International Legends

Chapter 38 - Jasper

I arrived back at the cruise, getting looks from everyone around. Half the people didn't know whether to look down on me and the other half were terrified. It didn't matter. I had an injured Antonio on one arm and Carmen on the other hand. It felt good to be back. Already, I could taste a pineapple mojito and chunky mango salsa. The food on this cruise was nothing more than that of magic, but it was the best kind - especially considering it had no preservatives or pesticides. No, I didn't have functioning human organs to digest the food. I just regurgitated it out. Don't tell Carmen though.

Antonio noticed Jackie, and the two of them hugged tightly. Cute. Everyone's paired up and coupled off again. I was especially happy that Antonio had his girlfriend to look after him. Especially with the gaping cuts and bruises that covered his whole body from the demons that scratched at him.

Looking around, I felt as if I found peace for a moment, but then the voice entered my head. It's different somehow, earthy, more husky. Also familiar.

So bastard, you arrived said the voice of Leo.
Took you long enough. Dealing with the Devil but still arriving at my wedding before the Apocalypse. Guess you're gonna save me a right hand at the Prince of Darkness huh?

I can't keep myself from laughing out loud, and I have to upright myself quickly in shock.

"Where is he?" I ask.

He walks out, stares me dead in the eyes, and gives me a nod.

"Congrats on your wedding," I say.

"When were you gonna tell me that you're in a love affair with Satan?"

I laugh out loud.

"It's not a love affair. I would hardly call it love, more like a really bad deal," I say, suddenly wanting to escape.

"You made a deal with Lucifer," says Leo matter-of-factly. "There are drones at every turn throughout every universe and you want to come to my wedding, pretending nothings happening. While demons and zombies are coming out from the Underworld, throwing themselves at random victims, trying to institute the Apocalypse?"

Coughing, barely able to maintain a smile, I said, "Yes."

He sighed, patted me on the back and said, "Good to see you man."

That's when Leo told me how he was. He was pretty nervous, not exactly sure what he was doing. Like any typical guy, he had one foot out the door, and another impressed with how lucky he was feeling right now.

He was worried too that the feeling would wear out like it had with all of his relationships, but I told him that the most important thing he could do is to stick to what he knows is right in his heart.

It felt ironic saying all this stuff to him when I had made a deal with Lucifer. Already he was talking into my head, giving me ideas, trying to ruin what was a moment between friends by filling me with doubt and negative emotions. Reminding me how hypocritical it was of me to say follow your heart when that was what got me in the situation I was in currently. I knew those thoughts were not my own. It was easy to see now that every moment of hardship I ever faced had to do with his demonic influence - that perhaps the reason things were so difficult in my realm had to do with the nearness to him.

Naomi and Leo were so cute, that was not a lie. It seemed terrible to me that the two of them were going through a tree virus together. Especially after everything Leo went through with Naomi, I imagined that him not being able to protect her would be of a great frustration to him. However, they seemed to have bypassed the fear of their fate in their mind, taking every opportunity to canoodle and make out with each other.