Chapter Text
Louie takes the lead at first, bringing his mom to the foyer stairs, well past where they’ll be out of earshot. The security robot still looping the same line over and over as they make their way around it. Della follows quietly, curiously waiting for what her son might have to say.
“So mom, did you figure it out yet?” Louie finally says.
Della is a little thrown off by the question, having expected a game plan. She’s about to ask what he means before remembering the riddles. “They are riddles right?” she wonders out loud, “you kids weren’t playing in Tartarus while we were out?”
Louie snickers, “yeah no, the actual Tartarus is out of bounds. Not really my style anyway. We just stick to the mansion. And inside at that.”
Della nods in approval then puts her hand under her beak in thought. She’s repeating the first riddle under her breath when suddenly her eyes widen.
“It’s not a painting… is it?”
Louie answers her question with a shake of his head. She gives her son a scrutinising look, trying to decide how much trouble her kid would get into for a game. More time passes than would for a normal parent trying to read their normal child’s intentions. The unstoppable Della searching for the slightest hint in the unmoving Louie. Only her own sudden realisation that she was spiralling into an unintentional battle of wits with a child snaps her out of it. Della’s eyes narrow ever so slightly more as she takes a deep breath.
“Are there any places in the mansion that are off limits?” she finally asks.
“Not technically, no.”
“And what exactly counts as ‘inside the mansion’,” she asks, making air quotes for the term in question.
“Oh you know,” Louie gives an easy shrug, turning to look in the general direction of the foyer, “anywhere we don’t have to go outside to get to.”
Della can’t help the frustrated little smile at his vague yet obvious answer. She knows he can still see her in his peripherals, he knows she’s onto him. That cheeky little scamp. She’s so proud of him.
“So just outside a window would be off limits but behind its closed curtain would be fine?” Louie nods, turning his head back to his mom but keeping his inscrutable expression. “And the houseboat would be off limits but the garage would be fine?” Della thinks she sees his beak flicker before managing to hold back his smile. “And the money bin would be off limits but the other bin…” his smile finally breaks free as she trails off knowingly.
“Tartarus, where powerful beings lock up the greatest dangers,” Della muses. she ruffles the feathers on top of his head as Louie chuckles, “not bad kid.”
He swats her hand away, running his fingers through his do to make sure it’s not too messed up. “What about the batteries?”
Della repeats the clue in her head once before the answer calls out to her. She turns to the DT-87 security bot, still lying there, eyes flashing, voice looping. “No,” Della says in disbelief, “surely the robot you clearly touched would’ve been checked already.”
“Sure, sure. They checked around it.”
“… But not in it?”
“Unless they forgot it isn’t usually powered by double A batteries and my bright green note wasn’t clear enough.”
“You actually hooked up the eyes and voice box to them. Taking them out would’ve been like turning off an alarm!” Della laughs, “good one kid.”
“Plus the batteries only have enough power for the simple patterns. No chance for the robot to go evil,” Louie can’t help but admit a little embarrassed. “You don’t think it’s too obvious do you? With the hints?”
“Nah, between your other hiding spot and my skill we’re sure to win.”
Louie smirks deviously, “oh we’re not going to win.”
After Louie and Della left, everyone was brought up to speed on what exactly happened in the game so far. Knowing everything and having Della as a gorgon it was clear they had to take things more seriously. No more worrying about discouraging Louie.
Scrooge was chosen to become doctor with Dewey, the old adventurer insisting he was the best fit and Mrs. Beakley not wanting the role. The two doctors planning on staying apart unless the other needed to be tagged back in so they wouldn’t get caught together. Each doctor would also get a bodyguard of sorts, those without a task pairing up to help hide who the new doctor is. Mrs. Beakley and Webby were pitched first, as the best trained in espionage and combat. However, Huey’s hesitance to leave his brother’s side when the two’s identities could be stolen made him a more comforting choice. After that, Scrooge chose Donald and when Launchpad turned to Duckworth Mrs. Beakley took the pilot instead. The butler tried to take the opportunity to float out but found himself dragged in by his new partner Webby.
They would divide and conquer. Use every advantage they could get to bring this game to a swift end.
The game went on another six hours.
They didn’t even pause to eat.
Scrooge and Donald were really in it, acting as though they were on one of their actual adventures, searching a dangerous temple for a precious treasure. Ironically, the mansion proved to be more formidable than anywhere else they’d been in a long time. Scrooge was surprised to find how many artefacts he kept on display were only a condition or two away from activation. Donald was not surprised to find himself accidentally activating them. It made it all the more frustrating when they saw Della and Louie’s strategy in person. Taunting them with casual attitudes only to ambush them when they let their guards down. It especially got to them the first time, when the two simply walked in to tell them Dewey would need Scrooge to tag him back in. No one could say they were surprised the two had figured out the new doctor so fast. Scrooge and Donald soon learned they were safest when both gorgons were in sight. Neither bothering to even acknowledge that they could attack while in sight; often using the other as a way to disappear.
Huey and Dewey were disappointed to find Louie’s tactics largely unchanged. Though their mom came in with a more playful and straightforward challenge from time to time, they still mostly faced their brother. There were even a few times he came in with the ‘Dew-scise’, as Dewey would later call it. Managing to confuse poor Huey as to which blue clad duck he was supposed to stick by and which he should avoid. Still, the game was a lot more bearable with the changes that were made. Though Dewey wasn't so sure if it made him feel better or worse that he was getting tagged out now that there was another doctor in the house. Having to just sit there waiting for someone else to save him was definitely not Dewey's i-dew of fun, but he was never alone. Even when only he was tagged and Huey was left free as a special kind of taunt, the first time this happened also being the first time Dewey got tagged out, his big brother never left his side. Dewey would never admit how much of a comfort it really was, especially knowing it was just as much for Huey's sake.
Louie and Della were surprised to find their favourite pairing to be Mrs. Beakley and Launchpad. The work friends taking the opportunity to discuss and even role-play the old Darkwing Duck show Launchpad had introduced everyone to. Neither of the mother-son duo could think of a time they had seen Mrs. Beakley entertain anyone else's interests in media, let alone start the conversation. It was hard to bring themselves to interrupt the wholesome experience, even spying on the two with no intention of taunting or tagging a few times. When they did though, they found themselves playing up their role as gorgon more, dropping their planned indifference to act like villains from the old show. For a while they all had their own little role-playing game within the larger game of gorgon. Of course Mrs. Beakley's patience for the larger game eventually wore thin, leaving their mini game to pitter out as a result.
After that, Mrs. Beakley and Launchpad became just another pair of players. Taunted and messed with the same as anyone else.
The last duo was definitely far from the least. Between Duckworth’s ghostly abilities and Webby’s Webby-ness the two were almost impossible to tag. Webby had even switched out her night vision goggles for heat vision, leaving the glowing ghost to do the bulk of the searching while she played lookout. Add in their expertise on the mansion and they actually ended up being the most effective team. They were even the ones to find the flashlight body, if only after facing a danger or two from the other bin. To their credit they managed not to let anything more than a few steps out their room despite the magical protections forcing them to open the doors instead of the phantom being able to phase through to check.
There had been so much hope when they found that part of the flashlight. With it being less than an hour after the adults had joined, even the gorgons thought it would be over soon. Louie swore he even saw a prideful little smile on the ghost butler’s face.
But the game dragged on.
It was about four hours in when their resolve started to crumble. Mrs. Beakley and Launpad joined up with Webby and Duckworth, their mini game having been desolved for a while. Everyone took turns sneaking to the kitchen for something to eat. A little while later team brothers joined the bigger group, shortly followed by team uncle. It was a lot less fun for the gorgons, everyone together like that, but it did make watching them all struggle a lot easier. They bickered, tensions rising with their frustrations, and begged for another hint. Louie made popcorn. Eventually they realised Mrs. Beakley had snuck off with the pieces, only to return with a functional flashlight.
She caught the two gorgons in the beam easily but they smiled, sharing a smug look even as they surrendered.
The robot was still echoing in the foyer.
Mrs. Beakley hadn’t found the batteries.