<strong>Nathanael, entering through the Gates of Hell</strong><br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>Hell had a stench like no other.  No, it wasn't just the brimstone, it was the stench of evil.  The stench of demons.  Most demons carried the scent, which made the angels' job easier.  The scent warned angels of the presence of demons, be it in demons laying in wait for an ambush, or demons trying to inhabit an area, or demons trying to evade detection while being tracked.  The purer the subject, the more noticeable the scent.  That's why angels were most likely to detect it, along with young children, family pets, and the occasional devout human adult.  Evil people probably didn't notice it at all -- not the residual scent the average demon carried.  The stench of evil in Hell, though, was surely noticed by anyone passing through the gates.<br/><br/>There were exceptions to the rule of the stinky demons, though.  The occasional demon who - for whatever reason - failed to carry the scent.  This one trait made them particularly valuable to the Dark Prince, the Evil Overlord who chose to reign in Hell rather than serve in Heaven.  These were demons who could ambush a lone messenger without warning, who could strike at an assembly of celestial beings then disappear without a trace.  Many of them were assimilated into the human world to spread hate and discontent -- usually disguising themselves as journalists or politicians, but occasionally as one of the common people.  A few of them have even successfully infiltrated churches.<br/><br/>Then there were the incubi and succubi.  The very nature of their existence dictated they not carry the scent, for it would be difficult to mate with most humans if even the slightest residue of the stench were present.  On the contrary, many who had actually encountered them reported they had a nice, pleasant smell.  Nathanael, who had never been close to one, had a hard time believing something as evil as a Succubus could smell nice.<br/><br/>And now Nathanael had to try to track something pure through this abyss of stench.  He wondered if it would be anything like tracking something evil through a pristine environment.  He quickly concluded it wasn't, for as soon as he passed the gates, he could detect no sign of the angel's passing, even though this was (to his knowledge) the only passage leading into Hell.<br/><br/>He knew just enough about this place from those who had been here before - Archangels selected for conferences with the Dark Prince - to understand the nature of the different "levels" of Hell.  He knew the deeper he descended, the worse things would be, and that since one angel had already been captured -- well, he didn't want to think about the worst case scenario.  Hopefully he would simply find Tahariel unharmed, demand his release, and the demons would fear retribution enough (from their own master if not his) to let him go.  Demons were awefully shortsighted like that, which is what led to their Fall From Grace in the first place.<br/><br/>The lone rocky dark stairwell led down from the gates to the first level -<em>Limbo</em>.  Though the aforementioned stench of Hell was detectable to a holy being such as Nathanael, he was aware it might not be noticeable to those poor tortured souls on the First Level, since it got worse the deeper one went.  The "punishment" of Limbo was, after all, not so much torment from demons, but separation from the Glory of God.  For Nathanael that seemed a horrible enough fate, but then as an angel he had never been outside God's glory.  These poor souls may not suffer as much as the ones condemned to the lower levels, but they would be missing out on the greatest thing of all.<br/><br/>Nathanael paused at the entrance, certain that if a holy being like Tahariel was present, there would be a glow, an aura, to mark his presence.  There was no glow.   No aura.  He contemplated whether he needed to enter and look around, or continue on to search the deeper levels.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>(Edited to correct canonical errors - Limbo vs Purgatory)