Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare.

"Sammael?" Clary asked, "You mean, the demon that opened the portal from the void to earth? He hasn't been seen in centuries! How could you know his trademark?"

"He hasn't been been seen for hundreds of years, but the Nephilm have around long enough to have seen him once or twice, and stuff gets writer down." replied Isabelle, "We need to go get everyone, right now."

"I have cash." said Clary, "We'll get a cab."

Both Clary and Isabelle crashed through the open elevator door at the same time, marking an awful racket.

"Alec! Jace! Mom! Dad! EVERYONE! WE NEED YOU NOW!" Isabelle screamed.

Mayrse and Alec came running.

"What is it?" asked Maysre, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine mom. But there's something we need you to come see." said Isabelle, a touch irritation in her voice.

"What is it?" asked Mayrse her voice still riddled with worry.

"Clary found someth-"

At that moment Jace strode in through the door.

"What's all the fuss?" he asked seemingly unconcerned.

"Clary found some of Sammael's trademark stuff." said Isabelle, "It's actually quite fresh."

Jace's face went stone cold.

"Arm yourselves." he said, "And expect to have the fight of your lives."

An hour later they had all piled into a cab, all of them in full shadowhunter regalia. The driver, who was a mundane, was continuously giving them sidelong glances, and Clary wondered what on earth he thought of them.

After a painfully long time they arrived in front of Simon's house. Mayrse payed the driver and he left them. The whole street was eerily quiet and reeked of demonic magic. Clary would normally have run up the house screaming Simon's name, but she just stood their, taking stalk of her surroundings. She was the first to notice the small crack that snaked from the ledge of Simon's window.

"Look." she said to Alec, who had joined them, pointing.

Everyone turned curiously to see, except Jace who went up to the front door and pushed it open, revealing the dark hallway inside. Everyone filed into the house, though Clary wanted a better look at the crack, it was strange. Inside the smell of demonic magic was even stronger.

"Hello." a soft voice, almost like a cat's purr, came from the shadowy stair case.

"Who's there?" demanded Clary, loudly.

There was no response.

"Who's there?" demanded Clary again.

"Oh," said the voice, "Haven't you guessed yet?"

"Who's there? Sammael?" said Izzy, her voice cold. As she said this a her whip unfurled from her wrist.

"Could it be Sammael? Actually, I think I'll keep you waiting just a little longer." the voice purred, "Let's play a little game, shall we?"

"We don't want your games, Sammael," said Izzy, "we want you out, right now."

"You are not at all prepared to fight me you know, a couple of shadowhunters against the demon of all demons, you can't win this. "

Clary grippe her stele in her pocket, "Actually," she said, "I think it is you who can't win."

"Oh really?" as it spoke the voice revealed itself, as its current shape, a giant snake that slithered from a crack under the stairs.