Chapter 2: The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy

I spent the next two days searching the city for my mom and sister. I went everywhere I could think of. The art studio, the art school, Simon's place, the café. I couldn't find Clary anywhere. I had given up trying to find my mom. If she didn't want to be found, then no one was going to find her. So, I focused on trying to find Clary, but it seemed as though she just disappeared.

Currently, Kyler had convinced me to take a break at the Institute while he goes to make us some food. I was unable to get any sleep and didn't bother to change, so I still wore my black cargo pants, black boots, a black zip up tank top with a low V-neck, and my black fingerless gloves. I was sitting in my room staring at a picture of Clary, our mom and I during her 16th birthday. It seemed like so long ago that Clary was supposed to be going to art school.

There was a knock on my door, and I quickly hid the picture under my pillow before calling for them to come in. I wiped away any tears as Alec came into my room. He looked at me in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I tried to give him a smile, but it just caused more tears. My worry was really starting to get to me. "I'll be okay Alec," I reassured him. "I just need some time."

Alec sighed and sat down on the bed facing me. "Kali, whatever happened, you can talk to us. You know that right? We are all worried about you, and we just want to help you. You don't have to go through this alone."

I smiled at him. "Thanks for reminding me, Alec. I'll try to keep that in mind." I cleared my throat and wiped at my tears. "So, what have I missed?"

Alec got an annoyed look on his face. "Oh, so much."

I rolled my eyes a little. "What did Jace do this time?"

"Brought a Mundane into the Institute," Alec said plainly, and I looked at him skeptically, raising an eyebrow in question. Alec then preceded to tell me about what happened on the mission and that Jace had brought back the girl to the Institute unconscious. "He's so convinced that she's not a Mundane, but I'm just annoyed that he's so concerned about someone that ruined the mission."

Kyler had entered the room during his explanation and placed the tray of food down on the bed as Alec finished speaking. "Wow, I really missed quite a bit in the past two days," I admitted. "So, this girl has been unconscious this whole time?"

"Yeah, she just woke up a few minutes ago," Alec confirmed, and we both took some toast from the tray. Alec and I had always been comfortable with each other. He would always rant to me when he needed to, and I could always do the same.

"What's her name?" Kyler asked through a mouthful of bacon. "It wouldn't be like Jace if he didn't look into who she was."

"Clary Fray," Alec said in disinterest while both Kyler and I froze. Alec looked up at us in confusion when we stayed silent, looking between us. "What? What's wrong?"

I dropped my toast and shot up from the bed with Kyler and Alec right behind me as I left the room. I ran down the hallways but stopped when I saw a familiar redhead standing in the middle of the ops center staring at me in shock. She teared up. "Kala?"

"Oh, my God, Clary," I whispered. I could feel the confusion of my three friends, but I ignored them as we both ran to each other and grabbed each other in a fierce hug. Clary buried her face in my shoulder, and I could feel tears on my skin. I just held her tighter. "Thank the Angel you're okay. What happened Clary?"

"Some guys took Mom," she whispered as her voice cracked. We pulled back and she wiped at her cheeks to get rid of the tears.

"Who?" I asked in shock. I never knew anything that could take on our mother.

"The Circle apparently," Jace answered me, and we both turned to him. He then motioned to Simon, who I just noticed was here and was looking confused. "One of the members of the Circle followed her best friend here to find Clary."

"The Circle," I whispered in shock. The Circle was one thing that I had hoped was done. I looked back to Clary but before I could say anything I noticed something on her neck and pulled her hair out of the way as my eyes widened in shock. "Why does she have an Iratze rune?" I questioned in an accusing tone as I looked to Jace.

He looked severely confused and startled at my tone but answered me anyway. "Demon venom," he said crossing his arms. "She was attacked by a Ravener demon, a shapeshifter, and got scratched. She's been unconscious since then."

"Ravener demon?" I echoed in disbelief as I looked back to Clary, who looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"I thought that it was Dot," she reasoned weakly before looking up to me in hope. "Did you see her anywhere? Dot."

I shook my head. "When I got to the loft, there was no one there, and your room was destroyed. I've been looking for you for two days."

"How exactly do you two know each other?" Alec cut in with slight aggravation, pointing between us.

"She's my sister," we answered together. I looked down a little sheepishly when I realized what I said.

"Sister?!" the three of them exclaimed in shock.

"Since when do you have a sister?" Jace questioned.

"Hang on, you know them?" Clary asked.

I closed my eyes and sighed at all the questions being thrown at me in annoyance. I looked at Kyler, who stood next to me. 'Look after Simon please?' I asked him in his mind. 'And if you could, explain as much as you can?'

Kyler nodded to me, and I grabbed Clary's hand to pull her with me. Alec went to stop me, but I held a hand up. "Not now Alec," I snapped. "I'll get to you three in a minute. Right now, I need to talk with my little sister."

I walked away with Clary right behind me and I led her back to my room. I closed the door behind us as Clary looked around the room. She walked over to the art easel that she had gotten me for my birthday five years ago and reached out her hand to trace the edge. Clary turned to me with a slight smile. "So, this is where you are when you're not with us at the loft?"

"Most of the time," I said as I watched her. "I'm sorry that I never told you about any of this. Mom thought it best that you do not live this life."

"What about you?" she countered waving her arms at the room around us. "Why let you be a part of this world and not me?"

"She didn't exactly have a choice," I told her. Walking up to her, I took her hand and gently led her over to the bed, sitting down and having her sit next to me. "We're only half-sisters Clary. We don't have the same father." Clary looked at me in shock, but I took her hand again. "I do want you to know that it's never mattered to me. You are my baby sister, and I will always love you. I will always be there for you."

Clary squeezed my hand as she swallowed to clear her voice. "So, you live here because of your father?"

I sighed. "Yes and no." Clary looked confused. "Yes, I'm a part of this world because of my father, but not because I really don't have a lot of contact with him." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Has Mom or anyone explained anything to you?"

Clary shook her head. "Mom was going to and then those Circle members showed up. But, when I woke up, Jace said that all of the legends were true and that Shadowhunters protect humans from demons. He also mentioned something about warlocks that are one of the Downworlders, whatever that means."

"Well, there are all kinds of other races in the Downworld," I explained to her with a light smile. "Most Downworlders have demon blood mixed with angel or human blood while Shadowhunters are half human and half angel. Then there's the werewolves and vampires. But one race that's not considered to be a part of the Downworld are the Dragons."

Clary looked astonished. "Dragons are real too!"

I let out a light laugh. "Dragons have been allies with Shadowhunters since the beginning. Dragons have angel blood in them as well, and it gives them human forms, which allows them to walk in the Mundane World if they wish to. My father is a dragon." Clary looked at me in disbelief. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and letting my power flow before opening my eyes. This time the dark blue was replaced by serpent-like, glowing purple.

I blinked and they disappeared, while Clary looked on in astonishment. "So, dragons have angel blood and Shadowhunters are half-human and half-angel," she started. "That means that you are part dragon, part human and half-angel. What about Kyler?"

I nodded at her at the first part. "Kyler is in the same boat as I am. His mother was a Shadowhunter, and his father is a dragon. The only thing is that his mother died during a rebellion, so he was raised by his mother's family." I then took a deep breath and let the information settle a little bit, knowing how my little sister's mind works.

"What was that look that you gave Kyler?" Clary asked, taking me by surprise. "It looked like you were speaking to each other, but neither of you said anything."

I laughed a little bit. "You would notice that. That was something that dragons can do. We call it mind speak. It's where we can speak telepathically with others that we make special connections to. To the dragons, Kyler and I are considered brethren. Brethren are able to mind speak with each other. We are able to feel where each other is and speak with each other over distances."

"Is that only something that dragons can do?" she asked curiously.

I tilted my head. "I'm actually not sure. We've never tried it with anyone else. It might, but the connection must be really strong with someone that's not a dragon. It's usually when a dragon's mate is of a different race."

Clary then looked worried. "Why do the others not know about you having a little sister?" she asked quietly.

"I know only a little bit about why Mom was hiding from the Circle, and only enough to keep me compliant," I explained to her. "The one thing that Mom always told me was to protect my family. Telling them about you would have put you in danger."

"But they're your friends," Clary argued. "They're the ones that you always talk about, aren't they?"

I nodded. "It's not because I don't trust them, but them knowing about you would have painted a target on their backs. And then if the Clave found out that they knew and didn't say anything, they could be in serious trouble. I couldn't risk them like that."

I then looked down at our hands in sadness. Clary squeezed my hand, and I looked up at her to see her concerned expression. "What is it?"

"I haven't told them about Kyler and I either," I sighed. "About us being part dragon. The Clave knows about us, but to the Shadowhunters, I'm known as Kalavati Emberguard. It's a family that are advocates for the dragons and they agreed to take me in for Shadowhunter training. I have always wanted to tell them, but I'm scared to. I don't want to lose them."

Clary smiled softly at me. "I won't say anything."

"I know," I smiled at her before turning serious. "Now, what happened?"

*Roaring Fire*

We walked down the hallway after she told me everything that had happened after she left the loft. From what happened at the club to Jace saving her from the demon. I was a little annoyed that I didn't get a call from anyone when this happened, but I guess since I was in a meeting with the dragons, no one was going to call and interrupt. We walked back into the front area to see Kyler and Simon talking while Jace, Alec and Isabelle spoke to the side. Clary looked from Kyler and Simon to me with a look that was asking for permission.

I smiled and nodded to her. "I'll be okay," I whispered to her. "Go on."

She smiled at me and ran to the boys to give Kyler a hug. Jace and the Lightwood siblings all turned to watch Clary run by them before turning to look at me. I walked slowly towards them, and they all walked up to me. I braced myself for the questioning and anger.

"Why didn't you tell us about your sister and mom?" Alec demanded.

"I couldn't," I defended and when they all were about to argue, I shook my head. "I couldn't tell any of you without getting you in trouble with the Clave or putting you all in danger."

"We're always in danger," Isabelle countered. "Every time we go out for a mission, we're in danger."

"And that stuff you can handle," I snapped. "This is the Circle we're talking about. Valentine trained them himself. None of them hold back. It also would have put Clary and my mom in danger. This is my family we're talking about. None of you would put your family in that kind of danger."

Jace sighed, his shoulders dropping as we all turned to watch Clary speak to Kyler and Simon. "So, she's why you've been moping around the past two days?"

I scoffed at that. "I don't mope."

Jace chuckled before becoming serious. "We could have helped you if you had told us."

"And I told you before," I started as I glanced at him as he stood next to me. "If I could have told you, I would have in a second. It was never that I didn't trust you or that you can't protect yourselves. It was about protecting my family, and that includes you three." I looked at Clary's rune before turning to Jace. "Thank you for saving her," I whispered.

Jace looked at me in surprise. "It's what we do," he shrugged off.

I placed a hand on his arm to make him look at me. "My mom and Clary are all that I have in terms of family that I can count on," I told him seriously. "If you hadn't been there, I would have lost both of them, so thank you."

"No problem," he whispered slowly, a little shocked.

We turned back to the three in front of us when Simon looked over at me. "What exactly is a Circle member and why are they trying to kill us?"

Jace kept his arms crossed and I sighed as I put my thumbs in my pockets. "All we know is… a long time ago the Circle led a revolt," Jace told them. "A lot of Shadowhunters got killed… including my father."

I shifted on my feet as Alec continued. "And since the revolt we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle."

"But how is that even possible?" Clary wondered in bewilderment. "It's your history."

Jace scoffed. "Says the girl who didn't know she was a Shadowhunter?"

I knocked my elbow into his at that comment and Jace looked at me a little annoyed. Clary turned to me. "Did Mom say anything Kala? She must have told you something."

I sighed at her. "All she ever told me was that she hid something from them, but that it was safer for me to not know. She always had some reason for me not to know."

"So, the only person who knows the truth is missing," Clary summarized as she turned to Jace and the others. "So, I don't care about your rules or what's forbidden, I'm… There's got to be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken our mother."

"There is," Jace answered her, before he looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. "You coming?"

He began to walk away, and I followed him. "Yeah."

Kyler was walking in behind me and turned around to point at Simon when he and Clary followed us towards the training room. "No, no, no. Not you."

"Hey, we're a package deal," Clary declared.

Kyler huffed. "There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill your Mundie boyfriend."

"He's not my…" Clary started the same moment that Simon spoke.

"I'm not, like…" Simon said as they looked at each other in an awkward manner. "We're, uh, just friends."

"Best friends," Clary corrected.

Simon smiled at Clary before trying to stand a little taller. "Yeah, and I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes." As he said that, he slapped Jace's arm. Jace, Kyler and I exchanged a look while Jace scoffed at what Simon said. While I knew that Kyler was lying about the runes, I was having some fun with watching Simon try to be tough. Simon then turned sheepish. "What exactly are runes?"

"They give Shadowhunters our demon-fighting powers," Isabelle explained. Simon spun around to see her run her stele over her angelic power rune on her right forearm, making it glow.

"So hot," Simon whispered in a breathless voice and seemed to be in a trance. Jace cleared his throat from behind Simon that made him jump and clear his throat. "The rune," he corrected himself.

Isabelle chuckled with a large smile on her face. "Don't worry, Clary," she assured her. "I'll watch over the best friend. In fact, I was about to make breakfast."

Jace inhaled sharply while giving me a teasing look. "On second thought, the runes might be less lethal."

Kyler and I had to stifle our laughter while Isabelle sighed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that," she told Jace before turning her attention back to Simon. "Please excuse my brother's lack of manners. This is Alec… and I'm Isabelle."

Isabelle held out her hand for it to be kissed, but Simon, being the awkward boy that he is, reached out to shake her fingers while talking with a wide grin on his face. "Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis. Two first names. Am I still talking?"

Isabelle giggled at his words while Kyler turned to Clary. "See? Best friend's safe and sound here."

"Kyler, if anything happens to him…" she trailed off not wanting to think about it.

"Go on, I'll be fine," Simon urged, not looking away from Isabelle. He then chuckled. "I think."

"Where are we going?" Clary asked Jace.

"Training room," he responded while pointing behind him. Kyler led Clary towards the training room, while I waited for Jace as he leaned towards Simon. "Hey, uh… don't eat the food," he whispered. "Dangerous."

"Coming Jace?" I asked playfully.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he said, a little startled.

*Roaring Fire*

We all walked to the entrance of the training room and stopped when we saw a man with two chakrams sparing against a woman with a bo staff. We watched them spar for a bit as I came to stand next to Clary. "Who's that guy?" Clary asked as she watched him fight.

"That's Hodge Starkweather, our weapons trainer," Kyler explained. "And, more important for us, a former Circle member."

Clary looked at him in shock and turned to Jace as he went to explain more. "After the uprising, Hodge repented, and he was sent to live and work here to make amends. But he's forbidden to ever leave the Institute."

"Did you know that Kala?" Clary asked turning to me.

I nodded as I watched the spar. "I knew about that, but I usually try to stay out of his way. He knew mom back then, but I don't look like mom as much as you do."

We watched as Hodge quickly cut the bo staff into three sections. The woman picked up her staff and walked away as Hodge went to get a shirt. Jace and Kyler walked towards him as he put the shirt on, and Clary and I followed behind them. Hodge turned around to see us all standing there but focused on Clary with a small gasp. "Jocelyn," he whispered.

Clary looked startled and glanced at me before turning back to the older man. "Uh, I'm Clary. Uh, Jocelyn Fray is my mother."

"Well, she was Jocelyn Fairchild when I knew her," he corrected her. "And she was one of my best friends."

"She's been kidnapped," Clary explained to him. "By someone named Valentine and his men."

"By the Circle, Hodge," Jace clarified at his confused expression.

"But that's impossible," he denied with a shake of his head. "Valentine's dead and the Circle died with him." The Circle rune on the side of his neck started to glow red and Hodge choked a little bit.

"What's happening?" Clary asked panicking a little bit.

"I swore a vow never to speak of what we did," Hodge explained with a slight resentful tone and a slight chuckle. "This is the Clave's way of making sure I keep that vow."

"We can't torture him," Clary protested with wide eyes. She spun around to look at me with a pleading look. "Is there anyone else we can ask? There has to be some other way Kala."

I walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a side hug. "I'm sorry Clary, but there's no one else. We don't have a choice."

"Kali?" Hodge asked in confusion, the pain he was in forgotten. "How do you know her?"

I let out a breath through my nose as I gave him an apologetic look. "This is my little sister Hodge," I introduced them as Hodge looked between the two of us. "Jocelyn Fairchild is my mother as well."

Hodge looked hurt for a moment before narrowing his eyes at me. "Why did you never say anything? You knew that she was my friend."

"I couldn't say anything to anyone Hodge," I reasoned with him. "I couldn't put my family in danger by letting anyone know about them. And I couldn't let anyone here get in trouble with the Clave about knowing about them. You have to understand that."

Hodge looked reluctant but nodded in agreement anyway. He looked between the four of us before speaking, almost to himself. "If the Circle really is back…and they've taken Jocelyn…" He turned to Clary. "Our leader…our leader of the Circle was Valentine Morgenstern…" He then winced in pain as the rune on his neck began to smoke and turn red but held out his hands to stop the boys as they went to support him. When the red disappeared, he continued. "We thought he wanted to protect humans, like all Shadowhunters. But we never realized the lengths which Valentine was willing to go…the people he was willing to sacrifice."

He inhaled sharply as the rune began to turn red again. "Most of humanity would die if we carried out Valentine's plan."

"But I…I still don't understand," Clary said confused. "How does our mother relate to any of this?"

Hodge sighed. "Jocelyn was a member of the Circle as well."

Clary's eyes widened in shock, and she turned to look at me. My eyes widened as well. That was certainly news to me. I had no idea that our mother was in the Circle, she never mentioned it. Clary seemed to not know how to react to my silence but found her voice first. "No," she said shakily and began to stutter. "I can't believe it. My mother, she…"

Hodge cut her off with a smile that seemed really forced to me. "The important thing is that Jocelyn left the Circle. And so, none of this even matters, because Valentine died in a fire years ago."

He groaned as the pain became too much and Jace came up to help him stay on his feet. Clary left my side and stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but we can't ask you to do this," she apologized.

Kyler came up to Clary and put a hand on her shoulder as I walked up to her other side. "Clary, we don't have a choice," he told her.

Jace sighed and turned to Hodge. "You understand that, Hodge, right?"

Hodge looked between the two boys while panting. "Jace…and Kyler…are right," he panted before turning to Clary. "Valentine nearly destroyed the Shadow World and humanity along with it. If he'd gotten the Cup…"

"Wait a minute," Clary cut in and turned to look at me. "Mom told me she hid something from someone as well. If it's this Cup…"

"Clary, the Mortal Cup is the most important object in the Shadow World," Jace explained to her. "Whoever possesses it can create more Shadowhunters."

Clary looked shocked and surprised as Hodge spoke up. "And in the wrong hands…control demons," he gasped as he tried to stay upright. "If Jocelyn hid the Cup from Valentine, then she's in more danger than you can possibly imagine."

He then screamed as his rune seared and turned bright red on his neck. Both Kyler and Jace called out to him as they went over to him as Hodge fell to the ground in pain. Hodge crawled on the floor to one of the steps.

"I hate to make you suffer like this," Clary expressed her regret as Hodge breathed heavily through the pain.

Hodge looked over his shoulder at Clary as he panted. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "Your mother was only trying to protect you. And now you must protect her. Stop Valentine…before he destroys us all."

Clary's breathing stuttered before she began to run out of the training room. "Clary!" I shouted after her.

Kyler ran after her as I went over to check on Hodge. "I'm sorry Hodge," I apologized.

"You needed the information Kali," Hodge panted as he sat up on the step. "You don't have to apologize for that."

"I'm sorry about not telling you that Jocelyn was my mother," I corrected him, and he looked at me in surprise. "My mom always told me to look after my family and to protect them. I couldn't tell anyone about it. If I had, you would have been in more trouble with the Clave, not to mention putting them in danger."

Hodge looked at me with an unreadable expression for a moment before he smiled gently at me. "I understand Kali," he told me. "I don't blame you."

I smiled at him. "Thank you Hodge. You need to get some rest."

"I will," he agreed. "But right now, you need to go after your sister. She's going to need a lot of help to get Jocelyn back."

"We'll get our mom back," I declared with serious expression as I stood up. "Help or not, we will get her back."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Jace giving me a slight smile. "You have me on your side at least."

I smiled at him and lifted my hand to hold his. "Thank you," I whispered, and Jace gave me a look that I had seen before but didn't know what it was. "We should check on Clary."

He nodded as I turned to walk out of the training room with him walking behind me. I used my hearing to find where they went and found them over by the elevators. Turning the corner, I found Clary leaning on Kyler's shoulder and his arms around her. I glanced at Jace who came up next to me and shared a look with him. Jace cleared his throat loudly that had them jumping apart. I raised an eyebrow at them while Jace just crossed his arms with a smirk. "Are we interrupting?" he asked.

Kyler's ears were turning red, and Clary had a hit of a blush on her cheeks. I smiled a little bit at their attempts to deny their feelings. I was hoping that with Clary now being apart of the Shadow World, that Kyler would get his head out of his ass and tell her the truth. "I figured out why Clary can't remember anything," Kyler said after he coughed awkwardly. We both gave him a look to go on. "Her memory was wiped."

"That's not possible," Clary denied then glanced at me in wonder when I closed my eyes. I knew that our mom had used protections from a warlock on her, but I didn't know that she had her memories taken. When I opened my eyes, Clary was giving me a shocked and curious expression. "Is it?"

"Absolutely," Jace answered her. "If you know a warlock."

"A warlock?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, a warlock," Kyler joined in to explain. "They're immortal beings, they're half-demon, half-human. Sometimes their fingers spark."

Clary looked to me like something clicked. "Dot, her hands had this purple glow when she opened the wall and mom pushed me through and I ended up at the police station."

"That was a Portal," I answered her. "Dot's a warlock. And while I love Dot like a sister, she's not powerful enough to pull memories from someone."

"But she must have known who did it, right?" Clary implored. Her green eyes begging me to agree with her. I had a good idea of who it was that took her memories, but in all of my searching, I wasn't able to find him at all. And if he didn't want to be found, then it would take a miracle to find him at all.

I sighed. "Maybe, but we don't know for sure."

"It's our best shot at getting my memories back and finding the Cup," she declared. I shrugged when Jace turned to me. She was right though. It was the best way for us to find it.

"Unless she's working for Valentine," Jace warned, looking between us.

"Even better," Clary said with a smirk. "She'll lead us right to him."

She walked away, asking about where Simon was as Kyler followed her. I was about to follow them, but Jace pulled me back to stand in front of him. He didn't let go of my arm until the two of them were out of sight. Jace then looked at me in curiosity. "First, your mother and a secret little sister," he started. "And now, you're friends with a warlock. What else don't I know about you?"

I sighed as I took his hand. "Jace, there are plenty of things that you still have to learn about me. But just know that it was all for good reason. Most Shadowhunters would look down on me for having friends that are Downworlders. I've never been one for those rules."

"You know that I've never been one for the rules of the Clave either," Jace reminded me, and I laughed a little bit at that. Jace was never one for rules in general. He squeezed my hand to get me to look at him. Looking into his blue eyes, he smiled, and his eyes showed nothing but sincerity. "You can always tell me anything."

"I know Jace," I agreed with a smile. "I have a feeling that you'll learn everything soon. But promise me that you will understand and hear me out when you do learn about them. I don't want to lose you and the others."

"I promise," he agreed immediately. "Whatever it is, it won't change anything. I'll always be here for you."

I smiled softly while silently praying that what he said was true. "Thank you," I whispered before clearing my throat. "Now, we should go make sure that my little sister doesn't run off with her mundane best friend."

Jace laughed as we walked back down the hall.

*Roaring Fire*

NO ONES POV

Clary asked Isabelle if she had some clothes that were a little less revealing. Unfortunately, her sister was taller than her and was a little different in sizes. Isabelle was the only one around that was around her height. Isabelle, happy to have someone to dress up, immediately agreed and gave her a slightly loose dark gray tank top and a pair of skintight black jeans. She also gave her a pair of black stiletto boots and a black leather jacket.

"Is this the least revealing thing you have?" Clary queried as she stood in front of the full-length mirror.

Isabelle chuckled as she walked up behind Clary and looked her over. "What? All the naughty bits are covered. A little too much in my opinion."

Clary tried to keep her huff to herself and crossed her arms. "Where's Simon?"

"Who?" Isabelle asked before smiling with a chuckle. "Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys and Kali."

Isabelle walked back to sit on the bed while Clary walked away from the mirror to lean against the pillar in the room. "So, um…speaking of my older sister, um…you, Alec and Jace are…what, like family? You all seem really close, and I know that Kala really cares about all of you."

Izzy chuckled a little bit. "Translation, you want to know if Jace and I are a thing."

Clary looked down at the jacket in her hands with a light scoff before sighing which had Isabelle smile widening. "Actually, I was wanting to know if my sister had a thing with Jace," she admitted. "I saw the way the two of them looked at each other. She never mentioned that she was seeing anyone."

"Oh, those two," Isabelle giggled as she leaned back on the bed. "Jace and Kali have been dancing around each other for years now. I agree with you that it's obvious how they look at each other. I've been trying to get them together for years." Clary pursed her lips at that, and Isabelle saw it. "What is it?"

"My sister had a boyfriend about five years ago," Clary sighed, and Isabelle looked shocked. "He ended up breaking her heart by cheating on her. It got really bad. I'm just trying to make sure she's not going to get her heart broken again. I didn't like seeing her like that."

"I didn't know that she had a boyfriend, but suddenly everything makes more sense," Isabelle muttered to herself. She then looked over at Clary's worried look. "Look, don't worry so much about your sister. She can handle it herself. Besides, in every way, Jace is like my brother. Our parents took him in when he was ten. We trained together. Learned to fight side by side. Kali and Kyler joined us not to long after that."

Clary sighed, feeling a little bit better with that explanation. "A few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school," Clary said, almost to herself. She inhaled a little. "And now…"

Isabelle gave her a sympathetic look. "Is this the part where I give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?"

"Was that the pep talk?" Clary inquired, raising her eyebrows.

"Basically," Isabelle chuckled. She stood from the bed and walked towards her and moved some hair from her face. "Clary…remember, you were born to do this. No matter what has happened…this is who you are. And you're not alone. Your sister and all of us are here to help you."

"Not exactly feeling that," Clary muttered.

"Yet."

"Okay, but now we just have to find Dot," Clary sighed.

"And track down and kill the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunter in history before he kills us all," Kalavati's voice sounded from the door. Both girls looked over to see her leaning against the open-door frame with a small smile on her face. "Hopefully, not get killed in the process."

"You really know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?" Clary joked. Both Isabelle and Kalavati laughed a little bit.

"Come on, let's go," Isabelle told Clary, then she paused. "Oh, and Simon is kind of nerd hot."

She walked away and past the oldest Fairchild, chuckling to herself. Clary sighed to herself as she straightened up and walked towards her sister. Kalavati smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading Clary down the hallway after Isabelle. "Don't worry Clary," she reassured her little sister. "Despite everything that has happened, I'm glad that I get to share this with you now. This is your birthright to be in this world, and I know that you'll get the hang of it in no time. I hope that you're not still freaked out about all of this."

Clary let out a light laugh. "You know, it always felt like there was something missing in my life. Some part that I couldn't explain. But now things are starting to make sense. I'm not freaked out by this. If anything, I'm happy that I get to share this world with you."

"And I'll always be here for you," Kalavati smiled down at Clary. "Now, let's find Dot."

*Roaring Fire*

Kalavati's POV

We walked into the weapons room of the Institute to find Isabelle sitting on one of the tables with Simon putting on his jacket. Immediately, Simon came up to Clary to give her a hug. "Let's get out of here, just you me and Kala," Simon urged Clary in a low tone when he pulled back. "We can get Dot ourselves."

"Simon, there are demons out there, okay?" Clary reasoned, helping to straighten out his jacket. "Actual demons with tentacles that wanna murder us. Do you know how to kill a demon?"

Isabelle got up from the table to walk between them to put her hand on a rune on the wall. "I'm an internet search away," Simon whispered. "Not to mention, that would be why your sister would be there. She knows how to do this."

"Simon, I really don't think it's that simple," Clary commented.

"And it wouldn't be that easy to protect you both," I muttered to him as I walked up beside Clary's other side. "Don't rely on me all the time."

At that point, Isabelle had opened the slide wall with all the weapons on it. Isabelle reached out to run her finger over the blade as Jace and Kyler walked into the room. Kyler stopped on the other side of Clary while Jace moved between Simon and Clary to go smack Isabelle's hand away from the blade. "No Izzy," he scolded.

Isabelle pouted at him for a moment, then turned back to the blades and ran her fingers over the blade again. "Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission," she muttered.

I scoffed. "Now, you know that's not a fair bet."

At that moment, Alec walked up to us and stopped beside Simon and Kyler. "I don't approve of this mission," he stated firmly. I shared an amused look with Jace, trying to hide my smile. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear, the little girl does not leave the premises."

He said this while pointing to Clary. I let out a small sigh. Clary hated it when anyone told her what to do, especially if she's already made up her mind. "Hey, my name is not 'little girl,' okay?" she snapped back. "I don't care what that Clave thing or you want, I'm going to find Dot."

"Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need," Jace tried to reason with him. "With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone."

"Jace has a point," Isabelle agreed, looking at her big brother with an apologetic look.

"Et tú, Izzy?" Alec said with a betrayed look. Alec looked around to Kyler and I, trying to get some support. When he didn't get what he was looking for, he sighed and turned back to Clary. "All right, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"

"We should start as Dot's apartment in Greenpoint," Clary started to list off. Her hand went to the large purple gem necklace that I had seen before on her as she spoke. "And there's this thrift store that she…"

Clary stopped suddenly and gasped as the gem began to glow. She started off into space and I shared a startled look with Kyler. I put my hand on her shoulder and got flung into a vision of Dot running into the club Pandemonium. Taking my hand back quickly, Clary also came out of the vision. I looked startled at the vision and Clary turned to me with wide eyes. I nodded slowly to show that I saw it as well.

"What's wrong?" Jace questioned as he looked at me. "What is it?"

"I, um…" Clary trailed off to gather her thoughts. "Weirdly, I think I know where Dot is."

"Great," Simon said and pulled out his van keys. "I'll drive." Everyone looked at him and he glanced around at us. "What? Unless you have, like, a Shadowhunter-mobile or something." He chuckled at his joke before trailing off and looking down at the runes on the floor. "You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me…right?"

Kyler exchanged an amused look with all of us before looking to Simon. "Possibly," he said with a shrug.

Kyler then led Clary out of the room with a hand on her lower back. I looked over with a smirk at Jace and he smirked back. As we all walked out, Simon questioned on whether or not he was going to die. Isabelle and I chuckling was the only response he got.

*Roaring Fire*

We all made our way to the Pandemonium club and Clary was walking a little bit faster. I was hoping that she was here, but even more than that, I wanted to be sure that she was going to see Magnus Bane. I hadn't been able to find him, and it was frustrating and worrying that something might have happened to him. Clary suddenly stopped and gasped. I hurried over to her side with Kyler coming up on the other side. Her hand was on her necklace again and it was glowing. "Dot," she whispered. She then jumped as she came out of whatever vision she had. "Dot!"

Clary then took off running down the alley. "Clary!" I shouted after her. I caught up and grabbed her arm to make her stop. "Clary, stop! Where are you going?"

"Two men, Circle members…" Clary's voice trembled as she told us what she saw, and the others caught up to us. "The same ones who came to the house, who took our mom. They have Dot. They're gonna hurt her or kill her. We have to stop them!"

Clary took off again, going inside the club and I let out an exasperated sigh before taking off after her. Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Kyler came up quickly and went in front to make sure there was no one that could jump out. I took a deep breath to see if I could identify any scent. I could smell Dot, but also Magnus Bane. 'So, he is okay.'

Clary pushed her way past them and walked quickly, looking around the club to see if she could see Dot. Simon pushed past to follow her. Clary made it past some curtains with Simon when she just stopped. "No," she whispered. "She was just trying to help me." Clary spun around as the rest of us gathers in a half circle across from Clary and Simon. Her hand went to her necklace, and nothing happened. "Now, she's gone."

"Clary, I'm sorry," Simon said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Clary looked around at Jace, Alec and Isabelle. "You don't understand. Dot's like another big sister."

"It's not safe here," Alec declared, looking around for any threats. "We have to go back to the Institute right now."

"So, what now?" Clary countered, throwing her arms to the sides. "Valentine has our mom and Dot, and we're just gonna give up?" Everyone stayed quiet and I exchanged a look with Jace, who looked rather worried about something. Before I could question it, Clary spoke up again, looking at me. "What about my memories? They can't just be gone?"

Jace looked at me again and I glanced at his worried blue eyes. "There is another option." My eyes widened as Alec, Isabelle and Kyler all opposed what he said instantly. I looked over at Clary as Jace spoke. "I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers."

"Who are the Silent Brothers?" Clary asked.

"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers," I answered her almost distantly.

"Who possess the ability to recover memories," Isabelle continued when I didn't.

"A process that can also kill you, so there's that," Alec said almost flippantly.

"Your bedside manner is abysmal," Simon pointed out.

Alec turned away from him to speak directly to Jace and I, but I kept my eyes on Clary. "We've broken at least 18 Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones? There's no way. I won't allow it."

"This isn't our choice to make," Jace countered before nodding to Clary. "It's Clary's decision."

"You can't ask her to do this," Kyler growled at him. "She doesn't know what she's facing. She could die because of this."

"Kali, talk some sense into Jace," Isabelle almost begged me. They all turned to me as I kept my eyes on Clary. "She's your sister. You can't want her to do this."

There was a large emotional part of me that wanted to protect Clary from doing this as she could die if she wasn't strong enough. But there was also a logical part of me that reasoned that we were in this situation because our mother had waited too long to tell Clary about the Shadow World. If she had told her sooner, then Clary might be more prepared to do any of this. Clary had to be able to look out for herself in this world and needed to start making decisions for herself. There was also a part of me that knew that once Clary got an idea in her head, she was going to do it. Plus, Clary and I both only really had one thought right now. To do anything to get our mom back.

"Jace is right," I announced as I looked at everyone's shocked faces. "It's not up to us. This decision belongs to Clary."

We all turned to Clary, and she glanced around at each of us. "If anyone can tell me another way to recover my memories and still get the answers we need, I'm listening." When no one said anything, she nodded. "That settles it."

I smiled a little at her, proud that she was being so strong, but worried about her as well. Clary walked past Alec and Jace to go back outside. I went to follow when someone grabbed my arm. I looked to see Kyler giving me a hard look. He quickly turned to the others. "Go on ahead," he told them. "We'll catch up in a minute."

Jace looked hesitant, but Alec and Isabelle pushed him out of the club. I turned to my Parabatai, yanking my arm from his grip. "What?" I frowned at him.

"You're really okay with letting her to go to the City of Bones?" he demanded with a growl in his voice. "You are supposed to protect her, not send her into more danger. She already has a target on her back from the Circle and Valentine."

"Our mother was trying to protect her, and look where that got her," I snapped at him. I then took a deep breath to calm down. "Look, Clary is an adult now and she is going to have to stand up for herself at some point. Besides, I know my sister. She's going to do anything to get our mother back."

"What about Magnus?" Kyler countered. "He must have been the one that took her memories. He's the most powerful warlock in New York."

"More like ever," I muttered to myself, thinking of who his father was. I shook my head though. "I would suggest him if I knew where he was. I know that he was here before we came in, but I don't feel him. He must be cutting off our connection from his side in order to protect me, but I don't know for what. Not to mention, he hasn't been answering any of my messages the past two days. Right now, the only option we have is to see what memories we can access."

"What is it?" Kyler asked at seeing my face fall.

"My mom didn't just hide things from Clary," I told him quietly. "She hid so much from me. So much that I could be helping Clary with more than this."

Kyler sighed to himself before putting his arm around my shoulders and led me from the club. "We'll just have to be there for her no matter what," he told me. "And you can get all the answers you need from her when we find her."

*Roaring Fire*

NO ONE'S POV

Everyone climbed out of Simon's van again when they reached under a large overpass. There were small fires in metal cans everywhere, giving the place an eerie feeling. Simon looked around the area with a freaked-out expression. "Yeah, this place isn't creepy," he muttered to himself gulping. "Not at all."

"Don't tell me you're afraid," Isabelle chuckled.

Simon scoffed in response. "Are you kidding me? I was born afraid…which sounded a lot better in my head."

Isabelle chuckled as Alec went to walk forward. "Let's check it out."

Everyone went to walk after him, but Kyler stopped Clary from coming with an arm out to stop her. "Wait here a minute," he whispered to her, looking into her eyes. "I wanna see if it's safe."

"Kyler and I will take the sides," Kalavati announced before they both disappeared.

The others stopped and looked around. "I hate it when they do that," Jace complained quietly, and Isabelle chuckled.

"Hey," Alec said to get Jace's attention. "If something goes wrong…if something happens to her, that's on us. And Kali could get into even more trouble. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jace confirmed. "And you know exactly what'd happen if Valentine gets the Cup before we do. Kali is also an ambassador. The Clave can't do much with her. She and Kali have lost everything, Alec. I know exactly what that feels like." Jace searched Alec's face for something. "What's your problem with her anyway? Your family always used to welcome strays."

"You were never a stray," Alec expressed firmly.

"She's also Kali's younger sister," Jace reminded him. "If anything, we have to trust in Kali to know the best move. She's never led us wrong before." Alec nodded at that. Kalavati had never led them wrong on a mission. "Point is, nothing's changed. We're in this fight together. There's just…one more of us."

It was at that moment that Kalavati and Kyler seemed to just appear beside them. "All clear," they said together.

*Roaring Fire*

"I just wish my mom had trusted me enough to tell me about all this," Clary sighed. She turned to Simon to see his confused expression. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"How are you not ultra freaked out by all of this?" Simon questioned her.

Clary shrugged a little, looking off to the side. "I guess I just always felt like there was something missing. Some void I couldn't quite explain. Things are finally starting to make sense, and I feel closer to Kala than I ever have because she doesn't have to hide this from me. But none of its gonna matter unless we get our mom back."

Simon smiled at her and nodded. "Then let's do that."

"Clary," Kalavati called from where the rest of the group stood. "Come on, it's all clear."

"Let's go," Clary smiled at Simon. She walked ahead of him, and Kyler had stood there with his hand out for her to take. Kalavati and the others walked ahead of them. Clary took his hand and smiled at him while Kyler gave her a small one back. He turned and led her down the pathway.

As they walked Kyler decided to try one last time to change her mind. "Clary, you have to understand, the Silent Brothers aren't like us."

"They lack your charm and superior people skills?" she joked, and Kyler let out a chuckle at that.

"Yeah, most people do," he joked back making Clary smile. Kyler then turned serious. "Brothers communicate without using words, using just their thoughts."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Clary said.

"Don't let their silence fool you," Kyler warned firmly. "They'll hold the Soul-Sword to your head, and with its blade, carve the truth from you mind. If you're not strong enough, you will die."

"I take it back," Clary said with a shake to her voice. "That sounds level ten bad."

Kyler pulled her to a stop and turned her towards him. "Clary, you should know, the pain will be excruciating. You don't have to…"

Clary interrupted him before he could continue. "I'll do anything. Walk through fire, battle demons, whatever it takes. We have to get our mom back. We can't…we won't lose her."

Kyler looked into her green eyes with a look of admiration. "You have Kali's determination," he whispered. "No matter what, she would do anything for her family."

They both turned to look at Kalavati, who walked ahead of them, speaking quietly to Jace. Jace pulled her arm to make her stop walking and turn to him. It looked like he was trying to convince her of something. "How long have they had feelings for each other?" Clary asked him quietly.

"For Kali, sometime after her breakup five years ago," Kyler answered her with a shrug. "For Jace, it's been much longer. When she came back after spending time with you, Jace could tell that something had happened, even if she wouldn't tell anyone. Jace was there for her when she needed someone, and they grew closer because of it."

"Aren't you worried that he could break her heart like the last guy?" Clary asked in a worried whisper as she glanced between the couple in front of them and her crush. "You're her best friend and she was in a bad way the last time."

"Jace can be a bit of a player," Kyler admitted, and Clary looked worried. Kyler smiled down at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "But he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. We have both known Jace and the others for years. He wouldn't do anything to upset her. Kali can be very fierce when she wants to be, and he knows it."

"I hope that you're right Kyler," Clary conceded with a sigh. "It's just with our mom missing, she's all that I've got. And you didn't see how bad it got when she was with us. I don't ever want to see her like that again."

"We'll find your mother," Kyler reassured her. "And you don't just have Kali." Clary looked at him with furrowed eyebrows in confusion. "You have Simon, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and I with you as well. You and Kali aren't alone in this."

Clary smiled at him. She was thankful for the low lighting as she felt her cheeks heat up. "Thank you Kyler."

Kyler smiled at the redhead, thinking that she looked adorable when she blushed. With his dragon blood, he could see clearly in the dark and saw her cheeks turn red. "No problem Clary."

*Roaring Fire*

Kalavati POV

We walked up to the creepy entrance to the City of Bones that was framed by skeletons on either side of the entrance. Clary took a deep breath and let it out heavily. "I can do this," she whispered to herself, but we all heard it.

"Yeah, you can," Simon encouraged her. "You're Clary freakin' Fray. You can do anything."

He went to walk inside and Kyler and Jace both put their arms out to stop him. "All right, hold up," they said together.

"Surprise, surprise," Simon said sarcastically. "No Mundanes allowed, just like in the training room, right? Wrong!" He then began to rant as the boys all crossed their arms. "I've seen every horror movie ever made and the funny best friend who gets left behind…dead man."

Isabelle laughed a little at him while I looked away to hide my smile at his rant. Simon had always been dramatic and way too into sci-fi and fantasy things. "You're not that funny," Jace commented then nodded towards the entrance. "But by all means, go ahead."

Simon went to walk inside when Kyler spoke up. "Of course, the minute you enter, you'll die."

Simon stopped and turned around to frown at Kyler. "Problem is, now I don't trust you."

"He's not lying," Alec defended.

"Now," Isabelle confirmed. "He was before."

"The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter, so, please…" Alec explained and motioned for Simon to enter.

Isabelle sighed at her older brother. "The Brothers creep me out," she announced. "I'll mind the mundane."

"Your sacrifice is noted, Izzy," Kyler muttered to her as he, Jace and I walked to the opening.

"Talk about sacrifice," Simon complained, speaking to Clary. "I'm missing a financial analysis class."

"I can't be here anymore, so, Jace, Kali, I'm gonna mind the perimeter," Alec declared motioning to Simon before he walked away to look around the area.

The three of us watched from the entrance as Clary turned to Simon and took his hand in hers. "I don't wanna leave you."

"Go be a bad ass Shadowhunter, all right?" Simon encouraged. "Get your memories back, save your mother. I'll be right here…guarding the entrance to hell."

Clary pulled him in for a tight hug and Kyler let out a silent breath before interrupting the moment. "Clary, you don't keep the Silent Brothers waiting."

I looked at Kyler with slightly narrowed eyes. 'Really? Do you have to be an ass?'

Kyler looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. 'Don't act like you're not eager to get this over with too.'

I sighed quietly as Jace gave me a curious look and Clary approached us. Kyler led her with a hand on her lower back. Jace and I followed after them. I had told Jace earlier that I refused to let Clary go through this without me being there. He agreed only if he was there as well. We walked down the steps into the dark. Both Kyler and Jace paused at the bottom of the stairs taking deep breaths. Clary and I shared a look and I decided to lift some of the tension. "If you both are too scared, you're more than welcome to wait with the others," I joked lightly.

Both boys looked at me and scoffed at the same time. "As if," they said at the same time.

Clary and I both laughed a little and Kyler walked forward while Clary followed him. Jace and I followed after them, all three of us taking out our witchlights to see when the light from above disappeared. Clary looked down at Kyler's hands. "What's that?"

"It's witchlight," he responded. "We carry it to remind us that light can be found in even the darkest of places." He then smirked at her. "And it's cooler than a flashlight."

Clary chuckled at his joke before he handed the witchlight to her. He pointed out a statue that was of Raziel with the Mortal Cup. Jace and I stood back as he made a joke of the Shadowhunter creed to make her smile. "He really likes her doesn't he?" Jace whispered to me as he stood close to me.

"It's more than a simple crush," I whispered back with a smile at the two of them. I then looked over Jace and noticed how close we were. "But it'll take a lot for him to admit it and get his head out of his ass."

Jace chuckled at me while staring into my dark blue eyes. A throat clearing had us both looking towards Clary and Kyler. They both were looking at us with smirks on their faces. "Are you coming?" Kyler teased.

"Coming," we said together.

*Roaring Fire*

NO ONE'S POV

Kalavati and Jace walked past the others and into the tunnels that led to the Silent Brothers. Kyler took back the witchlight and Clary stopped him from following the others. He looked at her in concern that something was wrong. "I'm sorry…about what I said before about your mom. I didn't know."

Kyler smiled at her words. "It's cute. You assume I have feelings." Clary looked down at her feet in embarrassment when he said that. She felt bad that she had accused him of not having any feelings. Kyler took her hand to make her look at him. "Save the apologies for the Mundanes. Everyone has a sad song. My mother died when I was eleven and my father shut himself off from everyone, so he left me alone."

"I'm so sorry," Clary said, feeling horrible for saying anything about his family. "Wait, is she…is she buried here?"

"No," Kyler answered, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. "Circle members are considered traitors. They forfeit their right to be buried here."

"Your mom was in the Circle, too?" Clary asked in surprise.

"My mother tried to do the right thing and leave the Circle," Kyler growled. "She didn't want any part in what Valentine had planned. And all it cost was her life to do so."

"So, you're not just helping me because of Kala," Clary realized. "You're helping me because of your mom."

"Valentine and his people need to pay for what they've done," Kyler seethed. "I'm going to make sure that they pay. If helping you helps that, then I would do it in a heartbeat." He squeezed her hand when she looked away, and when she looked at him, he smiled at her. "But my mom and your sister isn't the only reason I'm helping you. You've lost almost everything, but you're not alone in that. If I had a way to see my mother again, I would take it. You have that chance, and I will do anything to help you."

"Thank you Kyler," Clary whispered, lacing their hands together and holding his hand. "For, um…for what it's worth…I'm still sorry."

Kyler leaned in and looked into her eyes. "No more 'I'm sorry.' You're a Shadowhunter now."

With that, he squeezed her hand and led her deeper into the city. They caught up with Jace and Kalavati to see an intersection with a stream of light that landed on a giant rune on the floor. It looked like a giant eye and Clary looked at it in confusion. "I've drawn this before," she said looking over at her older sister. "But I don't know what it means."

"It means Clairvoyance," Kalavati explained coming to stand next to her.

Suddenly there were torches that lit up and they all looked around to see the Silent Brothers. Each had their hoods up, but you could see their faces because of the torches. Their eyes and mouth were sown up and Clary reached out to grab both Kalavati and Kyler's hands in shock. The Silent Brothers all simply stood there until they heard a loud booming voice echo in the chamber.

"Shadowhunters," the voice greeted as another Silent Brother came to stand before us. He took off his hood and motioned to the rune of the floor. "Come into the circle." Clary walked slowly into the circle to face the Silent Brother. He then motioned to the three others. "Jace Wayland, Kyler Greatward, and Kalavati Fairchild, step away."

Kalavati looked at the Brother in slight shock before shaking it off to put a hand on Clary's arm. "You got this baby girl," she whispered to her.

As she walked away with Jace, Kyler came over to give Clary's hand a squeeze. "We'll be right here, okay?"

Clary nodded to him, and he walked to join the others. Clary turned back to the Silent Brother when he began to speak in her mind again. "The search of your unconscious…is a perilous one."

"Please…my memories were blocked," Clary implored. "I have to get them back."

"If you are not strong enough…the Soul-Sword will kill you," the Silent Brother warned.

Clary looked down, remembering what everyone had been telling her this whole time. Looking over her shoulder, she met the eyes of her big sister. Kalavati's eyes were scared and worried while she was also gripping the hands of both Jace and Kyler. Clary turned back to the silent brother. "I'm ready," she declared.

The Silent Brother raised his arms and Clary looked up in response. "The Soul-Sword reveals all."

Clary was breathing heavily as she stared at the sword tip that was slowly lowering to her forehead. She closed her eyes as the tip pressed into her forehead. She was forced into a memory of when she was talking to Simon on the phone while everyone thought that she was asleep.

"Luke…no," her mother's voice said.

"All this lying is destroying you," Luke argued. "Stop blocking her memory and tell her the truth."

"I can't," Jocelyn breathed. "You know I can't."

"You're just delaying the inevitable," Luke told her. "Clary's a Shadowhunter. There's nothing you can do to change that."

"This world is too dangerous," she said. "If anyone knew who she really was, the risks would be a hundred times greater."

"But she won't be alone!" Luke whispered angrily. "Kala won't let anything happen to her and will make sure that she can survive. And what happens when she finds out the truth on her own? Then what?"

"I won't let that happen," Jocelyn whispered harshly. "If she ever learns about her father…if she ever finds out that her father is Valentine."

Clary's eyes shot open in surprise with a gasp. She panted as she saw the sword lift up again, and then looked around at the retreating Silent Brothers. "Wait…wait, where are they going?" she stammered. "We aren't done. We can't be done."

The other three Shadowhunters raced up next to her. Kalavati immediately wrapping her arm around Clary's shoulders. Jace was the one who broached the question. "Clary, do you know where the Cup is?"

"No," Clary whispered, shaking her head. Both at his question and not wanting to believe what she saw.

"Only fragments of her memory were accessible to us," the Silent Brother told them.

"It can't be true," Clary begged. "What I saw."

"Your memory does not lie," he assured. "You must accept what has been revealed."

"I can't," Clary started to sob. "I can't."

"What is it?" Kyler asked, taking a hold of her hand. "What did you see?"

"Our mother lied to me," Clary sobbed as she took a look at Kalavati's worried look. "She lied all these years about my father."

"About your father?" Jace questioned. "What about your father?"

"My father…" Clary trailed off, almost unable to say it. "My father is Valentine." Both Jace and Kyler looked shocked as Kalavati closed her eyes. Clary shook off her sisters arm and ran off down the tunnel sobbing.

"Clary!" Kalavati called after her. She ran after her little sister and caught up to her at the beginning of the tunnel. She grabbed Clary's arm and pulled her to a stop. "Clary, you need to breath, or you'll pass out. You have to calm down."

"Calm down!" Clary shouted at her. "How can I calm down when mom lied to me my entire life about my father?! I didn't even know that we had different fathers until today! Why couldn't either of you tell me all of this?!"

"It was for your own protection!" Kalavati shouted back. "Mom didn't want you to turn out like your father. She didn't even find out that she was pregnant until after leaving the Shadow World. Mom wanted to protect you from being influenced by knowing that he was your father or ridiculed by others because of it."

Clary took a deep breath, beginning to calm down with her sister's explanation. More tears fell as she blinked, but looked up into her sisters dark blue eyes as Kalavati leaned her forehead to hers. "You will always be my baby sister, half or not," she said firmly. "I will never let anything get to you like that. But at the same time, you have to learn to stand on your own in this world and I will do everything in my power to make sure of that."

"We all will," Kyler's voice said. They both turned to see Kyler and Jace standing there. Kalavati let go of Clary as Kyler walked up to them and took Clary's hand. "I promise that you will be able to handle all of this. We are all here for you."

Clary smiled at that, and Kyler nodded at Kalavati. She nodded back as he led Clary back to the surface. Kalavati closed her eyes, standing there a moment to breathe deeply and didn't open her eyes until a hand took hers. She found herself looking into the worried blue eyes of Jace. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I never wanted her to know anything like that."

"So, you knew that she was Valentine's daughter?" Jace questioned with furrowed eyebrows. "Are you?"

"What? No," Kalavati snapped. "That psychopath is not my father. Clary and I have different fathers. We're only half-sisters."

"Why would you keep all of these secrets to yourself?" Jace asked with a hint of anger in his voice. "Any of us would have helped you carry these burdens. We are all in this together, remember?"

Kalavati looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "Can you be sure that you would have still been my friend when we were kids if you had known?"

Jace didn't say anything, knowing that she was right. When they were kids, his father's death was still fresh, and he would have shunned her if he knew that she was protecting Valentine's daughter. Jace sighed and lifted his hand to move some hair from her face. Kalavati looked slightly stunned that he was being so gentle. "Well, now that I know you, I'm going to be here for you however you need me," he declared. "You were there for me when we were kids, now it's my turn."

Kalavati looked shocked before a smile found its way onto her face. "Thank you Jace," she said. She didn't want to get too hopeful about him still being there, but she still wanted him around for as long as possible. "We should catch up with Kyler and Clary."

Jace smiled at her and took her hand to lead her to the surface.

*Roaring Fire*

Kalavati's POV

When we all emerged from the entrance, Alec was the only one waiting and he saw Clary's fallen expression and the tear tracks on her cheeks. "What happened? What did you find out?"

Jace sighed when none of us said anything. "Valentine is Clary's father."

"Wait a minute," Alec said in shock. "You're telling me this girl shows up out of nowhere and she's Valentine's daughter? Did it occur to you that she might be a spy? That this might be part of her plan?"

"That's enough, Alec!" I shouted at him. He looked at me shocked. I had never yelled at him before. "Don't you trust me? Would I really do that to any of you?"

"Do you think I planned for our mom to get kidnapped?" Clary jumped in with tears in her eyes. "Or…or for Dot to be taken? Or to have a giant sword dangle over my head and find out that my father is one of the most dangerous people in the world? Really?" Alec looked a little put out at her rant, while Clary's breathing trembled. She looked around in a panic. "Where's Simon?"

I looked around as well trying to find Clary's best friend. Isabelle came running up to us and stopped next to her big brother. Clary repeated her question to her, and she looked regretful. "I told him to stay in the van," Isabelle said. "I've searched everywhere."

"He's gone?" Clary demanded in a panic.

"I can't find him," Isabelle confirmed reluctantly with a sigh.

"You were supposed to protect him!" Clary shouted at her before she took off running in the direction of Simon's van. "Simon!"

"Ugh, these Mundanes are killing me," Kyler growled under his breath. I gave him a slap on the arm and a scolding expression at his words since I heard them.

Kyler frowned at me as we all ran after Clary. "You know it's true."

Clary was calling for Simon the whole way to the van and slid to a stop at the open passenger side of the van. "No," she whispered before turning around to call for him again. "Simon!"

"Is that the mundane's name?" a male voice asked from behind us. We all spun around to see two vampires standing on a beam of the overpass. A female that I didn't recognize was holding Simon upside down by his leg. The male on the other hand I recognized immediately as Raphael Santiago. "I'm afraid Simon's coming with us."

'What are you doing Raphael?' I wondered.

"No!" Clary shouted, trying to run towards them, but Kyler held his arm out to stop her. He held onto her as she tried to get out of his arms. "No, he's not a part of this!"

"And I'll be happy to kill you unless you return him," Kyler called to them with a sneer. He had never been fond of vampires despite my connection.

"Careful," Alec warned. "We'd be violating the Accords."

Kyler shot him an annoyed look before Raphael started to speak again, getting our attention. "I'm afraid your sidekick's quite right," he said condescendingly. "The Night Children have broken no laws. We're negotiating. The mundane, unharmed, in exchange for the Mortal Cup. And the clock is ticking. Tick-tock people."

"Clary!" Simon called out as the two vampires immediately disappeared.

"Simon! No!" Clary shouted looking around for Simon.

Her voice calling out for Simon echoed around us as I exchanged a look with Kyler and Jace. This just got more complicated.