the song's not wrong. We're mortals after all." He gulped as his words mimicked the song's rhythm. "I mean, we'll die eventually. Right?"
"Yes, but I intended a more immediate solution." Charon rose from his seat, towering above them. "I wanted to convey the message in as friendly a way as possible."
"But…you took my money. You're supposed to take us to the other shore safely," Charity said, clinging to Launchpad who clung to her.
"Your souls safely, yes," Charon explained. "The Ferryman doesn't make the same promise about worldly possessions such as wallets, keys, and bodies." A scythe appeared in his hands with a puff of smoke. "Hades may not know you five snuck in and out of the Underworld, but when I tell him that I prevented you from escaping, he'll give me a raise. Perhaps even upgrade my boat to a sleeker model with a motor." He raised the scythe.
Before the sharp blade could slice into the flesh of its first victim, a pole slammed into Charon's stomach as if he were the 8-ball on a billiards table. At the other end of the proverbial cue stick—which was Launchpad's discarded pole—was Negaduck, his face in a snarl.
Darkwing, realizing that he had frozen at the sight of the scythe, leapt into action, disarming the Ferryman. The scythe plopped in the Acheon with a splash. Together, he and Negaduck poked and prodded Charon until he joined the weapon in the water.
Negaduck leaped to the back of the boat, pushing with his pole as fast as he could. "Move it, you two. We can't let him get back in," he yelled at Darkwing and Fenton.
"And we only have seven minutes to get back to Hermes," Fenton said, checking his phone.
Charity and Launchpad, who looked in vain for more poles, rowed with their arms in the water, the former biting back the pain from the river. They rowed out of the tunnel and back to the first cavern where crowds of ghosts waited.
Once at the dock, Negaduck was the first to jump out, handing the pole to the first spirit. "Here. Row as many as you can across. Charon's in the tunnel somewhere, so avoid him if you can."
Charity, Launchpad, and Fenton followed, the scientist handing his pole to another spirit.
Only Darkwing remained onboard, looking pale at the thought of getting onto the dock with all the ghosts. He became even more afraid as the spirits began getting onto the boat.
"Darkwing, come on," Charity shouted from the other side of the crowd.
Darkwing moved farther and farther to the bow until he was on top of the bowball, balancing precariously over the ghosts. "Launchpad?" he called out, trying hard not to sound desperate.
"What's wrong with him?" Charity asked, tilting her head as she watched Launchpad wade back for the masked duck.
"He's afraid of ghosts," Fenton said blithely and Negaduck echoed derisively.
"Really?" She snorted and tried to hide her smile as Launchpad returned, Darkwing riding his shoulder like an overgrown parrot.
"What are you guys waiting for?" Darkwing said as he tried to look dignified jumping off of Launchpad. "We're going to miss our ride."
They raced up the stairs, the glow of Hermes lighting their way.
"Way to go," Hermes said, his winged shoes hovering several inches from the ground. "You made it with seconds to spare."
"We didn't want to linger," Darkwing said. "It's not exactly the happiest place on Earth. Or under it."
Hermes waved his caduceus and they all began their ascent. He twirled his staff for a while before his eyes fell upon Charity. "Now I see why these guys would brave the Underworld." He floated closer to the lovebird, took her hand and kissed it. "You're much lovelier with a soul attached."
"Thanks?" Charity said, taking back her hand. She wasn't sure how to take that compliment.
To the consternation of several of the male ducks, Hermes pulled Charity away from the others with his powers, lowering his voice for a more intimate conversation. "You know, a girl like you could benefit from having a god on your side. You do know I have a certain talent in healing. We could be wonderful together." His tone hinted to a deeper meaning.
Charity half-smiled, half-cringed. "Yeah…I don't think so."
"It's not every day a mortal gains the attention of a god," Hermes cajoled. "You won't have this chance again."
"I can live with that," Charity said. "You're not my type."
"What type are you looking for?"
"Someone who values fidelity," Charity said with a smirk.
Hermes clutched at his heart. "Oh, that really hurts. But you do realize that's not something you can count on for the future."
"I'll take that risk."
"On one of those four?" Hermes asked, gesturing to the group of males that were glaring at him.
"If it's meant to be. Yeah," Charity said, her face hopeful. "Depends on what happens after the curse is broken."
"You're banking on something that isn't a sure thing," Hermes said. "You can forget about breaking the curse and be with me. At least you know what you're getting into."
Charity put her hands on her hips. "They walked into Hell for me. Can you say the same thing?"
"I walk into Hell every day," Hermes said with a smirk. "But I can't say that I would willingly do it as a mortal. Aphrodite was right about you. You're going to make one interesting story."
Charity's eyebrows knit together. "Wait, you've spoken to Aphrodite? What does she know about my curse?"
"That you'll have to wait and see. That is, if you and your group of heroes can beat the last challenge," Hermes said. With a flick of his wrist, he pushed Charity away with his powers, returning her to the others.
"What did he say to you?" Darkwing asked.
"Oh, you know Greek gods," Charity said dryly. "They only have one thing on their minds."
The only one who seemed to understand her insinuation was Fenton, who glared at Hermes.
The god smiled and shrugged as if he couldn't help being who he was. And perhaps he was right.
Once they were back on the surface, the Duck family was waiting at the edge—sans Huey who was still with Hephaestus. Surprisingly, the younger generation ran up to the returning group and began speaking about what had occurred in the Underworld.
"Wow, I can't believe you got to meet Persephone. She's amazing," Webby said.
"I can't believe a grown man like you is afraid of ghosts," Louie smirked.
"That whole thing with the pomegranate, that was amazing," Dewey spoke over the others. "And how you dumped that Death guy in the river. Pow pow."
"And Cerberus. Wasn't he so cute?" Webby said. "I want a three-headed dog. Granny, can we get one?"
"Not at the moment, dear," Mrs. Beakley said.
"And then he was all, 'Oh no, you took my boat'," Dewey continued to narrate, acting out the scene.
"Wait," Darkwing said, silencing the group. "You were watching?"
Della pointed with her thumb to a ridiculously handsome god they hadn't seen before. "Apollo came by with his crystal ball—"
"It's not a crystal ball," Apollo shouted.
"—And showed us," Della finished. "So we saw everything. You were all so adorable." She smiled at them, looking misty eyed despite her tough exterior.
The guys all portrayed shyness in their own ways: Darkwing hiding behind his hat, Fenton looking away, red-cheeked, and Negaduck glowering. Even Launchpad lowered his head.
"Okay, now I really need to know what happened down there," Charity said, crossing her arms.
"Don't worry. I recorded everything on my phone," Louie said.
Charity eyed the green-clad duckling, remembering something that Hecate said. The lovebird squatted down to Louie's level and asked in a suspicious tone. "Hecate said to put money on the favorite. Care to explain what that means?" she inquired.
Louie, who had been tapping on his phone, froze. He looked to the adult side of his family, checking to see if they had heard before grabbing Charity's hand and pulling her away. He made sure no one was listening before he cut to the chase. "Okay, so I may have started a little betting pool with my brothers and Webby, and from there, things just got out of hand. First it was the muses, then gods and demigods kept coming to me and offering me money. I couldn't say no, especially when Zeus put down a hundred gold coins. How do I say no to that?"
"So, everyone is betting on my love life?" Charity said, pinching between her eyes.
"Please don't tell Uncle Donald," Louie pleaded.
Charity looked over to the others, who didn't seem to notice the two had stepped away, but her eyes lingered on the four ducks she was bonded to. "Okay, I won't tell. And I won't ask you to stop either."
"Yipee!" Louie said, looking more excited than Dewey at Funzo's. "Thank you so much."
"But you have to donate most of the proceeds to charity."
Louie looked confused. "Wait. Do you mean to donate it to you or to an actually charity? Because I'm going to admit, I'm not comfortable with one of those options."
Charity scrutinized the green-clad duckling before saying, "I was going to ask what kind of child are you, but after the week I've had, I think that would answer that question. Just pick a charity, something that benefits underprivileged children, and give them seventy-five percent of the profit."
"Seventy-five percent?!" Louie exclaimed.
"Or I can tell your uncle, and they'll get one hundred percent," Charity warned.
"Oh, those poor underprivileged children," Louie said, changing his tune.
"And I expect to see your financial records and an invoice from the charity," the lovebird said. She was about to turn around to join the others but she stopped. "By the way, who is the favorite to win?"
Louie opened his mouth, but Charity spoke first.
"Never mind. I don't want to know. I kind of do, but I don't." And she walked away.
Almost the second she joined the others, Launchpad grabbed her hand and pulled her away for his own little tête-à-tête.
"Is there something wrong?" Charity asked, recognizing the uncertainty on his face.
"I don't know," Launchpad said, scratching the back of his head. "Back in the Underworld, there was a bunch of stuff happening, and I don't know how to…" He couldn't put his thoughts into words.
"I'm sorry, Launchpad. I don't remember anything," Charity said. "What happened?"
Instead of replying, he swooped her up in a large hug.
"That bad, huh?" Charity patted his back. She closed her eyes, delving into her mind as if to find the answers there. And to her surprise, she found them. "So, it had to do with that night in the hospital. I'm sorry you had to be reminded of that again."
"It's not just that," Launchpad said, releasing his friend. "Charity, is there something you're not telling me?"
Charity couldn't meet his eyes. "Yes, there is," she said truthfully.
"What is it?" Launchpad asked.
She bit her lower beak. Why couldn't she just tell him? After all this, she had counted on him being oblivious, to be his adorable, naïve self, but she couldn't leave him in the dark forever. It shouldn't have surprised her that he would eventually guess there was something else going on. And even after all they had been through, she still held onto the thought that if he knew, things would change between them.
"I'm afraid to say," was as far as she could admit.
"You've had too many secrets, little sister," Launchpad said. "It's a side of you that I don't know."
Charity lowered her head, knowing how much she was hurting him.
Before either one could say another word, Zeus boomed, "Enough chatter. It is time for the last challenge." He looked eager. "I saved the best for last. It will be a one-on-one fight with my son." He waved his hand to Storkules.
"I won't do it, Father," Storkules said. "I won't raise a hand against my friends."
"These mortals are making fools of us," Zeus growled. "It is your duty to defend the honor of Ithaquack."
"Honor means nothing if it destroys trust," Storkules said, a moment of wisdom that was uncharacteristic of him. But his words only enraged his father.
"If you don't, then I will call another of my children who will," Zeus said. A dark smile crossed his beak. "In fact, that might be a better idea."
"You can't be serious," Selene said worriedly. "You can't possibly be summoning him. Why not Athena?"
"Like she's going to come for something so paltry. Plus she'd rather kiss a man than to do Aphrodite's bidding," Zeus said. "No, my first son will be perfect for this."
"I am here, Father."
Zeus whipped around quickly.
Nobody knew when he appeared or how he had done so without anyone noticing. He was a large harpy eagle covered in ancient Greek armor, standing almost a whole head taller than anyone there. While he couldn't compete with Storkules in bulk, his muscles were obviously not for mere show. And despite his deadly appearance, he was more beautiful than an eagle should be.
"My love knew I would be needed and sent me."
"Ares, my boy. It's good that I can count on one of my sons to defend the honor of the gods," Zeus said, the words obviously directed to Storkules.
"I do not do this for your honor, nor for the whole of Ithaquack," Ares said. "I fight for my lady and only for my lady."
"Even though she is married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite has been…involved with Ares," Fenton explained.
"Love and war," Charity said.
"Yeah, they're a messed-up family," Darkwing murmured. "However, I'm not looking forward to taking on that guy."
"Who would?" Fenton said.
"Although I won't gain much honor defeating one of them," Ares said, nodding his head at the group of mortals. "They look to be hardly worth my time." He summoned two broadswords and stabbed one into the sand.
"You're only going to take on one of us?" Negaduck scoffed. "What kind of god of war are you?"
"If it is war you are after, then we'll need years to play that game," Ares scoffed right back. "It would take decades even for us to build our armies. Besides, I'm already in the middle of a few games elsewhere. Today, you will have to be satisfied with one-on-one combat."
"I don't like this," Charity whispered. "All the other challenges, they felt like tests. This is different."
"What choice do we have?" Darkwing asked, his voice just as low.
"We can back out," Charity said. "That's always been a choice."
"We just have one more challenge. We can do this," Darkwing said.
Charity gave him a small smile. "Hey, I thought I was the competitive one."
Darkwing smiled back. He stepped forward, reaching out to take the sword. "I accept your challenge."
"Not yet, little duck," Ares said.
"Little?"
"The choice of who fights me will be determined by this." Ares held out a six-sided die. Instead of black pips to decide a number, there were rough drawings of the faces of the group. "Whoever lands face up will fight. There's even a blank space. If it lands on that one, you can choose."
Now Darkwing understood Charity's reticence. Maybe this was a bad idea. "Charity shouldn't be on that die."
"She is part of the group," Ares said.
"Does the god of War find it fun to fight women?" Darkwing goaded.
"Duck, I have fought men and women in the heat of battle. Some of the best fighters I know are women. Some of them are my sisters. All five of you will be on the die."
"Wait a min—"
Before Darkwing could finish his sentence, Ares tossed the die. It should have sunk into the sand, but it rolled just as if someone had cast it across a table. It slowed down and rocked before settling.
"No," Charity whispered. She turned, grabbing her friend's jacket. "Launchpad, you don't have to fight. We can stop right now."
Launchpad gave her an easy smile, rubbing her fluffy head. "It's okay. I have to at least try. We can't quit now." He pulled the sword out of the sand.
"Listen to Charity," Darkwing said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You don't have to go through this."
"You don't even know how to fight with a sword," Charity argued, shaking her head.
To everyone's surprise, Launchpad swung the sword deftly a few times, the blade singing as it sliced through the air. He smiled at Charity. "I guess I had some of my own secrets."
"Clear the arena," Ares said, his voice causing a wave of wind to move the sand back, revealing a compact, dirt circle where both contestants could fight without being held back by the shifting sand. Those still standing within the arena moved away.
"I don't like this," Charity repeated. She turned to Darkwing. "This feels like it's been fixed."
"Why?" Darkwing asked.
"I don't know," Charity said. "But something is telling me that Aphrodite wanted things to turn out this way. Maybe to see our reaction? Or something else?"
"But why Launchpad?" Fenton asked. "Why is she so interested in him?"
"I don't know," Charity said. But deep inside, she had an idea. "He's going to be okay. He's going to be okay." Her only comfort was that the curse would protect him.
"Let us begin, mortal," Ares said, changing his stance. "And to make things fair, I stand before you on equal footing. My blood will stain this beach if you cut me."
Launchpad circled the god, his sword raised. When Ares lunged at him, he was able to meet the eagle blow for blow. They danced in the arena, the clanging of metal on metal ringing through the air.
"Get him, Launchpad!" Dewey shouted from the sidelines. His brother and Webby cheered along with him, although the adults were a lot more somber.
"He can't get hurt. He can't get hurt," Charity repeated, her eyes locked on the fight.
"You should have told him."
Charity looked up at Darkwing.
"He deserved to know everything about the curse," Darkwing said.
"But it's better that he didn't know," Charity said. "Because he'd be worried about me during this fight." Is that why Aphrodite wanted Launchpad to fight Ares? Charity felt sick. Something wasn't right. She was supposed to do something, but what? What did Aphrodite want?
There was a gasp from the crowd. Charity's head jerked up, afraid of what she would see. There was blood, but it wasn't from Launchpad.
"Very good, mortal," Ares said with a smile, a line of red on his arm. "First blood goes to you." Then he lifted his arm and licked his wound. When he attacked again, it was as if the eagle had gone a little crazy, attacking Launchpad with more speed and a wild ferocity.
It wasn't long for Launchpad to be wounded next, Ares's sword battering the large duck's shoulder. He didn't notice that the sword had touched him, feeling no pain or spilling a single drop of blood.
Charity gasped, trying hard not to cry out as searing heat sliced through her shoulder, blood dripping down her arm. She was vaguely aware of Fenton putting pressure on it, determined to not take her eyes off of Launchpad.
During one of the short lulls in the action as both contenders took a step back, Ares glanced over his shoulder at her. He licked his beak as if he were hungry, but Charity instinctually knew that he didn't want the same thing from her as Hermes. His desires were far more primordial than lust.
"Keep fighting, Launchpad," Charity called out through the pain. "You can do it." She winced as her friend took another hit, this one shallower, almost a scratch.
What do you want me to learn? What kind of test is this? Charity thought. Dang it, why doesn't she just show herself and tell me? Why this dog and pony show?
And just as she was going back through the other tasks, trying to find some clue, Ares knocked Launchpad's sword out of his hand and sliced across the pilot's chest.
The pain was so intense that shock took over before Charity could react, falling to the ground while still watching Launchpad. She kept her eyes him as Darkwing and Fenton knelt around her, trying to stop the bleeding. She saw as Launchpad looked down at his chest, his bomber jacket and shirt torn but the flesh underneath unharmed. Then he looked up and met her eyes, his face filled with astonishment as he figured it out.
This was it, Charity thought, tears clouding her sight. This was what Aphrodite wanted. She wanted that exact moment when Launchpad realized just how much she had lied to him, just how deeply she loved him.
"Charity!" Launchpad shouted, taking a step toward her but was blocked by Ares's sword.
"We're not done yet, mortal," Ares growled.
"She's losing a lot of blood," Darkwing said.
"Stand aside," Mrs. Beakley said, pushing the masked duck away. "I've treated worse in the field." She tore away Charity's shirt, revealing the long gash.
Launchpad tried again to go to her, but Ares battered him with the flat of his blade.
"Fight!"
"Stop the fight," Charity whispered. "Please, stop the fight."
Darkwing heard her, and he strode into the arena, hands bloody. "We give up," he said. "Stop the fight."
"The fight will continue," Ares said, his face showing a twisted pleasure. "You're not allowed to give up. This is a fight to the death."
"To the death? We didn't agree to that," Darkwing said.
"Back off," Ares said, raising his palm at the hero, pushing him out of the arena with his powers. "This is a one-on-one battle."
Finally taking his eyes off of Charity, Launchpad retrieved his sword, raising it to strike out at the god.
"No. Launchpad," Charity cried. She raised her hand, reaching out for him. "I'm sorry, Launchpad." She tried to get up.
"Charity, you need to hold still," Mrs. Beakley cried out, pushing her back down. "You're seriously wounded."
But she didn't care. Launchpad was in pain. She needed to go to him and give him a hug, because he was all she had for years, the only one she was bonded to that had been there for her. She hadn't wanted anything to change, but it was going to, and she was scared and he was scared. She needed to be with him right at that moment.
But she was so weak and in so much pain that she had no control over her body as Mrs. Beakley wrapped her chest tightly with bandages.
"We need more bandages," Mrs. Beakley called out. "Charity, can you hear me? Look at me!"
There were people yelling at her, but she couldn't respond. Her eyes were only on Launchpad, who was fighting for his life. The curse wouldn't save him if that sword slipped between his ribs.
And that was just what was going to happen, Ares aiming the tip of his blade at Launchpad's heart, and right before steel sank into flesh, something hit Charity's mind like a ton of bricks and she blacked out.
Mrs. Beakley fought for Charity life, but for some reason the girl wasn't helping. Something was wrong. Yes, there was a lot of blood, but nothing vital had been hit since the sword sliced instead of stabbed, the breast bone and ribs protecting the organs.
"Charity! Damn it, don't you die," Mrs. Beakley cursed. She checked for a pulse. It was weak but still there.
"Launchpad!" Dewey yelled, prevented from running into the arena by Della and Donald.
Mrs. Beakley saw from the corner of her eye that Launchpad was on the ground, Ares moving in for the killing blow.
"No!" Charity screamed, sitting up so suddenly that Mrs. Beakley was knocked onto her backside. With an inhuman speed, Charity raced into the arena and knocked Ares away from Launchpad. "I told you to not get carried away. They are mine."
It was only then that everyone realized that Charity was surrounded by a golden glow, her eyes filled with light like those of the gods.
"Charity?" Launchpad called out, confused.
"Not exactly," Charity said, standing before him, her chest covered in bloody bandages.
"Wh-what? What's going on?" Fenton asked astounded.
"I've never seen this before," Scrooge said, "but I know what this is. Charity has been possessed. I believe that we are in the presence of Aphrodite."
Charity turned to the group and gave them a coy smile. "Hello, boys."
(Author's notes: Thank you everyone for reading. I'm sorry about the cliffhanger. I try not to use cliffhangers, but this one was a must. I'll see you next week.)