Total darkness.
Zeus knew, without a doubt, that he had died. His body had been consumed by flames in that fire.
So this was death.
Nothingness.
He didn't know if it was cruelty or mercy, to drift endlessly in a void, with no concept of time. No pain. No feeling. Just silence.
Then, movement.
Something stirred against his lap. A warm presence. Then came a lick. Then another. Wet, persistent, and real.
Something… was licking him.
"You are one stupid human. Has anyone ever told you that?" said a deep voice, calm and laced with amusement.
Despite the darkness, Zeus turned instinctively toward the voice. And then, slowly, dim light bled through the shadows.
Illuminating a man.
He was seated high on a black throne, shirtless, dressed in worn leather pants. His presence radiated danger and raw power, like something ancient and untamed.
"Who are you?" Zeus asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Take a guess," the man said, smirking.
Zeus narrowed his eyes, unimpressed. "Why should I? I don't know you. And honestly, you look like you just walked out of a BDSM dungeon."
"You disappoint me," the man replied, shaking his head with mock dismay. "She knew who I was immediately."
The words made Zeus tense.
His heart skipped.
"Who?"
"I was talking about Ceres," the man said casually, still reclined in his throne.
Zeus froze. Eyes widening.
"Ceres Evadne Monteverde," the man added, almost amused by the reaction.
"You've met her?" Zeus asked, his voice breaking with emotion. He took a step forward. "Where is she? Please, tell me. I need to see her."
The man just shook his head.
"You had the world at your feet, Zeus. Wealth. Influence. Power. You could have had any woman you wanted," he said.
Zeus smiled, but it was hollow and sad. "But none of them would be her."
He looked down at his hands. "What use is the world in the palm of my hand, if I have no one to offer it to?"
The man sighed. "Stupid human. The most stupid human I've ever met."
He stood from the throne, and the shadows seemed to shift around him.
"I am Samael. Though some know me as Solmara. Others still, by a far more famous name."
Zeus stared.
"Lucifer?" he whispered in disbelief.
The man, Lucifer, grinned. "There it is."
Zeus laughed. At first softly, then louder. It echoed through the void. Mad. Free. The kind of laugh born not from joy, but surrender.
Lucifer blinked. "Father, he's gone crazy," he muttered dryly to no one in particular.
Zeus kept laughing, until even Lucifer looked slightly disturbed. There was something haunting about it. Raw. Unhinged. Almost… familiar.
Eventually, Zeus quieted.
Lucifer gave him a long look. "Are you done, crazy human?"
"Sorry about that," Zeus said, still chuckling under his breath. "So… I guess I'm in hell now."
"No," Lucifer replied. "You're not. Not yet."
Zeus looked up, surprised.
"But that's where you're supposed to be," Lucifer continued. "Your deeds in life, balanced. Neither great nor terrible. But your death? That changed everything."
He walked slowly toward Zeus, boots echoing on a floor that didn't exist.
"You died saving those animals. That act… it should have saved you," Lucifer said, his tone flat. "But you had a choice. You could have lived. And you chose not to. That, Zeus, is suicide. And by divine law, those who take their own lives are bound for hell."
Zeus didn't flinch.
He nodded slowly, accepting the judgment like it was long overdue.
"I understand."
Lucifer narrowed his eyes, studying him.
"No argument? No plea for mercy?"
Zeus looked up. His voice was calm, steady, almost too calm.
"I've been living in hell for the past year anyway."
Lucifer slapped a hand against his forehead.
"I'm not sure if it's appropriate to say the two of you are a 'match made in heaven,'" he muttered with a scowl, "because you both don't give a damn if you end up in hell."
Zeus's eyes widened at what that implied.
"Are you saying Ceres is in hell?" His voice rose sharply, anger rising like a tide. "That's impossible. She had a pure heart. She helped so many without ever asking for anything in return. She died saving a child. She doesn't deserve that!"
Rage surged through his chest. The very idea that his Ceres would be condemned, it made his blood boil.
"We need to get her out of there. Now!" he demanded, his tone fierce and uncompromising.
Lucifer's eyes blazed. "Did you just order me around, human?" he snapped.
"I never said she was in hell. I said neither of you cared if you ended up there," he growled, annoyed.
Relief flooded Zeus's chest at once. He didn't even care that he had just yelled at the devil himself.
"Then where is she?" he asked, this time more calmly, though his voice still trembled with emotion.
Lucifer's expression softens into vague amusement.
"Somewhere," he said vaguely, which only made Zeus scowl deeper.
"If you want to see her," Lucifer continued slowly, "I can make that happen."
Zeus's eyes lit with urgency. "Tell me. Tell me what I have to do."
Lucifer grinned.
"That's more like it. I knew you'd understand immediately." With a flick of his fingers, Lucifer summoned a second chair across from his own. "Sit. Let's talk."
Zeus sat down, his entire being tense with anticipation.
"You're familiar with the story of creation, yes?" Lucifer asked, one brow arched.
"Yes," Zeus replied.
"Good. Saves me time." Lucifer stretched his back, as if preparing for a long tale. "When our dear Father created humans, I hated you. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. Hate doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. You were weak. Fragile. Yet He adored you."
A mocking smile curled on Lucifer's lips.
"But, of course, He thought we, His first creations, wouldn't understand His love for you. So He gave us a task. A divine challenge."
Lucifer's eyes gleamed in the dim light.
"He told us to create our own worlds. But with rules, we could create whatever we liked, except humans. It was a test. Each of us could build and rule however we pleased. But the catch? Our world, our responsibility."
He leaned forward, voice lowering.
"I created mine. A world named Solmara. A realm of magic and power. Since I couldn't create humans, I made demi-humans. And they were beautiful, gifted, and strong, far more talented than humans."
Lucifer's tone darkened, pride simmering beneath every word.
"Demons, elves, shapeshifters, night dwellers, sea folk, dwarves… all born from my design. I gave them magic, instincts, strength. I created beasts, monsters, and wonders…"
His voice trailed off, cold, distant, almost nostalgic.
"My world was perfect."
Then his gaze shifted, sharp as a blade.
"And when I looked back at Earth, your world, it was plain. Boring. Pathetic. A place of fragile humans and docile animals. There was no awe in it. Nothing… divine."
Lucifer's expression tightened, the edge of his voice sharpening like a curse laced with memory.
"And so, I thought, what would happen if the creatures our Father loved so dearly were placed in my world?" he said. "I asked Him if I could borrow some humans. Not for destruction, just to observe. But He didn't lend me any. Instead, He gave me six pairs, on one condition."
Lucifer leaned forward, his voice lowering like a priest delivering a dark sermon.
"That I could not directly harm them. No matter what they did that I disapproved of. They were still His creation, and His laws over humans still applied, even in my world."
He exhaled long and deep, eyes distant.
"So, I placed the six pairs of humans in Solmara. And as I expected… they were weak. Pathetically so. To give them a fighting chance, I created Holy Beasts, one for each pair. Creatures they alone could command."
Lucifer paused then, eyes unfocused, haunted.
"That was when I realized the truth," he said bitterly. "You humans… though weak, you adapt. You evolve. You survive. And worst of all, you multiply like vermin. Faster than anything I've created."
He clenched his fists.
"The humans our Father entrusted to me, powerless, magicless, soon learned to wield mana. They bonded with the Holy Beasts. And before I knew it… my demi-humans had become prey."
"So," Zeus finally asked, cool and composed, "what exactly do you want from me?"
The question hung heavy between them, like two businessmen negotiating a dangerous deal.
"You want me to kill every human in your world?" Zeus added, half-sarcastic.
Lucifer scoffed. "Of course not. As much as I hate your kind, I'll admit… I admire your tenacity. Besides, those fucking humans built churches that worship me. What kind of god would kill his own followers?"
Zeus raised a brow and pointed directly at Lucifer.
"That sounds exactly like something you'd do."
"Fuck you," Lucifer snapped. "Just because I'm the King of Hell doesn't mean I punish the innocent. That's not how this works. I take the job seriously. I punish only those who deserve it."
Zeus rolled his eyes. "Right. Sure."
"Hey, I didn't bring you here to judge me," Lucifer growled. "I brought you here for this."
With a wave of his hand, a glowing golden crystal cylinder appeared before Zeus, slowly pulsing with warm light.
"Normally, when a human dies, they are taken to the Hall of Judgment. Their fate is weighed, heaven or hell. Then, after some time, they're offered reincarnation. Their memories erased to keep the balance."
Lucifer leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"But for you, I'm offering something different."
Zeus straightened, listening closely.
"I will reincarnate you now. No waiting. No judgment. You'll retain all your memories, especially of her."
Lucifer gestured to the crystal.
"And I want you to save demi-human souls."
Zeus's brows drew together.
"You see," Lucifer explained, his voice low and grave, "when demi-humans die, they cease to exist. Their souls scatter into the void. No afterlife. No reincarnation. Nothing."
He let the weight of his words settle.
"But... if you save them, every demi-human soul you help live, every one you protect from senseless death, this cylinder will begin to fill. And once it's full…"
Lucifer's lips curled into a faint smile.
"You'll see Ceres again. Not just see her, but live the rest of your life with her. If she still wants you."
Zeus felt his heart slam in his chest. His breath caught.
Lucifer raised a hand solemnly, eyes locking with his.
"I swear it. On our Father's name. You will recognize each other when that time comes. You'll have your second chance."
Then Lucifer tilted his head and pointed behind Zeus.
"And to make sure you won't be alone…"
Zeus turned. That's when he realized the soft licks he had felt earlier were real. The senior dogs and cats he had died with were still there, with him, inside this void with Lucifer.
"They'll come with you," Lucifer continued. "When they cross into Solmara, they'll be reborn as demi-humans. And they'll recognize you, just as you'll recognize them."
A faint warmth bloomed in Zeus's chest. These animals… the ones Ceres had once loved, the ones he died to save, they were getting a second chance too.
"So?" Lucifer asked, casually reclining in his throne again. "Do you accept my offer?"
Zeus wanted to say yes immediately, but he was still talking to the Devil himself.
"Hey," Lucifer said, as if reading his thoughts. "I already told you, you'll see Ceres again once the crystal is full. I swore it under our Father's name. Why are you still hesitating?"
Zeus exhaled slowly, pushing down his doubt.
Even if this was a trap, even if Lucifer was twisting him around, as long as there was even a sliver of truth, just one thread that might lead back to Ceres, he'd take it. He'd make a deal with the actual Devil.
"I have a few things to clarify first," Zeus said.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Alright, shoot."
"What if I save a demi-human soul, but they die a few days or years later by human hands? Will that remove the point I earned from saving them?"
"No," Lucifer replied instantly. "Once a soul is saved, the act is locked into the crystal. Nothing can erase what's already inside."
Zeus eyed the golden cylinder warily. "Can the crystal break?"
"No," Lucifer said firmly. "It cannot be destroyed."
"Not even by you?"
Lucifer smirked. "Not even by me. Look, human, I'm many things, but I'm not a liar. So stop looking at me like I'm some second-rate trickster god."
Zeus folded his arms. "So I can save demi-human souls by any means necessary, as long as I save them?"
Lucifer nodded. "Correct."
"And what if… I killed a demi-human?" Zeus asked, brows raised.
Lucifer looked personally offended. "Are you serious? I just told you they don't get reincarnated. And your first instinct is murder?"
"I'm not planning to," Zeus said, exasperated. "But what if I meet one that's trying to kill me or worse? I just want to know the consequences."
Lucifer sighed in exasperation. "Nothing will happen. You won't be punished. It won't affect the deal. The agreement is simple: save souls, fill the crystal. What you do outside of that is your business."
Zeus gave it one final thought, then nodded.
"Alright. I accept."
Lucifer groaned.
"I have one more condition," he said.
Zeus narrowed his eyes. "Seriously? After I just said yes?"
"This won't affect the terms of the deal," Lucifer assured him. "But you're not allowed to use your real name in Solmara until you reunite with Ceres."
"Why?" Zeus asked suspiciously.
Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Because I don't want my twin to find out I planted a soul in my world without Father's knowledge. That tattletale would snitch faster than light. And it might complicate things."
Zeus blinked. "You have a twin?"
Lucifer groaned again. "Yes. He's annoying, self-righteous, and believes in rules way too much. So just… don't use your name. Think of an alias."
Zeus tilted his head, smirking despite himself. "Fine. I'll think of one."
Lucifer stood and extended a hand toward the cylinder. "Then it's done."
The golden crystal pulsed, glowing with a faint heartbeat, awaiting its first soul.
And just like that, Zeus Falcon made a deal with the Devil, for love.