"What the hell is going on?" Abby's eyes were wide with horror at seeing the school hallways filled with students reading the Gryphons and Gargoyles manual.

"I knew that bitch lied to you about it being the only copy." Sweet sneers.

Fangs pushed his way through the crowd to show them he had one. "It was in my locker. Everyone has a copy in their locker."

They walked to their lockers and opened them up to see that they had a copy. "I'm throwing this shit away." She moved to the trash can.

"No." Sweet Pea grabbed her arm.

"What?" She looks at him.

"Hear me out, whoever is in charge of this is hiding. They only reveal themselves to people who are into this. So why not get into it?" He thought if he can't beat it from the outside then he was going to destroy it from the inside.

"I don't know, I don't want you guys to get too deep into this." She saw what this game did to people.

"We are going to do what you have to do to keep you safe." Fangs was in.

"Let's see if we can get Cheryl and Toni to play," Sweet suggested.

"Jughead too." Fangs add. Sweet Pea groaned. "Are you going to write the scripts for the games?"

"I guess he played before so he can join. But you know the guy is going to want to control everything." He sighs.

Abby was reading the book when it was ripped out of her hands. "I don't want to see this toxic trash in this house." Fred threw the book in the trash.

"Dad, I need that." She went to grab it but he pushed her away.

"You better not be playing that game." He glares.

"I don't have a choice, I've been made the Gargoyle Goddess." She told him.

"That's not a playable character." He narrowed his eyes.

She was shocked that he knew that. "Dad, have you played this before?"

"I don't want to see or hear about this ever again." He took the book out of the trash to take with him. He ignored her calls as he left the house.

"What the hell was that?" She looks back at Vegas. "Come on, let's go pick up, Tessie." Upon hearing the girl's name the dog jumped off the bed and ran to the door. Tessie had been having trouble with math, so she was staying after school to get tutored. She tried to do it herself but there were too many distractions at home and Fangs in the background saying that's what calculators are for. She took Vegas to pick her up because she needed the extra comfort after a brain-melting hour.

"Vegas." Tessie ran out of the elementary school to hug the dog. With Southside being taken over, they had to transfer to Riverdale elementary school. It was an adjustment since she had to make new friends.

"How was it?" She asked.

"I got all the answers right. But, I still think it was pointless." She refused to admit that she was proud of the new skill she learned.

"Unless you want to be in the first grade forever you're going to have to learn it." She grabs her hand as they move down the sideway.

"Are you going to say that every year?" She pets Vegas.

"Probably." She laughed.

The Serpents were playing Gryphons and Gargoyles in the bunker with Abby watching. Sweet Pea rolled the dice. "You are imprisoned in the Gargoyle King's fortress. Trapped in pens, you live in fear, never knowing when his legion of Gargoyles will descend from the sky to feed. But his guards are arrogant. You've been able to observe and study their movements, and you've planned an escape." Jughead, the game master, read from the script. "Roll the dice to decide your fate. Let's do it. Now. Remember. It's only a game. It's not life or death…Unless, of course, it is."

Abby hated how interesting Jughead made the games. This was how people got sucked in. Fangs rolled the dice. "Your mission was unsuccessful. Everyone dies." Everyone groaned at that. It meant that this game was useless. They didn't level up. They weren't any closer to getting the Gargoyle King's attention.

"Jug, what are you doing?" They turn to see Betty standing there.

"Betty. It's all making sense. All of this is becoming clear. The game, the Gargoyle King. I'm on Level Three, but it's only a matter of time until I ascend. And I get to meet him." Jughead stood up with the manual in his hand.

"Can I talk to you, alone?" She looks at the other people in the room.

"Let's go up." Abby stood up.

"Why should we leave? They should go up if they want to be alone." Cheryl scoffs.

"I need some air." She walks to the ladder.

"Me too." Toni followed her. The other three got up reluctantly to give the couple alone time.

"How are you feeling?" Toni asked Abby.

"I don't want you guys to get hurt. You seem to be getting into it." She felt like she was watching a horror movie with how excited they were.

"It is fun, but we know it's a game," Cheryl reassured her.

"I already worship you, I don't need this game." Sweet Pea winks, making her laugh.

Abby was using the Blue and Gold room to get away from all the G&G players that wanted to praise her, when Betty came in with Josie, Reggie, and Kevin. "Oh, Abby, good you're here, you're going to want to hear this." She told them about how their parents became part of the midnight club. They became obsessed with the game.

"Hold up. You're telling me that my mother was a rule-breaking, anti-apartheid activist in high school?" Josie couldn't imagine her mom doing that.

"And that she and my dad were together back then?" Kevin pointed between him and Josie.

"I don't buy it. There's no way my old man hung out and did, like, cosplay with a group of lame-ass nerds." Reggie shook his head.

"That fact that you guys are stuck on your parents being different from when they were teens is idiotic. People change over time. My dad freaked out when he saw the manual. How else did he know the Gargoyle Goddess wasn't a playable character if he didn't play?" Abby felt like it was the missing piece in the puzzle. "Why are you telling us this?" She turns to Betty. It wasn't like her to just hand out information.

"Yeah, what do you want us to find out?" Josie was wondering what the point was.

"I suspect that whoever was running the game back then is running it now. Which is why we need to stop them before things get any worse." Betty told them.

"What, what are you trying to say?" Kevin narrows his eyes.

"That one of our parents might be responsible for what happened to Dilton and Ben?" Josie didn't like where this was going.

"Maybe. And that's why you can't tell them that you know about their Midnight Club, okay? You have to be careful and subtle when you ask them what they know. " She worried that one of their parents would snap.

"Then why not go after Penelope Blossom. She is the most unhinge out of all our parents. She has a villain origin story. She was adopted and trained to be a creep's wife. The only thing that she found valuable, her son, and wealth were taken away from her." She pointed out the obvious suspect.

"I was thinking it could be your dad?" Betty whispered.

"Excuse me." She put a hand on her chest.

"You are the Gargoyle Goddess. Who else would make you that but your dad?" She pointed out. Abby was shaken by that and soon it felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. She ran out the door. She kept running until she found herself on the football field. She dropped to the ground as she tried to fill her lungs. She was in a losing battle as her vision turned black.

"What's going on here, fellas?" Jughead went out to see Sweet Pea and Fangs were celebrating after Sweet hit the target with the bow and arrow.

"Toni and I were in her tent having a rendezvous…" Cheryl cleared her throat.

"When this arrow shot right through it. Three feet to the left and I'd be missing an eye right now." Toni held up the arrow.

"Yeah, well, we were practicing our aim for the next quest." Fangs pump his fist in the air.

"We wanna go off-board, take G&G to the real world." Sweet Pea told them.

"We heard other groups were doing it. They're leveling up faster because of it." He explains.

"Tough. I'm the Game Master so I decide when we go off-board." Jughead scoffs.

"You're the Serpent King, Jones. Isn't that enough? We're your foot-soldiers in life, we gotta be the same in the game? Down in the mud, taking all the risks?" Sweet Pea glares.

"Sweet Pea, we're not doing this again." Jughead sighes.

"Why are you so desperate to level up all of sudden?" Toni asked.

Fangs pointed to the chair by the fire. Abby was sitting there void of any emotion staring at the flames. Hot Dog was whining, pawing at her hand but she didn't show any signs of noticing. "Reggie had to take her to the nurse's office because she had a panic attack. She's been going between that state and a sobbing mess."

"This is killing her, Jones. What would you do if it was Betty?" Sweets asked.

"I want to solve this as much as you but we have to be careful about this. I don't want any of us getting hurt." Jughead wasn't trying to be a controlling asshole.

"Someone already is." Cheryl pushed past him to kneel in front of her friend. "Abby, Abby, come on." She called, but she didn't get a response.

Toni went to their side. "Abigail." She squeezed her hand making the girl jump. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's my dad." She had to clear her throat because it was dry from not talking all day.

"What about your dad? Is he okay?" Jughead asked.

"He's the Gargoyle King." She looks at the fire.

"Where do you get that?" Jughead yelled when she started to zone in on the fire. "Hey, where do you get that?" He put his hands on her shoulders to shake her back into reality.

He was pulled off by Sweet Pea. "Watch it." He growled.

"Betty told me everything. Her theory is that it's one of our parents. It being my dad makes sense. Who else would make me the Gargoyle Goddess?" She looks at Jughead.

"No, he's a good man." He shook his head.

"Everyone has a breaking point. His wife leaves him and his old love comes into town. They have a fling only for her to leave him for her mobster husband who locked up his son for a murder he didn't commit. He's in a constant battle to keep his head above water with a failing business. That's enough to make anyone snap. He is capable. He knows the game." She reasoned.

"No, just because your dad kept quiet about the death of the principal doesn't mean he is capable of setting it up for more people to die." He couldn't believe that Fred would do this.

"He killed a principal?" She gasped.

"Dilton wasn't the first person to die from this?" Cheryl asks. "Wait, was my mom part of this?"

"Yes." Jughead nods.

"Then it was her, she's evil." She told them like they didn't already know.

"But, why would she make Abby the Gargoyle Goddess?" Toni pointed out.

"Everyone sit down." Jughead orders. He told them the whole story that Betty told him. "So, you see I don't think it was any of them. I think it was someone who was playing longer. That person set it up."

Abby wanted to believe Jughead's theory, but she couldn't eliminate the possibility of it being her dad. "Dad, why are you so upset about G&G?" She watches him drink coffee.

"Kids are dying because their minds are getting poisoned by that game. I don't want you playing it." He put the mug down.

"Because you know personally how it can poison the mind. You played, you know about the Gargoyle Goddess." She wouldn't let him deny it.

"Yes, I played. I saw how much it can take over people's lives. We have to stay out of it." He orders.

"Dad, how can you stay out of it? I understand you were scared when you were a teen and the principal died but you not saying anything let a murderer go. That psycho is back, you should feel responsible for that." She felt like she was looking at a stranger. The man she knew wouldn't let this kind of injustice pass by.

"That was an accident. Someone took the game too seriously and the man drank a cup that he saw sitting around." He scoffs.

"Are you blaming him?" She squinted.

"Abigail, enough." He threw his mug across the room. He took a deep breath when he realized what he did. "Go to your room." She didn't need to be told twice.

"So they said nothing? Admitted nothing?" Betty couldn't believe they came back with nothing.

"All they did was lie and act like they didn't know about G&G," Kevin told her.

"Bury the lead, Kevin. They also announced they're getting married." Josie said in disgust.

"Oh, seriously? As for what, a smokescreen?" Betty groaned.

"They were a couple long before this game came back up." Abby shook her head. "My dad threw a mug when I confronted him."

"You think that was a crazy reaction? This is what I got when I asked my dad about that stupid game." Reggie took off his shade to show his black eye. "Why are our parents being so cagey about something that happened years ago? What aren't you telling us?" He looks up at Betty.

"That they accidentally killed their principal." Abby's grips tighten around her bottle of water.

"What?" The three just learning this turn to Betty.

"Did your dad admit to that?" She asks.

"Yeah, but only because I already knew from Jughead." She glares

"Jughead told you?" She looked betrayed.

"He thought I already knew. That's beside the point. If you're going to involve us in this then you have to tell us everything. So is there anything else?" She crosses her arms over her chest.

She opened her mouth when Veronica came in. "Guys, whatever this is, it has to wait."

"What's wrong, Vee?" Betty asked.

"I saw Archie. He's caught up in some diabolical teen fight club. And I need to break him out of juvie before he dies or kills somebody. And you all have to help me." Veronica told them.

"This guy, even when he's in juvie he gets involved in some ridiculous shit." She cursed her brother for adding another worry to her plate.

Abby was wearing a pink dress, the same one she wore to homecoming. She went over Veronica's plan in her head all night. Now, it was happening, she was scared but determined. "So why did you deny Veronica? I figure you would be happy to play a couple with her. Don't you guys have a thing going on?" She looked over at Reggie. He was looking sharp in his black-on-black suit. He was able to convince Veronica that Abby was the safe bet since the workers had never seen her before. She only talks on the phone with her brother. She respected his wish that he didn't want her to see him in prison.

"We shared a few kisses but she made it known that Archie was her end game. I'm done with these almost love heartaches." He grips the steering wheel, thinking about Veronica, Josie, and the redhead in his passenger seat.

"You should count yourself lucky. If you end up with a Riverdale girl then you might get stuck here." She sneers.

"Something happening with Sweet Pea?" He glanced at her.

"He's never going to leave Riverdale. He loves the Southside too much. I don't know how much more I can take from this toxic town." She looks out the window. "If Archie and I went with our mom to Chicago all of this could have been avoided."

"Yeah but Riverdale would have still been in shit. I knew I would have been worse off. If you and Archie weren't there to calm the serpents down, they would have killed me the night Fangs got shot." He parked his car in front of the abandoned recreation center. "Showtime, babe."

The valet opens Abby's door to help her out of the car. He caught the keys that Reggie threw to him. They walk up to the bouncer. "Password?" He asked.

"Contra," Reggie said.

"Nice try." He scoffs.

"Well… that's what it was last time." He reasoned.

"It changes every time…What are your names?" The man glares.

The name of the man that her father was cursing daily popped in her head. "I'm Monica Norton. You know Warden Norton, right?"

"Of course." He nods.

"Good, can you get daddy? Because my fiance and I are here for the show. I want to see some blood. Maybe it can be yours, I think I'll bring that idea up to him." She eyes the bouncer with excitement before she looks up at Reggie. "You think he would put him in the pool for me, baby?"

"I have never seen him deny you before," He smirked at the bouncer who was starting to show his nerves with the way he was shifting his feet.

"Well, if you have to get him for me to go in, can you hurry? I started to sweat and I took an hour to put on my makeup." She whines.

"Ah, that won't be necessary, miss. Sorry for the delay." He moved out of the way to let them in.

"Don't worry, as long as the fights are good, she'll forget all about you." Reggie patted his shoulder as they went by. "Great job, no wonder Kevin was begging you to be in his play." He whispers to her once they are inside.

"Thanks." They walk into the room with the drained pool. They looked down to see a guy warming up in the corner. "Archie." She grabbed Reggie's arm when he was brought in with a bag over his head.

"You have to keep your cool." He reminds her. His opponent took off his hoodie. "That guy is a monster. His abs have abs."

"Oh, that's Mad Dog. He was the old champion. But the redhead is the new one. This should make for an interesting fight." A man who overheard commented.

"Why is the new champ holding his side? Did you get hurt in the previous fight?" She asked.

"No, he must have gotten into a scuffle in the yard. I'm sure that prisoner in the hole for hurting a prizefighter." The man now notices Archie holding his side as he dodges the punch. "I guess this isn't going to be that good of a fight." He sighs walking off.

"Why isn't he hitting back?" Reggie watches him take a couple of hits.

"That's his friend." She remembers Archie mentioning him.

A waitress walks over to them. "Care for a drink?" Josie smiled before whispering. "I just overheard some guards betting heavily against Archie. They say he's going down."

"That other guy's huge. I'm not sure Archie's got long." Reggie noted.

Abby looked over at Veronica, who was pretending to be a waitress. She nods to her. "Let's get in position, Veronica ready." She told them. They took to different sides of the pool. When Veronica put her two-finger up and made fangs, they started opening up the smoke bombs they disguised as sodas to throw them into the pool.

Everyone went into a panic. With the commotion going on, they were able to exit the building. Abby swiped Reggie's keys from the valet's lockbox. They took the car to a hidden spot in the forest. They waited for Veronica to bring a dirty bleeding Archie to them.

They took Archie to the bunker. He was able to get cleaned and Toni, who had first aid training was able to treat his wound. "There, you are all patched up. Now don't make any sudden movements."

"I won't. Thanks, Toni." Even with the pain, he was happy to see all of them.

She got up for Veronica to take her place. "Who did that to you, Archie?"

"It was Joaquin. He stabbed me. I think the Warden made him do it…. Guys, where the hell am I?" He looked around the unfamiliar place.

"You're in Dilton Doiley's bunker," Jughead told him.

"The only people who know it exists are in this room. Right now, it's the safest place for you in Riverdale. I promise." Betty told him.

"Dilton Doiley has a bunker?" He was surprised but not surprised.

"We'll catch you up to speed once you're rested, okay? Archie. What is that on your hip?" She pulled down his shorts to show a symbol burned into his skin. Those informed of G&G were on alert because of it. It was familiar but still unknown.

"Courtesy of Warden Norton, to put me in my place after I tried to escape the first time." He hissed in pain.

"The Warden branded you and ordered Joaquin to stab you?" Jughead played off like he was ignorant to the mark.

"Can I have everyone's attention? Since my father saw me, I need to go do some damage control on the home front. But, someone needs to stay with Archie at all times." Veronica spoke to the room.

"Of course." Abby nods.

"Ronnie, I don't need anyone…" He didn't want to trouble them more than he already had.

"Yes, you do." His girlfriend and sister insisted.

"If someone had to be with me all the time. Can Abby stay? I want to catch up." He smiled weakly at his sister.

"Okay, I'll stay too. You guys can get some rest." Sweet Pea sat at the entry of the bunker. After telling Archie bye, everyone went up.

Abby sat next to him. "Tell me everything." He grabbed her hand.

"I missed you so much." She squeezed his hand.

"I thought you would be happy to have your headache gone." He teased me.

"Shut up." She laughed. She went on to tell him about dad, Vegas, and Tessie.

"What about you? What's new in your life?" He wonders.

"Same old, same old." She shrugs.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that." He didn't let go of her hand as he drifted off to sleep. He felt like if he let go then he would wake up from this dream and be back in his cell.