After some minutes of walking between various types of trees and ferns, they finally arrived at his secret destination.

The Pond, as new yorkers had so eloquently called it, was exactly what its name implied: a pond. The small body of water looked crystal clear, reflecting the landscape that surrounded it along with the light blue sky. Two pairs of swans- one couple white and the other black- swam over the quiet waters taking care of their feathers. The afternoon breeze made the trees sing as the wind caressed its leaves.

Everything was beautiful and perfect just like his little dove.

Mina smirked when she saw the clear waters and the Gapstow bridge a couple of meters to the left. The nineteen century relic was a simple stone structure that curved over the Pond. From the small clearing they were standing one could only see moss adorning the old stones but if you rounded the bridge you would find ivy slowly conquering the rocky surface. "So this is where you wanted to take me... what a coincidence, I love this bridge."

"Good to know because it's my favorite place from the entire city."

"¡Sí, como no! You're only saying you like it because I said so first." She countered with an arch brow as she poked him on the shoulder.

"You don't believe me?" He asked in a whisper, making his best sorrowful expression but mentally grinning. "Why don't you read my mind?"

"You know I can't."

"Then my true intentions will be a mystery to you!" Vergil said smirking before taking her in his arms bridal style and throwing her into the pond.

Mina screamed when the cold h2o touched her skin. Laughter reached her ears from atop Gapstow bridge as soon as she stood chest deep in water, making her blush furiously. "¡Eres un bastardo, Vergil Larsa! Come here so I can make you fish food!" The slimy, chilly tail of a fish brushed against her sandaled feet, ripping from her a loud scream at the same time the scaly beast in question quickly swam away.

"Don't scare the fishes away, darling! What will the birds eat then?" He teased her before removing his leather jacket to hang it in a nearby tree branch and jumping in himself.

Someone above the bridge shouted "marry her" but Vergil quickly answered "I already did", rising his left arm so their audience could see the elegant gold band around his finger. Cheers, congratulations and some whistles sounded all around them before the small crowd thought to give them some space and finally dispersed.

She turned even redder with all the noise and tried to hide her face within his soaked shirt; but as the group thinned, color returned to her features. How was it posible their little show could gather a crowd of about twenty crazy-cheering-peeping-toms? She thought they were alone with only the animals as company but apparently people sprouted like weeds in the park. "I hope no one decides to come this way before we leave or I'll die from embarrassment."

"That's easy to fix." Her husband whispered before he closed his eyes and began mumbling under his breath in his exotic demonic language. One minute later his eyes opened revealing scarlet irises that glowed with otherwordly magic before returning to their electric blue. "It's done. Every human that comes near my barrier will suddenly decide to go another place and the ones that were already inside are leaving right now."

Mina's gray eyes widen. "Your powers impress me everyday."

"You're the one who impress me everyday." He slowly caressed her wet cheek while they locked gazes. Looking into her gorgeous gray orbs a crazy desire bloomed inside his heart and he couldn't stop himself before his mouth blurted out everything. "Be my consort, Mina. Marry me as demons do so none can question our union... so none can tear us apart."

He froze as the true meaning of those words hit him. Vergil would become the target of his people's hate if he mated with a human; not that he wasn't already but at the very least devils were always polite to him- even when he could hear every mental curse and insult directed to his person- in an effort to please his father. One that would get furious if he mated with Mina and got her pregnant. By Lucifer's law no male demon, aside from himself, could reproduce with a human female. All to prevent the birth of an Antichrist that could rival the power of the one he would father in the future.

And yet... if his dove asked, the prince would give her all the children she desire without a second thought. His father's law be damn.

"But..."

Mina's voice broke his daydreaming and he saw her stormy eyes filled with tears. What's wrong now?

He was about to enter her mind when she spoke again.

"D-do you r-really-y want m-mee as your consort?"

She was trembling all over but he wasn't sure if it was because the cold water or her emotions. "Mina, dearest Mina. There's no other female I desire by my side. Only you drive me crazy morning, day and night." He bit his lower lip as he joined their foreheads, his gaze locked to hers. "If only you knew how wild you drive my demon." Giving her a wicked look, he sweep her into his arms and carried her to the grassy shore. There he sat her and then lay against his hand. "I ask you again: would you want to become my consort?"

Her sudden cautious voice didn't matched the happiness he found in her sparkly gray irises. "I would love to but only if the ritual you mentioned last week doesn't involve drinking human or any other kind of blood."

He laugh so hard his hand slipped and his face- mainly his mouth- almost got stuffed with wet grass.

"I'm not joking!"

One look at her deep frown told him it was time to sobber up. "I'm sorry, dove; and no, you don't need to drink the blood, only throw it over your head... like in a creepy horror-movie-style baptism."

Mina looked at him blankly as a crow flew by, throwing a tiny piece of paper that he caught before it got lost between the grass. The animal stopped at the branch where his leather jacket was, cawed earrily while his eyes shone red for a second and then flew away. Vergil unfolded the paper, his blood freezing inside his veins as he read the message.

"Thank God it left, crows give me the creeps." The brunette sighed finally paying attention to the strange symbols in the tiny paper. "Was it one of yours? It really gave me a bad vibe."

"He's not that bad when mom is the one holding his leash." The prince answered almost automativally while his mind raced. Andras' words to be careful clashed with the message sent to him. The master assassin himself had deliver it so it could only be from Lilith; and that meant... mother had another vision. I'm going to lose my little dove.

Suddenly, his chest felt heavy and it was difficult for him to breathe.

The Chosen One is going to die.

The simple sentence replay over and over inside his brain but he refused to believe it. No, it couldn't be... not when he finally found the love of his life.

I need answers and I need them right now.

The swans and other birds flew away from the growing danger, leaving the clearing in dead silence.

"Vergil? Are you okay?" The brunette asked him, sensing his aura get darker than usual. "Did something happened?"

"We need to return to the mansion immediately. No one would dare touch you if you're under mother's roof."

She was about to refute his logic when something golden latched itself around her arms and waist before she was pulled backwards. Mina landed against a woman's chest so hard it knocked the wind out of her and momentarily stunned her.

"Not so fast, little brother. You can't leave before the party begins." Megeara gloated as she came out of some bushes dragging Mina along. Her two sister flanking her like bodyguards.

Vergil growled as his eyes went from the Fury's to the golden whip trapping his dove. "Release my consort, Megeara. I'm asking you nicely."

The blond laughed and then glanced to each of her sisters. "Skótosé ton. The girl is mine."

Dark energy formed a small shockwave as the two women transformed into their beastly aspects. Black leathery wings stretch, ebony snake hair hissing at the hybrid and weapons at the ready. The two Furies howled, charging against their brother while Megeara stayed behind, holding the mortal as hostage.

The prince transformed and quickly dodged Tisiphone's lash before parrying Alecto's sword. Electric sparks began appearing around him as the Fury growled, showing him her teeth and making the remnants of her burn all the more visible.

"Someone really did a number on you, big sister." He said smirking as the "whoosh" of a whip sounded to his right and he teleported out of harms way, appearing behind Tisiphone. "You should've handed my wife and left. Now there won't be pity for any of you." The demon whispered before thrusting his flaming broadsword into her back. The agonizing howls were music to his ears.

Megeara cursed and grabbed Mina by the neck with her free hand, never releasing her grip on the golden whip. The brunette tried to struggle but she only succeded on making the dark goddess hold stronger. She could see Vergil removing his sword from the other Fury and lifting it in the air but just when he was about to swing it downwards the whip around her heated up, making her scream in pain.

"Mortal beauty is so fleeting, just like the love of an immortal." The blond whispered in her ear. "Once you're old and ugly he won't have anymore use of you."

The demon prince froze in place and glance to where Megeara stood some meters away. Her whip was glowing, slowly draining his wife's youth and beauty from her body; such was the power of the Fury of Envy.

Out of the blue Alecto appeared knocking him to the ground and landing punch after punch to his face; each one with the force to crack a human skull. He endured the punishment until she had to catch her breath, there he imbued his fist with blue electricity and landed a punch on her snout that sent her flying across the clearing. She smashed against her wounded sibling, both rolling over the grass until they hit a maple's trunk.

Vergil grabbed his broadsword, one which had slipped from his hand the moment he was knocked to the ground, and teleported in front of Megeara.

The blond cracked her whip as soon as she saw the hybrid vanish, hoping to throw the human in his direction but the useless creature landed on the pond instead and the demon... he appeared before her, his flaming serrated blade slashing down on her.

Megeara's upper half of her head fell to the prince's feet before the rest of the body crumpled to the ground, divine blood quickly painting the surrounding grass in gold.

Vergil turned around, his orange-red eyes found his consort slowly walking to the grassy shore, thankfully unharmed and with her youth restored. Seeing her age while he couldn't aid her was the most frightening thing he had ever endured

"Are you okay?" He asked after flashing beside her. "You're not feeling ill in any way?"

Before she could answer him back a thunderous howl made her cover her ears and a black whip coiled around her husband's neck before throwing him against an oak's trunk. The impact broke the tree in half, sucessfully trapping the demon under the heavy wood.

"Vergil!" Mina whispered as a fiery figure dashed in his direction before a raspy voice called her attention.

"You will pay for my sister's death, harlot! Your head will be my trophy."

As the bleeding Fury charged at her with a golden sickle raised, the brunette grabbed her moon and sword necklace and asked Eaiel for protection. No matter how much heat her body could produce, she would be dead in seconds if the monster goddess hit her full force.

She touched her bracelet's jeweled dragon and black flames suddenly enveloped her hand, strangely enough they weren't burning her skin. The flames grew in size until reaching a meter high and then vanished, leaving a shiny katana in her hand. The hilt was red with black shadows crossing it while the blade was a metallic black, the edge taking a reddish hue.

The Fury screamed as she crashed against Eaiel's golden barrier and started attacking it with all her might; yet every blow seemed slower and weaker than the one before.

"Be prepared for I will release the wall next. Remember: no vengeance or your soul will be tainted and you will loose the God Spark, my child." The angel's melodic voice sounded to her right but she couldn't see him.

Nodding in acknowledgement to his words, she held the katana with both hands, just as Vergil had teached her. When her enemy swung one more time, the golden wall vanished and Mina dodged the attack to step behind the winged dog, her blade swiftly cutting through the shoulder's flesh and muscles as it came down.

Tisiphone howled in pain and flapped her wings in a desperate attempt to shake the mortal off her but the bitch grabbed hold of one of her wings, heat quickly seeping into her body. Flames began burning her from the inside, covering everything in a swift wave of absolute agony. The blade and hand were removed from her skin but it was no use now, she could feel every cell withing being reduced to ashes by the purifying fire.

Completely engulfed by golden flames, the Fury turned to her and an awful sound somehow similar to laughing filled the nature around them. "Alecto will avenge us. You will die in the end, Chosen One." She tried to touch Mina but her body failed her and fell to the ground. The corpse became ashes not soon after, golden flames staying alit until not even their shadows remained.

The brunette thrusted the katana into the earth and slid down, resting her forehead against the blade as she battled with with her sudden tiredness. It would be so good to just sleep for a while.

"Stay with me, child. The battle has not yet finish." Her Guardian Angel said standing before her. His long black robe with embroidered golden eyes was all her fatigue body would let her see at the moment.

"I'll try."

****

Vergil and Alecto had taken their fight far from the small clearing beside the bridge and more into the surrounding grove. Thankfully his barrier was a few kilometers in diameter so there wouldn't be human intervention of any kind.

The prince had finally manage to cut his sister's whip in two when they heard Tisiphone's howls of pain. They stopped fighting altogether as the screams becames whines and then were replaced by utter silence.

The red flames covering Alecto's body grew taller, she growled fiercely to him- daring him to stop her- and took flight.

No, you won't touch her! Vergil raised both arms to her direction, palms exposed and fingers spread wide, and two blue lightnings shot the Fury out of the afternoon sky.

She fell to the ground with a heavy sound, breaking the bones of one wing against the tree branches and rolling over the grass a few times before finally stopping. Her fur was scorched, painted golden in more than one place as she slowly stood panting over shaky legs. Electric blue sparks still ran through her body when she growled at the hybrid. "No matter what you try I will make sure Hades has what he wants. Your dear mortal's blood will be covering my hands very soon."

"I won't let you!" He said in a half growl but as soon as he took a step foward, a hole appeared below the Fury and the sky turned murky gray; shadows giving a terrifying feel to the forest around them.

Dead hands began grabbing hold of Alecto. Hands, arms, serpent hair, wings, they held her from everywhere like in a human horror movie. She howled, trashed and even bit some of the corpses pulling her back to the Underworld but the more she struggled, the more dead appeared. Not even her flames seemed to stop them.

"Noooo! Son of a bitch! You will pay for this, Thanatos." She screamed as the undead finally pulled her under and the hole closed.

Vergil sighed and passed a clawed hand through his long white hair, looking the still dark sky. "Why did you help me?"

"I was only helping myself, student." The cold voice of the Reaper of Souls answered before the sky returned to its light blue and the flora around was normal again.

The demon prince sighed for a second time before flashing himself back to the clearing, hopeful of finding his human consort in one piece.

*******************
A/N: Finally! There are only two villains left. Next chapter we'll see Ariashka's reaction to her brother's death and a couple more things that I must get out of the way before we fly to California xD Hope to see you this Sunday with chapter 27!

Spanish:
☆ ¡Sí, como no!= Yeah right!

☆ ¡Eres un bastardo, Vergil Larsa!= You're a bastard, Vergil Larsa!

Greek:
☆ Skótosé ton= Kill him

Song: "This is War" from 30 Seconds to Mars

Here is a photo of Mina's katana ☟