Chapter 208
When Buffy got the call from Cordelia she told her mother about Harmony and said she wanted to be there for Cordelia. This was true, it just left out certain details. Joyce understood, she was even proud of her daughter for comforting a friend. She hoped Buffy would be back for Christmas dinner. Steven's parents were coming over. Buffy called Giles and Jenny to help. Faith was spending Christmas with her parents in Washington, Gunn was on a pilgrimage to Mecca with his Imam, so they were short-handed at the moment. As they talked to Cordelia over the phone Jenny did some research on the internet. This might not be a simple kidnapping. She founf intel on the sacrifice of twelve to the demon Moloch. Moloch was allegedly an ancient Caananite diety largely associated with human sacrifice, prticularly the sacrifice of infants and newborns. Very little was actually known about Moloch, a number of other demons tried to take this demon, or were named this by their followers. The sacrifice of twelve drained the life energy of twelve newborns to create this demon. The Delta Zetta Kappa fraternity was suspected to worship certain demons for wealth and power. The group soon realized, thee guys had raped thelve girls at that party with the intention of impregnating them and killing the newborns for Moloch. Only eight of those girls had carried their pregnancies to term. Whether or not the ritual would work with only eight newborns Giles didn't know. And even if Moloch came forth Giles believed Buffy could probably destroy it. But the ritual would take the lives of eight innocent children. The ritual required a glass orb known as the "heart of Moloch." If the heart was destroyed Moloch would be destroyed. Buffy just hoped they could save those innocents.