Cast In Blood: Revelations Series Book 1: (11 page)

Fuck,
thought Polly,
how the hell could this happen?
She called forth a cleaner and asked her to record all details of the room and body before she cleaned. When Polly was sure the pudgy little demon would do a good job at her task, she went to visit Lucy.

A
s she walked
into Lucifer’s office, Polly wondered why she'd been so lax as to let the djinn sit in the cell alone while she went to deal with Bis. She made sure he had been securely strapped to a chair when she left, and nobody but high level demons were able to enter the torture cells, but she was still angry with herself. There was no getting around the fact that someone on the inside had to have helped him.

Polly wished she had time to figure out who had done this. Lucy was going to have questions she couldn't answer, and that made her uneasy. She didn't like not knowing what was going on. She really didn't like that someone was able to get in and kill the djinn on her watch. It made her feel incompetent, and that was not a feeling Polly dealt with very well. With rage burning through her, she stepped into the hall that led to Lucy's office.

She knocked on the door and heard a gruff, "Enter."

"Lucy, I got some information from a djinn prisoner that I found rather interesting."

"No ‘How are you doing' or ‘Nice to see you'? You just jump right into business without greeting me properly? Maybe you'd better go out and try this again." The tone in Lucifer's voice let Polly know she wasn't messing around.

"Um, okay." Polly stepped back out into the hall and knocked again, a bit taken aback at Lucy's reaction. She'd had never been one for small talk and neither had Lucifer.

"Enter."

Polly stepped into the office and said, "How are you doing, Lucy?"

"Oh, I'm peachy. How are you?"

"I'm having a bad day," Polly said, confused at Lucifer's behavior. The Lucy she knew was cool as a cucumber.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there something I can do to help? No, of course there isn't, because you don't need my help. You don't need anyone's help."

"Lucy, are you okay?" Her words seemed to snap Lucifer out of the mood she'd been in, and it was as if an entirely different being stood before her than had a moment before.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What do you have for me?"

"Well, I still have no clue how the djinn escaped, but I do know that they're helping a charlatan run some religious sect called the Children of Light. I also heard from the prisoner I just extracted information from that the djinn are referring to this charlatan as the Messiah. There's something else troubling me."

"Really? Something more than allowing prisoners to escape by the hundreds and some crazy motherfucker thinking he's the new Jesus? Please, tell me, what else is troubling you?" The sarcasm in Lucifer's voice cut Polly to the quick. Not that she was undeserving of the tone, given she had allowed mass escapees and had no clue how to stop more from happening.

"Someone killed my prisoner. I left him chained to the hot seat in my locked cell for a few minutes. I had to talk to Bis and see if he'd found out anything. While I was dealing with him, someone somehow slipped my prisoner an angelite capsule."

"What the fuck, Polly? How the hell did angelite get into Hell? How could you allow that shit into my house?"

"I didn't know it was here. Aside from the bomb, I've never seen it here before today."

"With this sort of gross incompetence, I have to wonder why in the world I made you my lieutenant. I mean, be honest here, what would you say to you if you were me?"

"I'd be extremely disappointed in me and would give me time to figure out what was going on."

"Would you? That's interesting. There once was a time you would have eviscerated anyone who had allowed the trespasses you've trespassed against me."

Polly was embarrassed and surprised at the venom in Lucy's voice.

"If you feel I require torture to be straightened out, I will give myself up for torture."

"You don't get it. You just don't get it," Lucy muttered then she sighed and said, "Tell me about this church."

"According to the djinn, they're trying to bring about the end times. He said they were after the seals. He also kept repeating that the cult leader is the Messiah. I'm not sure what is real and what the lie in all this is. I have an inside man—woman, actually—at the church. I have J. D. up top checking things out, and I have a few demons down here looking into the escapes. I will get to the bottom of this, Lucy, I promise."

"The seals? The end times? Sweet Christ on the cross, Polly! I want you to get this figured out ASAP. I mean, what the hell are these djinn and this messiah guy really up to? As for you leaving a prisoner to speak to Bis, you really let me down with that. You know better, Polly. I thought I could trust you, depend on you. I thought you were more than my second; I thought you were my friend!" Lucy started off her denouncement angrily, but finished it yelling almost hysterically, which was out of character for the ruler of Hell.

"I … I am your friend. What is going on, Luce? You don't seem like yourself." Polly chewed her lip worriedly.

"I'm … I'm fine." It took some effort, but Lucifer's calm demeanor returned and her tone evened out. "What else do you know?"

"Well, I know that there's some sort of djinn uprising going on."

"No, you don't say," Lucifer spat.

"Look, I don't exactly know what they have planned, but I'd bet that this cult boy and his flock are involved. I know that there is more going on at the Children of Light than we originally thought. I have the shifter looking into things, and J. D. promises me he has someone who can help us as well."

"Oh, you're trusting J. D. now? The demon who stole from me? The vicious little backstabbing bastard?" Lucy's vehemence surprised Polly. She was angry about all the hell breaking loose in Hell, and that was to be expected, but there was something more going on, and it frightened Polly.

"Lucy, I will get to the bottom of this, and I promise that I will not stop until I've got all those djinn back dead. I also promise that if they come back, they'll be locked away forever. Hopefully that incentive will bring some home on their own."

"You don't have the ability to promise all that. I believe it is my decision whether something is locked away forever and
not
yours, understand?" Lucy's eyes flashed white hot with anger and her own special hellfire.

"I completely understand, my liege."

"Now then, since all that nasty business is behind us, why don't you tell me about the new gremlin habitat?"

Polly shook her head, wondering whether she'd heard the question correctly. She had no clue why Lucy would give a crap about the gremlin housing with all the other pressing business at hand, but she felt it best to obey and answer.

"The new place is shaping up nicely. Quite a few gadgets are being installed for them to play with in the hopes that they leave our stuff alone."

"What? Who?" Lucy shook her head, clearly disoriented.

"The gremlins."

"I don't give a fuck about the gremlins, Polly, find me some answers about the fucking djinn and the church," Lucy snarled, sitting back behind her desk.

"But, Luce, you just asked me—"

"Don't you worry about what I asked you, I know what I asked you. I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't going to ask you." The fallen angel was getting more and more upset.

"Okay, sorry. Are you sure you're okay?"

"No. I mean, yes. I'm fine. I'll be just fine. You need to get your ass out there and figure out what is going on. Sooner rather than later would be good." She stared at Polly and gave a half-smile.

"Okay, Lucy. I'll check some things out. I've got a meeting set up with someone who might be able to provide some leads." Polly did her best to hide her worry.

This isn't like Lucy at all. Poor thing must be under too much stress
.

Before she left, she took one last glance at Lucy. Her friend looked paler than she ever had before, and when Polly added the confusion and mood swings, she wondered if someone hadn't done something to Lucifer. If someone had, Polly wasn't sure what the hell she would do. She was going to have to solve this case quickly, and that was all there was to it. As Polly closed the door behind her, she hoped that taking some of the stress off Lucy's shoulders would help. She wasn't sure what else she could do for her friend.

L
ucifer stared
at the door long after her lieutenant had closed it. She felt paralyzed for the moment. Her head throbbed, her body ached, and her mind felt caught in a daze, and she couldn't think of anything more terrifying.
So this is how it feels to be mortal.

And this is what it feels like to be truly alone.

She looked upward, imagining the heavens and those still inhabiting them. Was God feeling just as ill? Did He know any more about this than she did? Was there any possibility He was involved?

She shook her head as if someone else had asked the question. No, He had just as much to lose if Hell were to fall. He might have wronged her in many ways, but He had nothing to gain by killing her. Moreover, He disliked the djinn even more than she did. They were devious little vermin, and He knew that just as well.

"Get your head on straight, Lucy," she muttered under her breath. Now wasn't the time to be speculating ridiculous, paranoid thoughts, especially about God. She needed to be looking in rational directions, seeking out
real
leads.

Apollyon would get to the bottom of it. She was competent; she'd never failed in her duties, and she wasn't going to fail now.

Have faith….

She closed her eyes, a dizzy spell causing the room to spin for a few seconds. Her stomach tightened, nausea taking hold. The heat was getting to her, making her feel sick, and she fanned herself in an attempt to cool off. The motion only tired her, accomplishing little more than waving around the hot air.

"God, what's going on?"

Another stupid question. She might not know the details, but she knew exactly what was happening. She'd seen it when Zeus had been dethroned, and she'd seen it when she'd been sent to take Hades' place. Gods came and went, and humanity was the key to their existence.

Olympus had been good to her, even if she had been there to serve the gods. When the souls entering the Underworld had begun to wane, belief had been to blame. God—Jehovah—had started it when he sent Jesus to the people. He hadn't anticipated the hold His son would end up taking—or so He said—the masses he tore from Zeus' grip.

He'd claimed it had merely been about humbling the god, taking him down a notch. Zeus had all but buried his younger brother under his thumb. He'd kept the people from including Him in their tales, kept Him from holding any power on the Mount. Zeus must have seen something in Him, known deep down that someday He'd dethrone him, and his paranoia in that regard had been his downfall.

Faith—that was what directed the souls—and when the people's faith in Olympus' gods began to fade, so did their immortality.

Jehovah might not have meant to destroy them, but when there was no question as to what was happening, He didn't do anything to stop it. Zeus and the other gods had fought valiantly. They'd sent Roman leaders to execute the people's new messiah, but that had only sealed their fate. It turned out humans loved a good martyr.

At first, Zeus and the others had put up a good front. They hid their growing weakness, certain they could take back the power slowly funneling more and more into the world's new dominant god. But as the Judeo-Christian beliefs grew and the leaders of Olympus went from gods to myths, they lost their standing.

The first of many battles ensued. Zeus challenged his little brother, but he was no match. He might as well have been a human declaring war on all the heavens. Jehovah offered the fallen god a place in His new kingdom, which he named Heaven, but Zeus' pride proved the final nail in his coffin. Powerless, and suddenly without the support of the newly enthroned god, Zeus and the rest of Olympus perished.

And when deities perish, there is no afterlife for them to enter. They simply cease to be.

During the shift, God had made so many promises, especially to Lucy. She'd been so devoted to Him. She would have done almost anything for Him.

Almost.

"How did things go so terribly wrong?" she whispered.

She thought about how nearly perfect everything had been right before the Fall. God had shared portions of His power with those who had been the most faithful during Olympus' decline. Lucy had been His most loyal. She'd stood by His side, never questioning. At first, she'd been okay with her transformation from servant to angel. At first, she'd seen it as an honor and a privilege.

But then she did begin to question.

"If I'm your most beloved angel, why won't you make me your goddess?" she'd asked Him one beautiful day while they lay together in one another's arms.

"You are my goddess. You're my brightest light, my morning star, my greatest love."

"But I'm not. How can you expect me to believe that when you keep me beneath you, just another angel among countless others? I want to be your wife."

For reasons she'd never fully understand, He laughed, and His response crushed her.

"What's so funny?"

He shook His head. "What did marriage ever do for Hera? Heaven only needs one God, and you know that. Don't worry, you'll always be the one I hold right by my side. Isn't that enough?"

She got up and covered herself with a robe. He didn't deserve to admire her perfect form—at least that had been her thought at the time. He was being selfish with His power. Who needed all of that to himself? Zeus might have denied some of his family members his wealth, but overall he'd been far more gracious. He'd allowed numerous others the distinction of "god," and had even allotted each a special attribute.

What was so special about being an angel? Being allowed to oversee all of those spoiled, rotten humans? Being privileged enough to sit back with a smile while the tiny, finite creatures worshipped and sinned and played? Being blessed enough to watch them write their new holy books, rewriting history to accommodate His story? Being allowed to bask in God's warm light? Being allowed to remain immortal?

Why had she allowed herself to become so jealous? Had she remained at His side, had the djinn instead been given reign of Hell when Hades dissolved into the ether, perhaps none of this would be happening. Maybe she'd still be standing at God's side, His favorite, His most beloved. What else might have been so vastly different than it was now?