A/N: Lucifer suffers a blow to his self esteem and to his carnality. Maze seeks the advice of an old friend regarding the devil's condition. Will she get her master to snap out of it?
Chapter 5: Demon's Lamentation
Ever since the day he had met with Asherah at the Temple of Babylon, Lucifer had not been the same. That day, something inside of him broke; his self-esteem had taken a blow. Feelings of worthlessness and degradation cast a shadow on his spirit. For the first time in all of his existence in heaven and hell—he felt fear. Caught in the center of tug of war between his parents—who just happened to be two gods—he was simply could not match their arsenal of powers.
Asherah had broken him, she'd taken from him that which he prided himself most on—his free will. Lucifer had never done anything that he hadn't wanted to. Except for on that day, when Asherah ripped everything away from him, forcing him into submission: even his own body had betrayed him. He had been completely powerless against her. Lucifer had tried to force those memories down deep inside of himself—to forget, but every night when he slept in his angelic form, they came out to haunt him.
Since his sleep was racked with nightmares, Lucifer began to avoid it altogether, he would not eat or sleep for months at a time. Not that he had to do either to survive, but his angelic form did require nourishment and sleep from time to time to remain robust. It seemed as if he were trying to kill off that part of him so that only the devil remained. Much to his dismay, his angelic form proved to be a lot more tenacious than he had thought.
He preferred working on over-drive in his devil form because it didn't allow him to feel deeply or to have emotions. Finding himself to be purposefully avoiding his original angelic form, he didn't want to feel the anguish and hurt that accompanied it, so he allowed it to deteriorate. He'd lost so much weight that his bones showed. Deep black circles formed around his eyes, his complexion was white and pasty and his hair was long and unkempt: he had become a vestige of the beautiful angel that he once was.
Since he now preferred to stay down in hell, he had not ventured back on earth since the last time he met with Asherah about the cult's offerings of child sacrifice. It had been 500 years since he had ventured out of hell.
While he worked and took care of the business of hell, he seemed quite normal; he even seemed to thrive. Meanwhile, he hadn't heard a thing from his "divine family" in hundreds of years, perhaps they had abandoned him for good.
To make matters worse, Lucifer avoided all sexual contact. He flinched when touched, and he turned down any kind of intimate advance. One of the most carnal creatures in existence, had been snuffed out: would he ever be able to rekindle that fire within that used to burn so brightly?
Maze continued to guard him steadfastly and to work by his side day after day, but most of all, she missed their sex together. She didn't care if he was in his devil form or not, Maze adored Lucifer in whatever form he morphed into. The demoness realized that whatever had happened on that day at the temple of Babylon between Lucifer and Asherah: it had changed her lord, and not for the better.
Patience not being her strongest suit, Maze wanted her master back—forthwith. The petite demon, Lucifer's right hand woman, was fiercely loyal to him. As the devil's ferocious protector, with the moves of a ninja, Maze's expert skill in the wielding of her demon daggers forged in hell was second to none.
Maze excelled at punishment and torture. Reveling in the pain and suffering of others; debauchery and mayhem thrilled her. But most of all, it was her diabolically insatiable appetite for sex that was legendary in all the realms of hell.
Maze needed advice about Lucifer's condition and she knew exactly who to consult on the matter—Asmodeus.
Demonology
One of the seven princes of hell, Asmodeus, fallen angel, demon of lust, sexuality, sensuality and vices of all kinds, was a confidant of Lucifer's and one of his staunchest supporters. Maze thought that surely, he would have some insight on the devil's plight.
Asmodeus was one of the most powerful and cunning members of Lucifer's alliance of devils. Tall, handsome and dangerous, the fallen angel used his good looks to his advantage. His classically featured face with delicate pale skin, supplely stretched over his high cheekbones and his long dark hair, gathered together at the back of his neck, was all that had been spared from the disfiguring injuries he'd received when he'd been cast out of heaven during the rebellion. Now, his distinguishing attributes where the most unearthly ones; piercing crimson eyes that gleamed with infernal power and a pair of small sharp horns that crowned his forehead.
Known as the devil on two sticks or the limping devil, Asmodeus had borne the brunt of his fall on his legs causing him to use two canes to help him walk. Beneath his fine robes of red and black, studded with black diamonds and rubies, the demon's body was covered in bloody wounds that he'd also sustained when he tumbled from the heavens. As a constant reminder of his fall, the wounds still continued to ooze blood daily.
One evening, while Lucifer is asleep, Maze brings Asmodeus into his bed chamber to observe the devil's odd behavior. Almost on cue, Lucifer begins to thrash around and starts to talk in his sleep, "no, no please, no Asherah, please don't. No! Father, Why? Why did you let her do this to me? Please make her stop…oh please!"
Letting out a drawn out sigh, Asmodeus quietly exits the room with Maze at his back.
"So, do you know why he is this way? Why he refuses even the slightest touch without flinching away," the truculent demon whispers loudly.
With his horned head cocked to one side, Asmodeus begins to gather his thoughts. "When did this start?"
Unable to hide her disgust, the demon spat out, "since the day he went back up to earth for a meeting with his stepmother, Asherah, at the temple of Babylon."
"Ah, I see," the demon answered, his eyes widening at the apprehension of what had happened to Lucifer. "This is beginning to make some sense."
"Little demon, Asherah is not just any goddess, she is the personification of sexuality and sensuality, no one is supposed to be able to resist her charms. And…it's common knowledge to most of us angels that she had a "thing" for our brother ever since she'd seen him for the first time."
"After Father divorced Asherah and cast her out of heaven, her fall all but devastated her. At one time, she had been the sweetest most nurturing person, but then she changed completely. All she wanted was to make Father pay for what he'd done to her. Unfortunately, it looks like Lucifer was caught in the crosshairs of their rancorous split."
"Mazikeen, has he ever talked to you about what happened to him?"
"If he had talked to me about it, why would I be asking you anything?" The impatient demon snapped back.
"Now, now little demon: patience…I need to learn more before I can put this all together."
"Tell me Mazikeen, what was he like when he returned from the meeting?"
Recalling that day, the demon continued, "He went straight to his room, his mood was noticeably subdued, all of us demons could feel that something had been done to him. I'd never seen such sadness in his eyes before. Upon his return, he hadn't engaged anyone, not even me."
"He seemed exhausted, he passed out as soon as he hit his bed. The first thing strange that I noticed was that the front of his tunic had been torn from the neck line all the way down exposing his body. His wrists were raw from being bound, he had red welts and bruises on his face and neck and his body was riddled with snake bites which were still oozing with venom. Even his genitals were raw and bruised. At first, I thought he'd engaged in some rough sex while on earth—I wouldn't have put that past him.
"Enough little demon, I know what happened to your master and why he is acting the way that he has."
Shaking his head, Asmodeus says softly," I believe that Lucifer was raped by Asherah."
Furious, Maze blurts out, "but how can that be possible? Lucifer is so strong and fearless. He does nothing that he doesn't want to, he cannot be forced against his free will."
"I'm so sorry little demon, but that's exactly what I'm saying: it is possible, and if my experience counts; he did suffer at her hands. Asherah is the most powerful goddess, second only to Father in her powers. Lucifer didn't have a chance against her. If she wanted to have her way with him, she would—consensually—or not. One of her spirit animals is the serpent, which she can morph into and use as a tool to subdue her prey. The venom from the serpent bites causes temporary paralysis. The victim is still awake, but cannot move until the venom wares off. It's a remarkably efficient way to render her victims into submission.
Suffering through an assault as violent as what he endured, along with the hurt, humiliation and anguish that he continues to feel, it is no wonder that he revisits it in his dreams at night. Even a being as proud and as strong as Lucifer might have difficulty coming back to the way he was before. He seems to have been severely damaged by this incident."
Does he mention Father in any of these dreams?
Yes, he calls out to him: "Father, please don't let her do this to me…please stop her! Haven't you punished me enough, do I deserve this?"
The handsome features of the demon slump into a sad expression, erasing the crinkly little wrinkles that form laugh lines around his crimson eyes, while his mouth twists into a frown, "so the old man didn't lift a finger…that's beyond the pale."
"Asmodeus, when do you think he will snap out of it?" the demon asks hopefully.
"I'm sorry Mazikeen, it could be next week, next month, next year or, quite possibly—never."
Maze getting all fired up hisses: I should go up there and kill that bitch with my demon daggers from hell for what she's done to my lord.
Yes, my poor little demon, but your show of loyalty would be for nothing, because the goddess would squash you like a small bug before you would be able to get anywhere near her.
"When you speak of the goddess, Asmodeus, you seem to speak from a place of experience," the little demon purrs, "tell me, what was having sex with her like?"
A distant wistful look spreads over his face, his piercing red eyes turn light sky blue and his expression softens. "She was the most beautiful creature I'd ever had…and as you can imagine, I've had many," he smiles. "She was enchanting and electrifying; sex with her was earth-shattering—and it was utterly terrifying. She was so much more powerful than I, that oftentimes, I felt like I was hanging on for dear life. As exciting as that was for me, I imagine that I wasn't a potent enough partner for her. In the end, we parted ways amicably, but it could have easily gone quite bad for me because she had such a temper that she might kill you and not even notice. One thing for sure, no one, and I mean no one, has ever turned her down, so if that is what Lucifer did, he's lucky he got out of it alive."
"You—dirty old devil, I just knew you had mixed it up with her!" Maze cackled, "what I don't understand is, if she wanted to seduce Lucifer, why he didn't go for it. After all, from what I've been able to gather about her—she's virtually irresistible."
"I too am surprised that Lucifer would become so carnally challenged that he chose to resist her. It's just not like him. The only thing I can think of, that would cause him to avoid the temptation, is that Asherah was Father's wife and Lucifer may not have wanted to piss the old man off more than he'd already had."
"We used to laugh at Lucifer because we knew that "Mom" had a thing for him. But it all made perfect sense because Luci is virtually a chip off of the old man's block—he looks just like him—and I mean, an exact replica of him."
"Snickering at the very thought that Lucifer was a carbon copy of the angry old man in the sky with a beard, Maze could barely contain herself. She would surely save that little piece of information for the appropriate time—when she could launch it on her unsuspecting master."
"Getting back to your master, little demon, you are doing all that you can for him. But please be patient with him, I know that is not in your nature, but trying to push him or force him into anything will most likely result in permanent damage. Be gentle with him, no matter how trying that will be for you, and I know it will."
"Then all I can do is what I have been doing: watching over him and protecting him. The next time he goes up to earth, I will make sure I come with him to have his back."
Smiling down at the little demon, Asmodeus regards her fondly, "Lucifer did well when he created you Mazikeen, I can see why he prizes you so much."
"He p-p-prizes… me?" the demon's jaw drops in amazement.
"Oh yes, he may be the king of hell, but most of us regard you as his demon queen. You are always at his side, always at the ready. He's really quite lucky to have you. The two of you have a special bond: a hellish one!" He chuckles.
Hearing Lucifer stirring in the other room, Asmodeus takes his leave.
Maze grabs his arm, "tell no one of this—absolutely no one. Do you swear?"
"Yes, little demon, I swear, but I really must go now before he sees me here…"
"Thank you, Asmodeus, you dirty old devil," she laughs.
"I'll take that as a compliment coming from you, Mazikeen. Glad I could be of service…" the demon turns and limps away, taping his canes on the stone floors as he disappears from sight.
Maze assumes her perch at the foot of Lucifer's bed, just like she does every night.
Lucifer awakes with a start, looking sweetly sleepy, he yawns, "don't you ever get tired of watching over me?" Staring at her master intently, her eyes piercing into his, she tosses her hair back and purrs: "Never!"