I have been dreading this day for months now. Today is the day that my father receives his trial sentence from the shrewd and devilishly handsome judge, Damien Hale. His nickname was “The Demon,” and I would always hear my father and his fellow lawyer friends speak about “Judge Damien “The Demon” Hale” and how they all hated to go in front of the man because he was so intimidating and harsh. The women, on the other hand, would sneak into the hearings just to get a glimpse of the man, and gossip spread about his beauty, which I had never witnessed until today.
It was raining and cold outside, early September weather, so I combed my hair and put on my denim jacket and black leggings, I felt that was appropriate for an eighteen-year-old attending a sentencing. I wouldn’t know, the only court hearings that I had been to were some of my dad’s, years ago, where he was defending a man accused of aggravated assault. When it came to my father’s trial, my mother kept me completely in the dark, trying to protect me. It was only because today was my father’s sentencing that my mother wanted me to be there for support.
“Abby! Abby, come on, we’re going to be late!” My mom shouted from downstairs.
Sadly, my father was on trial for stealing money from his firm, and no one was willing to represent him, so he was forced to represent himself.
“Yeah, mom, I’m coming,” I hollered back at her from my room.
Mom was clearly very on edge today. The hearing didn’t start for another hour and the courthouse was only twenty minutes from our house.
“What in the world are you wearing?” She asked as she looked me up and down before sighing, “Never mind, come on, let’s go.”
We arrived early and entered the courtroom to take our seats, the room looked entirely different from the outside appearance of the courthouse would lead you to expect; The outside looked old and dated, the paint fading and bricks shifted, but the inside was clean and polished; Dark wooden benches and railing, white walls, and leather chairs underneath fluorescent lights. We took our seats towards the back of the room and waited.
My mother was a nervous wreck and kept tapping her foot on the ground from anxiety. I wondered if she knew what my father had been doing and if he was guilty or not. I placed my hand on her leg and looked at her, “It’s going to be alright, mama.” She forced a smile on her face in response.
“All rise, the court is now in session. The honorable Judge Hale presiding,” The bailiff announced.
Judge Hale walked out of a door from the side of the room and time stood still for a moment. As he walked, I saw his long black hair moving like silk before it laid just above his shoulders, his jawline looked like it could cut paper if he wanted. He wore the judge’s robe, but I could tell just how broad his shoulders were. He took his spot at the bench and told everyone to be seated. My knees went weak at his voice that I dropped to my seat, rather abruptly.
Before he began to speak again, he looked up from the folder that he had just opened, and his eyes met mine directly. Did he hear how hard I sat down? Oh God, I could die of embarrassment.
Since all the hearings had already taken place, the jury had taken the last two days to deliberate, and it was finally time to hear the verdict.
“Has the jury reached a verdict?” Judge Hale asked.
“We have, your honor,” the foreman said and my father stood up, he glanced back at mom and me and gave us a small grin of confidence, “We the jury, in the case of Steele and Warner versus Joseph Spencer, find the defendant, guilty of embezzlement.”
I heard a shuddered breath escape my mom’s lips and she gripped onto my hand, which was still on her leg to keep her steady. I looked at her and saw tears dripping down her cheeks, one tear at a time. She shut her eyes tight and let her head fall, resulting in her blonde hair covering her beautiful face. I could feel her tears falling on top of my hand, which she was still gripping onto in her lap.
My father is not the kind of person who has certain tells when they lie, like looking down or stuttering, he had been a lawyer longer than I have been alive, so he had a good poker face, or so we thought he did. He became enraged when he heard the word guilty.
“You cannot do this to me! You have no proof!” He slammed his fist on the table and the officer came to take him away, he began kicking his feet “You cannot do this! I did nothing!” From where he stood, I could only see the back of his bald head, but I could tell that his face was bright red with rage, I could see the color at the tips of his ears. Even through my father’s rant, Judge Hale seemed unphased by him.
Once my father had finally been removed from the room, Judge Hale kept on speaking the terms of his guilty verdict; a half a million-dollar fine and twenty years incarceration without a chance of parole. This judge really was a demon.
“Court is adjourned.” He slammed the gavel with such force that I could have sworn it rattled the room, I was surprised that the gavel didn’t split in half. Was he always that strong? Or was it my father’s outburst that had him heated? His voice certainly didn’t give any indication of emotion, if anything, his voice was sultry and hypnotizing.
As he left the room and walked back through the door he originally came out of, I realized that I didn’t notice what color his eyes were, we weren’t in the courtroom long, but every now and then, I could feel his gaze on me and I would look back up, but his eyes were elsewhere. Was he really looking at me, or was I fantasizing that the hot judge wanted the felon’s daughter?
The cold September weather came sooner than it should have, and I welcomed it. I was tired of the flames of Hell and was ready for something new. Regardless of the temperature outside, my blood always ran hot - that’s why I never broke a sweat in the Underworld.My job was to decide the specific afterlife for the sinners, I specialized in the seven deadly sins. Those who committed all seven sins were sent directly to me. I was considered one of the “judges of the afterlife” and my job was to be sure that someone gets the proper afterlife treatment that they deserve.Every now and then, I would be sent to the human world to torture someone to death. After a few decades of doing that and really getting the hang of it, I wanted to challenge myself and try my hand at judging the humans during their lifetime as well. Those who had sinned early on and deserved even more punishment than an eternal Sisyphean afterlife. Being a demo
Mom was too distraught after the verdict that I ended up being the one to drive us home. The car ride was silent, only a light sob or sniffle from mom every now and then, it pained me to see her this way, and knowing that I couldn’t do anything to help was even worse. After getting us home safely, I texted my boyfriend, Bradley, to tell him the news.Abby: “Hey babe, just got back from dads court sentencing. Half a million-dollar fine and twenty years in jail without the chance of parole. I’m numb, I don’t know how to react right now, and mom is a mess.”Bradley: “I’ll take you out tonight and we can go to your favorite restaurant, cheer you up a little.”Abby: “Sounds perfect. Thanks, sweetie!”Bradley: “See you tonight.”I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling for a good amount of time until my mind wandered back to the judge in the courtroom. How
“Can I sit?” He asked and I motioned my hand for him to sit across from me. How old was this guy? He looked to be somewhere in his twenties and yet he was already so accomplished, how was it possible?“How, um, how do you know my name?” I asked, nervously. The women who were infatuated with him were right, he was incredibly handsome, and his presence, like the men mentioned, intimidating. The photo’s that I found of him online did not do him justice. Ironic, I thought.He looked at me and tilted his head as if it were obvious, “Your father’s file, of course,” he smiled at me.I felt like an idiot, of course he knew our family from the trial. “Of course,” I said quietly and attempted a chuckle as I looked down at my hands in my lap. “What are you doing here?” As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I hoped that my question didn’t come across as r
Now that Abigail was of an appropriate age, I was comfortable with approaching her with my full intentions. Hex told me that she was going on a date tonight and her good-for-nothing boyfriend was taking her to the diner – I had Hex tap her phone so that I could see everything that came and went from her cellphone, and when I found out about her boyfriend, I tapped his phone too.I went home from the courthouse and changed into some comfortable clothes that showed off my physique before I drove to the diner to await my opportunity to get Abigail’s attention.I had arrived only minutes before Abigail and her worthless boyfriend Bradley showed up, she hadn’t noticed me as she walked in and she sat in the booth with her back facing me as her boyfriend left towards the buffet. I could go up to her now, but he would be back any moment, and I wanted her all to myself. Bradley was facing me as he sat back down at the booth across f
I couldn’t help myself but lean in. I watched him every time he took a sip of wine and watched the way his smooth lips pressed against the glass, or afterward when he licked his upper lip. His shirt was still clinging to his body from the rain that got him drenched and I could nearly count his abs, even our waitress was taken by him. The man exuded power and confidence, it was difficult to keep one’s composure around him.I got lost in his eyes, as blue as the sky, I stared, waiting for a cloud to pass by but to no avail, they were crystal clear, surrounded by long, dark lashes, and pointed directly at me. I felt my heart begin to pound in my chest and my face begin to warm up. I didn’t have control of my body anymore, and I began to lean towards him.He seemed hesitant at first when he saw me getting closer and his face became serious, his body seemed to tense, I froze when he didn’t move as I was. Instead, he put hi
*Semi-Mature Content*I didn’t want our time together to be over for some reason. The further that Damien walked away from me and back to his car, the more I began to miss him. Why was I so infatuated with this man? He was beautiful and obviously smart, he’s a judge at twenty-five years old, for Christ’s sake, but there was something else about him that I couldn’t quite pin my finger on. It was like his blue eyes and hypnotized me and left me with nothing but thoughts of him.My thoughts wandered as I entered my home and shut the door, leaning back on it with my eyes closed. Even with my eyes closed, I could picture him perfectly, as if he was still standing directly in front of me; his silky black hair and smooth skin, deep, sultry voice, and mesmerizing eyes, then my mind wandered to his lips. They were plump, and I remembered watching him as he drank his wine, wishing that my body were the glass.
The look on her face as I walked away was sadness, and while I hated to see it, it also warmed my heart that she was upset that our night was over. ’Don’t worry, Abigail Lynn, it was only the first of many,’ I thought to myself as I stared into her big hazel eyes.Just as much as she didn’t want me to go, I didn’t want to leave her. I wanted to take her then and there and make her mine forever, but Abby was precious to me, and I didn’t want to scare her away. Ultimately, I wanted to make her my Lady of the Underworld.My uncle’s name is Lucifer, most know him simply as the Devil. Being his nephew, I don’t have an exact title, but I am referred to as “Lord Damien” when I’m there. If it were England royalty, my position would be like a Marquee, but I like the sound that Lord carries with it more.My nickname as “The Demon” here in the human world
After my fun with Bradley and his friends, I decided to take a trip back home with Hex to greet our new friends to the Underworld. My demon was satisfied, but I still had business to tend to. I needed to determine how they would spend the rest of eternity.The torture of the Underworld begins as soon as you wake up - it appears to be Heaven, and it gives a bit of hope to the newly deceased souls that we soon get to take away from them.Bradley and his friends were all together laying in the grass, and they looked around and smiled at their surroundings; vibrant green grass and trees, blue sky with no clouds as far as the eye could see, singing birds, and a perfect temperature.Their reactions changed as Hex and I walked closer to them and they noticed us. They all cowered and their smiles dropped instantly as they saw me and the demon next to me. Hex was a small man in his human form, his height barely reached my waist a
FACT VS FICTION INDEXThis is more a Myth VS Fiction index for those who don't believe in Greek Mythology - none of this, as far as I'm aware, is known to be a sure fact - these are simply what my research told me and what I used to build the story.FACT: Pluto, Plouton, Hades, and Lucifer are all different names used for the ruler of the underworld.FACT: Zeus is said to have dozens of offspring with both Goddesses and mortal consorts.FICTION: There is no family tree that ties anyone to Zeus.FICTION: There was no feud between brothers where Zeus tried to kill Hades.FACT: Zeus is God of the sky, lightning, justice, thunder, and law and order (wiki)Samhain is a Celtic word referring to the end of the harvest season. It is considered the Pagan new year when the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest.FACT: Persephone, AKA Kora, was the daughter
My name is Abigail Lynn Hale, I was eighteen when I fell in love with a demon and followed him to the realm of the dead to live happily ever after with him.While there, I met a Goddess who wanted the same thing as myself - equality for all the souls.Together, we devised a plan to destroy the system of Heaven and Hell and create a single realm for every soul to inhabit and receive the afterlife that they deserve based on the seven deadly sins, and with strategy and will, we successfully created this new realm, we named it Mercy.My parents both reside in Mercy now, along with every other soul to exist and die. My parents and I patched up our differences and I forgave them both for their sins.Kora was given a rebirth, and as much as it saddened me to lose a friend, she was finally free from Lucifer’s hold. Whether it was genuine love she felt for him or mind manipulation, she would never have
Brightness. It was all that I saw towards the end.Zeus and Lucifer were about to attack each other for the last time, the final strike, the last clash, the moment that would destroy the portals between Heaven and Hell and leave all the souls in one single realm.The second that they began to move towards each other, I let my consciousness return back to my body and my eyes shot wide open. Brightness. It felt like it lasted forever, but it slowly vanished to reveal a blue sky above, not a single cloud in sight. It was silent now, the war was over.I was laying down, something I don’t remember doing. The last thing I remember was seeing Kora running to me and telling her that it was time.I turned my head to see green grass underneath me. My hair was blonde again, something it hasn’t been for months.Looking further out, I saw that the green grass didn’t last mor
Abby was somehow inside the consciousnesses of both Zeus and Lucifer, practically fighting herself in a sense, and I was supposed to just stand there and watch?Fighting off people as they came near to protect her, I could do that, but the angels and demons seemed to be equal in number, fighting one-on-one, very few coming towards us as they defeated their opponent.Everyone knew this battle was ultimately Zeus versus Lucifer, so no one dared to approach the area that the brothers were fighting.Kora was focused on Abby, I don’t know if she was giving her the mindreading ability so that Abby could block the next attack between brother accordingly or what, but whatever it was that she was doing, she was helping Abby, so I would protect her too.I questioned Kora for a while in the underworld, knowing that she was there against her will, for the most part. I wondered if she preferred the heavens
Everything happened so quickly; one moment I was standing there with Hermes making casual conversation, the next thing I know, all the souls of Heaven and Hell appear in the Garden and the battle begins. They went from zero to a hundred incredibly fast.Lucifer was right, there was absolutely no warning about this battle about to commence, nothing like the mock battles we had – these souls appeared out of nowhere and they kept coming, leaving nothing but the sight of fighting figures all along the flat plane of the Garden.Hermes disappeared quickly somewhere since he didn’t technically have a side to fight on, he just stayed away from it. I grabbed the bow and arrows from the pile of weapons that Kora and I brought with us as quickly as I could and checked my surroundings to try to find her.Where was she? She was supposed to take the device to Lucifer and have him destroy it then be right back. If the fight
I was able to get both Kora and me to the Garden because the portal was opened by Hermes, and when we arrived, we saw that the battle had already begun.The weather was as if Abby was feeling every emotion – The clouds were gray and thunderous, a mixture of hail and rain being blown in every direction. It was humid and hot, with bursts of sunlight threatening to poke through the clouds here and there.Hundreds of angels fought hundreds of demons all along the planes of the Garden as far as the eye could see. The demons all brought weapons of their own, as well as the angels, along with each one's natural powers.Fireballs were shot from one side to the other, arrows were flung in all directions, in some places, there was hand-to-hand combat taking place, making it hard to tell which soul was the demon and which was the angel.I saw Hex in his wendigo form, skeletal with patches of fur and the s
When I dreamt, Kora would visit me, and we have been strategizing how to create a new realm and destroy Heaven and Hell altogether. We planned things in my dreams, and when morning came, we tested whatever we came up with, and we had finally gotten to a point where we knew what to do.No one besides Kora had seen what I can do by means of possession. It happened once when we were sparring - I had gotten frustrated with going between my demon form and my angel form, trying to master the quick transitions, and Kora attempted an attack which I blocked by getting into her head.At the same time, my body blocked her attack. It’s when I noticed that my subconscious had divided itself between my own mind and Kora’s, I was controlling both of us.It might be too much to take at any moment, really, which is why we had to save it for this battle. Kora and I agreed to save that ability until the right moment, and we wou
Authors Note: *This chapter contains some content suggesting suicide and may trigger some readers, discretion is advised*After Abby left to train with Kora, I paid another visit to Luci, who seemed far less than thrilled to see me again. I found him walking the same way as I was in the hallway outside of Kora’s greenroom, he probably just bid her farewell as she left to train Abby some more.He heard my footsteps and turned to me, “If you won’t help me hide her, then at least help me give her more time,” I was begging now and I didn’t even care, I just wanted to save Abby.I was going to ask Lucifer for more mock battles, each time with more and more people. We had no idea just how many souls would be fighting for her on the other side and needed to be prepared for anything. It could be a hundred or it could be a hundred thousand, there are countless souls in the heavens, who knows how many
How much do I tell him? He’s just standing there and staring at me, I can’t stay pacing like this for too long, I need to say something! The weather is changing based on my mood, too, and I don’t want him to see what happens when I get frustrated here. Not yet. ‘Come on, Abby, you can come up with words!’“I was hidden from a lot of things in my life growing up, and now I have a chance to be a part of something huge, and you want to take it from me…” Ouch, that may have been a bit too harsh, I need to come up with something else, “You once said that you would never make me do something that I didn’t want to do… well, I don’t want to hide.”Damien pinched his lips together but when he finally spoke, his words came out softly. “I’m just trying to look out for you.”“Thank you,” I offered in a gentle tone, “bu