Chapter Two- Assistance

Macbeth went to bed, managing to find a comfortable positon, despite his wings and tail. He slept soundly until sunrise when the pain of his transformation began. He exhaled once it had past. I need to be cured. I can't believe Demona puts up with this kind of pain every day and night.

He got up and pulled on clothes that would be able to stretch during his changes; he added holes for his tail and put on a long trench coat to cover the cuts in his shirt and pants. He added the tape of his change as well as the book with information of the stone to a briefcase before boarding his airship and flying to the Eyrie Building.

He set his ship to hover over the castle before dropping a ladder and climbing down. He knew his approach and arrival at the castle had already alerted Xanatos and sure enough, once he touched ground, Xanatos and his aide, Owen were already there to meet him. He nodded to the CEO. "Xanatos," he said neutrally.

"Macbeth," was the equally neutral response. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your assistance with a recent problem. If we could discuss this in your office."

"Of course. This way," Xanatos and Owen left the courtyard and Macbeth spared a glance at the gargoyles who were in stone sleep before following the two men inside. In the brief moment that he looked at the clan, he felt a type of connection that he could only chalk up to the gargoyle side of him that was currently inside him. Hopefully, that side will be gone soon enough; not that I hold a grudge against gargoyles. Just Demona.

"Now, what is the problem?" Xanatos asked once seated in his office.

"I had been researching for a way to break my link with Demona so that I can finally age and die," Macbeth began placing his case on the desk, opened it, extracted the book, and opened it to the right page before placing it in front of Xanatos. "I read about this, hidden in a South American jungle."

Xanatos leaned forward and read the entry. He raised an eyebrow and softly said, "Fascinating. Any wish, hmm? Yes, I see."

"I went to it and chanted the spell you see there, but instead of phrasing my intention, for some reason I thought of Demona in both her forms." He held up the tape. "The end result is on this tape." He handed it to Owen who put it in the player. All three watched as Macbeth from the previous night transformed into a gargoyle. Macbeth remembered the pain and because of it, he didn't see the change…until now. His change happened the same way as Demona's did that night in Paris. Of course, it did. That event was going through my mind while chanting.

The tape ended and Xanatos leaned back in his chair. "That's quite the predicament. What do you propose?"

"I need someone to accompany me back to the stone and wish for me to be fully human again."

"Hmm, yes. That makes sense. Very well. Owen and I will both go with you."

"I thank you."

Macbeth kept an eye on the sky as he piloted his ship to the site of the temple. He wanted to be able to set the autopilot before the sun fully set. He estimated that it would be night by the time they arrived. He wondered if Xanatos had an ulterior motive and decided that he most likely did. He knew that Xanatos sought immortality and the stone would certainly grant it. As long as I become all human again, it is not my concern what Xanatos does.

He started breathing hard a few hours later as the sun vanished. He saw his hands change color and his middle fingers fusing together. The rest of his skin changed color as his body changed from his feet and up to his head. He let out a roar and stretched his wings as the change ended. He folded his wings before returning to the pilot's seat. It still hurt changing, but he was trying to master the pain in order to lessen it. He wasn't sure why he was doing it; after all in about an hour or two, he would be human day and night.

He was leading Xanatos and Owen through the temple one hour later. He warned them to follow in his footsteps exactly, lest they end up triggering a trap. As they proceeded, he figured that Owen would use his wish on him while Xanatos would use his wish on himself. Again, he didn't care what Xanatos did, he just wanted his wish reversed. He came to the three tunnels and automatically went to the right. He was aware of his talons clicking on the stone floor as opposed to the soft thumps of the shoes behind him. He again wondered why he was aware of things like that. Perhaps, I'm aware so that I can remember them after I'm cured.

They reached the end of the tunnel and Macbeth strode toward the pedestal before coming to a halt. The pedestal was empty! The stone was gone!

"No," he whispered. Then, he screamed, "NO!" His cry echoed in the chamber and down the tunnel. He didn't cry, but he was numb with shock. He was stuck as he was; he would be a gargoyle at night forever. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Xanatos.

"I'm sorry," he simply said.

"I appreciate that. Let's go." The trio left the chamber and the temple before climbing into the ship and heading for Manhattan.