Chapter 17: A King's Parting Words
A few guests approached Danny with praise.
"You truly put on a good show, young man!" exclaimed a tall demon with swirling, dark horns. He shook Danny's hand.
A smaller demon also shook his hand. "I've never seen anything quite like it. You have a rare gift, indeed."
Octavia, gently hooked to his arm, beamed with pride.
A younger demon their age approached shyly. "That was... that was really cool, especially the fireworks and all." He offered his hand, which Danny shook warmly.
"Thanks!" Danny said. "I'm glad everyone enjoyed it."
Still clinging to Danny's arm, Octavia leaned closer and whispered loud enough for the others to hear, "He clearly wanted to make it memorable."
#
Tired after two performances tonight, Danny and Octavia returned to their seats.
Danny turned to Octavia. "So, after today, have you thought about what you want to do later?"
Octavia leaned her head against his shoulder. Her feathers were slightly ruffled from all the dancing. A slight smile curved her lips. "Well, the Fall Equinox is coming up. We could check that out. It's supposed to be bigger this year."
Danny's eyes lit up. "That sounds awesome."
Octavia nudged him playfully. "Plus, I hear they have this giant corn maze. Bet I could beat you finding the way out."
Raising an eyebrow, Danny accepted the challenge with a grin. "You're on. But if we're doing the maze, we're also trying all the festival food." The food here was good, thanks to Polymorph.
Suddenly, Danny got an idea. "Hey, Octavia, do you wanna go do Halloween trick-or-treating?"
"Trick-or-treating?" Her eyes sparkled. "What's that?"
"Wait. You've never heard of it before? I would have thought that Halloween would be a big holiday here."
She shook her head. "As far as I have learned, it's All Hallow's Eve, and no?"
"Well, you're in for a treat, Literally! You'll love it! Everyone dresses up in costumes, and we get free candy."
"Free candy! That sounds amazing! I've read about All Hallows' Eve. All I knew was that it was the few times a year demons of all kinds could go to the Earth without consequence."
Danny blinked at that revelation. "Huh. I guess that makes sense."
"So, what sort of costume would I wear?"
"Anything you want! We could even do a theme together."
Octavia thought about it for a moment. "Let's do it!"
"Great!" Danny clapped his hands together. "It's a plan. We'll have the festival and then Halloween. This is going to be awesome!"
#
Stolas and Stella exchanged polite pleasantries with their noble guests. Their smiles were less forced than earlier. A lot of the tension that was building before today eased. Still, they had both been enduring the social niceties for the sake of their daughter, but neither was in the mood for prolonged interactions with the guests. A familiar, grating voice returned as if the evening couldn't get any more taxing. Stolas had been avoiding talking to his brother-in-law up to this point.
"Hello, you two!" Andrealphus, Stella's brother, sauntered toward them. As he approached, his extravagant coat flared out behind him.
Stella's lips tightened into a thin line. It was already enough that he dragged her to the dance floor. She would never admit to enjoying herself to them. "Hello again, Andrealphus."
Stolas couldn't help the small sigh that escaped him. "Brother-in-law…"
Andrealphus, of course, was oblivious—or rather, he didn't care—about the less-than-enthusiastic reception. He grinned widely. "Ah, come now, don't be so dour! Not after those last two performances. I always knew you fit in a circus."
"Right…" The prince strained a smile.
"This is a celebration! You two did a decent job. Today was... acceptable."
Stella's eye twitched. "You always know just what to say…"
"Nothing less for my darling niece's birthday!" Andrealphus replied mockingly.
Stolas narrowed his eyes. "I don't recall Octavia unwrapping a gift from you."
Andrealphus waved it off. "Isn't family the greatest gift of all?"
'Cheapskate…' She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin—at least not in public. "Well, Stolas and I made something special for her." Then again, Andrealphus never gave gifts to anyone, herself included.
Stolas pinched the bridge of his nose. "Andrealphus, what do you want?"
Andrealphus chuckled. "Oh, I'll get to that. But first, I simply must congratulate the both of you." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You've done well to keep this little charade of a marriage going for so long. Quite the performance, if I do say so myself."
Stolas' eyes narrowed, anger flicking. "Seriously, Andrealphus. Now of all times?"
"I'm merely stating the obvious."
Stella clenched her jaw, her patience wearing thin. "Is that all?"
Andrealphus glanced across the room at Octavia and Danny sitting together, exchanging quiet words. The young halfbreed seemed utterly at ease. "So, Octavia's new friend," Andrealphus began, his tone dripping with feigned casualness. "Quite the interesting choice of company."
Stella hummed at the mention of Danny. "Despite the boy's background, he has shown to be a capable half-blood." In the back of her mind, she wondered if someone at the party was the actual sire of the boy.
Stolas clenched his jaw. "Yes, Danny is my student." His eyes flicked over to where the children sat. "He's shown remarkable potential in his studies." Seriously, did the demon not hear the lungs of that child? "And as for his lineage, it's not your concern."
Andrealphus chimed in. "Oh, I don't know about that. You see, appearances matter a lot, dear Stolas. The company one keeps can say a lot about them. It reflects on their status and their reputation. And to have our little Octavia associated with him can raise questions, no?"
Stella crossed her arms, clearly irritated by the entire situation. "Unless the boy does something untoward to our family, I'd rather not waste the time and energy on such paranoia." That was as close to a nice thing Stella could say about people.
Stolas shot Andrealphus a glare. "Danny and Octavia are good friends. End of story."
Andrealphus let out a soft, condescending chuckle. "You've always had a soft spot for the underdog, haven't you, Stolas? But be careful—these things have a way of backfiring."
Stella's lips curled into a scowl.
Stolas straightened, his patience wearing thin. "Octavia's happiness and well-being are far more important."
Stella sighed. "To be fair, sentimentality can only go so far, Stolas. It can be taken advantage of."
"Be that as it may. Sentiment isn't a weakness, Stella," Stolas replied, his tone firm. "Still, we all have to stand up to those who would in some regard."
Unseen by him, Stella smirked. 'One step at a time.'
Stella and Andrealphus exchanged a glance. "You've said your piece. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have more important guests to attend to."
"Oh, don't let me keep you," Andrealphus said with a mock bow. "I'll just be over there, mingling with the rest of the riffraff. Do enjoy the rest of your evening, dearest sister. And Stolas... always a pleasure."
As he walked away, Stolas locked eyes with Andrealphus. "Danny is under my protection. I suggest you remember that."
With that, Andrealphus sauntered into the crowd.
Stella exhaled sharply. "He's insufferable."
"One of the few things we agree." Stolas glanced at his wife. "After tonight, he'll be out of our hair for a few months."
#
Lucifer walked down the hallway toward the restroom, lost in thought. Honestly, he took the opportunity as a breather than anything else. Today was supposed to help. He was able to bring a smile to her again, but he was afraid it wouldn't be enough. He sighed, running a hand through his silver hair as he rounded the corner.
At the same moment, Danny, on his way to the same destination, was similarly distracted. Neither of them noticed the other until—
Bump.
Lucifer and Danny collided enough to snap both of them out of their respective dazes.
"Oh, sorry—" Danny looked up. His eyes widened. "So sorry, your Highness!"
Lucifer straightened. "No need to apologize. You're… Octavia's friend? The one who performed earlier."
Danny nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Just taking a bathroom break."
Lucifer chuckled. "Yeah… Same…"
Danny didn't seem to believe him. "You sure?
"Of course!" '...Too enthusiastic on that one…'
"Right… Are you… okay?"
"Totally…" Not even Lucifer would have believed himself. Granted, most people didn't genuinely ask him how he was.
"You seem… sad."
"It's… a personal matter."
Danny press. "Okay. Personal stuff can be hard, but I'm happy to talk if you want."
"The fact you asked at all is… appreciated."
"Oh, well, you're not exactly what I expected, to be honest."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what did you expect?"
Danny hesitated. "Well, I don't know... something more... menacing? You're the Devil, after all. But you're... um, nicer than I thought."
Lucifer laughed. "I suppose I was when I was first cast down here, but I'd like to think I mellowed out since then."
The boy smiled. "Charlie seems like a ray of sunshine, too. She even psyched me up before I performed."
"Yeah… out of everything I had a hand in creating, she's the best of them." Lucifer's eyes shined.
"She's great! Charlie even mentioned her cool plan to help you with Hell."
"She… did… Did she?"
"Yeah. Redeeming sinners. I think she's on to something."
"Right… Daniel, you're young. Have you met any sinners before?"
"Well, no, but I have a general idea."
"You sweet summer child…" It was probably better to rip the bandage off. "Listen… Sinners, they're a real piece of work. Most of them are violent psychopaths, hell-bent on causing as much pain and destruction as they can. They flood Hell with their endless cycle of hatred and bloodshed. It's enough to drive even the most patient of rulers mad." 'Wait…' What Lilith mentioned earlier was coming to light. The sinners barely respected him and the Sins. Father knows what they think of Lilith. He had little doubt that the lower Hellborn treated her with the same respect as him. Ruling a place where no one respects her. Has he been blind to this for so long…
"Oh…" Danny tilted his head and thought about the True Crime specials on TV. "Are all of them that bad?"
Lucifer let out a dry laugh. "Bad doesn't even begin to cover it, Daniel. They had free will, the ability to choose between right and wrong, to build something beautiful, and look what they did with it! Everything's terrible!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "They squandered every opportunity, every blessing, and ended up here, where they continue their wicked ways without a shred of remorse!"
Danny could see the frustration. "I guess… Earthlings really let you down, huh."
Lucifer huffed. "Let me down? Oh, they've done far worse than that!" "They've turned Hell, my home, into a nightmare for everyone. The constant violence, destruction, and depravity. There's really no point in trying to help them. They don't want redemption. This isn't the home Lilith and I imagined to make for us. For our daughter. I can already feel it tearing my family apart…"
Danny frowned. "Charlie doesn't seem to think that. From what I hear, she loves you.
Lucifer's eyes watered. "She said that?" His baby girl was already in her adult stage, and hearing it from her directly didn't come up as often as she used to.
"Yup!"
Lucifer paused. "Ah, Charlie. My sweet girl. I love her too, so much. She believes that souls can change. But I can't help but worry she's fighting a losing battle. Sinners are awful!"
"Maybe, but is there a written rule or something that says souls can't be redeemed?"
Lucifer chuckled. "Well, no. Perhaps not. But the last time any soul left Hell was because of divine intervention, and I doubt that Dad will be that forgiving again." Meeting Yeshua was one of the few times he was allowed to walk the Earth. A permit directly from Father. He tried so hard for 40 days to get him to be buds and hang out, but he was so focused on Dad's tasks. A bright young man. 'All he ever asked was for people to be kind to each other. Look where we are now…'
"I see," Danny nodded. "I'd feel terrible if my parents disapproved of my dreams." He still did in some capacity. Ghost hunting was… Fine? But not in his top three choices. Top five, maybe. "Are you okay with her feeling that way?"
Lucifer sighed again, leaning against the wall. "No… She deserves better than that chance. I suppose, even if it's just to see her smile, to let her hold onto that hope a little longer."
Danny smiled. 'I would like that for myself.'
"Best case scenario, it actually works. Worst case scenario, she fails, but I'll be there to hold her."
"That's… one way of putting it."
"In the meantime, Danny, you'd do well to keep your distance from the sinners. They're not like the demons you've met here, for the most part. They'll tear you apart the moment they sense any weakness. Literally, in some cases."
Thinking of the horror movies he tried to sneakily watch, Danny took the warning to heart. "I'll be careful."
"Good. You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid."
Lucifer placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Lucifer gave Danny a final nod before heading to the restroom.
Danny let out a breath. Hell was so much more complicated than he had ever imagined.
#
AN: Special thanks to Seana, Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, OmegaDelta, Henry Stickman, fearmegu, Kitsune Robyn, SonicSonicsSonic, Tapion, Dragon lord, Shooter1344, Red Rasher, Ajax Roranson, Asaf Montgomery, Legion, DJC, $hane-08, Daniel, Alex, nighnight, and Camden!
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