Azrael let go of Maze. Her nose twisted and she just avoided an undignified sneeze.
Outside the black iron-like gates, the ash piled up around lost souls waiting to enter.
The line seemed a lot longer than usual.
Fear filled the air, tainted with anxiety and nervousness. The souls shuffled in place as overworked demons at the gates argued with each other.
Slowly, in varying states of awareness, every face turned to look at the angel and demon.
Maze wore her battle armor, blades held at the ready, Lucifer's suit coat stuffed into her belt and hanging over her waist. There was no salvaging it at this point anyway. Azrael had changed out her knitted cat jumper for her celestial robes - black and brown, fashioned like Amenadiel's - felted wool and hanging to the ground. She spread her wings to the fullest, imposing even with her small stature. Ash billowed and heaved about them like a flock of birds.
The demons at the gate took half a step out to run to them then thought better of it.
Maze said, "I'll be right back. Better make a quick stop first."
Azrael nodded, doing her best to just look unapproachable. They had found her a sword that was ivory-white, but still mundane, man-made. She didn't have a true replacement for the one Lucifer threw away (and she still had a bone to pick with him over that), but it at least looked right. The sword wasn't necessarily useful to her against demons, but it probably helped identify her and would keep random souls and demons away, assuming the wings weren't enough to do the job.
The returning demon met the others at the gates. She tipped her chin up, assuming they knew her even if she couldn't name them. "I'm on a mission from Lucifer."
The male demon grunted. "He coming back?"
"Not your concern."
"Kinda is, mistress."
"I'm coming back through this way. I'll tell you more then. Maybe."
The other demon - she didn't recognize either of them - inhaled deeply. "That's his, isn't it?" He pointed at the coat. "Why does it smell like...that?"
"I'm borrowing it. He sent me to bring him his hellhounds. He's not interested in coming here himself and being asked a million questions."
"It's bad enough he leaves Hell, but now he's taking one of our tools?"
"I'm not taking all the hounds, just his. They probably aren't really useful down here anyway without him."
The demon looked ready to argue just on principle, then shrugged, "they are kinda fat and lazy now. Last I saw they were wandering around his courtyard." The demon grinned evilly. "They could use some new prey to hunt. Bet they'll have a field day topside."
She grunted.
"What's with your pet angel? She coming to take over?" He tilted his scarred head at the winged woman, not at all subtly wiping some drool off his chin. "The King must be developing some real pull up there to make the Angel of Death do a pick-up run for him."
"Not today." Maze shoved past them, casting a last backward look at the disorganized line of human souls, watching warily where they weren't utterly distraught. Demons should be walking the line to keep them from wandering off into the fields, and away from Azrael too. A few looked like they recognized her, slow hopeful looks blossoming on their faces with the idea she might have dropped them off at the wrong gates.
Azrael rigidly ignored everyone.
Maze would have to have words with her mother sometime soon. Lilith may not hold a rank, but she has power here.
All around her, Hell reached for her like a lover as she walked inside. Blue ash swirled around her feet as if it were dancing in joy at her presence and it was just as intoxicating as she remembered. A few dozen tiny demonic fey - some of the old fairies when they died off, floated behind her, approaching and darting away again like dragonflies in a gesture of welcome.
They were as mischievous as ever, gathering larger clumps of ash and raining it down on her as she walked. If they tried to bring her a cape like some returning princess, she would crush them in her hands. The wing vanes made good toothpicks.
Ahead, larger demons ducked and bowed, remembering her status as the right hand of Lucifer himself. She kicked any who didn't get out of her way fast enough.
Ash fell like snow, piling so high into the corners of the buildings and cells that it looked like the halls were all U-shaped. Another point to be fixed. Things never looked this way when Lucifer was ruling.
She sighed, trailing her fingers along the side of a wall like a matron checking the shelves for dust. There was a lot of dust.
She needn't have worried about the hounds at all.
They bounded up to her at the gates of Lucifer's palace, wagging their tails.
They had, in fact, gotten fat. The gatekeeper wasn't wrong. Fat on what, she wasn't entirely sure, but they looked more like dogs than the majestic hellhounds they should be. Maze found it disquieting. Bonnie and Clyde still had their hellish features, thank Chaos for that - their leathery wings tucked up against their backs and long scaled tails whipping back and forth in greeting. Their short pointed ears were cocked forward and their normally short horns that curled like a rams' were in need of a trim.
She went inside the palace, to find Lucifer's main rooms. More ash had blown through the front door, filtering through the hallways and even deeper.
She stopped, enraged.
Footprints were everywhere.
And they certainly weren't his.
She had to do something about this.
Whoever had been lurking here likely went running when she stepped through - she detected no presence of them now. But it seemed the palace had been violated by trespassers a number of times. The wall hangings were pulled down, the decor was trashed and at least one brave/stupid demon had pissed in a corner. No hellhound would have done that.
She didn't have time to fuck around right now, however.
Rummaging around in Lucifer's drawers in his bedrooms, she finally found the hound's collars. They probably didn't even need them at this point, but it would ensure their obedience all the same.
Looking around, she stopped at his grand desk, built of polished bones from who knew what, picking up some paper and a porcupine quill. The ink was dry, so she pricked her finger to quickly write a few letters.
She wondered idly what his human lovers would think of this place. Just in case it worked, she stopped and snapped a few quick photos with her phone. The light worked much differently down here, so odds were they wouldn't come out. Still, it was satisfying to try.
Returning to her task, she stabbed the quill angrily, stopping several times to make sure she was writing legibly. It had never been her favorite language to write in, and she had to start over a few times to make sure she was understood.
Hell to pay had never been more accurate.
Finally, she stood again, wrapping up her messages, grabbing the collars and anything else she could think of that might be useful. She found a leather (it wasn't cowhide) pack that suited her needs.
Things had gone more or less smoothly thus far, so she made a stop at her old rooms too. The matte black sword was still where she left it, so she pulled it out of her weapon closet and strapped it around her waist, in its blood-red scabbard. Footprints in the dust and ash were here too. That didn't bother her nearly as much as the invasion of her Lord's privacy. It still made her itchy though.
Maze found the hounds just outside the massive front door, watching and waiting eagerly. At least Lucifer had trained them well, and it seemed to have still stuck with them. She slipped the collars on and walked ahead, expecting them to follow.
They did.
They may have mellowed, but at least they still knew how to recognize a master.
Azrael looked up in surprise at her quick return.
Maze paused at the gates, grabbed a spike sticking out of the pattern and wrenched it free. The demons inside looked suitably impressed. She dropped it in the pack too and walked the last fifty feet to meet her ride back.
Azrael started to speak, but Maze held up her hand. She passed the pack and control of the hounds over to the angel.
They looked from Mazikeen to Azrael expectantly, having no issue with their control now being managed by an angel. The things really had gone soft. As long as they could still hunt though, they'll work fine. Azrael slung the pack over her shoulder, looking curious. It vanished into her wing-space, as effectively carried as if it were physically hung from her back.
She held out her hand to take Maze back.
The demon shook her head. "I have to stay here. Hell is a mess and Lucifer isn't coming back. Someone needs to whip the demons back into shape or that line is going to get even longer." She nodded to the human souls shuffling slowly and miserably.
"But Lucifer?"
"He's going to be fine." Maze unhooked her blades and handed them over too. "I have other weapons back at the palace. You guys are going to find him, whatever happened to him, he's not here. If he dies, I'm not even sure he'll come back here at this point. I'm not sure I'd want him to, without his Devil form to call on."
The angel looked torn, shifting in place, ash clinging to her robes. "Who's going to run Hell? You?"
She looked away, "I'll hold it, but I won't run it. I can keep the seat warm for someone else, but only another true Fallen can take the throne. They say an angel has to run it, but I've never seen anyone but Lucifer do it. And he preferred to use his Devil wings to enforce order. The angel wings were really only there as a reminder that he was one. My wings should help me establish order."
A being loved by Hell had no business leaving it again.
Azrael didn't argue with her. The demon wanted to stay in Hell and she wasn't going to dissuade her. "Good luck."
The Angel of Death appeared on the outskirts of LA. She looked off into the desert for a long moment, then dug her phone out of her robes. It was something El asked her to have on her in case of emergencies, but it wouldn't turn on. She'd forgotten to charge it again.
Ugh.
She pointed at a nearby rock formation. "Stay!"
They dodged and ducked their heads, whining, then obeyed, scaley tails tucked between their legs. She realized they must be overwhelmed by the sunlight, so she led them into the shade. The heat they could deal with, but Hell was perpetually dim, and all stars were holy, to at least some degree.
She looked down at them with mild concern, but they wouldn't move anywhere while under orders.
She fished the jacket out of the pack Maze gave her and tossed it to them. It calmed their nerves instantly. Bonnie, in particular, yipped in excitement, rolling her head eagerly along one of the sleeves and settling down. They both sniffed all over it, picking out the human smells separate from their master but neither looked ready to rip it apart in protest.
They were like pups again, poking their heads up on long necks and looking around for their master. She paused long enough to grin at them, adding an extra 'stay!' for good measure before flitting back to El's lab.
Chloe sat in the corner of the lab, bouncing her crossed leg impatiently. Hours had passed with no sign of anything new. Dan had gone to deal with parental duties and set up a babysitter for potentially a day or even several. It was now dinner time and she was debating on trying to find a food truck on the block, preferably one that served tacos.
Even Ella was on the verge of giving up and going home. While she wasn't expecting anyone to return, she wanted to keep Chloe company. The women had caught up on every bit of paperwork they could think of and Ella was busy re-organizing her beakers from tallest to shortest.
She kept looking at Chloe, who finally asked, "What?"
"Nothing."
"C'mon. What's on your brain?"
She hesitated, hanging her goggles from a different hook. "Just, my brain comes up with all kinds of inappropriate thoughts at the worst possible times."
"Like?"
"How cute and hot you guys are together."
Chloe put her phone down from whatever game she had been playing. "I mean, I do feel like I'm being a little greedy sometimes."
"Oh, don't! I mean, heck, part of me kinda hopes someone at a nude colony gets - well, not murdered, but like, I heard stories about Lucifer getting naked for no apparent reason while out on a case, and I wasn't around for that."
"Ha. I mean, it's funny now, but when he stripped in the pawn shop, it was pretty inconvient. I don't even remember how I got him back out of there, but I think I had to buy him an apron from the shop."
A flurry of feathers announced the arrival of the angel and ended the conversation.
Ella's relief vanished as she realized Azrael was alone. She also said she wasn't coming back to the lab. "Where…?"
Az held up a palm and passed over a stack of folded parchment? with Maze' knives on top. "I had to come back here. My phone is dead and...Maze decided to stay in Hell. At least for now. I could have used her phone to text but she didn't give me hers."
She and Ella sorted through the papers until they found the ones addressed to themselves. There was one for Lucifer as well. Chloe's had command words for the hounds, should they get separated from Azrael, but little else - a quick instruction list for her items back at Chloe's apartment and a detailed paragraph on feeding the stray cat that came to their back door. Chloe didn't even know there was one. Apparently, the cat's name was Nagereg.
Mazes' letter to Lucifer was long but she couldn't read the words, so she gave up quickly. She felt only a little guilty for peeking at it. She didn't try to peek at the one for Dan, mildly surprised there even was one. Linda's was thicker than Lucifer's.
She finally looked up. "So, what does this mean? She's really not coming back? Where are the hounds?"
"She thinks she...well, I don't know if I should discuss it with you. Amenadiel might be better, he's been to Hell a lot more times than I have. But I wasn't going to argue with her. She belongs there."
Ella fought to keep the disappointment from her face. "Az…"
"She's a demon. I'm sorry." She lowered her voice, "So does Lu. I didn't see much, but Maze made it sound like Hell is a mess."
"Can't...God just put someone else in charge?"
"I don't know. He hasn't yet. I think He believes Lu is going back. Maybe knows it." She looked over at Chloe apologetically. "I know things are complicated, but that doesn't change what is or what should be."
Chloe clenched her jaw. "I might be just another human, but if I"m not mistaken, this whole system was set up because of us. I feel like maybe we should have some say in how it's run, you know?"
Azrael bit her lip, then nodded. "I suppose maybe you should."
"In fact - what?"
"You should talk to Father about it when you die."
"I'd like to do that before I die, actually."
"I can't help you there. He's difficult to get an audience with, you know. Anyway, we should get going. Can I take you to where the hounds are and have Daniel join us there?"
Her stomach rumbled. Azrael arched an eyebrow. "He can hit a drive-thru on the way. Lucifer probably hasn't eaten either. And a few minutes shouldn't make a difference."
"Oh, now you suddenly care about him?"
"Don't be rude. Of course, I care. But something is wrong with Hell, and that is a problem only he can rectify. Whatever is happening to him now is most likely the result of mortal interference, and we need to get him back."
"Even if that means he stays here, with us?"
"Yes. If they've done anything to him, I won't be happy. They damage my brother, I damage them." She held up one of the knives Maze gave her.
Ella looked unhappy. "Is there anything I can do? Can I have a hug before you go?"
Azrael turned and smiled, her face lighting up as she looked over shyly. The avenging angel vanished and suddenly she seemed like a short human with wings. "Yes, of course."
They hugged tightly, Ella resting her head on her shoulder. "It's good to see you again. Just please think about the Lucifer, thing, okay? I'd be sad too if he went back to Hell."
The angel sighed. "I know. I hope it doesn't come to that anytime soon."
They held hands a moment longer with a lingering warm touch, then Azrael turned back to Chloe. "Are you ready?"
"More than. Let's go."
The hounds whipped around at their appearance. Chloe stumbled, still unused to angel style traveling. She fell on her ass entirely as one of the hounds snapped at her.
Azrael shouted a command word in Lilim, and they both stilled. After a short standoff, the angel bid Chloe to stay where she was, butt on the ground, and allow them to approach her. Almost as one, their heads ducked and they sniffed, coming closer.
Chloe controlled her fear and waited.
It didn't take long. They both turned back to the jacket on the ground, smelling it, then in her direction, then back and forth a few times before Bonnie wagged her tail very hesitantly. Clyde looked at Azrael, turned back to Chloe and bowed his head over his paws.
If one ignored the red, scaly skin visible where it wasn't covered by dark brown and grey fur, the pair acted very dog-like. The horns, wings, and tails all said they weren't.
They folded their wings up tight against their backs, flattening the fur. It made their sides more pronounced.
Chloe sat up, holding her hand out. Both creatures came forward to sniff her outstretched hand. They had dark eyes like Lucifer, but red tinged. It took a moment but she saw they were slitted like snake eyes. She asked, "Is it me, or are they kinda...overweight?"
"Hellhounds are working animals, and these haven't been working. Mazikeen didn't say if they've been feeding themselves, but they're way friendlier than they should be. They probably haven't killed or hunted anything in Hell in a long time. She thought they'll still work out though. By the time Daniel gets to us, they'll calm down enough to get down to work, I think."
Chloe scratched the neck of the bigger one. Bonnie made a happy whine and leaned into it, dry scales flaking off her skin. She got a look at her claws - their feet made her think more of a chicken or maybe a CGI dragon. The fur ended above their mid-legs, making their feet look dainty compared to the rest of them. They reminded her of an odd combination of Eastern dragon, Greyhound and Jurrasic Park velociraptor.
They were kind of adorable. "You guys probably need a bath, huh?"
The angel looked bemused. "They probably do. I'm sure Mazikeen will take good care of them when they go back."
"I guess the can't stay here looking like this, can they?"
"You want them to stay?"
"Well, if we don't have Maze, and demons come up every so often, it might be nice to have extra protection, wouldn't it?" Chloe held out her other hand and scratched both animals at once. They both drooled, satisfied noises spilling from their throats.
"They really should go back to Hell as soon as possible…"
"Yeah, yeah." Chloe let go and picked up her letter from Maze. "This made it sound like she doesn't want them back."
Azrael took it and read it over a few times. "...Okay, but you're right, you can't keep them here while they look like hellhounds. And I still say it's not a good idea."
Both animals, their tongues hanging out, shook their bodies and turned into German Shepards. Bonnie was slightly larger, but their coats were nearly identical. Their domesticated dog disguises erased their heavier look, and both looked ready to do the bidding of their new master.
Who was now Chloe, rather than Azrael.
Azrael released a huffed breath. "Okay, good. That's actually really good. They like you. It seems like they picked this look because of you."
"Me?"
"You have a fondness for this type of dog, right?"
"Yeah, yeah I do. I had one as a kid."
She petted Bonnie on the head. "Good girl. Okay, let's get Daniel here so we can drive the rest of the way."
"Uhm. Will they be able to track from the car?"
"You've never seen a hellhound run, have you?"
Dan hugged Trixie goodbye on the doorstep of Chloe's apartment. "Okay, monkey, I don't know how long I'll be gone, but we'll have a make-up Taco Tuesday, okay?"
Trixie grumbled.
"Hey, I'm going to miss you. I hope we won't be long. You'll be good, right?"
"I miss Lucifer!"
Dan heard the stress in his own voice as he responded, "I do too, a lot."
She grinned. "You do?"
Ah, shit.
His daughter hugged him tight. "I think he likes you too."
"Sure, we're pretty good friends now." His throat seemed oddly dry.
"Mom said that Lucifer had a lot of boyfriends and girlfriends."
"Well. Sure, kind of. Not now though."
"Do you think him and mom will get married?"
Dan's heart fluttered. "I don't know, monkey. Do you want them to?"
"Yeah, then I can have two dads!"
This really wasn't something he wanted to continue talking about in front of the babysitter. He wasn't in the mood to figure out if Trixie knew anything or not about the dating situation. He didn't have time right now either. "I gotta go, honey, and help your mom find him."
"You'll bring him back soon, right?"
He started to close the door. His heart was heavy, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "hey, why do you think he likes me?"
"Because he smiles when he sees you sleeping on the couch when you stay."
HIs breath escaped him. "Really?"
"Yeah, I'm usually up before mom and Lucifer, remember? When he comes down the stairs, he has this great big smile on his face. Mom does too. And Lucifer and mom talk about you when you aren't around."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, like they wish you were. They keep talking about getting a bigger place so you can move in with us too."
While it was something they'd discussed in private, he never mentioned it to Trixie. "Is that something you'd like?"
"Yeah, then you can have a room instead of the couch and we can all have breakfast together."
He bit down the next question - which was, did they talk about a separate bedroom or just a bigger house or if Trixie just assumed he'd have a place or-
He needed to run to the car before he lost it in front of his kid. "Okay, I really need to go now. Love you, monkey. I'll give mom a hug from you too, okay?"
"Love you, dad."
The sun was nearly down by the time Dan pulled off the side of the road. The road Azrael dropped near was thankfully not very busy, even for LA. Azrael waved at him from the top of a boulder, under which Chloe was playing fetch with two ordinary looking dogs. Big ones, but still.
He got out, waving to make sure the dogs saw him before he got close. He'd had K9 training but never got in a unit. He could work with one fine, but for whatever reason, wasn't picked. Probably his temper problems - not that he'd ever take it out on an animal, but the police dogs couldn't stay still around him, picking up on his emotions and reacting to them.
Lucifer's poor suit jacket was no longer even recognizable as an article of clothing.
Chloe introduced Bonnie and Clyde - mentioning that they were in disguise.
He held out his hand for them to sniff, and they did a back and forth routine, moving their heads like snakes. Their not-quite-dog behavior startled him but they settled down quickly and trotted to sit on either side of Chloe, waiting attentively, their eyes locked on the bag of tacos Dan held in his other hand.
Chloe grinned. "I hope you brought enough for everyone."
Bonnie licked her chomps.
Dan completely didn't think of getting tacos for hellhounds. He fished one of his own hard shell beef tacos out of the bag, and broke it in half. He cut a glance at Azrael, "hey, can they… have human food?"
"They've been eating scorpions while we were waiting for you to get here, so I'm going to go with 'yes.'"
"Okay then." He carefully held each half out, and they bounded forward. He dropped the food, startled, but the hounds snapped it up - lettuce, wrapping paper and all. They sat still again and looked up with puppy-dog eyes. Ones that had a red cast to them, but still. "We'll hit another drive-thru when we're done rescuing Lucifer, alright?"
They wagged their tails.
