Reviews:
J: Sure might makes right in Hell, but this is Danny we're talking about. Again, he doesn't strike me as someone who would want a harem in the first place and most female characters seem like they wouldn't want to be part of a harem. So, again, it seems very self-inserty and wish-fulfilly rather than how the characters would actually act. So you want me to base a character's personality around her personality in another crossover rather than her actual canon personality? I'm sorry but no.
Several more weeks had passed and Danny had become quite famous in Hell almost over night. And by extension Vlad also very quickly became quite famous in Hell as Danny's second in command, and was known for being even more ruthless than Danny when it came to punishing those who broke the laws they had set up on their territory. They had made several appearances on the news and in several talk shows to build up their fame and reputations, as per Vlad's suggestion.
In their free time Vlad took the time to teach Danny about ecto-science under the condition that Danny never tried to build a Ghost Portal in order to leave Hell. At this point Danny didn't even want to leave Hell. After all, it wasn't as if he had anything to go back to on Earth. So agreeing to Vlad's terms in that regard wasn't exactly much of a problem for him. Vlad also took Danny with him to go meet with other Overlords and high ranking Hellborn demons. Vlad did almost all of the talking but Danny did his best to pay attention to how Vlad acted, what he said, and what he did in an effort to learn how to deal with social and political situations like that.
Another month passed and both of them were sitting down for dinner in the penthouse apartment they had taken from Vox after Danny had killed him. They were having steaks cooked for them by the private chef Vlad had hired. Non-cannibalistic steaks too. Vlad had guaranteed it by having built a ghost portal so he could travel to the Ghost Zone and then back to Earth. Though Danny had no idea where he was keeping this ghost portal. Not that he cared anyway.
"So, Daniel… I've refrained from bringing this up for some time so as to let you get settled in and recover from your recent tragedy. However I believe it's time we finally discussed returning you to school." Vlad said, taking a sip of red wine.
"What? School?! I'm in Hell and I'm an Overlord! Why would I need to go to school?!" Danny exclaimed.
Vlad set his wine glass down and looked across the dinner table over at Danny. "I thought you might react like this… But, while there is much I can teach you, there is much I can not. And I know your parents would never forgive me if I didn't ensure you received a proper education. Besides, an education is important even for an Overlord. If for no other reason than the fact that the upper class demons will inevitably look down on you if you are little more than an uneducated troglodyte. And if you have been paying attention when I take you to business meetings and negotiations, the upper class of Hell looking down on you is a very bad thing. If they look down on you, they will believe they can get away with taking advantage of you. More so than they already do, that is. Either way it will cause you more trouble than it's worth."
"But… What about our territory?! I can't just leave it unattended!" Danny objected.
Vlad shook his head and smiled at Danny. "Oh, dear boy, do you honestly think I haven't already considered this? I assure you, I can manage our territory while you are at school. A couple of petty street thugs and wannabe Overlords trying to take territory are nothing to one such as I. It's honestly quite boring but such is life."
Danny sighed and took a bite of his steak. "Ugh… Even in Hell I can't escape from the nightmare that is homework…"
Vlad chuckled. "Of course not. It wouldn't be Hell if you could escape such torment so easily. That being said, I have taken the liberty of mitigating your suffering a bit. I have signed you up for the best private school in all of Hell. In fact most of the upper class Hellborn demons send their children to this school. It was honestly quite expensive, but I will not settle for anything less than the best when it comes to your education. That being said, I expect nothing less than your best effort in school either. Remember, you don't have a time limit here and I will be helping you. So school and your grades take precedence over any hero work. More than they did back in Amity Park. Unlike your parents I will not tolerate you getting any grades below an A or maybe a high B plus on occasion at the absolute minimum."
"Oh no…" Danny muttered in slowly dawning horror as he realized Vlad was going to be way worse than even his mom when it came to his grades.
"Oh calm down, would you? It's not that bad. And besides, it will give you the opportunity to meet with the children of important demons and make connections. Connections that could be extremely valuable for you going forward. Besides, it will be good for you to interact with children your age, even if they are demons." Vlad explained.
"Fine… But if someone tries to bully me like Dash did back in Amity Park, I'm going to smash their face in." Danny said before taking another bite of his steak.
"Oh please… It's a private school. They are much more strict about that sort of thing. You will not be bullied. And if you are, you can report it and the school will actually take care of it. We aren't paying a fortune in tuition for anything less… Furthermore, who would dare try to bully you of all people? I'm not sure if you fully appreciate the gravity of your situation here in Hell, Daniel. After your little stunt of declaring yourself an Overlord, the demons are afraid of you. Terrified even. You have shown them that you have the ability to kill them in a way that even the Exorcists are incapable of. And you don't even need Exterminator weapons to do so. Some believe that you are some new form of Exorcist sent by Heaven to punish them further. While others believe you are the bastard son of Lucifer. Of course there are some who think that video was fabricated and you can't actually destroy souls, but even those individuals aren't exactly willing to risk provoking you for fear you may have access to Exterminator weapons." Vlad explained
"Alright, I guess… Sooo… When is the first day?" Danny inquired.
Vlad took another sip of his wine. "This coming Monday. So in about three days. And yes, this school has a uniform requirement. You will find a box on your bed with the uniform inside, along with a map of the school, all the books you need, and all the school supplies you will need. There's also a page containing all of the school's rules. I expect you to read and memorize them."
"Okay… So should I go in my ghost form?"
"What do you think? Of course you should. You never leave this penthouse without being in your ghost form so why would it be any different just because you're going to school?"
"Sorry. I couldn't help but ask… I'm not exactly used to going to school in my ghost form." Danny stated. He then sighed. "It seems like I'm using my human form less and less often ever since I arrived here in Hell… It sort of makes me feel like my identities have switched. That I'm more Danny Phantom than I am Danny Fenton."
Vlad gave Danny a sympathetic look. "I know… And I'm sorry. But it's simply for your own safety. Your human half isn't nearly as durable as your ghost half so you're simply more vulnerable in this form than in your ghost form, and there are people who would seek to use that as an opportunity to harm you. I wish it could be different but I'm afraid that while you're here in Hell Daniel Fenton is irrelevant, Danny Phantom is your only identity that matters. Similarly, for me Vlad Masters is no longer relevant, only Vlad Plasmius."
"I get it… I guess that means my final connection to my life back on Earth doesn't even matter… But that's fine. Even less reason to go back, I guess." Danny muttered.
"Indeed… Well, onto a more positive topic, I have finished working with a construction company to draft the first blueprints of our prison. It's still subject to change but it's a good start. I plan on speaking to Walker about the design of the Prison soon. After all, if anyone is familiar with prison design, it's him." Vlad stated.
"Walker? Won't he, like, try to arrest you the moment you come anywhere near his prison?" Danny inquired.
Vlad shook his head. "No. I have sent a messenger ahead of time and scheduled a meeting with him about this so I will not be violating any of his rules. And since this is an official meeting, he can't try to arrest me during said meeting without violating his own rules, which he would never do. As long as I don't break any of his rules during the meeting anyway. Besides, it's not like he can stop me if and when I decide to leave. And I do have back up plans just in case."
"Huh… I never took Walker for the type that can be reasoned with." Danny said, surprised by this.
Vlad chuckled at that. "Oh no. He's definitely not. But he is very strict when it comes to his own rules. So if you know his rules and how to use and abide by them, he is willing to at least talk with you depending on the situation. And let's just say he found the prospect of opening a prison in Hell intriguing. It was surprisingly easy to convince him to discuss this with me."
The two of them continued to make small talk for a while. Eventually they both finished their dinners and Danny went to his room.
Several days later it was time for Danny to go to school. Waking up that morning, Danny went about his usual morning routine before transforming into his ghost form and putting on his new uniform. Looking into the mirror he grimaced a bit. It was essentially a suit and tie. It didn't look bad on him per say but it was a bit stiff for his liking. He would have preferred something more casual like he usually wore, but the school rules seemed pretty strict about the uniform and how it should be worn based on what Danny had read.
When he was finished getting dressed, he went into the dining room and had breakfast with Vlad. It was still awkward for Danny, living and having meals with Vlad who used to be his worst enemy. But he was slowly starting to get used to it. When he finished his breakfast he rushed off to school, not wanting to be late on his first day.
As soon as he reached his class, the teacher greeted him at the door and directed him to his seat. The class was a bit different than what he was used to but not too terribly much. And the teacher was both more strict and more professional than Mr. Lancer. And he seemed to have enhanced senses as he could seemingly hear the smallest whisper from students in the very back of the room, meaning talking to others during class was essentially an impossibility with him as the teacher.
Eventually the bell rang and it was time for lunch. "Daniel Phantom. Before you leave, since you started late, I have all of the makeup work you will be needing." The teacher stated before Danny could get up and leave.
Danny walked over to the teacher's desk and the teacher handed him a stack of papers. "You're very fortunate that this is the start of the school year so you don't have much to catch up on. But I expect all of this to be complete and on my desk by the end of the week. Any longer than that and I will start deducting it from your grades. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Danny said as he looked over his homework. There was a lot of it but getting it done by the end of the week wasn't undoable. But he would essentially have zero free time for that entire week.
Putting all of the homework in a folder, he then stuffed it into his backpack. He then turned and left. After putting his backpack in his locker, he retrieved his lunch box from his locker since the school itself didn't serve lunches and went to find somewhere to eat. As he was walking he eventually heard what sounded like crying.
Danny mentally debated whether or not he should investigate for a moment before ultimately deciding that while it was probably none of his business, yes. He was going to investigate.
Following the sound of the crying he found what appeared to be an owl demon of some sort sobbing to herself in a rather secluded corner of the school. He actually recognized her from class, though he had no idea what her name was.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Danny asked, approaching said demon.
The demon looked up and glared at him. "What do you care? You probably just want to make fun of me or something… Just leave me alone…"
"No, I don't. You look like you need someone to talk to so I genuinely want to help, if I can." Danny stated. "I'm Danny, by the way. Danny Phantom. The new Overlord that just took over Vox and Valentino's territory."
"My problems aren't something you can help with, Overlord or not…" The demon sniffled.
"Depending on what they are, maybe you're right. But I can still talk to you about them if you want. Maybe talking to someone will help you feel better." Danny offered, sitting down next to her.
She didn't respond, remaining stubbornly silent.
After a few minutes of the silent treatment, Danny sighed. "You know… Everyone I knew and loved were murdered just two months ago. My best friends, my parents, my older sister… I tried to use my powers to save them but I couldn't. The person who murdered them was just too strong for me to stop them in time. So I decided that I want to help as many people as I can, with or without my powers."
The demon, still sniffling, looked at him and asked, "Exorcists or some other Overlord?"
"Neither. I'm not exactly a demon and this didn't happen here in Hell. Have you ever heard of the Ghost Zone?" Danny inquired.
"You mean Purgatory? My dad mentioned it before and I think the Ghost Zone is one of the names he's used for it… So does that mean you're some ghost or lost soul that ended up trapped here in Hell?"
"Sort of… I'm actually half ghost half human. My parents were ghost hunters and scientists back on Earth. I became like this after an accident involving a machine they built to create a portal to the Ghost Zone, or Purgatory I guess. I used my new ghost powers to protect my home town, Amity Park, from ghosts that came through the portal my parents made and to put them back where they came from. Anyway, they were murdered by a particularly powerful ghost… Then I ended up being put here in Hell by another powerful ghost by the name of Clockwork because of what he saw in my future." Danny explained.
"Oh… So you're the ghost Clockwork came to talk to my dad about keeping here in Hell."
Danny shrugged. "Not like I have any reason to leave anyway. There's nothing really for me to go back to on Earth or in the Ghost Zone, so why bother? Anyway… So, I told you my problems. Are you going to tell me why you were crying?"
The demon looked down at the ground. "Well, it's nothing like what you're dealing with… My parents are still alive and everything… It's just that they've been fighting a lot lately…"
(Vlad)
Vlad saw Walker's Prison and floated over to the entrance where Walker was already waiting for him.
"Hello, Walker. I really must thank you for agreeing to meet with me." Vlad said, landing in front of him.
"Just don't break any rules while you're here. Or else. Now follow me. We can talk in my office." Walker stated. He then turned and walked into the prison.
Vlad followed the ghostly prison warden. Once they reached Walker's office, Vlad sat down in a chair in front of Walker's desk and set the blueprints down on the desk for Walker to look over. Walker grabbed the blueprints and immediately started studying them.
"So, you're trying to make a prison in Hell. Why? You don't exactly strike me as the type to care about the rules, Plasmius." Walker stated as he examined the blueprints.
"True. But it wasn't my idea. It was young Daniel's idea. I'm sure you know of him. Daniel Fenton, or Phantom depending on which you prefer." Vlad explained.
"The ghost kid? He doesn't strike me as the kind to care about the rules either. And he's in Hell, huh? What'd he do to end up there? If he wanted to punish himself for breaking the rules he could have just come here. That place is far worse than my prison." Walker said, looking up from the blueprints for a moment.
"Well, it's not what he did so much as what he didn't but could do. Apparently in the future he became evil and single handedly caused the apocalypse. And his future self came back in time with the help of one of Clockwork's medallions and murdered his friends, parents, and even one of his teachers. So Clockwork decided to send him to Hell where Lucifer could keep him in check if he started to get out of line. He decided he wasn't going to become the man that murdered everyone he cared about so since he can't leave Hell, he decided to make a prison and bring some level of law and order to Hell instead." Vlad explained.
"Hmph… I bet the boy's wishing he just stayed in my prison when I arrested him right about now. Poor kid. I wouldn't wish staying in that pit on any but the absolute worst offenders in my prison. And he was not one of the worst offenders." Walker stated.
"Is that sympathy I detect, Walker? I didn't think you were capable of such a thing!" Vlad joked.
"Shut it, Plasmius." Walker growled. "Anyway, this prison you're planning on building is absolutely terrible."
"What do you mean?" Vlad inquired.
"I'm guessing you had some demonic construction company draft these blueprints. Well, I'm seeing so many problems with the design I can only imagine they designed it to make it easier to break out of intentionally. It's a good thing you came to me about this. I can help you design it to make it virtually inescapable… Well, as long as the prisoners can't phase through the walls or tear open portals to get free that is. I just have one question for you. How big do you want to make this thing?" Walker inquired, setting the blueprints down and looking at Vlad.
"Well, Daniel sort of plans to make his own separate city which we can police. That way we aren't stepping on the toes of any major names in Hell. So it has to be big enough for a single city. Though it should be quite a bit larger than a normal city prison as there will surely be a disproportionate amount of criminals in the city considering the fact this is Hell we are talking about. That being said, I don't expect many of the prisoners to stay there for more than a year." Vlad explained.
"A year? Really? What's even the point of having the prison in the first place if you are going to give the prisoners such a light sentencing?" Walker inquired, clearly confused by this.
"Because most of them will die at the end of that year. You see, apparently Hell is having overpopulation issues lately. So every year Heaven sends angels called 'Exorcists' to come and cull the population of Hell by killing some of the residents. With such a large concentration of demons in one place, unable to go anywhere or escape, I can only imagine the Exorcists will be drawn to the prison like flies and the vast majority of the prisoner population will die on Extermination night. Those that live will serve longer sentences, but I don't expect them to survive more than two or three at most. Though if they do and they serve the full prison time allotted upon their court sentencing, then and only then will they be allowed to go free. But that should be extremely rare to the point it should almost never happen."
Walker nodded. "Alright. That makes sense then. This is essentially gonna be an execution prison. New question. Do you want two separate wards? One that's better protected from the Exorcists for the Extermination Day for more minor crimes and a death row that can be freely opened up for the Exorcists?"
"Hm… I don't think the Angels would care much about the severity of the crimes. So they would probably try to break into the minor crimes section of the prison as well. So I'm not sure how much use it would be. Then again, I could probably build ecto-barrier generators to protect that half of the prison… Hm… You're the expert. Which do you think would be better?" Vlad inquired.
"Two wards would be better. That is, if you're trying to establish order rather than just helping the Exorcists do their job of population control. Think about it. If they think you aren't just execution-happy tyrants they'll have more faith in you and your system. And if they have more faith in your system they should be more content. If the criminals are more content that means they'll be less aggressive and make more mistakes, meaning you'll have an easier time finding and arresting them. That means less criminals on the streets and more in your prison. Less criminals on the streets means more order." Walker explained. "There's a bit more to it than just that, but that's one of the major factors. And one of the simplest for you to understand."
"Hm… Very well. Then two wards would be preferable. I'll have to develop something to protect the minor crime ward but I can do that. Though, what about individuals who want to be arrested?" Vlad inquired.
"Explain." Walker demanded.
"Shelter, a bed, a shower, three square meals a day. For some people they are so desperate that's all they want. And if they have to go to prison to get them, they will gladly commit crimes just to be arrested. That is an issue on Earth and I believe it will be an issue in Hell too."
Walker intertwined his fingers in front of his face and rested his elbows on the desk in front of him in thought for a few moments. Eventually he said, "Hmm… In that case, who ever said a prison in Hell has to be the same as a prison on Earth? It is Hell, after all. They're all sinners anyway. So just make the conditions uncomfortable and just generally miserable for the prisoners. Make it so they don't want to be arrested. Maybe you could make each and every cell a highly claustrophobic solitary confinement cell where they have minimal contact with anyone, including the guards. No putting any two prisoners in the same cell, have no activities for them to do, make all the cells completely soundproof so they can't talk to each other or the guards, give 'em terrible extremely bland food less than three times a day, make any visitation they might get extremely rare. I got a few other ideas too, but you get the point. Just make it worse than living on the streets. That should discourage them from wanting to be arrested."
"I see… Very interesting. I will have to consider this. Perhaps I can think of a few ideas of my own." Vlad stated, already having ideas swirling through his head about how to make the prison as unbearable as possible.
(Danny)
"That's pretty rough. I wish there was something I could do but from what you've described it sounds like something your parents have to work out between themselves. For what it's worth, I hope they can work things out and things get better for you." Danny stated before finishing the sandwich he previously had packed in his lunch box. He had spent the entire lunch period talking to the demon about her problems at home. Or more specifically, her parents' problems at home. Regardless they both decided to have their lunches while they talked.
"Thanks… You're okay, Danny. You aren't as much of a jerk as I thought you'd be." The demon stated.
"Gee thanks. And here I was hoping I wasn't a jerk at all." Danny joked. "Hey, I don't think I ever caught your name."
"Octavia. I'm Octavia." The demon stated.
"Well, Octavia, if you ever need someone to talk to again you can always come to me. I'm more than willing to listen to you." Danny said in a friendly tone.
"I'll keep that in mind." Octavia stated.
Suddenly the bell rung, signaling the end of the lunch period.
"Well, it looks like we need to get back to class. I'll talk to you later, Octavia." Danny said before closing his lunch box and standing up.
"Later, Danny." Octavia responded.
Dany waved goodbye and immediately phased through a wall on his way back to his locker.
Later that evening Danny was having dinner with Vlad again.
"So, how was your first day at school?" Vlad inquired.
"It went fine. I already made a new friend, I think. Or at least an acquaintance. What about that thing with Walker? He didn't try to arrest you, did he?" Danny asked.
Vlad shook his head. "Oh no. It went better than I expected, honestly. I was correct in thinking he was the right person to talk to about prison design. It turns out the construction company we hired to make the initial blueprints was trying to deceive us as they put intentional design flaws in the prison to make it easier to escape. But Walker helped me sort that out. He's a bit preoccupied with managing his own prison but he will have new blueprints for me by the end of the month. And who is it you have made friends with, if I may ask?"
"Some owl demon named Octavia. She's pretty cool as far as demons go." Danny stated.
"An owl, eh? Hm… That sounds like Stolas of the Ars Goetia. Of course he isn't the only owl demon around but still. Quite a powerful connection, if she truly is his daughter." Vlad stated.
"Yeah well who her parents were wasn't exactly what I was concerned with while I was talking to her so much as the marriage issues her parents are apparently having at the moment. She was crying about it at lunch. Apparently she's worried they might break up and her father will leave her and her mother. I tried to comfort her and offer what advice I could but there really isn't much I can do about that sort of thing, unfortunately." Danny explained.
Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Daniel, you are far too nice for your own good. Who cares what issues her parents are having? The only thing that matters is establishing political connections."
"That's where we disagree. Connections are a secondary concern in my opinion. I mean it's important but I care more about helping people whenever I can. I'm a hero, remember?" Danny stated.
"Yes, yes… A very naïve hero… Whatever. You established a potential connection. That's good. I don't particularly care what methods you used to do it, just that you did it." Vlad stated.
It already sounds like a lovely prison to be thrown in, doesn't it? Anyway I hope I wrote Danny meeting Octavia in a way that's believable. If you see any ways you think this chapter could be improved, let me know. I'm open to suggestions.
