thirty-five
the horn of gabriel.

SELENE THEN RUNS back to the Spellman's home and finds Sabrina in the kitchen telling Zelda, Hilda, and Ambrose everything that happened when she saw the Dark Lord. Selene then informs them about her encounter with him, and Ambrose gasps with a look of pain in his eyes once he hears about Nick. But when she mentions Sabrina being the Dark Lord's child, he speaks up.

"I have read of such tales in apocryphal books on Satantic lore. In siring of a babe of witch, mortal, and infernal blood, the Dark Lord perverts the Holy Trinity. A sacrilegious conception, to birth an only ill-begotten child of His own and instigate the Apocalypse."

"So he tricked my father and used my mother?" Sabrina realizes, making her distaste for her biological father clear. "And now He expects me to fall in line? Well, I say, not today, Satan. I don't care who the Dark Lord is to me. I'm a Spellman and I will always be a Spellman. And I'll fight Him until my last dying breath. I just don't know how yet."

"I'm with you, Brina," Selene informs, taking her friend's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll figure it out."

The pair remain silent for a moment before Lilith walks into the kitchen with an awkward grin on her face. "Well, I might have an idea about that. May I come in?"

"Why would you help us?" Selene questions, staring at the mother of demons skeptically, not sure if she can trust her. "Why go against your master now?"

"Well, perhaps someone's defiance has given me hope. That my story isn't finished yet. That my destiny hasn't been decided yet," she shrugs, glancing at Sabrina. However, they all stare back at her like they're not buying it. "Fine, it's because I want the throne and crown. I've worked for them, I've earned them, they're mine. And if He won't give them to me, then let's gut the bastard and I'll take them for myself."

"I'm down with that plan," Selene smirks at the mother of demons, finally liking a plan she's come up with. "But how?"

"Yeah, he's a bit of a God, isn't he?" Hilda jokes, only for Lilith and Selene to give her odd looks.

"No, he's not a God and never has been. That's one of the Devil's greatest lies," Lilith huffs, not liking how he gets portrayed as more powerful than he actually is. "He's just a fallen angel, a creature of the cosmos."

"A celestial being," Selene adds as Lilith nods.

"He's powerfully ageless, but I've seen Him bleed. And I know His weak spots. If you wish for me to tell you."

Everybody then glances at Sabrina, and she walks over to Lilith curiously. "How do we do it?"

"You're powerless right now, and that's to your advantage, Sabrina. He thinks you're helpless. But He underestimates your secret weapon. Your family and your protector. He's expecting you and Selene at the altar in the woods. You'll both go there alone, with no weapons. Well, you'll be armed, but not exactly with a weapon. And you two won't really be alone. Now. Does anyone here know how to smelt?"

The rest of the group then glances at Ambrose, who gingerly raises his hand. They then go down to the basement where Ambrose goes through a long process called smelting. Once he's finished, he has a horseshoe made of pure iron and a long rod that looks like a sort of blade. "I'm not sure this'll kill Him."

"Well, you don't need to kill Him, just distract him," Lilith quips before smirking. "Now you'll all have to do exactly as I say."

She then explains what they'll have to do. "Sabrina, you will exploit the Dark Lord's first and greatest weakness. His arrogance, pride, and ego. You and Selene must submit to Him, flatter Him, be in His thrall. And you must keep Him facing you at all times. On the Dark Lord's back, there are two wounds that will never heal. The place where His wings were ripped from His body. Those spots are where He is weakest, and where the killing blows must be struck. Flattery, girls, will be your tool to disarm Him. And then, with the horseshoe, you pin Him to the spot. Ambrose, you'll use the weapon you just forged to hit Him with bolts of lightning. Hilda, Zelda, you'll stab him with these. Daggers forged in the ancient city of Megiddo, where Christianity was born."

Lilith then hands Hilda and Zelda each a silver dagger, and Selene raises an eyebrow at Lilith questioningly. "What about me?"

"If things go wrong, you know what to do," Lilith replies, gently reaching out and touching Selene, resulting in the heavenly fire burning under her skin to show itself. The Spellman's watch in awe as Selene's hand holds a steady red flame, and it doesn't burn her.

"The hellfire won't burn him, Lilith."

"But the sword controlling it will."

Sabrina and Selene then go to the place where Sabrina signed her name in the Dark Lord's book, and when He arrives, he seems surprised to find them there. "Girls, you came. Turn and face Me."

Selene takes a deep breath before she turns to face him with Sabrina, fighting the urge to jump in front of Sabrina in case this goes horribly wrong.

"As you wish, My Lord and Father," Sabrina says obediently as He smiles, glad His daughter and her protector are on his side.

"Today, we sound Gabriel's Horn to unlock the Gates of Hell. Do you both still have your doubts?"

"No, we've thought about it, and decided we want to submit to you," Selene falsely declares, lying right through her teeth.

"Willingly," Sabrina adds as the girls exchange nervous glances.

"Then kneel."

Both girls do as told, kneeling before him as Sabrina yanks the horseshoe out of her pocket and stabs it into his foot forcefully. He curses his daughter's name her and Selene stand up. His daughter shrugs. "Just a little trick I learned from St.Dunstan. Ambrose!"

She calls his name as his invisibility spell wears off. He uses the weapon he made to conjure lightning, and he strikes the Dark Lord with it as much as he can before He uses a time spell to freeze Ambrose. Hilda and Zelda's invisibility spells then wear off, and they stab the place where the Dark Lord's wings once were.

The group watch anxiously as the Dark Lord switches from His human form to His devil form. He growls in pain before pulling the daggers from His back. Once they're removed, He transforms back into His human form. Thunder crashes in the sky, something He's doing, as Selene jumps in front of Sabrina instinctively. He frowns at them. "Well planned, but fruitless. Only the spear of Longinus could kill Me."

Selene then calls to Durandel silently, and she smirks when the sword comes flying through the air towards her. She catches it with ease, the sword igniting as soon as it touches her. She then takes a step towards the Dark Lord, pressing it close to His throat. "Wanna bet?"

He glances down at her sword before he uses his telekinetic powers to press the daggers to Hilda and Zelda's throats. Ambrose takes a step towards them, only to be knocked to the ground forcefully. Selene's heart leaps into her chest as this happens, but she stays silent, glaring at the Dark Lord. "I shouldn't be surprised. And I had wanted to keep things civil, but if blood must be shed. You draw one drop of My blood, dear girl, and I'll kill your precious boyfriend and his aunts."

"Please," Sabrina begs him, shaking her head at Selene. But Selene stands her ground, feeling so powerful. Thinking about how easy it'd be to slit his throat, but part of her is thinking about how he could possibly kill the others before she could kill him. "Please don't hurt them."

"Pick up Gabriel's Horn and tell Selene to back off," the Dark Lord instructs as the aunties shake their heads at them.

Sabrina then looks at Selene, and Selene shrugs. "Your call, Sabrina."

This seems to make up Sabrina's mind, and she makes a decision. She gingerly steps towards Gabriel's Horn, taking the golden instrument in her hands carefully. It's clear that she doesn't want to, but she doesn't exactly have a choice here. She plays the horn, opening the Gates of Hell as Lucifer drops the knives touching Hilda and Zelda's throats. Selene reluctantly takes a step away from him, keeping a firm grip on her sword just in case she changes her mind as the Dark Lord smirks victoriously.

"The Damnation Game begins in earnest. I shall expect you all at My daughter's coronation. Girls, defy Me again and I won't hesitate."

UNEDITED