A World Like That

Chapter V

-Dantalion-

Before flying back down to Hell, Dante located the pear trees. His talk with the angel had calmed him down, and eating a few pears helped as well. He found he was starting to take a liking to the fruit. He grabbed two pears to take back with him, along with a big handful of long grass. He had an idea, but he'd need some help first.

After dropping the pears off in his chamber, he flew through the different levels of Hell, seeking one particular pair of demons. He finally spotted Lilith's long red hair. Sitting next to Lilith was her girlfriend Naamah, who had long black hair, bronze skin and a reputation for trying to seduce everyone she came across.

He landed and received smiles from both of them, although Naamah's smile always came across as more sinister.

"We haven't seen you in a while," Lilith said. "I miss hanging out!"

"Sorry," he replied. "My father's been making me work more than usual. By the way, is Medusa around? I need to talk to her."

"She's in our chamber," Naamah told him, her face holding an expression of curiosity. "What do you need to talk to her about?"

"I need advice. Since she's not a demon, she might be able to help."

Naamah shrugged. "Okay. Knock yourself out."

He made his way to their chamber and found Medusa sitting inside. The snakes on her head hissed when they saw him.

"I hope that doesn't mean I'm not welcome," he joked.

"You're Dantalion," Medusa answered. "I remember from when Lilith and Naamah introduced us."

"How's it going with them?"

"No complaints here. Being plucked out of the inferno and getting to live with demons is a huge improvement on its own, but I'm glad it was those two who showed an interest in me."

He nodded. "Good. So, I have a question for you. I found an angel's basket," he lied. "And I want to use it to bring cactus back here, but it's broken. I'm hoping I can fix it. I picked some grass, but I don't know where to start. Basket weaving isn't really a demon's specialty. Do you know anything about it?"

"I'm no expert, but I've seen it done. You'll want to make the repairs now while the grass is still flexible. Once you have everything how you want it, you'll have to toughen up the grass. Heat it up and dry it out so it's stiff, but not so much that it's brittle."

"That should be easy enough to do down here. Plenty of fire."

Medusa laughed, and the snakes on her head slithered around, their tongues darting in and out of their mouths.

"Thank you," he said. "I appreciate the advice."

"Good luck," she called out as he left.

He returned to Lilith and Naamah and talked with them for a while. He felt guilty for letting so much time pass since the last time he saw Lilith, and she made him promise to come see her again soon.

Before he made it more than a few steps away, he was stopped by Naamah.

"Dante," her voice rang out, sultry and low. "Don't forget your payment. We don't let just anyone talk to Medusa."

Rolling his eyes, he turned and walked back. It was no secret that Naamah was interested in him, although he didn't know if that had more to do with his appearance or who his father was. He leaned down to kiss Naamah. She grabbed his face, digging her sharp nails into his cheeks. When she bit his lip, he pulled away.

"Okay, that's enough."

"You're no fun," she pouted, before a devilish smile made its way across her face. "But one day you'll realize how hot it could be between us."