Platonic Hazard

I pursed my lips as I browsed along the sidewalk, my hands tucked into my pockets as I surveyed the many shop windows, preparing for the up coming holidays on my one day off from both jobs. I always loved the end of the year. It meant food...food..and more food. Candy on Halloween, Turkey on Thanksgiving, and Ham on christmas. Yummy. Haze had been adamant about me doubling security on those days. I had three concerts, seventeen charity events, two ribbon cuttings, and a multitude of hospitals and sick kids to visit. I had waved his concerns off, claiming I would worry when it got here. As it was, I was merely concerned with finding the right costume. I could have gone as myself of course, but where was the fun in that? It was the one night a year where being in disguise was something I didn't mind...and it would make it a lot harder for whoever wanted my head on a silver platter to scope me out amongst all the hard core Alina impersonators. Demons, Vamps, Witches, and Were's alike...on top of every other magical being inhabiting the cities...had their one excuse to let loose and merely be themselves. Even my mother and Dallas were partaking, going as Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf. The bar had become considerably more dreary as Barak permitted the girls to decorate it, often resulting in a few live creatures being snuck in for effect. The first time he had been assaulted by a cloud of real live bats, all eager to find perches in the rafters. He just happened to be in their way.

I smiled to myself at the memory, then turned into one of my favorite stores Chaotic Mayhem...where all your gothic needs be met. The clerks greeted me cheerfully, considering they were all vampires and demons, mostly female, with the occasional gay male. Not that I minded...I had always been partial to a nice piece of eye candy, wether it swung to the left or to the right. A rather skimpily dressed male approached me, his red eyes glittering. "Alina darling! So nice to see you again". I smiled and was immediately swept up into a bone crushing hug against what had to be the worlds prettiest demon I had ever laid eyes upon. "Hullo Carter". He set me down and tossed his shoulder length, wavy hair behind him. God he was like Fabio accept paler and with darker hair. "What brings you to our humble abode my dear?" I glanced around, wondering where to start. "Need something to really blow their minds this year...I have a Halloween contest to judge at the Red Dragon..." His eyes went wide. "You mean the one owned by that gorgeous piece of demon ass? Kashman?" I grinned. "Yup...thats the one". He fanned himself idly and puffed out his cheeks. "God you are lucky in deed. I would give my left nut to be near that man". I chuckled, and allowed him to lead me to their costume selection. "Well...I have to be near him daily..I work there". He groaned. "God you lucky Bitch".

The next hour or so saw me trying on a pantheon of outfits, ranging from slightly conservative, to beyond slutty. I examined my reflection in the mirror, mesmerized by how high up the leather corset I was wearing had pushed up my boobs. Carter helped me into a pair of thick heeled boots and laced them up for me. I had decided to play on my inner demon and go as a demonic fairy, adding a pair of black and purple wings, red contacts (as my own eyes didn't have the normal demon red hue like the full blooded ones did) and a pair of frilly panties, as well as chains and spikes galore along with a blood red wig. I made my purchase, promised Carter I would see him at the bar sometime, and walked out, my bags swinging from my arms. I was in a fairly good mood at this point. At least until I noticed the strange fellow out of the corner of my eye. He was lounging against the wall of a cafe across the street, but his eyes were locked onto me. I did my best to ignore him and continued on, but when I was halfway down the street I noticed him cross quickly so that he was on the same side of the street as me. I wasn't that far from the red Dragon, but I didn't feel the need to bother Barak today..nor have to owe him anymore money. Though it was slightly off my course, I turned down a side alley and set my bags down behind a trash can before ducking down behind it as well, managing to situate myself so that I could see the mouth of the alley. NOt to long after I had done so, my follower appeared, looking a little lost on how I could have merely vanished. I reached out with my mind, tapping into the mind of a rat I found scrounging around behind the same set of trash cans. I forced my will onto the rather large rodent, bending it to do what i wanted. It barely put up a fight, and I quietly forced it to scurry out from its hiding place. From this vantage behind the rats eyes, I could see the man clearly. He was tall, lanky, but was wearing sun glasses, thus obscuring his eyes. But i didn't need to see the color to tell he was a demon. The rats natural instinct was to run, but I slammed down on this, making it squeak in protest. the sound caught the males attention and he glanced down at the rodent. I let up on the force and the rat scurried off behind another can, its fear evident. I released it as my focus and peeked through a crack behind my hiding spot. The man gave the alley one last sweep, I could tell by the way he turned his head, then backed out and walked off. I waited a bit longer before coming out myself and picking my bags up. I slipped my black wig off and fished out the red one, slipping it on before peering around the alley wall. When I didn't see anyone beyond families out shopping, I started off once more, heading away from the Bar and back towards where I had parked my bike. I didn't know who the hell was behind all this but whoever it was, I was tired of them spoiling my days.

Haze glanced up from his magazine when I walked in, tucking it behind another one. "I knew you read porn at work." He made a face at me and tossed both magazines down. "What the hell are you doing in today? Its your day off aint it?" I sat down in my chair and clicked my mouse. My favorite screen saver popped up as well as a box asking for my password. I liked my computer as it would crash all the systems if anyone besides myself tried to log in without the password. The screen saver was also hilarious. It was Haze at last years company picnic. "It is, but I needed to figure something out". He picked his porno back up and flipped through the pages. "Your not getting paid for this just to let you know". I ignored him and brought the internet up. My nails clicked against the keys lightly, the only sound being that and Hazes rumbled appreciation of what ever naked chick he was looking at. "What's in the bag?" "My costume..." "Oh". I quickly logged into our criminals system and typed in cults and organizations. Haze let out a low whistle behind me. "Holy shit..would you look at miss October". I rolled my eyes and skimmed through the list. "Haze, has there been any updates concerning recent cult activities?" he glanced up at me momentarily. "No..why?" I continued to skim through the list. He turned his attention back to Miss October. "Wonder if those are real or fake...". I paused in my skimming, clicking on one name in particular. "What the hell..." When the file opened and loaded I blinked, startled by what I was seeing. Haze let the fold out drop open and groaned in delight as Octobers assets were fully bared to him. I printed my article out and logged off, before grabbing the paper and my bags and starting out. "There Fake by the way..and she's also a man...I know..I arrested him last year for prostitution." He blinked and stared after me, before frowning and tossing the magazine aside. "Dammit all to Hell Alina..."


I deftly lit candle after candle in the middle of my mothers basement. I had hurried over, not offering much explanation to either her nor Dallas and had sprinted down the steps, locking myself in the basement as more of a precaution to keep what I was about to call upon in then them out. I hurriedly mumbled latin as I set a calling circle in chalk then bound it with a ring of salt. I wasn't nearly concerned that He would harm me...hell if anything I was concerned he would be in the middle of something and get pissed that I had interrupted it. Finally, circle set, I closed my eyes and thought one, single word, before uttering it out loud. "Artemis". A false breeze blew through the basement, making me shiver slightly, blowing my candles out in the process. They quickly erupted into flames, swirling about in a small cyclone, but quickly growing. The flames lapped at the rafters, scorching them, before falling in upon themselves and then combusting outwards, exposing a rather well built, muscular, and very naked man now standing in the middle of my circle. He had the same pale hair I did, and his eyes were a much deeper red then Barak's. His skin was well tanned and his male parts were erect and oddly..pierced. His eyes traveled around the room, before a booming voice asked rather pointedly", Who dares to call upon the Demon Artemis? What trivial creature would be in need of my services and dare interrupt my daily ritual? Speak now!" I sighed softly and ran a hand through my hair before stepping out from behind the pile of boxes I had ducked behind to avoid the flames. "Hi Dad..."

His gaze fell on me and almost immediately, softened. "Alina?" I spread my arms, indicating that nobody beyond myself and him were here. "In the flesh..ugh..would you mind...?" I waved at his extremities and a flush entered his cheeks. "Of course..sorry..." A pair of pants materialized over his naked lower half and a vest over his top half. "Thanks". He nodded and looked around once more. "Where the hell are we?" "Moms basement..." His gaze flashed back to me. "Your mothers here?" I rolled my eyes. "Her house...of course she's here...and Dallas". He scoffed. "She's still dating that dog?" I scuffed a foot across my circle, releasing him now that I was sure he wouldn't scorch me. "Dallas is a nice guy dad...he loves mom...and she loves him..so...be nice ok? Besides..i didn't call you to talk about mom and her lovers..I need your help." His lips turned up at the corners slightly. "Of course baby girl..who do you need daddy to smite?" I chuckled softly. "Nobody dad...I just need some information on a few things possibly happening within some of the underground Higher Archie". I turned and led him up the stairs.

Needless to say, my fathers presence was somewhat of a shock to both Mom and Dallas. Though the Were was quiet aware my father occasionally came to visit, he had never actually met the demon besides one time. Now to have both of them standing in the same room was a little daunting. My mothers normally placid demeanor had become somewhat hard. "Artemis! What the hell do you think you are doing in my house? And with my daughter!?" My dad stiffened behind me. "YOUR daughter? She is my child as well I'll have you know. As to what I am doing in YOUR house...Alina brought me here". She turned her hard eyes on me and I flinched. God my mother was scary. "I brought him for good reasons mom...somebody wants me dead and I figured dad would know who". Her eyes went wide at my words and she clapped a hand to her mouth. "Why didn't you tell me?! Oh Alina, somebody has been trying to hurt you and your running around with a demon!?" My dad stiffened again. "What demon? Alina, what demon have you been running around with?" I sighed softly. This was not how I had wanted it to go... My mother sniffed, tilting her chin up. "For your information, she's dating Barak Kashman." Artemis growled low. "THAT bastard? Where the hell is he? I swear I'm going to rip his fucking dick off and shove it down his mother fucking throat! How could you let her date that idiot?" "For the same reasons I permit her to see you still I suppose!" "For the same reasons you PERMIT...YOU...PERMIT..." I grabbed my dads arm, yanking him from the kitchen, while Dallas soothed my mothers angry temper. "Dad...this isn't why I summoned you...Barak has nothing to do with this...on a hit list remember?" The demons anger smoldered, but I could still feel it radiating off of him in small waves. He turned the piercing red eyes of doom upon me. "When this is all over Im having a talk with Mr. Kashman." I nodded lightly then shoved him onto the couch, plopping down beside him. He oddly materialized a cigarette out of thin air and stuck one end in his mouth, only to have it snatched out when my mother passed, promptly sitting herself across from us both. "Now Alina...tell us what is going on..and don't hide anything from me either.."