Son of Satan, Daimon Hellstrom responds to a psychic summons and enters a dimly lit chamber where he finds a mysterious woman in a robe, whose face is covered by a shroud. When she refuses to answer his quesions, he sends forth a bolt of soulfire from his trident only to find that she is unaffected by the blast. Finally, she tells him that he has been summoned there to answer for his sins of aspiring to humanity when he is, in truth, a child of Hell. She then pulls back her hood to reveal her face--that of his mother. Daimon is shocked at the discovery and tumbles backwards. He is then beckoned further into the chamber by other voices.
As he follows these voices down a flight of stairs he is met by all manner of monsters, tormented creatures and other bloody and putrid horrors. Another woman appears dressed in nothing but the sheerest scraps of clothing. This beautiful, raven-haired temptress then tells him that the inhabitants of this realm have long hoped for a more human overlord and suggests that this is his actual destiny. Even so, Daimon cannot help but be overcome by the sheer despair and terror that surrounds him. The woman also reveals that on this night, the opportunity for a potential takeover of Hell is ripe, since it is Christmas Eve, the only night when Satan sleeps.
The woman does her best to convince Daimon to stay and fight for the kingdom he may inheirit by locking him in an embrace. At first he succumbs, but draws back violently when her gorgeous visage withers and gives way to her true form--that of a horrific skeletal demon. When he rejects her, the other demons attack him, until the torments are stopped by yet a third and final woman, also cloaked in long flowing robes. This woman leads him to a towering city in the middle of a desert where throngs of people have gathered to witness soldiers leading away a man in a crowd of thorns down a long flight of stairs. Upon closer inspection, Daimon sees the mans face, and it is his own. Suddenly, Satan appears, laughing mockingly and lays waste to the city and everyone in it.
Again, Daimon loses consciousness and reawakens back in the chamber where he started. A tapestry in the chamber makes him wonder about his origins even more. Although The Son of Satan has long believed himself to only be half evil, the image on the wall makes him ponder if perhaps he is not simply pure evil. Furious at the thought, and rejecting the idea as a lie he douses the tapestry in a blast of soulfire from his trident. Satan appears to mock him further, along with what appears to be his mother. Another blast of soulfire blasts from Daimon's trident at Satan who burns screaming.
Finally, the nightmare is over. However, it is finally revealed that it was never Daimon who was dreaming at all, but rather, Satan himself. Christmas Eve is over and Satan awakens from his nightmare. His demon servant, Belial offers him a chalice and words of comfort, after which Satan rises and walks away, determined to continue his battle against his son and the forces of good.
The twelfth page was rejected by the Comics Code Authority. The replacement page was scripted by Archie Goodwin and pencilled by John Romita Sr. The original page is published in the collected edition.
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