Chapter 1: No Excuses

After another hour of sketching random things in the park, Calypso Chisisi heads for home. Gathering her stuff, she walks along the street for a while, acting like a normal human being. Everyone else goes about their happy afterlives and barely gives her a second glance… which was fine, she didn't need anyone to notice her. To notice that she stood out from all the rest in this paradise.

Of course, the streets are still buzzing about the biggest news story ever to hit Heaven and she only hears bits and pieces of them. People were gossiping about it and creating their own theories. One of the benefits of her mother being an exorcist is that she'd get all the details from the horse's mouth. She acts normally until she finally arrives at her family's apartment building. She gazes up for a moment.

She could use the door like a normal person, but what's the point of having wings if you don't use them? Her bright white wings flap gently in the breeze and carry her to the sixth floor, landing on the balcony and opening the balcony door. No one ever bothered to lock anything because this was Heaven, and no one had any reason to steal anything. Everyone had everything. It was a big contrast to her dad's place where they had six locks on each door and the windows were usually nailed shut. She slips inside the apartment and leaves the sliding door open to let in the fresh air.

Dropping her keys in the glass bowl by the door, Cally goes to her room and puts all her sketching materials on her desk.

Posted all over her room were various portraits she'd done over the years, from classmates to buildings to wildlife, along with a few band posters and decorative glass art pieces. Her favourite portraits were the ones of her family. She'd challenged herself about a year ago to find and sketch a family photo of every year since she was born. Her mother made sure to get a family photo every year because it was technically only once a year when all three of them were together. Except for the last two years, the chronicle of her unusual life now decorated her walls, despite her mother warning her about revealing the truth about why her dad wasn't around. She always took them down whenever they had company. From baby to toddler to child to teen to adult, her entire life story hung there to remind her of who she was and who she loved the most.

Looking around her room, Cally sighs. She really needed to start looking at getting her own place. It wouldn't be hard; this was Heaven after all and there were always places to stay since it was always growing. She was old enough to anyways… she was 22 after all.

Sighing in relief, Cally allows herself to change back to normal.

Her shiny blonde hair becomes mixed with red and black streaks. Her wings fade to a shade of gray, her bright blue eyes darken to hazel, the various symbols and markings appear on her arms and legs. She then adjusts her halo to wear it like a necklace and it shrinks to a much smaller in size, like a choker necklace. She lets her hair out of her ponytail and then changes into much more comfortable clothing.

She examines herself in the full-length mirror. For a moment, she allows her full demon form to take over; darkening her hair to black, small horns protrude under her hair, her eyes go black, her wings too, and their edges become sharper, her ears end in a point and her markings/symbols get darker. Her other half.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could walk around like this and scare the crap out of people? She smirks. The idea of angels going into a panic because a demon was walking among them… well half a demon anyway.

Calypso, you need to be careful, her mother's voice enters her head. What if someone sees you? Then what would happen?

She sighs and goes back into her angel form. If she wanted to start cooking dinner, she had to appear like everyone else, especially since people flew by their apartment window constantly and once and a while, someone in another building would glance into their home. Her markings/symbols, which she viewed more as tattoos vanish, her eyes brighten along with her hair and her halo moves back up above her head. She then goes to the kitchen.

She gets out the usual cooking implements to start making a meal for her and her mother. She decided on a casserole, easy to reheat if her mother ended up being late… like she sometimes was.

Getting out the ingredients, she begins washing and then chopping vegetables while the oil heats up. As she putters around the kitchen, she decides to call her father. It's been long enough.

Tucking her phone under her chin, Calypso waits for her father to pick up. Each ring makes her more nervous. She's worried that the attack at the hotel was only part of extermination and another wave went around taking care of other demons. Ever since her mother skipped out on the last two exterminations these last two years, a phone call from her father reassured her that he was okay.

After six rings, he finally answers.

"Hey honey," her dad's voice says over the speaker.

"Dad, you're okay," she sighs in relief, trying to fight tears. She tosses the chopped vegetables into the oil and begins mixing spices in a bowl.

"Of course I am Cee Cee." His term of endearment for his daughter. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I heard about what happened?"

"There's no need to worry about it, honey. The extermination was focused on a place called the Hazbin Hotel and from what everyone is saying, they won and it was bad loss of angels, including Adam."

"Yeah, we're just lucky Mom called in sick," Cally says, emphasizing the last part.

"Very lucky," he chuckles.

"And what is this Hazbin Hotel? Mom mentioned it, but she didn't tell me what it was or why it was important. Or why Adam went after it."

"It's a place run by the Princess of Hell," her father explains. "It's supposed to be where sinners go to redeem their souls and allow them to go to Heaven."

Cally drops the spoon she was mixing with.

"Really?" she finally manages to say.

This was brand new information. No one in either Heaven or Hell had ever mentioned the idea of souls redeeming themselves. No one thought such a thing could be possible. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, a thought crossed her mind.

Could…

"Yeah, but it hasn't worked so far," her father says, popping his daughter's bubble of hope. "All it's led to is nicer sinners. Everyone around here thinks it's a lost cause."

"But… they clearly have something if they were able to beat Adam."

"Sure Honey, sure…" he says, not believing in the slightest that it could work. "I think it was just dumb luck."

Cally suddenly hears a hissing and turns.

"Shoot…" she says, going over to stop the vegetables from burning.

Sadly, a burst of flame still springs from the hot pan and Cally is forced to go into her demon form to control the fire before it gets out of control. It takes a split second before the food is sizzling again and she reverts back to angel.

"You, okay?" her father asks.

"I wasn't watching the veggies," she explains, switching her phone to her shoulder while she stirs the mix.

"What are you making?" he asks.

"A casserole. I don't know when Mom's coming home, so I made something that can stay in the oven."

"You certainly are a good cook," her father compliments her. "You could get a job in a kitchen up there if you wanted to."

"Dad…"

"Cee Cee I'm serious, you could be an amazing chef at a restaurant or a hotel somewhere in the Main District of Heaven... I miss your meals."

"You and Mom taught me well,"

He snorts in derision. "I can barely make anything without it bursting into flames."

"That's Hell for you," she snickers and the father and daughter laugh.

"And your mother was never one for cooking either. That gift is all your own. That and your artwork. I always pictured you as a chef or an artist. Opening your own gallery or kitchen. You are a wonder, Cee Cee. One of a kind."

"So you've told me,"

Cally smiles widely, but slowly the smile fades as the two go into silence for a few moments. She sighs, knowing that now is the time to ask.

"Dad," she says. "Can I come down and stay with you?"

There's a long pause on the other end of the phone. She had to try.

"I don't know Honey. I'm pretty busy right now. It's not the right time to…"

"Dad, stop with the excuses," she interrupts him.

"Cally it's not an excuse."

"Come on. I haven't been to your place in almost two years. I've never been away for that long. FaceTime is not the same as actually seeing you in person."

"Cee Cee, it's just not a good time."

"Daddy you're lying to me," she says, frustrated. She turned to calling him "Daddy" to get what she wanted, reminding him that she was his little princess.

"Honey I'm not."

"Cut the crap, Dad!" she snaps. "You and Mom had an agreement and made it all the way back when I was born. Neither of you are honouring that agreement since…"

She bites her lip and battles the tears on the edge of her eyes. She looks down to see the markings on her arms have appeared, obviously reacting to her anger.

She inhales and calms herself down.

"I'm sorry Dad… I…"

There's a knock at the door.

"Hang on Daddy…" she says, putting her phone down on the kitchen island.

Cally goes over, thinking it's her mother who's just forgotten her keys.

"Forget your keys ag…"

She stops short when she opens the door, a bloodied and one-armed Lute stands there.

"Where is your mother?"

A/N: Here is Chapter 1. Please follow and review.

Response to Reviews:

Guillo1988: Yes. To be honest, I had to Google what a Nephalem was. I've basically just called her a hybrid at this point because that's what she was. Thank you for being the first person to review my story. I really appreciate it. I hope that the story will be really interesting for you.