Chapter Text
Lucifer stood in front of two heavy wooden doors located almost at the center of the Silver City, debating going through them. It had been literal eons since the last time he had been up there and even longer since he had been allowed beyond these large doors. Before his fall, the "garage" that lay beyond had been a source of intrigue. His father would disappear for days in there and wouldn't allow any of His children in. On more than one occasion, the former devil and his siblings had tried their best to sneak a peak at what their Father was doing. But they were never successful - one of the downsides to dealing with an omniscient being. The last time Lucifer had been allowed inside, the walls had been covered in numerous schematics. Four large tables were placed against each wall. Each table and most of the floor had been filled with experiments in various states of progress. The Creator stood by the table farthest from the door and animatedly explained the need for day and night to His light bringer.
Lucifer took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. Even after all these years, they didn't make a sound - rust wasn't something that you'd find in heaven and everything was always perfectly greased. He didn't know what he expected to see but the silence and the emptiness that greeted him was not it. The only thing that was left out was a large schematic which covered the left wall. On closer inspection, Lucifer could see the various bits and pieces that made up the universe - evolutionary chains, the composition of a neutron star, a timeline showing the rise and fall of Hitler, and so much more. The universe wasn't an experiment anymore, was it? It was complete. When his Father had indicated that everything was going according to his plan, Lucifer hadn't really believed Him. There was no way Michael's schemes or Uriel's death or Amenadiel's fall or Lucifer's own rebellion were a part of His plan. But now, looking at this empty room, except for what could be considered an empty canvas for His successor, he wasn't so sure. Clearly his Father had not intended to return to the Silver City when He had first shown up at the precinct.
"Lucifer", he heard Amenadiel call out to him. "Everybody is waiting for you. You've already wasted so much time putting off your ascension. It's time, brother."
"We're immortal, we have all the time in the world", Lucifer replied exasperated with the eldest already. "What's the rush?" He didn't really hear Amenadiel's reply but assumed it had something to do with the humans on Earth. Instead, he made his way to the main house, which was adjacent to the workshop. "Home, sweet home", he whispered to himself, his voice laced with sarcasm.
The main house had two floors - the upper floor housed God and Goddess' private rooms, while the lower floor held a large dining room and what Lucifer considered administrative rooms. The judgement room where Lucifer's banishment to hell had been decided was the first room on the left. The sight of the ornate wood and iron door still made him shiver. That was not a day he cared to relive. Instead, he focused on their destination - the assembly room. It was the largest room in heaven and the only one that could hold all the angels at one time. The doors to the assembly room stood open and he could hear his siblings whispering amongst themselves as he entered. The throne stood proud at the front, gleaming and calling out to him. As he approached the throne, Amenadiel stood a respectful distance away from it with the rest of his siblings. When Lucifer turned back to the crowd, everyone had fallen eerily silent. He took a deep breath and took his seat on the throne. It was definitely more comfortable than his throne in hell but the view wasn't all that different. Of course, he was now looking down at angels instead of demons but it was clear that not everyone was happy with the outcome of his battle with Michael. Sure, some angels looked happy or even proud but by his count, the vast majority still appeared to hold a degree of distrust and contempt for him, while a few showed outright disgust.
Lucifer wondered for the millionth time that day if he had made a huge mistake signing up to be God. But it was too late for second thoughts now. The angels slowly bowed down to him, officially recognizing him as the new ruler of the universe. As the last angel got on her knees he could feel his conscious expand. When he closed his eyes he could see a million different images flit past his mind's eye. Even though he didn't dwell on anyone of them for too long he understood what needed to be done. Was this what omniscience felt like? After what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes again and saw that none of the angels had dared to move a muscle, not even the ones that were sending malicious thoughts his way. "I will be fair, as I was with Michael", he said, addressing the room. "But do not mistake my kindness for weakness. If you have any grievances against me, you may speak to me directly and we will find a solution. If you choose to take matters into your own hands, you will regret it." He fixed his gaze on a group of angels who had been muttering as he was entering and continued, "The demons in hell can attest to that." He paused making sure his message had sunk in. "Arise, brothers and sisters, it's time to get back to work." Without another words the angels got back up and slowly dispersed.
Soon, Lucifer found himself alone with Amenadiel. "You do realize you aren't dealing with demons any more", Amenadiel said to him.
"I know but trust me, they aren't all that different. Demons are a mixed bag, just as the angels are", Lucifer answered.
"But you didn't have to threaten them", Amenadiel pushed.
"You and I were in the same room look at the same angels, were we not?" Lucifer scoffed. "A threat is exactly what they needed."
"Well, I guess since you're God now, you know best?" Amenadiel sighed. Knowing how stubborn his brother could be, he decided that a change of topic was the safest way to proceed. "So, what's next? Are you going to bring Chloe up here?"
"That was the original plan", Lucifer answered. "But I don't think that's a good idea. I intend for the detective to retain her mortality for as long as she can. So I think it's best we wait for things to settle down a little before she visits."
"You're omniscient now", Amenadiel reminded him. "Can't you just use that to figure out how to deal with our less than happy siblings?"
"I could but before I turn this into an elaborate game of chess, I'd like to see if I can resolve things my way", Lucifer replied. "A flight around the Silver City would be a good way to get started. I'm sure things have changed since my fall."
"I guess I'll leave you to it then", Amenadiel said. "It's time I get back to Linda and Charlie. Are you sure you'll be alright here on your own?"
"I managed just fine in hell, I'm sure I'll be just here", Lucifer answered. Seeing that didn't seem to ease his brother's worry, he continued. "I doubt any of our siblings are stupid enough to kill their new God. Even if any of them are, I have at least a few on my side, including you, who I'm sure I'll be able to call on for help."
Amenadiel sighed. He really didn't want to leave Lucifer to his own devices on his first day in the Silver City but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't shirk his duties on Earth. "I'll see you soon, Luci", he said and took flight with a sense of foreboding.
Lucifer watched his brother leave and then walked out of the assembly room and the main house. He stood there debating which way to go. The Silver City was divided into four regions with the main house at the center. Immediately to the north was the infirmary and beyond that were training grounds for the angels. The forges where regular heavenly arms were made were interspersed within this area. To the south were the angels' living quarters. Each angel had their own homes and while they were free to decorate it as they wished, the layout and size of all the houses was exactly the same. There was also ample space between each house that provided some amount of privacy. The east was the busiest part of the Silver City by day. It consisted of what Lucifer considered "office spaces" for his siblings. While most angels could do their work from anywhere, it still helped having a dedicated space to work out of and most angels would visit their work spaces at least once a day. However, there were also some, like Azrael, who were too busy to visit an office space often. On the west was where the human souls resided. They were in no way restricted to the area but only a curious few wandered out to other parts of the Silver City. The west was similar to hell in a lot of ways - it was labyrinth with doors all along the way, and the placement of the doors and the way the paths diverged or converged were chaotic. The most glaring difference was the presence of light and the absence of ash. The door were all painted white and human souls wandered from one to the other meeting family and friends and doing whatever it is that they wanted to do.
Lucifer took off from the front of the main house and began circling it. He slowly expanded his radius as and took stock of everything that was going on. By the time he made his rounds to him to the very edges of the Silver City, he had found nothing amiss. He really should have listened to Amenadiel and used his omniscience rather than his usual tactics from when he ruled hell. Deciding there was nothing more he could do by flying around, he took one last lap along the very edges of the Silver City. As he flew over the western region, twinkling lights on one of the houses caught his attention. Drawn to it, he alighted on the front porch only to realize that he was standing at his old home. Looking around, he realized that his house was the only thing in all of heaven that hadn't changed since he his banishment. He figured this was as good a place as any to work on his omniscience. He went inside and almost tripped on a leather bound book that he had left on the floor on his last morning in the Silver City, just before he had made his way to the main house to confront God for what became the last time. The house felt foreign to him now. It was nothing like his penthouse above Lux. The rooms were clean and tastefully decorated but lacked any real personality. He had to admit it was a reflection of who had been when he had rebelled.
His house, and that of every angel had four rooms - a living room where they entertained other angels and the rare human soul, a study, a bed room and a fourth room, a recreation room, that each angel chose to use however they wanted to. Lucifer's last room was filled with books and a couple of instruments. Clearly, his interests hadn't changed much in the intervening millennia. As tempting as it was to turn to music to deal with the uneasiness he felt, he went to his study and sat down at his desk. On his table were multiple sheets of paper with notes written on them regarding his past missions. Putting them away in one of the drawers, he pulled out a few fresh sheets of paper and laid it out in front of him. He picked up a pen and then closed his eyes, letting his mind wander to each sibling. He first thought of Amenadiel and could immediately see his brother at the precinct in his new uniform, listening to Ella as she described something to him gesturing wildly with her hands. He smiled to himself and then directed his thoughts to Gabriel. He found his sister in one of the administrative rooms sending out prayer versions of an email blast to all her siblings with a short piece about Lucifer's ascension. He spent some time looking into what each angel was up to and wrote down anything he found suspicious. Soon he only had one sibling left - Michael. He reluctantly cast his thoughts to his twin. He was exactly where he knew he would be - in hell. What he hadn't expected to see was that the wounds on his back hadn't yet healed. Michael wasn't completely cut off from divinity. Even in hell, he should have healed by now. He made a note to visit hell soon and then sat back. He looked down at the papers in front of him where he had written down six names - Matriel, Raziel, Zephon, Muriel, Nathaniel and Ariel. He wasn't actually surprised considering all six had been less than thrilled at his ascension. He would have to deal with them soon but he wasn't sure how.
Most of Lucifer's siblings weren't doing anything of importance. Between his Father leaving heaven and him procrastinating his ascension, there was a backlog of prayers to be answered which his siblings could not be trusted with on their own. This was simple enough to remedy. He would just answer a few prayers and get started on his actual work as God. Listening to prayers was simple enough. All angels heard prayers that were directed at them unless they were actively trying to block them off. Sometime during the 11th century AD, Lucifer had mastered the art of tuning out prayers and now it was so natural to him that he hardly noticed he was doing it. When he listened for prayers, the only ones that he could hear were ones addressed to "Lucifer" or just an unnamed "angel". That was strange. He briefly wondered if he should ask one of his siblings for help but shook his head dispelling the thought. Admitting to not knowing what he was doing could be dangerous. Instead, he chose to rely on his omniscience. This time he wasn't think of a person, instead he thought of prayers to God specifically. It was almost like looking up an encyclopedia. Prayers to God were different from prayers to angels, he realized. Angels were limited in that they could only hear prayers at the time they were being said. They were almost like smoke signals, that eventually disappeared. If an angel decided not to listen to prayers for a while, they would have no way they could go back and find out what prayers they had received in the time. God on the other hand, was able to store and retrieve prayers. Even when he wasn't listening, prayers directed to God went into a sort of inbox that he was able to access with just a little bit of concentration.
Lucifer's attempts to sort through all the prayers that hadn't been answered was interrupted by a swift knock on the door. Who could that be? he wondered and almost as if someone had answered his question, he knew it was Gabriel on the other side of the door. "Come on in sister", he called out. Gabriel didn't bother with doors and with a beat of her wings, stood against the closed door to his study. When she didn't say a word, Lucifer raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be lost for words."
"I'm not lost for words", Gabriel said, sounding defensive. "I'm just having trouble phrasing what I want to say."
"Well, just say it, you know I'm not going to punish you", Lucifer said in what he hoped was a soothing tone.
"It's just that some of the angels aren't happy with you being the new God", Gabriel blurted out. "They know you got the job fair and square but most of them have trouble seeing you as anything other than the devil."
"And they think evil has won over good, is that it?" he asked his sister. Gabriel in turn looked at her shoes, unsure once more of how to respond. "I was already aware of our siblings' displeasure."
"Oh right, you're omniscient now", Gabriel said, with a nervous laugh.
Lucifer scoffed. "I don't need omniscience to know what's right in front of me, Gabriel. Our siblings aren't exactly known for their poker face. Besides, Muriel was sending me some extremely unpleasant messages before I took the throne. She was loud enough that I could hear here even though I was blocking out prayers."
"What are you going to do about them?"
"I'm not sure", Lucifer replied. "I don't want another war but I won't go easy on them if it comes down to it. The first few centuries after I became king of hell were the same."
"Except we're not demons and this isn't hell", Gabriel stated.
"You are correct", Lucifer conceded. "But the circumstances are the same. You have a new ruler and some people who are happy, some who are not, and some who are just apathetic. Now we just have to wait and see what everyone does."
"So you're not going to wage ware against them?" Gabriel asked. She had heard Lucifer say he was willing to work out any differences but she wasn't sure she trusted him. She was well aware that Lucifer learnt everything he knew about running a kingdom in hell and she was concerned that he was going to apply the same strategies here. The parallels he drew between the Silver City and hell did nothing to put her mind at ease.
"You heard what I said after my ascension", Lucifer said, almost as if he had read her thoughts. "You know I don't lie. Our siblings can bring their concerns to me but if they try to force my hand, they will regret it. Please make sure Muriel, Ariel, Raziel, Zephon, Nathaniel and Matriel are reminded of that."
"So you know", Gabriel said flatly.
"Know what exactly?" Lucifer asked her. He slid the sheet of paper with the six names towards her.
Gabriel didn't dare to lie or downplay what was happening. "They're planning a rebellion", she said. "They don't have a plan yet but they're working on it. Nathaniel has already tried to steal the flaming sword once but Jophiel got in his way."
"Now that, I was aware of", Lucifer said. The rebellion, he was expecting but the plan to murder him was news to him. During his brief look into his siblings, he hadn't really spared much thought to exactly how far along they were in their plans because he had simply assumed that they couldn't have much. He had only become God a few hours earlier. Clearly, they had begun earlier. He was now starting to regret putting off his ascension. He looked back up at his sister and saw how uncomfortable she looked. Even though she wasn't really close to Lucifer, she had always been happy and eager to see him and talk to him. Now, she just looked anxious. "Gabriel, you do know I'm not going to hurt you right?"
"I know that", she answered. "But you can't blame me for being worried. You're God now. You can create and destroy at will. I've seen how bad your temper can be. What if you get angry about something I tell you, lose control of your powers and destroy the messenger? The lord of hell was frightening but the king of heaven is even worse."
Lucifer hadn't expected to hear that. "I can't promise you that I won't get angry. I've spent most of my life being angry and my ability to focus on my anger is what helped me survive hell."
"But Lucifer, you aren't in hell", Gabriel found herself repeating. "You have to learn to let it go."
"I know", Lucifer said softly. "And I promise you that I will try." Gabriel still didn't look convinced and he couldn't blame her, he wasn't convinced himself. He decided to take a different approach. "If there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that I am a man of my word. So here's a message for the host - if any one tries to kill me, they will be punished. A fate far worse than Michael's awaits them. But I give you my word that I will not kill them."
"That's fair", Gabriel agreed.
"You are dismissed", Lucifer said to Gabriel, too exhausted to entertain her any longer.
"Before I go", Gabriel said, "I just wanted to let you know that even though I didn't stand with you during the vote, I am on your side now. I really do hope you can figure all this out."
"So do I, sister", Lucifer answered. Then with a tentative smile, Gabriel left the room. Lucifer let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He had been expecting ruling heaven and earth to be difficult. But he had a feeling he had underestimated how difficult it would be.