I may add a bit more Moxxie, Millie, and Blitzo and a little bit of Angel Dust, Cherri Bomb, and Vaggie before Octavia.
Chapter 6: Octavia Takes Stolas' Place
Angel Dust was reading to his pet pig, Fat Nuggets a story called Beauty and the Serpent, starting with the prologue. "Repulsed by his haggard appearance, the boy sneered at the gift and turned the old man away," he started narrating, "But the strawberry pimp warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within." He winked at Fat Nuggets before he continued reading. "And when he dismissed Smiles again, the old man's ugliness melted away to reveal a handsome radio demon enchanter, Alastor. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for Alastor had seen that there was no love in the teenager's heart. And as punishment, he transformed the boy into a hideous snake and placed a spell on the castle, and all who lived there."
"Angel Dust, what the hell are you doing?" Vaggie asked, "Writing Alastor a love letter?"
"Reading a story to Fat Nuggets," Angel Dust replied innocently.
"Oh, sure," Vaggie said sarcastically as she shrugged her shoulders and walked away.
Suddenly, Cherri Bomb stepped into Angel Dust's room. "Hey, Angie," she said, "May I come in?"
"Feel free to, Sugar Tits," Angel Dust said with a smirk and Cherri Bomb sat down on the bed next to him.
"Are you reading Fat Nuggets a story?" asked Cherri Bomb.
"Yeah, and he likes it," Angel Dust answered and pet Fat Nuggets' head, adding, "Don't you, Fat Nugs?"
Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb read the story, but Angel Dust finished narrating nicknames he called Alastor in the prologue: "Ashamed of his monstrous form, the snake concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose Al had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year..."
…
Stolas was still alone in his cell. Luckily, Sir Pentious' servants fed him because who would want to be locked up without any food? "Help! Somebody!" Stolas cried desperately, "Blitzy! Anybody!"
Even though Blitzo didn't like Stolas very much, Blitzo knew his son imprisoned the owl in a merciless manner. Curly (or should we say Sir Pentious?) may be Blitzo's son, but he'd gone too far. Blitzo checked outside to see a figure on his horse. "Yes, that's my Spindle!" Blitzo shouted, "Hell, yeah!"
"Blitzy, what is it?" Stolas asked.
"He's brought someone over to rescue you," Blitzo replied.
"That must be my Octavia," Stolas said to himself.
"You're in good hands, hon," Millie said to Stolas with a wink.
"You'll be out very soon, sir," Moxxie assured the owl with a thumbs up.
"Mox, I'm the only sir here," Blitzo said.
"NO, YOU'RE NOT!" Stolas, Moxxie, and Millie shouted in unison.
"Aren't you forgetting our 'master'?" Moxxie demanded before crossing his arms in disapproval.
"Uh, no," Blitzo replied, "He may be my son in snake form, but locking up Stolas was too much."
"I'll say," Stolas said, "Thanks, Blitzy."
"Hey, why the hell won't you call me by my real name, bird dick?"
Moxxie and Millie exchanged stern glances at their imp boss.
"Blitzo, be nice to Stolas," Riva scolded.
"Yeah, Blitzo, now's not the time to be an ass to him," Loona agreed, looking at her phone, "And besides, help is on the way, is it not?"
"Absolutely, Loony Toony," Blitzo said.
"Like Mox said, Stolas will be out soon," Riva added.
…
Octavia and Spindle came to an airship. "What is this place?" Octavia asked.
Spindle sputtered and threw a fit as Octavia got off him, fearing the airship that stood in front of him. "Spindle!" Octavia shouted as she took hold of the reins to calm him, "Steady! Steady."
The owl teenager gasped as she saw something inside the gate that caught her eye: A feather! She approached the tall gates, opening one and running towards the feather. "Daddy!"
…
Husk paced around, while Charlie nonchalantly crossed her arms, her back toward him. "We couldn't keep our mouths shut, could we, prude?" Husk lectured, "Just had to invite him to stay, didn't we?" Then he imitated the demon princess's voice, "Serve him tea. Sit in the damn master's chair. Pet the goat bois."
"I was trying to be hospitable," Charlie said dismissively, annoyed with the lecture he'd given her.
Octavia opened the airship door. "Hello? Is anybody here?" she asked as she got inside and went upstairs. "Hello? Dad? Dad? Are you here?" The last three words echoed in the darkness.
…
Nifty skipped to Megan, who finished her shower. "Megan, there's a girl in the airship!" Nifty said cheerfully.
"Now, Nifty!" Megan admonished, "I won't have you making up wild stories!"
"Really, Megan, I saw her," Nifty said, trying to reason with her mother figure.
However, Megan wasn't having it. "Not another word."
"But-"
"Into the tub." Megan placed Niffty in the tub, so Niffty could shower and closed the curtain.
"Megan!" Vaggie called, getting Megan's attention, "I saw a girl in the airship!"
Nifty peeked her head out of the shower curtain, saying, "See I told ya!" She giggled, finding she'd won the argument.
…
Charlie did her best to ignore Husk's nagging, but Husk was going too far. "Irresponsible, devil may care, asshat, slack jawed…" Husk nagged as Charlie angrily mimicked him by mouthing the words he said.
"Dad?" Octavia cried as she looked around and this stopped Husk and Charlie from fighting.
"Did you see that?" Charlie asked and led Husk to see Octavia walking in search of something or someone. They peered out at the corner of a wall. "It's a girl!"
"I KNOW it's a girl!" Husk said with annoyance in his voice.
"Don't you see? She's the one! The girl we've been waiting for!" Charlie took Husk by the hand to follow her, but he let go and fell on his butt. "She's come to break the crappy spell!"
"Wait a minute!" Husk shouted, catching up to her.
"Hello? Dad?" Octavia resumed calling when a door opened for her, but little did she know it was Charlie and Husk who opened it. "Hello? Someone here?" Then she thought she saw something move or heard someone. "Wait! I'm looking for my father! I-"
Husk watched the owl girl go with concern.
"That's funny," Octavia said to herself, "I thought I heard someone." Charlie stood like a statue so Octavia wouldn't notice, but Octavia didn't bother to look back. "Is anybody here?"
"Octavia?" Stolas called weakly.
"Dad!" Octavia rushed over to her father with a torch in hand.
"How did you find me?" Stolas asked.
"Dad, your hands are like ice," Octavia said, without answering his question, concerned about his health. Stolas coughed. "I've got to get you out of here."
"Octavia, you have to leave this place," Stolas told his daughter.
"Who's done this to you?" asked Octavia.
"No time to explain," Stolas replied, "You must go NOW!"
"I won't leave you!" Octavia protested when a black hand with red fingertips gripped onto her dark blue cloak, making her lose her torch, which fell into a puddle, putting out the fire. However, there was still a light lit in the dungeon.
"What the hell are you doing here?" a menacing voice yelled.
"Run, Octavia!" Stolas shouted desperately.
"Who's there? Who are you?" Octavia asked the creature.
"The master of this airship," a slithery voice answered and hissed.
"I've come for my father. Please let him out. Can't you see he's sick?"
"Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!" Sir Pentious bellowed.
"He could die! Please, I'll do anything," Octavia pleaded.
"There's nothing you can do," Sir Pentious snarled, "He's my prisoner." He slithered and went on hissing.
"Oh, there must be some way I can-" Then Octavia had an idea, so she reached her hand to him. "Wait!"
Sir Pentious turned around to face her to see what she had to say.
Octavia cleared her throat. "Take me, instead."
"YOU?!" Sir Pentious scorned and looked away from her to think for a moment. "You would take his place?" He looked back at her.
"Octavia, no!" Stolas begged, "You don't know what you're doing!"
"If I did, would you let him go?" Octavia asked, a slight waver in her voice.
"Oh, yes," the snake replied as he grew closer, "But you must promise to stay here forever."
Octavia couldn't see him too well in the dark so she said, "Come into the light."
Sir Pentious slithered to the light to reveal his grey snake head with a hat that had a red eye with emotions that matched his feelings, yellow underbelly and hair-like cobra innards with red spots, red eyes, and a green tuxedo with yellow lines.
The teenage owl gasped with fright at his appearance, covering her mouth and backing away.
"No, Octavia!" Stolas put his hand on her shoulder. "I won't let you do this!"
Octavia brushed him off and stepped towards the serpent. "You have my word."
"DONE!" Sir Pentious yelled as he slithered away to unlock the cell Stolas was confined in, leaving Octavia helpless as she got down on her knees, covered her face, and lied down. That was until Stolas placed his hand on her back so she could face him.
"Octavia, listen to me," said Stolas, "I'm old and I've lived my life." Just then, he felt a hand grab him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him away from his daughter.
"Wait!" Octavia cried, seeing her father pulled away from her.
"Octavia!"
"Wait!" Octavia reached out her hand, but Stolas had faded away from view.
Sir Pentious ignored her cries as he brought Stolas to the courtyard.
"Please, spare my daughter!" Stolas begged, "Please!"
"She's no longer your concern!" Sir Pentious snapped as he tossed Stolas in a carriage, engraved with a snake eye on the door and slammed it shut, commanding the carriage, "Take him to the village in Pentagram City!"
Suddenly, underneath the carriage was a snake tail that slithered like a snake, despite his pleas. "Let me out! Please let me out! Let me out! Please! Please!" The carriage drove him away from his daughter, who started sobbing at the window in the cell.
Meanwhile, Sir Pentious was slithering upstairs when Charlie caught his attention. "Sir Pentious!" she said.
"What?"
"Since the owl girl is going to be with us for quite some time, I'm thinking that you might want to offer her a more comfortable room," Charlie suggested.
Sir Pentious continued slithering away with a snarl, brushing her off.
"Then again, maybe not," Charlie said, embarrassed.
In the cell, Octavia was still crying. "You didn't even let me say goodbye!" she sobbed, "I'll never see him again! I didn't get to say goodbye."
Sir Pentious, feeling guilty, rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand when he offered, "I'll show you to your room."
"My room? But I thought-" Octavia's sobs began to decrease.
Sir Pentious slithered toward the exit, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you want to stay in the tower?"
Octavia shook her head. "No."
"Then follow me," Sir Pentious ordered, leading her away from the dungeon.
…
The decorations in Sir Pentious' airship looked creepy compared to Octavia's mansion, despite her collecting weird taxidermy from the Stylish Occult. Suppressed by fear, gasped as she hurried behind Sir Pentious, who looked to see tears in her eyes.
"Say something to her," Charlie commanded Sir Pentious.
"I hope you like it here," Sir Pentious said, trying to comfort the teenage owl, whilst Charlie signaled him to keep going. "The airship is your home now, so you can go anywhere you like, except the West Wing."
"What's in the West-"
"IT'S FORBIDDEN!" Sir Pentious interrupted with a hiss and motioned her to a bedroom. "Now, if you need anything, my servants will attend to your needs."
"Dinner," Charlie whispered, "Invite her to dinner!"
Sir Pentious nodded and to Octavia, he said, "You will join me for dinner, that's not a request!" With that, he slammed the door, leaving her all alone.
Octavia gasped and seeing a bed, she dashed over to it and planted her face on it, sobbing.
She got up to only look around the room and began to sing:
Yes, I made the choice
For Daddy, I will stay,
But I don't deserve to lose my freedom in this way.
You monster!
An image of Sir Pentious came back to her in her mind, feeling resentment toward him.
If you think that what you've done is right,
Well then, you're a fool!
Think again.
Octavia sighed pitifully.
Is this home?
Is this where I should learn to be happy?
Never dreamed
That a home could be dark and cold.
I was told
Every day in my childhood
Even when we grow old,
"Home will be where the heart is."
Never were words so true.
My heart's far, far away;
Home is too.
She placed her hands on her chest.
Is this home?
Is this what I must learn to believe in?
Try to find something good
In this tragic place
Just in case
I should stay here forever.
Held in this empty space.
Oh, but that won't be easy.
I know the reason why,
My heart's far, far away.
Home's a lie.
Octavia turned her head to one side, remembering the town and mansion she grew up in.
What I'd give
To return
To the life that I knew lately,
But I know
That I can't
Solve my problems going back.
She twirled around the room and spun over to the window.
Is this home?
Am I here for a day or forever?
Shut away
From the world until who knows when.
Oh, but then
As my life has been altered once,
It can change again.
Build higher walls around me;
Change every lock and key.
Nothing lasts;
Nothing holds all of me.
Octavia returned to her bed and slumped down on it.
My heart's far, far away.
Home and free!
Octavia groaned in disappointment and buried her face in the bed.