In Greek mythology, Athena Pallas is the goddess of wisdom and war (those parts of war, where justice and strategy prevail), while Ares is the god of brutal war.

The chapter is named after these two dieties, for they are the embodiments of the two fighting ideologies in the story. One party that fights for justice and freedom, and one- for victory and glory. Guess which one is which.

Lilith finds out something about Toffee. What approach should she take now?

chapter 8: Athena Pallas vs Ares

Rasticore and Hekapoo were both enjoying a tankard of corn cider at the Tavern at the end of the multiverse. Rasticore's body language suggested he was getting very impatient, with his leg shaking non-stop. He had a job to do, a simple job- guard the doors. And yet, that redheaded meddler appeared out of the blue to chat, because reasons. The only reason the septarian actually accepted the offer, was due to curiosity of what she had to say. What if it was important? Why would she wanna talk with him otherwise?

- You're probably wondering why I've brought ya here?- Hekapoo broke the awkward silence.

It was as if she could read his mind.

- Why is your boss so insistent on uniting the nations?- she asked with sincere confusion in her tone.- Decades ago, he would have easily patted Seth on the back, when the old lizard denied signing the peace treaty.

- First of all- Rasticore replied.- never call a septarian a "lizard"! Second of all, do you still have no idea what's going on in this world?

- No.- Hekapoo responded sarcastically.- But you'll enlighten me, right?- she took a sip of her beverage.

Rasticore frowned, finding her snark rather unamusing.

- He's not doing it for the sake of union.- the septarian began.- He's doing it for the sake of Septarsis. Ever since he was born, he has been preparing himself for greatness. To become the leader our country deserves. The purpose of this union is to make peace between the kingdoms, so our lives can become much easier. Easier trade, easier travel, to name a few. You and the rest of the high commission can say whatever the Hell you want about him, but that man right there is the most skilled leader I've ever known. Its thanks to him why Septarsis is becoming a better place than what it used to be. It's not like you even care, so why ask?

Suddenly, Rasticore's speech was interrupted by the ring of his phone. He checked it to see a message from Toffee:

"Where are you? It's time to go now!"

Point taken! Rasticore stood up, avoiding all eye contact with Hekapoo.

- I'll be going now!- he said, sans adding anything else to his excuse.

Hekapoo watched him leave. After he was gone, she remained there sitting all alone with her thoughts.

Calling it a disaster, would be an understatement. Once, the news about the double murder in Septarsis were spread, there was nothing to be said or done, which could change the minds of all the denizens of Mewni about Toffee and, by extension, about all septarians. The fact that the two corpses belonged to a pair of ordinary mewman priestesses did not help, either.

However, one thing was for sure. For the first time ever, mewmans and monsters shared an opinion about one thing- that septarians were not to be trusted.

The teenagers were all together in Star's room, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Imagine their surprise, when they found out that the news have been already posted on Mewnian social media.

- I guess Toffee's plans to form an international organization all go to waste now.- Star grunted grumpily. She really rooted for him.

- Poor guy!- said Luz.

- Honestly- Amity joined.- doesn't sound like it's anything new around here.

When everyone looked at the violet-haired girl, looking confused, Amity took it as a silent demand to explain what she meant.

- I mean... it seems that basically everyone here is against Toffee. Back at the mewman village, they all hated him for some reason.

- Yeah, I noticed that too.- Gus agreed.

- Feels like he has a mysterious past you guys've never told us about.- Luz said, clenching her fists. She was nervous about the potential answer, refusing to face the music.

As much as she didn't want to do that, Star knew she barely had a choice, but to tell them the truth.

- Okay!- the blonde girl took a deep breath before continuing. No interruptions this time, hopefully!- The thing is... Toffee used to be one of my enemies.

Star spared them no details. She told them about everything Toffee had ever done- killing her grandmother, taking over Ludo's castle, kidnapping Marco, almost destroying the magic... Everything!

She was looking them in the eyes the whole time to see their reactions. They all got really surprised, perhaps even scared, when she began with the murder of her grandmother.

- KIDS!- said Lilith, as she entered unannounced, much to the teenagers' shock.

- Lilith!- Marco was surprised to see her.- What's gotten into you?

- WE JUST FOUND SOME HORRIFYING INFO!- Hooty screamed.

- I researched our host's background.- Lilith informed the group. She took a piece of paper out of her bag and showed it to the gang.- He's a veteran from a war, known as the "Great monster massacre".

- Uhm, Lilith!- Luz rubbed the back of her neck nervously.- That's not everything- this gained her an eyebrow raise from the spectacled witch.

After Toffee got home, really tired after that bedlam at the Monster temple, he wanted nothing to do with anything. Holding Masaru with one arm and holding Razzles' hand with the other, he knew very well what would be the next thing to do. Get some rest.

When he opened the door to the library, he was met by Lilith. The blue-haired woman was sitting on the couch, arms crossed and a serious expression on her face.

- Good evening, sir!- Lilith greeted him in a sardonic tone.- May I have a word with you? In private.

Toffee narrowed his eyes, finding that sudden assertivness of hers rather unusual. However, he did as instructed and gave Masaru to Razzles, telling her to go to her bedroom and play with her brother for a while.

- What is troubling you, Miss Clawthorne?- the septarian asked her. Was she disturbed by those murders?

- Since you already know about my skeletons in the closet, I reached the conclusion it would only be fair if I learn something about you in exchange, so I made a research.

Lilith showed him an article, printed on a sheet of paper. It was titled "Beast of Septarsis", and it touched upon Toffee's background, mostly what he has done as a general. The murder of queen Comet was one of those things.

The blue-haired witch was in shock, once she found out about this, and what Star told her afterwards was salt to the wound. For Toffee has been nothing but kind and patient to them, ever since arrival. He offered them shelter, food, information and his help even. He didn't deny her own aid after finding out that she used to be in Belos' coven. Also, if Lilith had to be honest, she genuinely enjoyed working with him. Having the honour to work with a fellow historian, who was also royalty, has been a truly unprecendented experience.

Lilith needed to spend more time with him. To learn more about Mewni, its culture and its history. There was a lot of potential for an exhibit in the Museum of supernatural history back home. Part of her hoped for her relationship with Toffee to be taken to the next level- from professional to platonic. Sincerely hoping the two of them could become good friends. She refused to believe that King's mistrust was justified.

- I want to ask you this and please be honest.- Lilith prepared herself for her question.- Is this true? Have you really done all of that? Please tell me that someone's rewritten history!

Toffee knew what was the correct thing to do in a moment like this one. Without a single moment of hesitation he gave Lilith his answer.

- It's true.

Lilith's eyes widened in shock and horror. Her lips were moving as if she wanted to respond, but nothing was coming out. She sat down on the couch, lowered her head and stared at the floor.

Toffee could easily deduce what the witch was going through right now, from her posture alone. Easy to guess she was in some kind of a mind crisis, for the lack of a better term. Possibly asking herself what she should do next.

The septarian sighed and kneeled with one leg. He spoke to her in a calm and comforting voice.

- Lilith.- he used her given name for the very first time.- I swear, I never meant to harm you or your loved ones! I didn't kill those two priestesses.

- How long were you planning to keep this a secret?- the woman said accusingly.- You know all about us, and yet we know next to nothing about you.

- If I did tell you earlier about my past, would you still have agreed to work with me?

He had a good point there! Lilith considered his question very carefully. On one hand, he used to be a huge threat to Mewni. A dangerous terrorist, who has committed multiple murders, including regicide. But on the other hand, he offered them shelter, when they had nowhere else to go. He provided them with food and information every day. Last, but not least, he saved them from Belos, on their first day here.

Besides, the spectacled witch herself was not exactly a saint either. After all, she did curse her own sister to join a coven. A coven, ruled by a tyrant, thus spending 30 years doing nothing but helping the said tyrant spread his evil throughout the country. Plus, with his intelligence, immortality, enhanced strength and composure, Toffee was far more skilled at defeating Belos, than her.

In conclusion, she had no right to judge him. He didn't judge her, when she told him about her past sins or even her curse. Why should she do it?

Lilith raised her head, their eyes finally meeting. When she saw him, his golden eyes didn't seem indifferent or emotionless as usual. There was something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could sense a hint of something. Remorse? Sadness? Need of trust?

Whatever it was, Lilith knew she should say something right now. She thought her next choice of words very carefully. That was pretty hard to achieve, by the way.

- Uhm...- she began hesitantly.- uhm... I- she sighed.- Does it really matter what I think?- said Lilith, trying to sound confident there.- We need to stop Belos! There is no time for scandals or hesitations! The entire universe depends on us, Toffee.- she thought that since they were on first name basis now, it wouldn't hurt to be a tad informal.

Toffee smiled, satisfyed by the outcome. He stood up and gentlemanly took Lilith's hand, much to the woman's surprise.

- I appreciate that.- he said, after which his snout got closer to the surface of her gentle feminine hand and kissed it.

Lilith blushed, which Toffee found rather amusing and cute at the same time.

Even Toffee himself was not entirely sure why he did that. If he had to be honest, though, there was actually something very charming about that woman. Her child-like inquisitivness, when it came to history and culture was rather...cute to witness. He wasn't used to seeing such reactions to Mewni's history. Also, she must be incredibly brave, if she was so willing to defeat Belos, in spite of having scarce options. Who knew that a magical creature would be so fearless and intelligent? Also, the fact she was quite a looker at the same time didn't hurt either.

Wait! What? Since when did he, of all people, care about those things?

Actually, when Toffee looked at her again, he couldn't deny that as far as witches could go, Lilith was actually quite a beautiful woman. With her long wavy hair, shiny mismatched eyes, skin, which looked as if it was made out of porcelain, her slender and feminine body, lips with black lipstick on them and her voice. That lovely voice!

Maybe he was overthinking it. Sure, she was a looker, but that didn't mean anything. There were beautiful women everywhere. Those past few weeks had been filled with nothing but work, after all.

Maybe it was time to change the subject.

- What would you like now?- the septarian asked her.- To have dinner or just work on the plan straight away?

Toffee and Lilith went to the kitchen as it was dinner time already. Razzles joined them and Masaru was sitting on his father's lap as usual. Toffee was feeding him some corn puree. Razzles, on the other hand, didn't need help to finish her soup.

Lilith was watching them and admiring them for what they had. For her it was incredible how, in spite of the current circumstances, Toffee could still find the time to pay attention to his children and their needs. After Masaru finished eating, Razzles expressed the need to sit on her father's leg. Grabbing the infant with his tail, Toffee let his daughter to sit on his lap and he began bouncing her up and down, holding her hands gently.

- Need me to hold your baby?- Lilith asked.

When he gave it a thought, perhaps it would be easier if he didn't need to both bounce Razzles on his knees and rock Masaru with his tail at the same time. Toffee nodded in agreement and allowed Lilith to take the baby and hold him in her arms.

That was kind of an unusual experience for the witch. She wasn't used be holding an infant child, especially a cold-blooded one. The little one was pretty cold to the touch. She thought she should keep Masaru close to her chest for warmth.

- Careful! He bites.- the septarian warned her.- I think it's about time to send someone on Earth.- Toffee spoke again.- We need some data on Belos' background. Marco or Luz can do the job.

- I think it's a good idea.- Lilith replied.- That way they can visit their families too. Luz talks about her mother Camila all the time. She sounds like a nice person.

"For a human.", Toffee thought.

The teenagers were all in Star's room. Sitting on the carpet and playing a card game to keep themselves distracted. The game was interrupted, when somebody knocked on the door. The door opened and the intruder revealed himself upon entering.

- Luz Noceda. Marco Diaz.- it was Rasticore.- The boss wants to see you in the library. Immediately!

Luz and Marco exchanged a look, both a little surprised. However, they obeyed and followed Rasticore to the library, as ordered.

There they were met by Toffee, who was standing before them, his arms gentlemanly put behind his back.

- I have a job for the two of you.- Toffee spoke, without waiting for any questions.- I need you to go back to Earth and look for whatever information you can find about Philip Wittebane. I'll give you as much time as you need, as long as you come back with results.

- Okay, Toff!- Marco replied without hesitation.- We can do it.- he playfully bumped Luz's shoulder.- Right, Luz?

- Yeah!- the girl replied a little sheepishly.- Claro!

- Is something wrong?- her friend asked her concerned.- Don't you wanna see your mom?

- It's not that it's just...

Toffee got closer to the girl and kneeled with one leg in front of her. Luz hated to feel intimidated by him right now, but he had some kind of an...aura. Maybe it was the voice...the eyes... Who knew?

- You can tell us, dear.- the septarian spoke calmly.

- I..- Luz bean.- I don't know how I'm gonna explain all of this to her. How I left the Boiling isles to chase a witch hunter in another dimension. What if she gets scared and forbids me from staying in Mewni?

- Well- Marco put a hand on her shoulder.- from what you've told us about her, she sounds like a compassionate and understanding person. She took in a demon from the Boiling isles, after all.

Marco was talking about Vee- a basilisk, who managed to escape from Belos' cells and found sanctuary at the Nocedas'. Luz knew her friend had a pretty good point there. She knew her mother well and how kindly she treated other creatures, being a vet and all. However, she also knew how scary Belos was and how much of a threat he was to both the Boiling isles and Mewni. Camila didn't need to get involved in an interdimensional war.

The more time Belos spend with Mina and other mewmans, the more he was starting to question if he has actually chosen the correct allies.

Mina was telling him about the long history of Mewni, mostly about the mighty Butterfly dynasty and its powerful queens with their magic wands. She was talking with a lot of pride in her voice, with a hand, clenched in a fist, in front of her chest. She talked about her glorious days as a Solarian warrior, serving her true mistress- Solaria the Monster carver. The bravest queen of all time, who tragically met her demise at the hands of general Grisly and lieutenant Yolanda. The parents of general Toffee, current ruler of Septarsis. That part actually got Belos rather intrigued. That monster's ancestors have fought one of those sorceresses? And they've won, nonetheless! If Toffee's parents have killed Mina's queen, then no wonder she was so determined to see him dead! The witch hunter could easily see the thirst for blood in that insane warrior's glare.

Mina then got to the part, where she told him about the day Toffee killed Comet the Chef, thus leaving her orphaned daughter Moon to rule the kingdom at a very young age. The more Mina spoke, the more infuriated she was getting. She couldn't just ignore the fact that she had been defeated by that slimy monster, when her kingdom needed her the most.

- I have sworn to kill every single monster that desecrates this beautiful planet and I intent to make that true!- Mina yelled.- But nobody wants to join me in a battle for the greater good. They call me "mad"! "Crazy"! "A fruit cake"! The joke is on them, though. If wanting what's for the better for our people, then give me some nuts and call me a "nutjob"!

Belos got lost in thoughts again. Another dimension, wherein its denizens were heavily reliant on magic? It was almost as if that dimension was also filled with...witches. The man was doing his best not to frown and bite his lip at the gruesome thought, that he just let himself get tricked so easily.

However, from what he just heard, it sounded as if the reptilian monster from his first day has been also trying to destroy those sorcerers and their magic.

Toffee was both stronger and smarter than Belos and Mina combined. Not only that, but he was also immortal. How could a witch hunter from Earth destroy a monster, who never feared death?

Looks like Lilith and Toffee have officially reached a point, wherein they are both aware of each other's deepest darkest secrets. How will this affect them?

As a matter of fact, I like to imagine that for septarians, the word "lizard", when addressed to them, can be interpreted as a slur.