NINE: IN A SERIOUS PICKLE
"If the prospect of living in a world where trying to respect the basic rights of those around you and valuing each other simply because we exist are such daunting, impossible tasks, then what sort of world are we left with? And what sort of world do you want to live in?"
- Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman #170
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GRETAL'S ANGER FOR FUEGO WAS over the top. As she swung from building to building, her grappling hook latching on to the edges, she thought of the many ways she could burn his freaking fire out. She barely handled him the first time though, so she wondered how she was going to water him out now.
What's worse is she left Cooper hanging with some lame excuse! ("Um, my mom needs help with her garden! See you later!" is what she said.) Cosby literally had to call on the wrong time.
Apparently, Fuego likes to rob a few banks these days. Gretal landed behind the building, almost twisting her ankle. Damn, Cosby jinxed it, she thought bitterly. Screams rang her eyes and a loud explosion vibrated against her skull. With narrowed eyes and a one-step plan to punch Fuego in his ugly face, she opened the back doors and ran in.
To be honest, it would be a lie to say the bank wasn't on fire. Flames scorched the walls and people were running in panic, literally doing the opposite of a duck-and-roll situation. Gretal ran to the nearest person and held onto their arm.
"Go through the back exit! Hurry!"
Dozens of people followed her order and ran, screaming in terror. Smoke touched the ceiling and Gretal tried her best not to suffacate. The day she needed a pair of firemen, right? Second time Fuego struck this week and she just wanted to kick his crotch and burn his fire out. She was determined to kick some burning ass. Well, unless Fuego burns her first.
And there he was, just shooting fireballs at the walls and counters. Gretal frowned. Wasn't he going to steal or something?
"Hey, fire breath!" She shouted.
Fuego turned, rolling his brown eyes. His entire face looked orange and it disoriented as the flames overlapped each other. He's not wearing a mask, she noticed.
"Look, Athena, I honestly don't have time for your jokes-"
"What the hell are you doing? You're not wearing a mask? Last time I saw you-"
Fuego frozed, almost confused. Like, why the hell does she care? He blinked and glared down at her, flames twisting and raising him upwards.
"That's none of your concern."
He waved his hand and a flame rushed toward her. Gretal dodged, the flames almost tickling her skin. She narrowed her eyes. Truth is she couldn't go against Fuego at all. Its not like there a hose nearby. The last time they fought together John was against him. Even fighting Arachne was a lucky shot! All she had was her brain and a bunch of knives and a grappling hook.
"Fuego, look, I don't know you. And I don't know you're reason for becoming who you are-"
He shot a fireball over her head and luckily it missed her. "You want to know why I'm like this? Because I'm misunderstood! Even out of this fire I'm dangerous to people, and I never even did anything!"
"Then stop being this person people are making you be!" Gretal stepped closer, arms up in surrender. She's pretty sure that was the biggest mistake she could do as a sidekick but she did it anyways. (Actually, its probably the biggest mistake any superhero could do but Spider-Man and others did it a bunch of times.)
"Look, people think heroes are menaces! Alexander Davidson is an example. If Gabe Fisher and Gretal Davidson didn't show up and save my butt-"
"Pfft, Gretal Davidson. That girl didn't just do it for you," Fuego said, eyes narrowing. "Its obvious she hated her dad from the beginning. And you know what? I don't blame her!"
More flames started curling around the ground. Gretal needed to put the flames out if she wanted to make it out alive. It was a suicide mission, but she's been in plenty of those already.
"Please, why are you doing this? You need the money? Look, take it! Just stop the fire!"
The flames extinguised under his feet and he walked toward her, more flames rising behind him. "You heroes don't understand anything! No one does."
Gretal narrowed her eyes. He had the nerve to talk about her hatred about Alexander and think that she doesn't understand. Pftf, yeah right! "Fuego, I don't want to fight you."
"You can't. You don't know how to fight me."
"True, but also I don't want to leave you to the S.I.A. Agent Cosby knows how to handle with villains. And trust, you won't be chillin' like a villain. You didn't have to attack Gabe Fisher and burn his house. You don't have to harm so many people."
He looked at her, confused once again. "I-I never did that."
"You didn't do it?"
He shook his head, flames curling around him. "No, I never did anything like that."
You didn't do it, she thought to herself. You didn't burn Fisher's house to ashes and kidnap his mom or sent her running? Than who did it? But if Fuego didn't do it . . . he's not what he seems.
Fuego pulled back, the flames attracting towards him like a magnet. Gretal wondered how he could deal with the heat of being wrapped in blazing fire. Well, he must've handled it well. She wondered if he had to buy any fire-proof clothes. Like, did he ever burn his underwear to ashes by accident? Yeah, maybe it wasn't a good time to think about that now.
The flames burned out but smoke still curled at the ceilings. The flames curling around his figure extinguished. His dark brown hair was slightly curly and windswept and Gretal was sure she saw someone with that type of hair before. Well, she caught the side of his face. Dumbfounded, she stared at him.
"You look familiar," she muttered weakly.
He shook his head. All of a sudden he burst into flames and flew out the window. Gretal stared at the walls, overwhelmed and speechless. She would have to deal with Fuego herself. Sirens were getting closer and she heard a few cars pull up at the front and back. God, she was in a serious pickle.
Before anyone can even enter, Gretal jumped out the window.
. . . .
Gretal, John, Beatrice, and Gabe sat in the living room. Even if the fire at the bank was hours ago the news was still reporting it. Apparently, nothing was caught on camera. Thank God, Gretal thought to herself.
"At least no one was hurt." John said.
Beatrice nodded. "You did good, Gretal. But did you see Fuego? Was he there?"
Gretal bit her lip and twisted the hem of her shirt around her finger. "Um, no," she lied, "if he was, I didn't see him. He must've left."
"Well." John sighed. "Cosby's going to be disappointed. After everything Fuego did, he should really be put in prison."
She swallowed. Did Fuego had to be the main topic of the afternoon? "What if he didn't do it?"
Silence. Everyone looked at her with astonished faces. Even John's mouth was agape.
She shrugged. "Joking."
They all went back to watching the movie. Thing is, now Fuego was her main responsibility. Cosby would be hunting down for him and even John once he's up and running. Now that Fuego admitted he didn't do it could she really still believe him? Well, duh, that's one of Gretal's flaws. Basic loyalty.
Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her hoodie. Well, John's hoodie.
COOPER "ASSHAT" DOYLE. 4:56 PM: hey, are you free right now?
She glanced at her friends beside her and smiled as Gabe started laughing. Funny because they were watching Kickass. Well, its not like they knew anything about parenting a ten-year-old.
GRETAL DAVIDSON. 4:57 PM: maybe
COOPER "ASSHAT" DOYLE. 4:59 PM: great, um, do you want to go somewhere? It could be anywhere, actually. Well, that's if you want to.
Gretal grinned and quickly texted back.
COOPER "ASSHAT FREAKING" DOYLE. 5:01 PM: um, where do you want to go then?
. . . .
Gretal met Cooper at an old coffee shop called Pestos. Cooper was dressed in camo pants and a regular Nike shirt that read "Just Do It". He grinned at her.
"So, um, what's this place?"
She shrugged with a smile. "Its a place where I would go to just think and chill. And after your, um, lucky pic on Athena I thought we could chill and toast."
"With coffee?"
"Yeah, with coffee."
"Right."
She grabbed him by the arm. "Well, let's go!"
Gretal ordered a mocha and a few chocolate donuts while Cooper just ordered the regular cup. They watched as people walked up and down the stage up front, singing and reading their own poems. Gretal smiled as comedians started going up the stage.
Cooper gave her a cheeky smile when she looked over at him. "Thanks, I needed this."
She grinned. "If you need to chill anytime give me a call. That's why you have my number, right?"
"Right. So, um, how's that gardening thing with your mom?"
"Oh. Um, well, I haven't really spoken to her since the meeting with, um, my dad. The gardening was a lie. I was in a rush because my boss got himself in a pickle"- Dear God, I'm using "pickle", what the hell is wrong with me? - "and it was really embarrassing."
"Well, I'm glad you figured it all out. And that you trust me enough to tell the actual truth."
She waved Cooper off as the next comedian walked up. To Gretal this entire scene so unrealistic and far away. She's been spending her time rescuing people as Athena and trying to find Fuego it seemed weird to chill out with Cooper and to not have any crime for one hour. It was peaceful, unlike the chaotic crime situations.
"Hey," Cooper said, grabbing her hand in his. It made her insides turn and cheeks flush red. All of a sudden Cooper Asshat Doyle seemed a lot cuter than ever. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm just happy to be here."
He gave her a cheeky smile and Gretal almost missed the dimple on his cheek. People laughed as a joke passed and Gretal found herself laughing too. Cooper smiled as he watched her. Davidson tried to ignore the feeling in her chest as she watched Cooper out of the corner of her eye. For the moment she tried to relax and enjoyed the few hours she had off. In other words, she tried to enjoy the moment with Cooper. Truth was she was enjoying it.
. . . .
Gretal decided to actually not ignore her mom this time. But she could at least hope that she wasn't there, right? Turns out her mom was sitting in the living room. With a sigh, Gretal walked towards her.
"I'm sorry. I really am. But when it comes to dad you're a hopeless wreck. To be honest, the least you can do is start dating again. Get your mind off of him, because he's never coming back. Even I learned that over the years, mom. It's time you found someone for yourself. Don't think about me. Just go out and do what you do on a date."
Her mom stood there, tears falling down her cheeks. Then she stood up and crushed Gretal in a hug. "I'm so glad you talked to me. I missed you."
"I missed you too." Gretal smiled sadly. "But you need to move on. I moved on. Dad will never come back, as much as it seems like he wants to. Mom, he's just playing with you."
Her mom sniffed and nodded against her shoulder. "I realized that. And you're right. I need to get over him and start dating other men again. There are many fish in the sea, right?"
"Right. No matter how filthy rich papa fish is, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Go explore, date, whatever you women do."
Her mom laughed. "Right."
"Oh, but just don't get pregnant. We definitely don't need that right now."
"Of course. Thanks for your support." Her mom said flatly.
Gretal laughed. "Anytime. That's what I'm here for, right?"
"I love you, sweety."
Gretal hugged her, realizing that Gabe Fisher might not be able to hug his mother ever again if she's not found. "Yeah, I love you too."
Her mom took a step back and wiped her eyes. "Well, thank you for your support, hon. I really appreciate it. Well, I'm going to start dinner. We're having lasagna!"
Gretal nodded and trudged up the stairs. She closed her door and slumped in her bed, snuggling in her blankets. If Fuego didn't start the fire at the Fisher household than who did? Honestly, she believed Fuego with her entire heart. What's worse is that she practically made it her job to take Fuego under her wing. Secretly, of course. Now she was back at the start with no leads or clues.
Her phone beeped and she grabbed it.
JOHN FREAKING SUMMERS. 7:23 PM: bad news. arachne escaped prison & she's on the loose. need u at the scene ASAP.
GRETAL DAVIDSON. 7:23 PM: ur kidding? i just got home & my mom's making lasagna.
JOHN FREAKING JACKASS SUMMERS 7:24 PM: srry kiddo but we need u ASAP. me & beatrice r @ the scene c u there.
Gretal sighed and grabbed her costume and boots. She wondered how superheroes handled this life. Like, didn't it get a little tiring? Well, it was the only excitement in her life, so never mind.
. . . .
By the time she got there even Agent Cosby was at the scene. Arachne attacked a Davidson building and fortunately it wasn't Cooper's job. Beatrice stood beside John, hands on her hips like a pro. Her entire suit was purple and silver, most of her mask covering half of her face. Her red hair curled around her shoulders and just seeing her stand beside John made Gretal realized they were perfect for each other.
Once she got closer John told her the details. "Yeah, someone let her out. Must've been someone in Cosby's team. She was gone this afternoon. Poof."
Beatrice twirled a knife in her hand and Gretal raised her eyebrows up in amazement as the blade easily twisted around her fingers. "Must've been a hacker. I don't think its Fuego. After the bank he probably won't show up his face this week, stay down low. Do you think he knew about this?"
Gretal shook her head. "I don't think so. Truth is I did see him at the bank. I told him he didn't have to be a villain and why he had to burn Gabe's home. He said he didn't do it. He didn't even know who Gabe Fisher was. I thought he did since the meeting at Davidson's company and the accident at the Bridge but he has no idea who Fisher is. Its like he's being framed. And now that Arachne's out he's probably going to be framed for this too."
John crossed his arms and shook his head. Electricity sizzled off his suit and Gretal made sure she was a foot away from him. She definitely didn't want to get eletricuted.
"It can't be," John said, "he's working with Arachne."
Gretal shrugged. "He did ditched her at the fight we had with them. I think he's confused whether or not he should team up with her or not."
Beatrice's eyes narrowed as she stared at the scene below. "If that's the case, Arachne has a better chance of persuading him now. If he teams up with her we're all doom; we need to get him on our side."
John gave her an agitated look. "Are you crazy? We can barely be three feet from him without exploding into flames."
Gretal bit her lip. "I can talk to him."
They froze and slowly turned to her. "What?" They said in unison.
She shrugged. "Well, I was talking to him at the bank yesturday-"
"You got to be kidding me!" John glared.
She glared back at him, ready to push him off the building. "Anyways, we talked and he told me he didn't light the Fishers' house on fire. He didn't take Gabe's mom and that he was misunderstood."
John crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Every villain says that."
She glared at him. "What if he didn't do that stuff? I think he's being framed. Maybe he is misunderstood! A lot of people misunderstood me, even my dad. Well, he actually still doesn't care about me but you know what I mean! He thinks all superheroes are menaces, and we're not. Maybe its like that for Fuego."
Summers shook his head. "Really? Than why did he burn some of your dad's companies and the bank?"
She sighed in fustration. "Okay, first of all, I'm pretty sure everyone hates my dad and I actually don't care if his companies just exploded randomly. But I don't know why he decided to just burn the bank and not rob it. Cosby thinks he wants my dad's attention but the bank makes no sense. Why can't you just trust me on this? Its like you don't even think of Fuego as a person! Give him a chance. Don't you believe in second chances?"
"Because," John said, "we can't trust Fuego. He's a menace and-"
"That's what my dad thinks about all of us. Even you, Electric and Beatrix. He thinks we're all menaces. Well, if someone thought you were a menace wouldn't you want to prove them wrong? We all think he's nuts and his head is filled with fire but he must have a reason for this!"
"If Fuego turns himself in than maybe I won't kick his ass. I can't trust him, Davidson."
"Then you can't trust me. If you don't trust me enough to trust Fuego, I'll deal with him myself."
Beatrice stepped forward, practically shoving John back. "Gretal, think about this. You just started being a hero and I'm not saying you aren't good at it, but can you at least think through this? Train for a few days and relax. I'll help you with Fuego, but take it easy. For now let's worry about Arachne. She is your new nemesis, isn't she? Athena against Arachne, your typical Greek myth."
Gretal sighed and nodded. At least she had Beatrice Richards on her side. But for now the red head was right. They had to focus on the spider bitch and keep Fuego off topic for now.
The scene below was filled with police cars and S.I.A. patrols. Gretal even saw Cosby down below. The group jumped down and landed on their feet (Gretal almost fell actually, but that doesn't sound heroic). Cosby was yelling at his men, telling them to search every street in Brooklyn. His salt and pepper hair was ruffled, unlike the usual neat combed style. The veins on his temples looked like they were going to explode any minute and Gretal didn't think that was healthy for a man his age.
"There you guys are!" Cosby said once he saw them. "My men are hunting for Arachne and they won't stop until she's found."
"Well." Gretal shrugged. "That bitch sure has some friends. Did you find the crook that set her free?"
The agent shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. But once he do I'll be putting him in prison too. I can't believe it was one of my own men!"
"Maybe it wasn't," Beatrice said, "maybe someone was controlled to do it, or someone was replaced with someone else. Your typical switch."
Cosby sighed. "Well, whatever it is we have no leads to it. Arachne's gone."
"Do you think she knew about it?" John's jaw tightened.
Gretal didn't think he was going to speak at all after their little arguement and Beatrice taking her side. Summers suprised her all that time.
Cosby sighed. Gretal glanced around. She didn't think Arachne could've gone far. She had to be around here somewhere.
"I think she's hiding," she muttered, "there's no way she could've gone far with your men tracking her down. Plus did your alarms ring right after she escaped?"
"By the footage we caught, yes."
"Well, I think she's in one of the buildings. Maybe even in the alleys. She has to be here somewhere."
Cosby nodded and spoke into the earpiece he had. He gave a few commands and more patrols ran to the nearest buildings. "Well, thanks, Athena. If we get anything on Arachne I'll call you guys. Stay alert."
John and Beatrice said their goodbyes while Gretal stared up at the moon with a frown on her lips. If Arachne was trying to convince Fuego or maybe even use him by force she would have to use his weaknesses. If only she knew Fuego's identity maybe she would be able to help him. Maybe he went to her school since he talked about her like he knew who she was. Plus he did look familiar. Her phone buzzed and she sighed, glancing over at it.
MOM. 8:34 PM: lasagna's gonna b ready in a few minutes
She glanced back at Beatrice and John, who were scouting the area and checking buildings. She was pretty sure they didn't need her help, especially since the whole team of the S.I.A. patrols were here. With a glance and wave at Cosby she grabbed her grappling and in no time she was swinging form building to building.
If only I knew who the hell that fiery jackass is. Then I can keep that spider bitch away. Going to need a water hose and some bug spray.
. . . .
Gretal's mom's lasagna was perfectly cooked. Gretal always wondered why her mom didn't become a chef. Then again her mom was chasing her dad for seveteen years or more. For once she was actually happy to be having dinner and not wearing about Alexander Davidson popping in on a conversation. So far her mom stayed off that subject the entire time. Gretal even told her about Cooper and how she found a job.
"So how much money are you being paid?" Her mom asked.
Gretal hesistated. She obviously couldn't tell her mom she was Athena for many reasons. "Um, I'm sort of an unpaid intern." That was half true, she guessed, since John hasn't paid her anything or even talked about money at all. And she thought she did pretty good on her missions as a sidekick. Especially the ones she did alone. She would have to find another job. She could handle being a superhero's sidekick and working another job while having her loved ones not know, right?
"I'm gonna search for another job, though."
"You're not going to quit?"
"Nah." Gretal shrugged. "I can handle two jobs."
"Well, just relax and don't think of it too much. And I would love to have Cooper over here sometime."
"Right." Gretal's cheeks flushed red. "Well, I need to get going. School tomorrow. Well, goodnight and thanks for the lasagna."
Once Gretal landed on her mattress she closed her eyes. For now let's worry about Arachne. She is your new nemesis, isn't she? Athena against Arachne, your typical Greek myth, Beatrice had said. Athena against Arachne. God, Gretal hoped Cosby could find that spider bitch and put her in jail. Even if Cosby had his men on speeddial, that spider bitch was on a roll and persuading Fuego with everything she had. Gretal was in a serious pickle.
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a/n: okay so i have no idea how i wrote this chapter or if its good or not. If this chapter is actually great than wow, okay. If its bad than i'm in a serious pickle. lol, serious pickle. okay, so what'd you think of this so far? do you guys believe Fuego or not? So at least Gretal and her mom made up, right? And that moment in the cafe with Cooper and Gretal. Anyways, so someone (a.k.a my lovely friend @YenNguyen062 ) came up with ship names for Gretal and Cooper and John and Beatrice and I decided to stick with it. If you guys have any ship names don't be afraid to tell me, I take all suggestions.
GretalxCooper = #Greper
JohnxBeatrice = #Joce
Like I said, if you have any ship names don't be afraid to tell me and I'll make sure to add it to the author's note at the end of one of my chapters. Now time for Q&A!
Q: If you could be any superhero who would you be?
Could be in Marvel or DC Comics, i don't care.
I would probably be Spider-Man or Batgirl. Maybe even Artemis from the Young Justice League, idk. Anyways, thanks for checking this out and you guys have been supporting this story so much I love you all. You guys are awesome. Oh and I'm thinking of creating a playlist for this story so if you have any song suggestions I'm all ears. Peace out.