It was the celebration of Daniel's birth and his mother Maddie was holding him in her arms. Daniel was really excited at the time, having taken her tiara.
"Daniel!" She chuckled, taking her tiara back. "Behave yourself."
A cradle formed itself out of the clouds so that she could set him down.
"Aw, look at him." Jack smiled proudly. "Look how cute he is."
He playfully wagged a finger at Daniel, who took it and used it to lift his father up.
"Whoa, he's strong!" Jack laughed. "Just like his dad."
A dark-skinned ghost wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses then zipped amongst the ghost-gods.
"Whoa, excuse me!" He said. "Hot stuff coming through! Excuse me. One side Fright Knight."
Fright Knight swung his sword irritatedly at the fast ghost but missed. A ghost-goddess, a little girl, frowned. She was Jazz, Jack and Maddie's daughter and Daniel's big sister.
"Watch where you're going Tucker!" She said.
The fast ghost, Tucker, was the messenger for the ghost-gods. His delivery was just a bouquet for Maddie.
"Why Tucker, they're lovely." Maddie smiled, sniffing the bouquet.
"Yeah I had Undergrowth do the arrangement, crazy huh?" Tucker smiled before flying over to Jack. "Fabulous party, you know I haven't seen this much love in a room since Amorpho decided on an attractive appearance for his main form."
Sure enough Amorpho, in the form of a very attractive guy, was admiring himself in a mirror.
Meanwhile Daniel had discovered Jack's ghost-bolts and decided to play with one.
"Dear, keep those away from the baby." Maddie said sternly.
"Oh he won't hurt himself." Jack smiled. "Let the kid have a little fun."
Daniel sucked on the ghost-bolt, only to shock himself. Disgusted, he used a ghost ray to fire it at the crowd. The ghost-gods noticed and ducked, one using a weapon to fire it at a column. Fortunately the column was made out of clouds and so repaired itself.
"Oh, on behalf of my son I want to thank you all for your wonderful gifts." Jack said to the crowd as he gestured to a bunch of cool looking items.
"What about our gift dear?" Maddie asked.
"Hm let's see..." Jack studied the ghostly energy that made the clouds and surrounded the place. "A bit of ectoplasm, a touch of ghost vapor, and a dash of dog essence."
Jack made a puppy shape out of these items, which then poofed into an actual puppy.
"His name is Cujo." Jack smiled. "And he's all yours son."
Cujo sniffed Daniel but lost his balance off Jack's hands...only to discover that he can fly. Daniel bonked heads with Cujo, liking him, and Cujo apparently liked that because he barked happily and licked Daniel. The two then cuddled, causing the crowd to sigh from the adorableness.
Jack then wanted to hold his son.
"Mind his head." Maddie smiled.
"He's so tiny." Jack smiled.
Daniel, growing tired, yawned and started to fall asleep.
"My boy." Jack put him back in his crib. "My little Daniel."
"How sentimental." A voice said.
Everyone turned and saw the guardian of the Underworld Vlad Plasmius. The Underworld was where the souls of dead mortals were kept. The difference between ghost-gods and mortal souls was that ghost-gods had always been spirits and had powers of one form or another. Mortal souls had been alive and didn't have any powers at all.
"You know I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of pan de muertos stuck in my throat! Huh?" Vlad looked around expectantly, but no one was amused; this was mostly because no one liked him. "So is this an audience or a cemetery?" He muttered dryly.
He then decided to just mingle.
"Hey how you doing? Looking good nice dress-"
Jack pulled him to his side.
"So Vlad, you finally made it." Jack smiled. "How are things in the Underworld?"
"Well they're just fine." Vlad shrugged. "You know a little dark, a little gloomy, and, as always, full of dead people what're you gonna do?" He then noticed Daniel, who had woken up. "Ah there's the little shadow, little wraith. And here's a sucker for the little sucker. Here you go-"
Vlad made a spiky sucker out of ghostly energy and tried to give it to Daniel, but Daniel was more interested in grabbing his fingers tightly. Vlad quickly pulled away as Cujo laughed.
"Yeesh! Powerful little tyke." Vlad winced.
"Come on Vlad don't be such a stiff." Jack pulled him to his side again. "Join the celebration!"
"Hey love to, but unlike you ghosts lounging about up here I regrettably have a full-time gig that you, by the way, so charitably bestowed on me Jack." Vlad pulled away. "So can't, love to, but can't."
Vlad started to leave.
"You ought to slow down." Jack scolded. "You'll work yourself to death."
He then realized that he made a joke.
"Ha! 'Work yourself to death'! Ha!" He cracked up.
The other ghost-gods laughed too.
"Good one dad!" Jazz laughed.
"I kill myself!" Jack fell back onto a chair that appeared out of the ghostly clouds.
"If only." Vlad muttered to himself as he left. "If only."
The scene switched back to the Muses.
"If there's one ghost-god you don't want to get steamed up, it's Vlad." Dora said.
The scene then switched to the Underworld, where Vlad was being ferried back to his throne room, so to speak.
"'Cause he had an evil plan." Ember added.
DORA:
He ran the Underworld
But thought the dead were dull and uncouth
DANI:
He was as mean as he was ruthless
And that's the gospel truth
Some mortal souls begged to be set free, but Vlad blasted them away with a ghost ray and then blew the smoke off his finger. Then he came across the ghostly three-headed dog Cerberus, who prevented the living from entering the main domain. Cerberus growled and snapped at Vlad, who just indifferently tossed a steak at him. The three heads fought over the steak, allowing Vlad to pass through unharmed.
He had a plan to shake things up
And that's the gospel truth
Once Vlad landed he called for his minions.
"Skulker!"
"Coming your most lugubriousness." Skulker walked down the stairs but tripped and tumbled until he landed on the bottom. "I've really got to improve this stupid suit of mine, I keep tripping in it." He grumbled.
Skulker was really a small ghost, but wore this robotic armor to make himself larger and more menacing.
"Walker!" Vlad called.
"All right all right I'm coming!" Walker rushed down and tripped over Skulker. "I keep forgetting about that detail." He muttered.
Vlad glared at them.
"Walker!" Walker got up and saluted.
"Skulker!" Skulker got up and saluted.
"Reporting for duty." They both said.
"Fine fine fine," Vlad wasn't amused. "Just let me know the instant the Fates arrive-"
"Oh, they're here." Walker shrugged.
"WHAT? THE FATES ARE HERE AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?" Vlad lost his temper.
Walker and Skulker quickly dove behind a stalagmite.
"We are worms, worthless worms!" They quickly morphed into worms to hide better.
Now originally they didn't have morphing powers, but Vlad was good with technology and ghost magic. He used that to give them the ability to morph so that he could use them to spy on others.
"Memo to me, memo to me." Vlad massaged his forehead, calming down. "Maim you after my meeting."
Walker and Skulker looked at each other, both hoping that Vlad would forget to do so.
Meanwhile the Fates were ending another mortal's life. They were Clockwork, the Fate of the Future, Wulf, the Fate of the Past, and Kitty, the Fate of the Present. Jack had hired them to oversee mortal lives, and also - knowing a little technology and ghost magic himself - gave them the ability to control the length of each life.
"Okay boy, hold that mortal's thread of life good and tight." Clockwork said to Wulf.
Wulf did and Clockwork cut it. A scream was heard.
"Incoming!" Kitty called.
A mortal soul floated down towards the beginning of the river where the souls were kept.
"Hey guys," Vlad walked in. "I am so sorry that I'm-"
"Late." The three Fates finished.
"We knew you would be." Wulf shrugged.
"We know everything." Kitty added.
"Past." Wulf said.
"Present." Kitty said.
"And future." Clockwork said before turning to Walker. "Indoor plumbing, it's gonna be big." He said out of the corner of his mouth.
Walker didn't know what to make of that.
"Great great." Vlad muttered, not interested. "Anyway, see guys I was at this party and I lost track of-"
"We know." The Fates interrupted.
"Yeah I know you know." Vlad frowned, hating interruptions. "So here's the deal: Jack, Mr. High-and-Mighty, Mr. Hey-You-Get-Off-Of-My-Cloud, now he's got this-"
"Bouncing baby brat!" The Fates finished.
"We know!" Kitty lost her patience.
"I KNOW you know, I get it okay?" Vlad nearly lost his temper again but calmed down quickly. "I get the concept, let me finish will ya? So anyway, is this kid gonna mess up my hostile takeover bid or what? What do you think?"
Kitty considered telling it.
"Oh no we're not supposed to reveal the future." Wulf frowned.
Vlad thought for a moment.
"Oh wait, I'm sorry time out." He said to Kitty. "Can I ask you a question? Are you doing something new with your hair? You look fabulous. I mean you look like a Fate worse than death."
Kitty giggled. Wulf and Clockwork glared at Vlad.
"Please? My fate is in your lovely hands." Vlad finished to Kitty.
"Oh all right." Wulf muttered, knowing that when Kitty was flattered it was hard to argue with her.
Clockwork created a screen to show images of what could happen in the future.
"In eighteen years precisely." Kitty began. "The planets will align ever so nicely."
"Ay verse, oy." Vlad muttered.
"The time to act will be at hand." Wulf added. "Unleash the Poltergeists your monstrous band."
"Mm-hm, good good." Vlad nodded.
"Then the once-proud Jack will finally fall, and you, Vlad, will rule all."
"Yes Vlad rules!" Vlad pumped a fist.
"A word of caution to this tale." Clockwork finished.
"Excuse me?" Vlad's smile dropped.
"Should Daniel fight, then you will fail."
The Fates then poofed away.
"WHAAAT?" Vlad unleashed a wave of ghost fire but calmed down. "Okay fine fine, I'm cool, I'm fine."
Vlad took Skulker and Walker deep into his chambers.
"Skulker." He said. "Walker. Got a little riddle for you. How do you kill a ghost-god?"
"I do not know." Skulker frowned.
"You can't." Walker smiled. "They're immortal."
"Bingo, they're immortal." Vlad smiled back; he then brought out a vial filled with an evil looking liquid. "So all you gotta do is turn the little shadow...mortal."
