FALLEN

Author's Note: Wow, you guys must really like the fic. I don't think I've gotten 17 reviews for the first two chapters in a LONG time. I really need to thank you all for that one, it's really been giving me inspiration to write more. I am sorry that I have to keep you waiting for an update, but I really appreciate all the e-mails and PM's you guys have been sending. That really makes me happy that you enjoy the story. And here's chapter three!

CHAPTER THREE

"Daddy!!"

The guard had carried me away from the room where my father and the Emperor had been and headed south, where the darkness increased dramatically. I kicked out, squirmed, struggling, screamed louder and louder, trying so hard to break free and rush back to my father. But the guard didn't budge. He didn't wince when I kicked him (accidentally, of course. You do not want to strike a demon on purpose), he didn't look at me when I screamed, and his eyes showed no sign of pity. He was like a machine: without life, without a soul, and without feelings. I hated that look in his eyes. I hated the fact that someone who had witnessed everything that had just taken place, demon or not, couldn't feel any sorrow over it.

After traveling through many halls and staircases, we made it to a subterreanian dungeon. The cell I was brought to felt like something out of my nightmares: dark, damp, but warm and slightly humid, as if I was in the belly of some large demon. The guard and I stopped infront of one of many large, steel doors. The gears that kept it sealed began to turning and clicking, and within a few seconds, the door swung open. Then he began to step into the room, taking me with him. And I panicked. I began to scream louder, struggle much furiously, grabbing onto the edge of the walls and trying to pull myself out of his iron grip.

"No, no no no!" I screamed. "Don't take me in there! You can't keep me in there! Don't leave me in this place!" I remember screaming through my sobs.

The guard grunted slightly and continued into the room without any trouble. I began to scream even louder. Screaming for help, for my father. I was afraid of this place, of this room, afraid of being locked in here like some sort of animal. As a child, I always had a fear of being in enclosed places. Not so much as claustrophobia (I spent a lot of time hiding in small, narrow ditches and holes when dangerous and scary demons were on the prowl), but more like being trapped and caged in a strange, dark place. I hated feeling trapped more than anything. Back then, death would have been better than being trapped.

Impatiently and without any kind of mercy, the guard threw me into the room and I landed hard on my stomach (on a very wet carpet, I might add. One that smelled of both sweat and blood.). At that moment, I heard a soft yelp and realized that I wouldn't be alone in this room. The guard turned his head in the direction of the sound, just as I did. There was a human in the room, but it was too dark to make out the appearance. The demon hissed at the human, scaring him once again before speaking.

"Keep her quiet." the demon's voice reminded me of a snake: a low hiss that sounded as if it was coated in venom. As if his words alone could poison us. "You know what the consequence will be if you fail."

The human gulped, then nodded. The demon looked down and saw that I was frantically trying to crawl for the door. He responded by kicking me in the ribs, which sent me flying into the wall. The kick was strong enough to stun me, at least for a moment, but I didn't feel any bones breaking and the wind wasn't completely knocked out of me. I fell into a shallow puddle on the floor, the scent of blood and sweat filling my nostrils once again, and curled up in pain. I stayed there for a few minutes, wincing and whimpering for quite some time before the demon stepped out of the room, locking the door behind him.

I panicked once again. I forced myself onto my feet and rushed towards the door, beating against the steel furiously.

"Let me go!" I hollered. "Oh my God, let me out of this place! Let me go! I want my father! Let me out of here!!"

My roommate didn't waste any time. Whatever the consequences for his failure were, well, it goes without saying that he certainly didn't want it. He went charging at me and I felt two very strong arms wrap around my chest and waist. I was picked off of the ground and was hauled away from the door with very little effort.

"Stop!" he cried, slapping a hand over my mouth. "Do you want to upset him even more!? He'll wipe the floor with you if you keep this up!!"

I was still panicking. I was screaming through his hand, tears streaming down my face. The boy was weaker than the demon and flinched when I hit him (also accidentally), but was still much stronger. He managed to throw me back onto the ground, his hand still over my mouth, and used all of his strength to pin me down until I calmed myself. Calming myself down was going to take quite some time, but I give him credit for having patience with me. When I finally stopped squirming and screaming, we sat in silence for a moment, which he broke a minute later.

"I don't hear anybody coming... I guess that means you didn't make too much noise..." he was muttering that to himself, but his next few words were directed at me. "That was a stupid thing for you to do! You can't just go off like that around them! Don't you know that!? You're lucky he just kicked you instead of breaking you in half!"

I sniffled and bit down on my lower lip, trying my hardest to keep from crying again. I didn't know what to say on my part. I don't think I wanted to say anything to him. I was afraid and alone, betrayed by my own father. Betrayed by the man I loved with all my heart and soul. Because of him, I was trapped in this dark, wet room in this scary place. I was a scared little girl... I guess I just wanted someone to show some sympathy towards me. Just the smallest amount of sympathy to make me feel like I wasn't completely and utterly alone. But even the smallest bit of sympathy would never come for me.

My cellmate's name was Danny (short for Daniel, of course). He was 15-years-old, older than most of the young slaces who worked in this section of the castle. Because of this, he was looked upon as a type of authority figure to the younger slaves. When they were scared or lonely, they usually came to him. When they needed help or made a mistake, he tried his hardest to fix it up so they weren't punished for it. Because the children needed him, I guess it goes without saying that he grew up quickly. But now that I think back on it, the human children in Demon World were forced to grow up much faster than the children in the Human World. Our survival depended on it. You had to learn how to take care of yourself or die a dog's death. That's just the way things were around here.

Danny and I never got along. I actually don't remember hearing him say one kind word to me in the years we spent living together. Despite that, I know he looked after all of us, and I know that it pained him to see the younger slaves being mistreated by the demons. Years of hardship turned him into a cold person, and it certainly showed. Although Danny was a handsome boy with pale skin, dark blonde hair and beautiful misty gray eyes that would put Athene to shame, his body was covered in scars, scabs, and wounds, old and new. Claw marks crisscrossed on his chest and stomach, whip lashes scarred his back and thighs, and there were various welts and wounds on his face, throat, and arms. I don't know what he did to upset the guards to the point where they had to beat him so severely. Because we were never very close, it's not like he would come out and tell me how he got those scars.

His voice broke the silence once again. "I'm sure you won't appreciate it if I call you Stupid Girl, so you might as well tell me your name and save yourself a lot of grief."

Save myself some greif? Being called a stupid girl was nothing compared to the greif I would experience in this place. Regardless of that, Stupid Girl wasn't a name I wanted to be given.

"I... I'm... Per...Persephone... Sa... Sabelle..." I stammered, still trying to keep myself from crying.

Danny rolled his eyes are that one. "Your first name's too hard to remember. I'll just call you Sabelle, then."

Honestly, I hated that. Sabelle was my father's family name. Just hearing Danny say that name only reminded me of him. To my discontent, tears began to built up once more. Danny of course showed no sympathy.

"Don't start crying again!" he snapped. "If you keep sniveling and they hear you, then trust me: they will give you something to cry about."

Taking one look at his scars was enough to convince me of that. I stopped crying immediately.

Danny introduced himself to me, and then began to fill me in. He told me that I was in the southern dungeons, which were guarded by the water demon Leviathan. That would explain why the dungeons here were so wet (the puddles weren't made up of sweat and blood, the body fluids were just added to it after a long day of work). In order to scare me into being a good slave (or something like that), Danny said that the Emperor fed all bad slaves to Leviathan. Aftering hearing this, that and Danny's scars were all the motivation I needed to stay good for the Emperor and his guards. Danny also told me that the northern dungeons housed the adult slaves, and were guarded by the hellhound, Cerberus. Those dungeons were much colder, and the work there was obviously much harder for them. I could only imagine what a three headed hellhound would do to a slave if he/she was to step out of line.

To the east was the torture chamber, mutilation room, and execution chambers. Danny told me that he only knew where the rooms were located. He didn't know who guarded them or what they looked like. I'm sure you're already aware that the people who visited those chmabers were never brought back. The western chambers however were reserved for a select group of humans, consisting of young, healthy human girls. That chamber was the harem. Unlike the succubi chamber (which was also in the western part of the castle), the harem was for the lowest rank of demons only. Although it was probably meant to be an insult, I'm sure the low-rank demons didn't have anything to complain about. The human girls that were brought there weren't covered in scars or welts like the rest of us. I'm sure they were probably the most creatures in this place, second next to the Emperor himself.

I don't understand why I feel the need to speak of him in such a way. After all the things he has put me through, one would suspect that I would rather chop myself in half than speak of him as a beautiful creature. But I suppose that telling you that his appearance was beautiful is alright. It isn't like I'm speaking about his soul.

The Emperor's soul isn't beautiful. It never has been. And will probably never will be. I found this to be true the very next day, when Danny and I were forced out of our cells and sent to work. It was the very first time I ever talked to him...