Valentine emerged from the cave. He got out his stele from his belt. He'd lost his other stele three months ago when he'd faked his second death. It hadn't been easy getting a new stele but there were still some people faithful to Valentine and the Circle. He spread out his arm and using his stele he traced the Projection rune he'd used many times before. He knew that there was a meeting in Alicante and everybody but the sick would be there, even the children, even Clarissa. Valentine didn't plan to attack, he planned to give them a choice. He chuckled as he saw them.
Clary gripped Jace's hand as they sat down in their appointed seats. These knew meetings were very different from the old meetings. The old meetings were for strategy or to convict someone and they hadn't been open to the children. While Clary was daydreaming the meeting had started. Suddenly, there was a scream. It had come from a woman in the left corner. Clary followed the woman's gaze and saw Valentine. She looked closer, it was a projection. How could Valentine be a projection? Clary had seen the smoke that had been made when Valentine's corpse had been burnt.
"Clarissa!" Valentine boomed. Jace's grip on Clary's hand tightened.
"Come here, daughter. Don't make me hunt you out!" Valentine continued. Clary stood up, ignoring Jace who was trying to pull her down.
"Can't you just rot in hell, like you're supposed to?" Clary asked.
"Ah, Clarissa. That is no way to speak to your father. Of course I never actually died. I didn't think you would all fall for it but once again I expected too much from you. Fair enough, this was a much harder death to fake but I managed." Valentine smiled.
"How?" Clary asked.
"Now, don't you worry your pretty little head about that." Valentine said."What do you want?" Clary asked.
"Once, Clary, I told you the reason I fathered no interest in you was because you were the reason your mother would not come back to me. However, now Lucian is in the way not you. Consequently, I wish to get to know my daughter." Valentine explained."When hell freezes over!" Jocelyn said standing up with Luke "If you lay one finger on her I will make you regret it!".
"I do not wish to hurt my own daughter, Jocelyn. I vowed never to hurt a child of my own blood again." Valentine said.
"She's not going anywhere with you! Maybe you won't hurt her physically but I wouldn't put it past you to turn her into your own little warrior." Luke said.
"Lucian, she is my daughter, not yours. I will decide whether she comes with me or not." Valentine said.
"Wrong. I am old enough to make my own decisions and I choose that I stay here with my friends and family. By the way, Luke is more of a father to me then you will ever be. My first memory of you is about a year ago and it still isn't important enough for me to remember it clearly but I remember the first time I met Luke so clearly and I was about five then. Even when Luke and my mom weren't going out and they were just best-friends he was more of a father to me. He was always there for me, holding my hand and helping me through it, while you were manipulating Jace and Jonathon and making them into warriors." Clary said.
"Lucian, you stole my wife and now my family. I will make you regret it!" Valentine said.
"Stay away from Luke!" I growled.
"Clarissa, you have a choice. Meet me outside Alicante at midnight tonight or I will go to war with Alicante. If you choose to meet me tonight you may bring five people of your choice with you who will stay with you to make sure you're safe, that is of course if you doubt my sincerity." Valentine said."I will always doubt you." Clary said.
"I hope to see you later, Clarissa. Goodbye for now." Valentine laughed then he was gone.
"Clary! Clary!"
Clary turned to see her mom running through the crowds towards her, calling out her name.
"Mom!" Clary shouted.
Jocelyn reached Clary and wrapped her arms around her."Are you okay?" Jocelyn asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Clary said smiling weakly.
No one else had uttered a word.
"This meeting is over. Take your family and leave. This problem will be solved." Luke called out to the crowds. His voice carried throughout the room.
"I have to go to him." Clary whispered.
"What's that, honey?" Jocelyn asked.
"I have to meet Valentine. Alicante can't go to war over me. He won't hurt me. I'll take the five people and they'll keep me safe." Clary said.
"No!" Simon and Jace said at the same time. They looked at each other and then Jace spoke "You're not going with him. I know him. He won't keep to his word. Don't you remember Ithurial?".
"Of course I do but he won't do that to me. I'm his daughter." Clary insisted.
"Okay, Ithurial is a bad example but what about what he did to me and Jonathan?" Jace asked.
"Come with me then. You can make sure I'll be safe." Clary said.
"Give it up, Clary. You're not going anywhere with Valentine." Simon said.
"Yes, I am." Clary said "Luke? What do you think?".
Luke took a moment to reply "I think you should go with him.".
"What??!!" Simon said.
"Yeah, what??!!" Jace said.
"I think Clary should meet Valentine. Valentine will wage war on Alicante if Clary doesn't meet him but I think Valentine meant it when he said I was the one in the way. He's concentrated on hurting me not Clary." Luke said.
"Okay, but if Clary goes, who goes with her?" Simon asked.
"Mom, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, will you guys go with me?" Clary asked. There were a chorus of "sure"s and "yeah"s then Jocelyn said "What about Luke?".
"I can't come anyway. Valentine wouldn't like it and I need to stay here to help with the council." Luke said."I'll miss you." Jocelyn said.
"I'll miss me too." Luke grinned.
Jocelyn laughed and kissed Luke. "Gross!" Clary exclaimed.
They just laughed.
They spent the rest of the day packing and getting ready. Clary tucked her new stele Jace had gotten for her in her belt. Jace had decided she needed a belt to look after her stele seeing as she'd lost three in the last month. Especially seeing as none of them had actually been Clary's. "Come on, honey. We're all waiting for you." Jocelyn called up the stairs.
"Coming." Clary called back. She picked up her bags from her bed and grabbed her weapon case from the floor. Clary ran out of the room pausing once to look back. She didn't know how long she'd be gone but hopefully not too long. Then she turned and ran down the stairs. Waiting in the hall of Amatis's house was Luke, Amatis, Isabelle, Alec, Simon, Jace and Jocelyn.
"Sorry. How long were you waiting?" Clary asked.
"Quite a while." Simon said.
Clary blushed deeply.
"Don't worry, the vamp is messing with you. We haven't been here long." Jace reassured her.
"Thanks for ruining my fun." Simon said sarcastically.
"Shut up, Simon." Clary said playfully punching him.
"We better get going. I know Valentine, he'll keep to his word but it's still better that we get there early." Luke said glancing at his watch. Everyone said there goodbyes to Amatis then, Clary took her stele from her belt and drew the portal rune. Once the portal arrived Luke went through first then Isabelle, Alec, Jocelyn, Simon, Jace and finally Clary.
Clary joined the group on the hill to see Valentine and Jonathon (Sebastian) and Jace being held back by Simon and Luke. Jocelyn was standing there frozen.
Clary ran over to Jace and gripped his hand.
Jace loosened up and stopped trying to attack Jonathan. Clary noticed Jocelyn standing there, not moving.
"Clarissa. You decided to come but do remember that I said you may bring five people not six." Valentine said."Luke is just dropping us off. I'll make him a portal in a minute." Clary explained.
"Good. Well be better be going then. Make him the portal!" Valentine ordered.
Clary hugged Luke "Bye Luke. See you soon. By the way I don't mind coming to your summer house.".
"Yeah, we already missed that party." Simon smiled.
"That was the last fight we had when things were normal." Jocelyn said to Clary.
"Things have never been normal." Luke smiled.
Luke and Jocelyn kissed goodbye and Simon and Jace said goodbye too.
Clary got her stele out from her belt again and drew another portal rune.
A portal appeared "I better be going then." Luke said.
He kissed Jocelyn one last time and stepped through the portal.
Clary closed the portal and opened a new one making sure she did not think of a certain place so Valentine could choose the destination. She shivered, he could take them anywhere.
Once she was done, Clary pocketed her stele once more.
"Hello, little sister and my dearest mother." Jonathon said taking a step towards Clary and Jocelyn.
"Stay away from them." Jace said.
"Mom, are you okay?" Clary whispered to Jocelyn.
"I'm fine. He may be my biological son but he isn't my real son. He's a monster and he has been since he was born. You are my only child." Jocelyn said.
Clary tried to ignore the icy tone to her voice as if she was forcing herself to say it. Clary remembered the blonde lock of hair her mother had loved and held. Clary had once thought it had been her father's. Then she had thought it had been Jace's. Now she knew it was Jonathon's. Jonathon's blonde roots were just starting to show in the black hair dye. It looked kind of stupid because his blonde was so much brighter then the black.
"How is he here?" Clary asked.
"I can summon armies of demons and you think it is hard for me to bring back my dead son?" Valentine didn't answer.
"You just can't kill people like you used to, can you?" Jace said.
"Jace, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, the vampire and Jocelyn. Wise choices Clarissa except maybe the vampire." Valentine said.
"That vampire happens to have a name. He's called Simon and he's also my best-friend. It's also my fault he's a vampire so shut the hell up!" Clary said."That is no way to speak to your father. We'll have to work on that attitude. Some may say my parenting style is cruel but no one can say it is not effective." Valentine said.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on my daughter!" Jocelyn said.
"Now, now Jocelyn, I believe you mean our daughter." Valentine smiled.
Jocelyn growled causing Valentine to laugh."We better get going then." Valentine smiled.
He took a step towards the portal. He took a moment to imagine his place and then stepped through the portal. Sebastian walked towards the portal and just before he went through he turned to look at the others "Come on." he said motioning for them to come then he left through the portal.
"I guess we better go then." Alec said."After you.".