From Night On: Sacred Grounds

Chapters 23-24

Chapter 23:

The True Past

No other words were needed. Terry picked up Shei and Mike and rushed out of the cavern, running all the way back to the hotel where their pilot awaited. Once they were all steady on their feet, Terry turned to Mike, who was still being controlled by Lucifer.

"I feel so safe in your arms," Lucifer playfully swooned. "I'll make sure to let Lenore know how lucky she was."

That was a button that begged Terry to strike him, but it was his father who would take the hit, not the puppeteer. "You have Lenore? Where is she?!?" Terry roared.

"I have her tucked away in a safe place," Lucifer grinned. "What, you don't think I would have a backup plan? What if you didn't believe me when I said I had her? Your loved ones are becoming the new collectibles." He then looked toward Shei, "Like Beanie Babies. No, no, like Pogs. I love slamming some Pogs."

Terry's stress and frustration was obvious to everyone in around. He huffed and put his hands on his hips just like his father when he was stressed and trying to hold back his anger. "Oh, don't be like that, babe," Lucifer tried to coddle him. "I thought you'd like knowing how I can be helpful. Wasn't my demonstration appreciated? Now you know that I can be of service the next time Satty comes a knocking."

"Who is Satty?" Shei asked, giving Terry some respite from conversing with the cave troll. "How do you know him?"

"Oh, I don't know HIM," Lucifer said as he continued along to the hotel room where the pilot was waiting. "I know the entity possessing him. 'Satty' is just my loving name for Saturn."

"You mean the Greek god, Saturn?" Shei asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Saturn is Roman, deary," Lucifer winked at her. "Cronus is his Greek name, but, yes, that one." They entered the room to find the pilot sipping a coffee and watching a documentary on the television. "Do we want to include him in the conversation?" Lucifer asked.

"Oh, god, no!" Terry looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm surprised he's still here!"

"Then why are we standing in his room?" Lucifer asked as he marched back out.

They followed, Shei taking a glance at the documentary about tropical birds, and walked to their room. "Saturn is a devouror," Lucifer explained. "He's had his good moments. He did rule over the Golden Age until he lost his marbles, but who doesn't love to see a hero fall?"

"He was a hero?" Terry asked. "What happened to him?"

Lucifer sighed and plopped down on a chair next to the window. "We have no idea, babe. All we know is that he started eating everything, including his own children. Some say that he was fighting against a prophecy, but I hadn't heard of anything. Something got in his head and he's never been the same."

"What was the prophecy?" Shei asked.

"Something about being killed," he answered. "It was all very Oedipal in the myths: a child of his was supposed to overthrow him and kill him off."

"That doesn't explain," Terry added, "why he's all about gluttony now. Isn't that your thing?"

Mike's eyes rolled back and around through the possession, frightening Shei and Terry, but Lucifer just huffed like a teenager, "I wish people would stop blaming me for that! It's not even a thing. It was thought up in the fourth century by some board monk who was thinking of better ways to claim people were damned and needing saving."