𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗜𝗻𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲 ⮑ 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞 (COMPLETED)

A Load of Crap

━━━━━━━

Sweet Pea's p.o.v.

While AJ was helping Veronica (with something that I apparently wasn't needed for), I got a call from Jughead asking to meet me in Fox Forest. If it wasn't already creepy enough, we were going to save Ricky from sacrificing himself to the Gargoyle King. I feel like I should've told AJ, but I didn't want her to worry, even though I am technically the worrier in our relationship (for good reason too with all the psychotic stuff she takes part in.) When we got to Ricky, he was sat on the ground with a coin in his hand. I suppose he was ready to flip for his fate, but I wasn't going to let that happen. "Ricky!" The boy turned around, "You.. you shouldn't be here." Jughead pulled him off of the ground while I kicked the cups to the ground, and knocked down the Gargoyle King replica. "No!" Ricky spun back around to Jughead with a dark look, "What did you do?"

"Listen kid, we're taking you back to civilization, alright?"

"I don't want to!" Ricky protested. "We've played this game!I know it makes you do some crazy things, but I need you alive 'cause we're gonna end this together." I stepped over to Jughead's side just as Ricky made an expression that could only be defined as creepy. "We answer to no one, but our king."

"'We'?" I questioned.

I heard a branch snap behind me to find at least twenty kids standing there with strange twigs carved into spears. I definitely didn't want to get shanked by one of those. "Kill them! Protect the Princess!" "Princess?" I turned back to Jug, "Who cares? Let's go!" Just as I said that, the strangely scary group of boys roared before charging after us. I grabbed onto Jughead's hand pulling him along. "Where are we supposed to go?!" Jughead looked around until his face lit up, and he pulled me to a porthole in the ground. Dilton's secret bunker, I almost forgot. Jughead pulled it open, and I hopped in, Jughead soon after closing the entrance. "Hellcaster," I spun around, and internally groaned. "Princess Etheline." Ethel was crying, "Help me, Jughead Jones. You're my only hope."

━━━━━━━━━

"What are you doing down here?" Ethel sat on a bunk staring at the ground. "Hiding from the Gargoyle King. I'm terrified he's gonna kill me for failing my mission." "Mission? What mission?" Just as Jughead said those words, the pieces fell in place. "You were the one that told Ricky to send that letter during prom." Jughead stepped forward, "You led Betty right to the Gargoyle King, and the Black Hood? I thought you quit G&G. After Betty" Ethel shook her head, "She saved me from the Sister's false king, yes, but then, I rejoined the true king in the woods after...  when I came back to him, he put me in charge of his lost boys."

"The Lord of the Flies gang that just chased Sweet Pea, and I through the woods with spears?" Jughead asked. "Ethel, you're playing G- alright. You're gonna tell me now, right now, who the Gargoyle King is." Ethel looked down, "I can't. I can't betray his trust."

"Even when you just said he's trying to kill you?" I questioned, a new sense of annoyance flooding over me. "He's... he's beautiful. Despite it all, I love him." Jughead gulped, and turned back to me. There is something seriously sick about this chick. Ethel began to sob, and I could see Jughead's face soften. "It's okay, but you,and the Lost Boys can't stay in these woods. You have to end this game. Will you?" Jughead held out his hand. After a moment of what I presume was deciding, Ethel took it which meant only one thing. She might be sick, but she wanted to get better, and I admire her for that. The only reason I ever quit G&G was for AJ. Heck, I think I'd quit breathing if she asked me to. That girl's got me going crazy.

━━━━━━━━━

Jughead, Ethel, and I climbed out of the hatch to find the 'Lost Boys' with their spears all aimed at us. "Stand down, Lost boys. The Hellcaster, and Serpent are on our side. And, they've come bearing good news, our quest is complete." The boy's pulled down their weapons when I realized one of them wasn't there. "Where's Ricky?"

"He just took off." One of the boys replied nonchalantly like he wasn't just chasing us through the forest trying to kill us. "He's probably reporting back to the Gargoyle King, and the Black Hood." Ethel sighed turning back to the group. "Jack? Where's Jack?" "He went back to the bus to get his carving knife." The same boy answered. Ethel turned back to us with a maternally worried expression on our face. "We can't leave Jack behind, he's the youngest." Jughead huffed glancing back at the Lost Boys. "Okay, we'll find him." I nodded following after Jughead, but Ethel was quick to stop us. To be honest, this girl's beggining to get really annoying(, and needy.) "He's never gonna trust you on your own."

"Well, then, come on."

━━━━━━━━━━

"Jack?" Ethel called as we walked up to the bus, "Jack? Maybe, he's on the bus." I let out a heavy sigh following the two onto the school bus. I have a feeling I just got myself into some deep crap. "Jack, are you here?" A little boy in a scout uniform popped out from behind a chair. "I can't find my knife."

"Okay, I'll get you a new one, but right now, we have to go." As we got closer, the boy gave us a quizzical look. "Why'd you bring the Hellcaster?" Ethel barely spared Jughead, and I a glance. "It's okay, you can trust him. Both of them." The sound of loud metal scraping came from the other side of the junkyard. I leant forward into the window to get a better look. The Black Hood stepped out from behind the bush, and I grabbed Ethel, and the little boy pulling them down while Jughead followed our lead. " Get down, right now." Ethel went to say something, but Jughead's hand flew to cover her mouth as he shushed her. "Don't say another word," I warned. The scraping got closer. It was quiet for just a moment, but then a loud bang came from the hood of the bus.

"Go!" I whisper yelled, "Get the back door! Back door!" Ethel tried at the emergency exit, but it wouldn't work. "It won't budge!" I  stepped in front of Jughead pulling out my switchblade as the Black Hood slowly stepped onto the bus. I gulped, this wasn't just intimidating some nerd from school, but I knew I had to be the one to protect these three. We weren't gonna die today, but hopefully... I won't have to fight the Black Hood to prove that. "Ethel, open the back door." Jughead said, "It won't budge!"

"Ethel, open the door!" The Black Hood made it to the stop step,and I was practically shivering in my steps. I'm going to die. I'm never going to have kids with AJ when we get married. I hope Jughead tells her I love her. Jughead groaned running back, "Move, Move!"  After only two attempts, Jughead was able to kick the door open, and suddenly, I was no longer imagining what AJ would say at my funeral. "Sweet Pea! We gotta go! Go, GO!" I spun around darting out of the door after Ethel, and the little boy named Jack. Jughead jumped out, and I grabbed a piece of metal shoving it under the doorhandle to lock him in. The Black Hood tried to kick the door down a few times before giving up, and turning around. "He's going to the front!" I exclaimed running after him, and pushing the door shut before he could get to it. I had my back pressed against whilst the Black Hood attempted to get free. Jughead grabbed a metal pipe from off the ground, and shoved it in between the door handles right after I pulled away. "That's not gonna hold him. We have to go."

I heaved as I followed after the three.

I really did get myself into a load of crap.