Meeting of Legends

Jim waited patiently while Detective Maza took the statements of the young couple who were attacked by the thugs the detective called "Quarrymen". He had never heard of them before tonight, probably newly formed (maybe even in response to the New Olympian's appearance), but they certainly struck him like any other hate group he'd studied in school, maybe a bit better armed. Still, he could not understand someone hating something that is different to the extent of creating and maintaining a group just to spread such hateful messages and to act with violence against innocents who did nothing to deserve it. Just the thought of if made his own blood boil.

It troubled Jim just how quickly he rose to anger since his transformation. It was one of the reasons he ultimately decided to come following the information from the Weird Sisters, more than his aversion to the sun, more than his inability to remove his armor. It pretty much went hand-in-hand with his future, or possible lack thereof, with Claire. Mr Stricklander might have a point about the anger making him a better fighter, but it has a rather negative, even destructive, effect on relationships. While his mom never really wanted to talk about it, but the way she always skirted around the topic of his father made him imagine that was the reason they didn't stay together, why Jim was raised by his mother alone without so much as a birthday or Christmas card from him in the mail. Jim had once found a photo of his mother and father in his mom's things, just the one. No matter where he looked he didn't find any others, and Jim didn't believe that he came into this world as the result of a one-night stand. That told Jim that, whatever the cause was, the relationship between his mother and father had ended on a bad note and this one photograph was the only thing that had survived the purge of his father from his mom's life (along with Jim himself, of course).

This was supported by how his mom almost always called him "Jim" instead of "James", the exception being when she was very angry with him, and how she always reverted to calling "Jim" afterwards. Probably didn't want any reminders of her erstwhile husband, and yet she still ended up naming him James Lake Jr after him. Why? Were they still together when he was born? Had they separated by then but she had remained hopeful that what problems had caused them to part ways would get resolved and that they would get back together like nothing ever happened? All these years later and Jim was no closer to an answer than back when….

"Jim?" he heard Detective Maza call out to him, breaking into his musings, "Jim Lake?"

"Yes?" Jim sheepishly responded, embarrassed that he'd let his attention wander. Both Mr Strickler (If he were here) and Merlin would scold him something fierce if they'd found out that he'd let his guard drop like that.

"You seem somewhat out of it, are you all right?" Detective Maza asked him, "Did you need the paramedics to take a look at you too?"

"No, I'm fine. Just lost in thought," Jim admitted as he looked towards the street where the EMT's were loading the boyfriend into the back of the ambulance, and he noticed the girlfriend's tail peeking out until it curled in to allow them to close the doors, "What about them?"

"Their injuries were serious but apparently not life threatening," the detective explained, "The guy caught the worst of it. It seems that he managed to put up quite the fight before the Quarrymen were able to subdue him. Still, they were lucky you kids came along when you did."

"I'm just glad we were able to reach them in time," Jim responded as Claire squeezed the hand she was holding in silent agreement.

"So that young lady you saved called you a 'trollhunter'. So you, what, hunt trolls or something?" Detective Maza asked for clarification.

"Not exactly, anymore than you go actually hunting for men during one of your 'manhunts'," Claire corrected her for him.

"It's a title, much like 'police officer' or 'bounty hunter'," Jim explained, "While many trolls simply want to go about their daily lives there are some, like Gunmar or Angor Rot, who pose a threat to the safety of the surface world or even the trolls of Trollmarket. It is my duty to find those rogue elements, as well as goblins and other creatures who pose those dangers, and stop them by whatever means are necessary."

"I'm not sure that I care for the 'any means necessary' part," Detective Maza said warily.

"That's understandable," Jim told her, "but I have no intention or desire to use more force than necessary. In fact we were able to convert a few of our enemies into allies and friends. Doesn't seem quite enough to make up for the friends we lost though."

"Sorry to hear about that," Detective Maza said sympathetically before clearing her throat and, in an attempt to redirect the conversation, asked them, "So, trolls huh? Like the kind that is supposed to be living under bridges and whatnot?"

"Trolls don't actually live under bridges, miss detective," Claire answered her, though she stumbled a bit on the proper way to address her, "They might hang out under one if they happen to get caught out in the open when the sun rises, or they may hide the entrance to Trollmarket there for the extra protective shade it provides, but trolls prefer to live deep underground where the sun has no chance of reaching them."

"I see," the detective mused, "I've heard of trolls before, but I had thought that they were just stories about gargoyles told by people who didn't understand them well."

Jim wanted to ask her what she had meant about gargoyles, but before he could voice his thoughts he heard a powerful voice call out, "That's not exactly the case, Elisa." Looking up Jim's mouth fell open as he saw a powerfully built figure gliding down towards them. With his slate-gray complexion, claw-like fingers and toes, and horn-like protrusions at the hairline of his thick, long black hair, this newcomer at first looked to Jim like yet another troll (or perhaps a changeling like Mr Stricklander judging by his wings.) However, as he came in for a landing Jim saw that this guy's skin wasn't as porus or craggy as those of his friends that he'd left behind in the warehouse, looking more like actual flesh (like his own). Not to mention that the heel spurs on this guy's feet looked more suited to perching on high, narrow ledges than traversing underground passages.

"Goliath!' Detective Maza said in a tone that did little to hide her delight at this one's arrival even if she hadn't practically spelled it out for Jim by throwing her arms around the guy's neck and giving him a quick peck on the cheek as she said, "What brings you here? I was so busy that I hadn't had a chance to call you in."

"I was out on patrol when I saw you driving past down below," the one the detective called Goliath answered, and though he talked in a serious tone Jim saw that Goliath had a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth at the warmness of the detective's greeting, "Judging by how fast you were driving and the fact you had your lights going I figured there was trouble so I followed you to see if I could help. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to keep up with your vehicle's speed."

"I almost wish you had. The Quarrymen were here using some kid and his lamia girlfriend as punching bags. Unfortunately they must have heard me coming and managed to get away before I got here," Detective Maza told Goliath regretfully.

"Yes, it seems as though the Quarrymen have been making their presence increasingly felt around town since New Olympus' arrival made it so that my clan and Talon's were no longer the only 'monsters' residing here," Goliath agreed in a tone that almost sounded like a growl.

"Yeah. Fortunately these two were here to stop the Quarrymen from hurting those kids worse than they had been," Detective Maza told Goliath as she gestured towards Jim and Claire.

"I see," Goliath said thoughtfully, locking his gaze with Jim's as he gave a small respectful bow and continued, "From your garb I take it you are the Trollhunter. On behalf of my clan I humbly welcome you to our protectorate."

"Goliath, you know of this guy already?" the detective asked him in surprise.

"yes, though only of the mantle he and his predecessors wears, and only through legends," Goliath explained, "My clan, as well as the few other clans ours had contact with, took up tales of those who took up the armor and blade of the Trollhunter, of their acts of bravery and noble quests, and told them to our own hatchlings to inspire them in their future duties of defending our protectorate and those who lived within."

"That sounds nice," Elsa commented, to which Goliath nodded but continued in a grim tone, "But unfortunately it had been a long time since anyone, human or gargoyle, had positively identified a troll, the last time being the Battle of Killahead, where those who were allied with Merlin fought and defeated a faction who wanted to conquer the surface world for troll-kind, having taken place a few centuries before I entered this world. As a result we began to fear that the legend of the Trollhunter was just that, a legend, and that trolls themselves were all but extinct."

"You're probably not far off," Jim confirmed, a twinge of regret reverberating through him, "Don't know if there are any other trolls around other than the ones that came with me from California, but we lost a good number of them when Gunmar took over Trollmarket and used his sword to corrupt their essence, forcibly converting them into his Gumm-Gumm army. We managed to save some of them, mostly through Claire risking her life, it just doesn't feel like it was enough. Though some of those were lost after Morgana was freed and she destroyed them to cast her spell of Eternal Night, the rest died after I finally managed to defeat Gunmar. Without his foul magic there was nothing left to hold them together and they literally fell apart. As far as I know my friends are the last of their kind."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Elsa told Jim sympathetically, to which he replied, "Thanks."

Claire ,apparently picking up on Jim's discomfort, cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject by asking, "So, Mr Goliath, you were saying that there are differences between trolls and...whatever you are?"

"Yes," Goliath confirmed, "I am a gargoyle, and while we share a number of characteristics with trolls, the differences between us are rather significant. At night my clan and I become flesh and blood, and while we may be powerful and even rather tough we're still susceptible to injury like any mortal being including humans. When dawn comes, however, we enter our stone hibernation no matter where we are, even if we're in a cave or building where the sun can't touch us, and we remain that way until the sun sets again. Now while most injuries we may sustain are healed while we sleep, the unfortunate fact is that we are most vulnerable at that time as well. While the sun is out we are as immobile as the statues we resemble, unable to even see our attackers, and should someone manage to smash we will die as rubble on the ground."

"Trolls, by contrast have flesh that's more the consistency of stone," Goliath continued, "While that does make them more resilient to injury from conventional attacks it unfortunately make them more vulnerable to the same stone-smashing attacks that threaten us during the day, and it's not as easy for them to heal. In fact I don't know if they're able to heal such injuries at all, though I've heard that they are talented at crafting replacement limbs for the ones they lose which work just as well as the originals."

"Yeah, that's true," Jim confirmed morosely, remembering how his late friend Draal had his arm replaced with a metal one after it was lost protecting him.

Goliath set his jaw and nodded, obviously understanding the loss Jim felt, before he resumed, "What's more is that trolls, unlike gargoyles, are able to remain active during the daytime, though they are more restricted in that they have to remain out of the sunlight. Even the briefest of exposures turns whatever part of them touched by direct sunlight to unliving stone. Should they themselves be changed then they would be, for all intents and purposes, dead. I know of no way for them to recover."

"Wow, I had no idea," Detective Maza commented, "And here I thought you gargoyles had it rough."

"Indeed" Goliath agreed, "Even though our stone sleep can be inconvenient, even troubling should we not find a safe place to roost before dawn, at least we can reawaken should we remain unharmed until the day's end. That's something I wish we could share with our troll brothers. Which reminds me: I had recognized your armor as belonging to the legendary Trollhunter, but your flesh looks too soft to be that of a troll."

"I had noticed that too," Detective Maza agreed, "I mean I didn't know the difference before you explained it, Goliath, (or that trolls existed for that matter), but when I first saw him I thought he might be a gargoyle except there's no place on his armor for his wings to come out."

"Detective Maza…" Claire started to say before the detective raised her palm and gently said, "Please, call me Elisa."

Claire smiled and nodded as she restarted, "Elisa, the fact is that Jim here is only half-troll. Until recently he was fully human."

"You said he was human?" Elisa asked in surprise, and Jim thought he heard an edge to her voice that sounded almost angry, "What happened? How'd he end up like this."

"It was a potion crafted by the wizard Merlin," Jim explained, "When the Staff of Avalon was stolen by Gunmar and it seemed certain that Morgana was going to be freed, it appeared as though I would need an edge in order to defeat them. That's when Merlin made me this potion, explaining that it would turn me into what you see before you now. He also said that if I chose to use it the changes would be permanent."

"Wait, Merlin? The Merlin?" Elisa asked him in confusion, the edge in her voice getting harder, "He did this to you!?"

"He made the potion, yes, but the choice was mine to immerse myself in it or not," Jim clarified for her, mystified as to why the detective would be getting worked up about it, "I weighed it against choosing to go against Gunmar, Morgana, and the entire Gumm-Gumm army with just my friends and my amulet. In the end I decided to take no chances with the safety of my mom and my friends, to go with my best chance to stop Morgana from destroying the world: I used the potion."

"But…" Elisa started to ask, but she was interrupted by Goliath gently placing a hand on her shoulder and saying, "It's okay, Elisa. It doesn't exactly seem like what happened with your brother Derek. This young man was offered an informed choice, he carefully weighed both options, and he ultimately chose this to protect those he cares for. In his position I would have done the same."

"Well it was really nice to meet you two," Claire told Elisa and Goliath in her most polite meet-and-greet voice, "We'd like to stay and get to know you guys better, but Jim and I have to get to the Erie Building before it gets to be much later, and hopefully return to our friends before dawn."

Goliath and Elisa gave each other an odd look before Goliath returned his gaze to them and asked, "What business do you have there tonight?"

"Well, since his transformation Jim lost the ability to do certain things that made him an effective Trollhunter. He's unable to even power down the amulet and remove his armor," Claire explained, "These three old ladies, the Weird Sisters I believe Merlin called them, told us that there's someone there named Burnett who can give him some help with that."

"The Weird Sisters!?" Goliath exclaimed in surprise.

"But why would they send these kids to Owen?" Elisa asked Goliath, just as dumbfounded.

"You sound as though you know them," Jim remarked aloud.

"We've had a few not so pleasant encounters, and even more time where we've had to deal with their mechanisms and schemes Let's just say that they're not the first ones I'd turn to for help with something, maybe not even the last ones for that matter."

"What about this Owen Burnett guy?" Jim asked, not willing to let go of this one hope that easily.

"That's the part that baffles me: Why would those three send you to him rather than offer to 'help' you themselves?" Goliath asked them.

"They said something about their patriarch forbidding them to interfere directly or something," Claire explained.

"Oberon," Elisa said to Goliath in realization, "He must have leaned extra hard on them after you guys stopped him from taking Alexander, taking out his humiliation on them instead."

"Even though we weren't the ones who stopped him: We only slowed him down, it was his wife's daughter who stopped him," Goliath countered with a smile and a nod, then he turned to Jim again and said, "Owen Burnett is more trustworthy than the Weird Sisters, and under normal circumstances I would say that he could probably help you. However, I'm afraid that he may not be in the best position to do so right now."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Some time ago some friends of ours came to him for help but something went wrong," Elisa explained, "It wasn't his fault but he blames himself all the same. I'm afraid that between that and his inability to stop the Quarrymen from kidnapping little Alexander his confidence has been shaken perhaps even his ability to recover."

"They kidnapped a kid?" Jim asked, his blood starting to rise again until he felt Claire

place a hand on his shoulder, calming him down again.

"They had, and in exchange they wanted a gargoyle to turn themselves over to them," Elisa confirmed, "Fortunately we were able to figure out that Mayoral candidate Doyle was behind the kidnapping, and that he was stupid enough to hide Alexander in his own campaign headquarters."

"It's guys like that who give politicians a bad name," Claire commented, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed, "Suddenly my mom's fundraising barbecues with her soy dogs don't seem so bad."

"Your mom was in politics?" Elisa asked her.

"Yeah, she was on Arcadia Oaks' City Council and was up for re-election when Gunmar and Morganna attacked," Claire confirmed, "Anyway we'd like to ask this Owen guy if he'll help if that's al right. I understand he may turn us down, but we've come too far to leave without even asking."

"Well, as we said he may not be willing to help, but I see no harm in asking," Goliath told them.

"If you'd like I can give you kids a ride there," Elisa offered.

Jim looked over at the red sports care the detective was gesturing to. For a moment he wondered what it'd feel like to sink into those leather seats before he remembered that he wouldn't feel much while stuck in this armor. Then he looked up towards the rooftops, an idea striking him as he said, "Actually I think I'd like to get us there another way, that is if you think you're up for it Claire."

"I think I know what you have in mind, and that will be fine," Claire told him with a smile, "Fun, a good workout after those weaksauce thugs."

Jim smiled back at her, presenting his back to her as he said, "Then climb on and hold tight." Jim felt as Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, the smell of her hair making his heart race. Then he leapt at the wall, the brick and mortar making a satisfying crunch as the claws of his fingers and toes dug in and he began to climb. Moments later he heard the crunches echoed, and Jim looked down and saw Goliath climbing the wall as well.

"You know, I could just portal us up there, save some time," Jim heard Claire tell him, her breath tickling his ear.

"Yeah, but how often do we get a chance to do something like this?" Jim said to her and he felt her arms tighten into an embrace.

Once they reached the roof Jim felt Claire unwrap herself from him. Then once she took her staff from her back he scooped her up in his arms as Goliath crested the roof's edge, asking, "So how were you planning to get there? As Elisa observed you don't have any wings, and I can't glide while carrying both of you. And while some of the stories we told about the Trollhunters got a bit fantastical, nothing in the tales indicated that you could fly."

"Who said anything about flying?" Jim asked Goliath with a smirk. Then, when he felt Claire give him a squeeze with the arm wrapped around the back of his neck, Jim looked down into Claire's own smiling eyes as she nodded. Gripping her tightly Jim then raced to the edge of the roof and gave a mighty leap which had him clearing the alley and landing on the roof on the other side without breaking his stride. The next few buildings were traversed easily enough by vaulting over what obstacles they encountered and short (at least for him) hops when the next building over was a story or two taller than the one he was on.

When he got to what apparently was the end of the block, however, it became obvious he wouldn't be easily going on by his skill alone: before him was a huge 6-lane road, and unlike the 4+central turn lane road that they'd come out on after exiting the industrial district this thoroughfare was still quite busy with traffic. Even at the height he was he wouldn't be able to get clear across it, and while he was not concerned about getting hurt himself by the collision the same could not be said about those within the vehicle or (more importantly) Claire. However, Jim had already taken this into account before going into this run. As he took the leap Jim saw one of Claire's portals form in his path, and as he passed through it he found himself atop a building on the other side. Looking back he saw Goliath, who had been following them through the air, stall in mid-flight. He couldn't hear the gargoyle very clearly over the commotion of the crowd and the traffic, but regardless Jim heard the surprise in his voice as Goliath said something about jalapenos.

Feeling the same rush of exhilaration mixed with something undefinable that he felt during that impromptu game of tag he'd engaged in with Claire on the other side of the country earlier today, Jim grinned hugely as he spun back around and resumed his madcap dash in the direction of Erie Building. The rest of the trip went mostly the same: Leaping and parkouring his way when he could (which, considering that he only had one hand free due to his still carrying Claire, was rather impressive), lunging through portals when the next rooftop proved too high or to far for him to reach through his athletic skills which were enhanced by his transformation. Still he chose a route that let him rely more on his own skills and would require Claire to create as few portals as possible. Even though this staff was supposed to be powered by light magic rather than dark magic Jim still felt compelled to not take any chances with Claire's safety. Besides, operating that staff had to be no small feat, and Jim felt she should save as much of her strength for the end when she will most likely need it.

At one point they passed a couple heading the opposite direction (who, judging by their body structure, appeared to be gargoyles like Goliath) who looked rather surprised by Jim's sudden appearance. In fact one of them, the skinnier female, looked as though she could very well be either Goliath's sister or his daughter. However, Jim had no time to decide if he wanted to indulge in his curiosity (even if he had the time to indulge in it) as he was soon plunging though yet another portal to end up on another distant rooftop.

Finally, after what seemed like the majority of a grand marathon had been run, James and Claire marveled at the grand majesty of the Erie Building before them. Though the rooftop they were on put them very high up (that is very, VERY high!) their destination towered above them even still. The top of the building was still obscured in clouds, but since they were much closer to it now than when they had first arrived in New York they could see that it was indeed a rather old-timey castle nestled atop a surprisingly beautiful example of modern architecture. It was hard to accurately judge elevations from this perspective, especially since looking down threatened to give him a bad case of vertigo, but if Jim were to guess he would say that they were about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up towards reaching their goal at the top. Looking back Jim was sure that he could see a few specks growing closer, one of which he was sure he recognized to be Goliath, possibly that gargoyle couple was among them too, but it would still take them a while to get here.

"So what do you think, Claire?" Jim asked Claire as he turned back to her, "Up or down?" Of course Jim realized that both had their risks. On one hand, while they were closer to the top than the bottom, there was nothing between them and Erie Building's summit. That meant that they would be entirely reliant on what momentum Jim can get in this last jump and the exertion of gravity on them as well as Claire's clever use of her portals, and if Claire should tire out before they reached the top they would have a long way down. On the other hand getting down would be easier as gravity would do most of the work. Of course they would still have to use Claire's portals, mostly to counteract the momentum and ensure that they didn't splat on the ground or against the wall should the last portal Claire opens be vertical rather than horizontal. The plus side of this idea is that a building like this would likely have an elevator, and it might even reach all the way to the castle on top (or at least close enough for him to climb with Claire the rest of the way.) The downside was that a place like this would likely also have security, and there's no telling if they would let them through.

All this likely occurred to Claire too, and since she was so much smarter than him she probably already weighed the risks and chances of success of both options. Still she smiled and turned her head to look him in the eyes as she said, "Well, we're nearly there….I vote up."

"Then hang on tight," Jim told her as he tightened his grip on her. Then, after backing up a few steps, Jim raced towards the edge of the building and leapt off into the void between. As gravity began to reassert itself and his leap began to turn downward Claire opened a portal before them and Jim found himself flying upwards again from an even higher point than before, the process repeating itself a few times. It was very disorienting, worse than any rollercoaster he'd been on, almost as bad as the Gyrosphere, and his stomach didn't like it. If this had been the old days he would have lost his lunch after the third arc. Thankfully, for both his dignity and preserving his relationship with Claire (who, unfortunately, would have been in the firing line) his stomach, like the rest of him, was made of tougher stuff these days.

Eventually, around the time his stomach got used to the motions, they broke through the layer of clouds and Jim got his first clear look at the castle. It was old, certainly, and from what Jim could tell seemed of Scottish design, making its contrast with the building it sat atop even more remarked. In the grassy courtyard (Astroturf?) Jim thought he spotted a greenish gargoyle, whose wings seemed to extend out from the sides of his body and attached to the tops of his legs and underside of his arms, who was staring up at them while holding a human baby. However, Jim's attention was soon diverted as the stones of the circular parts at the corners of the outer wall retracted and some rather modern & high tech cannons emerged and took aim at them while an automated voice called out, "Attention unidentified aircraft! You are in violation of the airspace of Xanatos Enterprises. You have 5 seconds to identify yourself or withdraw before this system opens fire."

Jim wasn't sure what kind of ammunition those weapons used, or if his armor or the Eclipse Sword would provide adequate protection against it, but with Claire here with him he didn't want to wait around to find out. "Claire?" Jim called out, his voice tense.

"On it!" Claire responded as she formed a portal before them that deposited them onto the castle's courtyard next to the smallish gargoyle who looked shocked at their appearance. Looking back up at the ramparts Jim saw the cannons swivel back and forth as the mechanical voice called out, "Targets lost….searching….searching…" Then, all of a sudden, the cannons stopped moving and began to retract as the voice announced, "Manual override accepted, standing down from alert."

"Sorry about that, but Ms. Maza just called a bit ago to announce you were coming and I hadn't had the chance before you got here to adjust the system," Jim heard a male voice say from behind him, and he turned around to see a dapper man with a well-kept beard emerge from the keep along with an elegant red-haired woman with a curious bluish-green tattoo over her right eye, "Sorry if we frightened you, but the Quarrymen have been extra worked up since residents of New Olympus were granted work visas and immigration rights by the UN, and since they know Goliath's clan resides here I can't afford to take any chances with my family's safety. You are Jim Lake and Claire Nuñez, correct?" When Jim managed a nod the man continued, "My name is David Xanatos, this is my wife Fox and there by you is Lexington with our son Alexander. On behalf of my family and friends I would like to welcome you to our humble abode."