Deadly || Sweet Pea [2]

34

Chapter 34 || Quest Complete

"Kurtz is an insidious bastard," Jughead spoke. "I mean, even if we save Jellybean, we still lose. I just robbed Pop's at gunpoint. It was unloaded, but still. How can we stay in Riverdale after that?"

"We don't." Gladys decided, making Jughead sigh. "We get in a car, and we drive up north, and we keep going until we find a town where nobody knows us."

"You just don't get it, do you?" I hissed, glaring over at Gladys. "Riverdale's our home. Dad and Jug and I live here. We're happy here. It's you. You destroyed that."

"Now's not the time for our petty beef to-" Gladys started.

"No!" Jughead snapped. "She's right. We're happy here. You left us, you ruined our happiness when you left and decided to come back. This isn't between you and Kitty anymore. She's not the only one that sees the truth anymore."

Gladys sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes filling with tears. She slowly nodded her head, looking away from Jughead.

"Maybe it's easy for you to pack up and leave," I whispered, grabbing Jughead's shoulder for support. "But Jughead and I, we have a family here. He has a beautiful girlfriend that really completes him, I have the best boyfriend I could ever even hope for. We have the Serpents, and we have dad. But you, you left and never looked back. We're not like you, Gladys."

"Thank God for that." Jughead whispered, going to grab the bucket beside the sink. He filled it with water as Gladys internalized what we said to her. Hopefully she realizes what's actually wrong with our family instead of blaming others for her mistakes. Jughead gave me a weak half smile and threw the cold water he gathered from the sink onto Kurtz.

"What the hell?" Kurtz gasped, wiping the cold water from his face as he looked around.

"Sleepy time is over, Kurtz." Jughead growled, pulling Kurtz to his feet. "What's the next challenge?"

"It's a doozie." Kurtz smirked, handing me the card he pulled from his pocket. "Trial with the Cyclops."

"Cyclops?" Jughead asked, reading the card over my shoulder. "That's not a character class I've ever read about."

"I might know what he's talking about." Gladys said, giving me a look. I rolled my eyes and nodded my head, realizing what she was talking about.

"Of course." I spat, making Kurtz smirk harder.

--------

"Kitty, what the hell is he talking about?" Jughead pressed as we walked toward our new Serpent den in the woods. "What cyclops?"

"Just, shut up." I hissed, following closely behind Kurtz. "I'll handle it."

"Handle what?" Jughead sighed. Kurtz stopped in front of the den, pushing open the door.

"This was once the Gargoyle lair." Kurtz said as I walked into the building. "Now, it's a Serpent den. Tonight, a battlefield."

A door from the other end of the building closed, and in walked a figure back-lighted by a bright yellow bulb. The figure stepped into the den, glaring at me through her one good eye.

"Penny Peabody?" Jughead asked, looking between the former Serpent and me. "You are the Cyclops? I thought you were-"

"Dead?" Penny gasped, tearing her glare off of me and setting it on Jughead. "Is that what Kitty cat told you? No, it was an eye for an eye. Though I'm sure she wishes now that she had finished the job."

"And your weapons will be the sai..." Kurtz announced, grabbing four knives. "As decreed by the King."

He handed two to me and two to Penny. I hesitated slightly, tilting my head at Penny Peabody.