When the royals and nobles had argued over Astro taking the throne, it was hectic and tense. Which didn't really surprise him. They were doing something that quite literally broke an entire dynasties long running tradition. But the tension then was almost laughable compared to the tension being felt now.

After Sting had broken the news about what happened to the other tribes, they could hear the cheering from all the way inside the castle. Their king, the king of monsters, was now undeniably the ruler of mewni. The members of the Queensguard outside who had heard them were… well, not upset, just surprised.

They all respected and were close to Astro, but they knew the boy hadn't been interested in ruling. It was a big enough shock when he came back as king of the monsters. Now he was suddenly king of mewni. Everyone was curious and obviously had questions they needed answered, but now isn't the time.

Sting had told all the tribe chiefs and leaders to make their way inside so they could go over the next steps in Nia's plan. And… well, it was pretty clear there was a big divide among them. Both figuratively and literally. The monster chiefs and leaders all sat on one side of the room, while the royals and nobles all sat on another.

Some of them were glaring daggers at one another, while others were at least trying to be civil. "Alright everyone, listen carefully," Astro said, hoping to break the tension. "I want everyone to know all the details of the plan my sister came up with," he said. He had been happy to know that Nia's plan didn't end with him blindsiding everyone with his taking the throne.

Nia had assured him and the others she had a solid plan to get their parents souls back in one piece. The blonde stepped forward. "Okay everybody. The first part of the plan is for my brother to go negotiate with them. And then, I'll get the souls back…"

Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "Are… aren't you missing a few steps there sweetie?" Margo asked, confused.

Nia shook her head. "Nope. That's all I can tell you."

"What the hell?!"

"This is bullshit!"

"Our parents are gonna die!"

Astro held his hand up. "Hey, calm down everyone! Just… just hear her out. I'm sure there's more to this than we think." He had faith his sister had something up her sleeve. She was acting so confident about this that he couldn't not believe it. "Nia, why can't you fill us in on the rest of the plan?"

Nia turned towards him. "It's… it's hard to explain. But think about it. There's a good reason. A really good one. The more people I tell about the plan, the bigger the chances are it won't work. I need you to trust me on this. All you have to do is go and negotiate with him, buy a little time, and I can get the souls back," she assured.

"They were pretty clear about their terms being non-negotiable, weren't they?" Muddine asked worriedly. "What if they just attack Astro on the spot?"

Nia shook her head. "They won't. Look, if it was me or my mother then we wouldn't even be able to get close. But him? They'll at least be willing to hear him out."

"But how do you expect to get the souls back?" Hekapoo asked. "We won't be able to teleport near them. Not with whatever magic they were using to block us. Even if we could, there's no way we could take all the souls before they stopped us."

Nia didn't look shaken. "I already planned for all of that."

"How?"

"Can't say."

"Is there anything you can say?!"

Nia sighed and rubbed her head. "I'm sorry guys, I really am. But Astro and Sting should know why I can't say anything. In fact, if you all think hard on it, you'll be able to see why I can't tell you," she said, looking towards the two. Astro and Sting both looked at her confused, but then suddenly looks of realization came across their faces.

"Shit…" Astro muttered.

Argus. She was worried about Argus. He remembered the stories his father told him about the All-Seeing titan. He could see almost anywhere in mewni. He could be watching them right now for all they knew. He had no idea what Nia's plan was, but he knew if she said it outloud there was a good chance he would hear it. He looked back towards Nia, who smiled when she realized he had caught on. Those history lessons on the mewman and monster wars had paid off.

"My sister is right. We can't discuss her plan. We need to just trust she knows what she's doing," he said looking towards the others. A few opened their mouths to voice complaints, but he cut them off. "I know it sounds crazy, but believe me. This is the only way. If she says this plan will work, it will work."

More than a few people exchanged glances. The souls of the royals and noble heirs were on the line here. It was a bit difficult for them to go with a plan just based on trust.

But it didn't seem like they had much of a choice. It wasn't like they had any plans of their own. "Is this really the only way to get our parents back?" Rich Jr. asked.

Nia nodded. "I swear I'll get them back. All I need is for Astro to get close to them and buy time. That's it," she said, a determined look in her eyes. "This will work."

That seemed to appease many of the noble and royals, at least for the time being. But then Tor spoke up. "How are you going to buy time though? I get you're a titan and that's your uncle or something, but I doubt he's gonna go along with your little family reunion gimmick long enough to pull this off," he said.

Astro looked down. He had a good point. It wasn't like he could fight him. That wouldn't buy him very much time, and if the rest of the Ten jumped in, it wouldn't get him any time at all. He needed something to be able to keep them busy. Something to… to bargain with. He turned toward the Commission. "Where's Kitsune?" he asked.

The Commission members all flinched, while the royals court and monsters looked curious. They knew about the first of the demands Python made, but they didn't exactly know why he was bringing this up now. "We don't know…" Rhombulus said, looking down guiltily.

Astro narrowed his eyes. "Rhombulus… I'm going to ask you, and just you, that question again. And if 'We don't know' or anything even resembling it comes out of your mouth, I'm going to crack your head open like an egg," he threatened. Rhombulus looked panicked as Astro glared. "Now, where is Kitsune?"

Rhombulus simply stood there, looking towards Hekapoo and Omni. The two of them gave him a look telling him to keep his mouth shut, but when Astro began to approach him, he held his hands up. "W-we sealed him away! But we don't know where he is! Honest!" he shouted, backing away.

Astro raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't know where he is? Where exactly did you seal him away? He should still be there, shouldn't he?" he asked.

Hekapoo sighed. She should have known Rhombulus wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. "Okay, look. There was… a lot of drama that went on with Kitsune."

"It wasn't 'a lot of drama'. You kidnapped a child and used him to lure in and seal away his parents. It's a very cut and dry situation really," Astro said bluntly.

Hekapoo flinched. Right, Typhon probably filled him in on all the details. "Okay, I admit it doesn't exactly make us look like heroes. But the thing was… while we were dealing with Python and Kyu, the kid escaped," she said. "We captured them, but he was in the wind. And for the next few years he sort of became a thorn in our side."

Astro grit his teeth. "Explain…"

Omni spoke up next. "The boy tried to continue the war. He spent years causing havoc throughout mewni, and for a time we had no way to deal with him. Not to mention he was growing stronger by the day. When we finally did manage to catch him, we wanted to ensure there was no way he could break free. But the method we used to seal the Ten couldn't be recreated too easily. So we did the next best thing. After we sealed him we… well, we sent him into another dimension. A random one."

Astro's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, you did what now?"

"He could be anywhere. Still sealed or roaming about free. All we knew was that he was unlikely to show back up here, so we counted our blessings," Omni said.

Astro scoffed. Those 'blessings' were about to bite them all in the ass. He really wanted to yell at them. Yet another secret about his family buried and hidden away was not coming back to haunt them. But he didn't have time for it. It may not have been much, but it was something. If he could pretend to make some kind of bargain with his uncle, he could buy enough time for whatever Nia was planning.

"We're going to talk about all of this later," he said sternly. "But for now, I think I should have what I need to start bargaining with the Ten. I know a spell that should help us track him down. I can use that." He didn't actually know any spell like that. But if Argus was watching them right now, he'd relay that to Python. They wouldn't be able to pass that up, and he could use it to buy time.

Sarasim spoke up next. "We still have the problem of tracking them down though. They can hide their presence." Even if they called them out for a meeting, there was no guarantee they would bring the souls with them. They needed to go to the Ten, not the other way around.

Normally it would be easy to track down such massive magical power, but somehow they were able to mask it. It was honestly pretty terrifying.

Astro grunted. That was a problem. He could feel some connection to Python. Almost like the one with his father. But he couldn't pinpoint where he was just based off of that. He wasn't sure if it was because they were uncle and nephew rather than father and son, or an effect of their cloaking. But unless he could find them, this plan was a bust.

Before he or anyone else could think up any potential solutions however, he felt something. Something very dangerous, and approaching very fast. "One of them is here!" the young titan said suddenly. Everyone looked at him confused as he rushed towards the door.

"Astro wait! Hold on!" Nia yelled, running after him.

Sarasim scowled. "Damn that boy…" she muttered as both she, Sting, and Higgs took off after him as well. She didn't doubt that he felt something coming. And running headfirst into danger was a bad habit of his.

A few of the other warriors, monsters and mewmans, got up and began to follow after them. Out in the courtyard, the members of the tribe and knights we all turned towards the castle gates. They could hear a commotion going off in the distance. People were screaming, and some of the giants could feel something coming towards them rather quickly.

Astro made it outside, already in his monster form as he got ready to confront the oncoming threat. There was no mistake about it. He sensed another titan. It had to be one of the Ten. He didn't know which one, but it didn't matter. If they were alone this was his best chance to take one of them down.

The gates burst open, and everyone watched as Orthrus charged across the courtyard towards the young king of mewni. "Stop him!" one of the monsters shoulded, drawing his weapon. A few people rushed in to intercept him, but Orthrus kept charging, knocking them all aside.

"Stay away from the captain!" Fum yelled, slamming his hand on the ground. Spikes made of earth shot from the ground, trying to speak to the two headed titan. But he skillfully evaded them all. Fum looked stunned. How was he that nimble?

Astro braced himself, reaching down for his sword and then… wait. "Shit!" he cursed angrily. He'd been carrying Ocean's Kiss for so many years he'd reached for it instinctively. Orthrus leatped towards him, eyes locked onto the boy. But suddenly a barrier appeared between the two.

Orthrus pressed his claws against it, looking confused, while Corona stood off to the side doing her best to reinforce it. Her barriers were fairly strong, and even Fum had to put a bit of effort into shattering them. But it was taking almost everything she had to keep Orthrus from shattering it, and she could tell he wasn't using all of his weight and strength.

Sarasim moved in, grabbing her club and rushing at the beast from the side, while Puff ran up from behind and grabbed one of his legs. The goliath let out a shout as he tried to pull him back, and Sarasim jumped into the air and brought Bonebreaker down on one of his heads.

Orthrus didn't budge, and the club bounced right off. Sasarim stumbled back in surprise, while Puff was sent flying back when the two headed canine kicked his leg back. He turned back towards Astro and then let out growl before pressing his paws down harder, shattering Corona's barrier like glass, then he pounced on Astro, pinning him down on the ground.

"Asterossa!"

Everyone began to move in to help the young titan, and Astro got ready to fire a blast from his horns as Orthrus opened his mouth and lunged down at him.

But then…

*LICK*

Everyone stopped as Orthrus dragged his tongue across the boy's face, looking on confusion spreading throughout the courtyard. Nobody looked more confused than Astro however, who was wide eyed. "What the-?" Orthrus suddenly licked him again, panting happily as his other head began to nuzzle his side.

"The hell…?" Slick said, confused. This was way different than the savage beasts he had tangled with near the Earth Nymph tribe's territory.

Astro struggled to push Orthrus off of him. "Hey, get off! Gah, stop it! You're getting drool all over me!" Astro managed to get onto his feet, and Orthrus jumped around him playfully as the king dusted himself off. He looked towards the beasts who looked like he was eagerly waiting for him to play.

He wondered what this was supposed to be. If the Ten had sent him to attack, then they had failed miserably. No, more than likely this was something else. Maybe he was supposed to be spying on them, or maybe he was sent to bring him back.

"Let's kill it…"

Astro looked over towards Hody, who was pulling out his trident. "That's one of the Ten isn't it? I hardly think we're going to get better than this," the waterfolk royal said. Tor and his brothers were also reaching for their own weapons, and a few other warriors looked ready to make for theirs.

The moment Orthrus noticed this, his eyes turned sharp and he let out a growl. He stepped towards Hody, who got into a battle stance. Everyone went on edge, but then Astro stepped forward and grabbed Orthrus by the back of the neck. "No…" he said. He had been talking to Hody and Tor, but Orthrus turned towards him instead.

"No? He's not a fucking stray dog Asterossa, he's a titan! He could end up turning on us at any second! We need to put him down while we can," Tor said sternly.

Astro narrowed his eyes. "We need a way to track down the Ten, and this is it," he said scratching Orthrus behind the ear. The dog panted happily. "He tracked me down by scent. I think… I think he smells like my father. Or at least can tell we're related. It doesn't really matter. He doesn't seem hostile, and I'm sure if I went with him he'd bring me back to the others."

His father had described Orthrus as a loyal beasts, and based on what he was seeing, he didn't have any reason to believe otherwise. It wasn't like he was dealing with one of the other members of the Ten. Unless he was given an order or a reason to do otherwise, he was fairly sure Orthrus wouldn't attack.

This was the chance they needed to put Nia's plan into action. "I need to get ready to leave. Can some bring me some armor and-" Orthrus suddenly yanked on his tail, and he looked back to see the beasts still eagerly awaiting for him to play. "...some armor and a sword…" This was going to be exhausting.

Astro had gone around to the stables to get changed. He hadn't wanted to risk going inside and leaving Orthrus by himself. Puff had given him a new set of armor, and Sarasim had grabbed one of the extra swords he kept in his room. Not that it would do much good if he got into a fight. With Ocean's Kiss gone he felt… naked.

Orthrus was waiting right outside of the stable, laying on his back as Nia rubbed his belly. "You know, for all the really messed up stories about him, he's pretty much just a big puppy," Nia said smiling happily.

Astro grunted. "My dad always said he was pretty tame until he was on the battlefield. I very much doubt he's going to stay like this throughout this whole thing." He knew as soon as Python or one of the others gave the word, Orthrus would live up to his title as the 'Beast' and tear apart anything in his way. He put on the last piece of his armor and turned towards the door just as Sting, Sarasim, Breeze, Higgs, and Margo approached.

"King Asterossa," Sarasim said nodding.

"You don't have to call me that…" Astro said. It felt wrong.

"It's not so bad really. It has a certain ring to it. I think I could get used to it," Higgs said.

"Well I won't." He really wanted to hurry up and get this done with. The sooner he got the souls back, the sooner his mother would take the throne again. The monster tribes might complain about it, but he didn't care. As long as he could keep everyone on the same page it didn't matter to him.

"By the way, I brought this," Higgs said, holding up a crown towards him. "It's your grandfather's. I was going to bring you your mother's but… well, this one seemed more appropriate."

Astro raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, but… I'm not wearing that." Maybe it was his father rubbing off on him, but he didn't care for any of this royal formality anymore. The crowns, the titles, all of it just seemed so pointless all things considered.

Sarasim hummed. "I gathered some of our fastest warnicorns. We're going to need them if we're going to keep up with Orthrus."

"You won't need to keep up with Orthrus. I'm going on my own."

The women all looked at him wide eyed. "Excuse me?" Breeze asked. "You do realize that you're the king now don't you? And that showing up before the Ten by yourself is an unacceptably one-sided gamble," she said.

Sting stepped forward. "You can't go by yourself. Is something happens-"

"If something happens I'll retreat. Which is much easier to do with just myself than it is with four other people," Astro said. "If Nia's plan goes correctly we'll have all our leverage back anyway, so I should be able to walk out unscatched. Right?" he asked, looking towards his sister.

Nia looked hesitant. "Ugh… my plan would work easier if it was just you," she admitted. "But it'll be pretty dangerous by yourself. Are you sure?"

"I am. If fighting does break out then…" Then none of them would stand a chance. It may have sounded arrogant, especially considering how badly his uncle had already beaten him, but he felt like he was the only one among them who could really hold his own if the situation went downhill. "I have to go alone."

Margo narrowed her eyes. "If you're trying to say you're better off without us, I'd like to remind you that Higgs and I were the ones who taught you to fight in the first place."

"I know, but I-"

"But nothing. I'm not letting you go off and get yourself killed just because you want to be stubborn. Either we come with you, or your don't go," Margo said, the finality very evident in her voice. Star was her best friend, and she knew if the situation was reversed she'd do everything in her power to protect Visas and Isaac. She intended to do that same thing.

Astro looked towards her for a bit, and then sighed. He had a feeling he was going to regret this later. "With all due respect to Queen Margo, I'm going by myself. And I don't need your permission to do so. I'm the king." The moment the words left his mouth, everyone felt a chill up their spine.

Higgs and Sarasim both looked rather surprised. Whenever it came to Margo, he had never spoken to her with anything but the utmost respect. With them it was a bit different since he could be laid back around them, but with her…?

Breeze looked just as shocked to hear him utter the words to their teacher, and Nia stepped back away from her brother nervously. Margo raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that right?" she asked, hands on her hips.

Astro nodded. "It is."

"So are you making this an order then?"

"I am."

There was a long and tense silence as Margo narrowed her eyes at him. "Would you like me to just go ahead and fit you for your coffin now or later?" Breeze asked.

Astro shot a quick glare towards her, and then turned back to Margo. "You trusted my mother. You worked and fought with her. And I think we can all agree that there were times she broke traditions to make risky and odd choices. But you trusted and followed her anyway," Astro said. "I'm asking you to do the same for me. Trust that I'm making right call here."

Margo kept glaring at him, and then her face softened. "Asterossa, this is dangerous. I fought one of them, I know how dangerous they are. You're jumping into a lion's den."

"Which is exactly why I'm asking you all to stay behind. It's just too risky for all of us to go. If Python gives the order and they all just attack, there's no chance all of us will be able to get away. But if it's just me, I know I can slip by and escape," he said. "I know it's still a risk, but it's a much lower one than all of us going."

Nia decided to speak up. "Auntie Margo… when I start my plan, I'll be able to help Astro escape too. I've thought everything through. Yeah, it'll be dangerous, but he should be able to get out without a scratch," she said.

Margo looked back and forth between the two, and then towards Higgs and Sarasim. The former rubbed the back of her head. "I don't like this. Putting you kids in danger like this. But… if you're that sure about it, I'll trust you."

Sarasim grunted. "I've seen you pull rather crazy stunts. I'm sure this will be the craziest by far. But I'm warning you, if things start to take a turn for the worst I want you out of there. Plan of no plan," she said. She could tell whether they gave consent or not, he was determined to do this.

Astro nodded, and then turned towards Margo. "I still don't like this… but, if you're so hellbent on going, I want you to promise me that you'll be careful and be ready to get out of there at the first sign of trouble," she said.

He nodded. "I promise."

Margo nodded back, and then reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Also, I know that you're the king now, but I wouldn't recommend getting too comfortable giving out orders," she said. She was smirking, but her tone had that of a playful warning.

"If this works out, then my mother will be back and giving the orders again." Which was fine by him. He'd been king less than a day and the appeal had already worn off.

He began making his way back towards the courtyard, and Orthrus got up and followed after him. As he moved, Sting walked up beside him. "Asterossa… I know that you haven't known me as long as these people. But I was there when you were born. I've looked after you from the shadows. And I… I consider you family," she said.

Typhon and Rosetta had been like a second set of parents to her, and when Astro had been born, she'd been eager to have another member in her family. "You have to come back safely. Do you hear me? I can't lose you too. You're all I have left," she said.

Astro frowned. With everything going on it hadn't been like they'd had much time to really sit and talk about it, but… Sting had lost a father too. She'd also lost a mother in Rosetta. And it wasn't the first time she'd lost her parents either. She was probably terrified about the thought of something happening.

"I'll be back, I promise. Until then, you're in charge of the tribes. Sarasim, I need your help with the royal and noble families. There's still a lot of tension so keep them from snapping at each other," he said. He then looked down at Nia. "I'll buy as much time as I can. Any other details about this scheme of yours i need to know?"

Nia shook her head. "Just… be ready," she said. He nodded, not a shred of doubt about whatever she had planned. He knew that look in her eyes. She was determined to do this, and he knew she'd pull it off, whatever it was.

As he kept on walking, he saw a few of the other royals, nobles, and tribe chiefs waiting near the gates. "I'll be back soon, with the souls of all of the royals and nobles. Until then everyone be ready. We don't know how the Ten are going to react after this, so we have to be on guard," he said. They all nodded as he looked towards Maria.

The princess was standing next to Sear, who he had asked to watch over her until further notice. He walked over towards her. "I'm sorry about Ocean's Kiss," he said frowning.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. It was supposed to always be able to protect you, but…" When she heard about what happened, it made her all the more worried. When he carried Ocean's Kiss with him she always thought that it was like she was protecting him in her own way. But now it was gone.

He reached out and cupped her chin. "You've got no reason to be sorry. I'll find the pieces and we can reforge it later. But for now," he leaned in a gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "That kiss is going to have to do. I think it'll more than make up for it."

Hody rolled his eyes. "Oh for chum's sake…"

Astro looked up at the waterfolk king and clicked his tongue. Hody hadn't interacted with him much since he'd been crowned, probably because he was dreading having to address him as his royal title. His disdain for him was still very much clear, but… it was honestly sort of relieving in it's own way.

"Like I said, I'll be back soon. Sear, watch of Maria and Nia," he said before climbing up onto Orthrus back. He held on tightly to his fur. "Alright Orthrus. I need you to take me back to the others. To the Ten. Do you understand?"

Orthrus barked happily, and then suddenly took off. Astro kept his grip on him, a determined look in his eyes, and a growing pain in his chest…

Sirius whistled as he casually sat in his cell. He had been in here for quite some time now, but being able to use the eye had allowed him to see what was going on with the others. He had seen what had happened with Asterossa crowning, and Orthrus arriving as well. So far everything was going according to schedule.

It was almost time for him to get out of here and confirm everything with F5. They had been smart enough to lock him in the Handmaiden's prison chambers rather than the regular ones, but that would only set him back just a bit.

Nothing to fret over.

A figure suddenly stepped in front of his cell, and he looked up and offered a wave. "Hello Hava, it's been a while hasn't it?" he asked casually.

The grandmaster of the handmaidens glared down at the boy. When Nia had brought him down here and told them to keep an eye on him, she had gladly agreed. She knew very little about Sirius, which was something she couldn't say for most people in mewni.

From what she could tell, he had some history with the Commission, which was usually never a good thing. Then there was his incredibly unique and dangerous magic. Not to mention his interest in Astro. There were too many red flags about him for her.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Do what?" Sirius asked.

She narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean. I don't know much about you, nobody seems to aside from the Commission, and they're hellbent on keeping their mouth shut. But I let it slide until now because your allegiance always seemed to be towards Astro, and that worked to our benefit," she said. "So why did you do what you did? Why did you stop him?"

She knew if he hadn't things might have turned out much worse, but he had no way of knowing that. What was the method to this boy's madness? She needed to know now so she could decide if he was a threat or not.

"I was just doing what I was ordered to…" Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders.

Hava looked annoyed. "Ordered by who? The Ten? The Commission?"

"Rosetta."

Hava's eyes went wide. "What? That's…? That's impossible. She's gone."

Sirius reached up and adjusted his glasses. "I was given these orders before that. I was given a lot of orders actually. And I need to continue carrying them out," he said.

"Rosetta never mentioned anything about you," she said sternly. She knew the woman had her secrets, but she'd always let her in about the more threatening ones. She was sure if she knew this boy, she would have told her. Or Typhon. Or… someone! But everyone she had spoken to considered this boy completely unknown. She didn't know how it was possible.

Sirius smiled. "Rosetta never told anybody all of her secrets. Except me," he said, sounding insultingly casual about the whole thing. "But I don't think you should take that personally. You'll understand when this is all over."

Hava scowled. She didn't trust this boy. There was just something so… off about him. "Well, until you feel like talking and discussing these orders she gave you, you'll be staying here for the time being. So good luck carrying them out," she said turning to leave.

Sirius waved towards her. "Bye Hava, it was nice talking to you," he said, sounding genuinely pleased by the conversation. He then looked up towards the ceiling.

"Almost time…" he muttered.

A/N: Operation Nia's mystery plan to get back the souls is underway! Astro is off to meet with the Ten once more, but will be be okay? What's with the mysterious pain in his chest? And Sirius is plotting something as usual! What do you think is gonna happen next?!