"Hodge?" Clary asked. "I thought you were dead! Alec checked you and found no pulse . . . so how did you survive?"
"A bit of a long story," Hodge responded. "Sit down, sit down. It's so long you're going to want to sit down."
Clary, Isabelle, and Jace sat down in a circle like they were preschoolers. Hodge took the chakrams and gently sat them down next to him so they wouldn't roll off and kill someone.
After Jonathan stabbed me, I wasn't dead. Somehow, however weak, I managed to hang on. Alec didn't take my pulse correctly, so I was still alive. I had simply passed out, and awoke when fire burnt the tip of my foot. I managed to run out of the city, and hid out in the woods for a few days until I got my strength back.
Valentine ran into me, with the half-dead body of his son in his arms. He asked me to find a way to save his son. I told him about an old sword that had been in the Morgenstern family for decades. It was the Morning Star sword, and it could rip open the boundaries of a hell dimension. The same one Lilith was from.
He managed to summon Lilith, and then some. Valentine had a hard time figuring out to use the sword, so he kept the borders open too long. He let other demons out, including this Prince of Hell named Asmodeus.
Lilith healed Jonathan, but it was too late for Valentine's plans. When he made it to Lake Lyn, he couldn't summon the Angel. Valentine went ballistic, almost killed me all over again. But I told him he could find a way. I could steal the Soul Sword, which was returned to the Clave after the compromise. Sadly, I still haven't done that, but I said I could find a way.
Valentine's been hiding out in the woods every since. He glamoured this place to look like a mountain, even though I advised against it.
" . . . and here I am, telling you this story," Hodge finished. "What did you think of it?"
"How did he get Jocelyn?" Clary blurted out. She really wanted to know where her mother was now.
"In there," Hodge said, and pointed to the glamoured mountain. "I can sneak you in there, and have you guys rescue Jocelyn. It'll be a piece of cake."
Jace and Isabelle gave each other knowing looks, like they'd dealt with Hodge using this expression before. It must have been worrying.
Very worrying.
"Alexander," Magnus whispered.
"Yeah?" Alec asked.
"Do you think Clary and the others have found Jocelyn yet?"
"Maybe. But it doesn't feel like it." Alec didn't feel anything that said Jace found anything that made him happy. But he wasn't so sure Jace would be happy about finding Jocelyn. Unless it really mattered to Clary.
"My father's a jerk," Magnus noted. "I really don't understand why he doesn't want us to have sex. He can just go ahead and stay out of our bedroom."
"Are demons okay with the whole . . . gay thing?"
"Normally, yes. I think he'd still be going after us even if you were a girl."
Alec shifted a little, running his fingers down Magnus's back. He felt Magnus shudder at his touch.
"You like that?" he asked.
"Yeah," Magnus said. "I love it every single time you touch me. I just wish we could . . ."
"I have a demon to hunt," Alec said, getting up. He grabbed a black leather jacket from near him, and threw another one at Magnus. "And you get to help me!"
"Are we going to kill my father?" Magnus asked, pulling the jacket on. "Also, before we go, can I put some eyeliner on?"
"Go crazy," Alec told him. "I need to talk to Ragnor first."
"Ragnor!" Magnus yelled. "Oh, God, I forgot to lock the door. What if he came in here?"
"You don't want to know," Alec said, somewhat relieved.
Valentine's hideout was one thing: creepy. At least, that's what Izzy thought. It was dark, and she could hardly see three feet in front of her. Oh, and they couldn't talk. Except for Hodge, because he created the entire thing.
"Jocelyn's in the next room," Hodge told them. "Just go in, and grab her, and we'll be fine. She's been sedated for a while, though."
Isabelle wanted to say, "Oh," but alas, she could not talk.
"Oh, and Clary's the only one who can sneak in there. She's the smallest."
Clary began to sneak through the door, and everyone waited for a few seconds.
And then there was a large BOOM. Clary ran out the door, carrying her mother.
"I knocked something explosive to the floor, and I need someone to carry Jocelyn!" Clary yelled. Jace grabbed Jocelyn, and they began to run out of the place.
"Clary, draw a Portal!" Izzy yelled.
Clary grabbed her stele, and began to draw her rune. She grabbed Hodge by the elbow, and pushed him in front of her. She pushed Hodge into the Portal first, and then Jace and Jocelyn, and then Izzy.
Izzy finally caught her breath when they were back in the Institute. The whole Idris thing had really stressed her out. Jace took Jocelyn over to a room, and sat down next to her. Clary went to the kitchen and Isabelle joined her.
"Sure feels good to be back home," Isabelle noted.
"Yeah," Clary said, kicking off her shoes. "I just want to sit down with a friend for a few minutes."
"You consider me a friend?" she asked.
"Yeah. You've been so nice to me. You're a true friend." Izzy smiled.
"I wonder what Magnus and Alec did while we were gone," Clary said. "I wonder if they finally got to have sex or not. You know, because none of us could walk in on them, like you did."
Isabelle shuddered. "I hope they did. Not that I'm one to poke into someone's sex life, but I really want them to do it. I feel like my brother would be happier if he finally got it to express all the desire he feels for Magnus with him."
"We didn't," Magnus said, from behind them. Both Isabelle and Clary swiveled their heads to him, and saw Magnus looking as glamorous as usual.
He was wearing black eyeliner, with the tiniest bit of gold glitter in it. Magnus had dusted himself over with gold glitter, even putting glitter on top of his his black nail polish. He was wearing a black leather jacket, with it unzipped enough to show a little sliver of his bare chest, and a pair of leather pants with (sigh) leather boots. Magnus was even wearing gold lipstick.
"Look, we have a demon to kill," Magnus explained. "See you guys later. If we need help, we'll go ahead and call you." He walked out of the room.
"We?" Clary asked. "Wow, they really are close. They're like one of those power couples."