(Hell, Mephistopheles's Realm)
Deep within the fiery pits of the underworld, a realm of eternal torment, a scream of anger that would be equivalent to the Hulk can be heard echoing throughout the landscape. Souls that have been damn to suffer for eternity for their sins in life, or for selling it to gain unobtainable riches in their life, actually find a bit of joy in this scream because they know who it belongs to.
"AAARRRGGHHH!"
A large blast of hellfire incinerates many lowly demons that are nearby. The souls that are on torture racks get burnt to a crisp but strangely enough have smiles on their faces.
For the one who is responsible for tormenting them is now throwing a temper tantrum.
"DAMN THAT ARACHNID!" Mephisto shouts as loud as he can as he picks up a large boulder and tosses it over the horizon, "DAMN THAT INSUFFERABLE WATCHER! AND DAMN THAT TRAITOROUS CUR FOR HER PART IN THIS!"
"Be careful how you speak of me, demon. Even within your own realm."
A baneful smile forms on his face as he turns to Death who just appeared out of nowhere.
He gives a humorless chuckle, "Forgive me Mistress Death, but I have a tendency to express myself in such fashions," he loses his smile and flares hatefully at her, "Especially when I'm BETRAYED!"
Unperturbed by his anger, Death calmly responds, "I did not betray you Mephistopheles. Your goal merely aligned with mine. That was all."
"Oh yes how silly of me," he says sarcastically, "But that still begs the question of why?"
Death becomes silent as he continues to rant.
"Why would you do this? Hmm? After everything, everything the humans have said and done, why would you help Uatu save them? It can't be because that bald peeping fool convinced you! He has that oath never to interfere so I doubt it was him! And I also doubt that it was that human soul Ben Parker! You do not get so easily swayed! The only one who's ever had that power over you has…been…"
He stops his ranting as realization sets in. He slowly turns to look at Death's face, searching for something that tells him he is right in his epiphany.
He finds it and glares hatefully, "It was him wasn't it," she doesn't say anything and a rueful smile forms on his face, "Heh of course it was. Who else could it have been?"
She doesn't look away as he continues to speak.
"It's interesting, isn't it? How a single man suddenly garnered his attention. Why do you suppose that is?"
His questions are of course rhetorical, but they still prompt Death to respond, "Does it matter?"
His rueful smile is still in place as he continues, "How long has it been since you've seen him? In one perception it's only been a few thousand years. A drop of water in the bucket of eternity," he pretends to mull it over, "Then again, when the multiverse is thrown in the mix, it's been much longer, hasn't it? After all, a thousand years multiplied by infinity, well that's hard math even for me."
Death does not respond. She doesn't even so much as twitch.
"How long did you have to go alone in existence? That was all because of him, you know. Yet despite this, you still went out of your way to help his favorite toy."
She regards him for a moment before she walks away, "I'm done here. There's nothing else to be said."
Not liking being dismissed again, and forgetting exactly who he's speaking to, Mephisto gets mad and says, "Daddy's little girl still the stupidest bit-!"
He is flung back and pinned against a brimstone pillar as a dark miasma surrounds him.
"I warned you to have care how you speak of me little demon," her grip tightens and he groans more, "Even in your realm, my power dwarfs your own."
She releases him and he collapses on the ground trying not to cough.
"And do not think of me to be a fool. I know of your true desire."
He rubs his throat as she leans in closer to him. He tries not to shrink back, but despite recent bravado, he is no fool to think he is on par with her.
"Remember destiny is a fickle thing. I, however, am not. I was at the beginning and I will be the end."
She vanishes in a swirl of dark energy.
Mephisto looks at the spot she vanished from for a few moments before he says, "For now."
He gets up from the ground and goes to sit on his throne. He goes deep into thought, 'It is unfortunate, but not at all unsalvageable. I do have contingencies. I just did not count on the Phoenix being part of the equation. Which means I will have to adjust. '