Secrets and Snipers

Part 1

By TalosLives & CrackedInkWell

Edited by Anon

Based on EMositeCC's AngelAUSeries

***Ten Years Ago***

"...And just sign here, Prince Stolas."

The demonic owl sighed as, after three grueling hours worth of signing his name, he did so for the final time. Honestly, sometimes he felt taking on the Exterminator was a more straightforward challenge than bureaucracy.

Across his desk was his lawyer, a fallen angel named Melvelon, whose black angelic wings fluttered as Stolas handed him the last of the papers. After checking them over, Melvelon nodded in satisfaction and put them in a folder, which he then locked away in his suitcase. "Well, congratulations, your majesty. You are officially divorced."

With a sigh of relief, Prince Stolas leaned back and felt the weight come off his shoulders. Despite getting married to a horrible and abusive woman, Stolas had tried (Satan and God both knew it) to make it work despite his attraction to men. The birth of Octavia, their only child, had only inspired him to try even harder. He pretended to be happy and took all the insults, sneers, hits, and degradation because he wanted Octavia to have a normal family life.

However, Prince Stolas finally accepted that it wouldn't help anyone as he saw himself losing more and more of his character until someone finally convinced him to stand up for himself and do what he needed to be happy. That someone was the one that Stolas had fallen in love with despite it being forbidden to do so. Because of him, this divorce happened in the first place. While demons had no problems cheating on their lovers (something Stella was doing anyway), angels obviously had issues with it. It hurt Blitzo to know that he was in a love affair with a married man, despite his heart belonging to Stolas. So Stolas finally decided it was time to end the charade and promptly told his wife that they could not continue this anymore before demanding a divorce.

At first, Stella had laughed at him. Said that he didn't have the balls. Well, he shut her up by formally announcing it on the news and even got the lawyers ready before she could react. Her expression was so worth the damage to his ears when she cursed at him. Her family had tried to fight it. They even outright declared that Stolas was breaking the agreement between their families by doing this. But Stolas had been careful. Not only had he gathered proof of his wife's past infidelities, but he also went through their marriage contract, which clearly stated that they had to be together until at least an heir was born, regardless of gender. With no other choice, Stella and her family agreed to the divorce but made sure to battle Stolas for as much as possible.

Honestly, Stolas didn't care for much of what he owed, save for a few important things. Mainly his Grimoire and his daughter. Speaking of which, Octavia had not taken the divorce well, outright hating both her parents for doing this. Blitzy had advised him to talk it out with her, and after many teary nights of heart-pouring conversation, Octavia finally accepted that her parents didn't love each other but would always be there for her.

At least Stolas would. He had no idea if Stella would since she treated their daughter as if she was a tool to be used rather than an actual child most of the time.

"So, you and Stella agree to host Octavia at your respective houses for a week each before switching?" Stolas's lawyer asked.

"Yes, but I also made sure Octavia had a choice to stay one extra week with a respective parent if she wished," Stolas replied with a smirk. "As a precaution, of course."

"You don't think Stella won't try to bribe her with something to keep her at her place more?" Melvelon asked.

"Stella doesn't remember Octavia's birthday, let alone what she's into," Stolas chuckled as he waved his hand. "I'll have her more often in my house than hers for sure."

"Well, I guess all that's left is to give this paperwork over. Congrats on being single again, Prince Stolas," Melvelon said as he got up and shook the prince's hand. "If you don't mind me asking, what finally convinced you?"

The image of a smiling, blue, and golden-horned angel appeared in Solas's mind for a second before he smiled. "Just a revelation. That's all."

***Present Day***

"Hurry! Hurry! She's going to be here soon! I want this place in tip-top shape when she arrives!" Prince Stolas shouted as he clapped his hands while practically power-walking from room to room. Every servant, guard, and employee was making sure the palace was spotless for the arrival of the heir, Princess Octavia, who was coming to see her father for the week.

Having gone through this for at least ten years, everyone was used to seeing Prince Stolas wanting the entire home as perfect as possible for his daughter. It was nearly clockwork at this point. Not that they minded; many of them had fond memories of the princess, who, like her father, treated them much kinder than most nobles (including a certain ex-wife they thanked Satan was gone from their lives). All the rooms were dusted, and the floors waxed. The chefs were ready to prepare whatever favorite meals Octavia requested during her stay. Security was armed and ready in case anything tried to disturb the father and daughter time. Even the medical staff prepared themselves in case their owl princess got anything from a paper cut to an assassination attempt. With all the preparations, one would think the King of Hell was arriving instead.

Prince Stolas, despite rushing everyone, looked lively as ever as he counted down the minutes until his beloved owlet would be home again for another seven (maybe even fourteen, if Octavia wanted to stay longer again) days with him. Those times that Octavia was home with Stolas were always the brightest moments of the year. Despite their early issues with the divorce, the two never stopped loving each other, and Stolas was glad he had taken Blitzo's advice to help his daughter through it. He made sweet love to that handsome angel when Octavia finally fully accepted her new situation and said she would always love Stolas.

The only disappointing thing in all this was that Stolas couldn't see Blitzo during the days his daughter was home, out of fear of her learning of his loving connection to the angel. Much as he wanted to tell Octavia about Blitzo, Stolas feared she would not only find the entire love affair disgusting, but would be pissed that the divorce was because he wanted to be with Blitzo and no others. Besides, they'd promised each other that, should the day ever come to confess to their loved ones, they would do it together.

Someday I will tell her, but not right now. Now is just the time for us to have fun, Stolas thought before hearing the doorbell ring.

To his surprise, one of the butlers walked over and said, "Sir? Princess Octavia and Lady Stella have arrived early."

Stolas glanced at one of the clocks; they were forty minutes earlier than expected. He rushed towards the grand staircase and soon saw two figures being let in. The first was a teenage owl demon sharing many similar traits to her father in terms of color and avian appearance, despite having the pinkish and white eyes of her mother. Wearing a long-sleeved red shirt with yellow stairs and a ripped long-sleeve jacket over it, Octavia Goetia handed her suitcases to the other servants while fixing her black beanie with her royal crown over it, before spotting her dad. With a small smile, she waved before getting nearly tackled off her feet by the excited Prince.

"Hey, Dad," Octavia said as she hugged her father back and kissed him on the cheek. "How were things?"

"Oh, just a bit boring. I've been busy with work," Stolas said, breaking the hug yet keeping his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "But I cleared everything for this week for you. So whatever you wish, we can do it without interruptions."

"Sounds great," Octavia said with a bigger smile and nod.

However, the moment was interrupted by a rude coughing nearby as the two gazed upon the second visitor: Octavia's mother and Stola's ex-wife, Stella.

Even though he was gay, Stolas had to admit his wife was beautiful in her own way: a stunning white and pink-feathered swan demoness with a thin, curved body poised with grace. Her white-feathered dress was pure silk and feathers matched by her long white feathered hair. Her pink top dress was still an eyesore, which quickly drew one to the breast area where most straight men often lost themselves wondering what was behind the clothing. But that beauty was all Stella had in terms of her good qualities. Behind those sharp, pink eyes was a vain and cruel witch that Stolas despised. He could forgive her for not trying to be an equal partner in their past relationship. He could forgive her for cheating on him - given how unenthusiastic they were in bed, he couldn't blame her for that. Hell, Stolas could even handle the fact that she thought less of him as a real noble. But he could never ever forgive her for making him feel like he was nothing short of a disgrace of a man.

The times he went to his lone bed, sobbing tears and taking pills to deal with his dark thoughts. The amount of alcohol he drank to drown out her mocking and insults. The outright bruises on his face and body he'd hid with makeup so Octavia wouldn't ask questions. Stella had brought him nothing but misery; deep down, he wished she was dead. No doubt she wanted the same thing, considering he humiliated her by kicking her out and coming out as gay to the world. It even led to rumors of Stella being such a nasty lover that Stolas was turned gay because of it. Of course, it wasn't the truth, but Stolas didn't mind if it knocked her down a few pegs.

With a cold expression, Stolas nodded to his ex. "Stella."

"Stolas," Stella huffed before turning her head around.

"Via? Why don't you get your things packed into your room? Xein can help you out," Stolas said without looking at his daughter. He didn't want her to be here when the lighting started coming out of Stella's mouth.

A disappointed sigh from Octavia made it clear what her feelings were, and Stolas winced inwardly for making her feel bad. Even if Octavia had accepted their new broken family life, it was clear she still was hurt by it, even after all these years. The latest employee in Stolas' service, dressed in the proper servant garments, helped the young avian out of the room until it was just her parents with a few servants who stood in the back, waiting for the horrible woman to leave.

"What the hell are you doing in raising our daughter, Stolas?!" Stella growled, which made Stolas cross his arms and raise an eyebrow.

"And where pray tell, did I screw up this time in your mind, Stella?" Stolas asked while rolling his eyes.

"Our daughter was with a boy," Stella growled, making Stolas' eyes widen slightly. "And this boy wasn't even of proper standing! Some middle-class nobody whose parents run a grocery store! I ended the whole thing and told Octavia not to hang out with him! Naturally, we argued, and of course, she brought up how you would let her go out with him. Because obviously, you would just let her date any savage on the street!"

"She's old enough to decide who to date, Stella," Stolas replied, glaring at her. Deep down, he was worried that his little baby girl was starting to date, as any father would. However, he vowed long ago that Octavia would never be forced into the same predicament he was. If his daughter was interested in someone, Stolas would support them so long as they showed good character and judgment.

"She will date and marry someone of royalty or nobility as we agreed," Stella hissed before Stolas moved forward and looked down at her.

"No, we agreed that years ago because we were together back then. But the moment we separated, I gained all rights of deciding Via's future regarding love and marriage because I am a higher rank then you in our overall family bloodline," Stolas pointed out, thankful for once about the bloodline laws in the Goetia family. "I will not have Octavia be forced into what we had. If she wants to date a commoner, I will support it so long as he is a good boy. And I would think, as her mother, you would want her happiness to mean something over your own insecure fears of embarrassment."

"Of course you would side with her on this. You always do. Daddy's little girl who he suckers into thinking he can provide her with everything just to get her love," Stella growled with a sickening tone. "When our daughter becomes a laughingstock among our peers, just like you- when she's living her twilight years alone, with only cats to keep her company - I hope you die with regret."

"The only one who's going to die alone and unloved is you, Stella," Stolas pointed out before nodding to the door. "You delivered our daughter back into my care, so there is no need for you to be here. Just go and don't hit the door on your way out."

Scoffing, Stella made her way to the door, but before exiting, she turned to Stolas and growled, "Someday, Stolas. You will pay for what you have done to my family and me. Someday."

She then closed the door behind her with a loud crash.

With the royal bitch gone, Stolas took a moment to clear his emotions by getting a small drink. Xein handed him the cocktail he had made and watched as Stolas drank it slowly and with satisfaction. One of the things that their newest servant had was a keen ability to mix drinks that Stolas found himself loving every so often. Sighing in pleasure, he handed Xein the glass and made his way toward his daughter's room, with Xein following him.

"Um, Prince Stolas?" Xein asked nervously. "Should we be worried about your ex-wife's threats?"

"Stella's been making that same threat to me ever since I divorced her years ago," Stolas replied without worry as they continued down the hall. "She's just jealous that Octavia happens to love me more because I treat her with the genuine love and care a parent should have. Stella keeps trying to mold her into a perfect model of a princess without caring about Octavia's desires."

"But you prepare her to take your place just in case, right?" Xein asked.

"Of course, but I make sure those are lessons Octavia can learn while being free to be herself. Stella would rather Octavia act like herself or her grandmother. Who's worse than Stella is, if you can believe it." Stolas shivered. If there was one person in Hell he never wanted to deal with again, it was Lady Nyx Goetia.

She had all the worst traits of Stella, only she was not an idiot like his ex-wife. Nyx Goetia was cold, calculating, and more intelligent than Stella would ever be - a deadly combination. Her talents in politics allowed her to get the marriage contract deal with Stolas's father, King Paimon, despite him initially wanting Stolas to marry someone of a higher rank in the Goetia tree. However, she was smart enough to outplay him, and King Paimon agreed to the match. How would Father react if he knew I was no longer married to Stella? Eh, why should I care about his opinion? He's dead.

Dismissing Xein, Stolas made his way to his daughter's room and quickly smiled upon seeing her put the last of her stuff into the drawers. She turned around and smiled back. "Hey, Dad. Mom left?"

"Yes, she did," Stolas said with almost too much glee. However, he then thought back to their conversation and asked, "She told me you went on a date with some… boy?"

"Ugh! It wasn't a date!" Octavia moaned as she rolled her eyes and fell back on her bed with a plop. "It was just some guy I knew and hung out with sometimes. I have no feelings whatsoever for him, and he doesn't have any for me. Mom acted paranoid and scared him so much that he barely wants to talk to me now! Then she went on and on about how I was supposed to woo richer and nobler men, or I'd be a disgrace to the family name! Fuck, I wish she went on about my princess duties like always instead."

Sighing, Stolas walked over to the bed and sat down while stroking his daughter's hair as she closed her eyes and looked away in frustration. "Via, I know your mother might seem harsh, but she does want what's best for you. In her own way of seeing things."

"What about what's best for me?" Octavia asked before sitting up. "Dad, you know I hate living with her. Every time I do, it's just her dictating how I should act or behave. I'm forced to dress in stupid outfits and attend parties with some snobs while Mom does all the talking. She shows me off like I'm some kind of doll while attempting to get me to talk to some of these guys that I know she wants me to court, but I could care less about them. Whenever we're not doing this, she's off shopping or doing her own stupid thing with all those guys she's sleeping with while I'm in my room just on my phone or listening to music, utterly bored."

Looking at her father, Octavia asked, "Can't I just stay with you permanently?"

"Via, you know that we have to keep exchanging until you are legally an adult," Stolas said, making his daughter look downward. He then wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer before smiling. "But when you turn eighteen in a couple of months, you can decide wherever you want to live. If you want to live with me, I will gladly let you stay for as long as you want."

"Thanks, Dad," Octavia said with a smile.

"Now then," Stolas said as he clapped his hands. "Why don't we start our week off by going to the human world for a day trip!"

"A trip to the human world?! Really?!" Octavia asked with excitement. "Are you being serious?!"

"Yup! We'll spend the whole day in any human city you want, anywhere in the world!" Stolas proclaimed as he flared his cape out dramatically. "Just name it, and we'll go!"

Octavia put a finger to her chin for a moment before making a decision. "I want to see New York City!"

"Ohh, the Big Apple! The City that Never Sleeps! Well, let's just get a few things and see what wonders await us!" Stolas proclaimed.

In-between towers of brick and concrete, no one noticed a portal opening in a garbage-littered alley. Stolas poked his head out, looking to ensure no one was there. In front of him was a brick wall scribbled with confusing graffiti. To his left were littered cardboard boxes and forgotten trash that piled up against the concrete wall, and to his right was the opening to a bustling street that, by the sound of it, was one of the main streets.

"This should be a good spot," Stolas said, stepping out. He was already in his human disguise, a tall, scrawny figure in gray, except for the dark red vest and tinted glasses over his head that gave him some color. Smiling, he held out a hand to his daughter, but paused. "Um, Via, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

Stolas pointed down.

Octavia glanced down at herself. Before he opened the portal, he gave her a quick magic lesson with a disguising spell. It was, admittingly, the first time she'd cast it. First, she looked at her hands… her fleshy, odd hands, and didn't see anything wrong. Then further down to her feet when she spotted her tail feathers sticking out. "Oh! Okay uh… give me a sec…" She closed her eyes to concentrate again, took a deep breath, felt her hands tingle, and reimagined herself as human - this time without the tail. It took a moment, but when she opened her eyes, she looked over her shoulder to see it was gone.

"That's better," Stolas nodded in approval. "And it's okay. I also made mistakes when I first learned how to do it. But you'll get the hang of it. Here." Stolas reached out his hand again and, taking hold of it, Octavia stepped through and into the human world. He took a moment to ensure they had everything before closing up the portal. Octavia? Check. Wallet? Check. Phone? Check. A copy of essential spells from the Grimoire written and folded in his pocket? Check. "Do you have everything, Via?"

"I think so." Octavia felt her pockets, going through her mental checklist. "Though I must say it's weird seeing us like this."

"Understandable," Stolas nodded. At a glance, even though Octavia was disguised as a human, he could still tell it was her. Their eyes, despite looking human, gave away who it was. But with everything else, she didn't have to change much about her appearance outside of losing her tail feathers, giving herself new hands and face, and making her crown on her bennie a part of it. A nice touch in his mind. Other than that, the clothes were the same. "So, are we ready for our day trip?"

Saying that she was ready, Stolas waved his hand, and the portal closed, leaving only a graffiti-covered concrete wall behind.

Now their attention turned towards the bustling end of the alley. Stepping out from a grim, unassuming path into the bright, marvelous street. On the sidewalks, humans of every size, shape, and description went this way and that. The roads had taxis, vans, trucks, and cars that flowed by like a slow-moving river, with people going through it among the annoyed-sounding honks. In the center was a wedge-shaped island where hordes of tourists took photos aimed upwards. The two demons could see why: above their heads were billboards of Broadway shows, gigantic advertisements in bright LED, and neon on all sides of the street. They hung from the towers of glass and steel that seemed to reach into the blue sky above.

"Woah…" Octavia said among the flashing lights and ever-changing billboards.

"Welcome to Time Square, Via." Stolas held up a hand high in the air. "Manhattan Island, if I'm not mistaken. My, things have changed since I was here last."

"You've been to New York before?"

"Yes, but not often. The last time I was here was around the seventies, and I can tell you at a glance that things have changed significantly."

"Why's that?"

"Let me put it to you this way: New York more closely resembled the Lust Ring."

"Oh…"

"However, it seems like they've cleaned up a little. Removed the broken windows and put in more shops. Now, what do you want to do first?"

"Can we go into the shops? I want to see what kind of weird things humans have."

"Luckily, there's no short supply of that," Stolas laughed. "Let's go and see."

And so, up and down the street they went, going in and out of shops to explore the strange and exotic places of the human realm. They eyed the nick-knack booths that sold "I Love New York" merchandise. They went through stores that sold clothes with curiosity, both at the strange fashion trends and the extraordinary prices. On the concrete island in the center of the street, they came across performance artists that did rather strange things for money, from holding still for hours being covered in paint, to the red-faced screamers that yelled at people something about the apocalypse. They smelled the heavenly scents outside the two-story restaurant that went by the name of McDonald's. And there was a hole-in-the-wall bookstore that offered rare and unusual books.

Even with the most mundane things, to the demons, they were great wonders to bring home to the point where they weren't entirely sure what to get first, from new treats made by people from foreign lands, to the t-shirt that would no doubt bring a few laughs back home. It was all fantastic. To Stolas, money wasn't the issue thanks to a spell that turned Hell's currency into American Dollars. Even the most expensive price, which would make many humans faint at the sight of it, was easy to pay for. However, the real problem was how much they could carry with them as they couldn't use magic to levitate all their belongings, and they didn't have any servants with them, so it took a lot of work to carry it all.

"Are you feeling hungry?" Stolas asked, his arm carrying three large paper bags. "I believe it's getting close to lunch."

"Sure, but what do you want? We've passed by at least fifteen restaurants and cafes - most of them serving food I've never heard of."

"If I could make a suggestion, there's one place I really liked, and I hope it's still…." Stolas trailed off, stopping in his tracks.

Octavia looked over her shoulder when she realized her father wasn't walking with her. "You okay, Dad?"

Stolas didn't answer immediately because he sensed something making his fake skin crawl. If Octavia was just as powerful as he, she would understand why. He felt angels were nearby. He didn't know where, but they were close.

"Dad?"

Doing a full circle in place, he scanned over the people, even using his other pair of eyes to make absolutely sure. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the sense was getting closer. Being outside of Hell, even with the limited spells in his pocket, his powers of defense was limited, so he feared they could be in-

Then, from across the street, he felt it. There were three of them, but one was familiar. He knew right away who it was! And in a moment, he saw him. Thanks to his other eyes, he could see what the humans (and his daughter) couldn't. Blitzo and two smaller angels were hovering over everybody's heads, all of whom were oblivious to the demons across the street.

Blitzy? What are you doing out here?

Stolas knew, of course, that Blitzo had a team that went around the world doing good deeds for those in Purgatory. But he never imagined that he would be in the same place as them - let alone on the same street.

"Dad?" Octavia got his attention, "Is something wrong?"

"I…" Glancing over, he told her, "I think I forgot something back in that bookshop. So uh… how about this? There's an excellent Italian restaurant to the right called Carmine's. Why don't you get us a table while I go back and look?"

"I can, but what did you forget?"

"Just a book I don't think I put in the bag. I'll be quick."

"... Okay?" With a raised eyebrow, Octavia walked down the street while Stolas retreated.

Pulling out his phone, Stolas quickly sent a text to Blitzo before eyeing across the street. The Prince watched the moment his lover got a ping, reached into his pocket, and froze when he read his screen.

I see u.

Blitzo looked around, getting the attention of the other two angels. He couldn't hear him over the noise of the traffic, but Stollas assumed he was making up an excuse before quickly sending a text back.

Stolas looked at the screen just when it arrived.

How? Where?

So he sent a message back.

Across the street. Bookshop.

For a moment, Blitzo scanned up and down the street until he found the shop - and Stolas too. Tilting his head towards the door, giving him a hint to meet him inside before he walked through the door into a tinny bookshop of redwood, aged leather, and light fixtures that would have been appropriate over a hundred years ago. Immediately, Stolas went over to the back shelves, the Mystery section, to wait for Blitzo.

About a minute or so later, he eyed his angel come floating through the display case, looking everywhere before finding him. He drifted over with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Blitzo asked just above a whisper.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing." Stolas picked up a book off the shelf, not to read but to make himself inconspicuous. Blitzo saw the cover - Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie. "What are you doing in New York?"

"We're here for a job. You?"

"A day trip with my daughter."

"Where is she?"

"Heading down to a restaurant." After a beat, Stolas glanced up from the book. "You're not here for something dangerous, are you?"

"Thankfully, no." Blitzo looked over his shoulder, "In fact, we're nearly done. Long story short, we're just looking after a little girl who's been through a lot lately."

"Meaning…?"

"Basically, we got approached by a couple in Purgatory. They said they lost custody of their daughter last year because they were… less than ideal. I can only say that it involves gallons of spirits and under-the-counter prescriptions. They took the lost custody thing as a wake-up call to improve themselves and try to reconnect with their daughter. And things were improving until they got into a car wreck weeks ago."

"I see. So you're here to ensure that little girl is being taken care of properly."

"Honestly, yeah. It's to see if the step-parents wouldn't do anything bad to the kid. Which I think they're doing a good job at being parents. They're taking her on their first trip to New York, and we're wrapping up today." Then Blitzo raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you take day trips to the human world?"

"Hey, I have a life too. And I'll have you know that I asked Via where she wanted to go, and she wanted to see New York. Lately, she's been stressed with… you-know-who, and I just wanted to give her a break."

"Okay, fair enough. But we shouldn't cross paths again today. If my employees found you or Octavia…."

"Agreed," Stolas nodded, closing the book. "Where are you going to go?"

"I heard them wanting to grab lunch somewhere before heading to Central Park."

"At least that gives me an idea of where to go from here." Then after a beat, Stolas added, "Listen, just in case something goes wrong on your end, you can send me a text."

"Sure, but for emergencies only," Blitzo agreed.

"Hey! Excuse me!" Both looked up to see a lady behind a counter. "Are you going to just talk to yourself or pay for that?"

"Uh, yes! Yes," Stolas laughed embarrassingly, reaching to get out his wallet. "Sorry, force of habit."

"Whatever…" The lady punched buttons on the register, rang up a price, and Stolas paid for it.

Walking out, he heard Blitzo say, "Just… be careful out there, okay?"

Stolas smiled. "Love you too." He rushed down the street to meet up with his daughter.

The walkie-talkie crackled, "Hey, Boss? Over."

Picking it up, a demon in black pushed the button. "What is it? Over."

"We have a visual on Prince Stolas. He turned a corner and headed down 44th Street. Over."

"Is the Princess with him? Over."

"Negative. He's rushing into a restaurant called Carmine's and… Correction, we have a visual on the Princess too. They're both inside the restaurant getting a table. Over."

"Copy that. I'll be heading over to take a position. Don't do anything without me saying so. Over."

"Roger that. Over."

Putting the walkie-talkie away, he picked up the long black suitcase and a map of the city in one hand. It only took a moment to decide on an excellent place to set up his nest: the Schubert Theater roof, a little down the street, would give him a view of the restaurant.

If things went to plan, Stolas would be dead.