Crossroads (Arsen/ Djinn)

He'd been thinking about this for days, and the whole Professor Smith thing had made up his mind. The more he knew about himself the easier it would be to take people like him down. So there he was stood in the middle of a crossroads trying to pull his father through to the mortal world. He just hoped he was making the right decision.

He buried the box containing everything needed to summon a demon, including a picture of himself. For minutes he just stood there alone waiting until a sound behind him made him turn around. "Well what can i do for you cutie?" Asked a woman with bright yellow eyes. "Oh! I know who you are." She smirked.

"I wish to speak to my father." He said ignoring her previous comment, he wasn't interested in talking with a demon, his father was a must, she was just getting in the way.

"Oh missing daddy are we?" She pouted moving to stand closer to Arsen, but he wasn't going to back off. He refused to be scared around her.

"Just get me my father." He growled.

"Tut tut touchy little one aren't you." He smiled taking hold of Arsens chin so he had no choice but to look at her beauty.

The crossroads demon was yanked abruptly backwards and hurled into the night.

"Hands off, bitch," Djinn snarled, his tone far too deep for a moral throat. He strode up to his son, taking a moment to survey the boy. By this point, the other demon was at his side, fuming.

"He came to me!" she snapped at him. "It is my right to -" Her voice cut off suddenly and her eyes widened in panic, both hands coming up to her throat.

"I couldn't care less about your rights," Djinn growled at her. "You've forgotten your place, mortal-born. Perhaps, I should personally see to your re-education."

Bringing her hands back down to side, the she-demon took a hasty step back and vanished.

Djinn sneered after her. "Jasmin. Never was a favorite of mine," he explained. "Next time, just use the pendant to call me, by the way. Saves wasting time with hell bimbos. I'll answer to Djinn.

"Which brings us to the topic at hand." A smirk curved Djinn's lips. "What can I do for you this fine evening?"

He watched silently as both demons fought with each other, his father obviously having the upper hand. Weirdly it felt good that his father was one of the stronger demons but it also meant the punishments for him would be worse. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked to the spot where the female demon had disappeared.

He nodded, he'd forgotten about the pendent but even if he had remembered it he would never have thought he could summon his father with it. He frowned at the grin he saw from the corner of his eye, but he wasn't about to go back, not now. He was sure his father would kill him if he summoned him for no reason.

"I want your help." He said simply, hoping he knew what he meant because he didn't want to explain himself.

Djinn's smirk broadened. A chuckle escaped his lips, and then he started laughing.

"So, sorry," the demon said, wiping away a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye. "I just thought you said you wanted my help. Since you've done so fine without me all this time, I'm sure I must have heard you wrong."

He gritted his teeth as he laughed, he was so annoyed that even his hands began to flame up and it took all his effort not to turn around and leave. "You didn't and i have been fine all this time but now i want to expand my powers. I want to know exactly what i can and can't do." He said his hands now back to normal now that he had cooled down a little.

"People think im a monster now so i want to show them what i can really do. Thats what you want right? Someone to do your dirty work on earth?" He asked.

Djinn regarded the boy's loss of coolness with thinly veiled amusement. He really was in a good mood today.

"You have been getting by," the demon corrected. "I can't say that I'm surprised that you've been expelled from your delusions of normalcy, though, I did expect it to take a while longer. You're stubborn, just like me. 'People' will never wholly understand you, Arsen. You're better than them. More. They will always fear that, but there is no shame is possessing power beyond that of weak mortals."

He silently regarded the boy for a moment, to all appearances, sizing him up. "Only some of it," Djinn told the boy. "Some of it, I like to do myself.

"I will teach you. Though, I strongly suggest you remember to keep the attitude toned down. I'm not always warm and fuzzy, you know.

"So. What would you like to know first?"

He knew all that, that was exactly why he wanted to do this. He wanted to show the humans exactly where he belonged, he was not some mutt waiting to be put down, he was a demon and he wanted the respect he deserved even if he did have to scare a few to get it.

"I know that now, i want to embrace who i am. I don't want to be human anymore, they are idiots and think they are better than everyone else. But we know better right? We're better than them, they are weak emotional beings and i dont want to be a part of that. I want to be strong... like a demon.

He nodded but he couldn't help himself most of the time, he suspected he got that from him. "Okay." He said before thinking of the questions he needed answers to.

"What is it exactly do you want me to do? And what can i do? What are my limits? Is there a way i can control my temper? Or is it a demon thing and there nothing i can do about it?" He asked getting the first few questions off his mind.

Djinn smirked to himself. That's my boy, he thought.

"I want to establish a power base here on earth," Djinn elected to tell the boy. "Due to certain... circumstances, I am unable to act as freely as I should like. That's where you come in. We'll start off with small things, at first - eliminating pests, nurturing suitable pawns. You will act as my emissary.

"As for your limits... well, that's difficult to say, though, you should be capable of nearly everything that I am, to one degree or another. That is something we will have to assess later.

"Regarding your temper," said Djinn, then gave a short chuckle. "Well, you'll always be a bit hot-headed, but if some amount of control wasn't possible, London wouldn't be standing, right now." The demon was referring to the terror he had wrought upon said city following their previous meeting.

He smiled. "I can do that. Humans are suckers for a good sob story." He smiled it was laughable at how easy humans were willing to believe you and fall for your lives. "And i seem to crave killing people more and more on a daily basis so you dont have to worry about the human in me weakening my gifts because i wont let it." He'd become less human in a small amount of time, he couldn't care less about peoples feelings anymore. Now he just wanted to stay on his fathers good side because he would be the one to take him places.

"So i just have to wait and see?" He said he was already doing that but he couldn't really blame his father for not knowing because no one had ever done this before. "So you're saying this is as good as i can get when it comes to controlling my anger?" He asked, that really hadn't come as much of a shock because he knew deep down there was nothing he could do about it. Not that he would now anyway.

"Why my mother?" He asked, he didn't know if he knew what he was talking about but he was curious.

"You will do well," Djinn stated confidently. One way or another...

"It seems demons weren't created to have pleasant temperaments," he said wryly. "You may find yourself better capable of temper control than I am, but I imagine it shall always be there, just beneath the surface."

Djinn seriously considered the inquiry for a moment.

"Because she was a looker," he quipped lasciviously, then added seriously, "but mostly because she possessed untapped potential. That made her more suitable than others."

He smiled at his fathers confidence in him, he wanted to please him now. He wanted to become like him one day because he wanted the power that radiated off his father, he craved it more than his old stupid wishes to be more human.

He nodded, he didn't expect demons to have control over their temper, they were after all creations of satan himself and he wasn't the most nicest of creatures. He expected his human side was the reason behind why had as much control over himself as he did and he wasn't sure whether he was grateful for that or not.

He knew it wasn't about looks, his father was just playing with him which was fine but he really wanted to know. "What kind of potential? She was a devoted christian thats not something you'd think a demon would like." He said.

"Christians." Djinn snorted. "Most Christians on this earth these days are about as close to being 'like Christ' as a gecko is to being a dragon.

"It was her magical potential, that which she left largely unused in the name of her faith," he explained. "Then, too, was her potential for hate and vengeance - left untapped because she chose to suppress all those ugly emotions, instead. Your mother could have been great in her own right, Arsen. Instead, she chose to deny herself, to make herself weak and vulnerable. So much strength left unharvested; it had to go somewhere, why not to her offspring?"

He growled. He hated christians, his life had been made hell up to two years ago because of them. He should make it his life mission to take down as many christians as he could but seeing as he couldn't enter holy grounds that meant no burning down of churches unless he could persuade some stupid human to do the job for him.

"Oh... that... i guess that makes sense." He said piecing it all together. He wasn't sure what he expected to hear but he didn't think it would have been that planned. I guess he always thought it had been an in the moment attack rather than one as carefully planned as that. "So... if you needed me to be your emissary, why leave me with people like them? They killed me and made my life hell. Why not raise me yourself? I could have been out there destroying cities by now if you had." He said, he was sure if he had been raised by his father then his human side wouldn't have developed as much as it had.

Djinn grew solemn, which wasn't really difficult for one of his temperament. "That," he said, "is perhaps best answered with a little story.

"When Lucifer was cast from the heavens, he took several of his brethren with him - fellow angels, now condemned to life in a fiery pit. Angels, however, aren't necessarily known for their free will," Djinn explained. "Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't piss off an angel if I were you, Fallen or otherwise. The point is that Satan wished to expand his power, and so he created the First Demons using the very elements which surrounded him. From them, all other demons were formed from the souls of those damned." His tone became something vaguely... reverent as he spoke.

"In the hierarchy of Hell, Satan is king. Beneath him are the Fallen, and under them, the First Ones followed by the mortal-born. Until recently - in Hell's terms, not earth's - there was one exception. One of the demon-born was put above even the Fallen. He who was created to be the most like Satan was second only to his creator.

"Then, rumors began, idle whispers rising from Hell's very foundation, and the Lord of Hell decided that he had given his creation - his son, if you will - too much free reign. And so he took it from him."

Djinn paused to roll his neck, a human affectation, and yet another one he didn't quite pull off. "When I chose to sire you, my master's paranoia reached an all-new level. I was placed on the racks meant for the damned to be punished for my actions, to be disillusioned of any thoughts of power.

"You see, Arsen, only mortals value ambition and initiative. More... intelligent lifeforms choose to nip it in the bud, rather than let it flourish."

His red eyes focused on the boy, studying him intently. "The only reason you were left at the mercies of such filth is because I was unable to claim you sooner," he spoke honestly. "Had I any choice, that would not have been the case."

He was slightly surprised at the announcement of a story but he listened all the same because any story from his father was interesting to him. He'd forgotten that Satan himself had once been an angel, it just seemed so weird thinking of him like that. He just couldn't imagine him to be under Gods power.

"Will i be at the bottom then? With all those damned souls?" He asked he liked to think he'd be higher up than that but he was still a stupid human after all and he began to hate his mother even more for weakening his blood. Why couldn't he have been a full demon? It would have made life so much easier and better than it was now.

"So you were like Satans right hand man?" He asked, that was pretty awesome if he did say so himself but he noted the was bit which confused him a little. "So you're not second in command anymore?" He asked, wondering what he'd done to deserve being demoted.

"So... so he was afraid of me working for you? But why? I can't do anything? He could kill me in seconds if he wanted, hell her could get Aspen to do it since he's so in love with working for the guy." He said, he couldn't understand why a man so powerful would be paranoid of him getting to know his father. "Thats why you hated me when we first met?" He asked not really caring for an answer because he already knew it.

He nodded, he understood now. All those years of hating his father for leaving him with those monsters vanished, because he now knew he had no choice so it wasn't his fault. "Its okay i just wish i got the chance to kill them myself before the muggles got them." He frowned.

Djinn gave a minute smile. "You will never be at the bottom," he stated. "You may be half-human, but you are still demon-born. That puts you above the other riffraff. Properly trained, filth like Jasmin would be no match for you - and don't think she and all the other deal-makers don't know it. What they wouldn't give to get their claws into you... For now, you will have to exercise a bit of caution.

"I'm sure you must have heard this story, once before," the demon stated, "Lucifer aspired to be like God, to sit upon God's thrown. Mutiny. Apparently even Satan himself believes in the concept of 'like father, like son.'

"You're right. He could kill you, easily. But not unlike myself, Satan's ability to act on this world is limited. Furthermore, he has no proof that I hold any designs against him, just the fact that I broke one rule: Demons are not allowed to procreate, least of all, with mortals."

The demon drew in a breath. "Let's just say, I don't always direct my anger properly. Nasty habit - doubt I'll ever fully break it. Furthermore, I'd only just regained my freedom. I was unusually tetchy that night. But, yes. That is the reason."

A smirk formed across his face. "If it's any consolation," he said smugly, "Argos Barela suffers every moment of every day."

He smiled, slightly relieved that he wasn't going to be bottom of the food chain and if it meant he was higher up than those deal makers he was very happy. "Awesome, i don't like those deal makers they scam you out of your life. Only a human would be stupid enough to fall for that." He said, he wouldn't sell his soul to anyone, especially not some demon he'd just met.

He raised an eyebrow. "So... Jasmine and those like her want my soul? Or do they want to kill me?" He asked both were the same thing really because they both resulted in his death one was just quicker than the other. "Don't worry i wont be going anywhere near another crossroads. I'll just stick to the pendent its a lot safer." He said patting his chest where the pendent lay.

He nodded, he'd heard it plenty of times from his step father and friends he'd just forgotten it after having not heard it for two years. "So he believes you will try and take over him like he tried to take over God?" He asked, it seemed a little far fetched but possible after all they do say people feel paranoid about the things they've done happening to them in return.

"Oh so he couldn't personally kill me whilst in this world?" He asked because that would help him relax a little knowing he was going to be tortured to death for just living. "But why can't you procreate? Is it so you can't create an army to over throw him or something?" He asked thinking that was probably the main reason.

He nodded. "I know i have the same problem, i figured i got it from you and i was right." He said he was angry all the time now a days. He smiled as he thought of his step father in pain. "How? I want to know exactly how he's suffering so i can imagine it more clearly since i can't see it."

"They want for you to no longer be a threat to them," Djinn informed the boy, adding with what may have been a touch of pride, "Already, they fear you."

Djinn spread his hands. "So, they say. We're not exactly as... chatty as we used to be. Personally, the old man has a bolt of two loose," he declared, tapping his own temple.

"That is correct, but as you mentioned, your uncle isn't trustworthy. Frankly, if I didn't think it'd cause an unnecessary stink, I'd scorch the bastard and be done with it. I'm not really a fan.

"Mostly, I think it's a throw-over from his harp-playing days," Djinn opined. "Angels aren't supposed to procreate, either. Then, there's some nonsense about mortals not to be entrusted with our powers. Yadda, yadda... Unofficially, however, I think you're right. After all, Satan only truly has a foothold in Hell alone. Someone with a power base in both, however... Well, such an entity might well be able to overthrow him."

A truly - well, devilish - grin overtook his features. "He hangs eternally suspended in the air on red-hot hooks - never in the same place, of course. Can't have him growing accustomed the agony. And every day the flesh is peeled from his bones, strip by strip. He screams, of course. Screams until his throat is bloody and raw - long after he's even capable of emitting a single sound. Throughout the course of a single day, he is slowly torn to tiny bits - and he conscious for every second.

"And at the end of it all, his flesh is restored," Djinn stated, his tone suggesting it was a happy ending. "And the whole process starts again."

He smiled as his eyes lit up with happiness, demons feared him. Now he wished he hadn't been such an idiot for most of his life and wished this amazing gift away, it felt great to be feared. It gave him power and he was loving every single minute of it. "Demons fear me?" He smirked. "I'll remember that when one tried to push me around again. I'll send them right back to hell, begging for mercy... wait can demons burn?" He asked not entirely sure if that was possible.

He smirked at his words, his uncle had often been a source of annoyance to him, what with him using him as bait all the time but he had been good to him for the past three years. He smiled, "So together we could take down satan and run hell?" He asked, imagining all the possibilities. They could be great together, invincible.

His own face mirrored that of his fathers. "Good i hope he hates every single minute of it. Can you speak to him?" He asked. "I have a message id like to pass on." He said hoping he could, because he'd love to see his step fathers face after hearing what he had to say.

"So what happens now?" He asked. "What happens to me?"

Djinn chuckled. "Depends on the demon. The younger mortal-born, in particular, still find hellfire most unpleasant. Mostly, it's the matter of who possesses the greater power. Those with more power can wreak greater harm on those who don't. It's a simple enough concept.

"Together," Djinn said conspiratorially, placing a hand on Arsen's shoulder, "we can rule Hell on Earth. We can be invincible together, you and I. None shall be our equal." His red eyes gleamed.

"Well, he certainly doesn't enjoy it." He smirked. "Why, yes. I spoke to him just this evening while I was taking a turn at torturing him. What message would you like sent to the late Argos Barela?"

He studied the boy a moment. "Now, we begin your training. But where to start? Hmm."

"But still any mortal born demon i can burn?" He smirked, next time he used the cross roads he was definitely going to show that female demon what he could do. No one laid a hand on him without permission and got away with it. "So i have greater power than mortal demons? That is awesome." He smirked maybe he could use that power over them to use them and create his own army here on earth.

He nodded. "Happens in the human world as well, those with power rise where as those without live in the gutters or sucking up to those with power to get their heads into society. Pretty pathetic really, did you know people class us as below humans? One man even said i should be put down like a rabid dog." He growled.

He smiled and held his hand out so that flames appeared in the palm of his hand. "Together we shall bring the hells fire to earth for all those unworthy to burn in. People will begin to wish they were dead." He said one side of his mouth pulling up into a smirk, his eyes now glowing in the light.

He smiled. "Good tell him pay backs a bitch... oh and ask him where his precious little god is now." He chuckled, for years he'd had god thrown against him but it seems even his most faithful followers aren't good enough to make it to heaven. "Seems even killing demons is a sin, especially when i wasn't a demon to begin with. Oh thank him for me for that as well, i would still be human without him." He smirked. "It will kill him if he knows he's made me into something capable of taking over the world." He smirked.

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Training? Awesome." He smirked, this was what he'd been looking forward to.

"Not yet," Djinn said, mildly amused and pleased by the teen's eagerness. He picked an imaginary piece of lint from Arsen's collar. "But you will. In the mean time, my son, caution."

The demon's expression became completely unreadable. "Oh?" he said quietly. "And who might this be, the man with such... controversial opinions?" His eyes danced with the hellfire of which he was made. There would be violence.

He favored his son with a smile. "Consider it done.

"Yes. I suppose we shall start with the obvious, and likely, the easiest, first," Djinn declared. "We're fire demons. Let us begin your training with fire."

"Oh... well thats fine im still young i have plenty of time to become stronger." He smiled, he couldn't imagine the power he could have when he was older, if his power was only going to increase. It would be incredible, especially since hes now stopped fighting against himself, he now gave in to his urges and he felt better for it. He glanced at his shoulder as his father pulled some off. "I will, i'll be careful." He smiled.

He shook his head, he understood what his father was doing because he did it a lot himself. "No this ones mine, i wanna kill him myself. I wanna see his face when he realises someone young enough to be his son took his life." He smirked, he'd love to see that smile wiped off the old mans face, it was always so smug.

He smiled. "Thanks."

He nodded. "Okay, so what do i need to know?" He asked taking off his leather jacket, he would not be happy it that got burnt.

Djinn smirked back, patting Arsen's cheek in a slightly patronizing manner, though it wasn't wholly meant to be offensive, either. "Very well. I shall leave that arrogant mortal for you to deal with," he said.

"Obviously, there's the basics. There's fire," Djinn held up a hand and orange-red flames appeared his palm, "and then, there's hellfire." The flames suddenly grew white-hot, glints of orange and blue just visible amid their flickering tongues.

"So far, you have control of fire. You must also gain mastery of hellfire." He grabbed the Arsen's wrist with his other hand, red eyes fixed on the boy's face as he tilted the flames into his palm.

He sighed at the patronising way his father treated him. He didn't know if it was just his nature or not but it was definitely annoying but he just let him do it. He wanted to be in his good books after all so he was trying his best to tone down his attitude. "Thank you, i'll show him who the weaker race is."

He nodded, he could do fire, even fiendfyre for that matter but thats the hottest he'd even been. His eyes widened in surprise at how easy the hell fire appeared, this fire burnt just by looking at it. It was so hot it no longer looked orange, but a searing white. He never imagined he'd get to see the fire whilst being alive.

He winced as the flames touched his skin and began to pull away. The skin immediately burning away then regrowing, the usual cycle of when he handles fire only quicker. This pain wasn't like the one he was used to, it was worse. 3 times worse, this pain would take some getting used to that was for sure.