Chapter Twelve: The Steps To Salvation

It was mid morning when Brooke returned to the apartment, more confused than ever. April and Cooper were her siblings, April had mystical abilities and their father was about to run the Trial of Champions just to return to the Amethyst Palace which was on lock-down. These thoughts swam through her head as she walked, images of her brother flashing through her mind as well. Blake was in his domain, barred from entering the palace. That would be torture for him; despite the fact he had ice running through his veins, Blake hated the cold. He would be in the bedroom of his castle, sitting on the plush sofa covered in multiple, thick layers of blankets to keep him from freezing to death. He would be screaming for her to return, if only she could hear him.

It was this thought that gave her an idea as she pushed open the door to her apartment. James was lying on the sofa with a game controller in his hand, playing a video game on his TV. He glanced over as Brooke entered the room, smiling at her before returning his attention to the game. She walked around the sofa and laid down next to him, resting her head on his bicep. It was soft and warm, only pulsing when James tapped a button on the controller. He moved slightly so his stomach and thighs were against her back, bringing his arms around her.

"How did it go?" he asked, eyes still glued to the screen. She knew him well enough to know that he would be able to play and talk to her at the same time. He was a multitasking master. Brooke sighed and brought her hand up to rest underneath his arm, squeezing it gently.

"Let's just say I'm happy to be home," she whispered, nuzzling into him.

She felt his hand on her arm and turned to look up at him. He was smiling down at her, compassion glinting in his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and brought his arm around her again, back to the controller. As she let go, the birthmark on her wrist glowed and became black. Blake was calling for her again. She had to get to him somehow.

With the Amethyst Palace on lock-down, the other nine layers would be as well. Frontinus Mordent and Ignis Infernalis were both located in the sixth layer of Hell, also known as Heresy. They were much closer to the Palace than a lot of other places, including Erebus, known to most as Limbo. If she could get to Blake, possibly through her dreams, she might be able to sneak into the castle. She just needed to remove her power-suppressing ring and fall asleep.

Feeling James' eyes on her, she looked up and faked a yawn.

"I just want to watch you play. If I fall asleep, please don't wake me."

"Never." James leaned down and kissed her temple, sending a ripple of warmth through her. She smiled and cuddled closer to him. He moved around her, encompassing her in his warmth. As he did this, she removed her ring and slipped it down her sleeve, hoping it wouldn't fall free while she slept.

It didn't take long for Brooke to fall asleep. As she did, she felt the warmth of James' embrace fade away, only to be replaced with the burning inferno of her throne room in Ignis Infernalis. She turned, feeling her human clothes fading away. Lava from the gaps in the floor coiled up and around her, covering her from the neck down. When it sank away again, she was in her royal attire; floor length skirt made of flames and fabric, heart shaped bodice lined with molten gold and her thigh high molten gold boots. The only thing missing was her tiara.

"Your highness?!"

Brooke turned sharply, spying Marcel, her adviser standing in the archway leading outside. He was holding an arm full of Infernal Roses and was staring at her like he'd seen a ghost. The roses he held only bloomed in the Garden of Fire, deep below Caina, near the gate to Tartarus. It was home to Mionette, the Titan Goddess of Fire. The fact he held these flowers meant he'd been below.

"Hello Marcel, what beautiful flowers you have there," she said cheerily, trying to sound casual. He blinked, looking down at his arms before looking back at her.

"Yes, milady, they are."

"It is my understanding that the Underworld is on lock-down," Brooke said, choosing her words carefully. Marcel was very clever and would most likely know she was up to something. He appeared to be gobsmacked by her sudden arrival home.

Marcel tilted his head slightly. He was about to speak when a pale hand covered his mouth.

Attached to that hand was Blake, his blazer and lower parts of his pants darkened with soot. He must have sensed his sister's return and came straight away, across the bridge that joined Ignis Infernalis and Frontinus Mordent together.

Brooke's lips broke out into a smile as she ran for him, throwing her arms around his neck. It had been weeks since they'd seen each other and he was her best friend after all. He wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled her around, burying his face in her hair.

When the spinning stopped, Blake placed his sister back on the ground and held her face in his hands, staring into her eyes.

"Are you hurt in anyway, Brookai? Did they hurt you?"

Brooke smiled and shook her head, pulling his hands away.

"The only thing hurting inside me right now is my pride. It's good to see you, Blake."

Blake smiled and pulled her in for another hug, gripping the back of her neck.

"You've missed so much, Brooke. Mother has lost her mind and put the entirety of the Underworld on lock-down. No one has been able to travel between planes without permission to use the portals since you disappeared. Even Hades is locked away," he explained, pulling his sister away by the end. "How did you get here?"

"The same way our father did. I'm asleep."

Blake shook his head, still smiling.

"He is an interesting man."

"What have I missed down here?"

"How much time have you got?"

All Brooke could do was grin.

~X~

The flames around Mark disappeared as he appeared in an alley way. He was somewhere in Las Vegas, not far from the strip. He could see the beams of light in the sky, breaking through the cloudy sky into the heavens. He raised an eyebrow. He'd used his immense powers to search across the globe for Kane's presence, teleporting to his location in a heart beat.

The thing that confused him the most wasn't Kane's proximity to his children, but the fact he was in Las Vegas. Two years previously he'd relocated from Carson City to Los Angeles to help him train to fight Serenity, and returned to Carson City not long after. Why was he in Las Vegas of all places?

He got his answer when he spotted Kane across the street with Raven and Cam, his partner and adopted son, in tow. They appeared to be looking for someone. He knew immediately who; Doctor Steven Richards.

Mark felt his powers building as he reached into the void again, searching the world for Doctor Richards. He found him in Los Angeles, just off the coast of Malibu. Satisfied that he was still where he was supposed to be, Mark let go of the connection and stepped out into the busy crosswalk of Sin City, making a beeline for his younger brother.

"We've looked all over this damn state for that quack and have come up empty," Kane was saying as Mark stepped behind them. Raven saw him and blinked, nodding ever so slightly when Mark put a finger to his lips. Kane shook his head and picked up the barely walking Cam. "I swear, if he's left Nevada I'm going to scream."

"Start screaming then," Mark said, grinning as Kane jumped about a thousand feet in the air. He turned and glared at his brother.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Still trying to come up with creative ways to kill you," Mark mused, ruffling Cam's hair. The almost three-year-old grinned and playfully batted at his hand. "Apparently heart attack won't be one of them."

Kane glared.

"As painful as it is to see you still breathing, Mark, what the hell do you want?"

"I need your help."

Kane spent the entire walk back to their hotel room holding his ribs and laughing. Mark had chosen not to spill anything about the Trial yet, but the fact he needed Kane's help again had made his brother almost fall apart with laughter. By the time they stepped into the room, Kane was struggling to breath.

"I can't believe you!" he bellowed, collapsing onto a large gray sofa. Mark leaned against the doorway, watching his brother.

"I thought we were on better terms, Kane."

Kane sat up and grinned.

"We are. Doesn't mean I'm going to help you without getting something in return."

"I thought so."

Mark looked over at the kitchenette of the room, spying Daffney. She was a shortish girl with shoulder-length black hair and a very petite frame. She was leaning on her elbow, staring into a mug. Beside her, reading a magazine, was Tara. She was the same age as Daffney but looked much younger. Her hair was in long dark curls with streaks of red and it reached her lower back.

Mick Foley, Kane's closest 'friend', was leaning against the counter, talking to Tara as she read. When he spotted Mark, he became very pale.

"Don't worry, Mick. I'm not here to turn you in."

"I'm not worried about that."

Mark smiled and looked back at Kane who was still laughing, though it had died down a little.

"Raven, take Cam somewhere," the Big Red Machine said, pointing at one of the rooms. Raven nodded and picked up Cam, who had been attempting to climb on Kane's lap. "You three need to vanish as well. Big Brother and I have some things to talk about."

Mark watched as the room slowly emptied, stepping in and closing the door behind him. He sat on the sofa across from Kane and stared at him.

Kane leaned back into the soft leather, arms splayed to the side. He stared at his brother like he was an insect that he was just begging to crush under his heel.

"What do you want from me, Mark?"

Mark sighed and told Kane the story; how Serenity had tasked him with finding their wayward child, how when the time came that he had found her, he wasn't able to convince her to go home, what Blake had told him about the Trial of Champions, how it took two people to complete.

By the time he was finished, Mark was beginning to wonder if Kane would agree to help him or not. Through the entire story, he had looked incredibly bored.

"So let me get this straight," Kane said, leaning back in the sofa again. The one movement he'd made was to stop lounging and actually sit up. Maybe he was really listening. "The She-Devil, who is still your mistress, gave you your marching orders and then disappeared off the face of the earth. The only way to get to her tantrum-throwing self is to go through some stupid quest to become her champion, but you need me to run it with you for... arbitrary reasons even you don't fully understand?"

Mark blinked. He had been listening after all. Slowly, he nodded.

Kane smirked.

"I'm in."

"Wait, what?"

Kane sat up and stared his brother dead in the eye. His mismatched eyes appeared to be staring straight through him.

"After the hell I've put you through trying to be a free man, I owe you. I don't like having debts."

Mark blinked again as Kane looked away and lounged on the sofa again, closing his eyes.

"Besides, any chance to beat you into the ground for what you did to me, is a chance I am willing to take."

Mark sat back, relief flooding his senses.

"Thanks, Kane."

"Don't mention it." He opened an eye and looked up at his brother. "Ever. To anyone. You do and I'll find a way to butcher you."

Mark grinned as he left the hotel room, walking out into the setting sun of Las Vegas. It was still miserably hot, but he pulled on his leather jacket none the less and melted into the crowd of tourists. As he disappeared within them, he thought to himself how easy it had been to convince Kane to join him. Maybe that had been the easy part and the trial was going to be much harder. Or he just underestimated how much Kane really hated him.

Either way, he couldn't lose.