Chapter Text
"Uncle Scrooge, this can't be right. That land shouldn't exist!" Della Duck scratched her head as she glanced between the coordinates, and what her own eyes were telling her was true.
Scrooge McDuck padded silently up beside her pilot chair as he smiled down at the sight of the lush green land, dotted with rolling hills and ancient Grecian structures, far below them. In contrast with Della's bewilderment, his expression remained one of silent satisfaction. He looked down at the piece of paper he held in his hands, then back out the cockpit's window. "Ay, indeed it is, lass," he told her. "The mythical island of Ithaquack!"
"Ithaquack?!" Donald echoed, turning sharply to look at his uncle with a face that mirrored his twin sister's. "There's no such place!"
"So it was thought, for thousands of years," Scrooge explained. "But I recently came across an ancient tone with the coordinates on how to find it. And bless me bagpipes, it was right!"
Donald and Della exchanged a glance, not sure if they should believe their uncle, or merely humor him.
"So you want me to land?" Della asked. Then, under her breath, added, "Wait until the Junior Woodchucks hear about this."
"Absolutely, lass," Scrooge confirmed. "Only be careful as you do so. There's no telling what may be down there waiting for us."
"You got it!" Della lowered her goggles so they fit over her eyes, and hunched over the Cloudslayer's controls as she began the landing sequence. "Oh, no," Donald yelped helpless as he dug his fingers into the armrests of his seat. Despite their uncle's cautions, Della's landings were rarely uneventful.
A short time later, the plane was landed on a wide stretch of a grassy plain. Della was laughing triumpantly, while Donald had curled into a bawl as he cowered in his seat. "Is it over?" he asked, daring to open one eye.
"Don't be such a wuss, Donald! That was one of my best landings yet!"
"Not bad, lass," Scrooge said with just a touch of pride in his tone. "Now, be careful to follow my lead. Legends said that some of the most powerful ancient gods were supposed to- " Scrooge was interrupted by the sound of Della running past him with a loud, excited yell as she yanked open the plane's doors and launched herself into the Ithaquackian air.
"-live here," he finished flatly, raising an eyebrow in the wake of his niece's excited exit.
"Oooh, Della!" Donald yelled after his sister, attempting to follow before he snapped back against his seat. His seatbelt was still fastened. After extracting himself, he jumped up and ran after her as fast as he could, looking more concerned than excited. Donald had always been the more cautious twin.
Scrooge sighed and shrugged, having no choice other than to follow his niece and nephew. He blinked as he stepped into the bright sunlight, then took a in a deep breath of the sweet fresh air. It felter lighter on Ithaquack than anywhere else they had been so far.
Donald and Della were standing in the grass just outside the plane, looking around them. "I think we should go that way," Della said, pointing in the direction of a rather ominous looking stormcloud.
"What? No, it's storming over there!" Donald quipped. "Let's go that way!" He pointed in the direction of a beautiful field of pink and yellow daisies set against a backdrop of a magnicent waterfall that glinted in the sunlight.
"No way!" Della shot back. "That way looks way cooler! Besides, I saw some old-looking buildings over there when I was landing the plane."
"Well why didn't you say so?" Scrooge asked, the excitement in his own voice rising to match Della's. "Let's go that way!"
Donald just sighed and hunched his shoulders as he followed them. He could already tell this was going to be a trip he'd regret for a long, long time.