Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Mammon awoke in the middle of the night, the heart of his host racing. He lurched forward and grasped his chest as he fought to remain in control of himself. His eyes were wide and his face was covered in sweat. He looked around the room for a second. There was no one else in the room. Slowly, the Demon regained control of his motor functions and reclined in his bed. It was troublesome.

Why had he woken up from such a blissful slumber?

He had been in the middle of a wonderful dream! Astaroth was at his side, making sweet passionate love with him. They had gone on and gone long into the night and well into the next morning. They were just about to start their fourteenth round when he woke up. And he absolutely despised it. There had to be a reason for him waking up in the middle of the night. He normally didn't wake until he was needed to.

Speaking of Astaroth, he made the mental note to contact his wife. Then he smiled merrily and held in the urge to chuckle. The Royal of Sloth and the Royal of Greed had married one another during the middle of the winter solstice under the watchful eye of Satan himself. All of the other Demon's had gaped in surprise but the truth was laid bare in front of them. The new power couple of the Underworld were official.

They had initially hated each other. It was clear to anyone that the Sloth despised his personality. Not that that was much to say as the Demon hated the rest of his own kind and simply desired to play his (her) video games in peace. But over the course of Satan's plan, Greed had slowly found himself smitten with the younger Demon and looked for ways to court him. Not a single plan was worthy enough. At least not one that the other Royal couldn't see through easily.

Mammon was stubborn if nothing else.

He had slowly started to come around more often. Getting the Demon used to seeing him more and more. Then he had placed Sloth under his protection. Whenever one of the Exorcist's had come to assault Astaroth, Mammon had been there to serve as the wayward guardian. And slowly Sloth had shown his appreciation. Astaroth was keen on not returning to the Underworld. Greed capitalized on that desire.

In the eve of the final battle, he had confessed his inner emotions.

And Sloth had surprisingly felt the same. In his own, lazy manner.

Mammon had fought much harder than he normally would have. But it was not enough. The Exorcist faction had succeeded in the end. The Royal Demons were banished to Hell from whence they came. None of them were particularly bummed out by the idea. In the eyes of Satan, s**t happens. There was more than enough time in the world to restart his plan of global conquest. And two of his own personal servants had come together in the aftermath. He was positively gleaming at the concept of surrogate grandchildren.

He was firm in the belief that the next generation would surpass the last. Which meant that any child of Greed and Sloth was going to end up a terrifying powerhouse that could rival his oldest son. Of course, the reverse held true. The child of Pride would no doubt surpass even him in strength. He would only come out on top because of his immeasurable experience on the battlefield. Satan had mildly joked after the wedding that he would have to step down at some point in the future.

At any rate, Sloth had moved into the new palace of Greed the following month. Greed wished to protect his newlywed spouse and refused to allow any other alternative, even going so far as to remake the palace to suit the woman. And that was another curveball! Somewhere along the way, Mammon had convinced Astaroth to change to a female form the likes of which may even rival Lust. Asmodeus had squealed at the idea of "girl time" with Sloth.

Time went.

Time came.

Greed returned to Earth with the task of setting forth the global conquest once more. The rest of the Royal Demons would return in time but he was the first due to his temporary position as Royal of Greed and Sloth. Astaroth was pregnant with their first child and refused to participate. Greed had quickly silenced any misgivings the rest of the Underworld had in Astaroth doing such.

His first step had involved taking over Nintendo. He used his domains to corrupt any that proved a faithful follower to the company. Forcing them to indulge in Greed by wasting money on video games and Sloth in never leaving the house, solely to play said video games. It was quite the effective move in theory. Almost a tenth of the Earth's population no longer left the safety of their houses. Much less than he would've liked.

And here he was, a month after announcing himself as the new CEO.

Truthfully, he missed his wife.

He missed waking up in bed at her side. He missed the playful sex that they had. He missed the small things that she did around the palace to make him happy. He missed watching her play video games, curled up to his chest. He was half tempted to return to the Underworld just to see her. But that would involve taking a leave of absence that he couldn't afford at this crucial point in his plans. Greed would need to wait until Pride arrived. Lucifer would prove more than capable of running Nintendo in his stead.

Mammon could return to Hell afterwards and shower Astaroth with all the prototype video games that were in development. He laughed at the reaction he would receive and the no doubt... entertaining times that would soon follow.

The Demon rose from his bed and walked across his bedroom, taking post on his balcony. His eyes wandered over the London settlement below in quiet interest. He had chosen this place in particular to lay down his roots. It was the city of Greed. He was strongest here. Where the people could fuel him with their desire for more material possessions. The desire for more money. Whatever it was. He cared not.

He paused in the moment as the cellphone on his nightstand rung. The theme song for Mario Kart played and he rolled his eyes, making a note to flick his wife on the nose when he returned home. She was not allowed to screw with the phone! He had to listen to that song at least a thousand times and he was sick of it. Not that he would ever say that in front of her. He shuddered at the thought of being stuck in one of her mood swings.

Astaroth had torn of his wings the last time.

Greed pushed that thought aside and returned inside to answer the phone. He stopped cold the second he noticed the name on the screen, one that should have been impossible. This particular Human should have died at least half a century prior! Any ambition he had in him quickly died. He dropped the cellphone and raced to locate the scroll given to him by Satan. There was no time to question it. HE HAD TO RETURN TO HELL!

Laying on the floor untouched, a name in bold lettering was on the screen as it rung in the empty bedroom.

Brax.