Chapter Eleven:

Devils Amongst Immortals

Atlas

Rain spilled from the clouds and coated the quiet streets below the rooftop I stood upon. The air was muggy and humid due to the wrap up of spring, which made the Humans close their windows for the night, and the hum of air conditioning units fill the empty air. I heard the slightest whisper of a sound to my left, which made a smirk wash over my face. “I expected you back sooner. You’re getting slow, Hot Tamale.”

Blaine, whose body was still radiating heat as he slowly simmered back to a normal temperature, rolled his all red eyes and sat down casually, “It’s hard to get rusty when you sit around drinking coffee all day, you decrepit bag of bones.”

“I take away a strike, you add another one. Gehenna is once again in your future.”

“Good thing I'm used to burning,” he laughed, nudging me playfully before growing serious, “Anything from Dev and Galaxy, or the girls?”

I stood my scythe against the edge of the rooftop and shook my head, “No, not yet, and I have yet to see anything myself. I'm starting to think this whole thing was just a big hoax to pull us away from the academy…”

Blaine shook his hair out and spit on a small flame that had fallen loose from his locks, “I doubt it; if a Cerberus was lurking, who’s to say more demons aren’t floating about? What I don’t understand is how they’re coming out to begin with. You sure Gehenna is sealed?”

I scoffed in disgust, “Blaine, are you kidding me? I’ve never once let anything in or out that shouldn’t be there, and that isn’t changing now. Geneva and Magnus swept every inch, and found absolutely nothing. I'm thoroughly convinced that whoever is releasing these things is someone who’s done it before…”

“Like, another God of Death?” He whispered.

I swallowed nervously, clenching my fists, “Perhaps, but I’d like to believe I'm wrong about that. The only beings who can release demons from Gehenna are Gods, but the only ones alive are Seraphine and I…”

Blaine shifted uncomfortably at her name, moving to clutch his arms tightly, “Could she still access Gehenna, even though she’s no longer a God…?”

“Yes and no; it depends on how much strength she has left. She cannot become Grim anymore, so I doubt it’s much. She’s never given me reason to be suspicious, and considering she’ll be training my son soon, I’d rather not stomach the idea.” I growled with a shudder.

Blaine looked to me solemnly, then laid a hand on my shoulder so I would turn to him, “Atlas, I'm not stupid. You’ve been begging Galaxy since Nick got his schedule to take him off Seraphine’s roster, and now this? I think I'm starting to piece a few things together…”

“Such as?” I asked in defeat.

“Such as who you were actually hiding Nicodemus from,” he wearily offered.

I let my head fall, and as it did, the smoke from my cloak consumed my face and hid me from Blaine’s sight. “There’s more than just that reason, Blaine…”

“Yet this is the most prevalent one, is it not?” I cut him a dangerous side eye, but when I didn’t respond, he sighed deeply. “You would never hide him from us had there not been some extenuating circumstance, especially from his aunt and uncle. You’re afraid that she’s going to abuse his powers, so you made sure not a single soul knew of his existence so she couldn’t find him. You didn’t bring him to the academy because Galaxy would push Seraphine to be his trainer against your wishes, and that’s what you two have been fighting about, is it not?”

“When did you get so observant?” I breathed emotionlessly.

He paled dramatically within a second, and swallowed nervously, “I wasn’t expecting to be right, but knowing I am scares me more than before. What do you think she would do to him, more, why as well?”

“Gods only know, and that statement in itself terrifies me. We are the Gods, yet none of us have any idea what she’s capable of…” I trailed off as another set of boots hit the rooftop.

Galaxy blinked, causing the electricity around his eyes to dissipate, and shook his arms out before sighing morosely, “I love my wife, but did she have to make it rain the one night I need to travel around as electric energy?”

“I was hoping you’d sizzle out,” Elizabeth scoffed as she, Ashlynn, and Zephyrine crossed the rooftop as well, “Where’s Deveraux?”

Galaxy stretched hard, waited for his shoulder to pop, then answered his wife. “Checking on a disturbance in Dubai; random sink holes were forming, so he wanted to make sure they weren’t connected to this case.”

“A case with no real cause,” Ashlynn added, coming to my side to gently rub my back. I had shifted to sit on the edge of the rooftop, moving my scythe into my lap so I could stare into the blade emotionlessly. My hair was soaked from the rain I, too, had to travel in, and made my face look pale and dead underneath it.

“Don’t be so hasty. There’s something going on, we just need to it sniff out. There should be no reason for demons to be spawning in random towns, let alone to attack Humans and draw attention to themselves. I’d rather find out sooner than later.” Deveraux barked as he joined.

Galaxy stared down at me with narrowed eyes before sighing in annoyance, “Am I still getting the silent treatment, then?”

“Am I still being blatantly ignored and disrespected?” I shot back.

He groaned angrily and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Why must you always act like such a damn child, Atlas…!?”

“A child!?” I roared, whisking up as a flash of smoke to get in his face, “A child?! I'm concerned for the wellbeing of my son, you fucking asshole, and you’re trying to tell me I'm crazy! I am the God of Death, not you Galaxy, and if I'm telling you that someone in my Realm is dangerous, then you believe ME over your intuition!”

“I never said I don’t believe you…!” He shot back, but did so unsurely.

I shoved him hard, which made him almost stumble into Deveraux, “If anything, believe me as your fucking brother! You wonder why I didn’t want you involved in my son’s life?! Ten seconds and you’re already disobeying my wishes!?” I yelled, fuming so much that black smoke was pillowing from my hands and eyes.

He didn’t back away, but did grind his teeth bitterly, “Don’t use that against me, Atlas, because it will cause an even bigger issue than the one at hand. I just, am having a hard time understanding why you’re so sure Seraphine is connected to these occurrences?”

I slowly turned away, clenching my cloak to steady myself, “You don’t know what that woman is capable of. The things she’s done… I don’t believe for one moment that this whole act isn’t just that: an act. As soon as she heard Nicodemus was coming to campus she magically wanted to sponsor him, and I find it hard not to see any correlation. What, because her academy failed she suddenly wants to join our ranks? I don’t want her anywhere near my son…”

“Are you sure you’re not being overprotective?” Galaxy began, but when I shot him a cruel glare, he pressed his lips together. “I suppose you’re right; you know her better than I ever will, and I should trust your judgement. I was only trying to provide Nicodemus the best I could without having you solely continue his training. I’ll remove Seraphine from his training roster, but you have to tell her yourself.” He childishly declared.

“With pleasure.” I sniffed, dissipating into the air with not a single ounce of hesitation.

╪

Chandler academy stood as a former ghost of its once untouchable walls. Now renovated into a home for Seraphine, the old brick structure was hollow, and nothing but heavy and putrid energy spilled from the cracks. I admittedly was a bit intimidated to be back here, but for Nick’s sake swallowed my discomfort and ghosted towards the main doors. She had painted them black, covering the forest green symbol for Chandler with a thin coat of paint that she honestly believed would make this place less of a shit hole.

My hand went to touch the door but paused briefly, as if it had a mind of its own. It shook violently as I kept trying to force myself to knock, and finally, it gave up and rapped twice on the main panel. I quickly stuck it back under my cloak to protect it from any further torture as the door slowly opened, and one of her servants, Eve, looked out in surprise. “Grim? What are you doing here?” She scoffed, raising a hazel eyebrow at me.

“I came to speak to your master, if she is available.” I flatly demanded.

She crossed her arms and rolled her lips loudly, “She’s finishing a phone call, but by the time we get up there she’ll be free. Mind not leaving behind soot clouds this time?” She scoffed, attempting to tease a little, but realized quickly I wasn’t in the mood. I followed her inside the antiquated building silently, pulling my cloak closed entirely so I could feel some sense of security, though I would never show signs of weakness while in this Realm. Eve ascended the main steps and came to another black door, where she slapped the knocker twice before huffing and peering inside. “Visitor!” She blandly called before nodding to me to enter. I slid by her and into the room, taking a deep breath before standing as tall as possible.

She hadn’t changed much since we last spoke a hundred years ago.

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Her long, straight white hair was now down to her waist, and she wore it completely slicked down to perfection. Her rich mocha skin contrasted it beautifully, adorned by long black nails and expensive jewelry. Her thin frame was covered by a fitted grey dress that stopped at her knees, and had thin straps to keep it pulled over her chest properly. When she heard me enter the room, her fingertips paused on the bookshelf she was walking them down, and she slowly turned to glance at me over her shoulder. “Atlas Crawford, in my home…?” She breathed in awe.

“Nice to see you again.” I lied through my teeth.

Her dark purple painted lips curled into a seductive smile, and she crossed her arms against her chest to show off a bit more cleavage, thinking I wouldn’t notice she was doing it deliberately. “So it is. I heard you’ve been quite busy, my darling; I’m very happy you decided to check in with your old mentor.”

“This is far less than a check in, and you know that.”

“I may have an idea as to what you’re here concerning, but I believe I’d like the explanation straight from your lips…” She looked me up and down, her eyes like daggers as she soaked me in, “Haven’t you become ever-so dashing? I didn’t think you could achieve such after two thousand years, yet here you stand as handsome as ever. Maybe it’s the length of your hair…?”

“I didn’t come to flirt, Seraphine.” I spat acidly.

“Then why are you here?” She hissed, betrayed that I rejected her advances yet again.

I swallowed ever so slightly, “To inform you that your application to sponsor my son has been denied. Galaxy told me he would only consider this if I told you myself, so here I am to do so. You are forbidden to so much as breathe the same air as him, McBride, and should I catch you doing so, it will not end well for you.” My voice betrayed me; it shook so considerably that I eventually clenched my teeth so I was forced to stop talking.

She pondered my words for a moment, then began to clap slowly, her fingernails clicking methodically, “My, my, haven’t we grown courageous? I don’t see why I shouldn’t be allowed to educate the young man…?”

“You are far from capable of educating anything with a heartbeat!” I snarled.

“I taught you everything you know, so don’t talk of yourself so illy…” She chuckled before tapping her cheek, “I am quite astonished that you have finally bore a child, nonetheless one so powerful, but that was to be expected. To keep that from me was no surprise, but from Galaxy and the Gods? You must truly fear that someone will harm the boy in some way?”

“Give me reason not to.”

Seraphine rolled her eyes, tucking some hair behind her ear, as it had become dislodged when she shook her head. “It’s a pity that you still hold on to grudges so intently after hundreds of years. I have done my best to atone for what transpired during your time at Chandler, Atlas, yet nothing is ever good enough. I taught you in the ways that were fit based on the time period, and you flourished because of it, but I simply did not have eyes on the back of my head. I personally have never put you in harm’s way, and I see no reason as to why I can’t provide the same information to Nicodemus…?”

“Information and torture are two totally different things. I do not want you to ruin him the way you have me, and if you were smart, you’d understand that I’m not joking.”

“Funny how having a child changes you so much; overnight you seem to have gone from chaotic titan of war to loving papa bear. I must say that I miss the old Atlas…” She sang wearily.

I slammed my fist against the wall, which made her jump slightly. “You will not go near my son, Seraphine McBride. Do I make myself clear?”

She looked me over once more, then sucked her teeth in annoyance, “You really are a mood killer. How about a compromise, then?” She walked around the desk and laid a hand on my back, where she used her nails to slowly trace the hood that sat against it, “Let me at least continue to teach my class at Valyce. Chandler, as you can see…” she gestured to the decrepit walls around her, “is long gone, and I’ve become incredibly bored being cooped up here all day. I can at least provide him the intellectual knowledge he deserves. I will not step in between he and Blaine during training, but I can at the very least make sure his book smarts are as sharp as could be. There should be no harm in doing that, should there?”

I loosened up ever so slightly, “How do I know I can trust you?”

“I’ve been teaching at Valyce for five years now, and not one student has come to harm. Galaxy has me on a tight leash, admittedly, but I’ve followed his instruction to a T. Can’t you at the very least consider it? None of the professors who taught at Chandler have come with me, and even you have to admit my experience shouldn’t be wasted. I have seen all of the Gods grow and flourish, and I would hate to miss the opportunity to see the most powerful one yet…?”

“He won’t be a God…?” I whispered morosely, delusionally even.

Seraphine scoffed, and leaned forward to look me in the eye, “Oh Atlas, don’t tell me you’re this naïve? Surely you understand that no Death Elemental is going to be able to outshine such talent…?” I began to tremble under her hands, which made her trail off briefly. She frowned at my fear, and laid a hand on my cheek, “Please, Atlas, trust me just this once? I know I was incredibly hard on you, and I apologize for all of the pain you experienced, but I was only teaching you that way so you could outshine the others as you have. I won’t train him if you don’t want me to, but can I at the very least see him grow? You’ve always been my pride and joy, and to have the opportunity to watch your son prosper is one I would be ever so humbled to experience…” She let the hand on my cheek move down my neck, trailing towards the top buttons of my shirt. I smacked her hand away, my eyes narrow as I glared down at her. She grinned and delicately pulled her hand back, “It’s always pained me that you preferred to stay with Ashlynn. We could have built something incredible together, you know?”

“My patience with you is growing thin. I have enough problems right now, and you trying to wiggle into my pants is not helping.”

“Problems? With what?” She asked with genuine concern.

“As if I’d tell you.” I childishly scoffed.

“Come now, I was a God as long as you have been, so stop being such a child. If I can help, let me; let by gones be by gones. I'm willing to do so if you are?” She offered with a raised eyebrow.

I exhaled loudly, grinding my teeth before crossing my arms against my chest, “Someone is letting demons out of Gehenna. Geneva and Magnus have extensively scoured every inch of its outer barrier and cannot find a single hole, yet more and more high class demons have been running around the Human Realm. They’ve even been attacking in broad daylight, surrounding villages and tearing limbs off in the middle of intersections. We can only erase so many memories before someone catches on or slips by.”

“That is quite a problem, isn’t it?” She tapped her nails on her temple, seriously contemplating how to provide a worthy answer, “I’ve never heard of such an occurrence to be quite honest. Is there any way I can help?”

“You’re my prime suspect, considering you and I are the only Gods of Death left.” I growled with a penetrating glare.

She laughed in my face and pinched my cheek, “I haven’t been able to get within range of Gehenna for over three hundred years, and that hasn’t changed anytime recently. Besides, what reason do I have for letting them out? I'm trying to get on your good side, not make things worse. If you’d like, I can go out on a hunt with you to try and see if we can catch whomever it is? I have ample amounts of free time nowadays, especially if I'm banned from Valyce…?”

“I'm more concerned with Nicodemus’s safety than I am over a few stray demons.”

“Well, how about a different proposal?” She lit a cigarette and blew a ring across the room, which danced around a candle before mingling with the smoke and dissipating, “I get a month long trial. Let me teach my class, and if Nicodemus is unscathed during that time, then we take it from there. I'm allowing you full control here, as you deserve of course, but also as a way to show that I truly would like to make things up to you. We fought together for over a thousand years, Atlas, and that kind of relationship cannot just be thrown away. I understand why you don’t trust me, but I also think you should recognize that fact as well.”

I looked out the window at the darkening sky, where storm clouds were rolling in ominously over the battered academy. Rain had begun to slip down the windowpanes, and Seraphine watched it to distract herself while she gave me a moment to think. I turned away from the window and shakily exhaled again, gripping my arm for some type of support, “I… I’d need to speak with Ashlynn about this before so much as considering it an option…?”

“That’s a step closer than I thought I could ever get,” she died the cigarette out before gliding across the room to gently wrap her arms around my neck and lay her cheek on my chest, “We had as many good times as we had bad, my darling, remember that. I have waited quite a long time to hold a discussion with you again, let alone have a chance to watch your child grow. It would truly be an honor to be a part of his life, if even in the slightest way; no one ever thought you and Ashlynn would have kids, and now that you have, I simply cannot afford to miss the opportunity of being there to help guide him. He can look at me as his aunt!” She laughed lightly, which did make me smile ever so slightly.

“I’ll discuss this with Ashlynn, but regardless, no training is allowed. I can admit that your knowledge would be great for his academic progress, so teaching one class should not be as bad. I myself would like to see if this whole nice guy façade is truly a charade, and if is not, then I may consider letting you help me again.” I was trying to front as much confidence as I could, but both Seraphine and I knew she saw right through me, which was as discouraging now as it had been the many years she had done this in the past.

She, instead, let me have my pride and nodded earnestly, “That’s all I could ever ask,” she laid a delicate kiss to my cheek before combing a lock of hair behind my ear, “I’ve taken care of you your whole life, and nothing will ever change that. Please understand that I truly did not mean to make you suffer, and that I have no intentions of letting your son go through the same. If anything, I’d like to just accompany Blaine during his training, to provide tips and such. A Fire Elemental can only teach a Death Elemental so much…?”

“Don’t push it,” I scoffed, but she giggled at that.

She turned and pulled a black box out from the bookshelf, setting it into my hand with both of hers, “I’d been saving this for the day that you did decide to bear children, and I would like Nicodemus to have it. It’s a ring from Endymion himself, given to me to signify I would become the Grim Reaper one day. Nicodemus might find it useful while getting used to battling with so many energies, but if anything, it can be a little gift to keep on a shelf. Just, please, let him have this? It would make me feel better?”

I turned the box in my hand, then sighed and nodded stiffly, “I’ll give it to him; thank you, for such a kind gift.”

“No trouble at all, though it was hard to get a hold of that thing, so make sure he takes care of it,” she winked and nodded to the door, “I’ll be here should you and Ashlynn decide anything. Just give me a call; I won’t be offended either way. Oh, and, Atlas? Congratulations are long due. Your son is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm happy you were blessed with such a long deserved and awaited gift. Having children is a blessing that can never be compared.” Her tone fell so drastically that all I could do was mourn for her. Seraphine wanted biological children for her entire four thousand year existence, yet never succeeded in producing them, and for a brief moment, I swallowed my nerves and recognized that there was a possibility, a small one, that she truly did just want to share in this experience with me.

I gripped the door handle to steady myself as I spoke, “He’s my pride and joy, and that’s why I'm so protective. I would die if anything ever happened to him.”

Her dark lips moved into a beautiful smile, “I understand. It’s endearing, seeing such a different side of you. You’ve never been the ‘fatherly’ type, but I cannot say I’m disappointed in how it’s changed you. For now, focus on getting him acclimated, and should you have any questions or concerns, you are always welcome to come to me.”

“I look forward to seeing how this plays out.” I said before turning my back and pulling the door open. She turned and laid her hands on her desk, and waited a moment longer before slamming her fist down on the wood. “Atlas?!” She cried, whipping around to catch up with me, though I hadn’t moved yet.

The look on her face said it all; I slowly closed the door and moved to sit in one of the leather chairs that faced her desk. I reached around her and stole a cigarette from the pack sitting on her folders, and lit it to take a long drag. “I take it you have an idea about what’s going on?”

“How much time do you have?” She whispered morosely.