The Other Clans

Reality

"You can't keep me in here forever!" Hudson yelled to the darkened room. He grasped the bars only to be burned by them. "I'll get out, you hear me? I'll get out!"

"Yeah, I hear you," Lillias commented dryly from her own cage. She sat cross legged in the center, careful to keep her wings away from the bars. Both of them turned at the sound of footsteps.

"About time you came back." Hudson glared at the two approaching men. "Why did you kidnap me? What do you want of me?"

"I'd like to know that too?" Lilias asked.

"Nothing much Hudson," the man with dark hair and a ponytail said, "just your skin." Both Lilias and Hudson gapped at him.

"You'll have the devil done task of gettin' it," he growled as his eyes glowed white.

"Really?" He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. A drawer opened up from beneath Hudson and he grabbed one of the stone shards from the container. "Gee, that wasn't as hard as you made it sound."

"So you're through with me?" Hudson asked.

"Not quite." The man turned and pressed another button on his remote. "I need your help conducting a small experiment."

"Experiment?" Hudson turned to look where the man was. "What kind of experiment?" A Goliath like robot marched forward carrying a large crate. It set the box down with a thud and ripped the crate open revealing a thick iron tub. "What'll that be then?"

"The Cauldron of Life," Lilias said in awe before the man could utter a single word.

"I see you've heard the legends." The man eyed her curiously, running a hand along the rim of the tub. Lilias merely shrugged.

"You could say that." She looked intently at the artifact. "According to the legend 'whoever bathes in it will live as long as the mountain stones."

"Ahh." A light of understanding lit up Hudson's eyes. "You wish to be immortal?"

"Of course." He stood up and approached Hudson. "What good are all the riches on Earth if Fox and I can't enjoy them forever?"

"And how do we fit into all this?" Hudson asked, gesturing to Lilias.

"One of the key ingredients in the cauldron's brew is the stone skin of a gargoyle."

"These ancient talismans are often dangerous Xanatos."

"Oh, so you're the one that's tried to kill them dozens of times," Lilias said, understanding the situation better. "Nice to meet you. Also, I was told that you had a run in with the Eye of Odin. Didn't that teach you anything about messing with things that you don't understand?"

"You two could be right." Xanatos walked away. "Maybe it would be a good idea to test the brew first. Any volunteers?" he asked, turning back to Hudson briefly before continuing to walk away. The robot gargoyle came back and filled up the cauldron.

"You mean to dunk me in that oversized chamber pot?"

"Eventually." Xanatos dropped in the stone shard that he had picked up earlier. "The legend says that the skin must boil for a night and a day first. So be patient." A plume of smoke rose from where the shard had disappeared and the water turned pale before bubbling and spinning. "If the procedure is successful, I'll release you."

"And what if it fails?" Lilias growled. "What will happen to him?"

"He will have the privilege of giving his life for science." She restrained herself from lashing out, but her eyes glowed red.

"Our clan will not rest until they know where we are," Lillias growled, hoping to protect her own clan by making it seem that she was apart of Hudson's.

"But they already know where both of you are," Xanatos said as his assistant held up a small, accurate sculpture of Hudson. Hudson gasped. "This is just a sculpture's model of course. The real thing is life sized and very life like." Hudson glared at them. "The hardest part was finding a replica for your sword. But there's no sense in being complacent. Let's make sure the other gargoyles don't think to look for him here."

"And what about me?" Lilias questioned. "You couldn't have sculpted a very accurate statue of me in just a day."

"You are right, my dear." Xanatos walked over to stand in front of her cage, careful to keep his distance though. "Unfortunately, we had to settle with stone rubble for you... with gold flecks spread throughout of course."

"You made them think that I'm dead?" Lilias growled, feeling the heat build up in the back of her throat again.

"I was curious." Xanatos stepped closer. "I've never seen a gargoyle who could actually fly before. Or one that could breathe fire." She closed her eyes and calmed her breathing.

"Well, you're not going to get any answers from me. This is just as new to you as it is to me," she told him evenly.

"Then this will be an adventure for both of us." With that he started to walk towards the stairs, his assistant in tow.

"And what's in this for you?" Hudson asked the blond haired man.

"Service is its own reward. I would've thought you knew that."

"Owen," Xanatos called back, "I want the gargoyles distracted."

"Understood sir."