Chapter 18: Farewells Under the Stars
The night of entertainment was coming to a close. Over the next hour, the Goetia manor gradually began to empty. The party simmered down as guests departed. Octavia and her parents stood near the grand entrance. Danny was seated at a nearby table, waving demons as they left.
Stolas extended his hand to each departing guest, expressing the family's genuine appreciation for everyone who came. "Thank you for celebrating with us."
Next to him, Stella nodded politely.
Octavia was a flutter of excitement. "I hope you had as much fun as I did!"
The various demon nobles murmured their thanks. Some lingered a bit longer, exchanging pleasantries.
Danny and Octavia spotted Amara and Ignis's families leaving.
"Hey, Amara, Ignis!" Octavia called out.
"Octavia, Danny," Amara greeted. "This was some party, huh?"
"Yeah, it was pretty incredible." Danny smiled. "Thanks for coming. It was great seeing you guys here."
Ignis nodded. "It was an enjoyable evening. Your performance was quite the highlight, Danny. Didn't expect you to light up the stage like that."
Danny chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks, Ignis. I worked hard on it for Octavia."
Octavia blushed a bit. "It was rather pleasant that you both could make it."
Amara's smile widened. "We hope to come to the next one, but we might expect Daniel on stage again next time."
"Uh, maybe. We'll see." Danny chuckled.
"Might bring a pair of swords if we don't get a chance to duel any time soon," Ignis added.
"Well, we better head out," Amara saw her parents walking ahead.
"Bye!" Danny and Octavia waved them off.
#
The Morningstar family was the last to leave and made their way over to the family.
Lucifer Morningstar approached first with an extended hand. "Stolas, it's been a marvelous evening. Your family knows how to host a memorable celebration."
Stolas bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Highness. It was an honor."
The king turned to the girl. "You've set quite the standard."
Octavia chuckled. "Not sure how I'll top this birthday."
"I'm sure you'll think of something." He then looked down at Daniel. "You showed quite a bit of bravery tonight. You should be proud."
Daniel blushed slightly. "Thank you, sir."
"And I appreciate your kind words afterward."
Several people raised a brow at that. Had they spoken earlier?
The boy smiled. "No problem."
Lilith stepped forward and gave Stella a courteous nod. "The decorations were simply lovely, Stella."
Stella offered a polite smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
The Queen regarded Daniel for a moment. "You did well today, young man. It's been quite some time since I last danced with my husband. You have my tanks for such an opportunity."
Danny stood straight. "Thank you. Words can't express how I feel." In truth, Danny didn't know how to feel about that.
Lilith's gaze softened as she looked at the children. "You have bright futures ahead."
Charlie pulled Octavia and Daniel into a hug. "You both were amazing tonight! Seeing my parents dance again was like a dream."
Octavia smiled shyly. "Thank you, Princess Charlie. I'm really glad you came."
Daniel grinned. "I wish you well with your passion project."
Lilith turned back to Stolas and Stella. "We must be going now. Enjoy the rest of your night."
Stolas nodded. "Of course. Take care."
Charlie waved back and skipped after her parents.
When the Morningstars departed, the family breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over. Tonight had gone over better than expected.
#
After the family assigned the imps to begin clean-up, Stolas, Octavia, and Danny prepared to return to Earth and made their way to the foyer.
When Stella approached them, Danny was chatting with Octavia about more plans for later that year.
"Daniel," Stella drew his attention immediately. "I wanted to say that I genuinely appreciated your performance tonight."
"Thank you."
Danny's smile widened, surprised but pleased by her compliment. "Thank you. Octavia and I even saw you da-"
Stella held up her hand. "You are already ahead. Don't make me take it back."
Danny quickly shut himself up.
"Now, while I vet those who visit my home, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing you here now and then, provided you continue to be on your best behavior."
Danny glanced at Octavia, who gave him an encouraging smile. "I'd like that."
A rare smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "That's all I ask. Carry on, then. Safe travels."
Stolas clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder, guiding him toward the door. "Let's get you home."
#
In a secluded room and away from prying eyes, Stolas used his grimoire to open the portal back to the Earth home. The trio stepped through and into the living room. They found Jack Fenton still out on the couch, sleeping soundly. A faint mumble about ghosts escaped his lips.
Stolas chuckled at the sight as he reapplied his human glamour, Octavia's human form shimmering into place. Stolas waved his hand over Danny, stripping him of his demonic lupagriff form and returning him to his usual self.
"Thank you," Danny whispered, glancing over to his father, sleeping peacefully.
With a little magic, he altered the room to look like a proper aftermath. Stolas strode over to Jack and placed a hand on his head. He looked over his shoulder at Danny. "I'll be giving your father a modified version of events tonight. Any suggestions?"
Danny hummed in thought. "Okay, make sure he met a few nice people. I get that some stuck-up rich folks were at the party, but let's add in a few who actually listened to his ghost stories. It'd make him happy."
"Reasonable."
Danny gave a little grin. "Oh! Make one of the deserts fudge."
"A favorite for all of us. Would you like him to remember seeing our performances as well?"
Danny paused for a moment. He glanced over at Octavia, who gave him an encouraging nod. "Yeah, sure. I think he'd like it. He likes spectacle. Would be a surprise to him, too."
Stolas focused his magic on Jack's mind. Surprisingly, there was a lot of free room. "Alright... Done!"
Jack began to stir and fluttered his eyes open. He blinked groggily and looked around the room in confusion. "Huh... What happened?" He rubbed his face and sat up. "Where'd everyone go?"
Stolas cleared his throat. "Ah, Mr. Fenton, you may have had a bit too much to drink earlier."
Jack furrowed his brow and let out a hearty laugh. "Ha! Must've gone back to my college days! Partyin' hard, huh? But hey, no hangover and I feel great!" He patted his belly as he looked around. He saw Danny staring at him and quickly changed his tune. "Which you won't be doing until you're much older... and we will not tell your mother about this.
Danny giggled. "Okay, Dad."
He ruffled his son's hair. "That's my boy."
Stolas exchanged a glance with Danny and Octavia. "Indeed. It seems the night was quite enjoyable."
Jack stretched his arms with a grin. "Best birthday party I never thought I'd be invited to. Finally got to meet that wife of yours. She's a beaut. A real spitfire. You're lucky to have her."
Stolas coughed into a fist. "Right… That's one way of putting it…"
"And that performance, wow! You know, Danny, you should think about doin' more of that! The fireworks, the music—it was amazing!" He gave his son an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Danny chuckled with a hint of a blush touching his cheeks. "Thanks, Dad."
Jack nodded and got to his feet. "Now then, where did they keep the fudge? I swear I remember some delicious cake and fudge... If we can take some home, that'd be even better!"
"Alright, Dad, let's see what we can find."
Behind his back, Stolas began to conjure a take-out container for the Fentons, among other things.
#
Maddie and Jazz sat in the living room, waiting for the boys to join them. Maddie was curious about the party Jack had taken Danny to. Stolas and Octavia seemed nice, and she would be interested in meeting his wife.
The front door clacked. Jack and Danny entered the room together and placed a large bag on the coffee table. Jack moved to his favorite chair with a thud and leaned back.
Danny quickly planted himself on the couch.
Maddie crossed her arms with a smile. "So, you boys had quite the night, huh? I want to hear all about this fancy party."
Jack grinned with excitement. "Oh, you wouldn't believe it, Mads! There were rich people just like Vladdie."
Maddie grits her teeth. "Oh... That's... Nice."
"They had the best food I've had in years!"
Danny chuckled. "Stolas prepared a bag for us. Pretty sure they had to cook extra because of him."
Jack puffed out his chest proudly. "Darn right! Some of those rich guys even listened to my stories!"
"Really?" Maddie smiled. "Which ones did you tell?"
"A whole bunch. There was the time we tried to track down the Jersey Devil, the Winchester House, the Goatman's Bridge, and the Sallie House.
Maddie cupped his cheek. Not many were patient enough to listen. "Well, I'm glad you had a good time."
Jack had a big grin on his face. "The party was like something outta those high society magazines."
Maddie patted Danny on the shoulder. "What about you, son? Did you enjoy yourself?"
Danny nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yeah, I did. Octavia loved my gift, too!"
Maddie raised an eyebrow while Jazz looked intrigued. "Really?" Maddie didn't remember helping him buy anything. "What did you get her?"
Jack laughed. "He didn't need to buy anything. Our Danny gave her the best gift of the night! Oh, you should have seen it."
Maddie and Jazz stared at the boy. "Danny..."
Danny had a small blush on his face. He shrugged modestly. "Oh, nothing much."
"Sounds much more than that."
"I, uh, performed some musical numbers." He couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips.
Jazz's eyes went wide. "Wait, what? You sang? Like, in front of everyone?"
Maddie shared the same expression.
Jack nodded enthusiastically. "He sure did! Danny-boy was part of a whole circus performance. It was one heck of a show. Everyone loved it. Stolas was like a ringmaster, and Danny was right there with him."
Maddie blinked. "Danny, when did you start singing?"
Jazz nodded. "Yeah."
Danny scratched the back of his neck. "Well, it kind of came up as part of Stolas' mentorship. He's teaching me all sorts of things—it's not just academics. He called it becoming a renaissance man. Music started growing on me. For the past few weeks, we practiced for weeks to get it all right."
Jazz crossed her arms in disbelief. "No way. I can't believe it."
Maddie held a hand to her daughter. "I don't doubt you or your father, Danny, but you must understand that this is quite a surprise." Her shoulders sagged. "If anything, I feel crushed that I couldn't see my baby boy on stage."
Jazz nodded. "Yeah, little bro. You never mentioned you were working on anything like that. I would have come too."
Maddie sighed. "I don't suppose you got it recorded. We would love to see you perform."
Danny thought for a moment before something clicked. He walked over to the coffee table and opened one of the boxes. Looking at the object inside, he grinned and pulled out an MP3 player. Stolas knew just how to prepare.
Jazz plucked the player from Danny and connected it to the living room speakers.
"Alright, everyone! You're about to hear our little superstar in action!" Jack grinned, giving Danny a hearty clap on the back.
Danny blushed. "Dad, come on..."
Maddie settled into her seat. "Nonsense, sweetie. I'm sure you did wonderful."
Jazz nodded in curiosity. She pressed play, and a moment later, the audio began.
The first song played, and they heard Stolas's voice during the first half.
"Wow. Stolas is really good."
"Wait for it."
During the second half, Danny's familiar voice finally came. The family was quickly shushed.
Maddie and Jazz exchanged surprised glances.
When the first song ended, Jazz quickly skipped to the next part of the performance.
"This is when Danny did his solo," Jack whispered.
A few jaws dropped at Danny's solo song. To think he did all this for Octavia's birthday.
By the time the recording finished, the living room had fallen stunned.
Maddie was the first to speak and hug him." That was amazing, honey." She smiled warmly and full of pride. "I'm so proud of you."
Jazz pulled her brother into a hug as well. "Yeah, Danny. I knew you were talented, but that was... something else."
Danny went bashful. "Thanks, guys. I, uh..."
Jack cheered. "You were incredible, son! That was even better the second time."
Danny liked the warmth of his family's praise. He thought back to the way Octavia's eyes had lit up as he sang. He'd made her happy. But having his family be proud of him, too? That was something special.
Jazz turned mischievous. "So... does this mean we'll see more of this, Danny? Maybe we'll see you on stage again soon."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it, Jazz. This was a special occasion, alright?"
With that, the family shared a laugh before heading to bed.
#
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, Camden, and decimator!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, please follow or review/comment. See you guys in the next chapter.
Discord Server: discord . com (slash) invite (slash) 2uP8ka2
Like my work? Please consider supporting me, so I can keep writing as often as possible. Even a little means a lot and helps me dedicate more time and resources to my work.
Get access to early previews of upcoming chapters.
P a treon . com (slash) Firestorm808
ko-fi . com (slash) Firestorm808
buy me a coffee . com (slash) Firestorm808