Belly of the Beast (COMPLETED)

26

When I arrive at Rhea's and Annabeth's house, I see that the door is wide open. I run in and look around for them, but I don't see any sign of them, and I don't sense them at all, either.

So I go back to my house, get all my summoning ingredients, and go to work.

.....

I have the symbols drawn out now, and then I stand in the middle of my bedroom, and watch as the demon is summoned. Originally, it was going to be the one that killed Shane that I summoned so I could kill it. But now I am summoning Azriephel, as I had a feeling about him, and for some reason, I cannot see how I am connected to him, so I don't know.

"What? Where am I?" he asks as he appears.

"Hello, Azriephel," I say. "I'm Eliza Warren, and I  -"

"I know you!" he exclaims excitedly. "You are the girl who Melisande was taunting. The one who she sent the Wild Hunt after."

"Oh, so that's who did that."

He nods. "I'd be honored, if I were you, you know. She never goes through this for a nobody."

I laugh. "Yep, I'm blessed."

He smiles. "Don't know I'd say that, but ..."

I grin. "So, what happened to my friends?"

"Ah," he says. "Humans, I assume?"

"One is. The other is like me."

He sighs. "Typically, it's illegal for particular humans to be forced to participate, but ... I think she's found a way around that." He looks at me. "I will be found, by the way. And they can magically trace me back to you,  but they won't be torturing the truth from me ... I've had too much experience with that. It's simply not effective anymore. But anyways, I think your friends are participating in the Wild Hunt."

"Oh, great," I say.

He nods. "I wondered how they'd put something in it for you. Now I know."

"Yep.  Well, how about you help me win this thing?"

"Eliza, I'm a slave. I'm a Fallen, I'm not good news. You don't want to work with me."

"But you're all I've got," I say. "Aside from Vanessa, but something tells me she is in there, too." I sigh. "Please help me, Azriephel. If you do, I will try and help you out of your situation. I don't know how,  but I will."

"You really mean that?" he asks. "You don't know what saving me could entail."

"I don't care. I'm making this promise to you now. If you help me, I'll help you."

He nods. "Okay. So, I guess now would be a good time to ask you what you are going to do to help yourself out. And what can I do?"

"I'm going to have you distract the Demon Queen, and then I am going to get my friends out. You just keep her attention on you, for as long as you can. Okay?"

He nods, but there's a twitch to his jaw. "I think I can manage."

"Really? 'Cause if I'm asking you to do something that would make you incredibly uncomfortable, then we could think of something else."

"Isn't that a bit selfish?"

"No."

"It is," he says. "Fine. We will try that. But plan B is going to be me winging it."

I smile at him. "Seems good to me."

He smiles back. "You really have a lot of faith in this plan?"

"No  -   I have a lot of faith in you."