A Duck's Luck

A Goddess's Fury

Delilah let out a sharp gasp as she hit the floor , her bag luckily breaking her fall , at least a little . As she brought herself up with her arms , she saw the shattered remains of black glass all around the floor . The floor beneath her was solid - it looked like a kind of marble . Delilah stood up , rubbing her head and eyes to adjust to the new atmosphere . When her vision cleared , there , in front of her , was the one person she'd been waiting to see for what felt like forever . Finally , at long last , she had found him : Donald Duck .
" Dad !! " She cried , running over to him at full speed . " Delilah ! How'd you get here !? " He responded . " I used a compass ! Me , Dewey and Webby - we all came to find you - " She explained . The closer she got to her dad however , the more she could see what was keeping him back . In this strange , wide room , pillars lining the walls and green stained glass showing out to a twisted , green cave she saw her dad , held in a glass prison while being chained to a chair . " Dad , what happened ? How did you get in here !? " Delilah smashed her hands against the glass in an attempt to break it , but as she did she quickly held her in hand in pain as she was electrocuted .
" Delilah , you need to get out of here , now ! It's not safe , " Donald told his daughter through the glass .
" No , I came all this way , I'm not leaving you here ! " Delilah cried , continuing to punch the glass over and over even though it hurt , hoping that it would break . No matter how hard she smashed her fists against it , it didn't crack . " Wait , " She mumbled , looking around the strange room . " Where's Webby and Dewey ? " Delilah looked around until she saw another glass cage on the other side of the room . Inside were Dewey and Webby , waving their hands at her .
" How'd you guys get in here !? " Delilah asked desperately , running over towards them . " While you were getting to the houseboat , that green fog surrounded us and before we knew it , we passed out , " Dewey explained .
" When we woke up , we were in this weird cage . " Webby added .
" How can I get you guys out ? " Delilah asked , looking at both her cousins and her dad . " I don't know , maybe find something to break the glass with - something that isn't your fists ,, " Webby suggested .
" I was gonna use my sword but when I went did , I just ended up getting shocked , " Dewey sighed .
" A sword !? " Donald exclaimed from the other side of the room .
As Dewey explained to Donald that everything was okay , Delilah searched the room . It was extremely hot in there , she was sweating profusely . Then she remembered that she was , quite possibly , in the center of the Earth . It wasn't long in her search when she hear an unfamiliar voice .
" Well , you've finally arrived , " The voice said . Delilah turned around and saw what might've been the tallest woman she had ever seen . Her gasoline-green hair looked like it was spilled over her shoulders , Her bright red eyes accompanied by bat wing-like eyelashes .
" Are you ,, ? " was all Delilah could spew out . The hem of her dress reminded Delilah of moving fog as she came closer .
" Yes , that's exactly who I am . I'm the one you've come all this way for . What are you going to do now ? " Eris replied .
Delilah stood there , frozen in time . This ,, was Eris ? Sure , she had seen pictures of her but this was her ,,,, in front of her ,, for real . At this realization , there was a sudden burning feeling in her chest . This ,,,, was the one who had stolen her dad . This , this woman standing right in front of her was the cause of all the pain and despair she had been feeling for the past few days .
" You ,, why did you take my dad ,, ? " Delilah asked . Eris chuckled .
" I need him , " She replied .
" For what ? "
" If I told you what I needed him for then you'd just find a way to stop me , isn't that right ? "
Delilah watched as Eris began to slowly circle her . As she did , Delilah kept up with her , not wanting to let her back face the tall goddess . " I'll stop you either way , so maybe you should just tell me right here , right now . "
Eris let out a small sigh and walked over to Donald's cage . " You know who I am , right ? " She said to Delilah , not turning her back from the glass cage . " Yeah ,, you're the goddess of chaos , " Delilah answered .
" Exactly ! " The goddess yelled , her voice echoing through the room . " And I'm so sick and tired of being left out by the other gods ! " She slammed her fist against the glass cage , apparently unharmed by the electric shield around it . " Do you know how many times I've been left out ? All because I'm just being myself ? " Eris turned to face Delilah , her oily hair floating rapidly around her face . Delilah gulped a little . " Um ,, 3 times ? " she replied .
" A LOT OF TIMES ! " her voice boomed , the smoky trim of her dress flaring up like flames . Delilah stepped back a little in fear , wondering what she was going to do to get everyone out of here safely . There was a short pause , and Eris closed her eyes , pulling her strange hair back to calm herself . " But you know how that feels , don't you Delilah ? "
" What ? " Delilah asked .
" Come on , you know what I mean . "
" I have no idea what you're talking about ,,, "
The goddess walked over to her , her dress making it look as if she was floating - or maybe she really was floating . Her long , spindly fingers reached out and grabbed Delilah's shoulders , all the while Delilah could hear Donald in the background , squawking and yelling at the tall woman to leave her alone . With how close she was to her , Delilah could see the faint golden glow surrounding her , just like the feather she had found at the bank before .
" Aren't you tired of being left out by your family ? " Eris asked her . " all those times you were told to stay home because you were too innocent ? "
Delilah thought for a moment . Sure , there had been times where she couldn't go with her family on adventures , but that was because she had made the decision not to go ,, right ?
" What about all those times you were treated like a baby , huh ? " Eris's voice began to echo in her head . Soon , she wasn't even saying anything out loud , but was speaking to Delilah via her thoughts .
" Don't you want revenge ? "
" No , " Delilah shook her head and pushed Eris away . " I don't need to get revenge on my own family ! " Eris stumbled back a little surprised , but eventually regained her composure . " Oh , Delilah ,, sweet , innocent Delilah . Don't you understand ? " Eris reached for her hip and pulled the golden apple off of her dress , holding it out in front of her like a crystal ball . When Delilah looked into it , she could see Duckburg covered in the green fog from back at home .
" I've been waiting for you to come here , I've been watching you the whole time , " Eris said as she passed her palm over the apple and in its reflection Delilah could see herself with Dewey and Webby , exploring the various places they had been to throughout the trip . " Haven't you ever wondered why you mess up all the time ? Why you always end up needing someone to save you ? " Eris inquired . Delilah nodded her head a little and started to speak , but Eris continued on . " That's because you're the daughter of Donald Duck , the unluckiest duck in the world . You have his luck . " The golden apple in her hands changed to show Donald , still trapped in his glass cage .
Delilah's eyes widened a little . " You mean , I'm ,, back luck ? " Delilah whimpered sadly .
" Precisely , and you're exactly what I need . "
The thought of being nothing but bad luck made Delilah's eyes swell with tears . She turned her head and looked at the ground , covering her eyes in shame . " Oh , darling , don't be sad , " The goddess said softly . " Think about it ! With your bad luck and my monstrous power , we could both bring the world into complete and utter chaos . Your father already denied my offer , but I couldn't just let him go . If I did , then you wouldn't have come all this way to see me , wouldn't you ? "
Delilah nodded her head sadly , her vision blurry from her teary eyes .
" Delilah , don't listen to her ! " Webby called from behind .
" Yeah ! She's playing with your feelings ! " Dewey followed .
As the two ducks yelled out from their green prison , Eris snapped her fingers and just as she did , both Dewey and Webby were magically tied up with their mouths covered . " Hey , you can't do that to my kids ! " Donald interjected , quacking angrily until he too was silenced with the snap of the goddess's large fingers . Delilah looked passed Eris's shoulder and saw her family tied up helplessly , and Eris's heavy hands once again fell onto her shoulders .
" Listen here , little girl , " Eris's voice became deep and frustrated . " If you ever want these three to see the light of day again , then I suggest you agree to everything I say , do you understand ? " Delilah opened her mouth to speak , but stopped as the lady's nails dug into her shoulders and back . " I suggest you think very long and hard on what you say next . " Eris growled .
And with that , Delilah did just what the goddess had said . She thought about what to say next . If she said yes , her family would be free , but she wouldn't . If she said no , then her family and very much so herself would never leave this strange place . Delilah told herself there may be no real good ending in this situation . She loved her family dearly , and if sacrificing her freedom was needed to do so , then so be it .
" Alright , I'll join you . " Delilah sighed . She could hear the others gasp , even with their mouths covered , which tore her heart in two . Eris let go of her shoulders and cackled wildly , leaning her head back as her twisted grin revealed rows of pointy teeth . " You fool ! " Eris exclaimed . " Did you really think I'd let your family go ? If I let them go then they'd let everyone know we're here , and then they'd try to stop me . "
" I knew it was a lie ! " Delilah shouted back , wiping her face . " No wonder why the other gods don't like you , you're a terrible lady ! " Delilah felt that strange burning sensation within her chest , this time rising through her body and into her arms and legs . The uncontrollable amounts of anger and rage that she felt in that very moment of being lied to reached her brain and finally , all the anger she had been storing up inside her until this point exploded right out of her , sending into an episode of blind rage .
Delilah leaped right after the goddess's leg , climbing up it and biting her feathers . She moved quickly around Eris's tall figure , quick enough as to where Eris's arms and hands were too slow to catch her . Delilah did all she could to hurt this terrible woman . Not once in her life had she ever been so angry before , and it really showed as she kicked and bit and pulled her hair harder and with more force than she ever done before . At last she got to her head and grabbed her hair , pulling it back as if she was riding a horse . Delilah's face was bright red , she could feel the sweat streaming down her forehead as she swung and beat this literal goddess around . Finally , as if she had had enough , Eris shot a large beam of her magic out from her palm , scaring Delilah and causing her to lose her grasp on her hair . Delilah fell and hit the floor , knocking her out of her fit of rage .
" It's a shame , really , " Eris sighed . " You had come so far too , farther than anyone else had . " Delilah shakily sat up on her elbows and looked passed Eris's long dress , through the window behind her . There , in the distance , she could see piles and piles of bones that may have once belonged to past adventurers . She knew what her fate was and rather than getting up to continue fighting , she thought to herself , What's the point ? . The large woman placed her heavy , claw-like foot on Delilah's head and pointed her palm towards her , preparing her terrible beam of chaos . Delilah's cheek pressed against the cold , hard floor , and she closed her eyes .
The next moment , an indescribable feeling rushed through her body as the green magic seeped into her body , her arms and legs feeling tingly - kind of like when they fall asleep . This tingliness was far more powerful than normal and soon began to hurt . As the small duck lay helpless on the floor , Eris's foot on her head to keep her down , she thought of her family . Her beloved father , whom she hoped would be able to save himself , along with Dewey and Webby - hoping all three of them would be able to escape and do her justice .
She thought of her Uncle Scrooge , imagining what other cool adventures he and the others would go on after all this . Her Aunt Della , and Huey and Louie . Her mother , sisters , and her grandmothers and grandfathers . The family friends she had spoken to a few times : Gyro , Fenton , Launchpad ,, she wanted them all to be happy . She just wanted them to be happy , and she wanted them to know that she loved them , even if it didn't seem like it . She loved them , every single one of them , so much . More than words could describe , all of her friends and family . Delilah's muscles began to tighten and , just as she thought she was finished , they untightened almost as fast as they had came . Her body was no longer tingly and it no longer hurt . was she dead ? she thought . She opened her eyes and - no , she wasn't dead . Instead , it looked as if she was surrounded by pink . Apparently Eris noticed this too , and took her foot off her head .
" What ? How are you doing that ?? " She demanded angrily . " I- I don't know - " Delilah shakily replied , giving herself the courage to stand up . Eris's eyes narrowed , and the angry goddess shot all of her magic at Delilah in an attempt to overpower her . To her dismay , it didn't seem to work . As soon as the negative magic made contact with Delilah , it's color shifted from green to pink , almost as if Delilah was absorbing it - or was it something else of Delilah's that was ? There was a large amount of magic building up in front of her , and after a few seconds there was a big explosion of sparkly pink light . Eris was shot backwards , slamming against the wall . Delilah began to freak out , looking at her glowing hands and arms in awe of the magic flowing through her body . The first thing she did with her newfound power was explode the terrible cages keeping her family held captive . With two beams of magic she broke Dewey , Webby , and Donald free , freeing them from their ties and tape as well .
" Delilah , What happened to you !? " Donald exclaimed worriedly .
" I think something in her was able to cancel out the bad stuff in Eris's magic , " Dewey commented .
" It's her love ! Her love and care for all those special to her !! " Webby squealed out .
" My love ,, ? " Delilah repeated to herself . She turned back to face Eris , who was bringing herself back up from the crash . Delilah went over to talk to her , but before she could speak Eris shot more beams of magic after her . Each time though , the strange force field around her kept her protected .
" Eris , I know you've been treated poorly , but I want to help you ,, " Delilah cooed softly , all the while the angry goddess did all she could to keep Delilah away from her . A large beam of the dirty green magic was shot at her and Delilah's feet slid back as she used her force to keep the magic at bay .
" I don't need your help ! Bad luck isn't that useful anyway , you'll see ! I just need to rule the world , ruin this beautiful world the other gods worked so hard on . Then they'll see , they'll all see ! That they never should've messed with me , never, " Eris screamed as she pulled all the strength and power inside of herself to just get rid of Delilah .
Despite her words , Delilah continued to persuade Eris , telling her that if she would just stop and listen then it would be okay . Alas , no matter how hard she tried , Eris just wouldn't listen . Donald has already brought Webby and Dewey behind him to protect them , and they all covered their eyes as the blinding light from the clashing colors grew brighter and brighter . Eventually , Delilah knew there was no saving her , and finally gave up , letting Eris blast her magic at her for however long she wanted .
The magic built up more and more , and the kaleidoscope of colors was reflecting off the walls and windows of the murky room , pinks and greens dancing along the trims of the wall and in the light reflections on the glass . The loud whirring sound from the beams became more and more audible , to which Donald and the kids covered their ears . The whole room was shaking , the floor rumbled and it felt as if the whole core of the Earth was vibrating rapidly .Suddenly , the whole room filled with white , and as everyone squeezed their eyes shut as tight as they could , there was a loud , rupturing explosion throughout their ears .