AN: This was originally going to be longer, but I've developed a headcold so I'm splitting the chapter in two. Thankfully I got enough written before I got sick to post this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Helluva Boss. Spiroz and all characters in his universe belong to artist DaniDraws
I hate you.
Blitzo had heard those words before. Many times in his life. He had heard it from his sister, Fizz, Verosika, and many others. They were three words that, when you hear too much of, you start to say it to yourself over and over again. So many people hated Bltizo, and that included himself. He had made many mistakes; he would never deny that. But never before had he heard those three words come from his son.
When Blitzo held the egg that was his baby boy, he swore upon every power in the universe he would love and protect his son until his dying breath. He would go so far as to fight God and Lucifer at the same time if need be. He wasn't just a representative of the love he and Stolas had for each other but also a chance for him to begin again. To start anew with the opportunity to do something good for this universe. He would never believe his son was a curse, abomination, or an accident that shouldn't have been born.
Every waking moment spent with his son was a joyful song—a happy memory that banished away the darkness. Every smile, laugh, and tweet had been safely placed in the Imp's mind like gold in a vault—all for him to treasure and look at whenever he was depressed. They had fights, arguments, groundings, and such. All parents do so with their kids when they do something wrong, act like brats, or go through teenage drama.
But this...was different.
This time, Spiroz said the three words Blitzo hated and knew very well.
I hate you.
And in an instant, the vault was flooded with despair.
Combined with the glaring and sneering looks their daughters gave them, it was clear that he fucked up again.
And from the sobbing coming from his lover, who wrapped his arms around him in their room, Stolas knew it too.
"B-B-B-Blitzy...he said...oh stars...our Starlight..." Stolas wailed as Blitzo held him close. He wasn't the only one crying as tears dripped down Blitzo's face just as much. Only he was doing his best to keep it strong for his husband. He was more used to hearing those terrifying words, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
"I know," Blitzo whispered as he rubbed his husband's back. "I...I think we made a mistake..."
"But we...we were just trying to protect him..." Stolas whimpered.
"Physically," Blitzo sighed as he was forced to admit a bitter truth. "But we couldn't protect him mentally or emotionally. We tried so hard to protect him, but we never got a chance to get Hell to accept him. And now we've taken him away from the one person who had accepted him."
"But she's an angel."
"Exactly," Blitzo sighed as he leaned back and chuckled harshly. "A holier than thou angel saw our son as more normal than his kind. She accepted him as a being born from two demonic fathers and even fell in love with him. Remind you of something?"
"...Us," Stolas whispered as he sat up and rested his shoulder beside his husband. "A former-circus Imp turned assassin ends up becoming romantically involved with a Prince of the Ars Goetia. We both went through endless battles, arguments, betrayals, assassinations, and even outright trials just to get together. It's like the same, but different."
"Forbidden love," Blitzo whispered as he looked at a nearby photo of him and Stolas at their wedding. Both happily danced at their reception, with only their family and friends attending. It was a small wedding, but it was a magical moment for the two of them—a reward for all their hard work to become a married couple. "I guess it's a family thing."
"I guess," Stolas chuckled before he hugged his knees close to his chest. "What do we do? How...How do we make this right?"
"I don't know," Blitzo sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "All of Hell hates us more than usual. We don't even know what Heaven is going to do. Our children are angry at us. And our son is in love with an angel of all things. Fuck, I miss the days when all I had to worry about was paying rent."
Stolas slowly reached for his lover's hand and squeezed it. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together."
Blitzo smiled warmly at him as he leaned forward and kissed him. Suddenly, their doors were opened, and the two snapped their heads to see a worried Octavia, dressed in her night robe, rushing in while holding her phone. "Starfire? What is-"
"It's Samuel," Octavia said, looking worried before talking to her phone. "I have you on speaker. Tell my Dads what you told me."
"Prince Stolas and Prince Blitz? Are you there?" Samuel asked from the other end of the line
"We're present, what's wrong?" Stolas asked as the two crowded next to Octavia.
"Listen, I have to be quick about this," Samuel said urgently. "There is a planned massive attack from multiple demonic forces coming to your palace tomorrow morning. It's going to be led by numerous individuals. Military, nobility, Overlords, and more. It's going to be big. A fucking huge army. I overheard it happening, and they are going to come to kill you all."
The three looked at each other in alarm before Blitzo growled. "What's Queen Charlie going to do about this?"
"The Queen...can't do anything. Politically? It isn't good. Queen Charlie has been threatened that if she takes any action against their efforts, she'll face an open rebellion on her hands," Samuel sighed. "The Queen doesn't want to see Spiroz harmed and thinks the romance is not wrong, but she has no choice but to stay out of these affairs if she wants to keep Hell from falling into chaos and turning into a civil war. I'm sorry, but I also cannot help. I'm all but ordered to stay where I am, and my father would crucify me if I helped you."
"Samual..." Octavia whispered before wiping a tear from her eye. "Does this mean..."
"I'm sorry, beloved, but for now, we cannot be seen together. I promise to do what I can, but my father has forbidden us to be together now."
Octavia sobbed and covered her mouth with her hand as Stolas walked over and wrapped an arm around his daughter to hug her. "I...I...I understand..."
"This isn't goodbye, Octavia. Think of it as a break until we figure things out."
"Y-Yeah," Octavia sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Just a break."
"Just focus on surviving this attack. That's all you need to do for now. I love you. Please be safe. All of you."
The call then hung up as the three looked at each other, Ocavia's soft sobs echoing in the room. Blitzo growled and rushed to his cabinet to pull out his trust flintlock pistol and loaded it. "If those fucking bastards want a war, they are going to get a war."
"Agreed," Stolas muttered as his four eyes glowed red. "Let them come. We'll give them everything we have to protect our family."
It didn't matter if Spiroz hated them. They still loved him and always would. And they would die to protect their son.
Regardless of the opinions of those under Princess Octavia's command, she was still their mistress, and they were sworn to serve her. The moment the attack was learned, the palace went into war mode. Ancient spells were activated to create magical-based traps and shields to protect the palace while the Legions under her command set up defense points. Mages prepared their spells and cast their blessings upon the soldiers to give them an increase in strength, speed, or self-healing. The various artillery, tanks, missiles, and even war creatures under their command were loaded up and prepared for battle. At the same time, the soldiers lined up among quickly built barracks, sandbag points, or on the palace gate walls while others stood ready to charge.
The staff was also prepared. They all knew how to fight and were prepared to defend their masters. The servants' children were sent to the basement for their protection. Spiroz was under orders to stay inside his room, which he accepted, but that's all he said. He locked himself again in his room with Milton and Mitzy while everyone prepared themselves.
Stolas wore his old battle robe, which consisted of a navy blue and midnight black coloring decorated with symbols and runes of several languages that empowered it. He held his grimoire in hand while reviewing his old battle spells. Octavia wore a similar robe, but hers was red and black. She also had the family's demonic sword, Stareater , in hand because she was officially the head of their family, which could only be wielded by the head. The sword was a bastard sword with black steel as the blade and a small shrunken nova star trapped in a crystal in the golden hilt that empowered it.
Meanwhile, I.M.P. had forgone any fancy stuff for good old-fashioned gunpowder and bullets. Each loaded various firearms they had collected while putting on black dragon-scale body armor—only the best for Stolas and his family.
"...Alright, what are our odds today?" Loona asked as she finished loading a pistol and putting it in one of her leg holders.
"Truthfully? We'll have the odds against us, and we'll be outnumbered," Octavia sighed as she looked at her sister. "We always knew there was a day this was going to come. I just didn't think it would be this brazen."
"They must think their numbers will give them the odds they need to overwhelm us," Stolas snorted. "That will just work in our favor."
"Remember, the main thing is to keep Spiroz safe, but that doesn't mean the rest of you are allowed to die out there either," Blitzo said as he looked at them all. "Look... we might have had disagreements lately, and I'm willing to admit Stolas and I fucked up, but we love you. We love our son. And no matter what happens, we're a family. We've been through so much shit together that we're not going to let this stop us. Either we stand and live another day, or all perish together."
The group looked at each other and nodded.
"We're with you to the end, Blitz," Moxxie said, with his wife giving a thumbs up.
"You better not die out there, Dad. Because I still have some shit I need to say to you," Loona responded with a tense look but a slight smirk.
"If all of Hell is against us, then let us show them what we are together," Octavia affirmed.
Stolas walked over to his husband and kissed him on the cheek. "For our son."
Blitzo nodded and kissed him back.
"For our family."
An hour later, the first blows were struck. Artillery, bombings, missiles, large cast spells, and even aerial creatures throwing down rocks fell upon the palace and its surrounding area in a bombardment that was straight out of D-Day. But the palace shields held. Having been powered by rituals that had existed long before Lucifer's first arrival in Hell, the defenses still held firm. The defending army stood ready and well-protected despite the bombardment. They responded by firing their own ranged weapons, ranging from shells that could explode and spread out hellfire to spells that froze the ground and all around it in a death chill.
It looked like a total shooting fest as ranged weapons were fired from great distances on both sides. The means of which decorated the sky like a fireworks display. While the invading force had greater numbers, they could not pierce the shields. The defending force might have caused damage, but they were still smaller in number in terms of armaments compared to their enemies. While they had no flying forces, they could still take them out with anti-air weapons ranging from javelin launching devices to casting spells summoning thunderstorms to shock them to death.
When it became clear that the bombardment would need more time to deal with the shields, the invading force sent out their vehicles first. Commanders of the Legions defending the household winced upon seeing actual Hell military-grade tanks and A.P.C.s being driven toward their borders via binoculars. It seems there were military members among those seeking to destroy their home. With them were rag tags of groups ranging from Hellhound biker gangs riding on motorcycles to Wrath hillbilly Imps driving in pickup trucks with shotguns blasting in the air. A few were even charging forward on various beasts ranging from horses to chimeras.
Commanders told their men to hold their fire, and it soon became apparent why.
Ancient runes were soon activated under the grounds of the borders of the lands surrounding the palace. In a split second, cones of fire, ice, and thunder were unleashed like mines activated by a wrong step. A few teleporting ones opened portals that sent the poor victims into various dimensions of horror from which they would never return. More than one was just blasted into the air by an explosion or activated a magical trap that shrunk them to the size of an ant.
But even if this slowed down the horde, anyone could tell this was just the starting wave. The enemy had plenty of forces remaining to attack, and the growing tide of armies, vehicles, and more showed that it was just the start of the battle. Some of the first waves passed the traps, so the first line of defence opened fire. Gunfire, missiles, and spells were cast that wiped out the first row of invaders while the second and third ones started dodging and firing back.
A few of them finally clashed face to face, and the Legionaries drew their blades. Despite being a modern army, they always remembered their ancient roots of battle. Close-quarters combat was just as good as range combat, even in an age of guns.
The Legion clashed and fought with both bloodlust and discipline. Spears pierced the hearts of their enemies as swords sang in the air. Blood decorated the grass as the clanking of blades mixed with the gunfire. A.P.C.'s from the enemy unleashed their cargo as armed soldiers entered the field with guns blazing. Machine gun nests turned their attention on the soldiers and less focused on the second wave of troops coming in the distance.
The sound of a horn triumphant, and the gates of the palace opened as the first wave of the main force rushed out to meet the enemy here and coming towards them. The battle had already seen mountains of dead demons but had yet to end.
The battle was just beginning.
You know this almost reminds me of my honeymoon, Blitzo thought as he rushed around, shooting twin SMGs into a crowd of armored demons and gangsters. A part of him felt flattered that so many people wanted him and his family dead, but the larger part of him wanted to see them dead more. Once he ran out of ammo, he grabbed the pistols and charged forward. Some minotaur-looking demon with one eye tried to chop him in half, but Blitzo slid under his legs just as he slammed his axe down, allowing Blitzo to shoot his kneecaps. He then jumped on the demon's back, bounced off it, twirled upside down in the air, and shot in multiple directions angel steel coated bullets finding their way into the skulls, hearts, or limbs of various enemies before he landed on the minotaur's neck with an axe kick. He put one final bullet in the minotaur's head before reloading. Only no cake.
Flipping himself back up, Blitzo aimed his guns at a few more groups of demons before a giant fireball erased the rest into ashes. Without looking, Blitzo smirked and felt his husband stand beside him. "Just like old times, huh?"
"You're thinking about the battle at D.H.O.R.K.S. H.Q., yes?" Stolas asked with a smirk.
"Fuck that was a good slaughter. And the sex afterward? Still on my top five list," Blitzo said with a grin.
Stolas nodded before gazing at some Imps who were foolish enough to try and attack them. He lifted his glowing hand, and the lowborn powerless scum froze in place before being lifted into the air. With a flick of Stolas' wrist, they exploded from the inside, with their guts and gore scattering. Stolas snarled. "This is going to be a bitch to clean up."
"Eh, we'll pay the servants extra and hazard pay," Blitzo said as he took out a grenade, threw it back, and let it blow up. "Cover me?'
"After you," Stolas gestured politely.
Blitzo smirked and ran forward, guns blazing. Any foe too close to him found themselves with a kick to the face or a shard of darkness as sharp as a blade thrown by Stolas. The owl prince also did not let himself stay in the back. In a flash of shadow and feathers, he would teleport in front of a shocked demon and slice its head off with a blade made out of ethereal darkness in his hands. One tall arc demon stood before him at one point, holding two large dark steel blades, but Stolas merely summoned a bubble shield to protect himself before raising his hands as his eyes glowed with a piercing crimson. Portals appeared before his legs, arms, and heads before large claw-like apprentices took all five limbs and ripped them apart from each other, leaving the torso to fall into a bloody mess.
Blitzo, who had traded both his pistols for a shotgun, blasted the head open of a Hellhound biker before he saw a giant wave of lighting coming towards him. Thankfully, Stolas was there in a split second with his shield up and deflected the blast. As the smoke cleared, Stolas narrowed his eyes and scoffed at who it was. "Raum."
A tall blue raven anthro stood before them. One that Stolas knew personally. Earl Raum of the Ars Goetia. His entire attire screamed "Wealth" and "Royalty" because a golden ruby armor could be seen all over his body. Fancy jewels of all kinds were decorated on it, shining in the sunlight with sparkles and rainbows. His hair was fully curved and held up by a crown with three spikes and raven wings on the side for design as his crimson eyes glowed with power. A crimson cloak flowed behind him as he held a golden halberd in his armored talons.
"Ah, Stolas. I'd say it's a pleasure to see you, but Mother told me it's rude to lie to family. From what I hear, however, you will not be family much longer," Raum said with a sneer.
"Let me guess? The family sent you here to kill me?" Stolas asked as if it was just another day in the office.
"Me and a few others," Raum said as he twirled his halberd. "The one who slays you will be given an increase in rank. The one who slays your abomination of a son will get two."
"Touch him, and I'll shove that halberd up your ass," Blitzo growled.
"Please, I'm married," Raum said as he pointed his halberd at Stolas. "You know, Stolas. This is nothing personal, but for the honor of our family, I must defeat you."
"Raum, do you really think you can beat me?" Stolas asks with a deadpan expression.
"I have trained a lot since we last met," Raum said as he prepared himself. "I used my family's wealth to hire the best fighters, gunmen, martial artists, weapon masters, and magic users possible to train me in combat. I have trained myself every day to fight for the honor of our family should the time come. And now it is here. Now let us fight, cousin."
Stolas sighed. "Sorry, Raum. But the fight is already over."
"What are you-"
Suddenly, an ethereal blade went right through his back, through his heart, and out the other end. Raum gasped as blood came out of his mouth, and he slowly turned around to see Stolas behind him with a smirk. In confusion, he looked at the one near Blitzo, which disappeared in a wave of light, revealing it was a magical clone.
"You...you cheated..." Raum gasped.
"My husband is an assassin, duh," Stolas answered as he removed the blade and let Raum fall to the ground as he breathed his last. "Well, shall we see if other family members are around?"
"Let's," Blitzo said as the two headed out.