"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."
-Sun Tsu's the Art of War
For a city that had a population greater than the entirety of Scotland in 994, the metropolis of New York City certainly never lacked places to feel completely alone. The warehouses and homes that 'higher society' had long since ignored for a few decades now rotted and decayed in states worse than Castle Wyvern's parapets of stones that had withstood over a millennium of isolation.
Speaking of isolation.
Brooklyn exhaled through flaring nostrils as he squatted on the roof of the apartment he was stationed at for the evening, the walkie-talkie next to him still as silent as it had been for the past 4 hours "Great... 'Oh sure Goliath, I'd love to come out on another stakeout. By myself. AGAIN. I can't think of any better way to get hands-on leadership training'." the second-in-command huffed, realizing tonight was on track to be yet another no-show.
He could have been taking down human traffickers, busting up drug rings, or at least tracking down Demona to collect the Pound of Flesh she owed him. But no, Goliath thought it was worthwhile to focus on a theft ring who dealt in stolen TVs and radios.
So here Brooklyn was, sitting on his butt for the third night in a row on stakeout duty. No long-awaited one-on-one leadership training from Goliath. No mentorship on how to guide his clanmates. And of course, NO opportunity to hone his skills by fighting side by side with the very clan HE had led entirely on his own for over half a year. Alone, like always, with his thoughts that seemed to do anything but comfort him.
Brooklyn clicked his Walkie "Elisa, this is Brooklyn. Radio Check?"
"Solid Copy, we hear you." her staticky voice crackled in response. "Just keep sitting tight. We'll radio if we see something."
Swell. His Walkie wasn't wasted, just his time was.
He knew Goliath had only been back for a few weeks now... but he had hoped for at least a tiny amount of time with him that didn't get prefaced with "We need to patrol. I have a task for you. Come with me, I need your help." or some other mission briefing. When Brooklyn had beheld his leader and practical father duck his way into the clocktower just less than a month ago, all the young gargoyle could do was throw his arms around him broad shoulders with his elated howls of "YOU'RE BACK!" echoing against the clockwork gears.
He expected the phrase 'absence may make the heart grow fonder' to work both ways between the two; unfortunately... that cherishment seemed to only go one way.
Sure, he knew that Goliath, the master of stoicism, didn't have much of an affinity for intimacy or outward affection... but ever since Goliath got back from Avalon, even THAT was gone; he was lucky if he even got a glance from his commander. All Goliath's attention and fatherly compassion had now been funneled solely into a single gargoyle: Angela.
The rust-colored gargoyle gripped his knees.
*Angela...* he thought, the OTHER half of the thoughts that plagued his mind.
How could someone so compassionate, so attentive, so... so... LOVING be the offspring of a stone-faced sphinx as strict as Goliath and an apocalypse-worshipping psychopath like Demona? Well, save for the night she, understandably, told him and his brothers off for squabbling over her like children bickering over a prize.
The lonesome beast sighed.
In a clan filled with nothing but jaded men who were the sole survivors of their massacred clan... the optimism and emotional attentiveness of her was MORE than a welcomed breath of fresh air. She was always so quick to acknowledge when someone was hurting, so quick to make their feelings valid and heard. In a warrior culture where Goliath's Mantra of "emotions cloud your judgement" was only echoed by Hudson, Angela's simple kindness was the only detonator an affection-deprived young male needed to turn into a territorial brute wanting to win her heart.
The gargoyle ducked his head grimly. He wasn't blind, Brooklyn knew her eyes had fallen on Broadway; and spending nearly EVERY night ushered away from the castle sure wasn't helping Brooklyn's chances in gaining the attention of quite literally the only possible female gargoyle within a 1,000-mile radius.
Brooklyn's downturn gaze practically drilled holes into the panel between his feet. How could he hope to ever find SOMEONE at this rate? He may have long since gotten over his crush on Maggie, realizing that his infatuation for her came from lonely desperation, not love. But the chances of finding ANY compatible female in the clan's path was slim at best. Any female gargoyle was either on the other side of the planet or in Avalon, only accessible through magic. Even then, what would it matter? Angela lived up to her name... she's the one he wanted.
Despite the rejected gargoyle's still tender heart, the newest addition to the family haunted him like a phantom siren; the beauty of her voice, the sincerity of her care, the comfort of her touch. How could he get her to see him WITHOUT Goliath stepping in to pull him away?
Well... He knew she loved flowers, being in a city with a lack of trees and all; that could be a start. His mind drifted, fantasizing of shyly presenting her with a bouquet to confess that his affection didn't just stop at childish crushes *Their beauty couldn't compare to you, Angela...* he imagined *Angela... I need to speak from the heart here, I-*
"Brooklyn? BROOKLYN? BROOKLYN!" Goliath's static voice barked through the walkie talkie at his side "BROOKLYN WHERE ARE YOU?"
Brooklyn nearly fell off the roof as he snapped out of his daydream. The disoriented gargoyle's clawed feet skittered on the rough panels while his taloned hands snatched the Walkie off the ground, his claws nearly leaving marks in the brickwork "HUH? Oh! Uh! Right Here!" he responded
"PAY. ATTENTION." Goliath snapped "A white panel truck will pass your position soon; you've got to stick with them!"
Brooklyn's onyx eyes snapped up – "Oh Great..." said white panel truck had already sped past him while lost in his own thoughts, a full block away by now and gaining distance at freeway speeds "... Off to a great start."
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Lexington's two, olive green talons grasped the frame of the library's doorway, peaking his head in as he leaned in "Brooklyn?" he called curiously. "If you don't get your red butt out here, I'm starting without you."
The sound of rustling on the couch caught his attention, though his pout returned when he saw it was just Angela "Oh! Lexington!" she chimed out as she sat up from the upholstery, closing her book to greet her rookery brother.
Lexington casually nodded his chin up at her "Hey Angela" the impish gargoyle's eyes not pausing their scan of the room "Uhhhhhh, you got any idea where Brooklyn is?"
"Oh, um" she folded her book against her chest with her crossed arms, fingertips drumming along the hardback's cover while she raised a puzzled eyebrow.
"Caaaaaaause it's Contra Night and he gets pouty when I start without him." The little gargoyle shook two NES controllers in his hand with a devilish giggle "Always claims I give him the broken controller."
Angela craned her neck back, peeking through the thin windows that lined the north wall of the library "Well my father hasn't returned yet, so I imagine he's still out on his stakeout."
Lexington's grin vanished "Wait AGAIN?" he paused "...JUST the two of them?"
The female cocked her head "Well, not alone, Elisa insisted she come along this time right before they took off. Wait, is there something we should be worried about?"
Yeah, there was something they should be worried about.
Brooklyn and Goliath alone? With the way they had been acting the past few weeks?
Goliath had been gone for seven months, just enough time for a new 'command climate' to form in the Manhattan Clan. No one ever gave up hope that Goliath and the others would return, but months without word from their vagabond family members meant Brooklyn eventually had to stop being 'Acting Clan Leader' and unofficially become 'Clan Leader'.
Everyone else had meshed back in together no problem... Brooklyn and Goliath? A 'Clan Leader' forfeiting control back to another Clan Leader? That was another story.
"Lexington?" Angela asked cautiously
Lexington couldn't help but grimace to himself. Goliath had always been stricter with Brooklyn than the others, but ever since he got home, he had come down on Brooklyn like a thunderbolt. Every strategy Brooklyn prepared, every decision he made, every plan he came up with, Goliath was right there to be his favorite critic with arms crossed and rehearsed grumbles primed "Are you sure that's the best call?", "Did you consider the dangers that poses?" and "Your clan relies on you, have you taken every precaution?" being regular favorites of their leader.
The lavender gargoyle was so relentless on his Second, Lexington honestly once braced himself when Brooklyn sneezed in the library, expecting Goliath to whip out a prepared lecture on self-control.
Lex knew his brother better than anyone else and Brooklyn's growing frustration was palpable, every night he mentally prepared himself to land back on a parapet to see Goliath and Brooklyn with glowing eyes and roaring maws. BROOKYLN had led the clan entirely on his own for seven months, now here he was being treated like a child.
Sure, Brooklyn may have been the youngest leader in clan history and the inexperience showed, but he was natural! 17 years old or not, he had kept the clan safe!
Brooklyn didn't need another critic; he needed a teacher. He had seen strides when Hudson had handled Brooklyn's tutelage since Goliath absence, but after he rescinded those fatherly rights to Goliath... not ONCE did Goliath follow through on a single promise for training! Why was Goliath just snubbing him on everythi-
Lexington blinked back to reality. His eyes locked dead onto Angela "No... Nothing to be worried about" he grumbled, slipping back into the hallway
*Fatherly rights, listen to me... * he grimaced *Why would he need to act like that anymore; after all,...*
*...He's got our replacement right there. *
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Brooklyn's wings strained against the hissing wind as the van screeched underneath the supports of a bridge that ran its supports over the road "My luck, crowded airway!" he snarled in frustration, barely ducking underneath a support beam that damn near took his head off. It didn't matter that he had caught up to the van, there was no way he could keep pace with it for more than a few more seconds!
His hands snapped out, talons out in force as he dove for the side of the truck in a desperate attempt to latch onto it. One hand pierced all five claws into the side of the vehicle like a hot knife through butter
*R-R-RRIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPP*
"CRUD! NO!" Brooklyn swore as his claws dragged through the length of the van rather than hook into it. He slapped his free hand onto the roof of the truck only for it to slip off uselessly with a loud, metallic squeak. Curling his fingers did nothing to stop his rapid descent from the passenger side door to the taillight. Brooklyn's hand lost grip of the van as he fell off and then t- Bridge Support
**WHAM!**
Brooklyn's vision went clear white as he slammed full speed into the concrete support of the bridge. His unbraced legs and tail whipped around the length of the pole like a crescent moon, his spine would have snapped in two had he not been lucky enough to have taken the brunt with his shoulder.
Brooklyn shattered to the ground, wind thoroughly knocked out of him "CUUUUUUHHH!" as he tried to bite for air, clutching his chest that had had its oxygen ripped away. His right side screamed as if it was on fire and his numb legs refused to respond until he stopped seeing spots. Trapped on the wet asphalt, he could only watch with mute fury as his failure sped away down the empty boulevard, the red taillights mocking him.
His ears perked up at the sound of Elisa's car speeding around the corner and screeching to a halt, the gargoyle weakly turning his head up just in time to see the massive silhouette of Goliath touching with a thud down in front of her.
He wanted to wheeze out "I'm alright." but his voice ransomed any words until they were paid their salary of air. One shaky hand slapped onto the pavement as he steadied himself to his knees, his right side numb. With a pained hiss, he managed to sit himself up. Brooklyn wasn't much for coddling... but he could do with a pick-me-up right now. He looked up and all self-pity disappeared.
Instead of a concerned leader, Brooklyn looked up to see a disappointed scowl carved into Goliath's mug.
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
"What were you doing when I called?!" Elisa heard Goliath bark out as she trotted from her car to the downed gargoyle and his towering commander "We had them!"
"I-I thought I saw something, okay? I-I was only away a few seconds!" Brooklyn defended as he shakily struggled to his feet, swiping off flecks of asphalt that were stuck to his arm
Elisa reached a hand out as she stepped forward to ask "Are you hurt?" but was interrupted by Goliath snapping up an accusing finger in his lieutenant's face.
"This theft ring isn't a game, Brooklyn!" Goliath rattled off in a growl "These madmen kill people, every day they are on the streets, someone could die!"
Aaaaand he was off.
Elisa had seen this a thousand times: A cop chewing out their rookie. With her many years in the Maza family business, she knew better than to interject against another seasoned vet as they barked out to one of their guys. Any questioning over a peer's leadership style should have always been done in private, never in front of juniors.
But even still, Goliath and Brooklyn weren't cops who worked together, they were family. She knew Goliath could be a strict leader who commanded discipline and loved a lecture, but ever since he had reunited with Brooklyn, their relationship was different. Negative reinforcement was more than necessary in the business where life-or-death situations was just Tuesday, but Goliath seemed to believe in nothing BUT negative reinforcement with Brooklyn now!
She knew something was up between the two, something Goliath wouldn't share. He HAD been stricter since he got back, but since about two weeks ago, he had been merciless to his second.
Honestly, she was glad she firmly 'suggested' she join in on tonight's stakeout. She had a feeling a chaperone was needed tonight.
Lex and Broadway seemed to slip through the cracks of Goliath's hawk eye. Angela? Well, Angela could get away with murder with her father. But with Brooklyn? Forget it.
Ever since the Oberon Incident, Goliath had treated his second-in-command less like a member of the family and more like a troop that was fresh out of a Court Martial. Not to mention, ever since the boys had fought over his daughter's affection, Goliath seemed to take extra care in corralling Brooklyn away from her. She couldn't blame the big guy; over the past few months she had grown to be every bit as protective and caring of Angela's well-being as he was... but, kids would be kids.
With the slow aging and daring feats of her nocturnal companions, she often forgot that the trio were technically still teenagers. Unfortunately, that age gap seemed even more apparent as she watched the usual cocksure and swaggering Brooklyn become smaller at his leader's critique.
Only for him to boldly take an unexpected step forward.
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Brooklyn snorted out angrily. Was he REALLY getting scolded? Goliath hadn't even BOTHERED to give him a single night of training to learn how to be a second-in-command; Dragon forbid Goliath's focus be diverted to ANYONE either than Elisa or Angela for more than one evening! So here Goliath was, pushing him into the deep end of the pool without teaching him how to swim, then getting upset when he sunk to the bottom?
EVERYTHING Brooklyn knew had come from Hudson, the only male role model in his life that seemed to have an ounce of fatherhood for him in the past half year or seemed to give a sewer rat's behind about him and his brothers. At least Hudson pushed him to be a better leader, rather than just push him in general. He was overjoyed when Goliath reappeared, hoping to officially embark on a bonding experience of student and teacher... now all he wanted was for Hudson to reassume his position of his mentor.
Brooklyn had been LEADING the Gargoyles on his own for over half a year now while Goliath got the closure of seeing other gargoyles and gaining a daughter. HE had been left with the responsibility and burden of leadership.
A month's worth of repressed anger was bubbling to the surface "I don't need the lecture!" Brooklyn shouted back "Stop treating me like a hatchling!" snapping his tail and wings around to storm off
Goliath paused for a moment, before he muttered out "I will..."
Every hair on Brooklyn's silver mane stood on end *Don't you say it. *
"...when you stop acting like one."
That did it.
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Brooklyn's neck whipped back around so fast that Elisa swore she heard a crack. and if looks could kill, her and Goliath would be 6 feet under.
The crimson gargoyle's beak curled back in rage, his brow furrowing as his eyes were one wrong word away from illuminating white. The insulted junior snapped his wings open "WHAT did you say!?" he barked out, Brooklyn's voice echoing off the abandoned buildings like a gunshot.
Elisa's attention immediately went to Goliath whose body hadn't budged
"Do you believe this to be the behavior of a leader? Or of hatchling?" Goliath responded.
Brooklyn stomped a foot forward, spreading his arms out "How should I know? It's not like you've taken the time of night to give me a SINGLE hour of leadership training!" he barked before giving a forced laugh and shrugging his shoulders "Oh but wait, what should I expect? Distance and stern silence seem to be your preferred method of leadership nowadays!"
Elisa moved to step in, but Goliath mirrored Brooklyn's flexing of his wings. With an arch of his back and leathery stretch, the Alpha Male of the Manhattan Clan burst his wingspan out in all its terrifying majesty.
Wings to Gargoyles were what manes were to lions or horns were to bulls. They were a symbol of a male's power... and "Brooklyn and Goliath" were now the literal phrase of "David and Goliath"
Goliath dwarfed his subordinate, his wings as black as night as they cast a shadow over the hotheaded gargoyle. Any other gargoyle on any other night would have flinched and submitted... but Goliath and his choice of successor weren't the average gargoyles. The threat that usually pacified any male before things got worse didn't work; in fact, it barely made Brooklyn blink.
That was it, she had to stop this before either of them did something they'd regret. She leapt forward, but Brooklyn puffed out his chest.
"NO! I'm not backing down from you! Not this time!" Brooklyn snarled, clenching his fists and trying to stand up as straight as possible... still having to crane his neck to meet the eyes of the behemoth who towered over him "I'm second in command and I'm going to have my say!"
Elisa backed off... it was about time these two 'talked'.
"This HATCHLING has been the one leading the clan just fine all year!" his usually cool voice now straining to channel as much conviction as it could "Want to know what I'VE been doing? Fulfilling ancient prophecies of Excalibur! Containing dangerous Mayan artifacts! Every time YOU did something in Avalon, WE were the ones who had to clean up YOUR mess in the real world!"
The subordinate jabbed a thumb into his chest "And UNDER my leadership, we were safer than ever! MacBeth wasn't abducting one of our own to be used in some sick immortality experiment! MacBeth wasn't throwing Broadway in chains! The Pack didn't come after Lexington! Xanatos didn't come after us!" Brooklyn speared a finger towards the lights of skyscrapers in the distance "DEMONA didn't come after us!"
"And you dare take credit for enjoying the safety that ANGELA'S peril ensured!?" Goliath shot back as he loomed directly over the defiant Brooklyn "MacBeth and Demona attacked us in Avalon! They attacked our people! What reason would they have to chase you down when they were fixated on us?!"
Elis was doing her best to stay silent... but even she noticed Brooklyn waivered slightly at the mention of Angela. Still, there was too much blood pumping in that fiery gargoyle to back down "Oh of course! MORE enemies from you! And you want to know what I got us when you were gone? ALLIES!"
Brooklyn growled with confidence "The Labyrinth Clan! Who was it that eventually got us FINALLY on good terms with the only other clan in Manhattan? It wasn't your kidnapping of a doctor who just brewed a poison to kill them! It was ME stopping a possible gargoyle crime lord! Now look! They're one of our best guys for backup!"
Elisa blinked. Brooklyn never talked about the Labyrinth Clan with fondness... she didn't know the full details of the story, nor did she intend to invade his privacy, all she knew was that some event with Maggie caused him to go sour. So, when she visited Derek the other week, her usually stoic brother lighting up at the mention of Brooklyn's name caught her off guard.
"HA! That Brooklyn. I thought I had him all figured out... turns out there's more to him than I gave him credit for" he had laughed "That gargoyle's a good kid and well... let's just say I owe him one. BIG time."
Brooklyn's attempt to make himself look bigger made Elisa refocus "I don't care what bone you got to pick with me. I don't know where it came from or why you got it. But YOU named me second in command! And I can't be a leader that pleases you if you don't tell me what it is you want from me!"
"Some DISCIPLINE." Goliath boomed simply. Goliath opened his hand "Or need I remind you how your brashness with Maggie and said Labyrinth Clan put your clan in danger?"
Elisa saw Brooklyn's visible confidence falter "Yeah? That I saw someone who needed help and I did what I could with what I had?"
"There ARE no second chances out here, Brooklyn." Goliath warned "Out of your brothers, you are by FAR the most reckless. Rushing in to snatch Maggie, letting your brashness pull you into Demona's traps, seeking vendettas on those you hate! You've been acting upon your emotions for too long and every time it puts your clan in danger! Such behavior should never be tolerated from someone entrusted with leadership!"
"RECKLESS!?" Brooklyn shot back "You want to know what reckless is!? Breaking into the Hunter's Airship ALONE! AFTER you commanded all of us to wait! Putting myself and Lex in danger! Attacking without thinking! Teaming up with DEMONA? LETTING DEMONA GO FREE AFTER?!"
Goliath's eyes widened ever so slightly "Demona was not our concern that eveni-"
"YOU LET HER GO! And she nearly ended humanity because of it! But what should I expect? Once again, your precious ANGELA was in danger, Your FAVORITE! Once she stubs her toe, all caution gets thrown into the wind and the REST of us pay the price!"
Goliath barred his fangs "And yet how many times have YOUR childish desires put us in danger!?"
Brooklyn's face made the same expression when Goliath mentioned Maggie "I have no idea what you're talking about!" he scoffed without a shred of conviction
Goliath stomped forward, a clawed finger acting as prosecutor to the younger "Do you think the 'trends' in your shortcomings have gone unnoticed?"
Elisa braced herself... hell, Brooklyn braced himself. She knew there was some dirty laundry to air out here, but she felt like a low blow was about to be dealt.
"How you urged us to break into Sevarius's lab to rescue Maggie? ONLY Maggie? Do not claim it was a righteous crusade when you had but one target in mind, the female! How Demona seemed to be able to trick ONLY you into joining forces with her-"
"DON'T YOU DARE HOLD THAT NIGHT AGAINST ME!"
"I wouldn't if it was a one-time mistake! But it was not! It is a consistent weakness that you fall prey to! Time and time again you allow your 'urges' to overtake your judgement! And from what I can tell... it has only worsened..." he growled darkly, his sharp barks slowing into a growling accusation "Do you honestly believe I don't know of what you tried to do?"
Brooklyn's gritted teeth parted slightly, eyes widening.
"YOU are the Second in Command, Brooklyn. Being in a position of leadership means that you must hold yourself to a higher standard, not a lower one..." Goliath paused, as if debating to say his next sentence "...And your position is CERTAINLY not meant to be used for 'getting rid of your competition'." he sneered in disgust.
Brooklyn froze, the ferocity etched in his face thawing into guilty fear.
Elisa looked back and forth between the two, she was missing something, 'getting rid of his competition'?
The stunned gargoyle took a shivering step back "W-What? How... How do you-"
"She told me."
Brooklyn, who seemed to have the argument in his control not 30 seconds ago, now stood speechless in dumfounded horror; eyes wide and jaw slack while his wings began to dip "I...I-I didn't."
Elisa felt a gut punch of pity, seeing Brooklyn's conviction crumble after having the guts to stand up to his mentor.
*Oh No... Brooklyn... Tell me you didn't* she pleaded to herself as she started to put two and two together... Angela HAD come to her for advice after all.
Fraternization was something Elisa was regrettably intimately familiar with. The police force was a male dominated field... and PLENTY of times throughout the years, senior male officers had helped 'influence' the careers of female officers they fancied. She knew Brooklyn would never in a million years stoop to something so low OR try something like that on Angela but...
Goliath folded his arms as he physically backed off Brooklyn, wings still spread wide. Elisa, who had swung wide from the two gargoyles saw nothing but disappointed revulsion twisted in Goliath's grimace "You are brothers. To abuse your power against them for such a horrid intention..." he folded his wings over his shoulders as he closed his eyes and looked away "...And for my DAUGHTER?"
Brooklyn's proud tail hit the ground, his wings went completely slack. He took a shaky step forward, hands outstretched "G-Goliath please-" he stammered "T-That wasn't... I-I would never-"
Goliath took a step back, making Brooklyn's hands grasp at air. The purple gargoyle exhaled through his nose with as much composure as he could muster "I expected better from YOU Brooklyn... To use such methods to prey upon my daughter... my own flesh and blood... I thought you had been raised better..."
Goliath marched away solemnly, one wing flapping to the side as he pointed back to the heart of the city "Go. Return to the castle. Elisa and I must talk."
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Brooklyn felt sick. His hands desperately reached out for his leader; his eyes sent a desperate plea for understanding that would never be acknowledged. He felt his stomach drop to his feet when Goliath dismissed him without even a glance...
"G-Goliath Please" he begged. Brooklyn knew his behavior the night they tried to stop Brod's gang was inexcusable. He wanted so badly to use the Phoenix Gate to go back in time and knock past-him's lights out... but even THAT 'him' would never do something as horrible as Goliath was implying! The sheer idea that Goliath thought he was even capable of such depravity made him ill!
"P-PLEASE!" he begged again, knowing full well where this was going. Goliath was going to make his disgust in him publicly known by stripping him of Second in Command. Goliath would no doubt converse with Elisa to get the validation he needed in making Angela the red gargoyle's replacement.
Trying to use his authority as second in command in a ploy to shoo Broadway and Lexington away, in a misguided attempt to court Angela, haunted Brooklyn with shame he hadn't felt since Demona tricked him into betrayal. He knew it had been wrong to betray the sanctity of leadership for his own ambitions... but the lonely gargoyle's desperation for affection and compassion had overridden all judgement he had.
Affection.
Compassion.
Brooklyn clenched his fists. Why was he always denied it from every angle?
He craved the paternal love that had been left back in the 10th century... an army of his nameless clan mates to shower each other with recognition and appreciation every waking moment. Now here he was, in a cold dark city... alone, like always. Where the only parent he had left now all but cast him out.
All attempts at romantic love ended up with them rejecting him and running into the arms of another... Maggie... Angela... he clenched his fist to the point it nearly drew blood. DEMONA.
Deny it all he'd like... the blackest part of his soul never forgot how it felt the night she held his face in her hands. How magnificent it felt to have someone so invested in him or so aware of his still tender mind. A vile concoction of maternal and romantic infatuation hiding the taste of poison that still flooded in his veins. He had dared to let himself be vulnerable to her! And she had used him! For that, he could never look at her without hatred filling his weakened heart.
...So was it by some divine, cruel joke that Angela looked so much like her?
Brooklyn was desperate to feel a shred of affection from anyone. A genuine love, whether it be fraternal or paternal. Love he hadn't felt since... since...
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Goliath heard Brooklyn mutter something under his breath. His trudging steps halted.
Deafening silence hung in the air. The father opened his eyes and clenched his jaw, his patience approaching its limit. Turning around, he saw Elisa had gone to place a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder in comfort... but now she stared in tense disbelief as if she hoped she had misheard the words that had hissed out of the red gargoyle's lips.
Goliath's piercing glare burrowed into Brooklyn "...What was that?"
"Yeah..." Brooklyn snapped his head up, agony burning in his onyx eyes "But it's not like YOU raised me!"
Goliath flinched slightly; initial shock replaced by a stern glare "Brook-"
Brooklyn pulled his shoulder free from Elisa's grasp "So THAT'S what this is all about!? Angela!?" he said with a tone that mixed both accusation and realization "It was always about Angela?"
"Brooklyn you kn-"
"OF COURSE!" he swiped his hand in the air "Who ELSE would it be for? It's always about her with you! Your little Angela! DARLING Angela!"
Goliath's eyes glowed slightly, the pupils threatening to disappear altogether "BROOKLYN." he growled as a warning. He was a patient warrior. He could tolerate much, but even he doubted the limits of his own self-control with where the belligerent gargoyle was headed.
"This is what it's all about now, isn't it!? You and her!" Brooklyn screamed "I should have known the night of the Gathering! You came back!" Brooklyn snapped his head back to look at his human companion "Elisa came back!" before snapping his painful fury back at him "Bronx came back! We were all back together again! Fighting together as a FAMILY again!"
Brooklyn's previous challenging, valiant stance from before now devolved into his hunched over squat... one he had not been in since his younger days "But I KNEW things were different when I heard you speak to Xanatos!" he rambled "You told him you finally knew the transforming power of a child's love!"
Goliath's sneer faltered, his brow softening as he watched his second-in-command lose his bearing... fearing that Brooklyn was going to say-
"WELL WHAT ABOUT ME!?"
Brooklyn's screaming voice cracked, his fingertips spearing into his sternum "What about all of us? Broadway!? Lexington!? Were we not good enough? Were we not your sons!? You didn't even LOOK at us! Half a year apart and your one and only concern was HER!"
Elisa finally broke her silence, eyes wide at the mere idea passing in the young gargoyle's mind "Brooklyn, of course Goliath loves y-"
"NO!" Brooklyn spat, thrashing away from her like a child "HE DOESN'T! We never gave up our search for him! I never gave up my search for him! I did nothing but patrol every corner of the city and beyond! There was no alley, no sewer, no warehouse, no skyscraper I didn't search! I would have searched every four corners of the globe to find him! To me, Goliath was irreplicable!"
Brooklyn's attention was forced from Elisa and back to himself "... But he replaced US!"
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Elisa and Goliath yelled back a definitive "NO!" in unison, although Elisa's shout carried much less certainty than his own.
"THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL IT!? All your affection and care has been funneled into her!" He accused, his breathing starting to quicken "It seems SHE'S the only one who gets the 'family' side of you anymore and the rest of us are left with the 'warrior' side of the clan! You didn't choose a favorite... you chose an ONLY!"
Elisa shifted into Officer Maza mode as she stepped in front of Brooklyn, squatting low so she would be below his eye level. Being a first responder, Elisa dealt with upset youths more than a hundred times in her career. Neglected, unresponsive kids to horrifically abused, rambling children... and unfortunately... Brooklyn's behavior was frighteningly similar.
She didn't see the proud, cocky, showboating rockstar 'tough guy' she affectionately looked after when things got rough for him and his siblings... she saw a neglected and jealous child.
"Brooklyn, you ARE his family." she said softly, taking one of his shaking hands in both her own "The whole time in Avalon, all he could think about was getting home to you."
"Home? HOME? He RUINED our home!" he roared, shooting an accusing finger at Goliath, swinging wild with his anger as his eyes flickered their piercing white again "He was supposed to protect us! HE was supposed to keep us safe! Instead, he mated himself with the ONE gargoyle who betrayed us and doomed us to massacre!"
Elisa's hair stood on end as she heard Goliath let out that deep, gurgling growl reverberating behind her. She quickly glanced behind her to see Goliath's eyes on the verge of matching Brooklyn's, his jaws parting as his patience was running thin. Elisa reached back and put one hand on his chest "Easssyyyy, Big Guy."
"All my moms and dads were killed! I lost everyone!" Brooklyn croaked out. Angela turned her attention back to Brooklyn just in time to see the tears that now welled in his eyes that erupted into their full glow.
"YOU WERE THE ONLY FATHER I HAD LEFT!"
Brooklyn's piercing shriek turned Elisa's blood as cold as the Hudson River. So, it was finally said out loud?
She knew gargoyles did child rearing differently than humans; 'children belonged to the clan' as Goliath put it. No blood relations mattered to a clan, to a young child, they would have a dozen mothers and a dozen fathers at any given time. No matter what, a hatchling always had a parent available for a hug, talk about their feelings, train them, and make them feel loved. Now three boys, soon to be young men, had to make do with sharing a single father from a childhood that was cut short.
"But now I don't even have YOU!" Brooklyn cursed out, tears now streaming freely from his empty white eyes and trickling off his beak. The pulse in Brooklyn's wrist was speeding up in Elisa's hands "Because you found your ACTUAL child! One that looks like you!"
Elisa placed one hand on Brooklyn's cheek, the other still holding his hand "Brooklyn, sweetie. You need to breathe." she said as calmly as she could; his heartbeat was out of control "Brooklyn. Hey." she urged "Just look at me, okay? I'm right here."
It was no use though. The fighting and protecting instinct of a gargoyle was too great, once they were locked in someone, words alone would do very little to make them leave peacefully. Still, Elisa rose to her full height, putting herself between Brooklyn and Goliath, two of the most powerful creatures she had ever had the terrifying honor to meet.
In front of her, a practically hyperventilating Brooklyn's chest heaved between sobs of jealousy and yearning. Behind her, the baritone growls of a challenged father and clan leader who was having his bond with his only blood child ridiculed. "Goliath. please." she said sternly, knowing how the big guy reacted much differently than the rest of his clan "I can understand why you're upset too. But Brooklyn is your clan. Please, I'll call Hudson and have him bring the boys here..." ...this was a problem that involved the entire Trio now. She exhaled in relief slightly as she watched his animalistic gaze soften, his white eyes starting to dim.
Unfortunately, she should have been more focused on Brooklyn "I WISH YOU NEVER MET ANGELA!" he screamed at the top of his lungs "THAT BITCH SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!"
Elisa's eyes snapped open "GOLIATH NO!"
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Goliath lunged for Brooklyn, his massive hands snatching the significantly smaller, glowing-eyed gargoyle's neck and shoulders with a terrible roar. Clan or not, a gargoyle father's protective instinct would take full control of any gargoyle male, no matter how reasonable.
In his savage state, he barely even noticed a nameless third party that had to dive out of the way for dear life. He yanked Brooklyn off the ground, clutching his gullet high overhead; his bellow mixed with the instinctual roar of a gargoyle and the audible shout of his voice.
Two smaller red hands slapped over his own, the shrill screech of an adolescent gargoyle in battle piercing the night. His flapping wings tore in the air like a trapped bird thrashing for freedom. Such efforts only resulted in the purple hands tightening their grip; Brooklyn was a capable fighter, but he was but a third of his master's size.
The entrapped gargoyle's kicking legs curled up, twisting his hips before slamming his heel down into Goliath's face. This time, Goliath couldn't keep his grip. His ears rang and his vision lit a brief ruby, gargoyle hide rushing through his fingers as he dropped his adversary.
His sight still spotted, the smaller male speared its shoulder into his gut, tackling him backwards and into an abandoned car. Glass exploded into the air and the car hood jettisoned from the vehicle. What little remained of Goliath's voice was forced out of him, his primal roars being the only exclamation that left gullet.
A small fist clobbered into his lower side with the force of a small battering ram, earning nothing but a furious roar from him. Goliath shoved himself off the car, snatching the opposing gargoyle's face with just a single hand before snapping his head back with complete ease.
Goliath heard a woman's voice scream frantically in the white noise of his instinct; it was not an enemy's voice, no cause for alarm. He whirled around as he picked up the clawing gargoyle with one hand, smashing it down into the very car it had tackled the two of them into. With a terrible howl, he lifted two fists overhead, ready to knock out his attacker with a single blow.
But the gargoyle he faced was quick. In the split second it took for his meteor-like fists to travel from the moonlit air into the shattering chassis, the other gargoyle had slapped its hands onto the rusted roof and rolled backwards off the flattened car.
Goliath had ripped the car in two with his double hammer fists. Seeing the gargoyle leap backwards and perch itself atop a wooden fence, Goliath snatched one hand beneath the bed of back side of the split vehicle and flipped it. In a flash of red, the hissing gargoyle dove out of the way whilst the fence was obliterated to splinters that showered over the two of them.
This foe was fast, before Goliath could get his hands on it again, it had already leapt down and snatched a small metal bar that had tumbled out of the ruined car's skeleton. Goliath himself barely had enough time to block an incoming swing with his forearm!
Then another, then another, and then another. Each swing against his flexing bracer caused it to warp and bend into a 90-degree angle, his attacker's weapon being rendered inopportune. Goliath dove his shoulder forward, nailing the smaller in the chest before snapping his arms open to send it flying backwards.
Landing on its backside, the twin kick from the ground up into Goliath's chin did very little when he already had both hands secured against his throat again. Not repeating his mistake from before, Goliath slammed the adversary's backside into the concrete support structure of the bridge overhead, giving them no ability to swing their way free.
His voice managed to form audible words again "YIELD!" he commanded.
"NO! NOT ANYMORE!" choked out the foe's voice "NEVER AGAIN!"
The speeding sound of blood pumping in his ears fell silent, the funneled yet blinding vision of combat dimmed. His senses returned to two gargoyles
...Goliath was choking his son.
"GOLIATH!" Blood still rushing, he snapped his head around. Elisa was clutching a piece of metal from the car in her hands, reeled back and prepared to swing "PUT. HIM. DOWN."
Goliath snapped his head back to Brooklyn, the elder's eyes losing their glow "W-Why her?" the suspended gargoyle gurgled out in covetous hatred "W-Why her and not me?"
Goliath dropped the fading gargoyle in pure horror, recoiling away as if touching him was like touching brimstone. His second crumpled to the ground, sucking in a starving gasp for air, refilling his lungs while on all fours. No sooner did Brooklyn even touch asphalt; Elisa was at his side holding his shoulders to coach him in breathing.
Goliath's eyes locked into the palms of his own shaking hands. What had he done?
With a dry wheeze, Brooklyn struggled to one knee despite Elisa's protests "A-All I've ever done... Is everything you ever asked." Brooklyn choked out with fists clenched.
Goliath clenched his own, not taking his eyes off the weapons he had lifted against his own clan.
"You call Angela your daughter..." he took a haggard breath "And you called Thailog your SON! The terror who tried to kill us! WHY?" he struggled to his feet, pulling away from Elisa "BECAUSE THEY LOOKED LIKE YOU!?"
Goliath's jaw clenched "You do not understand..." he uttered, but was drowned out by-
"Did you forget we existed when you realized at least YOUR legacy would survive!?" Brooklyn shouted, "Or did you not care in the first place!?"
Goliath's eyes flickered white "You could never understand..." he spoke up
Brooklyn stomped forward, chest to chest with his estranged clan leader, tears welling up "SO WHICH WAS IT!? DID YOU LOVE US AS A LAST RESORT!? OR DID YOU NOT LOVE US AT ALL?"
"NO!" Goliath barked out. "DRAGON ALMIGHTY, NO!"
Brooklyn could never understand! Goliath loved his sons; he loved them more than life itself! One thousand years ago he had willingly turned himself to stone in the shallow hope they'd one day be reunited. Even if the castle rising above the clouds was an impossible task, at least he would never have to be without them. Death as a petrified statue was preferable to a life without his children and Hudson!
From the moment he had stepped into Tom's boat last December, he had yearned for his clan and kind in the years here in the modern day. Not an hour went by without him missing his family to the point it physically ached. Not a moment went by when he didn't wish to rescind his wish to turn back time, to see his family and hold his boys once again.
Goliath's thoughts took him. While Brooklyn screamed muted words in slow motion... he couldn't help but realize the similarities again.
His time in Avalon gave him time to reflect; his priorities, his losses, his triumphs, his failures...
He felt Brooklyn beat his fists into his chest
...his mistakes.
Despite his current disappointment in his eldest son's recent behavior, Brooklyn was magnificent; he couldn't have been prouder of his choice of lieutenant. His battle strategies had been impeccable, his calm guidance of his brothers was notable, and how the most hot headed of ALL the clan had managed to wrangle down his temper was worthy of a medal.
Goliath had left an unsure child in December and returned to find a promising young man in his place. Brooklyn was strong and growing stronger, with the adrenaline starting to wear off, Goliath could feel just how sore the combatant had left him. Two years ago, Goliath could have had Brooklyn bested with a single hand in five seconds... now the mere boy of 38 was able to hold his ground.
He was a marvel. He was proud yet meek, passionate yet calming, ambitious yet caring. Yet when he looked upon his second and saw his fanatical loyalty to his clan... the fits of rage he could burst into if one of them was harmed... or the unbreakable trust that had forged between him and his brothers.
Seven months of reflection made him realize where he had seen such passion before...
Goliath clenched up.
Demona.
A passionate, young, fierce, valiant, and fiercely loyal Second in Command whom he would gladly lay his life down for... was this description exclusive to his former second in command? Or shared by his current one?
The similarities were too blatant to ignore. They were both the most 'protective' of their clan, so quick to be ready for a fight, so quick to strike first against a mortal enemy who owed them blood. Goliath knew Brooklyn would NEVER join up with Demona, nor would he attempt to genocide humanity... but he once thought the same about his Angel of the Night.
The night of Xanatos's wedding, he desperately grasped his former mate's past self. Her eyes enslaved his soul, her gentle touch ripped open every old scar he had, her soft words affirming her abhorrence for Demona's vengeance made him pray to every higher being there was that he could just stay in that moment.
He knew there was no saving the abomination Demona had become now, but Devil curse him... what he would GIVE to rewind time and save what they once had. Had he not been so blinded by love for his beloved, perhaps he would have seen what she was becoming. He could have addressed her increasing hatred towards humanity; maybe, he could have stopped her betrayal before it began. The massacre was his greatest failure... and by loving Demona too much, he failed to see the tragedy that was brewing in his own arms.
And now he looked at his current second in command, tears of betrayal and jealous hatred streaming from his eyes... exactly like she once did. He loved his son unconditionally... but in doing so, was he unknowingly creating another Demona?
Was he cursing his son to follow the same path that she had rotted on?
The heavens must have laughed at him. At first, he thought Demona had been recreated in Elisa: A fiery warrior who captivated his heart. Then, he realized she had been split in two: her body and blood had been given to Angela; her personality had been given to Elisa... Yet now... he faced the horrible reality that Demona might have very well been in THREE of his loves.
Angela had her form. Elisa had her nature. Brooklyn had her soul.
His time in Avalon filled him with a resolve to prevent his second from suffering the same fate as greatest failure. He refused to make the same mistake twice, and so he would do what he should have done 1,000 years ago. He had to be strict on Brooklyn: Relentless. He policed everything he did. He monitored his every move and thought. In no way would he allow his affection to prevent him from fulfilling his fatherly duties of preparing Brooklyn for when he was gone! He would not let Brooklyn suffer the way she had!
Goliath gritted his fangs with raw hatred, his eyes glowing white as Brooklyn's agonized face faded from his vision * DAMN YOU, DEMONA! 1000 years and your hatred still torments my clan! Damn you... Damn you... DAMN YOU! *
Brooklyn's beating red hands seemed to morph into her clenched, blue talons. His white hair turned into the fiery red mane that still blistered in the darkest parts of Goliath's soul. Brooklyn's screaming maw went silent... but those eyes... curse those eyes! They were the same as Demona's!
"I've given you everything I have to give! All I want is for our family to go back to normal!" Demona tearfully howled at him in a deeper, raspier voice "So why can't you just LOVE ME?"
Goliath's 1000 years of pain and agony, that had been bottled away, erupted "BECAUSE YOU ARE UNWORHTHY OF MY LOVE!" He screamed, both hands slamming into the smaller gargoyle "YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF ANYONE'S LOVE!"
OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO
Elisa opened her mouth to cry out, but no words came out. Goliath double-backfist Brooklyn square in the chest and face to send him flying through the air. His arms and wings didn't even spin in the air to grasp for something, both hands reached desperately for Goliath like a castaway ripped from a life raft.
Brooklyn howled as he skidded to the ground, his bare body dragging across the rough, sharp shrapnel of the dilapidated concrete. Thin streaks of blood lined his short impact run as his triceps, back, and wings were sliced up by stray shards of industry.
"BROOKLYN!" Elisa sprinted to his side to lift him up by his shoulder and arm. He recoiled away from her, snapping his hands to his chest and jerking his shoulder away from her. She dived her hand under his chin, pulling his face to look at hers "Brooklyn where are you hur-"
Her voice got snagged in her throat "... Oh God... Brooklyn..."
An impact welt on his left cheek had split his skin open, a trail of blood oozed down his profile. That wasn't what mortified her though... it was his eyes. Shrunken pupils quaked in the boy's young eyes, looking through her as if she wasn't there. His usually beautiful white hair laid in strands over his face, turning pink with the blood that now began dripping off his chin.
An animalistic rage akin to a mother bear blistered through Elisa's veins as she heard Goliath take a step forward behind them. She whirled around, her clenched teeth not the least bit phased when she saw an equally horrified expression plastered over Goliath's sunken features.
His hands didn't seem to even have the strength to raise themselves above his belt line. The usually stoic behemoth's bottom lip quivered as his jaw hung slack "B-Brooklyn... I... I didn't... Oh Dragon..."
Elisa's hand dove into her jacket out of instinct, her other hand sweeping out to the side to shield the shivering child "NOT. ONE. MORE. STEP." she hissed in a way that would've made even Thailog's skin crawl.
It had all happened so fast. One moment Brooklyn had been weakly battering his exhausted hands against his father's chest, while Goliath seemed to be staring at the ground and completely unaware of his surroundings. The next, Goliath's eyes snapped into their full glowing white and his wings and fists had swung out with all their force. Now, they were completely dark and bore horrified witness to the aftermath.
Every hair on her body standing up, she heard Brooklyn scramble behind her, the shrill sound of splitting concrete shrieking through the air.
"Brooklyn! Wait!"
The red gargoyle had skittered to his claws and sprinted down the street on all fours. Not a word, not even a look back. Where he had fallen, his claws had sliced into the cement like it was Styrofoam... multiple, small puddles of blood staining the ground.
"N-No! Brooklyn! I-I didn't!' she heard Goliath hoarsely beg. She shot him a death glare that commanded 'Don't you DARE chase him'. In the split second it took for her to turn her head back around, the fleeing Brooklyn was already disappearing into the darkness.
Goliath snapped his wings out, howling a plea "BROOKLYN!"