Chapter 6
This is a fanfiction based on Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, and the fanfiction Loona the Caretaker. All OC rights belong to their original creators and owners. The characters of Loona the Caretaker belong to MetalBrony823. Slade OC belongs to Blurey08. Zepar, Bael, Leo, and Francesco belong to Acker. Rachel belongs to CageBlack1443. Kyorichi, Fuko, Bloody Mary, and Kely OC belong to ninjashin11, and the characters of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel belong to VivziePop. I own nothing. This is pure fanfiction, just for fun.
The place for Tommy's training was the same as the Free Demon Union Army's Special Forces, like the Red Feathers and the Black Fangs. Slade was teaching him advanced hand-to-hand combat. Both Slade and Kimi taught him precise combat shooting. Shadow and Fuko were teaching elite sword fighting. Tommy was shirtless and wearing combat boots and PT shorts as he sparred with the two ninja Hellhounds with a demonic katana. He learned faster than the others had anticipated. His strikes and thrusts had great strength and speed as they clashed against Shadow and Fuko's swords.
Loona and Cody's friends came to watch. Cody looked at Slade's Blue Moon Sword as he held it in his hands. It really did look like the level three version of the Kuga sword from Onimusha 3, except bigger, especially at the end of the blade with a bigger tanto. Its size and thickness made it a sword equal to Cody's Blue Diamond Sword. Cody decided to train Slade and Vortex with their enchanted swords.
Vortex and Tim were there, too. Vortex had his Demonic Cleaver sword, and Tim had his Demonic Axe that Cody gave them after he and the Fallen Angels defeated the Overlord Marduk. Vortex and Slade wanted to master their swords, and Tim wanted to master his axe. So, Cody agreed to teach them what he knows. Like with Tommy, they sparred with their weapons. Slade's Blue Moon Sword, Tim's Demonic Axe, and Vortex's Demonic Cleaver sword vs Cody's Blue Diamond Sword. At first, it was like the fight between Genesis and Angeal vs Sephiroth, only it was three against one. Cody, one-handed, easily fought off Slade, Tim, and Vortex, even when they swung fast and hard at Cody. Like with Sephiroth, they didn't land a single hit.
However, after Cody taught them a few tricks and what it meant to master the power of their weapons, they got better. They allowed the power and magic of their weapons to flow through them. Slade's whole body shined a bright blue outline, and his eyes glowed the same bright blue light as his sword. Tim and Vortex's eyes shined a purple-red light, and their backs had the same colored flame as their eyes and the flame on their sword and axe. Their weapons clashed violently with great force. Even from a distance, Loona and the others could feel the shock waves from the weapons hitting each other, and the noise was as loud as gunshots – louder than a sledgehammer hitting metal. Slade, Tim, and Vortex each landed a small cut on Cody after much effort. When it was over, both Hellhounds and Baphomet were sweating and out of breath. Tim was making sure that the candle on his head was still intact and the flame was still lit.
"Man, Cody (pants heavily), when they taught you how to fight, they really taught you," Vortex said after gulping some water.
"That sword is nothing to laugh at. It's deadly. With your strength and power, you could cut the moon in half," Slade said, sitting on the grass.
"Maybe," Cody said before making his sword vanish, "I kill Overlords with it. So, it has to be dangerous."
"I can't remember the last time I was out of breath like this," Tim commented.
Octavia helped her boyfriend, Kyo, master his demonic form and powers. Kyo could turn big and glow black, blue light, and flames as Octavia did, but hers were purple and black. It was both scary and awesome at the same time. Slade and Moxxie took this opportunity to teach Cody about long-range shooting, including wind speed, bullet drop, and other factors. They used the same rifle that Slade used when he was in Joint Task Force 2—an Accuracy International AWSM chambered in 338 Lapua Magnum. It was olive green and had a three-port muzzle brake. He also used other rifles like the C14 Timberwolf, the M110, the TAC-50, and the Barrett M82.
After hitting a steel target and making a loud ding from 800 yards, Moxxie spoke, "You're not Chris Kyle, but you can definitely shoot."
"You're learning faster than I thought," Slade said.
"Thank you," Cody said, pulling the bolt back to eject a round.
Loona, Rachel, and Kimi taught Cody and Kimberly some shooting with pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles. They were all geared up with vests, holsters, etc. Professionals and people who are trained make competition shooting look so easy as they shoot a number of targets while moving from one location to another, but the truth is it is quite difficult. Kim was better at it than Cody in terms of pistols and assault rifles. She hit more targets than he did and faster, but Cody was better when it came to shotguns. Cody and Kim liked the same guns. Rifles in 300 Ham'r and 7.62x39, pistols in 10mm and 45 ACP, and shotguns in 12 gauge. Kimi taught them how to dual shoot, Rachel showed them some tricks on how to handle recoil, and Loona taught them proper footwork and stances.
When the day was over, they returned to Stolas's palace. Everyone showered and got together in the living room to rest. Verosika came over to talk with Cody and Loona about dates for practicing music in Pink Shore. Blitzo was still wearing the human disguise that Cody made for him.
"You really like your human disguise, huh, sir?" Moxxie asked.
"I fucking love it! I look and feel so hot in it. I can't tell which I like more, the hair or the body," Blitzo said as he lifted his long hair to let it drop.
Verosika rolled her eyes.
"Is it me, or does Blitzo's human disguise look like a dancer's body?" Millie asked.
"It kind of does," Celeste agreed while looking at Blitzo.
"Yeah. Say what you want about professional dancers, but they're in fantastic shape, especially ballet dancers," Tommy said.
"Yeah, their flexibility is incredible," Kyo said.
Verosika turned to Cody, "So, about music practice. I got us a studio, but we still need to shop for some keytars."
Cody nodded, "Cool. My tour ends before school starts. I'll be more available when I'm in school."
"Yeah, well, don't let it interfere with schoolwork and studying. Your education comes first," Loona stated clearly.
"I agree. Also, Verosika, we want Cody to be safe. We've all heard stories of what happens to child actors and rockstars. So, you can understand why we may feel uneasy about this," Rachel said.
"Trust me, I won't let that happen. No drugs, no alcohol, and I'm keeping any and all people a distance away from Cody. I know which motherfuckers to avoid doing business with and which ones to trust. I got his back," Verosika said clearly.
"So, is Cody going to learn normal stuff at Red Moon, or is he going to learn other things?" Shadow asked.
"He's going to learn normal stuff, but the school's definitely going to have him take magic and potions classes. Maybe also music, but I think he's kind of mastered that already," Kim answered.
"Well, Verosika and I are going to try and learn how to use keytars, so maybe the school can show me some tricks," Cody shrugged.
"I got a friend who is willing to teach us. So, don't feel like you have to for our sake," Verosika said.
"Maybe not now, but later, I'd recommend taking business school as you get older. You said you wanted to either work for a music studio or own one. Business school can help learn how to get one," Vortex suggested.
"With all the money you have, you could buy one now. But they're right. It's better to wait until you get older," Tim suggested.
"You have a lot of time before that time comes," Fuko said.
However, a knock on the door was heard. The butler returned wide-eyed.
"Sir, some guests are requesting Sir Cody's presence, and they're not taking no for an answer," the butler said.
Everyone shifted their eyes before heading to the front door. Loona, Slade, Blitzo, and the others exchanged looks. Everyone had a weapon ready, and more than one person protected Cody. When they reached the front door, they saw Kely, Bloody Mary, Molly, Cherri, Summer, and Dia. Sir Pentious and Niss were on their knees, holding each other close, while Dia and Cherri were pointing guns at them.
"Molly? Cherri?" Cody spoke.
"Kely?" Kyo spoke.
"Summer? Dia? What the fuck is going on?" Verosika questioned.
"Tell them exactly what you told us. Now!" Cherri shouted.
Sir Pentious and Niss explained the whole thing about Adam and Valentino. About Adam making a deal with Valentino. The deal was that if Val killed those Grimms, he could have Angel Dust. About when Adam found out Cody was still alive, that's when he sent Valentino to try to kill Cody. Adam found Angel on the surface and gave him his location. So, Val went to Imp City to kill him, but that's when Cody's angelic powers were awakened, and he met his fatal end.
Cody was devastated, and his friends were stunned. Cody turned around and leaned against a wall. He was panting labored breaths. He felt lightheaded, and his heart was pounding inside his chest. His eyes were wide open, and he had a slight cold sweat. Loona, Octavia, Tommy, and Blitzo approached the two culprits.
"It was you? You ratted out on Cody's parents?" Loona asked angrily while barring her sharp fangs.
"You two fuckwads got his parents killed?!" Blitzo demanded.
"You're the reason why he's an orphan?!" Octavia asked, her eyes glowing bright purple.
"Via, calm down!" Stolas said.
"You goddamn sons of bitches!" Tommy yelled while Kyo and Tim held him back, "I'll kill you! Do you hear me?! I'll kill you, you fucking bastards! I swear to god, I'll kill you!"
"Tommy! Stop!" Kyo ordered.
"Calm down, man!" Tim said.
Then Cody felt a deep sense of anger boiling inside him. He could feel it, the red-hot fire inside of him. His eyes began to glow, and he breathed the fire out of his lungs through his clenched teeth.
Kim rubbed her shoulder, "Cody? Cody Bear, you okay?"
Cody pulled out his blessing-tipped 1911 pistol from his shoulder holster. This got everyone's attention, especially when he roughly pulled back the slide and marched to Sir Pentious and Niss.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Cody!" Loona called out.
Cody aimed his gun at Pentious and Niss while glaring at them with murder in his eyes. They both held each other, terrified. Pentious had tears building up in his eyes. Loona, Rachel, Blitzo, Slade, Tommy, and the others looked pensive and wide-eyed. Cherri, Bloody Mary, Summer, and Dia all had intrigued smiles and wide-open eyes. Kely had a worried look on her face.
"Cody, wait. Just hold on, now," Fuko said.
"Cody, let's just calm down," Shadow said.
"Little bro, put the gun down. Let's just stop for a moment," Tommy said.
"Go on. Fucking shoot them, Cody," Cherri told him.
"You're not helping!" Kimi snapped.
"They deserve it!" Bloody Mary pointed out.
"Not like this!" Moxxie called.
"Molly, maybe this was a bad idea. We should stop this," Kely told her.
"It's too late, and it's not our call. It's his," Molly replied.
Everyone was arguing until Slade roared, "Everyone shut up!"
Everyone fell silent as Slade approached Cody.
Slade started, "Cody . . . listen to me. Listen to me very carefully. You don't want to do this."
"No, I really think he does," Dia said.
"Cody, if you pull that trigger and kill them like this . . . you'll become a murderer," Slade stated.
"Cody, you listen to him," Rachel sided.
"Isn't he already one? How many demons has he killed?" Summer asked.
"So far, Cody has only ever killed in self-defense, defense of others, and in war," Millie replied.
"Kind of splitting hairs, aren't you?" Bloody Mary asked.
"There's a difference. Cody didn't kill because he wanted to. He killed because the enemy gave him no choice. If he kills these two right now like this, it'll be murder, and no one here wants that," Slade stated.
"That's right. If he becomes a murderer, he'll become a sinner demon when he dies, and you can bet your grandma's big old fat round ass that won't happen! Not on my fucking watch!" Blitzo shouted.
"He deserves revenge! If it weren't for these two pieces of shit, Cody's parents would still be alive, and Angel would be in Heaven right now!" Cherri shouted.
"Killing these two like this won't change that or bring back his parents!" Octavia objected.
"Fine! Then give us the gun, and we'll kill them!" Dia ordered.
"No! If he lets you kill them, he'll be an accessory to murder!"
"Why is it so fucking important whether or not Cody gets murder blood on his hands?" Cherri questioned.
"Because!" Slade yelled, "I don't want my son to go down this dark path!"
That caught everyone's attention, and it was so quiet you could hear a mouse fart. Even Cody was surprised to hear those words. His anger left him. He slowly rose his head and looked at Slade with big eyes.
Slade approached Cody. He glanced at him and Loona, "I've thought about what you said, Loona, and you're right. What's in the past is done. We are allowed to be happy."
He turned to Cody.
"I know I can't replace your father . . . but I want to be part of this family . . . part of your family. And I don't want you going down a darker path than the one you are already on. This isn't what your parents would want for you, and it isn't what we all want for you. This isn't who you are, Cody," Slade said.
Cody's eyes watered, and he felt his heartstrings tug. Loona's eyes glistened, and she glanced between Slade and her son. Rachel held her arm. Cody's arm trembled, and the gun shook. Niss and Pentious looked at Cody with big, watery eyes. Slade got closer and slowly took the weapon out of Cody's hand. As he looked up at Slade, the tears broke and streamed down his face. The gravity of the situation and what could have happened weighed heavily on him. Cody shut his eyes tight before gently resting his forehead on Slade's chest. Slade handed Rachel the gun before hugging Cody as he quietly and softly cried. Loona, Verosika, and Blitzo joined in and hugged him as well. They comforted Cody making him feel not alone and part of a family.
"I don't want to ruin the moment, but . . . what should we do about them?" Kim asked.
Stolas stepped forward, "This is where I come in. These two will be arrested. The Goetia judges will determine their fate and punishment. The punishment fit their crime."
Cody tried so hard to fight back the tears, but they just kept coming. His lips were trembling, and the tears were streaming down his face. Loona and Verosika hugged him close. Pentious tried to reach out to Cody, but Loona shot a glare at him.
"Don't you fucking dare!" Loona ordered with a fierce and angry tone.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Verosika roared.
Stolas used his magic to wrap them in chains. Then a Satanic Star symbol appeared on the floor and sucked them down into it.
"Where did you send them?" Kyo asked.
"To the realm of punishment. Their fates will be determined," Stolas answered.
"They have to die or be locked up forever. They're too dangerous to be let free," Kely said.
"Like I said, their fates will be determined. I doubt they'll ever see freedom again," Stolas stated.
"Let's all return inside, shall we?" Octavia asked.
They all went back inside. Molly and her girls went back to Pink Shore City. Molly spoke with Stolas outside, and Kyo talked with his sister Kely.
"I hope that information helps . . . about Adam," Molly said.
"It's worth knowing. That's for sure," Stolas replied.
"You found the demons that got Cody's parents killed, and you brought them to him so he could gun them down in cold blood? What the fuck, Kely?!" Kyo swore.
"It wasn't our intention for him to kill them. We wanted him to know the truth!" Kely objected.
"Good fucking Satan, Kely! You and your friends almost made a fourteen-year-old boy a murderer."
"Kyo, we screwed up, but he deserved to know the truth."
They argued some more until she left with Molly and the rest of the girls to Pink Shore City. Inside, Cody sat on the couch with Loona and Slade, who held him comfortingly like parents. Rachel sat close next to them. Loona rubbed his head motherly. Eventually, Cody was done crying, but he was completely emotionally exhausted. His eyes were red, and his cheeks had wet tear streaks. Rachel used a tissue to gently wipe Cody's eyes and cheeks.
"Not to sound like the stereotype, but I could go for some hot tea right about now," Stolas said.
"You know what? I think we could all use one. I'll get my Purple Star Jasmine tea ready," Octavia said.
"Perhaps some snacks would be lovely too?" the butler suggested.
"Yes, that would be lovely," Stolas agreed.
"I can't believe I was really going to murder those two," Cody spoke.
Stolas and Octavia stopped when they heard those words, which got the others' attention.
"I was really going to gun down those two in cold blood . . . in front of my family and friends. God, what would my parents say?" Cody asked.
"Cody . . . your reaction to the demons that got your parents killed was a very normal reaction. If you remember, your brother Tommy wanted to tear those two limb from limb. Wanting revenge does not make you a bad person," Slade said.
"Yeah, but I'm supposed to be better than that. I'm . . . I'm sorry."
"Cody. Cody, look at me," Kim ordered.
Cody looked up at Kim and her adoptive father, Fuko, who were sitting across from him on the other couch. Kim leaned forward and looked at her boyfriend square in the eye.
"Don't be sorry. You've got nothing to be sorry about," Kim stated clearly.
"Cody," Rachel spoke next, "Nobody is born knowing the difference between right and wrong. That's what parents are for. To guide us so we don't fuck up like they did . . . ideally anyway. Slade did what a father would do. He steered you right."
"You're lucky to have that, Cody," Octavia added.
"They're right, Cody. Don't dwell on what could have happened. Just keep trying to make yourself better," Tommy said.
Cody glanced at everyone before nodding. Stolas and Via left toward the kitchen. After a while, they returned with tea, crackers, cheese, and cookies. It was wonderful, and the tea had a much better flavor than most common teas.
"I don't want to make things uncomfortable, but we need to address the elephant in the room—the one about Slade," Tommy said.
"Tommy, do you really think this is the time for that?" Celeste asked.
"Yeah, I do. Cody's soul may be an angel, but my mother delivered him into this world. Which means he's still my brother, and I have the right to ask what will become of him," Tommy replied and then turned to Slade, "Did you mean it when you called him your son?"
Slade glanced at everyone before nodding, "Yes."
Fuko spoke next, "You can't replace Cody's father, but he needs a father. Are you willing to be one for him?"
"I am. I care about him. I love him, too. That's why I stopped him from murdering those two. Even if they deserved it, murdering those two wouldn't have brought back his parents nor justified their deaths. It would have put him down a dark path. I've been down that path, and there's no peace at the end. My adoptive parents were murdered . . . and I killed the men that killed them . . . but it didn't bring me peace. It just made me numb," Slade explained.
Loona rubbed Slade's head and ears.
"Well, you're right. It's Adam who's really responsible. He's the one we either bring in or bring down," Kyo agreed.
"Hell yeah. That motherfucker's gotta pay for what he's done," Vortex stated clearly.
"Fuck yeah," Verosika nodded.
"But why would he do this? Why would Adam go through all this trouble to kill Cody's parents?" Moxxie asked.
"Maybe he found out that they were Soul Smugglers. He killed them so they wouldn't smuggle souls into Heaven. Maybe he's after Soul Smugglers and used Valentino so he wouldn't get his hands dirty," Millie hypothesized.
"That's one possibility. We don't know for sure," Celeste said, rubbing her chin.
"Sooo—" Blitzo spoke, getting everyone's attention as he pointed to Loona and Slade, "—does that mean you two are getting married?"
"I hope they do," Cody spoke in a hoarse voice.
Everyone's eyes widened as they turned to him. He sat up straight and spoke.
"I know whatever happened between you two is complicated, but it's in the past. What's in the past is done," Cody said and then turned to Loona and Slade, "We're allowed to be happy. You two are allowed to be happy. I think we can be a family. I want you to be happy, Mom, and I want Slade to be happy."
Cody held his Hellhound mother's hand. She glanced at his hand as she and Cody rubbed each other's hands with their thumbs.
Then she smiled gently at Slade and said, "I mean if you want . . . I do. What do you say, Slade? Want to make us official?"
Slade pulled something out of his pocket.
"This isn't the perfect setting for a proposal, but since you asked," Slade said, revealing in his hand a wedding ring, "Yes, I do."
Loona and the others gasped as their eyes widened. The ring was pretty. It was made of white gold with two red ruby gems between a clear diamond. Loona put a hand on her chest and panted. She was squeezing Cody's hand.
"Oh Christ on a stick, it's really happening," Blitzo said, gliding his hands and fingers through his hair, pulling it back.
"Slade, when and where did you get that?" Kyo questioned as Octavia clung to his arm in excitement.
"This ring belongs to my adoptive mother, Ariana. She and my adoptive father, Dominic, were very much in love. After our date at the Glowing Skull Palace, I tried to see if the ring would fit you while you were asleep, and it did. Sadly, though, my adoptive father's wedding doesn't fit my finger," Slade explained.
Loona struggled to hold back her tears as she put the ring on. She stared at it for a long time before she lunged at Slade, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him. Everyone else cheered. Blitzo cried like a baby as Cody and Stolas comforted him.
"My baby is getting married! Why do they grow up so goddamn fast?!" Blitzo wept.
"Oh, Dad," Loona said, looking over her shoulder.
"Blitzy, it's okay. It's okay," Stolas said.
"She's still your daughter, married or not," Cody added.
Blitzo continued to cry as Stolas scooped him in his arms bridal style.
"My baby is going to be a bride, Stolas. It's so beautiful," Blitzo blubbered.
After a while, he quiet down.
"Okay, now that he's cool, I get to say, OH FUCK YEAH! Wedding! I fucking love weddings! We gonna party like no tomorrow, baby!" Vortex hollered.
"You're damn right we are!" Tim added.
"Yee-fucking-haw! It's gonna be epic!" Millie hollered, hoisting Moxxie up.
"Oh, crumbs. I hope we don't party too hard," Moxxie said.
Verosika turned to him and spoke confidently, "Oh, we're gonna party, baby pop. Yes, we are. We are making memories. We gonna party. We gonna dance. We gonna sing. I'm not gonna drunk, but I sure as fuck am gonna have fun with all of you!"
"You won't have to worry about drinking," Shadow said with a grin.
"Because we'll drink the place dry before you even get a chance to grab any alcohol!" Kimi said before laughing.
Then, a loud knocking killed the mood and got everyone's attention. It was King Bael's nephew and one of the leaders who led the attack on the I.S.N.A. assault of Lord Francesco. The green parrot demon stood nearby with a laptop in hand.
"I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" Francesco asked.
"What are you doing here?" Stolas questioned.
"With Ave's help, the intel team uncovered some rather interesting information about Cody. We may know why they want him so badly," Francesco answered.
Everyone glanced at each other with pensive looks. Francesco placed the laptop on the table and plugged it into the big plasma TV screen in the living room. It showed photos of a young blonde woman with green eyes dressed in red pants, black combat boots, a black leather trench coat, and a white collared shirt with a red tie. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with her bangs out, and she had a Templar cross necklace on.
"Isabelle Lemaire. The leader of the I.S.N.A. and Grandmaster of the Neo-Templar Order. She became Grandmaster at the age of 25, the youngest ever. Her predecessor was almost 70 and died under mysterious circumstances," Francesco explained.
"I bet the bitch killed him to take his role," Blitzo said, crossing his arms.
"Probably," Fuko agreed.
"She's also licensed to perform marriages," Francesco added.
"And why is that important?" Tommy asked.
"Because of this."
He showed photos of documents. One was titled 'Operation: Life Saver,' and the other 'Operation: Crucifixion.'
Francesco explained, "Life Saver is finding Cody and 'bringing him into the light.' Crucifixion is finding a way to kill the Guardian of Hell."
"Wait, what?" Loona asked.
"You heard me. They think Cody and the Guardian of Hell are two separate people. They don't know that Cody IS the Guardian of Hell. And the reason why they want Cody and what it has to do with marriages is this other thing here," Francesco said before clicking on other documents and images, "Cody, you're of Heavenly royalty."
"What?!" Cody questioned.
"Azrael isn't just the Archangel of Death. He's also the King of the Angels of Death, and Elvira is the Queen of the Valkyries."
The room was silent, and Kim was the first to speak, "Wait. If Cody's angelic father is a king and his angelic mother is a queen . . . then that would make him a—"
"A prince," Loona and Slade breathed.
Cody's eyes were wide open, "I'm . . . I'm uh-uh a prince? Me?!"
"Yes, Cody. You are a Heavenly Prince heir to either of your parents' thrones. Most likely your father's throne since Valkyries are all women, but you get the point," Francesco said.
"Jesus didn't mention that tiny little detail after Cody killed Valentino," Octavia said, squinting her eyes up toward the sky.
"No, he did not," Loona growled.
"So, they know that Cody's Heavenly Royalty?" Celeste asked.
"Yes, and anyone who marries Cody in an official wedding will become royal as well," Francesco answered.
"Wait! That's why they're after my brother? She wants to kidnap Cody and marry him so she can be of Heavenly Royalty?" Tommy asked.
Francesco nodded, "Yep, that's why she made it very clear for alive only. Unharmed and unspoiled."
Cody crossed his arms, "I'd rather be a prostitute for all my female friends than her husband."
Loona shut her eyes and slightly shook her head, "Not an image I want in my head, but I hear what you're saying."
"Sorry," Cody said.
"If you were over 18 and I was single, I'd take that offer in a heartbeat," Verosika whispered.
Loona's ear twitched, "What was that?!"
"Nothing," Verosika said with an innocent look.
"Anyway, you should probably keep that to ourselves. If word gets around about Cody's status, the people may feel uneasy around him," Francesco stated.
"Oh, you're right! And the Goetia family! Oh, they will be uneasy about this," Stolas said.
Cody looked around, confused, "I don't understand. What's the big deal?"
Before Francesco spoke, a voice called, "Allow us to explain."
Everyone turned to see Lucifer and Lilith, the King and Queen of Hell. They were so shocked to see them that they bowed as they approached.
"I know this is a surprise visit, but let's cut to the chase," Lucifer spoke, making everyone look up, "Cody, you are a very important person here in Hell. Before you were a rockstar and a celebrity, which . . . was fine, but now you're making a real change here. Hell is becoming a better place. People believe in redemption – like, they actually believe in it. And everyone is on board with the idea that Hell is meant to be a place of punishment. Even the Fallen Angels are organizing to make the punishment fit the crime of sinners coming in here. We're being more careful and looking for those who are innocent."
"He's right. I've been helping out with that," Octavia said.
"So, that's why it's imperative that we don't lose you, and if for any reason you have to go to Heaven, they cannot find out who you are," Lucifer stated.
"I still don't understand. What are you trying to say?" Cody questioned.
Lilith stepped forward. She, indeed, was the Queen of Hell. Her tall figure was dominating, and her gothic appearance could easily frighten many. Yet she had a motherly disposition toward those she cared about, including Cody.
"Cody, if you left for Heaven and they found out who you are . . . they may never let you leave. You may never come back to Earth, let alone Hell," Lilith explained.
"But I'm under sworn oath to the Black Lion Kingdom," Cody said.
"Your Heavenly royalty and their laws would supersede your oath and our laws. That's why we're saying it's for the best that no one finds out about your royal status. It could make the Goetia family question whether you will stay loyal or leave for Heaven," Lilith said.
Cody stared at her and Lucifer. He glanced at the others before looking the Devil and his wife in the eye.
"Listen to me – all of you. I'm gonna say something, and I'm going to say it loud and clear. I am Sir Cody Laurent, knight of the Black Lion Kingdom of Hell and soldier for the Free Demon Union. I will not leave you, not any of you. If Heaven finds out about me, they're going to have to kill me and drag my soul up to Heaven before I ever let them take me," Cody stated very clearly.
Cody's friends and family felt their heartstrings tug. Loona especially felt a great sense of pride in her son.
Lilith held his face with one hand, "You see? I told you he was loyal. He's not made of bronze. He's pure gold."
Lucifer smiled, "Indeed."
"Well, this is all interesting news, but what do we do now?" Moxxie asked.
Cody pulled out the card he got from Hector and turned to Loona.
"It's time we meet that contact that Hector told us about and meet Gestas. He's got some information. Plus, he and the Grimms should know how my parents got killed," Cody said.
Loona nodded and pulled out her phone.