Lucifer lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. His mind was a blur. The last few days had been trying. The woman he loved had been slain. His daughter had almost been slain. The emotions had hit him in a torrent of tears. Blubbering like a fool was not something he was accustomed to. After the moment in the diner he and Persephone had gone to dinner then returned home. The Devil had trolled Lux for some tail but none of them appealed to him. Even his beloved Mazikeen didn't do it for him. Sighing he rolled over and got out of bed. He pulled on his silk robe and walked into the living room. The laughter of his daughter made him smile. She was sitting on the couch in her pajamas watching cartoons again.
"Morning Daddy." She said to him.
He smiled. "Morning darling." He replied on the way to his bar. He fiddled with the espresso machine. While it brewed, he mused quietly to himself. Persephone would laugh every so often. The sound made him smile. She sounded like her mother. The pit of that emptiness of never seeing Joanie again weighed heavily on him. The machine finished brewing and he picked up the cup and walked over to his recliner and sat. He could see the TV. That absurd sponge cartoon was on. "I can't believe you find this stuff amusing." He said to his daughter.
Persephone shrugged. She took a bite of a pop tart. "It's so stupid it's funny. If that makes any sense." She replied.
Lucifer took a sip of espresso. "Not at all." His eyes glanced at the TV. The sponge was talking to some obese pink thing and bluish squid. He shook his head. "Whatever floats your boat, darling."
She laughed again. "Shows don't always have to make sense." She said as the show went to commercial.
"I suppose." He took another sip of his espresso. "Do you have any plans today?"
"Am I allowed to go anywhere?" Persephone looked at her father. Her dark eyes so like his. She smiled slightly. An eyebrow raised in question.
The Devil shrugged. "Sure. I believe the danger to you is gone. So, you can go do whatever you wish."
"Really? Cool. I'll probably call Iain and see if he wants to do anything."
Lucifer scoffed. Iain. That pierced lad with the guitar. What his daughter saw in him he could not figure out. "You really like him, don't you?"
"Yes. He's funny and smart. And he plays guitar and can sing." Persephone listed off her suitor's attributes. "Mom liked him. She knew his dad."
"I see. How did they know each other?" Lucifer was curious. Joanie was almost as promiscuous as he was.
"They worked on a movie together. Iain's dad is a visual effects artist. He makes dinosaurs and monsters and stuff like that appear. He's really awesome." Persephone explained.
"Did you mother sleep with him?" Lucifer asked point blank.
Persephone laughed. "No. I don't think so. Iain's dad is gay. They were just friends."
Lucifer nodded. "Interesting." He stood up and headed to his bedroom. "I need to get dressed. Ready for another day at the precinct. We will find out what happened to your mother."
Persephone smiled slightly. "Okay. I hope you find out something."
"We will, darling. We always do." He promised before walking to his closet. He smiled as she returned her attention to the TV. Her laughter carried into the bedroom.
Persephone watched her father walk into his bedroom. Her eyes went back to the TV. She laughed a few times. She stood up to take her trash and plate back to the kitchen. Then she heard the elevator ding and the doors opened. "Hello Detective Decker." She greeted their guest.
Chloe smiled at Lucifer's daughter. She was standing there in My Little Pony pajamas. She held a folder in her hands. "Morning Persephone." She chuckled. "You know my daughter loves My Little Pony also."
"Cool." Persephone replied. "My dad is getting dressed. He should be out soon."
"Thank you." Chloe nodded.
"Did you find out anything new on the case?" Persephone took a step towards the detective. She looked at the pretty woman with a smile. Her dark eyes sparkled.
Chloe looked at Lucifer's daughter. Her eyes were so much like his. Even her smile reflected his. Especially when he wanted something. She patted Persephone's shoulder. "Yes. But you Dad asked me not to discuss it with you."
Persephone scoffed. "Come on. Give me something." She looked Chloe in the eyes. She was looking to draw out the truth something from Chloe. But she was confused. Normally she could get most people to respond. But Chloe didn't. Shaking her head, this wasn't working. "Just a little hint."
Chloe watched Persephone. She had that same look that Lucifer had when he was trying to get the truth or something from her. He claimed he could draw out people's desires. She had witnessed him do it to countless other people. He claimed it didn't work on her. He called her complex. She sighed and looked at his daughter. "Ask you father." She reasoned.
"Ask you father what?" Lucifer's voice came from the bedroom. He descended the steps looking impeccable as always. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a black shirt and blue vest. His black hair slicked back. He smiled at Chloe. "Good morning, Detective. I was just on my way into the precinct."
"We have some new information on the case." The Detective uttered. She glanced at Persephone and then back at Lucifer.
Lucifer took note and looked at his daughter. "Could you excuse us Persephone." He spoke to his daughter.
"Why won't you let me hear any of this, Dad? I'm old enough to understand. Please." She pleaded with him. She looked up at him expectedly.
"No. That's final. We will tell you everything when we know for sure. Okay?" He explained to her.
"Fine." She replied angrily. She then stormed out of the living room.
Lucifer sighed heavily. "Sorry about that. She oozes charm one moment and then the next" He shook his head.
Chloe laughed. "I wonder where she gets it." She smiled but could tell by the look on Lucifer's face he wasn't amused. "Anyways we found Joey Robles. Seems has been in a mental institution for a few weeks. He is heavily medicated. Apparently, he keeps trying to kill himself. Something about the spawn of Satan coming after him."
Lucifer's eyes widened. "Really?" He looked towards the kitchen. He was wondering what it was Persephone had said or done to the man. No doubt it was to protect her mother. He smiled at Chloe. "So, no leads."
"No, we do have one. You aren't going to like it though." Chloe opened the folder and handed it to Lucifer. "Forensics found skin cells under Joanie's nails. They also found hair on her and in a few wounds, that didn't belong to her."
Lucifer took the folder and looked at it. He had no difficulty understanding the science laid out before him. His face fell when he saw the DNA results of the skin cells. "You are sure?" He asked sadly.
Chloe took a deep breath and nodded. "They ran it three times."
Lucifer closed the folder and sighed. "I can believe it. I thought- "He trailed off. "Persephone is going to be heartbroken." He could feel the emotions welling up again. "What is our plan of action then, Detective?"
"Go to her law firm and question her. We could use your mojo. Will you be okay?"
"Yes. I will be more than okay." Lucifer offered a weak smile to Chloe. "Let's go do this." He gestured to the elevator. He noticed Persephone walking back into the living room now dressed. "I'll be home later, darling."
Persephone nodded. "Okay bye Dad." She waved.
Lucifer and Chloe got onto the elevator. He waved as the doors closed. He looked at Chloe. Sighing he was not looking forward to what was coming.
Persephone watched her dad leave. She hated that he left her out of the investigation. She was not squeamish. She was adamant about finding out who killed her mother. Why was he keeping her in the dark? She could handle the details. She had seen and heard a lot worse. Her whole life she had seen images of Hell and the punishments he wrought on the damned in her head. Every night was filled with dreams of his life. She had even seen the true face of the Devil. There wasn't a whole lot that scared the daughter of the Devil. It frustrated her.
Sighing she headed for her bedroom and grabbed her bag. She looked at her phone. Her boyfriend Iain was waiting for her downstairs. She texted him to inform him she was on her way down. They were going to the mall and hang out for a bit. Meet up with their other friends. She needed to take her mind off things. She pushed the button to the elevator. Getting on she rode down and hummed to herself. It dinged and she walked into Lux. It was quiet. Only a few people milled around.
She spied Maze sitting at the bar looking bored as usual. She walked towards the demon. "Hi Maze." She said while walking up to her.
Maze gave her a sideway glance. "Hey." She responded tersely. As was her usual manner. "Where are, you headed off to?"
"The mall." Persephone replied. "Dad, is letting me out of the house today." She smirked.
"So, that means I don't have to babysit anymore." Maze picked up a glass of brown liquor. "Your dad run off with his pet detective, again?" Her voice slithered out with an air of jealousy.
"Of course, I think they got a lead or something. I wish he would let me in on it. I can handle it." She folded her arms and leaned against the bar next to the demon.
Maze shrugged. She took a swig of her drink. "He's just trying to protect you from the truth. He's always been protective of you."
"But I know the truth, Maze. I know how the world really works. Why does he think knowing who killed my mother is going to disturb me?" She sighed heavily. Her phone vibrated and chimed in her pocket. She pulled it out. Iain was waiting for her outside. She texted him back. "Anyways. I'll see you later Maze." She patted the demon's arm and walked away.
"Bye." Maze called after Lucifer's offspring.
Persephone walked outside of Lux. Her boyfriend Iain was sitting in his VW bug with the music blaring. Slayer bounced of the nearby walls annoying everyone who walked by. Persephone opened the door and got in. She noticed she and Iain weren't alone in the car. Their band mates Mosh and Freddie were in the back seat banging their heads to the music. Iain leaned over and kissed her. "Hey guys." She shouted over the music.
"What took so long?" Iain said while turning down the music. Mosh and Freddie groaned in the backseat.
"Oh, I was talking to Maze." Persephone responded. "My dad won't let me in on the investigation." She folded her arms and sighed.
"Bummer." Iain put the car into drive and pulled into traffic.
"Hey turn the music back up." Mosh said from the backseat.
"Yeah. I wish he would just give me a little information. She was my mother. I have a right to know." Persephone put her arm on the door and rested her head in hand. She slicked back her long black hair.
"Let's just forget about that okay." Iain used a free hand to rub her shoulder. "Let's just have some fun."
"Okay." Persephone sighed. She looked in the backseat. "You guys cool with the mall?"
"Sure, nothing like scaring the popular crowd." Freddie laughed.
"Yeah." Mosh guffawed. "Seriously Iain. Turn the music back up."
Iain cranked the music up again and they all proceeded to head bang and move to the music. Persephone loosened up a bit with her friends and got into the rhythm. She laughed as people in other cars gave them dirty looks. This was going to be a good day.