“But if our luck holds, no one will have to watch anyone's back because we'll stay invisible,” Luke said. “This will be a simple information gathering jaunt into Heaven. No biggie.”
“Luke, never say 'no biggie' after you've used the word 'luck,'” I whined as we headed for the tracing chamber. “That's just asking for trouble.”
“Point taken.” Luke grimaced.
“Say hi to the Seraphim for me,” Holly called after us.
Luke transferred his grimace to his wife. “I just said we don't want to be noticed, Holly.”
“I was teasing, Luke.” Holly kissed her husband goodbye. “Mostly.”
“We'll have to go through Hell,” Luke said. “Everyone follow me.”
“Or we could use Re's technique of texting a picture...” I trailed off as I saw their stares. “I don't want a picture of Hell on my phone, do I?”
“It would probably corrupt your device,” Luke said.
“Are you serious?” I huffed. “A mere picture?”
“Some myths are strong enough to cast a wide net of influence.” Satan shrugged. “Holding hands is going to have to do this time.”
So, we all held hands like a prayer circle and let the Devil take us to Hell. It was cold, as usual.
Michael fluffed his wings and closed them around himself like a cloak. Re and I immediately turned up our internal temperatures, and Odin eased closer to us. Lucifer was perfectly comfortable, but then this was his territory.
“That's a cool trick,” Cid said as he stepped over to meet us. He held his palms out to Re and me. “You two are like walking heaters.”
“It comes in handy.” I gave Cid a hug. “How are you doing, Cid?”
“Good, good.” He nodded. “I'd be better if some asshole angels weren't gunning for our boy.” He sneered at Michael.
Hey, I'm here to help,” Mike said. “I'm walking through Hell to do it, so maybe give me a break, Cid.”
Cid grimaced, glanced at Luke—who nodded—and then sighed. “All right, angel; you get one chance.”
“We all had a difficult decision to make when we chose sides,” Mike said. “I won't apologize for my choice, and my status is going to come in handy right now. I'm the only one who can lead you through Heaven without causing a panic.”
“Hey; I don't care what happened all those years ago,” I interrupted before a fight broke out. “What's important are the choices we make today. Now, let's all make some choices that are going to keep my husband alive, okay?”
Cid, Luke, and Michael all nodded.
“Yeah; you right,” Cid drawled. “Let's do this.”
“Good; cause I'm getting tired of talking about Luke and Holly's affair when my husband's life is in danger,” I said.
“Ease down, Godhunter; some grudges are hard to move past,” Cid huffed and then turned to Luke. “So, I assume we're taking the Bloody Volcano passage?”
Luke had brought us through an entrance to Hell I'd never used before. Hell had a few entrances, but unfortunately, none of them allowed us to trace directly into Luke's home. It was, of course, a security measure. I suppose it was sensible to prevent gods from tracing straight into the Devil's house, but it made every visit to my in-laws exhausting and unsettling.
We normally came through the gate in Shehaquim—Azrael's Heaven. When using that entrance, we have to walk a crushed bone path which led through the Ice Blocks—the icy, prison cells holding human souls, between the Mountains of Madness, and then to the domicile of the Devil. This time, however, we were off the beaten bone path entirely; standing amid some low, rolling hills that looked like the skeletal remains of a deep sea creature. Most of the landscape of Hell was comprised of bone, blood, and cartilage; with a burnt cinnabar sky looming above it all. On top of that, the dim light that filtered through the rusty clouds tinted the scenery with a glaze of dried blood.
It was damn depressing.
Once you got past the border of Luke's home, Hell turned into an Atlantean-inspired paradise. But out in the thick of it, as it were, it was cold, bleak, and peppered with screams. And the screams were nearly as chilling as the climate.
“Yep; the Bloody Volcano,” Lucifer confirmed.
“I don't want to know,” Odin murmured as we trudged after the hellions; our boots squishing in the blood-soaked sand.
Sure enough, just beyond the skeletal hills, the auburn sand lifted into a conical shape, and the top of the mountain bubbled up with crimson liquid. It was erupting blood; channels of the stuff ran down the mountain in sluggish streams that were absorbed by the sandy soil of Hell. The coppery scent of the territory grew stronger as we approached.
“This is why the sand is soaked with blood?” I asked as I gaped at the horrifying landform.
“Yes,” Luke whispered as he stared along with me. “My territory is saturated with the blood of sinners. Where most land covers underground rivers of water, mine hides an endless flow of blood.”
“By all that's holy,” Michael whispered. “It's no wonder you're so powerful. You have a steady stream of sacrifice.”
“I'd ask how it was possible, but I've learned that 'impossible' is not a word that ever applies to god territories,” I said.
“The blood was a necessity,” Luke explained sadly. “Ever since I was changed into an 'evil' god, there have been humans who believe that worshiping me will bring them power. I am the only god in my pantheon who continues to receive blood sacrifice.”
“As horrible as that is,” Odin said, “I don't see why it would necessitate this.” He waved his hand out to the mountain.
“You have received sacrifices, Allfather,” Luke pointed out. “What did the blood do to you?”
“It...” Odin blinked in epiphany.
“It makes us who we are,”
