Jack threw back his head and yowled in dismay at the clear blue sky. The serene robin egg blue seemed to mock him. Androcles had been freed. Latia was alive, but what he sensed was that she was in very grave danger and there was a very high chance of her dying.

He curled into a small little puff of fur and buried his face in his paws. He failed. The Elder entrusted him to watch and protect her. He had only been gone a short time to give his report to the Elder when he suddenly felt Latia's fear and pain. The Elder knew immediately what it meant when Jack told him.

The Elder should have skinned him alive and made slippers out of his fur. He should have at least stripped Jack of his intelligence and left him as a dumb animal instead of sending him to deliver a message to the Magna Mater of the Daughters of the Moon, whoever she was and who the hell were the Daughters of the Moon? The Elder gave him the address and the description of the Magna Mater, but how would she help Latia?

Jack shook his head. What use was it? Latia was as good as dead. Even if her body lived, she would not be Latia, but a nameless creature controlled by the Atrox.

"Do not give up Jack. She is not lost yet." The Elder's voice drifted through his mind.

Jack could sense the little comment that the Elder did not say. But they had very little time. Since time was different in Nefandus, then a few hours in this realm could be a couple of days in Nefandus.

Jack shook himself. He could not lose hope, he could not let the Atrox take his hope without even sucking it from his soul. Latia was stronger then she seemed. She would hold out long enough for help to come. Jack got to his paws and began running towards the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center which was next to an old apartment building.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Well," Jimena huffed. "That went well."

The girls looked at the tall chain link that Angela, or Latia, had cleared in one bound. They could see her blonde head disappearing into the crowd.

"What now?" Serena asked.

"I could follow her invisible." Vanessa said.

"I don't think it would do any good." Catty said. "She won't listen to us."

"Maybe we could ask Maggie to come to her apartment." Tianna suggested. "She'll probably stop there before she runs. Even if she is an angel, she'll need food and money to survive here."

"Do you really think she'll listen to Maggie?" Vanessa asked. "She didn't listen to us." She looked thoughtful for a second. "Do you think she's already been attacked? Or least got a warning or threat of some kind?"

"Makes sense." Jimena said. "She looked really scared."

"I still couldn't pick up anything from her." Serena pouted. "I think Vanessa explanation makes sense."

"I think we should go to Maggie's." Jimena said. "Just call it a hunch, but I think we really need to go there." She sounded very serious despite the fact she had been shouting angrily in rapid Spanish seconds before.

Serena looked at her. "She's probably too far away to catch up with her now."

They turned around and started walking toward Maggie's apartment building.

They were buzzed in, and they walked into the apartment building and up onto the fourth floor. They knocked on Maggie's door. A retired schoolteacher opened the door. She frowned at them.

"She ran off." Jimena explained.

Maggie sighed. "Come in."

They filed into the apartment feeling like they failed miserably. Maggie shut the door behind them.

"We were thinking that maybe if you came to her apartment that would be able to talk to her." Tianna said.

Before Maggie could say anything there was a high-pitched yowl and something was scratching on the door.

Catty got up and opened the door. A mostly white cat with a black tail, a black strip down its back, one black paw, and a black muzzle streaked inside and jumped onto the table. He stared at Maggie with pale gray eyes.

"Maggie?"

Jaws dropped, except Maggie's.

"Yes?" She asked serenely as if cats talked all the time.

"I'm Jack."

"That tells us nada, gato." Jimena said.

He glared at Jimena. "I'm Latia's cat."

"She can make animals talk?" Catty asked, sitting back down at the table.

"Someday." The cat said. He looked at Maggie. "An Elder of the Angels came and made his eyes and ears, to help protect her." He took a deep breath. "He said I should find you, that you could help me."

"With what?" Maggie asked.

"Androcles has been freed."

A chill settled in the room.

"Where is she?" Maggie asked. Her tone was hard and tight.

"Nefandus."

"Where?" The girls asked.

"It's the realm Tianna can go to." Maggie explained. "It's where the Atrox rules."

"Then let's go right now." Tianna said.

Jack shook his head. "It's no that simple. Nefandus looks like a foggy, barren wasteland, but it's actually not foggy and barren. The fog hides the buildings and people."

"Then why can't we see it?" Catty asked. She had been trapped in that realm once.

"You need a guide or talisman." Jack said. "Latia will automatically be able to see because the Atrox didn't, or couldn't, prevent angels from seeing this world."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Jimena said, loosing patience with this feline.

Jack looked at Maggie. "The Elder I work with says that you can enter their dreams." He nodded at the girls.

"It's true, but I won't be able to enter her dreams." Maggie said.

"I can communicate with telepathically." Jack said.

Serena snorted. Sure, the cat can read the mind of an angel, but not a goddess. Jack gave her the kitty glare.

"If we work together, we may be able to get in touch with her. The Elder said he would assist us if we needed it." Jack said.

Maggie nodded. "We'll try tonight, when the moon rises."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Androcles strolled into the room. Dark power emitted from him that was greater than the other dark creatures in the room.

A black cloud with a blood red hue hovered against the walls. "Androcles!" It said in a happy tone.

"Master." The fallen angel bowed to the shadow. "It feels wonderful to be able to serve you again."

Some of the robed people curled their lip. The fallen angels were the Atrox's favorites, there was no doubt of that. They had power that it didn't have to give up and they were immortal without it lifting a finger to burn their mortality away. They willingly came to it with all their powers intact. Even the Goddesses had to have their powers replaced when mortality was consumed.

"About the girl, Latia." He began.

"You wish to make her suffer and die for her parents actions?"

"I would, very much." His eyes flashed. His angel face twisted into a demonic expression. "But I feel she may be very useful to us. She is a child of darkness and light, a rare creature. Her power is unimaginable and she doesn't even know her full potential. Of course if she proves too difficult to control then it'll be no problem to get rid of her." He said the last part with a light, carefree tone.

"Very well. I'll give you full control of converting this girl. Do whatever you must or what you feel is necessary."

"Thank your majesty." He bowed again. He turned his heel and walked out of the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I pushed against a thick black fog. My wrist stung and my entire body felt dreadfully sore. The black fog was unrelenting.

"Let me wake-up." I shouted at it.

It stood there like a thick wall over my sight. I struggled against it determined to wake-up even though my subconscious was telling me that I didn't want to. The edges of the wall began to become lighter, grayer, then a sandy-gold.

I stared up at the earthen ceiling. I felt slightly uncomfortable. It was to be expected though. I was a child of heaven and being underground, cut off from the sky, made me uneasy. Not as bad as use to though. Possibly because I've lived on Earth for a decade and a half, a lot longer then when I lived in the sky.

I wiggled my toes and fingers. Everything felt incredibly sore and weak. What did he do to me?

I rolled my head and stared at the wall. I rolled my head to the other side and saw a thick door with ancient symbols craved in the wood. The cot I was on was the only thing in here. I looked at my wrist and saw the absence of my charm bracelet. I could feel my wings underneath me like a cushion.

But where was I? I couldn't remember anything after the spiked haired angel pulled whatever that was out from me.

I shivered when I suddenly remembered the cold eyes. Who or what was that thing?

I rolled over onto my side and then moaned in pain. It felt like that one time Jacob convinced me to go with him to a military camp. That was the stupidest thing I ever decided to do.

I pulled my t-shirt up and saw that there were two thick purple bruises on my stomach, about hand, or fist, sized. I saw that I had lost my flip-flops either in the struggle or when they brought me to this place.

I draped one wing other my legs and wrapped the other one around my middle, both for warmth and comfort. The feather's felt just like down or silky fur. I held my amulet in my hand. Didn't Mom say this amulet was for protection?

I heard footsteps echoing in the hall that evidently leads to my prison hole. I heard tumblers click loudly and the door groaned loudly.

I sat up and gripped the edges of the cot tightly so I wouldn't bolt and smash whoever's face was coming in here and end up on the floor.

One was…a zombie. He had rotting flesh that was molding and oozing, hair gone except for some tufts in his ears and nose, and discolored eyes. There was a God awful smell-sorry Lord-of decay. I just glared at him even though I wanted to vomit. Hey, if it landed on him it would probably make him smell better. He had a tray with what looked like soup and some tea. He set it next to the cot.

I realized that the cot was stuck between to large chunks of earth that could serve as tables.

I could feel a dark power and I turned to see a darkness angel with shoulder length dark brown hair and dark gray eyes. He wore a vest over his bare chest and a pair of cloth pants, not like sweats, but like those old time pants. He looked like he was in his late twenties and his face was to beautiful to be human.

"Hello Latia." He said in a pleasant voice. "I'm not sure you know who I am. You weren't even born when I was destroyed by your parents."

"Androcles." I whispered.

He smiled feral like. "I assume your parents told you about the heroic deed they did by destroying me." His grin grew. He reminded me of a wolf when it cornered a small, defenseless fawn.

"He'll find out real quick that I'm not that defenseless." I thought.

"Always thought it was ironic and very appropriate that their precious, only daughter would be the one to free me." He said. He cupped my face. I slapped it away.

"Of course," He began pacing the room. The zombie creature slipped out and stood out like a guard outside the room. "I had my own plans for revenge on your parents while I was living inside of your body."

I shivered. He had been living inside of me all these years? I felt like once I got out of here that I need to slice myself open and pour holy water, or bleach, into myself to get ride of his germs and presence inside of me.

"But those plans consisted of them being alive." He said bitterly. "Now I have to settle with turning their precious daughter into the very thing they fought against." He glanced at me. "It would mean so much more if you cooperated."

I grabbed the tray and threw it at him with a speed that surprised me. He held out his hand and stopped it before it hit him.

"Really Latia, this was prepared especially for you." He said. He looked at the spilled soup and tea. "Are you really that ungrateful of a child?"

"Only to people who hold me against my will." I said. I sat back on the bed, feeling dizzy and weak like I hadn't eaten in forever.

"Perhaps I should bring you a companion?" He asked. He took the cup, saucer, bowl, and spoon that were floating in the air and put them on the tray in his hand. "I could feel what you felt for that one angel, Aidan was his name?"

I felt my heart tighten. "Leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this."

"If he was trying to protect you then he must be punished for his interference." He said. "Besides, some new blood in our group could be a very good thing for us. His father is one of legend." He sighed. He stared at me and grinned knowing that even if I denied it myself. He knew it was more than lust or infatuation.

"Sleep well." He sneered. He walked out and shut the door.

My stomach grumbled loudly. "Shut up!"