Lucifer Reversed

The Beginning

"They're dead," Clary said, looking around the room in wonder at the remains of Sebastian's army. "They're all dead."

Jonathan gave a half-choking laugh. "'Some good I mean to do, despite of my own nature,'" he murmured, and Clary recognised the quote from English class. King Lear. The most tragic of all the tragedies. "That was something. The Dark Ones are gone."
Clary leaned over him, urgency in her voice. "Jonathan," she said. "Please. Tell us how to open the border. How to go home. There must be some way."
"There's- there's no way," Jonathan whispered. "I shattered the gateway. The path to the Seelie court is closed; all paths are. It's- it's impossible." His chest heaved, Magnus' magic was all that was keeping him alive. "I'm sorry." and he genuinely seemed it.
Clary said nothing. She could taste only bitterness in her mouth. She had risked herself, had saved the world, but everyone she loved would die. For a moment her heart swelled with hatred.
"Good," Jonathan said, his eyes on her face. "Hate me. Rejoice when I die. The last thing I would want now would be to bring you more grief."
Clary looked at her mother; Jocelyn was still and upright, her tears falling silently. Clary took a deep breath. She remembered a square in Paris, facing Sebastian across a small table, him saying: Do you think you can forgive me? I mean, do you think forgiveness is possible for someone like me? What would have happened if Valentine had brought you up along with me? Would you have loved me?
"I don't hate you," she said finally. "I hate Sebastian. I don't know you."but she was sure that if they both got out of this alive, she'd want nothing more than to get to know him.
Jonathan's eyes fluttered close, Magnus' magic wouldn't last forever, he was already weakening. "I dreamed of a green place once," he whispered. "A manor house and a little girl with red hair and preperations for a wedding. If there are other worlds, then maybe there is one where I was a good brother and a good son."
Maybe, Clary thought, and ached for that world for a moment, for her mother, and for herself. She was aware of Luke standing by the dias, watching them; aware that there were tears on Luke's face. Jace and the Lightwoods were standing well back, Alec cast a worried glance at his boyfriend, his hand in Isabelle's. All around them lay the dead bodies of Endarkened warriors.
"I didn't think you could dream," said Clary, and she took a deep breath. Valentine filled your veins with poison, and then he raised you to hate; you never had a choice. But the sword burned away all that. Maybe this is who you really are."
He took a ragged, deep breath."That would be a beautiful lie to believe,"He said. and, increadibly,the ghost of a smile, bitter and sweet, passed over his face. "The fire of Glorious burned away the demon's blood. All my life it has scorched my veins and cut at my heart like blades, and weighed me down like led- all my life, and I never knew it. I never knew the difference. I've never felt so... light," he said softly, and then, ina final effort, Magnus gave every ounce of magic he had left to give, Jonathan's eyes gained more life, not much, it was almost unrecognisable, but it was there. Magnus collapsed against Clary, where he was knelt, Alec rushed over towards him, releasing his grip on Izzy's hand. Magnus' cat eyes stayed closed, no matter how much Alec tried to help him.

After a while, Jonathan had regained conscienceness completely, it took multipleiratze's to heal him, but he was walking soon enough. The cadre set about taking shifts to watch over Magnus, but Alec still refused to let Jonathan take watch, he still didn't trust him, not after he'd killed Max and Raphael, after he'd tried to kill Isabelle, no matter how many times he'd tried to proove his innocence. whoever wasn't on watch went into the alternate Demon Towers, searching for anything that Jonathan may've missed, some hidden portal, some chance to escape hell... and it looked like Simon, that useless mundane, had found a way out.
Jace, Alec, Izzy, Clary, Luke, Jocelyn, Jonathan and Magnus, barely strong enough, but just about capable, followed Simon through a labrinth of tunnels and into a deep, hidden part of the Guard.
When they stopped at the intersection, a tall, thin man, entirely cloaked in black, his face, hidden.
"Magnus," the man said, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to call for me."

"Magnus?" Alec looked at him, eyes full of question, "who is he?"
"Asmodeus," Magnus didn't meet Alec's gaze.
"And how do you know the Prince of Hell?"
"Isn't it... kind of obvious?" Simon added, "just like a movie, the good guy is closely related to the big villain."
"He's your father?"
"You didn't even tell him?" Asmodeus looked amused, "you were always my favorite Magnus, that's probably why I kept you alive, although the others, they were all expendable, and they'd simply outlived their usefulness."
"Why did you call for him?" Alec cast a questioning glance towards Magnus.
"That's just it, I didn't, nor would I."
"That may just be my fault,"

Jonathan turned to the Prince, "your a strong, powerful demon,"
"Yes What of it?"
"So you could get us out of here, open a portal." Not a question.
"Why would I do that for some petty Shadowhunters? Maybe for the ones with demon blood, the warlock and the fledgling, maybe the lycanthrope"
He could see that he wasn't going to get anywhere by asking nicely, but maybe a deal?
"What about, if you kept me, and let the others go?
"What fun would that be? One more little play thing, when I could have many more."
"But I've done a lot of bad things, more than the rest,"
"That's true, but still not quite enough."
"Take me, I've had more than my fair share of years" Magnus offered his immortality.
"Yes! That would be sufficient, the perfect amount to suffering, and happy memories, spread over three centuries!
"No, no, no!" Alec protested, "your years will catch up. You'll die Magnus!
"I know, but I don't want to see a day without all of you anyway, this will stop that, and I've had centuries to live, it gets boring after a while,"
"But what about what I want? I don't want to live a day that your not in, I don't want to have to wake up every morning and not have you there Magnus! What will I do without you?"
"Keep going," Asmodeus was feeding off of the anger and longing given by all.
"What about taking my immortality? I'd be human again then, right? I wouldn't have to drink blood? I could eat, normal food?"
"Okay, that would be better than one mind, you've surely killed... but you've also got a lot of happy memories, with you... friends."
"No Simon, he'll take your memories of us, you won't know who we are, you won't remember Clary... or me." Isabelle looked panicked, Jonathan felt out of place in this, he didn't know any of them, not even his own mother.
"Yes, that's your chance, take it, and leave hell. Leave it, and I just... play with all of you."
"We'll take it." Simon risked himself, and Jonathan felt guilty, for being the one that got them into this mess in the first place.

Isabelle rushed over to Simon, her eyes puffy, Simon, trying his best to show emotion in his state of lifelessness, although he was dead, no one had ever seemed so alive, so full of love and acceptance, and Asmodeus was about to take him away, from all of them.

Simon felt weird. He was with the band, they were writing lyrics, but he had a... gap for the past few months, it seemed like a blur, no recollection of what happened, just gigs with the band and writing lyrics, nothing memorable or significant, although, there had to be. Right?