GPS: Grimereaper Positioning System

Azaziel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You know... I've been thinking about opening a little... luxury line. Tartarus Chic. Handmade soul-bound accessories. Very exclusive."

Zhuxen gasped, eyes glittering like a woman who had just found her life's calling.

"Oh my gods... a Tartarus Luxury Line?! I could be your brand ambassador!"

Thanatos slapped both hands to his face and dragged them down like he was physically trying to scrape the shame off himself.

"Are you two actually serious right now?"

Zhuxen ignored him entirely.

"I'm picturing cursed chokers made of sins! Skeleton handbags! Oh, and little branded skull pins — It's giving niche. It's giving hellish... very dinky... very decorous!"

Azaziel was already nodding like he'd just discovered capitalism for the first time.

"I could embroider the customer’s sins directly into the lining—"

"STOP ENCOURAGING HER!" Thanatos bellowed, his deathly voice echoing through Azaziel's forge.

Zhuxen flicked her hair over her shoulder like a telenovela star who just found out her husband's twin brother was alive and secretly her lover.

"Mi amore, I'm simply networking." She batted her lashes. "You wouldn't want me to limit my career opportunities, would you?"

Azaziel's molten eyes gleamed as he leaned on his anvil, smirking. "I like her. She's got ambition. Ever thought of joining the family business? I'm always hiring interns—unpaid, of course."

"NO." Thanatos snapped, pointing a finger at him. "You're already on probation for the soul-bound axe pyramid scheme—"

"Alleged pyramid scheme," Azaziel corrected, polishing his claws on his soot-covered apron.

"And about the love of my life's scythe—" Zhuxen cut in dramatically, placing a hand on her heart.

Azaziel's grin vanished faster than a sinner in broad daylight. He immediately raised a hand, halting her mid-sentence. "My lady, I don't mean to be rude, but this is company policy and besides—"

Suddenly, the demon flung his muscular arm over his eyes, his horns tilted at a sorrowful angle. "I am but a humble artisan, bound by the cruel laws of underworld commerce! I... I do not have any money to cover the expenses if we don't have the receipt."

Zhuxen's lips parted in outrage. "What kind of customer service is this?! Do you know who I am?"

"A very beautiful woman who does not have the receipt." Azaziel peeked dramatically from under his arm, wiping away nonexistent tears with one blackened glove.

"Well, yes," Zhuxen nodded. "You're right. But the love of my life will greatly compensate you for it," she turned to Thanatos who immediately nodded.

"Even so, I still can't," Azaziel finally looked up, his golden eyes flicking between the two of them since Lian is still on the floor, before his gaze settled back on Thanatos.

"You said you want another scythe, so I assume you probably lost it, not break it or something?"

Thantos nodded.

"Right. So, I really can't help with anything then."

"And why is that?" Zhuxen leaned closed.

"Because that scythe was the only one that ever worked for him. And even I don't know why."

Thanatos' brow twitched, but he stayed silent.

Zhuxen's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean the only one?"

Azaziel leaned one arm against the workbench, smirking like a man who absolutely knew how hot he was and regretted nothing.

"Most reapers can use any scythe, more or less. But Thanatos... his powers are different. Unstable, maybe. Or maybe... something more." He tilted his head, golden eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "The scythe I forged for him — the one he happen to lose — was made from an ancient stone that existed before the earth was even created. I couldn't replicate it even if I wanted to."

Zhuxen's jaw dropped. She turned to Thanatos, eyes wide.

"You have hidden powers?"

Thanatos scowled. "I do not have hidden powers."

"You absolutely have hidden powers," Azaziel smirked.

"I don't."

"Ohhhh, you totally do," Zhuxen grinned. "Mi amore, why didn't you tell me you're special?"

Thanatos massaged his temples. "Because I'm not."

Azaziel leaned closer, smirking like a devil who just remembered he is one. "Well, I can help you with one thing, tho." He yanked open the nearest drawer, rummaging through bolts, bones, and something that may or may not have been a severed pinky finger, before fishing out a tiny black stone.

He plopped it onto the counter with the grandiosity of a magician revealing his final trick.

The stone was so small Zhuxen almost inhaled it when she leaned in to inspect. She straightened up, coughing dramatically. "You trying to assassinate me or what?"

Thanatos squinted at the pebble. "What's that supposed to be? A cursed Tic Tac?"

Azaziel smirked, crossing his muscular tattooed arms. "Well, this happens to be the last remaining fragment from the ancient stone I used to forge your scythe. Rare. Powerful. Extremely... non-refundable."

Zhuxen's face twisted in disgust. "Are you asking my beloved to... what? Toothpick souls to death with this?"

Azaziel barked out a laugh, clapping his hands once. "Oh, you're such a funny little lady. I like you. No, no—this isn't a weapon. This—" he dramatically wiggled his fingers over the stone, "—is a tracking device solely for your scythe since it's made out of this."

Thanatos' eyes narrowed. "A glorified GPS rock?"

Azaziel's grin widened. "A magic GPS rock. Huge difference."

He picked up the pebble, grabbed Thanatos' reluctant hand, and dropped it in his palm. The moment the stone touched his skin, it flared to life—pulsing with an eerie black, purple, and crimson glow. Zhuxen jumped back behind Lian, who was still dangling unconscious like an overworked piñata.

A thin beam of light shot out from the stone, wobbling in the air before pointing decisively to the right like a haunted compass.

"Yep!" Azaziel clapped. "Just as I suspected—the stone only reacts to you. That little guy will lead you straight to your missing scythe."

Zhuxen's eyes sparkled. "Like a magical scavenger hunt! How romantic!"

Thanatos sighed. He somehow had gotten used to Zhuxen's words which sounded like curses ringing onto his ears.

Zhuxen grabbed his arm. "Well? What are we waiting for, my love? Let's follow the light!"

They were halfway out the door, Lian flopping behind them like a sack of demon laundry, when Azaziel's hands clamped down on both their shoulders.

His grin stretched wider, fangs glinting. "And that'll be $999.99. Already with the Friends of the Underworld 20% discount."

Thanatos' eye twitched. Z

huxen blinked.

Azaziel grinned wider, Zhuxen could swear he saw the edges of his mouth ripped.

"No refunds."