Descending

by Sophia Florenza

  All four guys yell, "FUCK SERA!" to the ceiling at once. Who says group sex is terrible?

  After sleeping off the intense orgasm and my body's exhaustion, I get up and crawl out of bed. All four of my mates are still sleeping, so I have to crawl over a few bodies.

  My stomach rumbles, letting me know that I'm starving. FMC must have snuck in here when we were sleeping because she's snoring on the floor next to the bed. FMC definitely knows when sex is about to happen and ops to stay out of the room until we are finished.

  Walking out of my bedroom, I think up a vast breakfast buffet and a chef to make me a gourmet omelet. I grab a plate and go sit in the armchair. I guess the smell of food was enticing because all four guys stumble out of the bedroom, walking towards the buffet table. Once they get their food, they all join me around the coffee table.

  "Ready for a day of fun?" I ask them. They all look at me like I am insane. "What?" I ask innocently. "I didn't know I would you suck all of you boys dry last night," I tell them. The three Archangels and one human look as if they got hit by a bus and are still recovering.

  "I'll be right back," I tell them, done eating my food. I go back into my bathroom, brush my teeth, and think on beachwear. I'm in a bikini of solid blue that flatters my body shape, beach sandals on my feet, and sunglasses covering my eyes.

  Waltzing out of the bedroom, the guys look me up and down. I immediately think up surfer trunks in different colors for each of them. I hand each pair for the guys to put on. "You four need to get with the current fashion trends," I tell them.

  Wanting the day to be perfect, I focus my attention on Raph. "Raph, please raise the temperature of the room to warm, including the water temperature. And also make somewhat big waves crash onto the sand. I want to try surfing today," I ask him.

  I know I can change the settings of the room anytime I want, but I don't want to counter command the highest-ranking Archangel in the group. Like I said, more with honey.

  "As you wish," Raph says to me. I walk over to the training room door, my sandals making clicking noises on the blue marble. I open the door, and warm air hits me.

  I hear the crashing of waves in the distance. I walk through the doorway, and the heat washes over my body, instantaneously warming me up. I've never realized how cold it is in the living room and my bedroom. Raph is very detailed oriented and keeps me training when I don't know it.

  I walk down the beach, getting closer to the crashing waves. I think of a large beach blanket and umbrella to give me some shade. I then conjure up a surfboard.

  "What the hell is that?" I hear Raph ask from behind me. I look over and —Damn! The guys look like models in their board shorts. Finely sculpted chest and ab muscles. The shorts resting right below their hip bones, where the defining line of their lower abs start and head down. If I weren't sore, I would be "riding" them right now!

  "It's a surfboard. It will allow me to ride the waves," I explain to the group. I know that G and Virgil have seen surfboards since they have been up to Earth. But Red and Raph stare at the board, not knowing what to make of it. "I don't know how to surf," I tell the group. "But I've always wanted to learn. I hope that by watching me, you and Red will get the idea of how it works," I tell Raph.

  I wrap the surfboard leash around my ankle. Picking up the surfboard like it weighs nothing, I walk into the ocean. The water is nice and warm! I know surfing is not an easy sport, but I hope that the number of surfing movies I've seen will give me an edge.

  Beating the new breaking waves, I can jump on the board and paddle out to where I can watch and time the cresting waves. I know I have to paddle back towards shore just as the wave crests and stand up on the board as the wave breaks. Here goes nothing!

  I turn the front of the board back towards shore, and I see my four mates watching and waiting to see what and how I do. I start paddling the board when I look at a swell coming in, and I take my time paddling, knowing that I am now inhumanly stronger.

  I have no problems keeping pace before the swell, feeling the momentum of the board being pushed faster, the water rising and starting to crest behind me. I stand up what I think is at the perfect time, and the board wobbles, tossing me into the crashing wave.

  I come up to the surface sputtering. Grabbing the bobbing surfboard, I jump on and paddle out to sea again. This time my mates join me. It takes me a couple of hours to figure out how to stand on the surfboard. But when I finally stand, it is the best rush I could ever imagine. No wonder why people get hooked on surfing!

  The guys turn out to be naturals. Took them no less than two tries to figure out how to stand and balance on the surface board. While I'm struggling to figure out how to stand on the board, they are riding the waves like goddamn surf pros. So unfair!

  When I start feeling hungry, I paddle back towards the shore, walk into the beach towards the umbrella and blanket. I think of a cold sandwich and a water bottle with ice and water. I'm watching the guys have a blast out on the ocean, none of them noticing that I'm back on the beach.

  After I'm done eating, I think up a volleyball net and a volleyball. I did promise Red that I would show him how to play. "Guy's!" I yell, trying to get my voice to breach the sound of the crashing waves. "Anyone up for a game of volleyball?" I call out.

  "NO!" the guys reply. Great!

  I went back to the beach blanket and lay down. Deciding on taking a short rest instead, I let myself doze for a couple of hours. The warm air and the sounds of waves crashing lulls me to sleep.

  When I come to, I slowly sit up and see that the guys are still surfing. I've also noticed that they came in for a quick bite to eat, leaving crumbs of food all around and on me. What the hell?

  I was in a good mood when I woke up. Until I noticed the ketchup and mustard stains on my bikini top and bottom. Did they use me like a fucking table? Now I'm pissed.

  Standing up, with a cold fury washing over me. I decided to see if I can make a storm without any of the guys being aware of the attempt.

  Like yesterday, I find the atoms that create water in the air, way above the guys' heads, and create a water molecule. Except for this time, I use that one water molecule as a magnet. Pulling all in all the atoms that are naturally attracted to water.

  A cloud quickly forms and fills, and because I'm pissed that I was used a lunch table, I let the clouds break and build into more swirling clouds. The water crashing into the shore is now becoming increasingly more significant due to the wind picking up, and the never-ending sunlight is now dimmed by the clouds.

  The guys stop surfing and look up, seeing that the sunlight is entirely blocked by a giant storm cloud, that is about to unleash hell on them. Then Raph looks at me, studying me, and knowing that I just created my first storm. A look of pride crosses his features. And that's when I let the cloud overhead dump the cold bucket of rain on them.

  One of the guys grabs Virgil, and the three Archangels slip into the stream and are at my side in a second. "What the hell is your problems Sera?" G asks me, sounding annoyed that I interrupted his fun.

  "Oh! I don't know, G?" I bitchily reply. "Maybe being used as a goddamn lunch table while I was taking a nap would piss any normal person off! Who's the asshole who got ketchup and mustard all over my bikini?" I snarl.

  "Touché," G mutters.

  I shake my head in disbelief at the four of them. No one bothers to look me in the eye, which infuriates me more! Looking up at the cloud, I decided to see what would happen if I quickly rip the water molecules apart. When I perform my first tear, lightning flashes, and the thunder rolls. Cool!

  On my second try, I rip the molecules all the way down to the ocean, causing a considerable streak of lighting to hit the water and blinding me at the same time. The power of the lightning strike causes all of us to fall down. The smell of ozone permeates the area. "Too much," I mutter.

  But then I feel it. The door's energy. I look towards the ocean and see the entrance to the Third Circle. Standing solitary in a now cal
m sea. The temperature dropped dramatically down, but not to where I was training. "I guess it's time for us to go," I say quietly.

  I stand up and head back towards my bedroom. I need to grab Cal and FMC.

  Chapter Six: The Greed is Good Circle

  I'm back on the beach, fully dressed in the clothing that will help me stay warm and will also let me freely move around if I need to fight. Cal is strapped onto my back, and FMC is sitting beside me. She knows what's going on.

  My backpack is fully restocked, compliments of Raph and G. Raph knows the next circle, and G knows the new age equipment we can use to help us through the next Circle.

  The three Archangels and Virgil are dressed in warmer tactical gear and ready to go. When I step into the ocean, the water parts. Like when the Red Sea parted for Moses. I walk towards the door, not realizing how massive it is until I can touch the handle.

  Turning to the guys, "Ready for the childish saying that Lucifer puts on his doors?" I ask. Virgil, G, and Red all snort and shake their heads in amusement while Raph looks at them in confusion. "You'll see Raph," I tell him.

  I touch the handle, and right on cue, a saying appears. "You Can Pick Your Friends. And You Can Pick Your Nose. But You Cannot Pick Your Friends Nose." Whatever.

  "You've got to be fucking kidding me," Raph says after reading the saying on the door.

  "Nope," I tell him. "Lucifer's words of wisdom to us. Let's go."

  I open the door, and like when we went through the door going from the First to the Second Circle, all I see is pitch blackness. "I'll take Sera with me," Raph commands. "G takes Virgil, and Red is the lookout." I don't argue with Raph's tactical choices. He has more military experience concerning Lucifer and his crap than I would ever have.

  "Wait! What about FMC? I want her with us," I tell Raph.

  He smiles at me, "She's a Hellhound. She knows how to travel the Circles. She'll meet us down there," Raph assures me.

  Calling FMC over to me, I give one of her six ears a scratch. "There's more from where that came from when I see you down there. Okay, girl?" I am not above bribing a Hellhound.

  FMC's middle head snorts and gives me a small lick. When I say small, I mean my whole face gets licked by the ginormous tongue. Oh well. At least my entire body is not covered in slobber.

  When FMC lopes away from us, I quickly wipe the doggy slobber off my face with the baby wipes I conjure. After hearing chuckles from the guys, Raph puts his arm around my waist, bringing me next to his body.

  We both step to the entrance of the doorway, stopping at the edge. I look up to Raph, and he looks down at me. I give him a small grin, and Raph kisses me on the cheek. We both jump into the blackness together.

  Unlike the last jump I did with Red, the light of the open door quickly falls sideways. "I REALLY hate Lucifer's mindfucks," I tell Raph when I get adjusted to the momentum of us falling.

  "You didn't have to deal with it for the millennia before The Fall," Raph dryly states.

  "Must have been hell," I joke. Raph starts laughing out loud. The sound is full of merriment.

  "She must have said something hilarious to make Raphael laugh like that," Red says from somewhere in the dark.

  "I hope she's not making jokes on our account," says Virgil.

  "No," a familiar male bitchy voice from the blackness states. "She's making a joke on my account." Lucifer!

  "Only stating the obvious Lucifer," I snidely say to the darkness. There is no response. "What? No immature remark?" I goad the night. BAM! Ouuuccchhhh!

  We hit the ground hard. Usually, the drops between the Circles are long. This drop is extremely short. I hear the thumps of bodies hitting the ground around Raph and I. Then there is maniacal laughter surrounding us. That motherfucker!

  "Fucking hilarious, Lucifer!" Raph yells into the blackness "I also thought it was hilarious when I beat the shit out of you when we were fledgling archangels. Want to spar again? Maybe I'll take off your head off this time around!"

  The laughter doesn't stop but becomes louder and more hysterical. I am even hearing Lucifer snorting from laughing so hard. Insane is definitely not the word I would use to describe Lucifer's mental state.

  "Raphael," Lucifer mocks from the darkness. "You were always such an uptight asshole. No wonder it was incredibly easy to manipulate you. Playing on your ego when the Egyptians and then the Greeks worshipped you like a deity. You never knew when to stop taking things to the extreme. None of your Archangels do. That's why she is here. To balance you fuckers out. But I feel bad that she nearly dies or does die in the process of saving you tools."

  "Lucifer!" I yell. "It is none of your damn business on how I save someone. As long as they are saved. Stop trying to manipulate us! Let us through Hell so I can explain to you that there is something big heading our way and we are wasting time!", I plead to the voice in the dark.

  "No! I'm going to have my fun watching you fight and fuck your mates through Hell!" Lucifer retorts. What a fucking perv!

  "Let there be light!" Lucifer yells, and the lights are on.

  My eyes take a minute to adjust to the new brightness. As soon as I am able, I look around in surprise. We are standing in the middle of Wall Street in New York City!

  Except the buildings and streets are made out of pure gold, reflecting the never-ending sunlight. But it's cold here. Cold to where I can see my breath.

  And the street has no end. Keeps on going in a straight line in either direction. The buildings are so close together that no other avenues are heading in different directions. Huh?

  And I see millions of souls fighting each other by pushing large shopping carts filled with worldly goods like money or gold at each other. Except it looks as if the fighters are paired only to fight each other. The one pushes the heavy cart at the other, and then the other doesn't push the cart back. Causing a physical fight until the one who initially pushed the cart gets the cart back. And then the whole sequence of events happens again.

  "What's going on, Virgil?" I ask. "Why does the one soul keep pushing the cart to the soul they know won't give it back?" I look at Virgil, the confusion clearly on my face.

  "In life, the soul who is pushing the cart was a spendthrift. Always buying and purchasing material wealth. Never give out of charity or kindness. The souls that refuse to give the cart up are your hoarders and misers. Keeping their wealth for themselves. Never wanting to depart from their money or possession. No matter how much suffering is around them. So now both types of souls have to fight each other. Each representing the opposite sides of the greed spectrum for eternity," Virgil finishes.

  "How do we get out of here?" is my next question.

  "We need to find Pluto. He's the one who lords over the souls of greed in this Circle," Virgil answers.

  I feel out to find either the distinct Archangel energy signature or door energy signature. When I do find the energy signatures, I also feel a third energy signature in the same area. "I found the energy signatures plus FMC," I tell the guys while pointing in a direction that goes straight into a building.

  I walk up to the building, but I never reach the front stoop of the building. It's like the building keeps moving back. Weird?

  I frown and turn my head towards G. "G, did you pack a ball?" I ask him. "Yes, I did, Sera," G says, knowing where I am going with my question.

  G steps right behind me and rummages through my pack. When he finds what he's looking for, G steps around me and places a tennis ball in my hand. I smile up at him and give a kiss on the mouth. "Thank you!" I tell him sweetly.

  G smiles back at me, quickly hiding his worry. I know that there is something still bothering him and has been bothering him since I've met him. But I need to wait until he fully trusts me.

  Refocusing my attention to the task at hand, I put the tennis ball down on the pavement and very gently push. Watching to see which way the ball rolls so we can all walk "down" towards the Center of the Circle.

  The ball rolls in a swift, ve
ry diagonal direction. There is no way I am going to catch that ball. Hopefully, it reaches FMC, so she has something to play with while waiting for us.

  "You care about that mutt too much, Sera," Red huffs.

  "She's my puppy," I merely state. We start walking in the direction of the lost tennis ball. Suddenly a loud siren is blasting all around. All the souls look around in a panic, fighting harder over the carts. The siren sounds ominous, yet these greedy bastards do not want to give up their worldly goods!

  I'm watching in disgust until I feel the rumbling beneath my feet. And the rumbling is getting stronger. I pull Cal out. 'What is that rumbling?' I ask the sword in my head.

  'Leprechauns,' replies Cal.

  "Why are Leprechauns in Hell," I ask out loud. The Archangels and Virgil go ashen white. "Am I missing something?" I ask, trying to keep calm.

  G looks around him and quickly answers, "A Leprechaun's touch turns anything into a sheet of gold. The gold then becomes part of the mythical 'pot of gold' humans use to tell legends about."

  "Like the myth of King Midas's touch?!" I exclaim incredulously? "Wait? Are you telling me that we are now standing in the Leprechauns' pot of gold right now?" I ask G.

  "Yes, and we should start running! The Leprechauns are greedy fuckers and will touch anything that is not gold to turn into gold," he says while slipping into the stream with Virgil strung over his back in a fireman's carry.

  I slip into the stream, trying to follow the Archangels. But there are too many souls in this Circle to stay in the stream for long. All of us are "accidentally" pushed or shoved out the stream constantly and takes energy to start back into the stream.

  I feel the vibrations getting stronger and closer. I'm beginning to hear thousands of screaming souls from behind me. Fuck it, I need to fly!

  "Sera, you are not strong enough to fly yet!" Raph yells at me.

  "Watch me!" I yell back. I unfurl my wings and using the energy to slip me into the stream, I launch my body into the air. I call on my air energy to give me some wind to help lift me higher and glide me in the direction I watched the ball roll.