By Rina

Tom’s Voice: "Previously, on Gargoyles:"

From "The Green":

Obsidiana: "We have something much better. The pollen from this flower will soothe his injury. And this leaf will protect him from infection."

Goliath: "Bronx agrees. I am impressed."

Obsidiana: "Our domain is teaming with curative wonders. But each time humans cut down more trees, such medicines are lost forever."

Goliath: "Now I understand why the forest needs gargoyle protection. Are there many in your clan?"

Zafiro: "There were once, long ago. Now we total a mere four. You will meet the others at the pyramid. "

Angela: "Pyramid?"

Zafiro: "The pyramid."

Obsidiana: "It was built be the ancient Mayan tribe that ruled this domain over a thousand years ago."

From: "Avalon, Part Three":

Tom: "Elisa, I thought ye understood ... Avalon doesna send ye where ye want t’ go ...
Avalon sends ye where ye need t’be!"

Central America

Jose Hernadez wasn’t a greedy man; at least, not in his own eyes. The temple by his village had been deserted for centuries, and everyone was superstitious of it. No one dared to go near it, especially not after the stories of the evil curse. Jose, however didn’t believe in that silly nonsense. He was more interested in the treasure that lay within the ruined temple than the monsters that his grandfather had warned him about.

He had brought a flashlight with him and proceeded into one of the entrances, pushing aside the thick and dusty spider webs that grew everywhere. It had a moldy, rank smell in here. Jose tried to ignore it as he flipped on his plastic flashlight, slowly making his way down one of the long corridors. The only sound was his own breathing. For a split second, he was terrified, convinced that his grandfather’s tales were real. But nothing lunged at him, so he continued into the darkness.

Eventually, Jose found an entrance, blocked off by stones and surrounded by faded etches of bats. This had to be it; the treasure of the Mayan people lay behind these stones. Putting his flashlight gently down, he began to remove the heavy stones, one by one. It took him much sweat and energy to move the blocks, but his determination soon paid off. He was able to walk into a cavernous room, his light in one hand.

The yellowish light swept over the abandoned room, washing everything in deep gold. Jose did not expect grave robbers to have been here, or archaeologists for that matter. But the room was empty, save for a looming statue of a hulking bat, carved in gold and glittering with diamonds. His mouth dropped open as he went over to the statue, running his fingers over the gleaming gold. This alone would give him a vast fortune!

He tried to pry the statue from the wall, but it was too heavy. No wonder the thieves hadn’t gotten it. At first, the greedy man considered trying to get some of the other villagers to help him move the great statue, but his own lust for wealth kept him quiet. Still, he didn’t want to just leave it here, with the door now wide open.

Jose tried to rip off the diamonds next, but not one budged. His attention fell on a large ruby in the bat’s forehead, the symbol for Camazotz, a bat demon, etched in the red surface. He found that this came out easily, but as he pulled it from its socket, a thick black mist curled from the gaping hole.

"What-?" He said in Spanish, watching as a mist formed. It swirled and churned, taking on the hideous face of a human bat. Its eyes flashed green as it spoke, a language that the frightened man had never heard before. As he tried to run, the cloud surrounded him, entering his mouth.

His scream of agony was cut off by the crunching of bones. The man’s eyes glowed a horrible green as his arms stretched out, forming razor wings. His neck twisted as his face stretched out into a blunt muzzle, one with sharp teeth and a flaring nose. What had been a human grew into a monstrous shape, a giant bat creature with gray brown fur.

Cackling with dark glee, the demon leapt onto the wall, skittering like some giant bug unto it had escaped the temple, where it soared into the silvery night.

***

When Tom had lived in Scotland, he never once saw a sunrise as beautiful as the ones on Avalon. Everything seemed magical here, especially dawn; it was his favorite time of day and he would often venture to the shore to see the way the pastel light reflected off of the calm water. His only regret was that the gargoyles couldn’t be here to see it. Alas, even on Avalon, they were trapped in stone during the day.

No one every came to the island, save for the occasional fae. That was why he was surprised to see a boat rowing toward him that warm morning.

"Hello to ye!" He called out, hoping that it was friend, not foe.

"Hola!" The person shouted back, and to his surprise, he saw that it was a gargoyle. At first, he could not believe it, for the creatures turned to stone statues during the day. But it was clearly one; he could tell instantly by the huge wings, the azure skin, and the curling horns. The female stood upright in the boat, dressed in a strange white garment, bracelets adorning her legs and arms.

Tom kept his hand on his sword the whole time, wary of the stranger. She was not unattractive, with glossy black hair and dark eyes that complemented her delicate features. He did not, however, trust her by her looks alone; doing that could be disastrous.

"Welcome to Avalon. I am Tom, guardian o’ the eggs," he said, watching her with cautious eyes.

"Ah, you are precisely the man I was looking for," the female gargoyle replied, hopping from the boat. Her voice was heavily accented as she continued to speak. "I am Obsidiana."

"’Tis a pleasure to meet you. What brings ye to Avalon?"

"I am a friend of Goliath. He told me that you could help me."

Tom raised one blonde eyebrow.

"Ooc, ye are a friend of Goliath’s, lass?"

"Yes."

"Well, then I can help ye. But tell me, are ye a gargoyle?"

The azure female, Obsidiana, nodded.

"How do ye stay flesh, lass? Are ye a sorceress?" Tom asked, the salty breeze whipping his hair.

"With this," Obsidiana responded, holding up a beautiful pendant carefully in one clawed hand.

"Amazin’," he commented, then motioned toward the palace, telling her to follow.

***

The palace was empty and Tom showed the gargoyle inside, past breathtaking decorations that no human hand could ever create. He stopped near a flight of marble stairs, watching his guest.

"How can I help ye?" He inquired.

"A great demon has escaped," Obsidiana answered, folding her dark blue wings over her body, "and we my clan cannot destroy it by ourselves."

"Yer clan?"

"Yes. I am one of the last, and it is our sworn duty to protect the forest. The one called Goliath told me of you and your bravery, and I used an ancient Mayan spell to get here."

"I see. But why are ye askin’ me, lass? Goliath is much stronger than I."

"Yes. But I could not find him." Obsidiana looked worried.

Tom was quiet as he considered this.

"Tell me more about tha’ demon."

The azure gargoyle took a deep breath, the pendant around her slender neck catching the sunlight.

"My clan first heard of the monster a few weeks ago when it began attacking a local village."

"Wha’ did it do?"

"It drained them of their blood, killed their livestock, burned their homes. Now it moves onto the forest, destroying as it goes," Obsidiana told him, tail lashing.

"’Tis horrible."

"It is. We think that it is the demon Camaztoz."

"Camaztoz?"

"The bat demon, personal messenger of Chaos," was the reply.

Tom’s face paled slightly, having remembered meeting one of Chaos’s minions.

"That is bad," he muttered.

***

Night came quicker than he had expected. Before long, the Avalon clan was awakening, shrugging off the stone skin that had covered their bodies during the day. Almost instantly they saw Obsidiana, and glided down to meet her.

"Who’s this?" Gabriel inquired, a burly male with greenish skin and a mane of blonde hair.

"This is Obsidiana. She needs our help," Tom answered.

"A demon has attacked our clan and the people that we protect," Obsidiana explained, looking at each gargoyle.

"Are we going to help them?" Someone piped up, in a rather shy voice. It was Emma, the most withdrawn of the Avalon clan, and the most intelligent as well.

"Aye, but ye should not come. It would be too dangerous." Tom realized that he sounded like an overprotective father even as he told the group this.

Everyone looked disappointed and the crowd broke up, all except for Gabriel and Emma. As Tom was adjusting his metallic armor, the jade female walked up to him, nervously rubbing her talons together.

"Please, Tom, we want to go with you," she said softly.

"Nay, it be too dangerous."

"We are warriors, not hatchlings," was Gabriel’s protest.

That was true. Tom sighed, wishing that he could be tougher.

"Fine. But donna say I didna warn ye," he said, giving in.

"Oh, thank you," Emma gushed.

Tom just groaned.

"I didna even talk to Katharine about this. Ah, well. We should be go-," he started, before another figure glided down before him with arrogant grace. It was Mary, the most beautiful of the females, her coral skin and ivory hair giving her an exotic appearance. A sharp tiara of horns grew up from her forehead, catching the strands of white hair as she tried to fix them. Folding her dark wings around her curved body, she stepped forward.

"May I come too?" She asked, her voice so disgusting sweet that it made Emma want to vomit. The two didn’t get along, especially since Mary and Angela, Emma’s best friend, were rivals. The coral female may have been breathtakingly gorgeous, but she was rude and lacked any real intelligence.

"Why not? Ooc, I shouldna have mentioned this at all," Tom said, shaking his head.

"Great," Mary replied, sneering at Emma, who folded her arms and looked away. The small group headed down to the beach, and Tom couldn’t help but admit this was insane. Katharine certainly wouldn’t approve of and the young gargoyles had never really fought anyone before, save for the arch mage.

The boat that Obsidiana had brought with her was crafted unlike anything he had ever seen before. As he got into it, he realized that there was at least one perk to this little adventure: he could see more of the world, something that he had secretly hoped to do for a long time.

***

Central America

Amadeo Gorcho leaned back in the back seat of his armored car. He was in a pleasant mood today, mainly because he had just signed a successful contract with an arms dealer in the United States. Plus, he wife would be gone for a few days, leaving him alone with his lover, Maria.

True, his men were unnerved because of some silly rumor about a demon. But this did not upset him as he allowed himself to melt into the soft, wine-red cushions, enjoying life fully.

Until something heavy slammed into the top of his car, bending the metal inward with a shrill screeching. The car swerved wildly as his men slammed on the brakes, drawing their weapons. One of the two, a tall, brawny man with thick arms and greased black hair stepped out, his gun ready. Amadeo stared in horror as a huge clawed hand snatched the man, dragging him up on top of the car. The poor man’s legs thrashed and he screamed, his shriek fading into a liquid gurgle.

The other guard didn’t even have time to move a single muscle before the giant hand with its curved black claws plunged through the window. Amadeo didn’t look to see the man’s gruesome fate, for he was already through the door, running for his very life.

There was a human screech behind him, drowned out by a louder, harsher bellow. The lush jungle was only a few meters away and he silently prayed that he could make it, before his attacker fired upon him. But Amadeo didn’t make it to the safety of the forest, for he was hit in the back, mud splashing on his expensive Armani suit as he fell to the ground, hard.

"No, please," he pleaded, hoping that his assailant wasn’t a guerrilla or rival drug lord.

But he found out that it was much worse.

A towering creature loomed over him, its horrific features visible even in the heavy darkness of night. Its glowing green eyes lit up its face, which was some awful cross between a man and a bat. A huge red ruby, the size of his clenched fist, was on the monster’s furred forehead, sparkling.

It bent down close, so close that he could see its needle teeth dripping clear goo and those demonic eyes.

"Wha-what the hell are you?" He choked out.

When the bat-thing spoke, it was tinged with malice and sadism, a low basso that echoed in his ears and made him shiver under the creature’s murderous grip.

"If you value your life, mortal, you will listen."

"Wha-what the hell are you?"

"I see that my appearance terrifies you. Perhaps this is better," the nightmare whispered, turning into a beautiful woman that closely resembled Maria, albeit her eyes were that hellish green, the ruby gleaming in her forehead like some decoration.

"Is that better?" It hissed, and Amadeo felt his wariness slip away, replaced by dreamy lust.

"Serve me," the creature said, its dark hair so close that he could smell its flowery sweetness, "and I shall repay you handsomely."

Amadeo could only nod, transfixed.

***

"Never have I seen such a place," Gabriel commented, looking at the dark green forest from their boat. Emma stepped op beside her rookery brother, agreeing. Indeed, it rivaled Avalon in its natural beauty, and Tom felt himself awed by the numerous flowers, the turquoise water, and the lush landscape.

"This is why we must protect it and the people who dwell within it," Obsidiana told them.

"Aye, ‘tis something ta be protected," Tom agreed.

As they were stepping off the boat, Emma turned and saw the first orange rays of sunlight. Her green wings flared out as she welcomed it, and each of the gargoyles, save for Obsidiana, turned to stone figures.

"They should be safe here," the azure female said to Tom, as she carefully covered the other gargoyles with leaves to conceal them from prying eyes.

"Where should we start?" Tom asked aloud, as Obsidiana folded her wings and glanced over at him.

"We must go back to my temple and find the others."

"Wha’ about them?" He questioned, indicating the statues.

"We can come back for them later," was her reply.

They went into the thick jungle and Tom found himself fighting a tangle of weeds. Obsidiana, however, moved with the patient grace of a jaguar, slipping through the forest with liquid ease.

"Tell me more o’ this demon," he said, trying to hide the fact that he was clumsily stumbling.

"I do not know much, except the legends. They say that Camazotz is one of Sairthi’s most faithful minions and that he was trapped here by the fae, supposedly for all eternity."

"Tha’ didn’t work, I see."

"No, someone’s let him out," Obsidiana said, pushing aside a dark brown branch and sending a dozen colorful birds into the hot air.

"How do ye plan to stop tha demon, if tha’s wha’ he be?"

Obsidiana stopped, craning her head to look over at the man.

" I was hoping you could tell me."

Tom smiled, or at least attempted to.

"I think we’re in trouble, lass."

***

Amadeo would have ran the second he laid eyes on the demonic creature, but the promise of wealth and great power made him linger. He had gotten most of his men to follow him and now waited inside for his new leader. They were outside a tiny village, where the bloodcurdling screams rose as the monster feasted. The man, used to violence, had become unnerved by the time Camazotz came back.

The thing moved with inhuman grace, wiping the blood from its chin. It was still in the form of Maria, her beauty clashing with the evil in her solid green eyes.

Amadeo cleared his throat as his men gaped, shocked.

***

Tom had to admit, he was impressed by the ancient temple that Obsidiana and her clan dwelled in. It was huge, stretching up much higher than Oberon’s castle, with green vines growing along the sides.

"So this be where ye live?" He asked aloud, as the blue gargoyle faced him.

"Yes," she replied, "and our ancestors have lived here since the time of the Mayas."

"Was it from them tha’ you got the magical pendants?"

Obsidiana nodded.

"Legend has it, a priest gave them to my clan to protect the green from evil."

"The green?" Tom repeated, as they stepped into the temple.

"The jungle. The one Gaia has entrusted to us."

"Gaia?"

Obsidiana turned around, the dim light catching her glossy black hair.

"The spirit of the forest," she told him, taking him down a long tunnel, her claws creating a din on the polished floor.

"Is she a fae?"

"No, much older."

Tom thought about this as they entered into a large room, where a serpent gargoyle with huge, white wings waited, reptilian eyes focused on the two.

"You must be Tom," he said, slithering up to the armored man, "I am Zafiro."

"Glad ta meet ye."

"Goliath spoke highly of you," the crimson gargoyle told him.

"I donna know why. I am not the best o’ warriors," Tom replied.

"It will take more than just skill to defeat a demon," Zafiro said.

"Tha’ I know," he agreed, then said, "’tis almost night. The others will be waking up soon."

The red gargoyle nodded, spreading his feathery wings. Tom put his helmet on, hoping that they could not see the anxiety in his eyes. He knew that it was foolish to go up against something as powerful as a demon, yet he felt bound by honor to help Goliath’s friends. As he was passing by the azure gargoyle, however, she reached out and grabbed onto his hand, pointing at some strange marks on the walls.

"What be that?"

"Hieroglyphics, left by our ancestors," Obsidiana told him.

Tom raised a blonde brown eyebrow.

"They tell us of our past and of the demon."

"Ye can read tha’?"

"Yes. But I do not know exactly what it means. It is a riddle of sorts."

"Read me it."

" ‘…and the third sun shines red in the sky, the power of Camaztoz locked within…’"

Tom rubbed his chin and then shrugged. Obsidiana seemed dissatisfied by this, but did not say anything as they left the huge temple.

Outside, the sun was setting, casting the jungle in darkness. Tom saw other gargoyles, nimbly moving about the pyramid, but Obsidiana stepped in front of him, pendant glittering in the pinkish light of the sunset.

"We will get there much faster if we glide. Do you mind if we carry you?"

"Nay, lass. I can walk." With that, he started down the long steps.

***

By the time Gabriel, Emma, and Mary had awakened, Obsidiana had arrived, accompanied by a dark red male with a shock of hair the color of fresh snow.

"You are Tom’s friends, no?" The snake gargoyle said, grinning.

"Yes," Emma replied, speaking for them all.

"That is good," the red-one said, before some of the thick plants parted, revealing Tom, his face smeared with a layer of dirt and sweat.

"Donna worry," he said, breathless, "I am here."

Mary rolled her eyes.

Obsidiana looked at the coral female then turned back to the others. As she was opening her mouth, however, Gabriel pointed to a thick ring of black smoke coming up from the rainforest.

"What is that?"

"I-I think that village is on fire," Obsidiana gasped. Behind her, Emma and Mary’s eyes also widened as they watched the smoke curl up into the night air. Tom drew out his sword, the shining metal catching the fire’s horrid light and reflecting it back.

"Come on," Zafiro shouted, moving into the jungle with the same grace as his fellow clan member. Tom, being old and a human, was the last to dive into the solid blackness, pushing his way through the dense undergrowth. By the time he had fought his way through the jungle, his companions had already arrived at a tiny village, where panicked people ran every which way, their homes ablaze.

As he was glancing around, a woman bumped into him, her face pale with raw terror.

"What’s goin’ on?’ He demanded.

"Camazotz…" she whispered, voice strangled with fear, her black hair falling down over her face. As she said this, the man heard a shrill wail from high above; startled, he gazed up, only to see a giant bat shape against the yellow backdrop of the moon.

"My God," he said between gritted teeth, awed by the sheer size of the monster. From one black wing tip to the other, it must have been twenty meters.

It swooped, giving Tom a better glimpse of its body, which was some warped amalgamation of a human and a bat body. The thing’s huge green eyes glowered at the swarming crowd below, its razor glittering with slime. For some reason, its demonic gaze lingered on the armored man and the demon wheeled around, coming at him. Tom did not have time to react; his last thought was that he was going to die as the monster’s scythe-like claws came at his head, preparing to yank it off.

Someone pushed him to the ground roughly; it was Mary, and the gargoyle snarled as the winged nightmare flew by harmlessly, unable to snatch up its intended prey.

"I think this is Camazotz," she said, crouching on the ground, tail lashing.

"I think ye are right, lass."

Camazotz was not alone; several armed men came around the corner, weapons drawn. Roaring, Mary leapt up onto a nearby building with the ease of a cat, whirling around as the enemy turned to face her, firing. While they were occupied, Tom lunged at one of the men, knocking him to the ground and scooping up his rifle.

As the fallen man’s comrades moved to help him, Mary pounced at them, knocking two over as she spread her dark wings, going back up into the air. When the armed men saw the gargoyle easily dispatch their friends, the remainder ran for his or her life.

Mary glided down beside him as Obsidiana and Zafiro, along with Emma and Gabriel, took out the rest of the men and their leader. But Camazotz was still a problem; the huge bat was circling about, his eyes focused on the group. As they watched, the behemoth came to the ground, flaring out his impressive wings as he did. Everyone, from Emma to Gabriel, looked at the demon, who was not pleased.

"You’re here to stop me, I presume," it snarled, flashing them a sharp toothed grin.

"Aye, ye are smarter than ye look," Tom replied, as Gabriel and Mary both lunged at the monstrous creature, only to be swatted away. The human did not wait until Camazotz had focused on him once more and opened fire with the weapon, something that Goliath had shown him about on a previous visit.

The towering demon shrieked as bullets riddled its body, yellowish goo dripping from its wounds. Hissing madly, it craned its deformed head to look down at Tom, who could only stare helplessly as the demon’s gashes healed up with supernatural speed and efficiency.

"My turn," it hissed, lunging at the startled knight.

This time, Tom moved by himself, throwing his body to the ground as the winged beast sailed by overhead. The gun was useless and he would wager that his sword was as well. Hopelessness threatened to overwhelm him as the ancient demon turned around, planning another attack.

Wait, he thought, focusing on the red jewel in the drooling monster’s hairy forehead. The gargoyle’s word came back to him as time slowed down.

"‘…and the third sun shines red in the sky, the power of Camaztoz locked within…’"

The ruby, it was the sun, the source of the demon’s power. Scrambling toward the others, he shouted to them, "I know the source o’ his powers!"

"What?!" Obsidiana demanded, as Tom rushed over to them, panting.

"Tha’ riddle in tha’ temple-I figured it out! The source o’ his power is tha’ jewel," he tried to explain, as the demon burst through a house, raining bits of debris everywhere.

"Now you die," the monster growled.

"I think not," Gabriel defiantly yelled out, eyes flashing white.

With that, he sprang up onto a nearby tree, hopping next onto the demon’s back. Emma followed him and Mary tried to, only to have her futile efforts stopped by the giant creature’s claw.

The demon shrieked and shook itself violently, trying to throw off its enemies. As it began to life off from the ground, Tom sprinted toward it, cursing his old, worn legs. Just the behemoth was getting off the ground, Tom jumped for it, Gabriel stretching out and grabbing hold of the armored human.

They all held on for dear life as the monstrous thing swooped, trying to snap at them with its glistening white fangs as it did so. Emma nearly slipped, but she grabbed onto the thick bat fur, helping Tom as they approached the ugly head. He slowly drew his sword from its sheath, hoping beyond hope that he had guessed the right answer to the riddle.

Trying to steady himself, Tom held his breath and raised the sword high above his head, fingers digging into the hilt. The bat demon had time to turn its hideous head and see its fate before the sword was plunged into the sparkling ruby.

As the jewel cracked, the demon shrieked, its body shrinking and warping. They were all tossed off, and Emma deftly caught Tom as they fell. The monster had changed shapes, now becoming a human, an unconscious one at that. Gabriel grabbed onto the man’s collar, flaring out his wings as they landed.

"I think tha’ is tha’ end o’ him," Tom said, as the shivering man was put down.

"I thank you," Obsidiana told them all, as the armored human looked over at the horizon. The sun would be coming up soon and he realized that it would be a good idea to get home before the princess found out. As Obsidiana was collecting the shattered pieces of the ruby, Tom turned to her.

"We best be going," Tom said, as they headed toward the boat.

"Take care," she said, waving. They piled up into the boat, Mary trying in vain to fix her dirty white hair.

"Well, ‘tis time to go home," he said, as the fog began to gather around them. Then he heard his own words come back to haunt him.

"Elisa, I thought ye understood ... Avalon doesna send ye where ye want t’ go ... Avalon sends ye where ye need t’be!"

Then they vanished into the dense fog.