Scheduled Prison

Lucifer

My Father couldn’t look at me. His smoke tendrils wrapping around his body said it all. He was angry, and unable to control the emotions floating through him. I knew I had struck a nerve. My Father had tried so many times before to keep his cool. He shouldn’t have to, not when I’m his son. He should be allowed to punish me, to beat me into obeying like the young god I was, but now my power was equal to his, something unfathomable to think about for the God of Hell. Especially the first born of Kronos.

“Lucifer,” my Father said calmly, his eyes glowing red. “You still have time. I believe this. If I lock you up now, what am I to tell your Mother? She calls for you constantly. I have to lie and tell her you are working else where besides that pit,” he spat.

My wings retracted with the gust of the wind, several feathers falling to the ground, turning to ash. “I’m sure you will come up with something.” I mindlessly turned my back, my hand now on the doorframe of the bathroom. There was no hope left for me, even now I had a desire to rip off my own Father’s head. What is it to say that one day I would go through it?

I had killed three guards coming up the side entrance, angry that I had to return to show my face for a bunch of Celestial beings that only wished to kiss my Father’s ass and please my Mother hoping to find their own mates.

My body was uncontrollable. Sometimes I wonder if there were various demons, witches, or dark magic inhabiting my body. Fighting for dominance of the body I was no longer in control of.

“After the baby's announcement. No need to spoil on Mother’s little show,” I darkly chuckled. The door was about to close until my Father pushed it away with his foot, exposing himself to the bright light of the bathroom.

“When your Mother finds your mate, then we will release you and you will be back with our family, Lucifer.” Chuckling sadly, my body leaned back onto the cold tile wall. “I’ll be too far gone for that, and you know it. No woman, even my mate, could come near me. I’d destroy her before she got close.”

Pushing the door to closed, my father’s usually stoic face was that of discontent. I tried not to get to this point, but who was to say what I was doing was working? Ares had stopped by many times. He could calm the beast within my father when he gained a wolf after he had mated with my Mother. There was no beast inside me, it was only myself I could not control.

The steam shower soothed the aches of my body. The blood running down the drain making the pristine white tiles stained a rustic red. My hands continued to rub my face as if to wake me from this reoccurring dream, but it never did. I always awoke to the same nightmare, no matter how many calming techniques I had done.

Candles, music, meditation, it all made me the more… just angry. Everything about me was anger, the constant itch to spill blood from the next person. I could barely stand to be in this palace even though my Mother did her best to sate me so.

Switching off the shower, I wrapped the towel around my waist and stomped my feet over to the closet. Mother had already picked out the matching suit all her boys would wear for the day’s event. Black on black with a red tie. Mother thought it was cute how we all looked like mafia men. We were far more dangerous than that.

Straightening my tie, slicking back my usually unruly hair and one quick runthrough of the mirror to look presentable, I stepped back to open the door only to see Loki looking straight up at me. “I know.” He whispered. Both of his eyes squinted towards me. I kept my hand tightened on the handle.

“Know what?” I growled. “That you were adopted?” His bright eyes widened, a small lip wobbled, and he ran down the hallway screaming for Mother. The poor kid can give it, but he can’t receive.

Keeping my back straight, my body ridged, I headed down the hall, following my brother. The now lightened walls of the palace gave a faux look of the Light Palace of Bergarian. Mother said the outside, dark bricks and stone of the palace could stay the same, but if she was to live here, she needed some brightness. The brightness she continued to give to others.

Father always tended to Mother. Anything she wanted or desired or even thought about getting, he would give it to her. He gave her the world. I couldn’t imagine myself doing that to anyone. I was too concentrated on my own problems.

The clicking of my shoes landed right in front of the closed door of my parents’ room. Loki was sniffing, pretending to cry and gain Mother’s sympathy. It won’t work because Mother was too smart for that.

“Loki, I won’t hear any more of it,” Mother scolded him. She was brushing her hair as Nora, our werewolf personal assistant that had mated to my father’s right-handed demon, Niko, stood by the vanity mirror’s side, making faces at Loki. He immediately smiled, and Mother straightened his tie and suit.

“You look handsome, Loki. Now leave your brother alone,” she winked at him. Loki walked out with a mischievous look on his face, his feet now bringing himself to a run. He must have come up with another wicked plan to terrorize the rest of the palace help. I scoffed, walking behind my Mother as she finished her make-up to hide the tiredness under her eyes.

My Mother was beautiful. Her long blonde hair and her green eyes matched exactly like her own mother, Rosalie, but the fierceness in her heart matched my grandfather, Jack, Alpha to the Night Crawlers on Earth.

“Luci,” my Mother cooed. She was the only one allowed to call me that name. Not even Father could try. When Mother said it, it only reminded me of the times of my youth when I didn’t worry about imploding and my Mother trying to coddle me. “You look so handsome. Thank you for getting dressed up and at least showing your face. It means the world to me.” Her hands cupped my cheeks, finally pulling one of my hands to her lips, kissing it gently. How my Mother was cursed with a son like me, I’ll never know.

Father stood holding Lillith. He swayed her back and forth, singing the same human lullaby Mother used to sing to me, ‘Hush little Baby.’

“You look just like your father,” Mother whispered. “So handsome and strong. I mean that, you are strong and I know we will get through this. I’m going to try to…”

“Mother,” I pulled one hand from my cheek. “It’s alright, I’ve got everything take care of.” Mother’s brows knitted to confusion.

“You, you do?” She leaned towards me. Mother’s eyes were steady on my face while I felt my Father’s heated glare from my peripheral.

“Yes, I won’t be of harm to anyone anymore, starting tomorrow. Just trust me, alright?” Giving her a smile, she embraced me. Her head barely reaching the upper part of my chest, I held her close, kissing the top of her head.

“I’ve been so worried, so worried,” she buried herself further. “I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t in my life. My family means everything, you mean everything. Once I find your mate in the sphere, I’ll make sure to pair you together quickly and seek her out. Even if it is against the rules, I’ll do anything to save my son.”

The Sphere was a dark blue orb that Selene, the Moon Goddess, uses to pair mates. Now that Selene had gone on her own way to find her mate, living life as a werewolf, Mother took over the position. Mother had become so powerful in a short amount of time, if souls were in the same room, she could pair them by pulling on an invisible golden string that none of us could see and lead them to each other.

The ominous emotions rose within my body, trying to pull it back deep into my soul where it belonged. She would never find her and if she did, I was too far gone. I stepped back from Mother, trying not to get angry. Father, sensing my tension, spoke to me through my mind.

“Deep breaths, son.”

“Thank you.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile. That smile brightened my Mother’s face ten shades. I would give her the world, except I couldn’t give her me.

“Luuuuciiiii!” Loki sang as ran back into the room, a hand full of whipped cream. My fist tightened again, turning black and red. Embers burned into the carpet watching the menace come towards me.

“Loki! You do not call him that, that is my name to give! Now get over here so we can make you look presentable!” Loki stood still, except for the hand full of cream from one dessert from the table buffet.

“And where is your nanny? Where did she go? What am I paying her for?” Mother scolded. Father closed his eyes and held back a smile.

“Looks like Loki got another, what is that 15?” Father chuckled.

“Seventeen,” Loki smiled with a mouth full of cream.

Mother looked down at Loki with her hands on her hips. The red jewels sparkled around her black silk gown. Her body was perfected once again, even after having Lillith just yesterday. “And where did you get that whipped cream? You shouldn’t eat that! It is for our guests!”

“Taste good. Nora might be mad though,” he licked the last bit off his thumb. “The pink frosting is the best.”

Father, still holding baby Lillith, lifted Loki in the air with one wave of his hand. Loki squeaked as he hung in the air. “Do you need to visit Tartarus?” Father’s eyebrow raised, now pointing at my trouble maker of a brother.

“N-no.” My brother, even being the God of Mischief, hated the thought of torturing. He was in for the play. He only killed the demon nannies because it was funny and could respawn in father’s demon Soul Pool. The deaths he gave were quick and merciful, if you could call it that.

“That’s enough of that,” Father put down Loki gently. “I expect the best behavior out of you while the Celestial Kingdom and your Mother’s Pack are here to see the naming of the baby.” Hades wrapped Lillith tighter. She cooed, nuzzling her head right into the crook of Father’s arm.

“What about Lucifer? Aren’t you going to tell him not to kill anyone like last time?” Counting to ten, I strode over to the window that overlooked the front of the palace gates, my hands becoming black as I tried to calm the fire within me. The years have become torturous trying to stay calm with Loki, but his incessant jokes and prods only brought up the dark spirit.

“I’ve just about had it, Loki.” Mother slapped her hands to her thighs. “I know you are craving attention because of the baby, but this isn’t the way to go about it,” Mother snapped. “Now, I love you, and I will make sure we have a movie night, just the two of us really soon, Okay?” Loki’s sniffs filled the room, the fire in my hands weakened.

Father walked up to me, still carrying baby Lillith, looking out over the front lawn as a few stragglers walked past the guards. His hand landed on my shoulder with a tight squeeze. “We are going to work this out. Even if you feel that strongly about being put down there, I will find a way to calm you. I believe the fates are at least that kind.” I continued to stare on the lawn, the hellhounds becoming nothing but overgrown puppies to our family, but still the ferocious guard hounds any world has ever seen.

Several sat by on the sidewalk, keeping the visitors off the grass. That was their territory, the beautiful nature that Mother had loved since the first-time Father granted her the beautiful gardens of the palace. “I promise you this, Lucifer. I have never broken a promise.” Lillith blew a raspberry with her mouth, waking up from her small nap in his arms. My eyes glanced towards her as her little uncontrollable hand waved in the air.

A soul so large to be inhabited by such a tiny baby, I’ll never understand. However, there were many things the Fates allowed that no one, not even the gods, ever would. “Let’s go, your Mother loves to show off her family.” Father smiled, thinking of his mate. Turning to walk with him, I caught a glance of something pure white with hints of gold. As soon as I had fully turned around, it was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Coming son?” My heart leaped in my chest. It had never done that before. Rubbing my vest thoroughly, I walked with Father down the lit hallways. The lights becoming brighter and brighter in the now heavily pink decorated ballroom. The balcony that we had arrived had two winding staircases that met the guests below, all adorned in white marble, trimmings of gold and hints of red and black to keep Father’s traditional colors.

Mother stood at the forefront, smiling gratefully at the guests below. Loki stood under Mother’s right hand that laid on his shoulder, Father beside her as he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other around his daughter.

“You speak,” my Father nudged her.

“This is the Underworld. Aren’t you in charge?” She giggled, holding in her laughter.

“Not since you have arrived, my love. Now do the honors.” Father rolled his eyes. “We can always have them come another day. I know you are tired. They wouldn’t be disappointed,” he grumbled. Father hated the spectacle, but growing up in a werewolf pack, it was traditional to present the baby for all the wolves to admire.

“I’ll make it through,” her sigh heavy. The bags under her eyes, even with the heavy amount of concealer, did not hide her tiredness.

“A nap afterward, then?” Father said hopefully, raising a brow.

“Only if you mean one with sleeping and not your type of ‘nap.’” Mother playfully tapped his forearm.

“Gross Mom,” Loki rolled his eyes, “you just pooped out a baby and you are thinking about…” Father slapped Loki on the back of the head.

“Respect your Mother. You are cleaning out the Hellhounds bedding after the party is over.” Loki groaned, slapping his forehead with his palm. He then leaned on the banister with his elbow, his head resting heavily on his hand.

“Are we done yet? Can I have dessert?”