Above the rooftops, keeping a watchful eye below while attempting to keep to the shadows as they trailed the law enforcement chariot, Typhon and Demona glided towards a part of the human city where there was a suspected threat.

It was frustrating how this female still perplexed him, the way she worries for only one member of her clan, and a hatchling no less. It wasn't unheard of for some rookery caretakers to be more favorable towards one or more hatchlings than others, but she was barely part of her own clan and the way she acted to protect only her daughter bordered on prioritizing blood ties, which was a human practice. But perhaps, in his situation as well as his clan's current predicament, it wasn't a completely nonsensical idea.

After New Olympus was attacked by the gods and their minions, many of his younger and older brothers, sisters, even battle capable elders were killed; especially among them his beloved lifemate, Bia.

Despite losing so many, his clan's numbers were at least stable to rebuild in the future. But the remaining clan elders worried there wouldn't be enough eggs for the next Laying Season and it was more important to begin rebuilding much sooner with all breeding age capable warriors, which meant having to go against their monogamous tradition to have the newly widowed members now pair off with new mates instead of remaining single out of loyalty to fallen lifemates for the rest of their lives.

The clan leaders, Priam and Daphne, and even Typhon tried to understand the elders' reasoning, but it just seemed to go against the Gargoyle Way. In the end, most of the clan reluctantly agreed; and in the time since newly mated couples paired off, though it had to be done carefully to avoid inbreeding. But even though it was a reasonable idea, other problems soon emerged, such as the problematic lopsided numbers of more breeding age males than females, Typhon and Icarus among them. While a few newly mated pairs involved a bit of an age gap, any females that will be of breeding age wouldn't be ready for many years yet, a situation Icarus noticed early on with his annoying powers of observation.

Even before the surprise visit of mercy from unknown Gargoyles from a distant land, Icarus may have been the only one of his rookery generation to even suggest finding outside help now that they knew their clan wasn't the only one in the world since what was now called the Human Incident among the New Olympians. The leaders and elders just stubbornly scoffed at such an outrageous idea, stating those Gargoyles had been too LOUD, as well as if they were willing to defend a treacherous human then there was something wrong in the head with them.

Ever stubborn, Icarus brought it up again after an invitation to the first Gargoyle World Council meeting, even disappearing to attend after Priam almost ordered him to stop talking about it and choose a lifemate already. But ever rebellious and driven by an insatiable curiosity, he disappeared to that meeting, only to return and once again insisted to Priam and the elders about making alliances with other clans and they were hypocrites for not doing so if they were willing to break tradition for the good of the clan.

This only engendered their wrath as he was called a nuisance and a bad influence on the younger generations, and only earned him a month's long banishment into the rookery. To make a long story short, before it was even halfway done, somehow Icarus had snuck away without anyone noticing and it became paramount to find him and bring him home for further discipline. However, for the rest of the citizens of New Olympus it was a matter of thousands of years of secrecy, which to them was more urgent.

Typhon was never very close to Icarus, but in a begrudging way couldn't blame him for running away both times. He was one of the remaining eligible breeding age males who will be in his prime for a long time yet, and the elders had even considered betrothing him, Icarus, and a few of his other rookery kin to each other who had not yet chosen and paired off. But his heart and loyalty still remained with Bia, and he still held to the tradition of being monogamous until his last day when they would be reunited among the clan of the sky and stars.

So as debates ensued about what to do and how to bring the runaway Icarus home, Typhon volunteered, albeit reluctantly, to go to the outside world not just to find Icarus and bring him home, but gather reconnaissance and intelligence about what the humans knew of New Olympus and if they should prepare for another invasion.

So far, the good news was the humans of this ever stifling and claustrophobic city showed they knew nothing of New Olympus, only the local clan; yet he couldn't yet decide if that was good or bad news in and of itself.

However, the most frustrating part of all this was that Typhon was just eager to return home, but at the same time didn't want to because of the continuous pressure to pair off from Priam and the elders. Even his warrior instincts, which he always trusted since his juvenile days, told him something was wrong if he paired off with any other eligible female; like they weren't interested or in some way he was still a little too closely related to them. The elders would simply lecture him he was being too picky, and while his loyalty to his deceased lifemate was admirable, the future needs of the clan were more important.

Needs perhaps even this Fury, this Demona could provide. He wasn't unaware of the human practice of valuing blood ties from the old legends, but like the rest of his kind he just saw it as odd and misguided. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if there was merit to it, as least to the future survival of a clan so closely related.

But it wasn't just the heavy expectations at home he found himself less and less wanting to return home to face, it was his growing attraction to this enigmatic female. In some ways she reminded him so much of Bia, but in many other ways he knew next to nothing about her. He did know she was fearless, determined, resourceful, cunning, and seemed to know a bit of sorcery to use in clever ways; features he knew made her a great warrior and a worthy mate to any male to have as an equal, perhaps even as second-in-command at one point. Yet he could also tell beneath that warrior persona was something darker, a bitter anger and loneliness she seemed to keep at bay or outright avoid, making her ever more aloof and distant, yet is what also drives her to fight with such ferocity, almost a burning hatred that makes her live up to his term for her: Fury.

In other ways she seemed atypical to other Gargoyles, like the rest of her clan. Mostly secretive things and the way she wanted their loose alliance to be on her terms. It both frustrated him about her as well as drew him to her, and perhaps it wasn't impossible to think in some way she felt the same way. Which also deepened his conflicted feelings between her and his lost Bia.

"Watch it!" she yelled at him suddenly, snapping him out of his ruminations as he suddenly had to evade nearly gliding into a wall that seemed to come out of nowhere, no doubt understanding a bit why humans called them skyscrapers, as he turned his wings just in time to avoid becoming a big red splat on the side but nearly crashing into Demona a second before shakily righting his flight path again.

"You glide like a hatching!" she accused, "If you wish to get yourself killed, I can grant that for you easily!"

"I don't doubt it," he said, "and perhaps a bit amusing as your blue brother said he flew into a wall as well last night, but I suspect he got that black eye in a fight."

"I don't care about that," she huffed, "Just that we get to Little Tokyo and be sure Goliath doesn't do something foolish to get Angela killed."

"Surely even he's not so brainlessly irresponsible as to endanger a hatchling!" he gasped.

Demona hesitated a moment, mentally kicking herself for letting that slip. But there was no taking it back now as she only said in a quick breath, "She's a perfectly capable warrior, but she's still young and naïve about how the world works!"

"I don't understand," he said confused, "Doesn't your clan have a rookery? I've met very few in your clan, but I've seen images of juvenile hatchlings, and with a Hatching Season recently passed surely that means there are more hatchlings for your clan now?"

A sting of anger or guilt clenched at Demona's guts, but she just dismissed it as she seethed with clenched teeth, "Stop asking questions! You now remind me of my clever sister; she was intelligent but scatterbrained, always asking annoying questions and coming up with useless ideas about things she didn't understand. Remain focused on helping me protect my daughter!"

A strong flap of her wings carried her faster and further away, either in a hurry to get to wherever they were going or away from him, Typhon wasn't quite sure. He just flapped his wings to keep up, while keeping the blue and red flashing law chariot in view below.

A short while later, they landed upon a rooftop just above a still blacked out neighborhood the police chariot stopped at, perhaps very close to the threatened location as there were large groups of humans in garish orange and yellow work garb and using rather crude looking machinery no doubt in attempts to restore power to this part of the city.

The continuous flashing red and blue headlights, as well as some sort of temporary light towers evenly dispersed throughout the street made him and Demona keep to the deepest of thinned-out shadows to observe the humans' activity. Disinterested in whatever the humans did, he barely glimpsed them for half a second and only wanted to look at Demona as she barely noticed his presence and seemed to be searching for something with ever eagle-eyed focus.

Finally sensing she was being watched she gave him a cross look as she hissed in annoyance, "What?"

"You don't have to do this," he said low.

"Yes, I do," she hissed vehemently, "Goliath may believe his foolish half-truth about humans, but I'll never allow it to bring harm to Angela. She needs to learn not all of them are worth her protection."

"No, I mean any of this," Typhon said patiently, making Demona just glare at him, "The secrecy, the subterfuge, the plotting."

Her glare only softened an iota.

"I don't know what transpired for there to be tension between you and the rest of your clan, but I know it isn't the Gargoyle Way. It's as though you live as a rogue, a clan member, and something that is yet isn't part of the human world."

A tingle went through Demona's spine, but she kept her hard glare. She was so certain she never revealed her human form to this outsider, or even hinted at her human friend and potential ally, Andrea. If he did somehow know, for now she wasn't sure how to feel about it or what to do about it.

"What concern is it of yours? It's how I've survived for a very long time."

"But it doesn't just have to be about survival anymore," he said gently, seeming to step a bit closer, "Perhaps I've failed in finding my brother, but I may have found something just as important."

Her spine tingle seemed to become butterflies in her stomach as she looked up at the scarlet warrior, a foreign Gargoyle she knew little about, and wanted to keep it that way if her plans to regain her company and keep her daughter safe were going to work.

Yet, the way he looked at her now…

Her heart pounded against her chest, yet any real thoughts were gone as though lost to the winds making her light headed, taking the burden of more than 1,000 years with them.

"And what might that be?" she asked in a low husky voice, seeing his lips curl into a small smile.

"It's Gargoyles!" someone shouted just as a bright light suddenly lit up, momentarily blinding both of them, snapping Demona back into the moment as she tried to block the light from her sensitive eyes.

"Damn accursed humans!" she seethed as she ran to the nearest ledge and took to the air, with Typhon close behind.

In the gathering crowd of curious and frightened onlookers, a police officer put out a call to a certain radical leader of the GTF.

Barely a minute later they landed upon a rooftop not far from the edge of the worksite, but just out of sight of gawking humans whom she was certain would no doubt blame their kind for the whole blackout, just as they always find reasons to hate and fear her kind.

"They're not here," she hissed, "So we'll have to search the rest of the perimeter."

"What about that tracking spell I saw you use?" he suggested after a moment of thought, "The one we found Anaheim with."

"It isn't that simple," she groaned in frustration, "I need something to help me focus such a spell, like a scroll or a grimorum, otherwise it drains me. I only used it as a last resort to find that beast faster, and it was fortunate he didn't get very far. To try it now without a conduit over such a large area will no doubt drain me till tomorrow night."

"Leaving less time for when the next threatened blackout is supposed to take place according to human news," Typhon said thoughtfully as his tail tip flailed about, "Dangerous, even with the healing of stone sleep. All the more reason to leave."

"And I keep telling you, not until I get my company back and my daughter is safe!" she yelled in frustrated anger.

He just looked at her sympathetically, part of him wondering why he wasn't angry at her for being so stubborn. But then he understood loyalty to one's clan, even if it was just one member. Besides, he was still in no hurry to return home and reluctantly pair off.

"Very well," he said patiently, "Yet, I still believe your spell could make this search go faster. The sooner the threat is found, the sooner your daughter and her clan will be safe."

She deflated a bit, as she sighed in slight defeat, "Fine, I'll give it a try."

"Wait!"

"Now what?"

"From what you said about how it works, I'm worried for your safety. Why not cast it from my lair and spent the day recuperating there? Apollo can watch over you."

"That's very generous of you," she said slowly, "But it will be easier to cast it here, for the further away it's cast without a conduit the more difficult and draining it will be. No, the closer I am, the better."

Typhon nodded as she stepped onto a ledge, looked around at the dim and darkened skyline as she spread her arms to the sky and spoke her odd language for the spell.

Typhon watched in awe as turquoise misted light emanated from her hands to form a long path of some kind like rippling water swifter than his associate, Hermes.

She seemed to do well for some long moments until she seemed to tremble from weakening strength, her arms quivering, then her whole body as she lost her balance on the ledge, moaning in exhaustion as she slipped and fell back as though heavier than lead.

Typhon caught her with a warrior's swiftness before she hit the ground and just gingerly held her close as he kneeled to the ground, his stoic face unable to hide a worried expression.

"Are you alright, Fury?" he gasped.

"I'll be fine, you fool," she said through heavy breathing and half opened tired eyes, "Go…follow the trail…only you…can see it. Protect…Angela."

He only hesitated for a moment, but steeled himself as he gently carried her to a dark corner of the rooftop for her to rest. He gazed into her eyes for a long moment, lost to their depths and reluctant to leave her, his hand lightly touched her cheek.

"Rest, Fury," he reassured her, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He finally leapt from the rooftop, following the magical trail deeper into the still blacked out area surrounding Little Tokyo, never noticing the small smile upon Demona's face.

One of her rare genuine smiles.

Typhon followed the flowing mystical trail for a minute or so, glad for the near pitch-black shadows to cloak his scarlet hide. He became puzzled as he then saw the trail seemed to split into two trails, one dimmer than the other. Could the Fury have cast it wrong? What did this mean?

Not understanding what this meant as he approached it quickly, he chose to follow the brighter of the trails just to see where it took him before investigating the dimmer path.

Over a boarded up tailor shop, a team of Gargoyles consisting of Angela, Lexington, and Aurora kept vigilant watch in the darkened neighborhood, not seeing any pedestrians in the blacked out neighborhood.

"I'm still not sure I understand why we're here," said Aurora confused.

"It's one of the clan's meetings points across the city," Lex explained proudly as he stood tall, "You know, so teams check in with each other because the castle can be too far sometimes and we don't over use our communicators, as handy as they are."

Aurora just nodded in confusion as she said, "But I mean, why here? We're deep in the darkened part of the city and I don't understand the relevance of this place."

"Ah, I think I understand," Angela said, "This shop is owned by the parents of a friend of ours, but because of dangers that threatened them, they've had to go into hiding for a while. So, we promised our friend we'd check on it every now and then; and even if they return we're welcomed to use as a meeting point in the future."

"A human friend?"

"Not anymore." Angela became sad for a moment.

"I still don't understand."

"It's complicated," Lex sighed uncomfortably.

"Which there seems to be a lot of in your clan," Aurora stated dryly in understanding.

Lex felt his neck go hot as he rubbed the back of it, then pretended to check on something in his webbed wing.

"If you're able to stay long enough, we'll introduce you, Yin, and the other guests to our friends across the city," Angela eagerly suggested, "Lex can even show you all the most fun places to visit in Manhattan."

Lex shot her a look as Aurora just looked at him skeptically.

"Well, uh, I uh…, ahem," he stammered as he tried to collect himself, straightening his posture, puffed out his chest, and just checked his talons like he was Mr. Smooth, "I supposed I do know all the coolest places to hang in the city; it's why I'm called the Cool Master."

Both females just gave him raised browridges, Angela's more amused and Aurora also amused but still skeptical.

Lex momentarily grinned awkwardly just as Brooklyn called over the clan's com system, "All teams report to the Nomura place, we may have a lead."

"Lex, Aurora, and I are already here," Angela reported, "What's the lead?"

"Good, we'll all be there in a few minutes and I'll explain."

"I wonder what the lead is," Angela said.

"I just know the sooner we find that bomb, the better," Lex said determined.

"And if we do, do you think you can disable it, Lex?"

"I don't know, Angela, I've never delt with a bomb that gave off this kind of EMP before, or this powerful. But I guess we'll see, hopefully before dawn."

"Me, too."

Aurora just looked around in apprehension.

The mythical light trail had led to a group of young Gargoyles, a young lavender female enveloped in a turquoise aura of which she seemed unaware of.

Typhon carefully observed them from the darkness and just as silent as he sharply focused to listen to their conversation.

His confusion only deepened as he wondered why the young female was within the mystical aura until the smaller green webbed wing one called her Angela, to which he only went wide eyed in realization.

There also seemed to be indication more of them will show up here soon, and perhaps one of them would be Othello.

If he could get Othello alone to speak with for even a moment, the sooner he could lead him to what they searched for and the sooner he could return to the Fury. His Fury.

He quickly shook such a thought away as refocused on watching the small group, even keeping an eye on the dimmer mythical path that lead in an opposite direction from Angela.

For now, all he could do was wait.