Chapter Seventeen: The Vault of Greed

A rumble of laughter enveloped their table as Brooke, James, Ava and Daniel drank more and more wine. The night drew on, and their glasses kept refilling. Eventually, Brooke had to put her glass down and push it away before she threw up. The issue wasn't that she had a low tolerance for alcohol, no. The issue was the wine being continuously poured into their glasses was laced with the finest, purest form of Nectar, the personal refreshment of the Gods.

Normally it would lace those who drank it with immortality and powers beyond any comprehension, but in the case of those drinking it at the Star de Lune, three of them were already immortal or had at least been touched by Gods, rendering the powers of Nectar virtually useless.

Ava, the only mortal at the table, giggled and fell into Daniel's chest, spilling a splash of wine onto his lap. He jumped, dropping the shot glasses he'd been attempting to balance on his nose onto the table. This caused him to laugh harder than he had been before. James, his head against the table, pounded his fist down. He was laughing almost as hard as the rest of them.

"What's so funny?"

Brooke looked up and, through her giggles, spotted Cooper. He was in his uniform; a black, open-collar shirt and a pair of black jeans. An apron was tied around his waist and he held a large silver tray under his arm.

Brooke pointed at Daniel who was holding Ava and laughing into the back of her neck.

"He does a very accurate seal impression," she said.

Cooper rolled his eyes and smirked, taking their glasses. James reached for his but had his hand swatted by someone behind him.

The two gentlemen from earlier, the bearded man and the DJ, were kneeling on the booths behind them. Now that the strobe lights were gone and the main house lights had been switched on, she could see their faces properly. The one with the goatee was young, appearing almost too young to be in the bar, and he had hazel-green eyes that reflected the old soul within. His smile was nice to look at, too.

Brooke felt her cheeks burning hot as she scooted closer to a still-laughing James.

"Think you've had enough, kid," said the DJ. He was directly behind James, his red hair spiked all over the place. He looked tired, but also energetic. There was a spark in his eyes, a small hint of mischief. He and his companion shared a look.

The man with the goatee sat down on the edge of the booth and grinned around the table.

"I'm sure you all heard the last call for drinks," he said, leveling his gaze on Brooke. Her cheeks burned red-hot as he smirked.

"Yeah, but Brooke works here," Daniel said, poking his head out to smirk. "Nice to see you two again."

The DJ smirked and saluted.

"For those unaware, I'm Arin, and this is Diego."

Diego continued smiling. He leaned back in the seat and winked at Brooke.

"We know of a party going on down the shore if anyone's interested. Just a few cool people enjoying the beach," he said. His gaze never left Brooke, and it was beginning to make her uncomfortable. He seemed to notice this though and his gaze broke, moving to Ava and Daniel, who were still a tangle of arms and legs across the booth.

"Which beach?" James asked, nudging his glass away from Arin. The DJ smirked and flicked his hair out of his eyes.

"The one under Santa Monica Pier."

James turned to Daniel and they seemed to share a private conversation. Ava climbed from Daniel's lap and grabbed Brooke's hand, dragging her out of her seat.

The club was practically empty. Only a few stragglers seemed to be around, mostly discussing how they were getting home, or what to do next. Cooper was milling around, cleaning up glasses and wiping tables. Across the dance floor, Anne was pulling down the metal shutters surrounding the bar. Another bartender was with her, one she'd been introduced to as Andy, Anne's husband. He was wiping down the counter and chatting to his wife, blissfully unaware of the two women darting across the dance floor towards the bathrooms.

Once safely inside, Ava turned to Brooke and grinned.

"If I didn't already know you and James were together, I'd say you and Diego would make an adorable pair."

Brooke felt her cheeks burn, which seemed to make Ava laugh harder.

"I'm just teasing, relax. We should so take them up on their offer though."

Brooke blinked and watched as Ava turned towards the mirror. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a tube of burgundy lip-gloss.

"We don't know them. What happens if they're serial killers or something? That's terrifying."

"Se valiente, princesa," Ava said, rubbing her lips together. "Courage is being scared half to death and saddling up anyway." She smirked at her reflection, her eyes on Brooke.

Brooke turned away and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face had a slight shade of pink, and her hair was no longer meticulously styled as it had been before. She had a few fly-away hairs and her pony-tail had gone limp.

Ava stepped into the view behind her and tugged on her blonde locks.

"Let's get you cleaned up, hm?" she smiled when Brooke nodded.

~X~

When Mark and Kane stepped foot into the fourth level of the Underworld, the golden glow had almost blinded him. He bumped shoulders with Kane and stopped.

"Gods, it's bright in here," he muttered, massaging his knuckle into his eye. He knew it probably wouldn't help, but it felt like it did. When he eventually looked up, he was surprised to find that it wasn't a golden vault they'd climbed down into, but a mine.

Across the canyon, a sight he was used to at this point, were six giant chains. They stretched across the canyon, hauling stones and minerals across on platforms. Each platform was manned by small golden demons, each holding onto a rusted rail on the edge. On the other end of the canyon was a giant wall, taken up mostly by a giant gold door. It was circular with intricate carvings etched into the metal. The door appeared to be an old-fashioned vault door, like in banks from the early 1920s. Mark could see the bolt that kept it sealed. Molten gold spewed from cracks in the walls, landing in a giant bowl, held up by a golden statue.

The statue was as tall as the vault door and looked to be an effigy of Hades. He wore his horned helmet and was holding a massive two-pronged staff, something Mark had never seen him with. On the opposite side of the vault door was another statue, this one appearing to be a different God. He was muscular, with a soft face and long beard. His body was scarred and partially disfigured, which meant only one thing. The statue was of Hephaestus, God of the Forge. The twin statues' shadows were cast against the walls, casting darkness over their domain.

The cavern itself was huge and appeared to be man-made. The walls had been chiseled out over, most likely, millenia of work and thousands of workers. The chasm below seemed to go on forever; the darkness below eventually consumed the elevators on the sides. The granite and blue stones held the cables tightly to the walls, but Mark wasn't so sure they were entirely stable.

"I really hope we don't have to ride those," Kane said as if reading his brother's mind. Mark looked at him. He wore a very concerned expression, which wasn't something Mark had seen very often. Kane was usually cool, calm, and calculated.

"Afraid of heights, little brother?" Mark asked, smirking. Kane gave him a side glare.

"No one is afraid of heights. Anyone who says they are is actually afraid of falling."

Mark watched him before something caught his eye. Two of the platforms crossing the chasm were stationary on their side, the ones on the far right. A demon was standing near one of them, holding a clipboard and a wrench. Another demon, one of the workers, was apparently trying to repair them.

"I think that's our ride," Mark said, noting the slight shiver from Kane.

The two brothers stepped over to the demon. She was tall, muscular and golden-tinged. Her wings and tail appeared to be made of gears and clockwork instruments. As the two men drew closer, Mark noticed the clicking and whirring as she stretched her wings and swished her tail back and forth. She seemed to be angry at one of the demons.

"You are an insignificant little worm!" she screeched as the brothers walked over to her. The smaller demon flinched and stepped back onto the platform.

"Maybe, but I get the work done," he said, flicking a switch on a panel. The platform beneath him rumbled to life and began to slowly lower into the chasm. He looked over at the brothers then back at the bigger demoness. "Your three o'clock is here."

The demoness turned and crossed her arms, eyeing the brothers. Now that they were closer, Mark could take a good look at her. This particular demon was tall, slender, and gold from head to toe. She had long, flowing bronze hair that was curled in a tight pony-tail. Her skin, as bright as the vault door, was covered in silver tattoos. Intricate curls and waves were etched into her skin, glittering in the flickering, dim light. She wore intricate jewelry around her neck and wrists. She didn't appear to be wearing clothing, which made Mark rather uncomfortable.

"You two the trial runners?" she asked, her voice just as aggressive it had been before.

Kane crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. You're Gamira, I take it," he said, smirking. The demoness' wings clicked as she extended them. They were as intricate as her tattoos and stretched out from her back.

"Yes. The Deadly Sin of Greed and Avarice. I don't have time to give you a damn task, and if I had it my way I'd put you to work in the mines," she growled, pointing down. She shrugged, her wings retracting. "However that's only for the dead." She cast her emerald eyes on Mark. "Though one of you is close to that already."

Mark tilted his head as Gamira stepped onto one of the platforms attached to the chains.

"So, you've probably figured out that this is the Vault of Greed. This is where the damned who were driven by greed in life are given their due punishment."

"So Midas will be here somewhere," Kane said, grinning at Mark. Mark smirked in return.

Gamira gave them a look and crossed her arms.

"Irrelevant. What do you think my trial would be if I'd had time to come up with it?"

Mark blinked. Was this really how this conversation was going? Was she asking them to come up with their own trial? That seemed counter-intuitive. Mark would make it something easy so he could continue his journey unimpeded. Kane, though, had other plans.

"Well that depends on your definition of Greed," he said. Gamira gave him a withering stare. Before she could open her mouth, Kane continued. "It's an intense and selfish desire for something. Usually wealth or power. Anything with any semblance of worth to that person."

Mark blinked and watched as Gamira began to glare. He reached for his brother to pull him away from the angry Sin.

"Kane, I don't think-"

"Thank you for the idea, mortal." She smiled and gestured.

Two solid-looking platforms, empty of their usual cargo, slid slowly across the chains. They stopped and two sets of rusty ladders rose to meet them.

"These platforms will take you across the gorge. Your task is to stand across from each other and let go of the things you fear to lose." Gamira looked up at Kane and smirked. "The things that have any semblance of worth to you."

"How many things?" Mark asked, eyeing the platforms. They didn't look like they'd hold their own weight, let alone theirs; both men were close to the three-hundred-pound mark. He looked back at the demoness who rolled her eyes at him. They rolled so far back her irises disappeared for a moment, before reappearing in a brilliant shade of silver. The expression on her face softened.

"Just one. The most important thing."

It wasn't Gamira's voice that left her golden lips, but Serenity's melodious words. For a moment he forgot where he was. She stepped forward and cupped his jaw before the silver faded and Gamira's eyes returned. She blinked and stepped back, wiping her hand on her thigh.

"Ugh. Mortal love." She shoved the two men onto opposing platforms. "Whatever she said. The platforms will drop you if you lie."

Before they could protest, the platforms pulled away from the steps and began their painfully slow crossing of the pit.

~X~

The group, now having grown by two, eventually arrived at Santa Monica pier, just down the street from James and Brooke's apartment. Diego and Arin led the way through the tunnel from the underground parking garage. Two sets of stairs had led them here. Fairy lights had been lazily strung along the walls, pulsing in shades of red and white. They followed the lights out onto a secluded beach. To the left was a set of rickety wooden stairs that led up to Pacific Park, blocked by a pair of black SUVs; to the right was a set of equally rickety metal steps surrounded by a tall fence.

In the center of the beach was a bonfire. At least two dozen people were dancing around to the thumping music coming from the SUVs and toasting marshmallows in the fire. One person stuck out. He was standing on the roof of the first SUV, howling at the moon like a wolf. The small crowd around him, three or four people, howled back at him. He was medium height with short, curly gold hair. He wore round gold glasses and a backward baseball cap with wings on the side. He was wearing a tight white v-neck shirt and black jeans and was bare-foot. He seemed to be the ring leader of this little get-together.

When he spotted the group coming down the stairs, he howled again and jumped from the roof. He rolled into a standing position in front of them and grinned. In the flickering light of the bonfire, Brooke noticed the subtle golden hue in his eyes. Under the sleeve of his shirt, just barely visible, was a similar tattoo to the one on Arin's neck.

"Dudes!" he hollered, howling again. "The party has officially started! Woo!"

"He's excitable," Brooke said to James. She was wearing his jacket and felt very out of place here. He smiled and kissed her temple.

"Relax, Lulu. Just stick with us and you'll be fine."

She raised an eyebrow at the new name he'd given her but smiled regardless. He was right of course; how was she going to learn to be human if she didn't indulge in human activities, like beach parties?

Diego seemed to have the opposite sentiment. He'd locked eyes on someone near the water and the color seemed to be draining from his face.

Arin noticed this as well.

"Huh, so he did find her."

"Dude," the blonde said, smirking. "I can find anyone." He turned to the newest members of their group and laughed. "You brought two of the four horsemen?"

Arin smirked and clapped Daniel on the back.

"Only two. If I brought all four, imagine what Dad would do."

The blonde laughed and swung his arm down by his stomach, lowering himself into a bow.

"Welcome to Party Beach. My name is Holden and I will be your host for this evening."

Daniel smiled and pulled Ava towards the bonfire. James held tight to Brooke's hand.

"Don't worry," he whispered, taking a drink offered to him by Arin. "You'll be fine." He handed the glass to Brooke. "If not, I will eat my hat."

She laughed and took a sip. "Gross." She turned to Holden who had his eyebrow raised. "I'm Brooke."

"Oh, you don't need to tell him that," Diego said, suddenly drawn from his stupor. He turned to the duo and smirked. "You'll find there isn't a lot Holden doesn't know."

"Come on, little brother!" Holden shouted, arching backward. He sighed as obnoxiously as he could before staring at Diego. Diego simply grinned in return.

"You two have fun. I have some... personal issues to deal with."

Holden watched him go over to the woman in the surf before turning back to the lovers and Arin.

"This is going to be exactly like a train wreck."

"Why?" Arin asked, knocking back a shot.

"There's gonna be fire, blood, and death, but I can't look away."

The two of them laughed before disappearing back into the crowd. Brooke turned to James and smiled.

"As fun as getting tanked at a beach party sounds, I don't think this is for me," she said. He gently squeezed her hand and smiled back.

"I know. Do you wanna go up to the pier instead? Maybe I can win you a prize?"

Brooke felt her stomach get warm as he led her past the SUVs towards the steps.

They wound their way up and arrived on the boardwalk outside the Pacific Park. The amusement park itself had closed hours ago, but the small arcade nearby was still open, and several people were crowded around a pinball machine. It seemed to be the highlight of the small building. The teenage girl behind the prize counter was filing her nails, her eyes droopy and sleepy.

In the center of the room was a pool table with a blue felt top as opposed to the usual green. It was unoccupied and Brooke could feel herself getting excited. It was a game she was very familiar with. Since she'd learned to play, she and Sam had made it a point to play every weekend. She'd gotten much better.

James seemed to see the grin on her face and read her mind. He pulled his wallet from his pocket and walked to the prize counter. He chatted with the sleepy teenager and returned to Brooke's side with two cues and the plastic triangle they needed to play. He handed her the shorter cue and twirled the triangle on his finger.

He put a quarter into the slot on the side and forced the silver lever inside. The rumble of balls rolling through the table made her smile. When they were all in the tray, he pulled them up and aligned them correctly inside the triangle before removing it and placing it aside.

"Shall we play for something or is this just for fun?"

Brooke smirked.

"Do you play?"

"Occasionally. For fun or keeps, darling?"

"I have nothing of value," she said, though she could see him smiling.

"You have so much more than you think. What are we playing for?"

Brooke leaned against the cue for a moment and watched him. He was smiling at her, leaning on the table. His biceps were tight against his jacket and a few strands of his hair were free from their ponytail. His face, chiseled and scruffy, was as handsome as ever. She couldn't help but stare. There was a glint of mischief in his eyes as if he knew what he was doing and knew she would play to his ego, a wish she would happily grant.

"The loser pays the winner's half of the rent this month."

James raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure about that?"

Brooke smirked in return, leaning on the table.

"Break 'em."

~X~

Mark raised an eyebrow at Kane as he sat on the platform across from him. They'd stopped traveling not long ago and Kane had taken it upon himself to relax, which was more than annoying. He seemed far too relaxed considering they were in the fourth layer of Hell. He was sitting with his legs crossed, hands in his lap.

"You're awfully quiet," he said, watching his younger brother. Kane didn't move.

"I'm meditating. Doctor Fuckface thinks it will help with 'introspection'. Whatever that means."

Mark smirked.

"It means observe and analyze yourself in order to grow as a person. To help you be better."

Kane opened his eyes and smirked.

"I'm already at peak performance, what more do I need to achieve?"

Mark shook his head. He looked down at the platform. It hung over the canyon and with every slight movement it rocked back and forth, groaning against the chain. Falling into that eternal blackness was a terrifying thought. Not just because it would likely kill them, but because he'd never get to the Palace. Serenity would be locked away forever. He still had that sinking feeling in his stomach that something was wrong, that she was hurt. His dreams had been persistent for months, and they'd become more vivid the longer he'd been away. He wasn't sure if they were true, but he was certain that he'd find out at the end of this mission, however that ended.

He looked back across to Kane as the behemoth of a man slowly climbed back to his feet.

"Right. With that bullshit over with, what is it you value the most?"

"What?"

"The task. We have to let go of what we value, and if we lie we plummet to our doom. So spill."

Mark looked away. What did he value? His family immediately came to mind. His wife, his children, his grandchildren. He loved them, so much so he had given up everything to protect them. He would never be a normal, mortal man again, all in the interest of making their lives a little easier. He looked back across to Kane who smirked.

"I'll go first, shall I?" the big man said, grinning. Mark rolled his eyes but gestured for him to continue. "The thing I value most is my crew. Don't give a fuck what happens to you. Couldn't care less about your brats or the she-devil who's ass you ride." Mark growled but stayed silent. "My crew is the family I chose, and that bond runs deeper than any blood relationship."

"So could you give them up? Let them go for the greater good?"

"Yep."

Mark's gaze fell on the platform below Kane. It rocked with his weight but appeared to stay tightly attached to the chain below. He looked back up and frowned at the smirk on Kane's face.

"Why didn't you fall?"

"What? You thought I lied? Just because you lie about absolutely everything doesn't mean I do."

"I don't lie!"

Kane rolled his eyes, smirk still in place. He was enjoying this.

"Right. I would let Raven die if it meant ending Stevie's pathetic existence, which would easily make the world a better place. That's enough to pass this test. So tell me, brother; would you sacrifice your children? Your wife?"

"Yes!"

The groaning screech of metal against metal echoed around the cavern. The chain holding Mark's platform up swayed and shook, creaking as it tried with everything it had to hold the weight of the platform.

"No! No, wait! I didn't lie!"

A loud crack punched its way through as the mechanism holding the chain broke away from the wall. As if in slow motion, the chain flew towards them, convulsing like an angry python. With a sudden jerk, the platform below Mark cracked in two, sending him flying forward.

He reached for Kane's platform, hoping to save himself. The cracked platform swung and hit him in the back, hooking into his shirt and pulling him down.

As if he'd been devoured, the darkness below swallowed him whole.