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Dead Man's Party--PART2

EXHILARATION. That was all Arya felt when their group of four enlisted together to combat against demons, fulfil assignments set by the clave as well as those assignments set by themselves. It was as if all of the energy released between them binds concurrently and came to be one force of consensus that gave them all the vitality and eagerness desired. She did not doubt that tonight would be the same story.

"Izzy should be waiting for us this way," Arya told the raven-haired boy who was following her. They were headed further into the tunnels which lead beneath the hotel and Arya had been there a few too many times than she would like to admit before. "Where are we exactly?" Alec asked, trying to dismiss the fact that Arya must have been here numerous times to have such a good sense of direction in the territory.

"It's an old meatpackers service entrance." She explained, ascending a set of stairs which revealed Izzy at the top in a rosy dress she had worn just for Meliorn. "If we go back there, we come up into the basement of the Hotel DuMort." She added, pointing to a door that directs to another tunnel. Alec just nodded--not bothering to question how she learned that. "Hey, Izzy." She added once they reach the top.

"Perfect Arya, Right?" She smiled at the intel and then turned to Alec for his agreement however it was not given. "We distract the vamps," She started—glancing at Arya playfully. "Clary and Jace have time to find Simon." She told them a suitable plan.

"Okay," Alec said simply. He didn't like the idea that Izzy had seduced herself the information, or the fact that Arya had gotten it from a vamp willingly. "Okay?" Izzy groaned with raised eyebrows. "It was hard work interrogating Meliorn to get this intel." She scolded.

"Technically, you did it voluntarily since I already knew the way in. And it sure looks like you did a lot of interrogating Iz." Arya chuckled at the girl who looked confused for a flash. "You have fairy dust on your dress." Alec enlightened her and she smirked—subtly dusting it off. "And I hate being the distraction." The boy complained while the other two girls pursued behind him.

"I don't." Both the girls shrugged in unison and then shared a glimpse. "Clearly," Alec muttered.

"You know you'd be a lot happier if you weren't so freaking repressed." Izzy cracked at her brother while they manoeuvred around corners and through doorways. "You aren't going to talk to me are you?" Izzy complained to her brother as they did so. Arya was a few steps behind after slipping off her jacket so she could initiate her stamina rune on her neck. She leaned her head to the side and flinched a little as it stung but Alec couldn't help but keep an eye on her to make sure nothing attacked while she was a little behind. "You have feelings, whether you like 'em or not, Alec," Izzy told him—recognising the look in his eye that he constantly had when it came to the brown-haired shadow hunter.

"This is not the place or the time, Izzy," Alec contended in return once he noticed the girl pull her jacket back on and begin to catch up to them. "I don't know, looks pretty smooth so far." She shrugged while Alec began to climb and Arya followed after him—bringing them out in what was a channel of boiler rooms underneath the building.

"This is the way," Arya told them, nodding towards a metal door which Izzy then walked forwards and opened, revealing six vampires on the other side of it with many more to come. They all growled and hissed at the three shadow hunters so Isabel didn't hesitate to close it again—the three slamming their full body weight against it to stop them from entering while Alec tried to grab his stele.

"Any day now," Izzy complained when he took a small while. Arya rolled her eyes at the twos bickering and slipped the pen-like object from Alec's back pocket and hand it to him. He stumbled a little when she did and Izzy shot him a knowing look but he ignored both and tried to draw the rune on the door—only for it not to take.

In the meantime, while the other two held the door, Arya used her seraph blade and slashed a section of the black pipe from beside them and slipped it between the handle of the door and the pipe on the wall to stop it from opening—momentarily.

"Whoever said 'the pen is mightier than the sword,' was an idiot," Isabel commented. But Arya wasn't sure how long the pipe would last and after it broke they would be fighting against a huge group of vampires—which both exhilarated her and worried her.

"Do you think they know where we are?" Isabel smiled excitedly. "That's the idea, right?" Alec nodded as a bony hand managed to find its way between the gap in the doorway where the pipe had started to bend. "How long do you think we have to distract them for?" Alec wondered out loud. "Ten minutes?" Arya shrugged and the two looked at her like she was crazy.

"Ten minutes?"

"Are you kidding? We're liquid lunch in five."

"So let's distract them." Arya grinned—sharing a look with Izzy. It was common for them to give each other random looks but they always know what they meant. "So let's distract them." She agreed and Alec nodded.

"We better get ready," he concluded when the metal began to snap. He pulled his bow and arrow back, Izzy's bracelet melted into a whip and Arya extended her naginata—right as the door slammed open, revealing the dozens of vampires.

Izzy extended her whip which wrapped around the first attacker's ankle. She pulled him forwards till he was close enough and stabbed him in the chest with her seraph blade. Alec used his bow and arrows to shoot tactically fast at any which were trying to sneakily attack them. Arya used her naginata to strike two who came directly for her in the chest until there was none left surrounding them.

"This is fun." Alec panted—his hair getting messy and his face glistening in the light. It was distracting how he always looked the most attractive once he had been fighting against someone. She was taken back to reality however when she saw the shadow of more vampires approaching and she readied her weapon—along with the siblings.

"Keep coming boys." Izzy beaconed when a group of them hid behind a wall once they had seen the previous carnage caused and the fact Alec had his bow ready to shoot.

But as soon as they stepped closer, the vamps appeared to be going in a different direction—and it wasn't towards them. The movement was followed by distant screams and cries of distress which caused all of them to share worried glances before they all followed behind Arya to the main room where the voice was loudest.

Inside the room was full of discombobulated items scattered around, mixed with golden items and things that appeared to be expensive. The sofas were leather and clean and the photos old and painted. The thing that caught their eye most was both Clary being attacked by a vamp and Jace by three. Alec was the first to step forwards with his arrow already drawn but the vampire positioned himself behind the girl so he couldn't hit him without hitting her.

"Okay," Alec smirked. He then let go of the arrow but shot it slightly upwards. The strength of the arrow managed to break through the wall—allowing a stream of sunlight to beam into the room—turning the vampire to dust.

Meanwhile, Arya ran forwards to help Jace who had three surrounding him. As soon as she began to approach one of them switched from Jace to her. She spans the naginata between her fingers and then swung a hit to his knee and then his side and once he was dropped to the floor she used one of the daggers in the end and stabbed him in the chest—also turning him to dust. Behind her, Jace had done the same with his seraph blade to another one and Clary the same besides him.

"I killed him." She said proudly, looking at Jace who had the same look in his eye while he smirked at her for what she had done. "He was already dead." He joked and Clary smiled a little. "Plus he wanted to kill you. Remember that." Izzy added. "She did great, right?"

"Yeah, you did." Jace agreed. "You should be proud," Arya added with a barely noticeable smile—she still wasn't sure about her. "Thanks, but...it's not about me. Let's go find Simon." She said determined as she then turned to lead the way.

The hallways were cool as always and Arya hated the way it felt familiar. And it got all too familiar again when they entered the room Arya had seen a dozen times. The sofas were golden and the walls grey but between them, all was Raphael—holding Simon hostage.

"Simon!" Clary panicked when she saw he was being held with a large knife to his neck. "Clary. That's not gonna go any good." Jace warned her, grabbing her arm to pull her back towards them.

"Listen to him, Clary Fairchild. Put it away. I've had more than enough of your friend for one day." Raphael snarled but still not releasing him. "I'd love to cut his throat. Don't give me a reason." The older vampire threatened. "Put it away." He ordered and at once Jace and Clary's seraph blades disappeared, Alec retracted his arrow and Arya closed her naginata.

"Simon, are you alright?" The redhead wanted assurance. "I wouldn't say alright—" Simons's voice wobbled. "Stop talking!" Raphael ordered tightening his grip on the boy. "Now, if you would all just follow me. Especially you, Arya." He added, sparing a second glance at the shadow hunter who was stood close to Alec. "Let's go!" He ordered once nobody moved.

"Come on, let's go! Up here now!" The vamp shouted, leading them through a maze of tunnels that Arya hadn't used before but everyone obliged not wanting to put Simons life further at risk. "That's right, get down there now! Get down there or I'll kill him right now!" He threatened. He looked menacing because of the pale skin and shadowed sunken eyes, the sharp and pointy teeth and the black suit but Arya still remembered him not being like that—whether she wanted to think that way or not.

"Look, we're not gonna hurt you. We just want Simon." Clary told him, struggling against Jace's hold which was trying to pull her down the tunnel along with the other three. "I'm glad you do. We don't." The vamp snarled in return. "We wanted you."

"And he wanted Arya," Izzy mumbled and Arya glared at her—positive that with his hearing Raphael probably heard her. "Well, here I am," Clary shouted and Arya hoped that it muffled Izzy's comment a little. "Stop." Jace told her—trying to pull the struggling girl along.

"I said 'wanted.' Not my idea." He admitted. "No, but he wanted Arya. That was his Idea." Izzy mumbled again and this time they all heard. "Isabel. Shut up." Alec and Arya snapped at her at the same time and she simply held her hands up in defence.

"Now, get out! Go!" Raphael ordered them once they had reached the metal iron door at the end of the narrow tunnel. "Not without Simon." Clary objected. "Shut up! Open that door right now or I'll kill him right here." He threatened again.

"Listen to him!" Jace shouted at Clary. "But Simon will die if—" She tried to argue but was cut off by the whimpers of Raphael as he hid behind the big metal pipe to hide from the sunlight which had infiltrated the doorway once Alec had quickly opened the door. "Clary go!" Simon shouted when he didn't think the vampire would let him go. But he did. "Go! Take him! Go!" Raphael shouted, hastily waiting for them to close the door so he was safe again.

"I don't know how to thank you," Simon told him and stupidly stopped so Jace dragged him out while the others wasted no time in escaping the creepy hotel. "Don't thank me. You mean nothing." The vampire told him in return. "This is about valentine and the chaos he can bring." He snapped. "Jace Wayland. Remember who your friends are." The vampire warned. "And Arya. You're always welcome to stay." He smirked but Arya quickly closed the door instead.

Once they stepped out, the sunlight engulfed them and they were now vampire safe on the roof of the Hotel DuMort. "Shouldn't we get the hell out of here?" Simon trembled but they all frowned at him. "Why, Simon?" Jace frowned at the boy. "They're right downstairs." He stressed and Arya mumbled a quiet 'oh my god' but it was still loud enough for them all to hear. "Let them come after us. They'll just turn into a bunch of fried eggs out here. I thought you said you watched movies." Jace commented and they all climbed the stairs to the higher part of the roof—watching as Clary and Simon engulfed each other in a meaningful hug where she kissed him on the cheek.

"Well...no accounting for taste," Izzy commented, touching up her liquid lipstick.

"Yeah, you should talk." Alec quipped back and Jace continued to stare at the two on the lower roof—obvious jealously being the reason for his frown. "Arya should talk," Izzy argued back.

"Enough with the comments, okay? I get it—it was stupid." The girl admitted while she glared at her parabatai for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"Look, can I just say one thing?" Alec asked his parabatai. "You will whatever I say, so shoot," Jace grumbled and Izzy and Arya shared another look—it was annoying how the two best friends hadn't been getting along recently and they both knew that it was because Alec felt like Jace was only prioritising Clary and nobody else. Arya just didn't know how much it bothered him that it could end up getting her hurt because of it—but Izzy did understand how much he cared about the girl.

"You think you know Clary, right? But you may not. Think about who her father is." Alec pointed out but Jace was sick of him making it an issue. "You know what, Alec? Do not start this again with me, Alec." He snapped harshly. "She just came out of nowhere, Jace." The raven-haired boy argued. "She has no one," Jace argued in return. "Just listen to me for one second—" Alec tried to convince but it was failing the louder they rose their voices at each other. "Alec, stop!" Jace snapped again gaining everyone's attention since it was considerably louder.

To Alec in this situation—he has his sister who he would go to the ends of the earth to keep safe and keep alive. He had his parabatai who he had such a close bond with and he cared about so deeply to the soul that he didn't want to see him give his life for someone who had just arrived in it. He had Arya who he was still trying to comprehend his feelings for—but knew they ran deeper than any he had for anyone before. It would destroy him if she ever got badly hurt or died. And then he had Clary who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was changing Jace's attitude and perception of things. He didn't want to see the redhead walk into their lives and then leave them with nothing like some of them had previously. He needed to keep everyone safe and he wouldn't be afraid to say it if it meant he could save all of them.

"Both of you stop!" Arya interjected but Jace brushed her off quickly. "If you feel that way about her. Then why did you help us tonight?" Jace asked and Alec couldn't answer apart from a small glance at his sister parabatai. It was to keep her safe. Had he not gone and she had been hurt or worse—he would never forgive himself. He had to ensure her and the rest of his families safety.

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