Feathers and Blood (boyxboy)

Prologue

There are no words in any human language to describe the pain I was feeling. I don't even remember it now, I just know it was... different. My very essence was being twisted, ripped apart, burned. It wasn't even pain anymore. It was just... Hell.

And then it stopped. One second I was reduced to a wisp of smoke and the next I was solid again, dressed in tight, black pants. I was standing on a cool platform made of obsidian, and was surrounded by emptiness. Pure darkness enveloped.

For a second, I was sure there was a glitch in Hell's system. I braced myself, waiting for the pain to begin again. When it didn't come, I collapsed to the cool ground, gasping in relief. I couldn't even formulate a simple thought.

I must have been there for hours before I was able to think coherently. But my mind was blank. I couldn't remember anything. Slowly, panic settled in until it was interrupted by a visitor.

The most important visitor I'd ever had, and ever would have.

He was about two inches taller than my 5"7, with another inch and a half of perfectly fashioned spiky black hair. His eyes weren't black, rather an absence of light. He was dressed in pants similar to mine and a black shirt with the Nirvana smiley face on it. A silver circlet was fastened around his forehead, and a black, scaly tail was wrapped around his waist. All in all, he was one hot son of a bitch.

He smirked down at me. "Hello," he purred, offering his hand to help me stand. "You must be Jesse." His voice was soft and melodic.

I shook my head, staying on the ground. "I don't remember," I half-sobbed.

The boy (he looked to be around nineteen) waved his hand dismissively. "It's in your file," he assured me. "Your name is Jesse Libélula, age eighteen. Hispanic, raised in San Francisco. Ring a bell?"

I could only shake my head again. The boy seized me by the arms and lifted me into a standing position. I nearly fell over, but he caught and righted me immediately. "Why am I here?" I rasped.

He shrugged. "In Hell? I don't know. All I now is that I need an assistant and Daddy dear told me I could pick any human I wanted."

I tried to laugh, but it just came out as a cough. "You're... human too."

He shook his head, smirking again. "My name is Phobos, King of Fear."

I just frowned, looking at his very human face. I was sure that if I had been on Earth, I would either laugh of be confused. But burning Hell taught me to accept a lot.

"Kings are human too," I said instead, but the boy - Phobos - only grinned.

"Nah," he replied, laughing softly. "I'm a demon."

"Oh," I said intelligently. "Okay." I stepped away from him, nodding. "Right."

I fainted.

AN: The picture is Phobos' circlet. Let me know what you think in the comments! I look forward to going through this journey together. :)