Note from the Author of the Insane: Going back over this story, I am seeing some glaring continuity errors, as well as several mistakes in desperate need of fixing. One of the biggest mistakes I made was leaving out several large chunks of this five parter, which I have since rectified. I hope you enjoy!

Manhattan, 2015 A.C.E.

David Xanatos walked into the personal museum set up in the Eyrie Building's 37th floor with a small smile on his face. As he walked past the multiple displays holding old artifacts like the Eye of Odin, and the small gold coin that had started his rich and successful life, he spotted an empty case near the wall. He chuckled, then walked towards the corner of the museum.

"You know, the case is set up to where you can read the book without removing it." He called.

"It's more fun to read a book when you can actually hold it in your hands." A young voice replied.

Xanatos rounded a corner where he saw Willow, his 17-year-old daughter. Her short, light blue hair hung slightly in her face, the evening sunlight bouncing off it like waves in the ocean. She had naturally pale skin and was dressed in a blue fluffy hoodie with a fur lined hood, dark jeans, and some dark sneakers. In her lap sat one of Xanatos' most prized artifacts.

The Grimorum Archanorum.

"I take it you're reading the Tale of the Magus again." Xanatos commented, leaning against the wall next to her.

"It's just so heartbreaking." Willow replied. "No matter how many times I read it, I can't help but feel sorry for Goliath."

Xanatos sat down next to her as she closed the book.

"Well, if tonight goes well, then perhaps we can right the wrongs done to Goliath and his clan."

Willow smiled widely, her eyes glittering with excitement. It was a look Xanatos had rarely seen on her face, and he genuinely hoped that his plan would succeed, if for no other reason than to make Willow smile like that more often.

"Come along now." He said finally, standing up. "The sun's about to set, and I doubt you want to miss this."

Willow jumped to her feet and ran towards the elevator, pausing only for a moment to replace the Grimorum in its case. The doors to the elevator opened, with Xanatos' right hand man Owen Burnett waiting inside.

"Going up?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

Willow jumped into the elevator, feeling like she was ten years old again. Her heart raced as the metal doors closed and the ascent began.

For the past several months, Xanatos had been overseeing the construction of an exact replica of Castle Wyvern atop of the Eyrie build, constructed completely out of the old stones from the actual castle. It had taken endless amounts of research to find the actual castle, as well as thousands of dollars to travel to the Scottish countryside to the abandoned remains. It had taken a far greater sum to dismantle the castle stone by stone and ship it to Manhattan, as well as the six well maintained gargoyle statues. However, the construction was finally finished, and Xanatos was eager to see the fruits of his labors.

The elevator doors opened and the three stepped out, walking towards the stone staircase leading to the highest point on the castle. There, Willow and Xanatos stood on either side of the largest gargoyle statue of the six, which Willow had guessed was Goliath. As the sun set, Willow pulled her fluffy coat tighter around her.

"Are you sure this will work?" she asked.

"The terms of the spell were that they would sleep until the castle rose above the clouds." Xanatos replied.

Willow looked over the edge of the battlement, staring down into the sea of clouds.

"Well, I think this qualifies." Willow commented.

"Then have faith, Willow." Xanatos said with a smile. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

The sun began to set not long after that, and when it did, something happened. The sky began to fill with ominous dark clouds that swirled around the castle. An unnatural wind began to blow about, and loud claps of thunder resonated through the sky. From out of nowhere, a sudden deluge of rain began to pour down on the three. Owen and Xanatos both turned up the collars of their trench coats while Willow pulled up the hood of her coat.

"What's happening?" She called over the howling wind.

That was when a loud crack caught her attention. It wasn't thunder, not by a longshot. It sounded almost like cracking stone.

Stone.

Willow's attention, as well as Xanatos' and Owens', was drawn to the Gargoyle statue before them. Large cracks were beginning to form across its skin. Instinctively, the trio took a step back. Suddenly, the rocky skin of the gargoyle exploded outward, spraying the immediate area with shards of stone. However, the gargoyle was still there on its perch. But there was one big difference

It was made of flesh.

The gargoyle was a purplish hue with dark brown hair, and a burlap loin cloth. Its eyes glowed a bright white as it slowly stood up, stretching its muscular limbs and spreading its massive wings. It let out a loud growl that made Willow's heart skip a beat. Xanatos too found himself with a racing heart.

"It worked…" he whispered under his breath, an almost neurotic smile on his face.

Willow ran to the edge of the battlements, peering down at where the other five gargoyles were placed. Just like with the first one, each gargoyle began to crack through its stone skin, revealing a flesh and blood creature underneath. They all stretched and howled, louder than any thunder storm imaginable, eyes glowing brightly upon their awakening.

"I can't believe it…." Willow whispered. "The tale was true."

The gargoyles quickly gathered together, laughing, smiling and hugging. Remembering the tale, Willow couldn't blame them.

"You're awake!" the purple one exclaimed happily. "You're alive!"

He hugged each of the five gargoyles, even picking up some of the smaller ones. Wanting a closer look, Willow quickly made her way down the stone steps toward the second tier of battlements. Xanatos and Owen let her, retreating inside.

As Willow reached the bottom of the steps, she could see the gargoyles peering over the edge of the wall down at the city below. Their eyes were wide with surprise and fear.

"Where are we?" an older gargoyle with one eye and a full set of clothes asked.

Not wanting to scare them, Willow slowed her approach, walking through the archway. Her footsteps rebounded off the stone walls, drawing the attention of the purple one. As he turned to her, Willow spoke up.

"You're Goliath, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes…" he replied hesitantly, his eyes glowing once more.

"Cool." She whispered, a large grin on her face.

Willow led the gargoyles into the large dining hall of the castle (completely decorated to look exactly like it had over 1000 years ago.) where the six gargoyles stood around her, a multitude of questions just waiting to be answered.

"How long have we been asleep?" Goliath asked.

"This may seem impossible," Willow began, "but you and your clan have been frozen in stone for over 1000 years."

The gargoyles were stunned. They glanced at each other with shocked expressions.

"It's currently the year 2015." She continued. "If my math is correct, then it's been exactly 1021 years since the Magus casted his spell over you."

One of the gargoyles, a red one with long white hair and a long beak-like mouth spoke up.

"How do you know about the Magus?" he demanded. "For that matter, how do you know about us?"

"From the Grimorum Archanorum." Willow explained. "My dad acquired it a few years back. The Magus wrote down the entire tale. I've read it so many times that I've memorized it."

"Your dad?" a larger blue-green gargoyle with bat like ears asked.

"She's talking about me." Xanatos replied.

The gargoyles and Willow turned to see Xanatos walking into the room, where he joined his daughter.

"You are the one who freed us?" the older gargoyle asked.

"In a way, yes." Xanatos replied, leaning against the table in a casual manner.

"How did you do it?" a small greenish one with wings attached to his arms asked.

"The spell was designed to break once the castle rose above the clouds." Willow explained. "When dad rebuilt the castle on top of this skyscraper, it met the criteria."

Suddenly, the red one perked up.

"The eggs in the Rookery!" He exclaimed.

Xanatos looked down.

"We do not know of their fate." Xanatos replied.

"The Magus' tale speaks of he and the princess escaping with the eggs, but he is forced to abandon the book, so it is unclear whether the eggs made it or not." Willow added. "But, there are no gargoyles now outside of old legends… and you guys… so, it is possible…"

The gargoyles all looked down, crushed by this news. Their expressions caused Willow's heart to break. She longed to go and comfort them, but she knew there was little she could do. After a moment, Goliath spoke up once more.

"Why have you done all this?" he asked.

Xanatos smiled.

"Like Willow here, I was fascinated by the Magus' story. I wanted to see if it was true."

"And now that it is, maybe we can be friends." Willow added, a hopeful smile on her face.

Goliath, however, did not seem pleased.

"The last human who called me friend betrayed me and my clan." He growled. "I have no desire to go through that kind of betrayal ever again."

Willow's smile fell. It made sense that they wouldn't trust humans, especially after what happened, but Willow had hoped that they would be willing to give friendship another go. The sudden sound of helicopter blades cut off Willows thoughts, as well as drew the attention of the group.

"Dad?" Willow asked. "Are you expecting visitors?"

"No, I am not…" he replied, walking towards the stairs leading to the courtyard. "Willow, stay here with the gargoyles. You'll be safe."

He immediately left the room. As he did, Goliath and the gargoyles exchanged quick glances, then stalked after Xanatos. The red one paused as he passed Willow.

"You coming?" he asked, giving her a 'come-on' motion.

Willow didn't even hesitate.

The gargoyles and Willow stood in the shadows of the archway leading to the courtyard, watching the events unfold. Xanatos was standing in the center of the courtyard, surrounded my men and women in dark blue uniforms with grey armor and helmets. They all had laser guns pointed straight at him.

"What's going on?" The red one asked. "Who are these people?"

"They're attacking the castle!" The old one replied. "That's all we need to know!"

Goliath let out an angry roar and leapt from the shadows, followed closely by his clan. The men attacking Xanatos were caught off guard by the angry beasts charging at them, but quickly recovered and began open firing. However, they appeared to be completely outmatched for the speed and ferocity of the Gargoyles.

Willow watched as Goliath tossed a single gunman around as if he were a rag doll. Only the man's training allowed him to regain his footing and continue firing. Xanatos, however, quickly came to Goliath's aid, knocking the gun out of the man's hands and tossing him over his shoulder. Another attacker went to intercept Xanatos but was quickly subdued by the large blue one.

Elsewhere, the older one was fending off an attacker with a small sword. However, the attacker pulled out a stun gun and shot the gargoyle, sending him to his knees. The red one quickly swooped to the old one's rescue, grabbing attacker and hoisting him into the air.

"Leave him alone!" he cried as he tossed the attacker across the courtyard.

As the blue one, the green one, and the red one helped the old one to his feet, the attacker regained his footing and pulled out a grenade. He pulled out the pin and lobbed it at the gargoyles. The green one caught it, then tossed it aside, not knowing the danger. Willow acted instinctively.

"Move!" she shouted, running straight into the gargoyles and knocking them aside.

With a deafening boom, a large explosion shook the ground, sending the five of them flying. The red one grabbed hold of Willow and wrapped his wings around her in a protective cocoon mere seconds before they hit the ground. He unwrapped her as she smiled at him.

"Thanks." She said, getting up.

"Don't mention it." He replied before getting up himself and running back into the fray.

Not wanting to be useless to her new friends, Willow quickly found one of the many secret panels that Xanatos had built into the walls of the castle. She opened it and grabbed the gun hidden inside, running into the fray as well. She saw Goliath facing off against one of the attacker and seized her chance. She fired at the wall above the man, cutting several of the stones loose. The attacker didn't even have time to register surprise before the wall collapsed on top of him. Goliath turned and met Willow's eyes. She gave him a small smile, and he gave her a small nod of thanks.

There wasn't much time for thanks you's after that. Soon, the entire courtyard was full of rubble, smoke, laser blasts, and gargoyle roars. Left and right, attackers attempted to shoot down the Gargoyles, and each time, their shots were dodged, and their guns were wrenched from their hands. Willow and the red one found themselves back to back fighting off attackers that had managed to surround them.

"What kind of Vikings are these?" he asked as he tripped up a pair of attackers with his tail.

"They aren't Vikings." Willow replied, letting off three consecutive shots. "These guys are mercenaries."

"Is there a difference?" he asked again

"I'll explain it to you later."

Meanwhile on the castle walls, the old one and Goliath had a moment of respite, which they used to examine a laser gun at length.

"These weapons!" the old one shouted. "We must be dealing with sorcerers!"

"Even so!" Goliath replied. "We will protect this castle at all costs! It is all we have left!"

A female attacker lobbed a grenade at the two gargoyles, who quickly jumped out of the way. Soon, everyone was just too busy trying to stay standing to even think or speak another word. Shots lit up the castle like fireworks. Explosions decimated the castle walls, sending large chunks of rumble tumbling into the clouds.

"I hope nobody's down there." Willow muttered to herself. "Or they'll end up as street pizza…"

Another explosion sent Goliath flying through the air, right off the edge of the castle. Willow went to run to the edge, but the red one intercepted her.

"Don't worry." He said. "Our wings aren't just for show."

Worries slightly eased, Willow turned back to the fight. However, the attackers appeared to be retreating now. Upon further examination, Willow could see why. One attacker held a cylindrical canister in his hand, and quickly lobbed it at the gargoyles, including Goliath, who had just managed to climb back into the castle. Green smoke billowed from the canister, causing Goliath to start to choke. The other gargoyles were also caught and began to cough and hack as well. Even Willow fell prey to it, her eyes welling up as she coughed and wheezed.

Amid the chorus' of coughs, Willow could hear the helicopter returning. Through blurry eyes, she watched as the attackers climbed into the helicopter once more and disappeared into the night. Eventually, the gas dispersed, but by then, the helicopter was out of sight and well out of reach. Gasping for clear air, the Gargoyles stared in amazement.

"I've never seen such weaponry before." the red one commented as he picked himself off the ground.

"And that creature that carried them off…" the blue one added, dusting bits of rubble off him.

"A dragon most likely." The old one surmised, sheathing his blade.

"It wasn't a dragon." the green one insisted, crawling towards the small group. "It was some sort of machine."

Willow leaned against the stone wall, dropping the laser gun.

"It's called a helicopter, and you're right." she informed him "It's a machine."

Goliath kicked the gun Willow had dropped.

"And these. Are they machines as well?" he asked.

Willow nodded.

"They're called guns." She explained "Think tiny crossbows, only much faster, deadlier, and scarier."

Xanatos approached the group, quickly running to Willow's side.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, checking her for any injuries.

Willow shook her head, catching Xanatos' hands and stopping him.

"Just need to catch my breath." She replied.

Xanatos sighed in relief, then turned to Goliath.

"Thank you." He told the gargoyle gratefully. "I owe you and your clan a great debt. Without you, who knows what may have happened."

Goliath looked around the castle, and at the destruction wrought in only an hour.

"Why were you attacked?" he asked.

Xanatos shrugged.

"The richer you are, the bigger a target you are." He answered simply. "And I'm very rich."

Willow slowly got to her feet, then walked over to Goliath.

"So, what will you do now?" she asked. "You're welcome to stay here. After all, this is your home."

"She's right." Xanatos replied. "The castle may have moved, and it may be my headquarters, but it was your home originally. I do hope you will stay and help me protect it."

Goliath looked at Xanatos, then down at Willow. He let out a sigh.

"You broke the spell of sleep cast upon us, and for that we are grateful…" He began. "But we will never trust humans again."

The gargoyles all walked off towards the wall, as Xanatos walked off to call up a cleanup crew. Willow dusted herself off, looking over at the gargoyles.

"Never say never, big guy." She whispered

Considering the amount of damage caused by the firefight, it was no big surprise that the police would want an answer. Willow watched from a darkened hallway as Owen tried to convince a police detective that there was nothing to worry about.

"A most unfortunate accident." Owen explained. "One of the newly installed generators in the castle exploded. Mr. Xanatos is more than willing to pay for any damages that may have-"

Detective Elisa Maza, a young multiracial police officer, was not convinced. She held up a hand to interrupt Owen.

"Mr. Burnett, I heard automatic weapons firing up there." She declared. "Now you can either let me up there to look around, or I can come back with a warrant and a lot more cops. It's your call."

Willow entered the room and walked over to Owen.

"It's alright, Owen." She said. "Just let her up. We've got nothing to hide."

A code phrase to say that the Gargoyles were safely hidden away. Owen let a small smile play onto his face, then began walking towards the elevator.

"Hey there, Willow" Elisa said, holding out her arms.

"Hey Elisa." Willow replied, hugging the police officer.

"How have you been?" Elisa asked as they walked towards the elevator.

"I'm doing well." Willow answered as the doors to the elevator closed

"Xanatos treating you right?" Elisa asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"Of course. He's great." Willow answered with a big smile.

"That was oddly more enthusiastic than normal." Elisa commented with a raised eyebrow

"It's just been an interesting night." Willow noted with a small shrug.

Elisa looked at Willow with an analytical expression as the elevator opened to the castle dining hall. Eliza stepped out of the elevator, looking around.

"Must have one heck of a heating bill." She muttered.

Xanatos walked into the dining hall with a smile.

"Detective Maza." He called. "I just got off the phone with the mayor, expressing my dearest apologies for what happened."

Elisa walked towards Xanatos with a serious expression.

"What did happen here, Xanatos? And don't try to feed me some line about an exploding generator."

Xanatos smirked, then gestured for Eliza to follow him. Once her back was to him, he gestured towards the kitchen, alerting Willow to the location of the gargoyles. Willow quickly slipped through the hallways of the castle as if she had lived here her entire life. She arrived in the kitchen just as three of the gargoyles arrived.

"Hey guys." She called, sliding past the counters.

"Hi Willow." The red one replied.

The green and the blue one looked around the kitchen in fascination.

"Look at all this stuff!" the green one exclaimed. "It's amazing!"

"This is the kitchen." Willow explained. "Everything you're seeing are pots, pans, and food storage."

"Food?" The blue one asked, practically salivating at the thought.

She was so focused on the blue one that she didn't even notice the red one looking over at the stove.

"What does this thing do, Willow?" he asked

She turned just as he was about to turn on one of the stove tops, one his hand was currently resting on. Willow ran over and grabbed his arm, yanking it away mere seconds before he got burned. She and the red one went tumbling backward into the green one, their combined weights sending one of the counters falling over, and the many pots and pans resting on it crashing to the ground.

"Everyone alright?" Willow called, slowly getting to her feet.

The green one sat up, pulling a pot off his head.

"Peachy…" he growled.

The blue one, meanwhile, had located the freezer, and was drooling over the large slabs of prime cut meat hanging from hooks all over the cold room. He began gathering up as much food as he could carry. Unfortunately, the green one closed the door on him, not realizing his brother was inside.

"Hey!" the blue one called. "Let me out! It's cold in here!"

The green and the red one grabbed the door handle and began pulling. However, it was barely budging. Willow went to help them, and soon, the door began to slowly open. Unfortunately, the blue one had begun charging at the door. When he ran smack into it, he, the other two gargoyles, Willow, and a crazy amount of food went flying across the kitchen. They all crashed into a different wall, bringing down yet another shelf full of pots down upon them.

"Okay…" Willow muttered as she pulled herself out of the mess. "Ow."

Xanatos walked in about that time.

"What happened?" he asked after seeing the mess.

"Long story short, gargoyles need to stay out of the kitchen." Willow replied.

Leaving the cooks to fix the mess, Willow and the gargoyles made their way back into the courtyard, where they joined Goliath and the old one along the battlements. Willow rested against the wall, staring out at the stars. However, her rest was quickly interrupted by shouting.

"Alright you." Elisa's voice called out from somewhere on the battlements. "Put your hands where I can see them!"

Willow bolted to her feet and looked across the battlements to where Eliza had her gun pointed at the shadows. Willow turned back to the gargoyles and began counting.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5-" She felt her stomach drop. "Where's the gargoyle dog?"

The sound of growling and barking drew their attention. Out of the shadows where Elisa was aiming, the large gargoyle dog snarled and growled at her. She let out a gasp, taking a few steps back.

"Uh-oh…" Willow muttered.

Willow and the Gargoyles ran towards Elisa, hoping to stop something bad from happening. Luckily, Goliath got there first and grabbed the gun out of Elisa's hand, crushing it in his grip. Elisa freaked out, backing away from him. Unfortunately, she backed up to one of the lower parts of the battlement, lost her footing, and began plummeting down.

"Elisa!" Willow screamed!

Goliath quickly jumped down after and the two disappeared into the clouds. Willow was so terrified she nearly fell of herself, but several gargoyle arms quickly pulled her away from the edge.

"Be careful lass." The old one suggested. "Goliath can only catch one human at a time."

Willow relaxed in the grip of the gargoyles, who then let her go. More careful this time, she peered over the edge.

"How long 'til he flies back up here?" she questioned

The red one gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Umm, we can't fly." He explained. "We glide on wind currents."

The old one twitched his ear, as if listening to the wind.

"And unfortunately, there are no currents strong enough to bring Goliath and the one you called Elisa up here." the old one added

"Then I guess he's taking the long way up." Willow surmised.

A strange cracking noise began to emanate from below the castle. It was almost rhythmic, and slowly began getting louder. Soon, Goliath's head peaked through the clouds as he scaled the side of the building, claws piercing through the stone as if they were nothing. Elisa was clinging to his back, her eyes screwed shut. Once Goliath reached the edge of the wall, Willow and the others helped them get back on solid ground. Elisa collapsed on the ground, panting and gasping. The gargoyle dog immediately growled at her again, forcing her back on her feet.

"I'd forgotten about him…" she muttered.

Willow went to the dog's side and began scratching behind his ears, causing the dog to stop his stalking and accept the affection.

"He won't hurt you." Goliath said with conviction. "Now, what are you doing here? And this time, try not to fall off the building."

Elisa explained how she was investigating the commotion caused by the fight, and in turn, Goliath explained the history of his people. When the tales were done, Elisa felt her entire world rocking.

"I can't believe this…" she muttered. "Gargoyles and magic spells? If I wasn't looking at you right now, I wouldn't believe a word of it."

Willow chuckled.

"Trust me, I know." She interjected.

Elisa looked at each of the gargoyles in turn.

"Does anybody else know about you?" she asked.

Goliath looked down at Willow, who shook her head.

"Dad, Owen and I are the only ones who know about the Gargoyles." Willow explained. "And now you, Detective."

The red one looked Elisa up and down as if sizing her up.

"What is a 'detective' anyway?" he asked. "What do they do? And are they friends?"

Elisa let out a nervous smile.

"Most detectives are. I know I am." She replied. "And as for what a detective is… well, when somebody does something wrong, I find out who they are and arrest them."

"Who says what's wrong?" Goliath asked.

"Well, we have a justice system." Elisa continued, "Laws, penalties, assessments. We let the people decide."

"You mean the Humans decide." Goliath countered with a note of contempt in his voice.

However, time was running short. Out over the horizon, the sky was beginning to lighten. Sunrise would soon be upon them, and the stone sleep it brought the gargoyles.

"Elisa," Willow quickly interjected. "You need to go."

"Wait." Elisa interrupted. "Will I see you again? I'd like to learn more about you…"

Goliath did not answer, so Elisa took a step towards him.

"Look, you saved my life, so I owe you." Elisa insisted, "Let me help you understand this city. You need to know how it works."

Goliath could see the wisdom of this, so he nodded.

"If we are to defend this castle, we need to be prepared for whatever is out there." He allowed.

The other gargoyles nodded with small smiles.

"Great." Elisa declared triumphantly. "Tomorrow's my day off so I can meet you in the afternoon-"

"After dark." Goliath interrupted.

Elisa chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised?" she commented before silently relenting. "Alright, here after dark."

"No." Goliath interrupted again. "Not here. Over there."

He pointed to a nearby rooftop within easy gliding distance of the castle.

"On that rooftop." He insisted.

"Why over there?" Elisa asked.

"Why were you sneaking around the castle?" Goliath countered.

Elisa brushed a stray hair from her face before answering.

"A good detective trusts no one." She replied as best as she could.

"That is something we have in common." Goliath concluded.

With that, Goliath walked off towards his perch on the highest tower of the castle and Elisa made her way down the stone steps to leave the castle. As the others went to their perches, Willow stopped them.

"I think Goliath isn't the only one who could use a guide to the 21st century." She commented.

"What do you mean?" the green one asked.

"How about after sunset tomorrow, I take the rest of you on a tour of Manhattan." She suggested. "I can show you around, help you to get use to the city, and maybe even introduce you to some of the culture."

The red, blue, and green ones all nodded. The old one, however, shook his head.

"I'll pass." He decided. "Someone needs to watch over the castle while Goliath is away, not to mention keep an eye on this pup."

He patted the gargoyle dog on his head and Willow smiled.

"Alright. Looks like it's just the three of us." She announced

The sun would soon rise, so she watched as the gargoyles took their positions on the wall, baring their fangs and extending their wings. Once the morning rays hit them, their skin turned grey and they became motionless, statues once more. As Willow turned away from her new friends, a large yawn hit her. All the excitement and adrenaline keeping her awake left her, and she was completely exhausted.

"Miss Willow," Owen called as he went to her side, "perhaps it is time for you to rest as well."

Willow nodded and allowed Owen to take her arm, leading her towards her bedroom in one of the castle towers. She didn't even bother getting undressed, just flopping onto the bed and falling asleep in an instant. Xanatos joined Owen in the doorway of her room and watched her sleep.

"It appears that she took to the gargoyles far quicker than you anticipated." Owen commented.

"More than that, the gargoyles are taking to her as well." Xanatos added "They instinctively protected her during the fight. They give her someone outside of the castle to protect. Just like we planned."

Scant minutes before sunset, Willow awoke, scrambling to find some clean clothes to wear. Eventually settling on a dark blue sweater and a pair of faded jeans, she made her way out to the battlements just in time to see the gargoyles awaken. Once they had shaken the last bits of stone skin off them, Willow ran up.

"You guys ready to go?" she asked.

"Go where?" Goliath asked.

"To explore the city." The red one explained. "After all, we can't spend the rest of our lives in the castle."

"Yeah." The green one agreed. "If we're gonna live here, we need to know all about it. Its people, its culture, its technology-"

"Its food!" the blue one finished.

Willow stepped up.

"Don't worry. I'll keep them out of trouble." She promised. "You have my word."

Goliath sighed.

"Very well." He relented. "You three may explore. But keep a close eye on Willow, stay close to the building, and stay out of sight."

The gargoyles all nodded in unison, then the green and blue ones jumped off the wall. The red one scooped up Willow, much to her surprise.

"Hold on tight." He suggested as he too jumped off the roof.

There was a sudden rush of wind, then the red one spread his wings and leveled out. Willow found herself shouting in sheer joy as the wind whipped her hair around.

"This is absolutely amazing!" She cheered. "I've flown in planes and helicopters, but nothing like this!"

The grin on her face was contagious, for soon, the three gargoyles were also smiling.

Elisa cautiously walked out onto the rooftop that she agreed to meet Goliath on.

"Hello?" she called out softly. "Anyone there?"

Goliath stepped around the corner, right into the detective's path. She gasped slightly, taking a step back with a start. Once she realized who it was, she let out a breath and relaxed.

"There you are." She remarked. "Why were you hiding like that?"

"I wanted to make sure you came alone."

Maza chuckled a bit.

"You shouldn't be worried." She tried to assure him. "Even if I told anyone about you, they'd probably write me off as crazy. And if they did believe me, I'm pretty sure you could handle an entire SWAT team."

Just then, the old swooped down from above, landing behind Elisa. Once again, the detective found her heart leaping into her throat. Goliath turned to his mentor, a nonexistent eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Mentor, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Just making sure it was not an ambush." The old gargoyle replied simply.

Elisa laughed a second time, straightening up.

"Man, overt paranoia must be a gargoyle trait." She remarked, walking towards the edge of the building. "Are you coming on the tour…?"

She trailed off at the end, unsure of what to call the old gargoyle.

"Umm, not to sound rude, but what should I call you?" she asked. "Goliath told me your kind doesn't have names."

The old gargoyle sighed a bit, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Why must you humans name everything?" he questioned, approaching her. "It seems like to your kind, nothing is real unless you've given it a name, and defined its limits."

"It's not like that." Elisa assured him, smiling back at him. "It's just that… well… umm…"

This went on for a minute before Elisa finally gave up trying to explain it.

"The best I can come up with is that things, especially people, need names." She concluded.

"Does the sky need a name?" the old one asked, a confident smirk on his face as he gestured out towards a river on the horizon. "Does the river?"

Elisa chuckled, crossing her arms and smirking at the old gargoyle.

"The river is called the Hudson." Elisa replied.

The old gargoyle was taken back, Goliath crossing his arms in amusement as he watched the two. After a moment, Hudson relented, sighing good-naturedly.

"Fine lass." He declared. "Then I shall be the Hudson as well."

"How about just Hudson?" Elisa suggested.

"As ye wish, lass." Hudson allowed.

"Well, while that solves one problem, there's another that I just thought of." Elisa remarked. "I haven't the slightest idea of how to keep people from noticing you."

"Simple." Goliath answered. "We will keep to the rooftops."

"That may be okay for you and your wings, but I'm not as lucky as you." Elisa said, patting over her shoulder as if to remind Goliath of her lack of wings. "How am I supposed to-?"

Before she could finish, Goliath gently lifted her into his arms. On instinct, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Never mind then." She amended.

"Are you coming as well… uh, Hudson?" Goliath asked, nearly forgetting his mentor's new name.

"Nay." Hudson replied, holding up a hand before shaking his head. "This new world is too busy for my taste. I shall guard the castle until your return."

With nothing left to say, Hudson took off into the sky, gliding towards the castle. Elisa and Goliath watched him go, sighing.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me." She declared. "What do you want to see?"

"I want to see any possible threats to me and my kind." He answered truthfully.

Elisa sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Lighten up, will you?" Elisa asked lightly. "You're starting to bring me down, and I'm a cop."

With that, the two took off, flying over the city.

Goliath found himself in awe of how large the city was. The number of people he saw milling about below vastly outnumbered even the largest army he had ever faced down. The noise was also new for him. The sounds of car horns and people yelling filled his ears, even from high up in the sky.

This self-guided aerial tour continued for a while before Goliath landed on the top of the Empire State building. He set Elisa down, allowing her to stand as he flexed his slightly stiff arms.

"Well?" Elisa asked. "What do you think so far?"

Goliath looked back over the city.

"Such amazing changes man has made to the world while my clan slept." He remarked. "Stone streets, finer than even those of the romans. Towers of glass and iron…"

"Yeah, I'm used to it." Elisa admitted. "Though I suppose to someone like yourself, it is pretty impressive."

"I see there are no walls to guard this city." Goliath remarked. "How do you defend against invaders?"

"Honestly, our biggest problems come from inside, not out." Elisa replied.

Goliath sighed, his fists tightening.

"That I am all too familiar with." He told her.

Back at the castle, Hudson and the gargoyle dog walked through the hallways of the castle. Despite knowing the hallways like the back of their hands, the modern adornments were still visible everywhere. The electric lights were too bright for eyes so use to the dimness of torches. The gargoyle dog looked up to Hudson and whined, his ears drooped.

"Aye boy, I agree." Hudson told him, patting his head. "This new world is strange."

The two walked into a room with an easy chair, a chaise lounge, as well as a TV. Hudson sat down on the chair, surprised by how comfortable it was. His tail draped over the side, hitting the lever. He glanced down at it, giving it a pull. To his surprise, the chair reclined hard, a foot rest coming up. After getting over the initial shock, Hudson let out a sigh.

"This ain't so bad…" he allowed.

He glanced over at a small coffee table in the center of the room, where a TV remote sat. He picked it up, examining it curiously. Even the gargoyle dog gave it a curious sniff. Wondering what it was, Hudson pressed a large red button in the corner. This turned the TV on.

Unfortunately, the TV was set to a horror movie, so the first thing Hudson saw was a woman screaming at the top of her lungs. As the screen shifted to the large monster coming after her, both Hudson and the gargoyle dog barreled out of the room.

In an alley somewhere in the city, an expensive looking car containing a young couple stalled out. The young woman, Margo, crossed her arms and looked at her husband, Brenden, annoyed.

"Don't tell me," Margo sniffed. "There's a charming, undiscovered bistro behind that dumpster."

"Oh, give it a rest." Brenden groaned, trying to restart the car.

"What do you expect?" Margo commented. "The engine's not magically gonna fix itself."

Getting more and more annoyed with his wife, Brenden reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten to charge the battery, leaving it dead as a door nail.

"Phone's dead…" he grumbled.

"Perfect. Just perfect." Margo proclaimed. "Now what do we do?"

To answer, Brenden got out of the car, popping the hood to figure out the problem. He glanced down at the engine, unsure of where to begin looking.

"Got a problem there, pal?" a voice called out from behind him.

Brenden turned to see a trio of street punks eying him like a piece of meat.

"Yeah, maybe we can help." One of the punks offered. "Took a year of auto shop."

The trio moved in on Brenden, who backed away in fear.

"Uh, no. No problem." Brenden insisted. "I just called the police. They'll be here any minute."

Margo, upon seeing the punks closing in, immediately locks the car for her own protection. Unfortunately, this left Brenden cut and dry.

"This area's our turf." The leader of the punks declared. "You wanna enter our territory, you gotta pay the fee."

Brenden quickly fished into his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

"Here, just take it." He begged, holding it out. "I-I don't want any trouble."

Right before the punks could take it, Elisa emerged from a nearby alley, giving the three of them a stern look.

"Aren't you three out past your bedtimes?" she asked them, crossing her arms.

The punks turned to Elisa, their predatory gleams becoming even more so as they closed in on her.

"Man, this night just keeps getting better, don't it?" the third punk remarked.

Unfazed by their antics, Elisa pulled her badge out of her jacket, flashing it at them.

"Police." She warned them, her smile never fading.

"Police, huh?" one of the punks questioned, not stopping his advance. "Oh, we're very impressed."

Elisa backed towards the alley, and yet, her confident smile remained plastered on her face.

"I'm warning you guys." She told them all.

They all just laughed at her, so with a shrug, Elisa took off into the alley. The three punks followed her not long after, leaving Margo and Brenden alone.

"What in the world-?!" shouted one of the punks.

An inhumane roar echoed through the alley as Goliath revealed himself to the punks. They screamed and lashed out, one trying to strike Goliath with an old pipe. The gargoyle easily caught it, wrenching it from the punk's grasp before tossing it aside. He then lifted the offending punk up in the air, throwing him into a nearby dumpster.

As Goliath dealt with the remaining two punks, Brenden peeked into the alley to see what was going on. When he laid eyes on Goliath, he backed away in utter terror.

"Margo, run!" He shouted.

Margo barreled out of the car, and together, the two took off into the night. Back in the alley, the punks lay unconscious at Goliath's feet, Elisa observing them with distain. She then glanced up at Goliath, noting a similar expression on his face.

"It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same." Goliath noted.

"I guess." Elisa allowed before smiling at him. "But you know what? I think you and your clan may be the best change to come to this city."

Up on the rooftop of a local burger joint Willow had led them to, the trio were chowing down on several bacon and cheese burgers. The red one had devoured four, the green one had taken three, and the blue one had eaten a whopping twelve. Willow stuck with just one while also sipping on a small chocolate shake.

"I take it you like them." She commented, happily noting the expressions on the gargoyles' faces

The blue one muttered something unintelligible through a mouthful of burger.

"He says they're the best." The red one translated. "And I have to agree."

The group sat on the edge of a rooftop, legs dangling over the edge. As they ate, they watched the world pass below them in awe and fascination.

"The food is good." The green one commented, "But the wonders of this place are even better. What's that?"

Willow looked at what he was pointing at and smiled.

"It's a car." She explained. "People use it to travel from one place to another. Think a very fast carriage without horses."

"And that?" the blue one asked pointing.

"That's a stop light." She told him. "It makes sure that cars can travel safely across the street without crashing into others."

A loud rumbling was heard as a motorcycle past underneath them, drawing the gargoyle's attention.

"What was that?" The red one asked.

"That was a motorcycle." She answered. "It's basically a car for one person."

She paused, not quite liking her description.

"Maybe a better comparison is a motorized horse." She tried again.

"I'm gonna get a closer look." The green one decided, spreading his wings and jumping off the roof.

The blue and red ones exchanged glances, then quickly scarfed the remainder of their burgers in their mouths. The red one grabbed Willow and then jumped off, gliding after his brother.

"What are you doing?" Willow shouted.

"I gotta see how it works!" the green one yelled back.

"Goliath said not to be seen!" the red one shouted.

"Don't worry! I'll be careful!" the green one insisted.

And he was careful… for about five seconds. That was when he made the mistake of commenting on the bike and drawing the attention of the biker. The poor guy ended up falling off his bike and skidding across the road. Only his helmet and jacket saved him from any major damage. In fact, he seemed to be alright as he scrambled to his feet and ran away screaming.

"Wait, don't go..." The green one called out futile.

"Nice going." the red one chastised when they landed.

"I just wanted to see how his… motorcycle worked." The green one lamented.

Turning away from where the rider had gone, the green one picked up the fallen bike and climbed onto it.

"Umm, I don't think that's a good idea." The blue one commented.

"Looks easy enough." The green one assured his brother as he revved the engine.

The second his clawed foot hit the gear shift on the bike, it went soaring down the street at speeds none of the gargoyles were used to. After about five seconds, he let go, using his wings to slow his momentum. Unfortunately, the bike went crashing straight into a brick wall, where it promptly exploded. The four stared at the wreckage in slight fear and concern.

"I won't tell Goliath if you won't." Willow said after a moment.

"Agreed." The three gargoyles said in unison.

Elisa and Goliath walked through Central Park, enjoying a small piece of nature amongst the loud city.

"You know, we're probably the only couple in the park that doesn't have to worry about muggers." Elisa commented.

"As I said before, the world may have changed, but man is still as savage as I remember." Goliath told her.

"Don't judge us too harshly." She lightly chastised. "The city may show an ugly face sometimes, but once you get to know it, you'll see the nicer side as well. In a way, it's like you guys."

Goliath raised an eyebrow to that, but before he could comment, a sound in the bushes drew his attention. Elisa noticed his distraction, immediately becoming on edge.

"What is it, Goliath?" she asked quietly.

There was a loud bang, then something struck Goliath in the shoulder, revealing itself to be some sort of dart. He howled in pain, clawing at his arm as he stumbled. Almost immediately after that, the very same mercenaries from the night before closed in on the pair. Elisa drew her gun, but one of the mercs quickly kicked it out of her hands. Another grabbed her, subduing her and dragging her back.

Seeing Elisa being manhandled enraged Goliath. His eyes began to glow brightly as he lashed out, trying to fight back. Unfortunately, the drug the dart had been laced with was doing its job. His movements were slowly growing ever more sluggish, his strength fading and his limbs becoming as heavy as lead weights. This left him easy prey for a trio of mercs as they wrestled him to the ground.

The leader of the mercs drew a gun from his belt, approaching Goliath with a triumphant smirk.

"What do you want?!" Elisa demanded, still struggling in the grip of her captor.

"We're just tying up loose ends." The leader replied, leveling the gun with Goliath. "And once we're done with this one, we'll hunt down the rest of those freaks."

"No…" Goliath weakly protested, struggling to fight the effects of the drug. "I won't… let you…"

"What makes you think you have a choice?" the merc leader taunted.

Having heard enough, Elisa stomped down hard on her captor's foot. He released her in shock, allowing her to elbow him in the gut before bringing both elbows down on his back. With him out of the way, she ran at the leader, charging into him like a linebacker. The two went flying, his gun bouncing across the ground before disappearing into the woods.

While Elisa dealt with the leader, Goliath continued his efforts to escape. Even drugged, he was still strong enough to shake off the mercs holding him. He kicked one off, getting to his feet before throwing the other two away one by one. In retaliation, the first merc grabbed a gun of her own, firing from where she'd landed. Thinking fast, Elisa ran over to Goliath, who wasted no time scooping her up before running off.

The merc got back on her feet, continuing her pursuit. Goliath did not even bother looking back, his eyes locking onto a small hill up ahead. Using it as a runway, the gargoyle picked up speed, spreading his wings before taking off. The merc kept firing, even as they vanished from sight. Only a cert order from her leader stopped her.

"Cease firing!" he ordered, grabbing her gun. "They won't get far."

After the bike incident, the four decided it was best to try and find somewhere else to check out. Luckily, there were several places of interest. Willow took the gargoyles to their first movie at an old theatre. They were playing some of crime noir films that the blue one quickly fell in love with. The green one was drawn to the different technology he found all over the place, and Willow made a note to find some tech that he could tinker with later. The red one was curious about everything, asking almost as many questions as the green one. Luckily, she had most of the answers.

The group landed on a nearby rooftop, all three gargoyles stretching their wings while the red one also rotated his arms.

"Man, this city sure is big." The blue one commented.

"Yeah." The green one agreed. "Even with wings, it takes a while to get anywhere."

"How do you humans stand it?" the red one asked.

"Well, we don't walk everywhere." Willow explained. "Not all the time at least. Some of us own cars, or we take a taxi. Though personally, I think the subway is the fastest way to get anywhere."

"Any chance we can take a 'taxi' back to the castle?" the green one inquired. "My wings are tired."

Willow gave a sympathetic shrug.

"Sorry guys, but I doubt any cabby in the city will take on gargoyles as passengers." She answered. "Same with the subway."

The red one sighed at that.

"Guess we better get to flying again." He grumbled.

Back in the park, Elisa and Goliath trudge under a bridge, the gargoyle leaning heavily on Elisa. He fell to his knees, his vision blurry as he groaned.

"What is wrong with me…?" he let out.

Elisa pulled the dart from his arm, showing it to him.

"Those mercs drugged you." She explained. "Though it doesn't seem to be killing you, it is slowing you down."

As she tossed the dart away, a small shimmer of metal under Goliath's wing caught her attention. She plucked it from his back, her eyes narrowing.

"And it seems they were tracking you with this." She added, showing him a small metal disk.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A radio transmitter." She answered.

"Some form of magic that led them to us?"

Elisa nodded, looking at the device.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it." She replied.

As she looked it over, she noticed a logo emblazoned upon it. It resembled a beetle, and it made her eyes narrow. Before she could think too much of it, Goliath had a new question.

"How did this… err, transmitter, get on me?" he questioned.

"That's a very good question." Elisa told him, scanning the area.

She spotted a stray dog rummaging through some garbage under the bridge. Carefully, she approached it, though the dog immediately raised its hackles, growling at her. She slowed her approach, crouching down and offering her hand for it to sniff. Once it realized Elisa wasn't going to harm it, it calmed down. It even gave her a few small licks on the hand.

"There we go, good boy." Elisa told the dog.

She gave it an affectionate head scratch, simultaneously slipping the transmitter behind its ear.

"Good boy, now go." She insisted. "Go on."

The dog ran off into the park, taking the small device with it. Elisa straightened up, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"There." she declared. "Let them chase rover for a while instead of us."

She went back over to Goliath, helping him to his feet before they continued onward.

In the TV room of the castle, Hudson was sitting in that easy chair once again. Owen had given him a quick explanation of what a TV was. Now understanding what he had seen before, he found himself laughing happily as he flipped through the various channels. The gargoyle dog rested on the chaise lounge, giving the TV a growl as a dog food commercial began playing. Hudson chuckled slightly at the gargoyle dog's reaction, only to notice something out the window.

"Dawn approaches." He said aloud, turning off the TV and rising from his chair. "Come boy, the others should be returning soon."

The gargoyle dog leapt from the chaise lounge, giving a stretch before the two of them walked towards the tower.

The trio and Willow arrived back at the castle just as the sky was beginning to lighten. Willow had begun nodding off in the red one's hands, so he set her down against one of the walls of the castle. Hudson and the gargoyle dog came out to greet them.

"Hello lads." The old one called as the landed. "Have fun with Willow?"

The trio landed and immediately began talking about the wonders they had seen all at once. Their tales fascinated the old gargoyle. He then glanced over at Willow, who was slowly starting to succumb to sleep.

"How about you, lass?" he asked.

"Never had so much fun." She answered through a large yawn.

Hudson smiled at that, then turned to address the trio once more.

"Have ya seen Goliath?" he questioned.

"We thought he'd be back by now." The green one commented. "It's almost dawn."

"Aye, that's what worries me." the old one remarked.

"This is Goliath we're talking about, right?" Willow questioned, yawning again as she curled up against the wall. "Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine. Besides, Elisa is a good person, and he'll be safe with her."

"I hope you're right Willow." The red one commented, glancing out at the ever-rising sun.

Back in the park, Goliath and Elisa continued onward. As Goliath noticed the ever-lightening sky, a twinge of fear passed through his heart.

"Too late…" he let out. "I'll never make it back to the castle before sunrise."

"Before sunrise?" Elisa repeated.

Goliath freed himself from Elisa's grip, moving into the shade of several trees just off a running path.

"Helpless…" he groggily explained, sinking to his knees. "During… the day… No defense…"

"I don't understand." Elisa insisted, "What happens at sunrise?"

"You… will see…" Goliath told her.

Elisa went to ask more, but the sound of footsteps approaching drew her attention. She turned to see several mercs scanning the park for them. She silently cursed, turning back to Goliath.

"Listen, I know you're tired, but we have to-"

She cut off as she looked back at Goliath. To her shock, where Goliath had once been kneeling was a perfect stone statue of him. She gasped, reaching for his arm, only to feel cold stone under her palm.

"Goliath?" she whispered. "Goliath?!"

Realizing she was literally just hissing at a statue, she turned away, eying the mercs as they began to close in. Without any other options, she ran out onto the path, drawing the mercs' attention before taking off in the opposite direction.

"It's the woman!" one of them shouted. "But what about the beast?"

"Forget the freak." The leader commanded. "We can track him no matter what. We'll deal with her for now."

The mercs give chase, following Elisa through the park towards a picnic grounds. Needing a moment to catch her breath, she ducked behind one of the many tables. The mercs reached the area as well, immediately fanning out to search for her.

One of the mercs began approaching Elisa's hiding spot. Once he got close enough, she tripped him, knocking him out and snatching his gun. Unfortunately, the other mercs heard their comrade go down and immediately turned towards the sound. They spotted Elisa immediately and began to open fire. Elisa dodged the shots easily, weaving through the tables before letting off a shout of her own. She managed to take one out.

"Stop her!" the leader shouted.

Elisa continued running, ducking into a nearby boathouse sitting near a lake. The two remaining mercs close in on her, closing in slowly in case she tried anything. Inside the boathouse, Elisa checked the gun, cursing as she realized it was empty. She tossed it into the water with an annoyed sigh.

She didn't have long to dwell on her luck before the two remaining mercs began spraying the boat house. She ducked down, covering her head and praying she wasn't hit. That's went the smell of gasoline hit her nose. She turned towards the smell, gasping in horror as she realized that several leaking containers were spilling out across the boathouse.

"Jalapeña…" she swore.

Thinking fast, she ran and dove out into the water, seconds before a stray shot ignited the gasoline. The boathouse went up in flames with a loud explosion, much to the delight of the two mercs.

"That takes care of one little pest." The leader declared.

"Better check the water, just to be on the safe side." His companion suggested.

Under the water, Elisa swam as fast as she could, trying to put some distance between herself and the fallen boathouse. She approached a pier on the water, surfacing quickly as she gasped for air, clinging to one of the supports. As she regained her breath, the second merc walked out onto the pier. She searched the water for any sign of Elisa, gun primed just in case.

Elisa watched her move across the pier through the gaps in the boards, waiting for the right moment. As she stepped close to the post Elisa was clinging to, she felt the cop's hand wrap around her ankle, yanking her off balance and into the lake.

The leader heard the splash, as well as Elisa's hasty retreat into the woods. He grinned, pulling out a fresh clip and shoving it into his gun.

"You don't know it, but you're making this harder than it has to be!" he shouted at her retreating form.

Elisa ignored the leader's shouts, desperate to escape. Unfortunately, her attempt came to a sudden stop once she reached a large cliff on the other side of a small creek.

"Dead end." She cursed.

She could hear the leader closing in on her, so she moved quickly, darting into the woods to hide.

"It's over lady." The leader called out as he approached the cliff. "Don't get me wrong, I admire you. You and that freak-job took out four of my people."

As he moved in, he saw a flash of red amongst the trees. He turned, then grinned as he saw it was Elisa's jacket. He slid into the woods slowly, then jumped forward, hoping to end up right in front of her. Much to his surprise, all he found was Elisa's jacket hanging from the tree branch.

"Uh-oh." The leader let out, realizing he'd just walked right into a trap.

Elisa jumped out from behind a rock, tackling the guy quickly. Before he had enough time to react, she knocked the gun from his hand and into the stream. He tried to push her off, but she simply used his momentum to flip him over her shoulder and into a tree. He landed hard, knocked out cold.

Elisa panted hard, reclaiming her jacket and wiping her brow.

"A lot to go through for a piece of lawn sculpture," she remarked, looking down at the fallen merc.

Elisa sat next to Goliath's statue, her head in lab as she began to doze off. She awoke with a start when she heard footsteps approach, but quickly relaxed once she realized it was just a jogger. Said jogger paused for a moment, running in place as he glanced at Goliath's statue.

"I've run this path for five years, but I've never noticed that statue before." He commented.

"This park is full of surprises." Elisa replied with an amused chuckle.

The jogger gave her a shrug, then ran off to continue his jog.

The sun began to set, pulling Goliath from his stone slumber. Upon hearing the loud cracking sound emanating from Goliath, Elisa bolted awake.

"What's happening?" Elisa wondered aloud, looking back at Goliath's statue.

Goliath then let out a roar, and broke through his stone skin, showering the detective with shrapnel. Once he was done, Elisa ran to his side.

"Goliath, are you alright?" Elisa asked, her tone laced with worry.

"Of course." He replied, as if she should know this.

"At least the sedative seems to have worn off." She commented.

"Sleep rejuvenates us." Goliath explained as he looked at Elisa. "Did you stay with me throughout the entire day?"

Elisa shrugged.

"Someone had to make sure those comic book rejects didn't find you." Elisa added.

"Thank you…" He said after a minute. "It is quite possible… that you saved my life."

He offered out his hand, a gesture Elisa accepted with grace. After they released, Goliath glanced up at the silhouette of the Eyrie building off in the distance.

"I must return to the castle." Goliath suggested, "The others will be worried."

"I understand." Eliza informed him. "Though I hope we can see each other again soon. Maybe even later tonight?"

The smile on Goliath's face was all the answer she needed.

At the castle, the other gargoyles awaken as well, stretching and yawning. Willow shuffled out onto the balcony herself, a robe draped over her night gown. The red one hopped off his perch, giving a small glance to the top of the tower where Goliath usually slept.

"Don't worry, lad," Hudson assured him. "We didn't survive a thousand years sleep just to lose him now."

Willow nodded in agreement, then her eyes lit up at the sight of a familiar figure approaching the castle.

"That you did not." She said, pointing out to the sky. "Look!"

Everyone turned, grinning widely as Goliath returned home, landing amongst his clan. Everyone greeted him warmly, gathering around him.

"What happened out there, lad?" the old one asked.

"Yeah, we were worried about you." The red one added.

"It appears we have enemies." Goliath stated. "Elisa and I were attack by the same invaders who attacked the castle."

"What?" the green one exclaimed.

"Why?" The blue one asked.

"I do not know." Goliath replied, placing his hand on the old one's shoulder. "But given what happened, I wish you had accompanied us, Hudson."

The other gargoyles and Willow all looked at Goliath confused.

"Hudson?" Willow asked.

"Aye." The old one replied with a smile. "It's my name, and what do you think about it?"

From his tone, it was almost as if he was daring somebody to insult him or make fun of him. Luckily, nobody had any intention of doing anything of the sort.

"It's a perfect name." Willow replied.

The red one suddenly got an idea.

"We should choose names as well." He suggested. "If Hudson's got one now, we can't be left nameless."

Willow chuckled, eliciting a knowing smile from Goliath.

"And what might your new names be?" He questioned.

Willow spoke up.

"I've got a few." She said. "May I?"

The three nameless gargoyles all nodded. She walked over to the blue one, cocking her head in thought. Then she smiled.

"Broadway." She decided. "You're Broadway."

Broadway smiled.

"I like it!" he decided. "I'm Broadway."

"What about me?" the green one asked.

"Lexington." Willow replied.

Lexington thought about it for a minute, then nodded.

"Alright."

Willow then turned to the red one.

"And you, you're Brooklyn."

Brooklyn gave a single nod.

"There we go then." Hudson commented. "We've all got names."

The gargoyle dog then let out a loud bark, as if to ask if he got a name.

"I guess he'll need a name as well." Goliath commented with a small chuckle.

"Oh, I got one for him too." Willow replied, scratching the dog behind his ear. "From now on, you're Bronx."

Bronx snorted, then nuzzled against Willow, nearly knocking her off her feet. Lexington chuckled.

"I think he likes it." Lexington commented happily.

After the gargoyles were all named, Owen arrived and asked for Goliath to join Xanatos in the dining hall. When he arrived, Xanatos greeted him warmly.

"I'm glad you made it." The man greeted. "Willow and the rest of your clan were quite worried about you."

"What is it you summoned me for?" Goliath asked, cutting off the pleasantries.

"Right…" Xanatos commented, returning to the matter at hand. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. An old acquaintance, I do believe."

The doors next to Xanatos opened, and a female Gargoyle stepped out. She had blue/grey skin with bright red hair and a golden "crown" above her eyes. Goliath gasped suddenly, taking a step back in sheer shock.

"You…" He let out. "My… Angel of the Night. You're alive!"

"Goliath…" the female replied softly. "My love…"

Xanatos moved away from the two gargoyles, giving them the space they obviously needed. They hugged each other tightly, wrapping their wings around one another. Goliath stroked the female's red hair, and for a second, there almost seemed to be tears in his eyes.

"My Angel… It really is you…"

"Oh Goliath… All the days I have dreamed of you, and this moment."

They eventually released each other, though they continued to hold each other's hands. The female then turned to Xanatos.

"I cannot thank you enough, Xanatos." The female said. "We owe you our happiness. You brought us together after all these years."

"But, how is this possible?" Goliath asked. "You were shattered by the Vikings!"

"No, my love." The female disagreed, "I feared for your safety, so I went to find you. But I lost my way and the sun rose."

"But how are you still alive…?" Goliath questioned. "Still… Young."

"I returned to the castle to find you frozen in stone." She explained "I found the Magus and begged him to curse me as well."

"I found her a year ago, and was fascinated, so I acquired her for my private collection." Xanatos added. "Then, after you and your clan awoke, I wondered if there would be a similar result from bringing her here. It appears I was right once again."

Goliath smiled at the female, hugging her again.

"With you alive, I can begin to live again." He sighed happily.

"As you said, you and I are one, now and forever." The female told him.

The next step was obvious, reintroduce the female to the rest one the clan. The second they saw her, they all were overjoyed, hugging her, and in Bronx's case, attacking her with a large doggy kiss. Even Willow was shocked at the prospect of another gargoyle, though she relished in the joy that seemed to emanate from the entire clan.

"How is this possible?" Brooklyn asked with an overjoyed smile.

"I'll answer all your questions later." the female insisted. "Right now, it's just good to see you all again."

She stood up and faced Goliath once more, a serious expression on her face.

"My love, I have a favor to ask of you." She told Goliath.

"You need only to name it." He replied with a small bow.

"Xanatos has told me of property stolen from him during a raid on the castle two nights ago." The female explained "He seeks our aid in retrieving what is rightfully his. I think we should help him in gratitude for reuniting us, if nothing else."

Goliath nodded in agreement.

"You're right." He agreed, "Perhaps, in the process, we can rid ourselves of the humans who hunt us." He kissed the female's hand. "Besides, with you by my side once more, I can do anything."

The gargoyles gathered in Xanatos' office, and after a quick explanation about what a television was, Xanatos explained what had happened.

"During the raid, the thieves made off with three disks, each containing a crucial piece of information about my latest projects."

"Disks?" Goliath asked.

"Think a magic talisman meant to hold information." Willow explained, holding up a blank disk. "They look like this."

Goliath examined the disk, then passed it around to his brethren, who each seemed fascinated with it. Once it reach Willow again, Xanatos continued.

"Luckily, I have been able to discern their locations through the tracer program installed in them."

He typed a series of keys into the computer, bring up three separate images.

"One of my corporate rivals, Cyberbiotics, had the disks hidden throughout the city. The first is in a research center on a small island in the bay. The second is hidden deep beneath the city in a well-fortified base. The third is located on a floating fortress that flies in a set pattern over the city."

Goliath and the others digested this information.

"What would you have us do?" he asked.

"These locations need to be hit simultaneously, so the retrieval of the disks will not be any harder than it has to be." Xanatos explained. "I can provide you with what I believe to be the best ways to get into these places, but it will be up to you to get out."

Goliath turned to the female.

"We will take the air fortress." He declared. "Brooklyn, Lexington, Broadway… you three will breach the tower."

"Cool!" Brooklyn exclaimed.

"What?" Goliath asked with a raised eyebrow.

Willow blushed.

"He got that from me." She explained. "Cool is a word used to express a positive feeling, like excitement, joy, happiness, you know."

"Ah…" Goliath said after a minute, his tone still indication confusion. "Hudson. You and Bronx will take the underground stronghold."

Hudson seemed a bit miffed about being assigned a partner.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my-"

"Take him with you." Goliath insisted. "He needs the exercise."

Hudson sighed good-naturedly and patted Bronx on the head.

"Please be careful guys." Willow insisted. "Other humans won't be as accepting of you guys as we are, and they're far more dangerous."

Brooklyn looked over at her.

"You're not coming?" he asked.

Willow shook her head.

"I'll just get in your way." She replied dismissively, "But I'll be here when you get back. I promise."

"Well, come on then." Hudson declared. "We don't have all night."

With that, the gargoyles left the castle, setting out on their respective missions. Willow watched them go, then wandered off to her room to occupy herself until their return.

...

The flying fortress soared high above the skies of Manhattan, parting through the clouds like a ship through water. Trailing behind them, both Goliath and his mate glided towards the bottom of the ship. Their attempts to reach it were hindered by the powerful downdrafts created by the rotors. They fought against the currents as best they could, grabbing hold of a long antennae for support.

Maintaining a firm grip on the antennae, Goliath used his claws to tear a hole in the hull of the ship, pulling himself inside the craft. He then reached down to pull his mate in as well.

"The disk we seek with be heavily guarded." Goliath hypothesized. "Of that, I have little doubt."

"If humans wish to throw away their worthless lives guarding it, that's their concern." The she-gargoyle replied coldly.

Goliath blinked in surprise, caught off guard by her lack of feeling. She glanced back at him but didn't seem to notice the surprise on his face.

"This way." She told him, walking down the hallway.

After a short moment of hesitation, he followed her. They marched onward for a short while, then the sound of a pair of guns being cocked halted their progress.

"Hold it right there." A security guard ordered.

Both Goliath and the female turned, the latter with a confident smirk on her face.

"You won't fire those guns in here." She told them, closing in on them with her eyes glowing red. "You could damage the airship."

"Don't bet your life on it, monster." The guard warned, him and his partner training their guns on her.

"My love, stop." Goliath pleaded, reaching out for the female. "It's too risky."

The female ignored both of their words, jumping onto the wall before pouncing on one of the guards. The other steps back in shock, attempting to shoot her. Goliath ran forward, tackling his beloved out of the line of fire. The bullet hit one of many pipes along the corridor's walls, filling the hallway with thick clouds of steam. Goliath quickly used this to his advantage, carrying the female deep into the thick mist and disappearing.

The remaining guard ran into the mist, looking around to try and find the two gargoyles. Even as the mist faded, the two creatures were nowhere to be seen. As he continued his search, his companion suddenly came flying out of an adjacent hallway, striking the wall right in front of the guard. He barely had time to turn before he spotted the female stalking towards him, her eyes glowing bright red.

He yelped in fear, then a shadowed loomed behind him. Teeth chattering and sweating like mad, he turned just in time to see Goliath's fist collide with his fist. He fell hard, knocked out cold.

"Come, we must hurry." Goliath insisted, turning to continue onward. "The gunfire may alert the others."

Wordlessly, the female grabbed both guards, hoisting them into the air before dangling them both over the hole in the floor. Goliath's eyes widened, and he grabbed her shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"I am simply ensuring that they won't cause us anymore trouble." She replied coldly.

"No!" Goliath snapped. "To kill in the heat of battle is one thing, but not like this."

The she-gargoyle looked at Goliath, then back at the humans in her hand, her expression unreadable. After a few tense seconds, she silently conceded, tossing the guards away.

"Your centuries of slumber have made you weak, Goliath." She told him, stalking off.

Goliath watched her go, a sense of foreboding in his heart as he followed her.

Brooklyn, Lexington and Broadway flew toward the large tower in the bay. It was surrounded by a well-fortified wall, but the trio easily flew over it, landing on the roof with ease.

"Man, the magic in this century is so…" Lexington began, stumbling on the last word. "So…"

"Cool?" Brooklyn suggested.

"Exactly." Lexington agreed.

"Well, right now we need a way in." Brooklyn remarked before his face brightened. "There."

Everyone turned to see a steal hatchway leading into the building. Broadway cracked his knuckles, grabbing onto either side of the door before tearing it off the frame.

"After you." He declared, tossing the door over his shoulder.

The trio descended into the building, landing in an empty hallway. There was an elevator almost right next to their entry point, one Brooklyn immediately pried open.

"Xanatos said that the disk was four floors down." He declared, looking down the seemingly bottomless elevator shaft. "But the elevator doesn't seem to be working. Not like the one in the castle."

"And the hole's too narrow to glide down." Broadway pointed out.

"Why don't we use this rope?" Lexington suggested, pointing to a set of four elevator cables dangling in the center of the shaft.

Nodding in agreement, the three gargoyles jump out, grabbing onto one of the cables before sliding down. Once they reached their desired floor, Brooklyn hopped onto the ledge and began prying the doors open. Lexington and Broadway remained clinging to the cables, sharing confident smiles.

"This is easy." Broadway declared, "We'll have that disk and be home in time for supper."

The doors finally open, revealing several armed guards on the other side, all of them aiming their weapons right at the trio.

"...A late supper." Broadway rephrased.

"Uh… Sorry, wrong floor." Brooklyn quickly remarked.

The guards open fire on the trio, forcing them to take cover back in the elevator shaft. Wasting no time, they scrambled up the wall to the floor above, where Broadway made short work of the door. The trio then dove through their new opening just as the guards began firing up the shaft. Once they made it into the hallway, a loud alarm began blaring, putting the entire building on high alert.

"Now what?" Lexington questioned.

In the lab on the floor below, several scientists eye the door to the lab nervously. They half expected it to be kicked in at any second. However, the attack didn't come from in front of them. Instead, the ceiling above them suddenly caved in, the lights flickering off for a few seconds before coming back on. When they did, the scientists were horrified to see the three gargoyles standing in the center of the lab, their eyes glowing and their fangs bared.

Brooklyn approached one of the scientists cowering behind his desk, lifting him into the air with ease.

"Where is the disk?" he snarled.

Terrified out of his mind, the scientist gestured to a large computer console behind him. Lexington scampered over to it, surveying the set up.

"Let's see…" he murmured, pressing a few random buttons before the disk popped out of a slot. "Got it!"

About that time, the guards attempted to enter the room, only for Broadway to slam his entire weight against the door.

"Good, because we need to go!" he declared.

Brooklyn dropped the scientist in his grasp, then picked up a large piece of machinery. With a growl and a heave, he tossed the machinery at one of the large windows of the lab, shattering the glass on impact. Without anytime to lose, the trio took off through their new escape route, leaving the guards to futilely try and shoot them out of the sky.

"Woo!" Lexington cheered, rolling in the air before punching the air. "We did it!"

"Yeah!" Brooklyn agreed. "Let's get back to the castle."

They banked hard, making their way home with their newly acquired prize.

At the underground base, a guard marched up to his commander, tapping away at a pad in his hand.

"Sir, central reports that station 1 has been breached." He declared.

"Any details?" the commander questioned.

"Well, if I'm being honest sir, they sounded rather hysterical." The guard replied. "There was talk of… well, monsters."

The commander's eyes narrowed.

"I see…" he mused. "I want security here increased."

In the tunnels outside, Hudson and Bronx approach the base on foot. The old gargoyle glanced around the filthy tunnel, sidestepping to avoid the occasional pool of stagnant water.

"I'm still not sure how we got talked into this." He muttered, giving his companion a small pat.

As he grew closer to his target, he spotted a video camera mounted on the wall. His eyes narrowed, and he ceased walking, Bronx doing the same. The gargoyle dog let out a small whine, looking up at Hudson.

"Aye boy, I know." Hudson told him. "That is a problem."

He then looked up at the large metal doors blocking his path. In his prime, he could have probably torn through them with ease. However, he was not as young as he once was, and thus the direct approach was no longer an option. He mulled over that for a second, then glanced up at the camera a second time.

"Then again…" he murmured, stroking his beard.

Inside, the commander gasped in shock as Hudson appeared on base's security monitors. He immediately summoned a platoon of guards, sending them out to deal with the creature.

Back out with Hudson, the old gargoyle smirked as he heard several guards moving in on him from behind.

"I don't know what you are, but I bet you're not bulletproof." One of the guards told him.

"Aye." Hudson agreed, turning around and lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender. "It's a wager you'd win."

Behind him, the metal doors began to slowly slide open, the guards ushering Hudson inside. Once he makes it a few steps in, Bronx comes charging out of the shadows. He tackled one of the guards as Hudson dealt with another, tossing him into a trio of guards moving in on the gargoyles. Bronx then snarls at the commander, who pulls a pistol out of his jacket.

"What the devil-?!" he began.

Before he could finish, Hudson charged into him, knocking him aside. Unfortunately, this also caused the commander to let off a stray shot, one that struck the computer console and set it ablaze. Scientists and guards alike scattered as the fire spread, Hudson making use of the confusion to search for the disk. Unfortunately for the old gargoyle, the computer array was beyond foreign to him. He didn't have a single clue where to begin.

"Confounded device!" he snarled, slamming his fist on several buttons at once.

By sheer luck, one of the buttons he hit was the eject button, which brought the disk he desired into view. He quickly picked it up, turning towards Bronx.

"Come boy, we're leaving!" he declared.

Bronx, who had been keeping a trio of guards pinned down behind a desk, immediately heeded Hudson's call. As he did so, the commander finally managed to recover from Hudson's attack. He pulled himself up onto the security console, slamming his fist onto the emergency button. An alarm began sounding as the large metal doors began to slide close.

Seeing their only exit slowing growing smaller, Hudson and Bronx picked up the pace. They dove through the door just as he slammed shut, nearly taking off Hudson's tail. He stopped just on the other side of the door, panting slightly and rubbing his back.

"I'm getting too old for this…" he complained.

Down the tunnel, the two could hear an army of guards coming closer, already letting lose several shots. The two gargoyles immediately dart up a nearby ladder, escaping through a side tunnel. The guards followed in hot pursuit.

As the two gargoyles ran, they soon found themselves trapped in a caged catwalk above a subway tunnel.

"We'll be sitting ducks in here, right enough." Hudson growled.

The guards were closing in fast, firing down the tunnel and forcing the gargoyles to keep running through the catwalk. Down below, the sounds of a subway train filled the tunnel, and gave Hudson an idea. He tore off a section of the fencing surrounding the catwalk, then both he and Bronx jumped onto the train as it passed underneath them. The guards skid to a halt in front of Hudson's impromptu exit, watching the two gargoyles disappear down the tunnel.

Soon, the tunnel opened onto a section of open track. Hudson wasted no time grabbing Bronx and spreading his wings. The sheer wind force was just enough to pull them off the train and allow them to safely launch into the air. They land hard on a rooftop, rolling for a bit before coming to a stop. Bronx immediately began assaulting Hudson with slobbering dog kisses before Hudson good-naturedly pushed him off.

"Away with ye." He told the gargoyle dog, rotating his arms a bit. "You need to be losing some weight, and that's a fact."

Bronx let out a small whine as Hudson looked at the disk in his hand.

"I hope this wee thing is worth the aches I'll be feeling later." He remarked.

On board the airship, the captain of the vessel was approached by the head of the security team.

"Stations 1 and 2 have been breached?!" The captain exclaimed. "Then we've lost two-thirds of the data!"

The door to the bridge was kicked down, drawing everyone's attention. They turned to see Goliath and the female emerge from the darkened hallway behind them.

"Wrong." The female corrected the captain. "You've lost all of it."

Goliath moved in on the guards, his wings raised in a show of power. They raised their weapons to fire, but Goliath merely whipped around, striking them with his tail before they had the chance. He then picked up the Captain, who struggled in his grip.

"W-what are you?" he stammered.

Goliath remained silent, keeping his grip on the captain as the female went over to the computer console. With accuracy surprising for a being who had supposedly just awoken in this time period, the she-gargoyle ejected the disk, snagging it quickly and holding it up.

"Mission accomplished." She declared.

As she lowered her arm, her eyes spotted a few key wires poking out from under the console. With a quick swipe of her clawed feet, she tore through them with ease, grabbing a handful of them. She then proceeded to shove the wires right into the machinery itself. The entire system began to smoke and spark before bursting into flames.

"My angel, what have you done?!" Goliath gasped, dropping the Captain in his shock.

"No time!" the female told him as alarms began going off. "We must flee!"

Goliath remained rooted in place, watching as the humans of the ship tried desperately to put out the fire. He did not even hear the female kick open an escape hatch.

"Goliath, this way!" she insisted.

"We cannot leave the humans!" Goliath retorted, turning to go aid them.

With a feral growl, the she-gargoyle grabbed Goliath's hand, dragging him towards the escape hatch. She forced them both through it, the two gliding away from the ship as it began to slowly descend into the Hudson. Goliath turned back, watching helplessly as it crashed into the water with a heavy splash. He turned away, both he and his mate silently making their way back to the castle.

Down below near the water's edge, Elisa's car pulled up along the entrance to the main bridge. She scrambled out of her car, running forward and gasping at the few men that poured from the ever-burning fortress. Her eyes then drifted skyward, up the cloud of smoke that was forming, and she blinked in surprise when she saw a pair of silhouettes gliding away from the wreck

"Goliath?" she voiced quietly.

The two gargoyles return to the castle, where Xanatos was waiting for them with the trio, Hudson, and Willow. The female handed over the disk to him with a smirk. Xanatos took it, grinning.

"My friends, you have my profound thanks." He told them. "Rest assured that the information on the disks will be put to beneficial use for human and gargoyle alike."

"You have fun with that, dad." Willow told him, grabbing Brooklyn and Lexington by the hands. "C'mon. I want to teach you guys how to play videogames."

She dragged the two off, Broadway quickly following.

"Hey!" he called out. "Wait for me!"

Xanatos chuckled, then walked off with the collection of disks. Goliath turned to leave as well, but his mate quickly stopped him.

"Where are you going?" she questioned.

"I promised a friend that I would meet with her." Goliath explained. "I will return."

"A friend?" The female asked suspiciously. "Who? We are all that remains of our kind."

"She is a human." Goliath clarified. "A Detective Elisa Maza."

"Outside of Xanatos and his child, we have no human friends." The female argued. "Nor should we. Humanity is our enemy, Goliath. I thought you learned that a millennium ago."

"I cannot make with an entire world." Goliath retorted. "Doesn't Xanatos and Willow prove that there are good humans as well as bad?"

"How can you so easily forgive the humans for what they did to our kind?" The female growled.

"The humans responsible for that tragedy have been dead for over a thousand years." Goliath reminded her.

"Then their descendants shall pay!" she shouted, erupting into a furious anger. "I will have blood for blood!"

Goliath looked down at his mate coldly, remembering what she had told him back on the airship.

"You claimed that the centuries of slumber have changed me, but the same can be said for you." He told her. "You have become hard and unforgiving. You are not as I remember you."

The female's features softened, her anger giving way to shock and disbelief. Goliath then walked to the edge of the battlements, spreading his wings.

"Elisa is waiting for me." He stated.

"Then go…" the female growled.

Silently, he took off into the night.

In Xanatos' office, he and Owen watched the entire exchange on the former's computer. With a sigh, Xanatos closed his computer, rising to his feet.

"Goliath, it seems, is too hard to control." he decided. "A pity."

Elisa waited on the nearby rooftop where she had initially met up with Goliath. Once he landed in front of her, she practically ran to his side, a worried look on her face.

"Where have you been?" she questioned. "I've been looking for you all over the city."

"Why?" Goliath asked curiously.

"Three Cyberbiotics installations were robbed, and all three of them report being attacked by monsters." She explained. "More than that, I saw you and another gargoyle gliding away from the Floating Fortress wreck. Please tell me you have a good explanation for this."

"My clan and I were retrieving property stolen from Xanatos." Goliath informed her. "And as for the wreck… it was not my idea."

"Was it Xanatos'?" Elisa wondered.

"No, why would you think that?" Goliath questioned.

"Because of this." Elisa replied, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Remember the tracking dot I found on you back in the park?"

Goliath answered with a low growl, glancing at the paper to see a blown-up version of the beetle manufacturers label off the dot.

"Well, I did some research on the logo I found on it." She told him. "It's the symbol for Scarab Corp, a robotics firm owned by Xanatos enterprises."

Goliath's eyes widened, taking the paper in confusion.

"But, that doesn't make any sense." He voiced. "Are you saying that Xanatos arranged for us to be attacked in the park?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Elisa declared. "Heck, he probably planted the bug himself."

"But, those were the same mercenaries that stole the disks from him in the first place." Goliath tried again.

"No Goliath, I checked." Elisa shot down. "Nothing was stolen from Xanatos Enterprises. Those disks were Cyberbiotics property. He must have staged the robbery to trick you and your clan into stealing them for him. He used you, and he's been using you from the beginning."

His eyes glowing brightly, Goliath turned away from Elisa. She quickly, yet gently, pulled him back, making him face her.

"Goliath, I know we haven't known each other very long." She admitted. "And I know you have no reason to trust humans. However, you must trust someone in this world, and I think you'd be better off with me than Xanatos."

Goliath looked down at the paper, then up at Elisa. With a growl, he crumbled the paper in his hand. Elisa smiled at that, understanding what it meant.

"You won't regret it." She promised.

In the castle, Xanatos stood before five tall figures. Each one was covered in a large, white sheet.

"I'm afraid the gargoyles have outlived their usefulness," he declared, his voice even. "I can't count on their loyalty anymore. However, with the data on the disks, I can bring their replacements online."

Owen glanced down at his watch, noting the time.

"Sunset is in approximately three hours." He announced. "Once the sun comes up, we can easily dispose of the gargoyles. I'm certain we can come up with a believable scenario for Miss Willow should she ask where her new friends ran off to."

"No." The female interrupted, walking into the room. "You need to test these replacements, do you not?"

"And Miss Willow?" Owen questioned.

"I'm certain they can arrange for her to be out of the way." She offered up, giving the two men a malicious smirk.

Out on the tower, the trio were all playing Mario Kart on a small TV that had been set up along the battlements. As they played, an idle conversation passed between the four of them.

"So, your hair isn't supposed to be blue?" Brooklyn questioned.

"Nah, I just dye it every week." Willow replied.

"Dye it?" Lexington questioned. "Like you dye wool?"

"Sort of, yeah." Willow answered.

"But why do you dye your hair?" Broadway asked. "I mean, I've never seen a human with blue hair before."

"Because I like the color blue." Willow said with a shrug. "And I wanted to stand out."

"Well, I think you're succeeding." Brooklyn remarked.

Willow laughed at that, the trio joining her in her moment of joy. The moment was soon interrupted by a laser blast shattering the TV. Everyone jumped to their feet, in shock, trying to find the source of the shot. Down below in the courtyard, far out of sight of the four, a robotic version of Goliath retracted a laser cannon into its arm. It, along with five others stood behind Xanatos, Owen, and the female gargoyle.

"Attack." Xanatos commanded.

All five metal gargoyles spread their razor-sharp wings, rocket boosters built into their backs activating before launching them into the air. The trio and Willow all scramble for cover as the five robots shoot up towards them.

"What are those things?!" Broadway shouted.

"I don't- Gyah!" Willow exclaimed as one of the robots grabbed her by her shirt. "Let me go!"

"Willow!" Brooklyn screamed.

He went to try and chase after her, but the other four robots began to open fire on the gargoyles, scattering them easily. Meanwhile, the robot holding Willow flew her over to her tower room. It opened the door, then with a deft toss, forced her inside. She fell hard, then scrambled back to her feet. Unfortunately, before she could even reach the door, the robot slammed it shut, snapping the handle off to keep her locked in.

"No!" Willow screamed, trying to force her door open. "Let me out!"

Broadway glided towards her tower, hoping to free his friend. Unfortunately, he was so focused on her that he ended up leaving himself wide open for one of the robots to fire on him. The laser blast caught him across the side and sent him plummeting down. He managed to catch himself on the ledge of Willow's tower, but the stone gave way beneath his claws. This sent him falling to the battlement below, where he quickly fell into unconsciousness amongst the rubble.

"What did I tell you, Owen?" Xanatos boasted. "A vast improvement over the originals. They're steel instead of stone. They don't sleep during the day. They can fly instead of glide, and best of all, they're 100% obedient."

One of the robots took aim at Lexington, clipping his wing with a laser blast. With a yelp of pain, the small gargoyle began to fall, but Brooklyn quickly swooped in to catch him. It was an awkward catch, and it took Brooklyn a moment to adjust himself to the added weight. This gave the robot just enough time to take aim at the duo.

Thankfully, before it could take the shot, Goliath came out of nowhere, tackling the robot and driving it into one of the castle walls. With a mighty bang, the metal monster exploded on impact. Goliath then glided over to Brooklyn, gesturing down to where Broadway lay still unconscious.

"Down there!" he ordered.

The two landed amongst the rubble, Brooklyn placing Lexington next to Broadway. Goliath looked around.

"Where's Willow?" He asked.

The sound of Willow's frantic attempts to smash her door open filled his ears as he turned towards her tower. He moved over to where a stained-glass window allowed him to see inside. She looked back at him, immediately running over to the window.

"Those robots locked me in here!" she shouted. "Let me out!"

Goliath nodded, then his eyes began to glow, and he balled up his fist. Willow quickly got down and covered her head as Goliath punched through the thick glass. Willow quickly crawled through the window and into Goliath's arms.

"Watch over them." Goliath ordered Willow, setting her down next to the still snoozing gargoyles. "Keep them safe."

He jumped off the wall, and all Willow could do was watch as he and Brooklyn battled the remaining four robots. Hudson and Bronx, after hearing the commotion, quickly joined the fight. Bronx managed to catch one by its metallic tail, dragging it to the ground. It tried to shoot at the gargoyle dog, but Bronx's quick movements kept him alive. Eventually, Hudson jumped off the battlements, sword drawn, and plunged it deep into the metal monster, which quickly exploded.

"Two down, three to go." Willow muttered.

Commotion above her led her gaze towards the sky, where Goliath was being chased by one of the metal gargoyles. He managed to get above it, and quickly took control over its wings, forcing it to turn around, where another metal gargoyle attempted to catch him. Thinking quickly, he set the two on a collision course, then jumped away mere seconds before they destroyed each other.

"Yes!" Willow cheered. "Only one left!"

That's when the fifth and final robot climbed up the wall in front of Willow, and turned straight towards her, and the two unconscious gargoyles behind her.

"Remove yourself from my path." It demanded in a voice that sounded almost exactly like Xanatos'

Willow stood her ground, placing herself between the machine and the gargoyles.

"Make me." She snarled.

The robot moved as if to grab her, hoisting her into the air, but a red hand quickly intercepted the grab.

"Now that's not nice." Brooklyn chastised.

The robot backhanded Brooklyn, sending him flying, then turned back to Willow. It pushed passed her, knocking her down to the main level as it continued making its way to Lexington and Broadway. Luckily, the two were waking up, and when they saw the laser gun pointed at their faces, they scrambled to their feet.

"Where's that panel?!" Willow asked as she frantically searched the wall.

After a second, she found the panel and removed the hidden gun. She quickly targeted the fifth and final robot, then fired. The shot clipped its wing, knocking it off course, but the second shot was right on target. It took off the robot's head, thus destroying the last of the metal menaces.

"Yes!" She cheered.

Brooklyn picked her up and cheered along with her.

"We won!" he cried out in joy.

That's when the she-gargoyle stepped forward, a large laser cannon in her arms.

"You haven't won anything yet, fools!" she called out, aiming her weapon at Goliath.

Xanatos also stepped out, pulling out a gun of his own, and aiming it at the rest of the gargoyles.

"Dad?" Willow gasped, staring up at Xanatos before Brooklyn ushered her behind him.

The she-gargoyle fired her cannon, shooting a missile straight at Goliath. He managed to dodge, but just barely. The other gargoyles went to aid their leader, but Xanatos shook his head.

"Let's let them play this out." he insisted.

Willow ducked behind the gargoyles, and slipped through one of the archways, hoping to get close enough to Goliath to help him. As she did, she could hear him and she-gargoyle arguing.

"What are you doing?" Goliath demanded.

"Goliath… you're a fool, but then again, you always were." the she-gargoyle taunted bitterly, "If you had only taken the rest of the clan with you that night… the plan was perfect!"

"Plan?" Goliath asked.

"It would have succeeded!" She continued.

"What plan?" Goliath asked again.

"I made a bargain with the Captain." She explained angrily. "I was to get the gargoyles out of the castle, so the Vikings could sack it."

That made Willow stop in her tracks, and Goliath as well.

"What?" he demanded.

"It would have worked!" The she-gargoyle exclaimed, "And after the humans were gone, we would've had the castle all to ourselves! But you ruined it! You had to protect the humans! You made us stay at the castle when we should have been with you!

By now, all the gargoyles were completely taken back by the story. They knew about the captain's treachery, but never imagined that one of their own would have led to the destruction of their entire clan.

"After the Vikings attacked, the captain swore he'd protect us, but I didn't trust him." She continued, "I stayed alive because I don't trust anyone."

"Why did you do it?" Goliath asked pleadingly, as if not wanting to believe what he was hearing.

"You dare to ask me that?! After the way they treated us?!" The she-gargoyle shrieked. "They had to pay! All humans have to pay for what they did to our kind!"

"There is good and evil in all of us." Goliath insisted. "Human and gargoyle alike. You should know that more than anyone!"

He looked down, and his voice became quiet.

"Don't you see?" he asked, desperately. "None of this would have happened… if it weren't for you…"

The she-gargoyle's eyes widened in rage, glowing a bright red.

"Don't say that!" she demanded, then leveled her gun at him once more. "This is your last chance! Humanity is a poison that must be purged from this planet! Together you and I can create a new world for our kind!"

She lowered her gun again, the glow from her eyes fading. She walked over to Goliath slowly.

"You trusted me once." She said softly. "You loved me once. We have found each other once again after a thousand years of solitude. Does that mean nothing to you?"

Goliath looked away, tears glistening in his eyes. Willow could almost see his heart breaking with every word coming out of the she-gargoyle's mouth. When he didn't answer, her voice, and stance, hardened again.

"Very well." She sighed, her eyes becoming red once more, "If you are not my ally, then you are my enemy."

She leveled the gun and fired, and Goliath just barely dodged, landing flat on his back. The female quickly stepped forward, pinning him to the ground with her clawed foot, and aiming the gun at his face.

"I have a name too, Goliath." She said in an angry taunt. "The humans gave it to me long ago. You should know it before you die. I am Demona."

"NO!" Willow screamed.

Demona turned to see Willow barreling towards her. She knocked Demona back and the gun fired, the shot hitting one of the castle towers and sending it crashing down. One of the stray rocks struck Xanatos on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. No longer held at gunpoint, the gargoyles ran to the aid of their leader.

Demona and Willow struggled to their feet just as the top of the falling tower began to fall towards them. It landed with a crash, shattering the wall where the two stood. Both Demona and Willow began to plummet to the city below. Willow's screams echoed through the sky as the wind whipped around her. However, her fall was quickly interrupted by Brooklyn swooping down after her, grabbing her arm not a few seconds after her fall had begun.

"I got you Willow." He assured her. "I got you."

He brought her back down onto the wall just as Goliath removed himself from the rubble. He ran to the edge, searching for any sign of Demona, but she had long since disappeared into the cloudbanks. Willow walked over to him, placing her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I'm so sorry…"

He looked up at her, his gaze hard.

"Did you know?" he asked. "About Xanatos' treachery? About… Demona?"

Tears filled Willow's eyes.

"No, I didn't…" she answered, sobbing quietly and shaking. "If I had, I would never have let this happen…"

He gently patted her shoulder as the tears began to flow in earnest. He then passed her off to Brooklyn, who wrapped his wing around her in comfort. Goliath then turned to Xanatos, who was just coming to. He grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, hoisting him into the air and dangling him over the edge of the wall.

"She wanted me to destroy humanity…" he snarled in pure rage. "I think I'll start with YOU!"

Xanatos met his eyes and showed no fear.

"Go ahead." Xanatos taunted, "Without me, you'd still be gathering moss."

Goliath snarled, and his grip on Xanatos began to loosen. However, that's when Elisa finally arrived on the scene.

"No Goliath!" she shouted, "Don't do it!"

"Give me one good reason not to drop him!" Goliath demanded.

"Because if you do, you're just like him." Elisa countered without missing a beat.

This gave Goliath pause, the gargoyle stepping back from the edge of the wall.

"She's right lad." Hudson agreed. "And no matter what evil he has done, he is still Willow's father. Would you truly rob a child of her parent?"

Goliath shook his head in regret, closing his eyes and looking away.

"No…" he answered after a minute.

He then tossed Xanatos at the feet of Elisa and Hudson, who smile at his brave, and righteous actions.

The police arrived at the scene not long after that. Elisa made up a believable story, and soon, Xanatos was arrested and being driven away. Willow watched them work from a nearby rooftop, surrounded by the gargoyles.

"What's gonna happen to me now?" she wondered. "With Xanatos in prison, I have no one."

"You're wrong." Goliath stated. "You have us."

Willow looked up at Goliath in surprise.

"You mean it?" she asked.

"You protected my clan as if they were your own, and they have done the same." Goliath replied. "You will always have a place among us."

Smiling with tears in her eyes, Willow surprised Goliath with a big hug, who returned it in kind, wrapping his wings around her. Once he released her, Elisa and Hudson approached.

"You did the right thing, lad." Hudson commented. "Letting Xanatos live."

Goliath didn't respond to Hudson's remark, then Willow voiced what all of them were thinking.

"Do you think she survived?" Willow asked. "Demona, I mean."

"If she did, we'll know soon enough, I'll imagine." Hudson answered softly.

The sun was going to rise soon, so the gargoyles went to take their post. However, Willow stopped Brooklyn.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there." she told him gratefully.

"Don't sweat it." He replied. "Besides, you saved our hides twice since we woke up, so I still owe you one."

Smiling, Willow planted a small kiss on Brooklyn's cheek, and the red gargoyle turned even redder, smiling widely as the sun came up. Elisa approached Willow, placing her arm around her.

"You know, I wonder if the city is ready for these guy." Elisa commented.

Willow nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, me too."