A Demystification: Eve

Day 11: Antagonist

Word Count: 962

Lyn was asleep, thankfully, or else she would have found a way to get involved in this conversation. She was like that; always getting involved with everything, letting her curiosity get the best of her. It had always been so with that one, going back to the dawn of her own existence and the existence of the world.

And she snored.

Hermes looked in on her for a moment, standing in the doorway of the room Lucifer had provided for her use, green eyes watching as her chest rose and fell in time with her breathing. Mortals did not do well in the Twilight. Even without knowing it, they fed a portion of their own energy to the gods and spirits within. It exhausted them, poor things. But at least it hadn't stopped her from meeting Lucifer and getting him to agree to help, as Hermes had been sure it would.

It was hard to push away the guilt that rose within him at the thought of using this human, this girl who'd become a friend to him. But it was the only way the Council could see pulling Lucifer into this battle for their existence. Yes, they'd seen this young woman in their visions, but one didn't need the Eye of the Fates to know that Lucifer was an ally they needed if they wanted to win. And Hermes knew, as did any entity who'd ever met Lucifer over the years, just what would bring the Fallen Angel into their battle.

Love.

"Our enemy," Lucifer spoke as Hermes closed the door on his sleeping friend. "It will take some time to find him, if it is as you say and he has found a way to cloak himself."

"But you can find him?" Hermes faced his ally, making sure to keep himself between Lucifer and the door. Eve was in no danger from the Angel, but Hermes wasn't sure she knew that. Sometimes it was hard to understand that someone was not your enemy simply because you thought they were. And Lucifer was, to many, the ultimate enemy.

"I can. Given time." Lucifer turned his eyes, blue as a mountain sky, to the door to Eve's room. "Is she alright?"

"Sleeping. We came through the Twilight, so it will take some time for her to recover her energy. You might want to make sure there's a lot of food ready, too. Humans are usually famished when they finally wake." Hermes grinned. "Mexican, if you can. I'd say Chinese, but it's not Saturday, so there's no Doctor Who to watch while we eat it."

"Doctor Who?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow and gestured for Hermes to follow him.

"Her favorite television program. She also watches The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays, but usually she makes food for that night. Saturday is special. It's her ritual. Apparently, she's been doing it since she was twelve, with her siblings." Hermes looked askance at Lucifer as the two walked down the hallway. "Our enemy was unable to ensure her suffering, but he was able to affect her life in other ways. It's as if she lives with a pall, as if the belief people share in her guilt has weighed her down without even her knowledge."

Lucifer did not react, but Hermes could feel the power building around him. "I will find him even more quickly than planned. And I will finally destroy him."

"Only the Father can do that, Lucifer, and he has thus far seemed unwilling to do so. You know his reluctance to get involved in anything involving humans. Once they decided to kill His son..."

"The Son needed to die so he could be reborn. It was all part of God's plan for the humans to kill Joshua." Lucifer sighed. "But that has never stopped God from punishing them. He knows it is inevitable, but they do not, and choose to act without knowing what they do. Our enemy's biggest protection is his own choice."

Hermes nodded. "But it is also the reason for his madness."

"He was always arrogant, always convinced of his own superiority. God's punishment fed on his arrogance until it drove him out of his mind, convinced of his own innocence. Why else drag me from Heaven, why else ruin Eve's life, but to undo his just punishment? He could never understand why God had dared punished him." Lucifer showed Hermes into his sitting room. "It was not the punishment, but the idea that he needed to be punished that drove him mad."

"Centuries with God's curse, remembering with every day the sin that he had committed and fighting against what he believes to be the injustice of such a punishment...that would drive anyone mad." Hermes sighed. "But he has, fortunately for us, focused most of his efforts on alleviating the punishment for himself."

Lucifer stopped, turning the whole of his perfect rage on the god next to him. "Fortunately. Of course. Having me kicked out of Heaven, dragged down to Hell, and blamed for the entirety of human suffering. Yes. That's terribly fortunate for everyone involved. Not to mention the woman sleeping in the other room. I'm sure she'd just be thrilled to find out that each of her lives has been filled with anguish and loneliness as long as she knows you guys escaped."

"Point taken." Hermes sighed. "We don't know where he is or what he's doing. All we know is that he's shifted his plans. You'll be happy to know that he's turned his attention away from you and Eve and is now planning to attack everything else in all of existence."

"Ah, yes. Thrilled. You really know how to charm an Angel of the Lord, young godling."

Hermes grinned. "I do my best."