Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Good morning children!” Stolas’ sing song voice rang out in the nursery of the Goetian palace, it was simple pink room that was littered with toys and pictures of constellations adorned the walls. He made a mental note to tell the children to clean their room but that would be for later. 

The full-sized bed with the purple blanket with yellow stars had two little lumps that slowly rose from their slumber. 

The oldest popped her head out first, her feathered hair was a mess, and no amount of brushing would fix it. Stolas felt awful that she inherited his messy feathers and hoped they would relax as she got older. Octavia rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before opening them fully. Her pink eyes blinked for a bit before she was alert, her left eye was solid pink, but her right eye had a glowing white pupil. She was wearing a pink long-sleeved nightgown with white stars on it. 

“Morning daddy!” She piped happily as she scurried out of bed, jumping over the lump next to her and ran to her father's waiting arms. 

“Good morning my Starfire! I trust you slept well?” Stolas said as he gently preened Octavia's hair in an attempt to smooth the bed head, “You two did have that terrible nightmare after all.” 

The little owl giggled, "I did and that tickles daddy!” 

Stolas chuckled as he walked to the stubborn lump and spoke to the other owlet gently, “Orion? Starfire? I know you are awake, come on.” 

The lump made a sound of protest but slowly the youngest popped his head out of the blanket. 

His feathered hair was shorter than his sister’s but still just as messy from sleep. He looked nearly identical to his twin, but his right eye was solid pink, and his left had a glowing white pupil. His pajamas were light blue with white stars. He too rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked before he smiled. 

“Morning daddy!” The young owl reached up for his father to use his free arm to pick him up, which he did. 

Stolas also gently preened Orion's bedhead, “I am afraid the both of you inherited my unruly feathers, I'm sorry my children.” 

The twins giggled and gave their father their good morning kisses as he walked out of the nursery. 

“The nightmare went away daddy!” Orion chirped. 

“We found you in the greenhouse!” Octavia piped. 

Stolas smiled, “That is good to hear children.” 

It was a lazy day at the palace, so Stolas decided to have breakfast in the kitchen, Stella decided to take a vacation to visit her brother, so it was also quiet, and he liked it. It gave him space to breathe and spend time with his young children who sadly were very much aware of tension. He didn’t want that for them, he tried to shield them from that, but it was rather difficult when your children have a habit of being incredibly quiet and are both talented in hiding. They have seen many of the arguments and Stolas was always the one who found them crying. 

But right now, there was no need to dwell on such sad things, he had a week planned for him and his children and today was day one. 

Octavia and Orion were placed on the breakfast nook while Stolas summoned their favorite cereal and juice. Stolas waited for them to fill their bowls, stop them from fighting over the prize that fell in Octavia’s bowl and waited for them to finish their breakfast before he had his coffee. Just a normal peaceful morning, just the way he wanted them. Stolas treasured these moments with his children whom he hoped would not be too affected by the tense mornings when their mother was home. 

“Guess what children!” he said as he gathered the children's now empty bowls. 

They tilted their heads while drinking their juice. 

“Since today is such a lovely day, why don't we go to Loo Loo land?” 

Both Octavia and Orion nearly choked on their juice and smiled. 

“Loo Loo land!?” Octavia exclaimed with a smile. 

“You mean it?!” Orion smiled. 

Stolas smiled and gently wiped their faces that were now covered in juice, “Of course, we’ll make it a day. Just the three of us and I also wanted to introduce you to someone.” 

The twin owls raised their eyebrows. 

“This person is a longtime friend of daddy's; he works at the park and recently he told me that he adopted a little girl!” 

“But daddy...” Orion piped, “If he's your friend, how come we never met him?” 

Octavia also piped, “He’s right daddy!” 

Stolas took the cups and went to the sink, “It’s... complicated children. All I can say is that he and I live completely different lives. Before you were hatched, we used to meet once every two weeks but since then, we have only exchanged letters.” 

There was more but he wanted to keep it simple so his children would understand. They looked at each other and nodded happily. 

“Okay!” 

“I wanna meet your friend daddy!” 

Stolas laughed and clapped his hand, “Excellent! Now go wash up and get dressed!” 

The twins ran off, ignoring their father’s cries of not running in the halls which lead to them breaking something along the way, as usual. He wondered where they got that energy from because he certainly did not act like that as an owlet, and they most definitely did not inherit that from their mother. 

X 

“Children! Don't run too far!” Stolas cried out as he chased after his owlets who immediately ran off the moment they entered the park. Since it was a casual trip to the park, they wore simple and breathable clothing. Octavia wore a blue overall dress over a white sweater and pink leggings. She didn't wear her tiara since it was a casual day. Orion wore a sky shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt and blue shorts. He also didn’t wear his crown. Stolas was in his regal wear because it was protocol after all.

Both owlets giggled as they ran away from their panicking father, hand in hand, and zigzagged through the crowd. It was always fun to escape that stuffy palace where their mother would make them act like a proper lady and gentleman. And making their daddy panic added to the fun. 

In their fun, they didn't notice the balloon cart that had appeared around the corner until it was too late. Octavia was the first to collide with the green and red cart, beak first. Orion was next to collide with the cart beak first. The force of the small owls was enough to jostle the cart and the young hellhound pup who was sitting on it almost fell off. 

Just when the twins registered what happened, a loud and very mean voice yelled out to them, giving them a jolt. 

“Hey you little shits! Watch where you're fucking going!” 

The owl children looked up and saw an incredibly angry imp man who was wearing a white and green polka dotted clown suit and clown makeup. The makeup did not have a permanent smile, so it showed how angry he was. He had a tail that whipped behind him to emphasize his anger. 

“You think it’s fucking funny to body slam my livelihood?! My Loonie almost fell!!” 

The children gulped in fright. The hellhound pup in a green dress looked at the scene with a worried expression on her face. 

“S-s-s-s-s-s-s-sorry sir,” Octavia chirped. 

Orion trembled, “W-w-we were only playing.” 

The imp clown was not having it, “Oh so you were only fucking playing?! Why I oughta-” 

“CCCHHIIIIILDREEEEN!”  

The tense scene quickly dissipated when an out of breath Stolas finally caught up to his children. 

He wheezed and huffed for air, “Excuse me...!” More wheezing “My apologies...” More gasping. Poor Stolas tried his best to catch his breath, it was a rather amusing sight to see the Goetian prince showing just how nonathletic he was when it came to his children. 

“You were always bad at stamina Stols.” 

The owl demon looked up at the imp with an annoyed look, “You try keeping up with two owls who love to run Blitzo!” 

Octavia and Orion were now confused, one moment the angry clown was yelling at them and calling them names but now he was acting chummy towards their daddy. 

“So, these little shits are yours?” the clown asked with a bored yet with hint of curiosity tone in his voice, “They don’t look like the picture you sent me.” 

“You mean the picture I sent you when they hatched? I've sent you other pictures of them.” 

“Oh right, forgot.” 

Stolas let out sigh of annoyance but he wasn't surprised, Blitzo was always like that.  

“Anyway, children, what do we say?” 

The twins shrunk under their father's firm gaze. 

“We’re sorry sir,” Octavia said softly. 

“We didn’t mean to hit your cart,” Orion added. 

Blitzo let out a chuckle, “Well at least they have manners. I guess I'll forgive ya.” 

The owls lit up and introduced themselves. 

Octavia gave a curtsy, “I’m Octavia! It's nice to meet you mean clown!” 

Orion followed with a bow, “I’m Orion! Hello mean clown!” 

Stolas squawked, his pupils showing on his main eyes “Children! That’s not his name!” 

“Nah its fine, I was an ass to them,” Blitzo said, brushing off the prince’s frantic attempts to correct his children, he bent down to their eye level and greeted them, “I don't mind being called mean clown but my names Blitzo.” 

The children giggled. 

Blitzo then stood up and picked up the pup who was still on his cart. 

“Well, you wanted to meet her Stols, this little lady is my Loona!” The imp declared as he nuzzled the ten-year-old who was embarrassed by her adoptive father's open display of affection. 

“It's only been a month,” She muttered but she didn’t do anything to stop it. 

Stolas smiled and leaned over to say hello, “So you're the little girl Blitzo writes about all the time, I’m Stolas. It's nice to meet you finally!” 

Loona looked away and buried her face in Blitzo’s shoulder, “Hi...” 

Blitzo put her down and gave her some money, “You three go play, I need to work.” 

Loona gave a glare, “I thought you said you needed my help! Was it just to babysit?!” 

“No no dear, you will be with me! I'm the babysitter!” Stolas said quickly, he knew how temperamental hellhounds were when young. 

The twins looked at their daddy curiously. 

“It was last minute children, I apologize.” 

They nodded in understanding; they liked Loona already and hoped they would be friends since they didn't have any. 

As soon as they were given the okay, all three children ran off much to Stolas’ exasperation. 

“I don’t know where they got this from!” Stolas lamented to Blitzo who did his best not to laugh. 

“They're kids, what do you expect? Running away from parents is a kid's job.” 

“I was never like this!” 

“Thats cause you were never kid, good luck and thanks for the help.” 

Blitzo left before Stolas could say anything, he sighed and walked around the park. Hoping the children didn’t go too far. He thankfully found them at a food stall enjoying a small snack. He decided to not scold them because it was meant to be a fun day. He got to know Loona who he found out was adopted by Blitzo a month ago after he saw her picture on a TV ad for adoption. She said that Blitzo said that it was instant love and that was how she ended up living with the imp. 

She acted like it didn’t matter but Stolas could see that she was happy that she didn’t have to stay at the adoption agency. He knew the terrible practices at that place, hellhounds would rather die than go there. He gave her a gentle ruffle on the head, and she shook her head in embarrassment. 

They went on many rides, played the rigged games, Stolas had to hold back Loona from tearing the imps head for ripping her off, the twins cried tears of ‘joy’ when they went to the circus tent and Lonna threw her apple cup at the robot clown. 

The group found themselves relaxing on a bench at the park enjoying a late lunch. Lonna was dozing off from all the running around, so she leaned on Stolas. She only knew him for a day, and she trusted him already, she thought it was weird, but he was soft. Stolas gently patted her head before turning his attention to his children. 

“Well children?” 

They were enjoying their fried rat bits when they were called and looked up curiously. 

“What do you think of Blitzo?” He asked earnestly, he hoped they would at least think he was nice even if he did yell at them for running into his cart. 

The owls thought about it and looked at each other and nodded. 

“He’s mean,” Orion said. 

“He’s crass!” Octavia chirped. 

Does she even know what that word means, Stolas thought to himself. He was worried that they hated him. 

“But...” Octavia said softly 

Stolas was about to say something in hopes of remedying what happened. 

“He’s funny!” The twins exclaimed happily. 

The prince blinked, “Funny?” 

“Yeah! He went from mean to funny! Is he a magician clown?” Orion asked with a smile. 

“He’s gotta be nice if he's your friend daddy! And Loona’s very nice!” Octavia added. 

Stolas let out a soft hoot in relief, his children did not hate his best friend, “That is good to hear children.” 

“And we had fun today daddy, more fun than when it’s just us,” His oldest said, playing with her apple plush. 

Orion nodded, hugging his platypus imp thing, “Loona was so cool when she tried to attack the shop imp at the game.” 

Their father let out a nervous chuckle, he had such a challenging time calming down Loona after that.  

“When can we do it again?” 

He blinked, “Via?” 

She gave a shy smile, “Can we see them again? I want to get to know Blitzo!” 

“Me too!” Orion declared, “I wanna know him too!” 

Stolas smiled as he saw that Blitzo was making his way to the group, he was dressed in street clothes, and he had a sour look on his face that was now clean of the makeup. Stolas knew that look and hoped that he would restrain himself from blowing up in front of the children. 

“Blitzo?” 

“I fucking quit!” The imp bellowed out, “Fucking swindle me out of my paycheck?! Well fine!” 

The prince jumped and tried to calm him down, “The children Blitzo! The children!” 

He motioned towards the sleeping pup and the owls who were thankfully blissfully unaware of the imp's tirade. Seeing them made Blitzo calm down, he at least was smart enough to at least try to keep his language PG around his kid. Something he was trying to do after Loona came into his life. 

“Seriously though, again? How many jobs have you quit so far? Four?” The owl demon all but demanded from his longtime friend. He got up from the bench, letting Loona use his cape as makeshift bed and crossed his arms. 

Blitzo rubbed the back of his head nervously, “Five actually... if you don't include the stables here.” 

“You said that you were going to do better after you adopted Loona and don't remind me about the stable incident. I still don't know what you were thinking.” 

“I am going to do better; in fact, I already have a plan!” 

“A plan?” Stolas tilted his head with raised eyebrows, “This isnt another one of your get rich quick schemes, is it?” 

The accusation was immediately denied by Blitzo, “Its a legitimate business that I've been working on!” 

“Is it a circus?” 

“Fuck no!” 

Stolas sighed and decided to change the subject, “The children like you.” 

“Eh? Me?” 

“I'm surprised as well but they said you were crass and funny.” 

“Are you sure they’re that broad's kids?” Blitzo asked with his arms crossed, he noticed that the two owls were nodding off “Cause they're a little too sweet.” 

Stolas gave him a glare but sighed, “I'm doing my best to make sure they are happy.” 

Blitzo raised an eyebrow and went to pick up Loona, “What about you buddy? Are you happy?” 

“I am always happy with my children!” Stolas declared as he picked up his two sleeping owlets, he opened a portal to send their toys to their room to lessen the load. 

“If you say,” Blitzo said, “Welp, gotta go! See ya Stols!” 

“Let's try to arrange a time to meet, the children had had fun today.” 

“Sure.” 

And they went their separate ways. Today was a good day, the two longtime friends were happy their kids got along well enough to want to meet again, and it gave one of the two men a chance to breathe. 

Perhaps this will make their troubled lives a little bit easier. Blitzo was going through a lot of things in his life and adopting Loona was a choice he was happy to make. Stolas was dealing with the pressures of his duties and spending time with his children was rewarding. 

It had been five years since they saw each other so they didn’t have time to catch up on the comings and goings of their lives that they couldn’t write in their many letters. Was it frustrating? Yes, but imps didn’t have the luxury of just dropping everything and having fun with reckless abandon like the Ars Goetia did. 

Blitzo carried Loona to the beat-up van he got from the junkyard and spent weeks working to make it work when he finally noticed what she was using as her blanket. 

“Goddamnit Stolas! Your cape!!” 

Chapter Text

Meeting again happened sooner than expected because when Stolas returned to the palace with his children, he got a loud phone call from Blitzo. Calling him a reckless idiot for leaving behind his cape when they parted ways. 

“Do you know how expensive that piece of fabric is!? Loonie drooled all over it! I’m not paying for dry cleaning!” Blitzo all but yelled through the phone. 

Stolas had to hold the phone away from his ear, he was used to his friend's unapologetic volume control but not through the phone, “My apologies Blitzo, Loona looked cozy, and I didn’t want to disturb her. And it was an old cape anyway so it’s not a total loss?” 

“Total loss my ass! My fucking landlord thought I stole it! Its silk! Goetian silk!” 

The owl prince sighed softly, “Alright, Alright Blitzo, I am sorry. I’ll send someone over to retrieve it right away if you wish.” 

Blitzo let out an annoyed sigh, “I’ll drop it off tomorrow, I'm tired and Loonies sleeping on it.”  

Stolas chuckled, “If you bring Loona tomorrow, Octavia and Orion will be happy.” 

“Yeah, sure whatever, later.” 

He hung up before Stolas could reply but he didn’t mind. He knew his friend well and put the phone back on the table, he waved the imp carrying it away before checking on his children who were long put to bed before the call.  

The twin owls were sound asleep with the apple plush Octavia won in between them so they could share the softness it had, and their purple blanket was kicked off, most likely by Orion. Stolas smiled, tucked them in again and sat on the bed to watch them. Remembering the day they were laid; how apprehensive he was when it happened. Truth be told, he did not anticipate fatherhood as most fathers to be should, he was not excited, he did not have a list of names ready, and he almost didn’t want to look at the eggs. Because he was reminded of why they even existed in the first place. 

Precautionary heirs.  

That was all the Goetia wanted in this arranged marriage. In case anything was to happen to the prince. He could still remember how “happy” the Goetia were when it became clear that Stella laid two eggs.  

Two precautionary heirs, lovely. 

Stella made it clear that her duty was done and made Stolas the main caregiver to the eggs because she wanted nothing to do with them until they hatched. He did it only out of obligation but during the month he incubated them, Stolas felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest when he held the eggs close to his chest. He smiled when he felt the little movements from each egg and wondered what they would be when they hatched. He tried getting Stella involved but she was more interested in throwing or attending lavish parties as a way of ‘celebrating’ the impending arrival of the twins. She wasn’t there when the first egg cracked nor was she present when Stolas announced the names of the twins. 

The two owlets made small noises, snapping Stolas out of his thoughts, and Octavia stole most of the covers in her sleep. Orion reached and took most of it back in his sleep. 

“I do need to invest in a larger blanket for you two”, he said softly as he fixed the blanket so that each twin got equal shares. 

Little coos of content were his reward, Stolas smiled, happy that at least he had two reasons to endure this miserable marriage. If his children were happy, it was worth every insult Stolas had to endure at the hands of Stella. 

“You are going to be so happy in the morning.” 

X 

In a lush garden of exotic plants that were only described as something as humans could not describe, a young pup sniffed the ground furiously as she surveyed her surroundings. She was on a mission, a mission of immense importance, a mission she could not fail and wanted to complete before lunch time!  

A snap of a twig made her black ears perk up and she crawled towards a purple sycamore tree. Her tail wagged in anticipation, and she charged around the tree. 

“Gotcha!” Lonna exclaimed as she grabbed the two giggling owls who tried to get away but were no match for the hellhound pup. 

“Do be careful children!” Stolas cried out as he watched them play. 

“Calm down Stols, nothing wrong with a little rough play,” He heard Blitzo say, “Sides, I told Loonie to play nice because Via and Rion are smaller than her.” 

The prince swallowed a worried chirp when he said that he knew that the imp was right, but he could not help but worry. His children never had a playmate other than each other, and Loona was still adjusting to life outside the adoption agency.  

Right now, Stolas and Blitzo were sitting at the white cast iron table in the garden with refreshments that suited both their tastes. Tea and mice bits for Stolas while Blitzo had ice coffee and a rather bizarre combination of hot sauce and cheese. He claimed that it was the best snack in all of hell, but Stolas wondered if it was just because of his life in the circus. 

Blitzo happily munched on a cheese wedged when he noticed the prince looking at him, “What? Wanna bite?” 

“No thank you,” Stolas said politely, “Just thinking, what made you want to adopt a child?” 

The imp put the wedge down after hearing that question and leaned down on the table, “Lonely...” 

White pupils appeared in Stolas’ red eyes as he heard that, “I am so sorry Blitzo, I didn’t mean to pry.” 

“Nah it’s fine Stols, it's no big secret that my life's been fucked up since... that day. My dad's somewhere scamming chumps, Barbie hates me, and Fizz made it clear that he doesn't want to see me anymore. I'm only glad you helped me out when I reached out to ya.” 

“Of course! I would never have abandoned you!” Stolas declared, reaching and holding his friend’s hand, giving a small squeeze, “I just wish I did more to help you.” 

“You paid the doctors and gave me a place to live, I think that was enough,” Blitzo commented, rubbing the white spot on his face on instinct, “Anyway, your letters talking about your little shits kinda made me a little jealous. So, I thought, ‘why not?’ I have room so maybe I can take care of a little shit myself. Looking at Loona’s picture on tv was my chance!” 

Stolas let out a laugh, he was long used to Blitzo’s language, “Well, I think you're doing a remarkable job so far.” 

“Thanks.” 

They were going to talk about something else when their children came running demanding lunch. 

X 

Loona leaned against the wall and started counting to twenty as the two owl children began to hide. This time, they split up in hopes of evading the hellhound pup. Octavia and Orion were proud of their hiding skills, a natural gift they claimed to have since they hatched. They could find the perfect place and hide for a long time with no one knowing where they were, daddy would worry himself silly when they would do that. Loona though showed that she could find them, so they needed to try harder. 

Octavia hid in the rose bushes near Gertrude, her daddy’s favorite carnivorous plant, and held her excited giggle. The plant gave a soft purr and she had to shush it. 

“She’ll find me!” the little princess whispered. 

She watched as Loona looked around the garden, pointing her snout in the air to sniff for a scent and looked around the large fountain. Octavia sat perfectly still as the pup’s ears perked up and ran off the opposite direction. Possibly looking for Orion who had hidden somewhere in one of the trees. 

Octavia’s eyes darted around the area and let out a sigh of relief when suddenly, she was tackled. 

“Gotcha!” Loona said in triumph, her red sweater ripped at the sleeve. 

A high-pitched giggle escaped the owl princess as she tried to get out of Loona’s grasp but only succeeded in getting her pink dress dirty. 

“I got you but where's your brother?” 

“I’ll never say!” 

Loona snickered as she helped Octavia up from the ground and dusted off the dirt from her, “Come on, let's look for Rion.” 

Walking around, Loona’s nose picked up the scent and made a beeline to a gray willow tree. 

“Hmm....” the pup hummed and began to climb the tree 

Meanwhile, Orion stayed perfectly still on the branch he was perched on. He gulped when he saw how easily Loona found Octavia and decided to climb higher in hopes of staying hidden. That is until he heard someone climbing up the tree and almost immediately, Loona’s head popped up from the leaves.  

“Found you,” she said with a smug smile. 

Orion laughed and he jumped from his branch, onto another branch and climbed down the tree, his princely outfit getting dirty. 

“You’re amazing Loona!” Octavia exclaimed happily with her arms in the air. 

“No one has ever found us so easily!” Bragged Orion, “Not even daddy can find us that fast!” 

Loona puffed up in pride, “Well my nose is the best! Dad said I can sniff out anything and anyone!” 

The children giggled and they began to start another game when Loona’s stomach growled. 

“Well, I'm starving,” The pup muttered, “Dad said an assassin can’t work on an empty stomach.” 

The twins tilted their heads in curiosity. 

“Assassin?” 

“What's that?” 

Loona dusted her leggings and explained, “Someone who kills for money! Dad said he wants to start a company like that, but he said that we need to save lots of money to do that. He said I’ll make a great tracker!” 

Octavia and Orion lit up in agreement. 

“You would!” Chirped Orion. 

“No one will escape you!” Octavia agreed, “Does Blitzo know how to kill?” 

That got Loona thinking, “I don’t know but he said that it will help us. I gotta believe him though.” 

She led the way to the table and stopped when she saw as Stolas held Blitzo’s hand. Loona gagged a bit at the presumed sight of PDA while the twins tilted their heads in curiosity. They never saw their daddy smile like that before when he was with someone, even with their own mother. 

“Come on runts, I'm starving.” 

With that, the twins ran ahead with Loona giving chase. Stolas was stunned to see the many grass stains on his children's clothes only for Blitzo to tell him to calm down. It was normal for kids to get a little dirty while playing. 

“You worry too much Stols,” he said as he gave Loona a plate with meat tips, “Sides, they're not upset.” 

The twins were sitting next to Loona enjoying their mouse salad with smiles. 

“Oh... I suppose you're right,” the owl said in defeat, “I know I can be a little overprotective.” 

“A little?” Blitzo raised an eyebrow. 

“Alright, a lot.” 

Octavia rolled her eyes; her daddy was very overprotective. Orion finished his salad, got off from his chair and ran to Blitzo. 

“Blitzy!” he cried happily. 

‘ Blitzy?’ the imp thought with a raised eyebrow, “Yeah?” 

Little squeaks were heard as the owl boy had little jumps in excitement, “Are you really gonna be an assassin!?” 

Stolas spat out his tea when he heard that, “What?!” 

Octavia chirped excitedly as she herself ran to Blitzo, “Loonie told us everything! Blitzy’s gonna be an assassin!” 

The owl prince looked at his childhood friend in horror and disbelief. The imp in front of him gave him a look that said, ‘what?’, and pulled both Octavia and Orion to his lap. 

“Yup! It's not official yet but I’m gonna be the best assassin in hell!” 

The little owl princess and prince lit up. 

“Wow!” they said at the same time. 

Stolas shook his shock off and desperately tried to change the subject. 

“Hey, it's a good business.” 

“Not in front of the children!” 

“Loonie doesn’t mind,” Blitzo said, motioning to his daughter who was eating her meal completely unbothered by the scene. 

“Well...” 

The owl twins went back to asking Blitzo questions about his dream business, he was more than happy to answer them. Stolas slumped at the table in defeat with Loona patting his back in sympathy. 

X 

The day ended too soon for the children 

The sun was setting and Blitzo took that as a sign to go home. Stolas and the twins saw them off at the front door, Loona was holding the imp's tail as they left. Something that implings would do to make sure they didn’t wander away from their parents but not something that hellhound pups did, maybe it was something Loona did to feel safe. 

“Bye Blitzy! Bye Loonie!” the children called out, waving both their hands. 

Blitzo gave a back wave while Loona turned and used her free hand to wave back. Stolas waited until the pair made it passed the gates and into the safety of the beat-up old van before he ushered the children back in the palace. He immediately took them to the bathroom for their bath, they smelled like outside and were dirty from playing. Stolas took their clothes, gave them to the imp maid who followed them and placed them in the large tub with lavender oil and vanilla bubbles. 

“That was fun daddy!” Octavia giggled as her head was scrubbed gently, it was ticklish. 

Orion was blowing at the sweet-smelling bubbles while he waited for his turn, “It was! Loonie kept finding us!” 

“I see,” Stolas said with a smile as he rinsed Octavia's hair with a pitcher of clean water and grabbed the scrubber that he used for Orion, “I’m glad you’re becoming friends with Loona, Blitzo said that she was very lonely since he adopted her.” 

His son gave a soft coo when his head was scrubbed. 

“What’s adopted?” Octavia asked as she played with her rubber duckie. 

Stolas hummed as he rinsed his son’s hair, “It means that he took her in because she doesn’t have parents.” 

“Oh.” 

“Not everyone has parents and sometimes they grow up alone. Loona was alone and Blitzo gave her a home.” 

The twins nodded in understanding and began to play in the tub. They had a splash fight which resulted in the bubbles getting into Octavia’s eyes, it did sting but Stolas used his magic to get the soap out and they begged daddy to add more water so they could swim. Stolas understandably said no and said that it was time to get out to dry up. He took them out of the tub and as they dried themselves, he took the pajamas the maid left behind to dress them. 

The children smiled, whenever their mother was gone, it meant that they could wear their pajamas all day even their daddy would wear sweats and a simple cardigan. Their pajamas were so cozy and easy to move in compared to their normal everyday wear which was their royal garbs. Their mother insisted they always wear them even when they would be at home all day. Their daddy though always said that it was okay to dress comfortably when they were not going anywhere formal. It would be one of many arguments their parents would have. 

It wasn't time for dinner yet, so the twins were in their playroom looking over their astronomy charts while playing with their stuffed demons. 

“Let’s look for the ursa major!” Octavia piped as she pulled out her telescope. 

Orion nodded and helped set it up, they loved looking for constellations when they would have free time. It was a love they shared with their daddy who showed them the basics of stargazing before they could walk, he claims.  

As Octavia looked through her telescope, Orion was looking over the charts when a thought struck him. 

“Via?” 

She made a soft chirp in acknowledgment, not looking away from the stars. 

“Why was daddy smiling like that with Blitzy?” 

That got her attention and Octavia looked away, “I don’t know but he looked happy!” 

“I’ll say! He’s never like that with mother!” 

“You’re right Rion! Is that how he is with his best friend?” 

The youngest shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe it’s because he's cool!” 

 “Very cool!” 

The children giggled and went back to look for the ursa major. They didn’t find it, but they found the Lupus constellation which made them happy because they immediately thought of Loona but chose not to tell her about it because of the story behind it. They decided to look for another constellation when the junior butler, pringles, walked in to announce dinner. 

It was a lively dinner for the three, Stolas listened at his children chattered about how much fun they had and how they wanted to do it again. He enjoyed hearing their delighted voices and wished that it would be an everyday thing, but it was only when Stella was gone. So, he treasured them as much as he could. 

“I’m glad you two had fun,” he said as he picked apart his meal, a habit he developed when there was something on his mind and, oh dear, there was. A lot of things really. 

What was Blitzo thinking?! An assassin!? And he wants to make a career out of it?! He would have preferred he created that circus he used to dream about when they were children. But then again, it would open old wounds of what had happened so long ago so Stolas could not blame him for wanting to do something else. Though he did wish that Blitzo did not explain in perfect detail about how assassins work to his children. Yes, they lived in hell, but he at least wanted to shield them from the worst parts of it. At least until they were older and taking on more responsibilities as members of the Ars Goetia. 

 “Daddy?” 

Stolas snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his daughter’s concerned voice. He blinked and saw two pairs of pink eyes staring at him. 

“Oh! Sorry children, I was distracted!” he declared. 

The children gave small chirps and looked at their father's plate. 

“You’re playing with your food daddy!” Orion said in small squawk. 

“We’re not allowed to do it so neither should you!” Octavia yelled with her arms crossed. 

The prince chuckled softly, they were right, even adults were not allowed to play with their food, “I’m sorry children.” 

He began to eat his dinner while the twins finished their own dinner. It was quiet this time, the day was finally catching up to the little ones, Stolas could see it in their eyes. They were dropping and their heads were nodding. 

“Oh dear,” he said softly as he summoned the servants to clear the table as he picked up his owlets, he could hear their little beaks grinding and smiled. He walked through the halls of the palace, humming the lullaby he sang to them so many times. 

Once they were tucked in their bed, Stolas gave one last look and closed the door. 

He got a text later from Blitzo, saying that Loona had fun and thanks for lunch. Stolas smiled and answered back that it was nice to have a fun day two days in a row. He spent the next few hours in his bed texting his longtime friend, hooting little laughs at the misspelled texts he received. He sighed softly holding his phone to his chest, wishing he could see him more often. The soft flutter in his chest that only ever happened when he was around or thinking of the imp erupted within him once again. 

X 

The week ended too soon. 

Stella made her presence known the moment she entered the palace. Her demands for the servants to get her things were sharp and direct and the imps scrambled to get them. Stolas had a neutral face as he walked down the grand stairs, gone were the comfortable clothing and back was the royal outfit. 

“Welcome back Stella how was your trip?” he asked, not even bothering to add any sort of enthusiasm. 

The tall white owl demon gave a small sneer as she walked past him, demanding a drink from one servant, “Why are you interested? Don't act like you missed me.” 

Stolas clicked his beak, very annoyed, “No but I felt it would be nice to ask. Since you did take off without a moment's notice.” 

Stella scoffed as she took the drink the servant had just given her, “I am allowed to have a personal day, Stolas.” 

“More like a personal week.” 

“What was that!?” Stella squawked. 

“Nothing. The children are in their playroom.” 

The female owl sighed, as if it was chore to announce herself to her own children. Stolas wondered if she even got them a souvenir from her trip. Before he could say thing, the door to the playroom opened and two little owlets ran out. Much to Stolas’ horror, they were still in their pajamas. 

“Mother!” they chirped and ran to her and hugged her long dress, chattering about how their week was. 

If Stella was annoyed then, she was beyond annoyed. 

“Octavia! Orion!” She snapped, making the children let go of her dress, “What are you wearing!? It's passed noon!” 

The children froze and backed away, their little hands trembling, and their feathers nearly puffed in reaction. 

“Sorry mother,” Octavia piped. 

“Daddy said it was okay,” Added Orion softly. 

“Did he now?” Stella glared at her husband who approached the children. 

“We were not going anywhere so yes,” He said as he put himself in front of them, “Go back to the playroom children, mother has a headache.” 

Stella rubbed the bridge of her beak, “And it's about to get worse!” 

The twins nodded and ran back to their playroom. Once inside, they could hear all too familiar sounds of their parents' voices as they argued. Octavia held her little brother close as they wrapped a blanket around themselves to make a protective nest. They could hear something breaking and the servants scrambling to get out of the line of fire. That was when they knew that the calm atmosphere of home was gone again.

“How come mother gets mad all the time Via? Did we do something wrong?” Orion asked sadly, wrapping his arms around his big sister. 

“I don’t now, she always gets mad when we have fun,” She answered. 

They heard more yelling, mostly their mothers yelling, and they held on tighter.  

Hoping that the yelling would stop fast, and they would run to their father’s waiting and comforting arms.  

Chapter Text

Many things happened that year.  

Ever since that meeting in Loo-Loo Land, Stolas and Blitzo decided to make more of an effort to meet up more often, for the kids' sake. They had to work around Blitzo’s new work schedule as he had gotten a part time job. He wouldn’t say what it was, and Loona swore to never tell but promised that it was nothing sketchy. That only made Stolas more suspicious but chose not to pry. Another thing to work out was that Stella decided that since her ‘permissive’ husband allowed Octavia and Orion to ‘neglect’ their lessons on being royalty, she took it upon herself to educate them.  

Stolas immediately objected because he did not want the children to miss out on their childhood. What resulted was a massive argument between the two owl demons that lead to a very fragile agreement. Stella would educate the children but only for an hour a day, in the morning and after breakfast. Afterwards, Stolas would take over and tutor the children on their magic. They also agreed, after more yelling, that the children were allowed two days of rest since they were still young. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was all Stolas could do to ensure that his owlets had a normal structured life. They were due to start their education anyway, so it made sense.  

Octavia and Orion did not like it though.   

They hated this new schedule and wished to go back to their carefree days of playing in the palace halls, hiding and scaring their daddy silly. But mother’s word was now their new law, they had to listen to her even when they did not want to. Something that became more common.  

They had to learn how to walk, talk and act like a princess and prince. It was confusing because they knew how to walk and talk already but according to mother, they had to walk and talk better than everyone else. She would not tolerate their questions of why they had to be better than anyone else. They were so confused about how their mother saw things and wondered why she wanted them to act like her.  

Thankfully, their daddy was there to make their day better. He delighted in showing them the many spells he had in his grimoire and promised to teach them the many wonders it had but only wanted to teach them the basics for now. They were still young, and their powers were still developing. When he was teaching them a basic levitation spell, Stolas noticed that whenever the twins touched the grimoire at the same time, their solid pink eyes would produce a pupil. He made a mental note to investigate that at a later time.  

Because of the new schedule, Octavia and Orion began to look forward to the days they would see Blitzo and Loona.   

Loona was fun to play with, but they knew that she was older and soon would want to be around other hellborns her own age. But she still had fun with them. Blitzo was someone they also were eager to see, he was loud, blunt but nice. At least to them, Loona, and their daddy. He was also someone that made their daddy smile and they loved seeing daddy smile.  

The meetings were usually at a pizza arcade that sold crappy pizza at unreasonable prices. Both adults hated it, but the kids loved it, so they had no choice. Stolas was kind enough to give earmuffs that were enchanted to drown out the corny and annoyingly catchy song from the singing bear but not the children.  

That was their new normal for the year.  

Today though was a special day.  

Octavia and Orion were turning six, Stolas wanted to give them the party of their dreams. He told them that they could have any kind of party they wanted. Big or small, fancy of casual, he would gladly grant their wish.  

“A sleepover!” they exclaimed happily. They were in their bedroom getting ready for the day, it was the first day of rest when Stolas asked them what they wanted to do for their birthday.  

Now that was unexpected, Stolas thought to himself. He assumed they would have wanted a day at Loo-Loo land or a day at the pizza arcade, “A sleepover children?”  

They nodded happily.  

“Loona says that she and Blitzy have them all the time in their van!” Orion said with a smile.  

That got the owl prince’s attention, “Come again?”  

Octavia was brushing her feathered hair in front of the large full-length mirror, “Yup! She said that they sleep in their van every night! They go to lots of places too, like a real-life adventure!”  

Stolas was picking up the twins discarded pajamas when he heard that. His stunned silence caught their attention.  

“Daddy?”  

“What's wrong?”   

He shook of his shock and gave a small laugh, “Nothing starfires! Nothing at all!”  

Stolas gave the pajamas to a maid and made sure that the twins were dressed, “Go to your playroom children, daddy needs to make a very important phone call.”  

They groaned in irritation, ‘important phone call’ meant that daddy was going to be busy on the phone all day and they wouldn’t see him during lunch.  

“I promise, it won't take long,” Stolas reassured them with a hug, they loved his hugs, “I’ll take you somewhere nice when I'm done.”  

Octavia and Orion smiled and ran to their playroom.  

As soon as Stolas heard the doors close, his happy mood dropped and he became serious, “Bring me my phone, immediately!”  

Pringles, the junior butler, arrived with the elegant rotary phone on the silver tray within ten seconds. The prince clicked his beak as he dialed the number of someone who had a lot of explaining to do.  

Blitzo barely had time to say his usual half assed greeting when Stolas squawked out, “Are you homeless!?”   

There was silence on the other end and that was all he needed. Blitzo was too proud to admit he was in trouble.  

“... how did you know?” the imp asked, trying to hide his tired voice with annoyance.  

“I asked the children what they wanted to do for their upcoming birthday. They said they wanted a sleepover like the ones you and Loona have every day. What happened to the apartment?” Stolas walked to his study in long strides; Pringles had to run in order to catch up, “I made sure that the rent was covered for the next year!”  

“Wait what?” Blitzo asked in confusion.  

Stolas made it to his grand study and sat at his desk, dismissing Pringles as he did, “You did not know? Blitzo, what happened?”  

What Blitzo explained was an incident with the landlord. Apparently, there was a no ‘pet’ policy that just happened to be discovered while the landlord was going through paperwork. To the sinner landlord, Loona was no different than a stray dog and wanted them out. The result was a nasty fight between imp and sinner which ended in Blitzo and Loona living in the van.  

After hearing that, Stolas let out a small growl, “And this happened when?”  

“Dunno, maybe a few months ago,” Blitzo said nonchalantly.  

The prince stood up, knocked his chair back from the abrupt force, “Why didn't you tell me?!”  

“My business Stols and it’s nothing new, imps are at the bottom of the barrel after all. It was only a matter of time anyways, I was behind on the rent,” He explained, “I'm used to it.”  

“What do you mean ‘behind on the rent’? As I told you earlier, I paid the rent for the year. The last three years to be exact! Are you telling me that the landlord was making you pay rent?!”  

There was more silence before Blitzo was heard clearing his throat, “Yeah. Don’t do anything Stols, I appreciated your help but-”  

“But nothing!” Stolas used his magic to levitate the phone as he paced his study, “I gave you that apartment, it was a gift for my friend!”  

“Stolas!”  

The imp’s voice made him stop pacing. Blitzo only ever called him by his name when he was being serious.  

“Listen, thanks for helping me out when I needed it but I gotta do things on my own now. I’m not a goetian pet that needs to be pampered all the damn fucking time,” he said, muttering that last sentence. The very sentence that fucking landlord said to him when he threw him and Loona out on the street.  

“Blitzo I-”  

“It’s okay Stols, I got this,” Blitzo said, his voice laced with that arrogant confidence Stolas envied, “My job is decent, so I'll be able to get a place soon, Loonie doesn’t mind one bit! She likes the traveling.”  

Stolas sighed, pinching the bridge of his beak, “If you say so Blitzo, how about we meet for coffee tomorrow? I know a place with a playground so the children can have fun.”  

“Sure, I’m off anyway.”  

Stolas smiled and they both hung up on good terms. Putting the phone on the receiver, Stolas’ smile dropped, and he called for Pringles. The junior butler walked in with a nervous expression.  

“Yes, your highness?”  

The prince grabbed his hat and black cape as his walked towards the doors, “I will be gone for a while, make sure the children have their lunch. And do tell them that I am sorry for breaking my promise.”  

Pringles gave a nod in understanding as he followed the prince out of the study. The tall doors closed with loud, echoing click, and the study was silent once more. On one of the statue busts, two little owls stepped out from behind it. Octavia and Orion decided when they went to their playroom to sneak in and hide so they could spook their daddy when he was done making his important phone call. They did not mean to hear Stolas making a serious call to his friend.   

“Via?” Orion asked, he sounded incredibly sad, “What’s ‘homeless’?”  

The oldest began to think, “I think it means you don't have a home Rion.”  

“So Blitzy and Loonie don't have a home anymore?”  

“I guess.”  

Quietly, the twins slipped out of the study and scurried to their playroom before Pringles caught them running.  

X  

The coffee shop was a trendy shop with a cozy environment in the gluttony ring. The interior had warm colors compared to the vibrant atmosphere outside which would make anyone relax. There were bookshelves nearby and a small cast iron fireplace, most likely for aesthetic than comfort. The tables were the typical porcelain white tops with wooden legs and the chairs were simple armchairs.  

Blitzo and Stolas sat by the large window where they could see the red wood playground in the shape of a castle outside. Right now, they were watching Orion climb to the top towards the slide and proclaimed himself as the king of the slide before sliding down the metal slide with a squeal. Octavia was climbing on the net, making sure her small talons didn’t cut the ropes, once she was at a certain height, she would jump off and land on the tire shredding below with giggle. Loona was at the monkey bars either swinging from the bars or being reckless and climbing to the top to jump. Not caring that her gray dress would get dirty from the tires.  

It was quiet and very awkward between the two men. Blitzo, in black pants with a black jacket over a red shirt and black boots, ignored the iced coffee he ordered in favor of watching Loona make her seventh jump off the monkey bars. Doing anything to avoid the prince’s gaze.  

“So... I made some calls,” Stolas in red long-sleeved shirt and burgundy vest with black pants spoke up, hoping to start a conversation, “I procured you a new apartment and-”  

“Goddamnit Stols!” Blitzo yelled, not caring if he starts a scene, slamming his hands on the table, his tail standing straight up “I don’t need help! I got this!”  

Stolas, unnerved as he was sadly used to such outburst from his wife, sat there and spoke again, “I am doing this for Loona, your daughter. Blitzo, I know you can take care of yourself but that was when you lived alone. You must think about what is best for Loona, do you want her to sleep in that van for the rest of her life?”  

The imp, shaking with frustration looked at the owl and then looked at his daughter who was holding Octavia at the monkey bars, holding her by her tiny waist while she used the bars, he then remembered how scared she was when they were thrown out. Wondering if it was her fault for them being thrown out and all he could do was hug her close, promising her that it wasn't. Calling her a good girl and reminding her that she was the best thing to ever happen to him.  

“Please Blitzo,” Stolas’ voice snapped him out his thoughts, “I am saying this as a father to another father, please set aside your pride and let me help you.”  

Blitzo bit his lower lip and finally exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding and slumped on his seat. Elbows on the table and resting his head in his hands.  

“I’m doing my best...” He said softly.  

“I know you are.”  

“No one told me it would be hard doing this on my own.”  

Stolas leaned over and placed a comforting hand on Blitzo’s right forearm, “I cannot imagine what you are going through Blitzo but I do know that you love Loona very much. Listen, I understand that me helping you all the time might be seen as... odd to everyone else and I apologize for that, but can you at least permit me to do this?”  

Blitzo looked up, “Why?”  

The prince smiled, “Because you’re my best friend, my only friend. I just want to help you.”  

Hearing that made the imp sigh softly, “... Fine but this is the last time, okay? I am grateful that you were always helping me but I gotta make it on my own two hooves.”  

Stolas nodded in understanding, “Alright then, I do have this for you as well.”  

He reached into his vest pocket and produced a check, the number made Blitzo’s eyes pop out.  

“Eh?!”  

“Do not misunderstand Blitzo, this is not a handout by any means. This is the amount that was stolen from you the past three years,” Stolas had a smile that did not reach his eyes, Blitzo knew that smile.  

The smile of an extremely pissed off Goetian prince.  

“You didn’t kill that landlord, did you?”  

 Stolas gave a hooting laugh, “Of course not, I simply told him that I am no longer investing in his cesspool of a business. He did steal from my dearest friend and took advantage of my goodwill.”  

To lose any kind of backing from the Goetia was a second death sentence for a sinner, there no recovering from that.  

“Remind me to never piss you off Stols.”  

The prince tilted his head, as if he did not know what Blitzo was saying. And it was best to not push this generous act.  

Blitzo took the check and pocketed it, “Thanks Stols, you sure I don’t owe you anything?”  

“Never,” Stolas answered, “All I want is for you and Loona to be somewhere safe.”  

The smaller man sighed; Stolas was right. He needed to think about Loona more than himself. He already felt guilty about letting the prince pay for almost everything since the accident. And what the landlord said hit him in a place that he did not want to feel. But hearing Stolas assure him that it was just him being a concerned friend made that feeling go away.  

“And Blitzo, promise me that if something like this happens again, you'll let me know?” Stolas asked, dropping the pissed off smile and showing the tired grimace he tried to hide, “Because hearing what happened from my children was not pleasant.”  

“Well how was I supposed to know Loona would blab?” Blitzo countered, “She said that she was okay!”  

“Or maybe she did not want to hurt your feelings and felt comfortable telling the twins how she was truly feeling.”  

“Give me a fucking break!”  

“Hm... No.”  

The owl drank his lukewarm coffee with a smirk, enjoying the sight of Blitzo grinding his teeth in frustration. The mood eased back into its relaxing atmosphere just when the children ran back inside.  

X  

“Mother’s not going to be happy about this,” Octavia chirped as she stared at her white and pink dress, the white parts of the dress were stained in black markings from the many times she jumps off the rope ladder and into the tire shavings.  

Orion tried to clean them off with the handkerchief he always carried, but he only succeeded in making the stains larger. Even Loona tried to help by wetting the cloth with water from the water fountain but that didn’t work.  

  “Maybe those servants will know what to do Via,” The hellhound pup said after the attempt failed, “Is your mom really that scary?”  

Both chicks became silent after they heard that question.  

“She’s... just very strict,” Orion said softly, “She says it's because we need to act like royalty.”  

“But daddy always said that we can act like us when we’re with you Loonie!”  

The eleven-year-old pup smiled, she used to hear back at the adoption agency that the Ars Goetia were nothing but rich and pompous assholes who looked down on lower hellborns like her. But meeting her father’s best friend and his kids made her question that. He did tell her that just because Stolas and the twins were nice doesn't meant that the other members of their family were the same. Her father met the wife and described her as a bitchy chicken.   

“If you say so you two,” Loona said, hearing her stomach growl, “Playing makes me hungry, I want Freddy’s.”  

The twins lit up and agreed.  

The three ran back inside the coffee shop and told the adults what they wanted to do afterwards.   

Both Blitzo and Stolas’ eyes twitched.  

Anything but Freddy’s.  

Anything but that stupid pizza arcade!  

But the children wanted to go, no amount of bribes and promises of treats with toxic amounts of sugar could sway them.  

All they could do was try to drown out the chaos of that place with Blitzo grinding his teeth and Stolas leaning back on the booth of the pizza place, banging his fist on the table as that stupid bear sang that stupid song for the umpteenth time.  

“I hate that fucking bear.”  

X  

Loona’s nose sniffed around the apartment while holding the box of her meager possessions. It smelled new and not of dirty socks like the van.   

Two days ago, she and her father were sleeping in that piece of junk and now they were moving into this place? It was a two-bedroom studio apartment just outside of imp city, probably a block away but she didn’t pay attention. The kitchen and living room were in the same room just like in the old apartment but this time, there were two doors instead of one. One on the left side and the other on the right, there was a pink couch and a coffee table and there was a chance that the bedrooms would have a bed if they were lucky. There was another door that open to reveal that it was the bathroom.  

Blitzo walked in with a garbage bag full of his shit and looked around, “Not bad, eh Loonie?”  

“I guess,” she looked around the apartment, it was nice, but she didn’t know if she was happy or worried, “How long are we going to live here?”  

Her father put the bag down and shut the door behind him, “As long as you want Loonie!”  

“Really?”  

“Thats why we’re here!”  

And there was statement in the contract he signed at the building mangers office that said in bold print, ‘One little complaint from the tenants Blitzo Buckzo or his daughter Loona Buckzo, you answer to Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia.’  

The young girl nodded as she decided to explore the rooms. The door on the left was large with a king-sized bed placed between two small windows overlooking the city and there was a closet door and another door. Opening it, Loona found another bathroom with a walk-in shower instead of a tub like the bathroom outside.  

“Yup, this is dads,” she said to herself as she walked out, she caught a glimpse of Blitzo unloading his bag to put on the shelf nearby and went to the other bedroom that was undoubtedly hers.  

This bedroom was smaller than the other room, a full-sized bed was against the wall besides a small window that overlooked an alleyway, there was a closet, but it was small enough to be a pantry.   

“Loonie! Time to unpack for your room!”  

The pup walked out to ger her box when she saw her father take the box to the large room, “Dad? Isn’t this my room?” she gestured to the room behind her.  

“Hm?” Blitzo turned his head slightly, “Oh that's mine, I don't need a large space sweetie!”  

With that he walked in the master room with Loona’s things. She walked int to see him take out some of her small trinkets and books, her clothes were at Stolas’ palace to be washed properly.  

“I can do that dad,” Loona went to the bed to help.  

“It's okay Loonie toonie!”  

She cringed at that stupid nickname; she preferred Loonie. But she still helped set up what was now her room when Blitzo spoke.  

“Loona?”  

“Yea dad?”  

Without saying a word, Blitzo reached over and hugged the pup close, she was getting taller where she was reached his shoulders, “Dad?”  

He patted her back gently, “I just wanted to let you know, I’m sorry for putting you through that these last few months.”  

Loona blinked her red eyes, “What are you talking about?”  

“I know you hated sleeping piece of shit van, you don't have to lie anymore to make me feel better.”  

Loona pulled away and looked down, “I just... Didn't want you to feel bad. It was my fault anyway-”  

“For the last time, it was not your fault,” Blitzo barked, “That landlord was a piece of shit who stole from us! It was my fault for not doing anything after we got kicked out!”  

He hugged his daughter again, “As much as I loved that you put on a brave face for my sake, please let me know what you're really feeling. Okay?”  

Loona smiled and hugged him back, her tail wagging, “Yes daddy.”  

Blitzo almost teared up when she said daddy, she only ever said ‘dad’ when she was relaxed or his name when she was very angry. The fact that she trusted him so earnestly made him happy.  

“So how come I'm getting the big room?” Loona said after she pulled away again.  

“Simple Blitzo explained as he brought the last trinket out, “you need the space and privacy soon. I bet next year; you'll be taller than me!”  

And he felt that he owed Loona that space, she did put on a brave face those few months, never complaining when they had to leave one place for another, keeping quiet when they ended up in greed for night and she didn’t complain when she had to shower at a wrath gas station while he stood watch outside to make sure no one messed with her. How did he get so lucky to have such a sweet daughter?  

Blitzo left Loona to herself and went to his room, he could hear her little yelps of happiness.  

X  

It was decided that Octavia and Orion were to have formal lunch for their sixth birthday.  

Stella suggested(demanded) it because Stolas had yet to introduce them to the Goetia family since the day they hatched, Stolas said that it was because they were too young and not ready for such strict protocol. She scoffed at such a pathetic excuse and claimed it was because Stolas himself was too afraid to face the family. It resulted in another argument that the twins were thankfully not present to see this time.  

Stolas picked up the remains of a potted plant that was thrown when the argument was over and only agreed to the lunch if he did what the children really wanted to do for their birthday afterwards. They are still young, he said as his fuming wife stormed off to Satan knows where.  

So that what lead to where the twins are now, dressed in their formal wear, their wild and unruly feathered hair forcefully combed and gelled down to look presentable. Octavia stood on the right and Orion stood on the left, making sure that their solid pink eyes where next to each other. They greeted each guest with a curtsy and a bow while smiling. Stolas could tell that they were only smiling because of the promise of the real party that would happen later.   

He was proud at how they handled themselves in front of the adults though, he could hear Stella bragging about how they were so easy to teach.  

“You cannot imagine how hard it was when they were eggs, I am so glad that I had one of each,” she also said, making Stolas click his beak as he drank his punch.  

The rest of the lunch was a blur, but he did remember singing happy birthday when a grand cake was presented to the twins and smiled when they blew out the candles. Stolas also remembered the looks on their faces when the cake was cut, coconut. Octavia and Orion hated coconut flavored things. They wanted a red velvet cake, but their mother hated that flavor.   

Her favorite flavor was coconut, what a coincidence.  

Stolas made a mental note to praise Via and Rion for not crying about the cake when the party was over.  

The lunch ended afterwords with Stella complaining about how small the list was even when she was reminded that the party was technically last minute. She once again scoffed at what Stolas had to say and said that she was going to a party at a friend palace and would not be back until tomorrow evening, she didn’t even bother to wish her own children a happy birthday as she left.  

Stolas sighed but he didn't have time to dwell on Stella’s lack of maternal love for their children, he was more interested in doing what his children really wanted.  

A sleepover!   

And he knew where to have it.  

X  

“Happy birthday you little shits!” Blitzo declared with a smile as he placed large plate of cupcakes on the coffee table.  

“Blitzo!” Stolas yelled, “Language!”  

The twins giggled at the scene, gone were the royal clothes and back were the pajamas for comfort, their hair was freshly washed from the itchy gel, and they were finally having fun. They were at Blitzo’s apartment for their birthday sleepover and Blitzo scrambled to get anything a six-year-old would like for a party. He got snacks, sodas, and red velvet cupcakes since he was told that it was their favorite flavor. But he did make the theme of the party horse themed of course.  

Loona was sitting on the floor and put six candles on cupcakes while the adults were bickering. Blitzo reminding Stolas of his own unfiltered mouth which resulted small scuffle.  

“Guys? Can we light them now?”  

“Daddy, please stop yelling at Blitzy!” Octavia yelled.  

“And stop pulling on daddy’s tail Blitzy!” Orion also yelled.  

Both men stopped their scuffle, Stolas was on his stomach with his head fully turned and Blitzo was on his back pulling at the prince’s tail feathers. They scrambled to the table to the annoyed children.  

“Sorry little shits,” Blitzo said, not learning his lesson.  

Stolas gave up and sighed before also apologizing, “Let us forget that ‘lovely’ display, happy birthday my darling children!”  

He snapped his long fingers and a blue flame appeared on his finger, he lit the candles, and everyone sang happy birthday. The twins smiled and clapped their hands when it was over.  

“Make a wish you two,” Loona said pulling out a popper.  

Octavia and Orion tilted their heads, they didn’t know they could do that, but they clasped their hands together and closed their eyes. Despite being fraternal, they could share each other's thoughts and dreams whenever they were together and after a few seconds they agreed what they wanted and blew out the candles. They then helped themselves to the cupcakes first before everyone got one. It was store bought but it didn’t matter, the twin owlets were happy to have the birthday they wanted.  

The night went on smoothly, the kids were watching that horse movie Blitzo liked and cheered when the horse was finally free. They then played board games and a game of twister their daddy won, the snacks were enjoyed, and the soda were drunk but even with all that the night ended with all three children passed out on the floor of the living room. Loona was on her back with her right hand scratching her stomach, making little snores here and there while Octavia and Orion used her tail as a pillow.  

Stolas was glad that he laid out the futon after the twister game because there was no way they would have made it to Loona’s room. But then again, it wouldn't be much of a sleepover. Stolas draped a plush blanket over the children, making sure the coffee table moved away and the path to the bathroom was clear. Once he was sure that the children were snug and warm, he went out to the balcony to meet up with Blitzo who had opened a couple of cold ones and lit a cigarette.  

After the prince made himself comfortable next to his friend, Blitzo gave him a drink and he downed it with a smile.  

“Easy Stols,” Blitzo said with a smile.  

“My apologies Blitzo, it was a long day and I'm glad it ended on a good note,” Stolas said, lighting a cigarette, taking a long drag and blew out a plume of smoke.  

Blitzo took a small swig from his own drink, “Yea, it was. So how was that fancy schmancy lunch anyway?”  

Stolas watched as the plume of smoke disappeared into the night, “What do you think? She made it about her, as always.”  

“Well shit, still won’t divorce her huh?”  

“It’s easier said than done, I don’t even know a single Goetia whose done it,” the owl sighed softly, running a hand though his feathered hair, “Besides, I want my children to have a normal life.”  

Blitzo leaned back, taking a drag from his own cigarette, “If you say so buddy.”  

“Thank you for letting them have their party here, I deeply appreciate it.”  

“Hey, you gave me a place to stay so consider us even.”  

They shared a laugh and clinked their bottles.  

Meanwhile, Octavia and Orion somehow crawled up and their heads popped out of the blanket. They cuddled against Loona who was very warm and soft.  

They would not wake up until the morning when Blitzo made pancakes.  

Chapter Text

Pictures are forever. Forever holding a memory if you want to keep it close to you. 

That was what Stolas said once to Octavia and Orion when they found a portrait of a beautiful owl woman dressed in a dress of vibrant blues and purples. He explained that she was his mother, a beautiful owl demon who sadly passed away when he was very young. He had very few memories of her, so he treasured that portrait and refused to take it down even when Stella demanded it. 

Something about what their father said sparked something for the twins. They made a lot of memories and wanted to keep them. So, for their seventh birthday, they asked for a camera that printed pictures. Stolas was more than happy to grant that wish, he gave them a hellaroid camera that never needed a reload of film and it always took clear pictures no matter the lighting.  

All the best for his owlets. 

That was last year, and the now eight-year-old twins were going over their collection of pictures to put in a special album. Their playroom had slowly become their study area as they got older. They were sitting on the marble floor with floor pillows being their main source of comfort. 

“How about this one?” Orion, in a simple dark magenta cardigan sweater and black pants, held up a picture of Loona looking at a simple sheet cake with thirteen candles on it. 

Octavia, also in a simple cardigan that was pink and a simple black ruffle skirt, giggled and held the picture, “Was this before or after she attacked Blitzo?” 

“After,” Orion answered. 

It was quite a day; it was Loona’s thirteenth birthday and Blitzo pulled out all the stops to give his little girl the birthday party of her dreams. He rented out a party space at a community center in gluttony. He bought lots of decorations, balloons, party favors even though it was a small party for five demons, and he bought presents from Loona’s secret wish list. All Blitzo wanted was to give his Loonie the perfect party. 

Except, it was not. 

Apparently, thirteen-year-old hellhound girls hate pink pretty princess ponies. Especially anything pink and innocent. Loona was so upset at the pink display that she attacked the imp, teeth bared and claws out. 

It took Stolas a while to pry off the upset teen from her father. He understood that Blitzo was having trouble accepting that Loona was a teenager now, but he reminded Loona that her father used his hard-earned money to try and make her day special. He then scolded his own children for taking pictures of Loona’s meltdown, so they destroyed those pictures and took pictures of Loona enjoying her cake and opening present. She pretended to not be impressed but they could tell that she was happy to get the presents she wished for. 

“This will do!” the older twin declared, placing the picture in the red leather album, she then picked up one picture, “How about this one?” 

Orion took it and smiled; it was a picture of them and Blitzo on an outing in gluttony last year. Stolas was busy with work, their mother had an excuse for not watching them, so Blitzo took them out. He took them to a bakery for a treat. While the picture of them sitting at a table in the posh bakery enjoying bubble tea looked sweet, Octavia was sitting on Blitzo’s lap enjoying her pink drink and Orion sitting on the left with his milk tea, it was not a pleasant memory. After that picture was taken, a pig demon approached the group and demanded that Blitzo move from the table so he could sit.  

The twins called him rude and the pig demon, not knowing who they were, called them a few unpleasant words before Blitzo pulled out a gun he started carrying recently and dared the demon to keep talking. The demon squealed and Blitzo took the children and ran. 

That was the day the twins learned that Blitzo was an imp and imps were seen as valuable as the dirt on one’s shoe. They didn't understand why though, Blitzo was so nice, and he was their daddy’s best friend. Blitzo told them to not worry about it, he was used to it and claimed that it didn’t bother him at all. That day made them see their home with different eyes, how they watched their parents treat the servants at the palace. Octavia and Orion decided that they did not want to live like that and would spend their free days trying to get to know their servants. It was now to where they knew all the names of their staff. Only when their mother wasn’t looking but that is a different story for another time. 

“It’s cute and all but no,” the youngest said. 

Octavia nodded in agreement and reached for another photo when they heard a knock on the door. Quickly, they scrambled to gather the pictures, if there was one thing their parent hated, it was a mess. 

“Children?” 

Hearing their fathers voice on the other side, Octavia and Orion let out a small sigh of relief and relaxed. 

“Come in daddy!” the oldest called out. 

Stolas, in his casual royal attire, walked in and saw what the twins were doing, he chuckled and watched as they used their magic to sort the pictures that were not in the photo album, making them float to a small shoebox they kept in one of their bookshelves and the red album closed with the leather strings tying themselves to keep it closed. The book floated to settle next the shoebox before the twins gave their father their full attention. 

“Needed something dad?” Orion asked, he stopped saying daddy after being teased by distant cousins on his seventh birthday. 

The owl smiled and motioned for his children to follow him outside. They did, Octavia on his right and Orion on his left. They held his hands as they always did, he remembered when they were too small to reach and now, they up to his knees but still as lovingly clingy as ever. 

“Your mother has decided to take you both to visit your uncle for a weekend trip," he said as they walked through the halls. 

He felt the grip on his hands tighten a bit, “Children?” 

Octavia looked up, her unruly feather gray bangs fell over her eyes, “Do we have to? His palace is cold and lonely.” 

“And we don’t even know Uncle Andrealphus,” Orion said softly, blowing his own feathered bangs from his face. 

“Which is why she insisted on this trip,” Stolas said gently, stopping and gently pulling them over to face him, he smiled when they moved to stand to where their solid pink eyes were side by side, “She wants you to get to know him, he is family after all.” 

Octavia gave a suspicious glare, “She wants us to do something nice? With her?” 

Orion crossed his arms, “Who is she and did she do to our screaming mother?” 

The prince’s smile dropped when he heard them say that. He had noticed for quite a while that Octavia and Orion didn't seem to have a relationship with their mother. He couldn’t even remember the last time they would run to her with open arms. When was it actually? When they were five? Impossible, he was certain there were other times. Surely, his children loved their mother as much as they loved him.  

“Daddy, you're doing it again,” Octavia said with a raised eyebrow. 

Stolas snapped out of his thoughts, “Pardon?” 

Orion sighed, “You’re daydreaming. You always said daydreaming was a bad habit.” 

The prince blinked and softly chuckled, “You're right, sorry. But I do think this will be good for you.” 

The twins looked at each other, they could tell that this would make their daddy happy if they did this for him. 

“Okay daddy,” His oldest said, “We’ll go.” 

“Can we call you if we don’t like it there?” Asked his youngest asked. 

Stolas smiled, “Of course my owlets. I’ll pick you up immediately afterwards if you would like.” 

The twins smiled and hugged their daddy, rubbing their cheeks against his and he returned the gesture with a soft coo.  

This simple act of affection was known as the Goetian imprint. 

 A special bond between parent and child where the child acknowledges not only their parent but also showing that the child trusted their parent with all their heart and ensuring that they will be protected and safe. The child can only imprint twice in their life, the first time was always the one who saw them hatch and the second time will be with their other parent. 

Octavia and Orion naturally imprinted on their father the day they hatched but Stolas didn’t remember seeing them do the same to Stella. Perhaps they did it when he wasn’t looking. 

After the hug, Stolas picked up his children made the walk to the foyer where Stella was waiting, she was looking at her talons and looked like she was tapping her foot under her long gown. 

“It’s about time Stolas!” Stella snapped, not bothering to look up, “The car is waiting.” 

Stolas gave a small glare, “You are leaving today? I was told you were leaving in a week.” 

Stella looked up and smirked, “Change of plans. My dear brother wants to meet his niece and nephew so badly that I simply had to rearrange my travel plans.” 

Octavia and Orion held on to their father tightly, they were leaving now? They felt their father’s hold on them tense, as if he didn’t want to let them go. 

“I take it you already had their bags packed?” 

“Of course! What are you suggesting Stolas!?” 

The children flinched; mother was having another one her moods again. It was never fun when she was like this. 

Stolas, sensing his children's distress, remained calm, “I am suggesting nothing, I simply asked if you had their things ready.” 

Stella let out a small sneer, but she did not yell, “Fine, come children.” 

Octavia and Orion were set down gently, but they hesitated to follow their mother as she stormed out of the palace, but Stolas gave them a gentle nudge. 

“Remember to mind your manners and listen to your mother,” He said with a small smile, trying to show as much comfort he could, this would be the first time they would go somewhere without him, “I know you’ll have a marvelous time.” 

They weren’t sure but they decided to trust their daddy. The twins gave Stolas one more hug before they ran out to join their mother. 

Stella was not impressed with them for keep her waiting. 

“Well get in, we don’t have all day!” 

The imp chauffer opened the door for the children to get in, they said thank you before crawling in. 

“We do not say thank you to servants children!” Stella snapped as she entered the car. She sat opposite of them, her back to the driver. 

“Why?” Orion asked after he buckled himself in. 

Stella gave an annoyed glare, “We are royalty that’s why!” 

“But they always-” Octavia tried to counter but her mother cut her off. 

“Enough! Your father may tolerate your bizarre interest in the low born I will not! I will not have you both thinking that these plebians are our equals!” 

The tone of her voice made it clear that she did not want to hear any more, so Octavia and Orion stopped talking. They looked out the car window that faced the palace and they saw their daddy standing at the steps, he was smiling and gave a small wave as the car began to drive away. They waved back and went back to staring at their mother who was looking at her talons. Stella noticed that they were staring at her with curious eyes. 

“What?” She snapped once again. 

Octavia’s feathers puffed in fright, and she looked at her own talons, noticing that her fingers were turning white, “Nothing mother, just thinking.” 

Stella rolled her eyes and grumbled, “I laid two eggs and they come out like him.” She didn’t even bother to lower her voice.  

Orion looked down at his talons sadly, he felt his sister’s hand patting his arm in a comforting gesture. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. It made the long car ride less awkward and tense. 

The car ride was long but soon the twins could see a large mansion of ice with large sculptures in the shape of peacock feathers adorning them. The landscape was of ice and glaciers giving a hint of light to the red skies of hell. Octavia and Orion secretly wished they brought their hellaroid camera to capture the hauntingly beautiful display. 

The car went to a stop at the main courtyard and a servant ran out to open the door.  

Stella marched out, berated the young imp for not being at his post and gave the children a glare. 

“Hurry up, we don't have all day!” She ordered. 

Octavia and Orion could feel the chill of the palace and were reluctant at first, but they did not want to test their mother’s already small patience and scurried out. They shivered the moment they were out of the car, smiled at the imp who held the door open in silent gratitude before they ran after Stella who was already at the open door. 

“Mother wait!” Called out Octavia. 

Stella gave her children another annoyed glare, “I expect the both of you to not run or yell this weekend. It is unbecoming of royalty.” 

The twins looked at each other, they just wanted to catch up to their mother who didn’t even wait from to get out of the car. Daddy would always wait for them to come out before he walked to wherever he was going. But they were not with him, they were with their strict no-nonsense mother who was already criticizing them for simply wanting to catch up. 

Without another word, Stella walked in the mansion and the twins followed, hand in hand, Octavia on the right and Orion on the left as always. They looked around the elaborate designs in awe, there were ice sculptures of peacocks and paintings of a lanky avian demon in a long coat of various blues and a turquoise feather collar. They knew it was a painting of their uncle, they barely knew him, but they knew what he looked like. 

“Stella!” a haughty voice announced from top of the grand staircase in the grand foyer, “It’s been so long!” 

Both Octavia and Orion peeked from behind Stella’s large gown and saw Andrealphus. He walked down the stairs gracefully as if he were floating, his tail feathers flowed elegantly with each step and his periwinkle hair shined in the light. They thought he was pretty, but they kept quiet and went back to hide behind their mother's gown.  

“Oh you, I saw you last month!” Stella said with a chuckle as she hugged her brother who gave her a kiss on each cheek. She then stepped aside to reveal the children who looked on in great curiosity. 

“Well, what do we have here?” Andrealphus asked in mock surprise, walking over to them which made them step back “Two little Stolas’? I don't see anything from you dear sister.” 

Stella scoffed dramatically, “Don’t remind me! They not only look like him, but they also act like him regarding imps!” 

Octavia and Orion tightened their grip on their hands, they knew that their mother did not like imps, but they never saw her act like this before. They wanted to say something but kept their beaks shut. 

Andrealphus smirked, “I take it he is still friends with that imp?” 

Blitzo, the twins corrected in their heads, his name is Blitzo and he’s their daddy’s best friend! 

“Unfortunately,” Stella answered and gave the children a look that told them to introduce themselves to their uncle, properly. 

Octavia was first, she gave a proper curtsy, “Hello uncle Andrealphus, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Octavia.” 

Orion gave a clean bow, “I’m Orion, hello uncle Andrealphus. I'm glad to finally meet you.” 

The peacock Goetia gave a small smirk in acknowledgment, “Such clean manners, I am impressed.” 

Stella let out a prideful laugh, “They have always been easy to teach, I never had to use the yard stick.” 

The children looked at her with surprised looks on their faces, she carried that yard stick during their lessons for a reason? 

Andrealphus chuckled, “Oh you are such a joker sister. Why don’t we let them settle in while we have tea?” 

He then looked at an imp butler who was standing nearby, “You, show my niece and nephew to their room, now!” 

The butler nodded and ushered Octavia and Orion to follow him, they were quick to notice that they were being led to a room on the ground floor while their mother and uncle were going up the stairs. 

“Well, he seems nice,” Octavia said, holding her brother’s hand again. 

“I guess,” Orion shrugged. 

They then looked at the butler who seemed a bit nervous. 

“Hi! I’m Octavia! What’s your name?” 

The imp almost tripped when asked that but he remained silent until he stopped at a simple yet grand looking light blue door. 

“This will be your room young master, young mistress,” he said in a soft voice. 

“It’s okay if you call us Orion and Octavia sir,” Orion said with a smile. 

The butler sputtered, “I wouldn’t dare! And please don't call me sir, I'm only the butler!”  

And with that, he scurried off, hoping that his master did not hear what the children had said. 

Octavia sighed, not surprised at the butler’s reaction, she knew that the other Goetia members treated their servants differently compared to her and Orion. She and her brother still had a hard time understanding why though. 

“Well... it’s nice,” she heard Orion say about their room. 

It was a simple room with two twin sized beds side by side with a simple white wood desk in between them, there was a window on each side of the beds and a small bookshelf with a few books they might like reading.  

“It looks like a cheap motel room,” Orion muttered settling on the bed on the right. 

Octavia giggled on settled on the other bed, “I think this more fancy, remember the room we had when Blitzo took us to LuLu world?” 

The boy shuddered, “How can I forget? Dad had a heart attack when he saw the roaches.” 

“Well, they were the size of his head!” 

They remembered when one roach appeared, Blitzo had to shoot it when throwing his shoe didn’t work. Stolas had to use his magic to exterminate the rest of the pests. It was fun though to see two grown men screaming at the sight of bugs. 

The twins giggled and tried to relax when they heard a knock on the door. 

X 

In a grand library full of books that were seldom read, a pair of avian demons were sitting at a small table with a tea set and small tarts on a silver tray on it. They were discussing the trivial things in their daily lives until the male of the pair brought up a topic that intrigued him. 

“You were not joking dear sister when you said that they acted like that pathetic husband of yours,” Andrealphus said with a smirk, adding two cubes of sugar to his tea, “They even have his pathetic look of curiosity.” 

Stella sipped her tea with a scowl, “Do not remind me! I had hoped one of them would come out looking like me! Instead, I get two Stolas’ who act like him in every way!” 

The peacock had a small smirk as he drank his own tea, “Well you said so yourself, they spend more time with him than they do you. Imprinting is such a complicated thing. But you would not know that since they never imprinted on you.” 

The snow owl demon slammed her cup down on the table, shattering it and cracking the surface, “Do not remind me!” 

“My apologies dear sister, but if I recall, you never gave them a reason to want to imprint on you,” Andrealphus said, not dropping his smirk. 

Stella let out a dramatic sigh, “Well what can I do? They treat me like a stranger enough already. It is not like they can imprint on anyone else!” 

A chuckled erupted from her brother’s throat as he leaned on the table, resting his chin on his interlaced hands, “That is where you are wrong Stella, true a Goetian child imprints on both parents but there is nothing that says that it has to be a blood parent.” 

That got her attention, “What are you saying dear brother?” 

“Simple really,” Andrealphus leaned back this time, waving his left hand while explaining, “You always said that you wanted full control of Stolas’ estate, his wealth and his legions, correct? Well, what better way than through Octavia and Orion who want to make their dear uncle happy?” 

Stella’s eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, but she hid it behind a smirk, “Careful brother, you know what would happen if you said that to any other Goetian.” 

They both knew very well that a Goetian imprint was a sacred bond that must be earned. To try and coerce it would be... Paimon himself would never do it.

“Besides, they only just met you. What makes you think you can get them to imprint on you?” 

Andrealphus chuckled and took one more sip of his tea, “If they are anything like their father, they are just as naive and trusting.” 

“Oh, you evil man,” Stella said with a laugh. 

X 

WARNING! WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ MAY CONTAIN VERY UNCOMFORTABLE THEMES! FEEL FREE TO SKIP IF YOU DONT WANT TO READ! IF YOU DO, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!  

Octavia and Orion found themselves staring up at their uncle after he announced himself. They got off their beds to greet him politely. 

“Oh no need to be formal with me children,” he said with an empty smile. 

It made them feel uneasy and they held hands. 

“How adorable, you two must be very close to hold hands,” Andrealphus cooed as he approached them, “I remember being that close with your mother when we were small.” 

Octavia and Orion stepped back as he approached, something was telling them that something was wrong. Was it his smile that had no emotion? The way his solid blue eyes stared at them as if they were meek prey despite being predator demons? Their small backs hit the desk, trapping them and Andrealphus knelt to their eye level. 

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of me?” he asked, sounding hurt but amused. 

He placed his hands on their cheeks and softly caressed them, he was wearing long white opera gloves, but they could feel how cold he was. Octavia’s feather puffed in reaction and moved her face away from the hand. 

“N-no sir! We just don’t know you!” She said with a nervous chuckle, she could feel Orion’s trembling hand tighten. 

Orion, also moving his face away from Andrealphus, agreed, “We know you’re m-mother’s older brother, but we never met!” 

The peacock’s smiled morphed into a smirk, they were scared of him, how cute. Just like their father when he was young. 

“I see, well how about we get to know each other?” 

Without batting and eyes, Andrealphus wrapped his long arms around the two owlets and rubbed his face in-between theirs. 

“I promise, I'll be a good uncle towards you both.” 

The twins' magenta eyes widened as they were embraced, it was cold physically and emotionless, they did not like it. The rigid feel of their uncle’s arms around them as if trapping them, the way he was rubbing against their faces and the smell of cold on him 

It was scary. 

But they didn’t move. 

Octavia and Orion simply froze in fright. 

X 

“You will tell your father that enjoyed your trip and wish to go again,” Stella ordered as the twin buckled themselves after they entered the car. 

The trip was a blur to them, but they could not forget what their uncle had done. They tried telling their mother, but she kept dismissing them. Telling them that Andrealphus was only trying to be their friend and to stop crying. They tried to call their father to get them, but the servants would run the moment they saw them so there was no way for them to get a phone. 

Orion, wearing an indigo sweater with constellations and dark blue pants looked up from his lap with stunned eyes, “Why? We didn’t like it there!” 

“Uncle Andrealphus kept rubbing his face on us!” Octavia cried, her tears falling from her face and landing on her deep pink dress with white star designs, “We didn’t like it! We begged him to stop!” 

“Oh, again with that?” Stella asked, annoyance was clear in her voice, “He simply wanted to bond with you.” 

“But mother-!” 

“Enough!”  

The twins froze when their mother yelled. 

“I do not want to hear it and don’t even think about whining to your father!” Stella snapped and then she had a small smirk, “He is a very busy man after all. No need for him to hear about your childish tantrums.” 

The owlets trembled and kept their beaks shut, they just looked down on their laps during the drive. The imp driver looked from his rear view mirror with sad and sympathetic eyes. 

THE END OF THE WARNING!  

X 

“Octavia! Orion!” Stolas exclaimed happily with his arms open, “Welcome home!” 

The moment the car door opened, both twins ran out of the car and into their father’s arms. They always felt safe in his arms, and they were much better after the weekend. 

“We missed you daddy!” Octavia said with a smile. 

“It was cold over there!” Orion added. 

Stolas smiled and picked up his children, he then saw Stella and greeted her politely, “I trust that the trip was pleasant.” 

Stella looked at her talons and walked past him, “It was, the children loved it so much that they want to go back soon.” 

Octavia and Orion tightened their grip on their father's feathered cape in fright. 

“They did?” Stolas could feel the grip, “Children, did you have fun?” 

As much as they wanted to tell him no, the twins could feel their mother’s sharp gaze on them. Instead, they responded by rubbing their faces against Stolas’, it felt nice, and they felt safe. Stolas was surprised at first since the children always had something to say about what they did. He chalked it up to them being tired, he gently hoisted them up and walked in the palace. 

“We’ll talk about this later Stella; the children are tired.” 

“You spoil them Stolas,” Stella grumbled, “You can’t keep them away from the family forever.” 

“We will discuss this later Stella,” Stolas said once, more assertive this time, “The children are tired.” 

As he walked, Octavia and Orion peeked over his shoulders and saw the glare on their mother’s eyes. It was not a glare towards their daddy, it was a glare for them. As if she was warning them to keep their beaks shut about the trip and there would consequences if they did. She never glared at them like this before, it only made them hold their daddy tighter. 

“Is everything alight children?” Stolas asked after he felt the grip. 

Orion nodded, burying his face in his shoulder, “Just missed you, it was really cold, and we couldn't call you!”  

“I think the servants were afraid of us, every time we tried to ask for a phone, they ran away!” Octavia added, also burying her face in Stolas’ shoulder. 

“Hmm, I see,” Stolas decided to take his children to his study, they always loved looking at his books, “I’ll talk to your mother about getting you two phones.” 

That earned a happy giggle from his owlets, they did say that they wanted their own phones for a while now.  

“Hey daddy?” Octavia asked, lifting her head. 

“Yes, my Starfire?”  

“Can we see Blitzo tomorrow?” 

Orion perked up, “Can we? Please?” 

Stolas chuckled, “Why would I deny a request from my little star fire and star light?” 

The twin giggled and hugged their daddy, hoping that spending time with Blitzo, and hopefully Loona, would help them forget what had happened.  

They could only hope. 

Chapter Text

WHACK!  

“Via!” Orion ran to his sister after she received a ‘correction’ from their mother after answering one of her questions wrong. Octavia was told to list the names of every single member of the Goetia family, but she missed two names and as a result, she was to hold her hands out, palms up and Stella used her yard stick to strike the hands. 

“Ah!” Octavia yelped stepping back, Orion wrapping his arms around her, “I only missed two names mother!” 

Stella was unmoved by the tears threatening to fall from her eldest's eyes, “Exactly, you missed two names. They could have been the names of very important members of the Goetia. Forgetting their names would be an insult to not only them but to your father and I!” 

Orion held Octavia close and glared at Stella. 

It had been like this for a year ever since that ‘trip’. Stella became stricter with her lessons, she would snap her yard stick over every single mistake the twins would make and if she was not satisfied with their answers to her questions, their hands would get struck. Stella claimed it was proper discipline and threatened to send them to their uncle if they so much as uttered a word to Stolas. 

“I’m sorry mother, I'll do better next time,” Octavia said quietly, holding onto her brother. 

Stella huffed, “Very well,” she then looked at her youngest, “And Orion, how dare you glare at your mother like that?!” 

The boy flinched but stood firm, “Via said the names of the main family! You didn’t say anything about the branch families mother!” 

That was true, the two names Octavia missed were from a distant branch of the family.  

Stella clicked her beak and grabbed Orion by his arm, “Don’t you ever yell at me like that again!” 

“Rion!” 

With a sharp swing of the stick, Orion’s lower back legs were hit twice, and Stella pushed him back to Octavia who was now glaring at her. 

“To think I laid such disrespectful children! Lessons are over for the day!” She yelled as she stormed out of the twin's study. 

Orion sat down on the floor as soon as she left, and Octavia sat next to him. 

“Are you okay Rion?” She asked, concern was written all over her face. 

He gave a small huff, “I’m ok, what about you? Mother swung hard.” 

Octavia looked at her gray palms and saw the dark welts, “She did but she didn’t have to hit you.” 

“She would have found an excuse to do it anyway Via.” 

Both twins sighed softly and flinched when they heard the door opened, they relaxed when they saw that it was Pringles. 

“Via? Rion? I saw your mother leave, are you both all right?” He asked in concern for the children. 

They smiled and nodded but the imp butler knew that they were not but chose to not press them. 

“Thanks for your concern Pringles, she’s just having a mood,” Octavia said softly as she let Pringles look at her injured hands. He was relieved to see that they were not serious and knew that Octavia’s Goetian magic will heal them fast. 

He then went to check on Orion who had already pulled up his pant legs to show that he didn’t have any welts. 

“I may be overstepping but you must tell your father,” Pringle implored, “You know he would never tolerate this.” 

Orion sighed, “We do that, and we’ll be sent to Andrealphus.” 

“You know she’ll say that we’re being brats and that we need to know our family,” muttered Octavia as she brought her knees to her chin, her long tail feathers splayed behind her.  

“Besides, he's a busy guy, we just need to try harder,” Orion said, feeling his legs heal themselves, “So what’s up Pringles?” 

The butler immediately stood tall and began to act as a servant to the young Goetias, “Yes, your father has sent me to inform you that your lessons will be at the green house. He recommended that you change into something you are willing to get dirty in.” 

The twins tilted their heads, but they smiled. Lessons with their dad were always fun since he always found ways to make them interesting and he never scolded them or ‘corrected’ them if they made a mistake. Stolas would tell them to try again and to not feel discouraged. Spellcasting was mysterious and even he had moments of being caught off card. 

“Thanks Pringles!” Octavia piped, jumping up and running to her room. 

Orion stood up as well and ran to his room, “You’re the best!” 

Pringles felt a sense of giddiness from the praise, the young mistress and young master were always so sweet and courteous to the servants. Why just why did the mistress of the palace have to be so cruel to her own children? He thought that as he walked outside the study and waited for the children to leave their rooms. 

When Octavia and Orion turned nine, it was decided that they would be given their own bedrooms. It was an uneasy transition for both owlets since they had always been together, but Blitzo gave them a little peptalk about how it's now easier to have their own space. And that it's not like they would be far apart; their rooms were across from each other. The twins also compromised by having their bedroom doors opened with the foot of their beds facing the door so they could see each other. It was like that for six months until they got used to having separate rooms, but the close bond was still there. 

Octavia walked out first, she wore a magenta pullover that reached her mid thighs, black leggings and a pair or black boots that were fitted for her talons. She had the presence of mind to tie her hair back and she decided to not wear her crown hat. Orion came out a moment later, he wore a maroon colored long sleeved shirt, black pants that looked worn and torn, and black boots that were also fitted for his talons. His hair, while not as long as his sister’s, was pulled back and he also didn’t wear his crown hat. 

Once they were out, they followed Pringles with a pep in their step. They looked around the halls as they always did and saw the paintings of their parents, they could see the cold relationship between them, and they wondered why they even got married in the first place. But when they saw the paintings of their father with them when they were smaller, he was happy and full of life. He was also like that whenever Blitzo was around and that confused them, they tried asking Pringles about that, but he kept telling them that they would understand once they were older.  

They were soon escorted to the grand greenhouse Stolas was so proud of and Pringles announced their arrival. 

“Your highness, I brought Lady Octavia and Master Orion as ordered,” he said with a bow. 

Stolas was setting up a table with two medium sized terra cotta clay pots, two garden trowels, seeds and two watering can. He was wearing a shite shirt with worn denim overalls that stopped below his knees. 

“Thank you, carry on then,” he said, not turning his head. 

The twins had a small glare, but Pringles wasn’t fazed as he was used to it. He gave another bow before leaving. 

“Bye Pringles!” Octavia waved with a smile. 

“See you later!” called out an equally smiling Orion. 

That made the butler’s day. He hoped that the children would continue to be sweet and kind as they grew. 

Once he was gone, the twins ran to their father with smiles. 

“Hey daddy!”  

“What are we doing today?” 

Stolas chuckled and ruffled his children's hair, “We are planting devils flytraps today.” 

They tilted their heads in confusion, today’s lesson was botany? They knew that their father enjoyed as much as they enjoyed photography, but he never brought it up in their lessons. 

“I know those looks you two,” Stolas said with a smile, “trust me, it is part of your lesson.” 

Octavia and Orion look at each other, shrugged their shoulders and walked to the table. Stolas walked ahead and stood in front of a chalk board they didn’t know was there. 

“Now children, as you know, your magic is a special case,” He said as he began to draw on the board, “It sometimes only works when the both of you touch the grimoire at the same time. While it is nothing to be ashamed of, we need to work on that.” 

Orion looked at his pot, “And botany is the answer?” 

“Mm, not really but think of this as a training exercise,” Stolas said after he put the finishing touches on the board, “You are going to do this!” 

Using his chalk as a pointer he pointed at a drawing of a flowerpot with a drawing of a cute little owl girl holding a trowel and a bag of seeds, “You will plant two seeds in your pot,” Stolas then pointed at a picture of a cute owl boy staring at the now full pot that was surrounded by sparkles, “What I love about devils flytraps is that you can use magic to make them grow! That is what I want you to do!” He then pointed at the last drawing of the girl and boy owl smiling at the now fully grown plant. 

Octavia and Orion giggled; the drawings were cute. 

“Very funny children,” Stolas said with a smile, “Now, get your trowels and plant your seeds.” 

The twins nodded and began to work on their pots. While they were not into botany, they loved the smell of dirt and mulch as it was shifted around. There were times that they would help their father tend to his plants, it was a good bonding experience for all of them. Stella was never interested and was appalled to see Goetian royals doing ‘dirty peasants’ work. 

Back to the twins and their potted plants.  

Once the seeds were planted and watered, Stolas held the grimoire open to the page for growing the plant. 

“Try to do this without touching the book,” He instructed with a smile. 

Octavia and Orion read the spell and went to their pots. They took deep breaths and placed their hands on the edges of the pots. It took a while but soon a fuchsia-colored magical aura appeared on their hands and, just as Stolas predicted, their solid magenta eyes produced a pupil. He was still investigating why that would happen, he assumed for years that it was a case of bizarre genetics that they each only had one pupil but when he began to teach them magic, he was surprised to see the pupils appear. So far, his investigation yielded little to nothing because the Goetia never had a case of twins even if Octavia and Orion technically were not. But it would not stop him from continuing his research. 

Stolas watched as slowly but surely; sprouts began to grow. 

“That’s it children, focus on distributing even amounts of magic into the pots. Not too much but not too little,” he said with a smile. 

Octavia knitted her eyebrows in deep concentration as her sprout appeared, spellcasting was hard, daddy made it look so easy. Orion felt the same way as his sprout started to bloom. 

Stolas and when he saw that the twins were reaching their limit, he held up his hand to signal them to stop, “Alright you two that is enough.” 

They stopped and the moment they did, the pupils disappeared. 

“Did we mess up daddy?” asked Octavia, nervous if she or Orion messed up and tired from the amount of magic she used. 

Orion gulped, “We did our best dad, we really did!” 

“Oh no, no children, you did amazing!” their father said with a bit of frantic in his voice, “I just did not want you both to strain yourselves. Besides, you've done quite well for your first time!” 

Indeed they did, Octavia’s sprout opened its eyes and blinked at her before smiling while Orion’s sprout stuck out its tongue in greeting. It took Stolas a few tries to make at least one seed sprout when he was their age, and he couldn’t be prouder to see that his children did it on their first try. 

“We still have a long way to go on your magic, but I think it's time to conclude today’s lesson children.” 

They gave him dejected looks before pouting. 

“Already? We just started!” Orion protested, stomping his foot and his tail feathers fanning. 

Octavia did the same thing with her own tail feathers, “You always do this daddy!” 

Stolas chuckled, “Sorry children but you reached your limit for today, you must rest.” 

The twin’s feathers fluffed before deflating. 

“Okay daddy.” 

“Yes dad.” 

  Stolas hooted a laugh and clapped, “Excellent, now put your sprouts somewhere safe, when they get bigger you can bring them to your study.” 

Octavia and Orion lit up and did as they were told with a smile. Stolas knew they were upset now but he hoped that they would look back when they are older and appreciate that he only did it out love and concern. He was forced to keep going when he was their age despite reaching his limit on his magic, Stolas did not want that for his children. So far, their magic has been developing smoothly despite the small hiccup of needing to touch the grimoire most of the time. 

The twins ran up to him after completing their task and he led then out of the green house and back inside the palace. 

“By the way, what do you want to do for your tenth birthday children?” Stolas asked as they walked inside, “Want to go to LooLoo land?” 

They looked at him and each other, they did not want to go to that stupid park ever again. Why they loved that place they’ll never know but they didn’t want to say it to their smiling father. 

“Um...” Octavia looked at Orion who rubbed his lower beak in concentration before he answered. 

“A day with you dad!” 

Octavia nodded in agreement, “Yeah daddy! A day with you!” 

Stolas blinked in confusion, “Just that? A day with me?” 

They nodded. 

“You’re always busy even on the weekends daddy!” 

“And we really love spending time with you! You’re the best dad ever!” 

Hearing that made the white pupils appear in Stolas’ red eyes; happy tears began to form as the love for his children swelled in his chest. Not caring about any of their dirty states, he wrapped his long arms around his children when a smile. 

“What did I do to deserve such sweet owlets?” He cried, rubbing his face against his children's faces. 

The twins smiled, returning the hug and rubbed back. Enjoying the feeling of strong love and protection in their chests. 

Stolas gave them a final squeeze before he let them go, “Go wash up and change into clean clothes now children. Dinner is in an hour.” 

They nodded and ran off as they always did, this time they didn’t break anything in the halls. 

After they washed up and changed into suitable (to their mother’s taste) and comfortable clothing, Octavia and Orion decided to pass the time by looking over their photos.  

“You really want to put that picture in the album Via?” 

The picture she was holding was of Blitzo, a bored Loona and their father standing by that piece of shit van (they thought that was the name of the van since Blitzo constantly called it that). They were just standing there doing nothing but the story behind it was something. When you decide to take three kids and your best friend to wrath to see a horse race, please make sure your clunker of a van can handle the rough roads. Thankfully, they weren’t stuck in the middle of nowhere for long because Stolas opened a portal to the nearest garage, but Octavia and Orion learned new words that day from Blitzo. Very colorful words. 

“It’s a good picture so why not?” Octavia said with a smile, “We were able to see the races.” 

Orion shrugged in agreement, “If you say so Via.” 

They went back to their box of photos when they heard a knock. 

“Come in,” They both said as they started to put their photos away. 

The door of their study opened to reveal Pringle and couple of maids pushing two food trollies in. 

“Pringles? What’s going on?” Orion asked as he and Octavia stepped aside to let the maids placed the food cloches on their desks. 

Pringles gave a small bow, “My apologies but your father and your mother have gotten into a disagreement, so prince Stolas has ordered to bring your dinner here.” 

As if on cue, a scream was heard along with something breaking. The twin sighed and went to their desks when the maids lifted the lids to reveal tonight’s dinner. Grilled mice with side berry fruit salad.  

As they sat down, Pringles stepped in between them and placed a comforting hand on their backs, “Your father does love you both dearly. Please remember that Via and Rion.” 

The small comfort felt nice but still they felt sad that their mother just had to start another argument. They didn’t know what it was about this time but they knew that it will drag on into the night and possibly in the morning. Afterwards they will see their very tired father who will try to hide his fatigue with a smile. They never liked that and still question why he married their mother. 

As Pringles and the maids left, Octavia and Orion ate their meal in lonely silence. Trying to ignore the muffled screams and yells outside. 

X 

Stolas rubbed the temples of his head as a headache began to form.  He was walking through the halls of the palace to check on the children and to apologize for making them eat their dinner alone. 

Four hours. He had spent four hours listening to his wife scream at him for, once again, ‘ruining’ her plans to throw a party for Octavia and Orion. Stella wanted to throw a grand party to celebrate their tenth birthday and to finally introduce them to high society. Stolas though said that the twins wanted to spend the day with him on their birthday and maybe got to a restaurant for dinner. 

Stella did not like that and screamed about how he was keeping the children from their social debut and how she just wants to show off HER children. Stolas countered that the children were not ready and that grand parties did not interest them. 

It resulted in screaming, plates and plants being thrown. Stolas won the argument and Stella stormed off to Satan knows where, again. 

“Why doesn’t she understand that the children are not like her?” He asked himself, still rubbing his head, “she is with them all morning and yet she doesn’t even know them.” 

Stolas first checked Octavia’s room only to find her bed empty, he checked Orion’s room next with the same result, but Stolas did not panic yet. He checked the children’s study and smiled when he found his owlets curled up on the sleeping mats they kept in their study. They got them when Stolas found them sleeping at their desks one too many times. 

Orion had his arm around Octavia who was snuggled against him. They were wearing their pajamas and there was a book on Octavia’s side. Stolas could tell that they were reading before they got tired and fell asleep. As much as he wanted to wake them up and help them go to their rooms, he chose not to. They looked adorable and he knew that someday they would never do this again. So, with the wave of his hand, a blanket was draped over his owlets and they responded with soft sighs of content and grinding beaks. 

“Oh, my dear owlets,” he said softly as he knelt down and stroked his children’s feathered hair gently, “You are worth everything.” 

Making sure that they were cozy, Stolas stood up and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. 

X 

If there was one thing Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia prided himself in was that he never broke his promises to his children. If he promised them something, he would go to the ends of hell to make sure that the promise was kept. Stolas would anything to ensure that he did not break their trust in him no matter the consequences. 

Until today of all days. 

Just his luck, a very important event that needed his presence was rescheduled on the day of his children’s birthday outing. He tried to negotiate, he truly did but it was final decision that not even he could change. Stolas felt awful when he told Octavia and Orion the night before and they responded as any child would respond. Their very first tantrum since they were toddlers. He would have given them a very stern talking too but he let them kick, scream and call him a liar until they calmed down. Stolas apologized and promised that he will do his best to come home early to celebrate their birthday, Octavia and Orion gave him sad looks, but they nodded anyway. 

Stolas sat in his car as it drove off, he did not feel like opening a portal to the event and watched from the window as his owlets gave him a wave goodbye. He waved back as the car drove off.  

“Hm... I wish there was a way for them to have fun,” he said to himself, they were so happy to have a fun day. 

And then a thought struck. 

“Why didn’t I think of this before?” 

Without a second thought, Stolas pulled out his phone and made a call. 

X 

“Well, this is a lousy birthday,” Declared the now ten-year-old Octavia as she slumped on her desk with a frown. 

“Here, here,” Agreed Orion as he did the same. 

They had a quiet breakfast with their apologetic father who once again promised to try to come home early, and they did get gifts from the servants. Cute little handmade trinkets and scarves that they greatly appreciated. Their mother somewhere else, not that it mattered, they didn’t care what she was doing as long as she didn’t try to throw a big party. 

Just as they were deciding on what to do, Octavia’s new phone buzzed.  

“Hm?” 

She unlocked her phone and saw that it was a message from Blitzo. 

Blitzy \(^-^)/:  Hei you litle shits! get yur ases out her now!  

“Via?” 

“It’s Blitzo!” She said with a smile. 

Before Orion could say anything, his phone buzzed. 

Blitzy!: Hury yur asses up!  

That made him smile, “Is he here?” 

Without a second thought, they grabbed their crown hats, ran out of their study and out of the palace. 

Outside, they saw the all too familiar imp on an old street 750 motorcycle ride up the steps. Blitzo wore a black leather jacket over a red shirt and black pants with black boots. 

“Hey little shits! Your old man told me what happened so get on.” 

They were confused. 

“What?” 

“What do you mean Blitzo?” 

He shot them a toothy grin, “Get on the bike and I'll take you to gluttony for your birthday! I got your daddy’s card and everything!” 

Octavia and Orion lit up and after a little bit of a struggle with their tail feathers were sitting behind Blitzo on the bike. Octavia was behind him, holding onto his waist and Orion was behind her. For extra precaution, Blitzo wrapped his tail around the both of them tightly. 

“Is this legal Blitzo?” Octavia asked, a bit scared of the revving engine, she had never been on a bike before. 

“Dunno don’t care Via!” the imp answered. 

Orion was excited to be one a bike for the first time, “You won’t let us fall, right?” 

Blitzo let out a laugh, “You’re safe with me!” 

He revved the engine and sped off, the owlet letting out surprised screams and completely ignoring the fact that Pringles fainted when he saw the children on the bike without a helmet. 

X 

Blitzo was not kidding when he said that he had Stolas’ credit card. He took Octavia and Orion shopping when they reached the shopping mall in gluttony. Anything they showed an interest in, bought it. Did the shop employees question him about the black card? Yes, but Blitzo just showed them a form that said that he had permission to use it, it had Stolas’ seal along with a spell that had a visual recording of the prince himself saying he gave his consent. The many things Stolas had to do to make sure his friend didn’t get into too much trouble. 

Walking around the mall, the twins stopped at a shop that had a weird chimera like animal at the window. 

“What is that?” Octavia asked, mesmerized by the weird creature. 

Orion’s eyes sparkled, “It looks cool!” 

Blitzo was lugging the many bags of merchandise behind them and saw the creature. 

“They’re selling taxidermy now? The shit they do to get customers.” 

The twins looked at him curiously. 

“This stores called Stylish Occult, I used to shop here a lot when I was a teen! Wanna go in?” He asked with a smile. 

Octavia and Orion nodded and ran in, Blitzo followed and kept a close eye on them as they looked around the taxidermy and the clothes. He chuckled, remembering that Stolas had the same reaction to the store. He wouldn't be surprised if they entered the goth phase like he did, the pink and blue cardigans they were wearing was not really their style. In the end, they picked a creature that was a mix of a cat and a goat. Blitzo chose not to ask why they picked it; it was their fucking birthday, and they could do and have whatever the fuck they wanted. 

After a few hours of running around, shopping and window shopping, Blitzo and the kids went to a restaurant known for their BBQ and booze. Blitzo needed a lot of it after the day he had. Wrangling Loona was one thing but two hyper twin owls was a whole nother story, if ran one way the other ran the opposite direction. But he didn’t mind, Blitzo could hear it in Stolas’ voice when he called him that morning, saying that he was missing his children’s birthday after promising them a day of fun. He didn’t even have to ask, Blitzo readily volunteered, Loona was going through the ‘I don't want to be seen by you dad’ phase and was doing her own thing. Blitzo remembered what it was like to be fifteen so he didn’t blame her, he just missed the days when she would hold his tail with a smile. 

At least with Octavia and Orion, he could enjoy the simple joys of unconditional love from kids again. Speaking of which, where are those little shits? 

Looking around from the large table, he found them at the claw machine near the entrance. He chose not to notice them using their magic to keep the toy from falling off claw. Once they got their prize, they ran back to the table, the toy they got was a stuffed unicorn. Without a second thought, Orion gave it to the imp with a smile. 

“What the?” He was confused, “It not my birthday.” 

“We know Blitzo,” Octavia said with a smile, “It's our thank you gift to you!” 

Orion was also smiling, “You didn’t have to take us out, but you did, and we really appreciate it.” 

Blitzo almost wanted to cry but he pushed those feelings aside and got off the booth he was sitting on. He placed his hands on their shoulders (Holy shit they were as tall as him now! Go back to being small chicks!) and smiled his usual toothy smile. 

“It’s nothing you little shits, your dad paid for most of it anyway,” He said, feeling empowered by the fact he used money belonging to royalty, but his arrogant smile changed to a genuine one, “Just so you know, next time he’s not available for any reason, let me know and I’ll right here for you, got it?” 

Both Octavia and Orion blinked, they never felt so reassured by anyone other than their father, they knew that Blitzo always made sure they never got into any trouble when they would see him, but they assumed it was because he was their father’s friend. Just hearing him say that he’ll always be there when they needed sparked something within them, something they hadn’t they felt with anyone else other than their dad. 

They lit up and hugged Blitzo, rubbing their cheeks against his with a smile. 

“What are you little shits doing?” Blitzo asked, annoyed by the sudden hug but he didn’t push them off. 

Octavia smiled, “Nothing, just hugging you.” 

Orion was also smiling, “You’re the best Blitzo! The best friend we ever had!” 

Oh great, Blitzo could feel tears threatening to form but he pushed those back and returned the hug, rubbing his face against theirs in return, thinking it was some sort of Goetian kid thing, “Yea, no problem you two. Just don’t get mushy about it all the time.” 

The twin’s feathers puffed in pure glee as they felt the familiar feeling of love and protection on their chests strengthen. It felt complete and it felt right. 

“Okay you little shits, let go I’m starving!” 

The owlets giggled and did so, only to see that Blitzo’s tail was wrapped around them. A natural reaction for an imp to keep their young safe, they’ve seen it happen with Loona. Blitzo told them to forget they saw that, and they played dumb in response. 

Just as they were about to order something, an imp waiter with a camera asked if they wanted a picture. Blitzo agreed because it was the twin’s birthday, they got up from the table and moved to and open area of the restaurant used for picture taking. They got into position, Octavia on his right, Orion on his left with Blitzo wrapping his arms around them. He had a smirk when he heard the all too familiar sound of a portal being made behind them.  

The waiter snapped a picture of Blitzo, Octavia and Orion with a happy Stolas and smirking Loona hugging them in surprise. 

Chapter Text

In a humble apartment inside a decently sized a living room lay a lone imp on an old couch. He was wearing an old t-shirt with a picture of a horse on it, a pair of boxers and he was bare hooved. He had his small tv on and he was mindlessly watching a show about some sinner slut who thought she was famous because she slept with a politician.  

It was Monday and for Blitzo, it was a lazy day.  

He didn't have to go to his part time job, and he didn’t have to go find an office space he needed for his developing business. So, he was enjoying a lazy day, no responsibilities, no running around and no chores. Although he knew that Loona will be back from school in an hour and will want a snack before she did her homework. She thankfully mellowed out after she turned sixteen, but she still had a bit of an attitude that popped up every now and then, but Blitzo didn’t mind. He was an ass at sixteen himself.  

Blitzo was on his back and scratching his stomach when his phone rang.   

“Christ on a stick! Now what?!” he yelled as he grabbed it and frowned when he saw the caller id picture, a picture of Stolas on his 17 th birthday, holding a beer bottle. His last day of freedom before he was to be married to the harpy know as Stella. Blitzo took him to Lust to try and give him a night on the town, but they ended up going to Gluttony when the owl freaked out over the strippers.  

The imp sighed and answered.  

“Listen Stols, I have a rare day off today so-”  

Blitzo jumped when he heard screeching and sounds of a scuffle, at first, he thought someone broke into the palace until he heard the frantic voice of his friend.  

“Blitzo! Please help me!” Stolas screamed, “Octavia! Put the blender down!”  

A high-pitched screech erupted in response.  

“No no no! Children no! Orion! Put the toaster down!”  

Another screech was heard and then a scuffle.  

“Blitzo! I need help! Puberty!”  

Blitzo blinked in pure confusion, “What?”  

“I'll open a portal! I need help and Stella left!”  

“Wait what?! Stols what the fuck is going on?!”  

A portal opened next to the couch and a long black arm grabbed him by the arm.  

“Hey!”  

One moment, Blitzo was in his cozy apartment. The next, he was in the palace kitchen where he saw a war zone. Cabinet doors were torn off, kitchen appliances were destroyed, and dishes were shattered.   

“The fuck happened here?” he asked himself, wondering if Stella finally lost her goddamned mind.  

Stolas did not have time to explain as he grabbed Blitzo and ran to the hallway. There he saw two hellhound guards trying to pry apart Octavia and Orion who were clawing at each other in blind rage.  

What the hell was going on?! Where these the same sweet eleven-year-olds he saw last week? The same little shots who he took to a shooting range because he could get a discount if he brought kids?  

“Stols?”  

“I'm sorry Blitzo but they entered Goetian puberty!” The owl said frantically as he helped the guards pry off Octavia.  

She was screeching, kicking her legs and thrashing her talons.  

“Goetian what?!”  

“Take Orion to his room! Lock the door!” the prince ordered the guards.  

The guards nodded, grabbing the equally screeching Orion and ran. Without batting an eye, Stolas gave his daughter to Blitzo.  

“Hey!”  

“I’m sorry Blitzo, I'll explain everything but please keep Via with you over night! I’ll compensate you!”  

Octavia was now biting Blitzo’s horn with a growl when he found himself back home.  

“What the fuck?! Stolas!”  

The portal closed and Octavia became violent once again, she threw herself off Blitzo and grabbed a lamp.  

“Via, sweetie, calm down and tell me what's wrong,” The imp said frantically with his hands up in defense.  

She let out a hiss along with a screech as if she did not recognize her friend at all. Her eyes were glowing, her lone right pupil was the size of a pin. She walked towards Blitzo, ready to attack.  

“Oh shit.”  

She threw the lamp and attacked Blitzo who was doing his best not to injure her, he pushed her off and ran to his room to grab rope, but Octavia was fast. She grabbed his tail and used it to swing the imp to the floor.  

“Via! Bad girl! Ow!” He yelled, his face being slammed on the carpet floor, “Can’t we talk about this?! Did I do something wrong?!”  

The owl princess screeched again before she was tackled to the ground by Loona who had just come home.  

“Dad! What the fuck is going on!?” she screamed, trying to keep the preteen from slashing at her face.  

“I don’t fucking know! Stolas just threw her at me!”  

Octavia let out a hiss and kicked Loona off her with tremendous strength that neither the imp nor hellhound knew she had, and she grabbed the nearest object, that fucking red oak side table Loona just had to have, to throw. They ducked when the object came flying and tried to grab her again, but Octavia slipped away and grabbed Blitzo’s prized ceramic horse.  

“Don’t you fucking dare young lady!” Blitzo cried, charging at her while Loon grabbed the object before it hit the ground.  

Blitzo did not have time to celebrate the rescue of his horse, he heard the owl princess let out another blood curdling screech before she once again launched at him, talons out and everything. This time, Blitzo’s instincts kicked in and he stepped out of the way just as Octavia was near, forced her to the ground, sat on her lower back and pinned her lanky arms behind her back.  

“Loona! Get the rope now!” he yelled, doing his best not to hurt the little girl.  

Loona nodded and ran to her father’s room to grab the rope he used for his side hit hustle. She came back just when Octavia almost successfully squirmed out from under Blitzo.  

“Sorry Via sweetie but you brought this on yourself!”  

Blitzo grabbed the rope and first tied Octavia’s arms to keep her from thrashing, avoiding her wrists in case she tried to use her talons to slice the ropes. Next, he tied rope around her small body to keep her from launching again. The only thing he did not do was gag her to keep her from screeching and hissing, which she did. He is so going to get complaints from the neighbors afterwards.  

Octavia struggled to get free, she screeched, she hissed, and she kicked her bound legs with enough force that it shook the bookshelf and tv stand nearby. The box tv sadly fell and broke, Loona was close to attacking the girl, but Blitzo stopped her. All they could do was wait and hope that the owl would tire herself out and calm down.  

After three hours, Blitzo timed it, of Octavia screeching and hissing, she slumped to the ground.  

Loona panicked, “Dad did we just kill Via!?”  

“No! She’s fine!” Blitzo said with a frantic smile, “Via? Sweetie? Are you alive?!”  

His answer was a soft snore of hoots, cute, she snores like Stolas. Blitzo let out a relieved sigh, he didn’t kill his best friend's baby and he won't die at the hands of a pissed off Goetia.  

“So... should we untie her?” Loona asked, wondering if it was safe.  

Blitzo didn’t know, what if Octavia woke up and became violent again? Was it worth the risk to untie her? He already felt bad for tying up the eleven-year-old.  

As he thought about his options, his phone rang and before he could answer, a magical aura seeped out of it and the orb it formed to show a very frazzled Prince Stolas. Of course, he’s using his magic to make his own version of a video call.  

“Hello Blitzo... did Via fall asleep yet?” He asked, he looked like he went through war without disarrayed his feathers were and how torn up his button-down shirt was.  

Blitzo tried to move the phone away to make sure Stolas didn’t see but he forgot that the was a magical phone call and that Stolas could move the orb. Which was what he did and saw his little girl, passed out and tied up.  

“Listen Stols, before you go batshit insane, leave Loonie alone! I was-”  

“Make sure Via is somewhere comfortable, the floor is not a place to rest.”  

“Eh?”  

“I do hope those ropes aren’t too tight Blitzo.”  

“Um... I didn’t I- Wait a fucking minute! You’re not mad that I-”  

“Tied up Via to ensure she won’t attack you? I am not, it would make me a hypocrite.”  

Stolas stepped away to show Orion passed out in his bed, his wrists were bound crisscross to his chest by magic purple chains.  

“Oh...”  

Stolas let out a tired chuckle, “I apologize for making you take Via Blitzo but I was desperate. Stella left the palace the second Octavia threw a cup and Orion.”  

Blitzo blinked, rubbed his tired eyes and growled, “I really hate that bitch you call a wife.”  

“I know...”   

Loona had already picked up Octavia and placed her on the couch, making sure she was on her side since it was her preferred place to sleep.  

“I’ll accept your apology if you tell me what the hell was that!? What’s this ‘Goetian puberty’ you were squawking about?! Via nearly destroyed my prized horsey and broke my tv!”  

Stolas gave a surprised hoot before he rubbed the back of his head. Blitzo by then sat at the kitchen aisle and poured himself a drink.  

“Well... do you remember when I was thirteen and I was visiting you at the circus?” Stolas asked as he poured himself a drink, “Fizz and Barbie made a comment about my hat?”  

Blitzo blinked and then remembered.  

Stolas was visiting the circus after he had finished his lessons early. He was in a brooding mood and Blitzo chalked it up to him being tired from being at home all day. Until Fizz and Barbie said his hat, a top hat that would be his signature crown hat, looked like mini cannon. It was meant to be a harmless joke that the young prince would have easily laughed at but instead, Stolas flew into a blind rage and picked up the strong man’s barbell and used it as a bat. It took both Blitzo and the strong man hours to keep the prince from going after the pair who were chased up the trapeze tower. The next day, Stolas came back with a gift basket and a lengthy apology for his behavior, but he never explained what had happened.  

“Yeah and?”  

“I was going through Goetian puberty. When a child of the Goetia reaches their adolescence, they experience a day where their bodies start processing their,” Stolas cleared his throat, “hormonal levels which sometimes it leads to moments of blind anger and their natural instincts set in. Normally it would be what my case was when I was told that joke but for Via and Rion, it was because there was a sibling and the need for dominance surfaced.”  

“Oh, okay I think I get,” Blitzo said after he took a sip of his drink, “So basically it was a ‘there can only be one’ thing.”  

Stolas nodded, “Yes when you put it that way. I did some reading, and it says that siblings need to be kept apart for 24 hours. Otherwise, they will try to kill each other again.”  

Blitzo sighed, “Well shit...”  

“I promise I’ll replace the tv and anything else Via destroyed. How about I have some dinner delivered?”  

Blitzo gave it some thought, “I’ll take the replacement tv but I'm good on food, I have leftovers.”  

“Are you sure? I feel like I owe something after abruptly handing over Via to you.”  

“Just replace my tv.”  

Stolas sighed, “Very well Blitzo. I’ll pick up Via in the morning.”  

“Noted, see you then.”  

“Have a good evening Blitzo.”  

The magic orb disappeared with a pop like a bubble when Loona took out the left-over Chinese food.  

“So, we’re babysitting tonight dad?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.  

Blitzo nodded, “It’s only until tomorrow and besides, she’s out.”  

Octavia was snuggled up on the couch and showed no signs of waking up.  

“Whatever,” The teen muttered, her food had finished heating in the microwave and took the plate to her room. Typical teenager.  

Blitzo wasn’t in the mood to eat so he just watched a movie on his phone before he turned in. He checked Octavia one more time, putting a pillow under her head for comfort and ruffled her soft feathered head gently. She made a soft sound and she grinded her beak, Blitzo remembered that she and Orion did that when relaxed so he assumed that she was now relaxed. He draped a horse printed blanket over her for extra comfort.  

“Must be hard being an owl.”  

He went to his room, crawled into bed and fell asleep.  

X  

Blitzo was dreaming about running with wild horses when he felt a poke on his cheek.  

“Blitzo?” A soft voice called to him.  

“No... sleepy...”  

“Please wake up Blitzo,” the voice called again.  

“No mama...”  

The voice sighed and she spoke again, “Please Blitzy?”  

Hearing that stupid nickname, Blitzo’s eyes shot open, and he shot up, “My name is Blitzo!”  

He looked around to find whoever said that and he was met with a pair of magenta eyes with a lone pupil on the right eye. Octavia had the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulder with a remorseful look on her face.  

“Eh... Via?! What the-?! How did you get out of those ropes?!” Blitzo exclaimed, ready to defend himself if the little owl got violent again.  

Octavia blinked and answered, “I bit the rope and wiggled out. I'm not angry anymore, I promise.”  

And she didn’t freak out about being tied up? She just bit them? Blitzo admired her first reaction for a moment and noticed that she was making sure that the blanket didn't fall.  

“You okay sweetie?”  

The girl blushed, “No...”  

Blitzo smiled and got off his bed, “If you're upset about the tv, don't worry about it. I’ll make you my famous pan- What the fuck?!”  

He looked at Octavia who was looking down at him. Wasn't she the same height as him without including his horns yesterday!?   

“My clothes shrunk...”  

The blanket was thankfully long enough to cover her whole body. Blitzo ran out the door and knocked on Loona’s door.  

“Loonie! I need one of your sweaters!”  

He heard a growl on the other side, “I know its Saturday but Via woke up! She grew!”  

After a few moments, the door opened to reveal an annoyed but cautious Loona.  

“She’s awake and you're not dead?”  

Blitzo gave her a deadpan look, “No I'm not dead but she grew! I need one of your sweaters.”  

Octavia walked out, still wrapped in the blanket and she gave a small wave. Loona jaw dropped and she pushed her dad out of the way.  

“You weren’t kidding! Via come here!” Loona led the owl girl to her room and shut the door.  

Blitzo sighed and took out his phone, Stolas answered after the first ring.  

“Don’t tell me, Via had a growth spurt overnight,” the prince said with worry in his voice.  

“Yup, Loonas gonna let her borrow her clothes. Did Rion grow too?”  

“Yes.”  

“How tall?”  

He heard Stolas hum in thought, “I think he’s taller than you.”  

“Well so's Via but Rion might be taller.”  

“I see, well I'll be there right now.”  

A portal opened and Stolas walked out, he was wearing a blue buttoned-down shirt and black pants, behind him a boy walked out of the portal before it closed. He wore a maroon shirt and black pants and no shoes.  

“Rion?”  

The boy gave a small wave, “Hey Blitzo.”  

It came out in the sound of a croak making Orion blush.  

Blitzo tried to not laugh but he failed miserably.  

“Don’t laugh Blitzo!” Stolas yelled in a panic, “he’s already embarrassed enough!”  

The imp still laughed until he was coughing, “Sorry, sorry!”  

Orion crossed his arms and looked away, dad said that no one would notice! He felt a hand on his arm, looking down he saw Blitzo.  

“Sorry buddy, if it makes you feel better, I sounded like a mouse in a blender when my voice cracked,” the imp said, smiling as if he was proud of it.  

The owl boy let out a small snort.  

“Good, now we’re even.”  

Orion let out a small hum and a nod when Loona’s door opened.  

“Sorry is not fancy but it’ll do,” The hellhound muttered.  

“It’s fine Loona! I love your style!” piped Octavia.  

Loona was still in her pajamas which was basically a black t-shirt with a red pentagram and black shorts. Octavia was now wearing a long red sweater that reached her knees and black leggings.   

The adults found it interesting that even when apart, the twins always wore the same colors.  

Octavia looked up and saw her brother.   

It was a tense silence, while Stolas did say that they needed to be kept apart for 24 hours, it was still worrisome. What if something changed? Will they still be the same close twins they were the week before or will they hate each other?  

The twins blinked, tilted their heads and charged. But it wasn’t to attack, it was a hug. Octavia wrapped her arms around her little brother, her head only reaching his shoulders, crying her apologies, her tail feathers were stiff, proof that she felt awful about yesterday.  

“I’m sorry Rion! I didn’t mean to hit you with the blender!”  

Orion also wrapped his arms around his older sister and gave her head a pat, he acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but his own tail feathers were stiff “It’s fine, I'm sorry I smashed the toaster on your head.”  

Both adults and Loona let out their held breaths, good the twins were not going to kill each other today.  

“Well thank you again Blitzo for looking after Via, I'll take her home now,” Stolas said, getting ready to open a portal to the palace.  

“I thought we were going to have pancakes Blitzo,” Octavia said, still holding her brother.  

Orion perked up and turned his head completely over to look at his dad, “Blitzo’s pancakes actually sound really good dad. Can we stay?”  

On cue, the twin’s stomachs growled. They don't even remember the last time they ate. Stolas was about to say no because he had already imposed on his friend enough, but Blitzo agreed.  

“Come on Stols, they’re starving, and you still owe me a new tv.”  

“You broke his tv Via?”  

“That was an accident!”  

Blitzo was already in the kitchen bringing out the giant mixing bowl and pancake mix while Loona and the kids did what they would always do whenever the twins came to visit, clearing the coffee table that miraculously did not get smashed. It was a bit of a task this time because of the twin’s new height but they were able to set it up. Stolas helped make coffee, the only thing he could do himself, making sure to not get in Blitzo’s way while he cooked.  

Once the purple pancakes were done, the group settled on floor and enjoyed their small breakfast.  

“Why do you always put purple food coloring in the pancakes anyway?” Orion asked, pouring a hearty helping of syrup on his share.  

Blitzo took a swig of his iced coffee, “Royal pancakes for royal guests! Thats why!”  

The kids tilted their heads while Stolas laughed.  

“That’s not a good answer Blitzo,” Octavia said with a narrow glare, but she ate her pancakes anyway.  

Loona sighed and debated whether she should eat in her room or not but decided to stay, it was nice eat with her dad and friends, not that she would admit it.  

“So now what?” Blitzo asked with a mouth full of pancake, “Any more puberty surprises I should know about Stols?”  

Stolas, eating his pancakes in a regal manner, spoke, “No. Unlike other hellborns, members of the Goetia only experience puberty for one day.”  

Both Blitzo and Loona chocked on their food/coffee.  

“What?!” Loona yowled, “Are you serious?!”  

Blitzo wiped his face of the coffee, “Damn rich birds...”  

Stolas blinked in confusion, “Did I say something wrong?”  

Octavia and Orion gave their father a look that said, ‘you're kidding right?’  and took a sip of his coffee to try to see what it tastes like. A little bitter but it had a good flavor.  

The owl prince still wanted to know what he had said wrong.  

X  

“Are you sure you want to get your clothes here?” Stolas asked, looking around Stylish Occult with his children.  

The twins gave smalls nods and ran to the clothing section.  

When they got home, he made arrangements for Octavia and Orion to have their rooms upgraded to fit their new heights. It meant new beds and furniture, new everything. A servant told him that Stella would not be back until tomorrow and he called her, telling her that the children already finished their puberty, but she basically told him that she’ll leave whatever needs to be done to him. Even when Stolas said that Octavia might need her help when it came to being a young lady, Stella snapped and said that she will do it when Via goes to her but until then, she was enjoying her spa day and hung up.  

That was lovely, very lovely. Stolas felt his headache increased after that call. Was it truly a chore for his wife to try and be a mother? Did she not understand how wonderful Octavia and Orion are?  

To try and remedy the situation, Stolas asked the children if they wanted to go out and shop for new clothes. They agreed and that was what lead him to a store he had fond memories of. He remembered Blitzo taking him there when they were teenagers, he fell in love with the dark fashions and icons, he remembered spending his entire allowance on a year's worth of clothes and thinking it was worth it when his father yelled at him for frivolous spending. Stolas’ first act of teenage rebellion and sadly the last.  

He looked around the store and saw Octavia and Orion looking at a clothing rack. Stolas chuckled and approached them.  

“Those won’t do children.”  

Orion gave him an annoyed look, “Why not?”  

“Let me guess, you don't approve?” Octavia muttered with a glare  

Already at the annoyed phase, Stolas smiled and looked through the rack, “Neon colors do not suit you two, I think a darker color palette would suffice.”  

Looking through the rack, Stolas pulled out a dark pink long-sleeved dress with stardust designs, it looked like it reached the knees.  

“Try this one Via,” he offered it to his daughter who already looked interested. She ran to the girl's dressing rooms.  

Stolas then looked for an outfit for Orion, he pulled out a layered shirt with the long sleeves having black and white stripes while the shirt had pictures of the planets. He then pulled out long black pants.  

“And you try this one on Rion.”  

Orion also showed an interest in the outfit, he took it and went to the boys dressing room. While he waited for them to get out, Stolas looked the store to see what had changed. The only thing new what was the taxidermy which he didn’t care for but everything else was the same. He even saw that the preening oils he used to use were still being sold. Stolas loved how the oil made his feathers shine even in the dark and he loved the smell. He even remembered how they helped tame the unruly feathers,  

“I think I'll take a few of these for myself and for the children,” he said with a smile, smelling the sweet smell he loved so much.  

He heard the curtains of the dressing rooms pull open and out walked the twins holding the clothes Stolas had given them.  

“I take it you did not like them?” He asked, not bothered that they probably thought he gave them terrible outfits.  

Instead, they gave him their outfits with small blushes.  

“Can we have them dad?” Octavia asked softly.  

“And... can you help us find more clothes?” Whispered Orion, still embarrassed by his croaking voice, “Please?”  

Stolas lit up, “Of course! Lets see...”  

An hour later, Stolas opened a portal for the servants to go through and picked up several bags of clothing because Stolas wanted to spend time with his children. Once that was done, the trip walked out of the store. Octavia and Orion were wearing the clothes their dad first picked for them, they tried not to smile but it was hard. It felt nice to know that their dad was supportive of their style choice.  

“Now, how about we have lunch children? How about that BBQ place you like?” He asked with a smile.  

They nodded and walked beside him, Octavia on his right and Orion on his left. Stolas wanted to hold their hands like he always did when they were small, but he knew that they were probably going to pull away as they were still processing their new emotions and growth spurts.  

He smiled when they both reached and held his hands during the walk to the restaurant.  

Chapter Text

Being twelve was tough, both Octavia and Orion agreed.  

They were told that twelve was between being a kid and teenager so it would an awkward year. So far, the sudden growth spurts they got last year was one of their major obstacles. They were too big to play in their jungle gym so it was dismantled but Stolas did allow them to keep their swing set, the swings would have to be adjusted to fit their heights, but they could at least keep that. 

Another obstacle was that their lessons with their mother increased. Stella claimed that now that the twins were twelve, they needed to take their lessons seriously than ever before. She said that they were sloppy in their etiquette and that they were drastically behind in their social debut. Stolas had said that they were ahead of their etiquette lessons and that their social debut wasn’t until their fifteenth birthday. Stella told him that she was younger than the children when she had her debut and that was before her engagement to him. They argued until Stella begrudgingly agreed to wait until the twins were fifteen, but she demanded that she increased their lessons. Stolas begrudgingly agreed to that. 

So here they were, at their desks facing their mother who was giving them a lecture about what it meant to be a member of the Ars Goetia. They were told to write notes about what their mother talking about and if she wasn’t happy with what they wrote, they would be ‘corrected’ and by corrected it meant a swat from that stupid yard stick she carried. 

Orion sighed and leaned down on his desk, his left elbow on the desk and he rested his cheek on his hand. He was bored and it showed on his face.  

“Orion, is my lecture boring you?” Stella snapped. 

The boy sat up straight and whispered, “No mother...” 

“Speak up! A Goetia never mutters!” 

“But-” 

Stella whacked his desk with her yardstick, scarring both the boy and Octavia. 

“A Goetia never mutters,” Stella repeated, her voice low which made them even more scared “Give me your hand.” 

“What?” Orion said with his croaked voice. 

“Give me your hand Orion!” 

When he didn’t, Stella reached and grabbed the hand Orion was using to leaning on. Octavia reached over, trying to stop her mother but she was slapped across the face, making her stumble to the floor. 

“Mother-!” 

“Stay out of this Octavia!” Stella screeched, “Orion! Open your hand, now!” 

Orion resisted at first but after seeing his sister being pushed, he did so. Stella whacked his palm three times; he was sadly used to the stinging pain. A servant who was standing by did his best to hide the fear and disdain he had towards the mistress of the palace. 

Stella stepped back and looked at Octavia who was glaring at her as she got up from the floor. Her hand over the red mark on her left cheek. 

“Wipe that look off your face young lady or you are next!” 

The young girl did so but she still felt the anger, dad would never hit them if they leaned on their desk or looked bored. 

“Now, where was I?” Stella asked, as if she did not just strike her son and pushed her daughter away roughly, “As yes, the current history of the Goetia.” 

She went back to her lecture, the twins sat up straighter and took their notes. Their small resentment towards their mother growing. 

After an hour, Stella ended the lesson, she was semi satisfied with the notes the children wrote. She admonished Orion for his terrible handwriting and reprimanded Octavia for her simplistic handwriting. 

“So much like you father its despicable,” She muttered, looking over the notes, “Off with you!” 

The twins nodded and left, they wanted to run but they knew the consequences if they did, they left their study and ran for the library. The only place in the palace their mother would never go to, they’ve never seen her read so the library became their sanctuary. 

Once inside, Octavia checked her brother’s hand. Orion checking the slowly fading red mark on his sister’s face. 

 “It’s not that bad Via,” He whispered. 

“I know but she’s going to break the skin someday!” She cried, “You didn’t do anything wrong!” 

Orion smiled, “Thanks Via, I needed that. What about you?” 

Octavia smiled back, “I’m fine. She didn’t use her talons this time,” she walked around the library, “We have time to kill before dad gets here so let’s find a book.”  

“Sure,” the boy muttered, looking around. 

They looked at the many books and one caught their eyes; it was a green leather book with leaflike designs on the spine. 

“Hm? Herbology?” Octavia took it out of the shelf. 

Orion, using his new height to look over her shoulder, read a page, “Didn’t dad say that we can use plants and herbs to make potions?” 

“He did, I wonder when he's going to teach us that.” 

“I think he's more focused on our weird quirk Via.” 

The quirk being that their magic would result in a pupil appearing on their solid eyes whenever they used their magic or when they would both touch the grimoire. 

Octavia sighed and flipped through the pages when a recipe caught her eyes, “Instant healing?” 

That caught Orion’s attention, he read the page, “This simple potion will accelerate a Goetian’s self-healing without any damage to their bodies. It also works for the lower born such as imps and hellhounds. That sounds cool.” 

Octavia used her magic to levitate the book, and she pulled out her notebook from her infinite storage to write down the recipe, “This will be perfect for whenever mother uses that stick!” 

“Or for other things...” Orion mumbled, subconsciously rubbing his forearms. 

Stella had always been discreet with her ‘corrections’ when she started tutoring the twins but as of late, they became more frequent even when they were not doing their lessons. Octavia and Orion were glad that they had gray feathers, they hid the bruises better. They wanted to desperately tell their dad what was happening, but their mother would say that if they did, she would send them to their uncle.  

The very uncle they hated ever since they were eight. They could still feel his cold touch on their faces. What had happened then would not be the last time. Being dragged to his mansion on weekends under the guise of ‘getting to know family’ and Stella would watch as her brother would try to force an imprint on the twins. And every time, they would freeze which resulted in another ‘correction’. It was getting worse, but they were still too scared to tell their father. Something about their mother scared them into silence, they didn't know why, and they hated it. 

Octavia and Orion felt like they had nobody to turn too. Nothing to help them cope with the stress of what their mother was doing.  

Nothing at all. Except the feathers on their arms.  

Stolas has been wondering why his owlets were wearing long-sleeved shirts as of late. 

Octavia finished writing down the recipe when they heard the door open, and Stolas walked in. She put her notebook away quickly. 

Just his presence alone made them smile, it helped them forget the terrible things for a little while. 

“Good afternoon children!” He announced with a smile, he noticed the book Octavia was holding, “ah, I see you found the book on herbology!” 

Octavia quickly turned the page so he wouldn’t see what she and Orion were reading when he approached them. 

“When are we going to learn other things besides the grimoire dad?” Orion asked, not in a whisper this time, he felt comfortable around his dad. 

Stolas took the book and put it away, “I know it's frustrating children. I promise, after a few more lessons, I will teach you a subject of your choosing.” 

The twins wagged their tail feathers and smiled. 

“Okay daddy!” 

“We’re holding you to that!” 

Stolas chuckled and pulled out the grimoire, “Today’s lesson will be quite different. We are going on a field trip!” 

They tilted their heads. 

“Another trip to the living world?” Octavia asked, it had been a while since they went. 

Stolas shook his head and pulled out the grimoire, “It is a place you both have known for a long time.” 

The twins walked up to him when he opened the book and used a spell to open a portal to space. They saw the all too familiar solar system they saw so long ago and smiled. On instinct, they held on to their father who was more than happy to hold them close as he flew through the portal. Despite their new heights, they were still his precious little children who wanted to be in his arms. 

Octavia and Orion closed their eyes on instinct as they were still trying to get used to going through portals, but they felt safe in their father’s arms, knowing very well that he would protect them if anything happened. 

“Open your eyes children,” Stolas said softly. 

They did and were greeted with the rich colors of red, blue and purple. They were always in awe of the galaxies their father loved so much. It was a love they shared with him, Stolas was happy to see their eyes light up when they saw the planets and stars. They were now standing on a large asteroid looking over the solar system. The twins were tempted to jump off the ground and explore the stars. They walked ahead of their father, standing at the edge of the asteroid. 

“Do you remember that time I brought you here?” He asked with a gentle smile, approaching them and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. 

They looked at him and nodded. 

This was the place their father took them when they were five. That nightmare of never finding him was scary and it was a fear they still had. They remembered being carried to this place while their dad sang them that beautiful lullaby promising that no matter what, he was never far away and if he were to be truly gone, they would be okay as he would be in the sky. 

“Why’d you bring us here daddy?” Octavia asked, she was holding her father’s arm as it secured his hold on her, “Are we really doing lessons?” 

Orion felt the ground under his feet giving way and he held onto to the arm that was holding him, “Dad? What's going on?” 

Stolas chuckled and held his children close as the asteroid broke apart. The twins screamed but they realized that they were not falling. They heard their father chuckle again when they realized that they were floating. 

“I am so sorry my children, but I wanted to surprise you,” he said, the cape he was wearing flowed gracefully in the zero gravity.  

Octavia and Orion held hands as they floated in midair, their matching black and hot pink cardigans and tail feathers flowed as well but not as gracefully as their father’s. And their messy hair almost poofed out, Stolas tried not to laugh since he knew how hard they tried to manage their hair. 

“As you both know, I study the earth’s skies, the stars and the prophecies they hold. This will be something I will pass down to the both of you but unlike myself who had to learn all this on my own, I will guide you in every step of the way.” 

Stolas offered his hands to his children, and they took them, knowing that he would not let them go too far. 

“Hold on,” he said as he began to soar through the galaxy. 

Octavia and Orion were once again awestruck by the beauty of space. They saw a shooting star and smiled. 

“Dad did you see that?!” Orion asked with a smile. 

“I did. Did you know that human have superstitions about shooting stars?” 

They looked at their father, giving him their full attention. They never took notes during his lectures because Stolas never doubted his children's intelligence. He knew that they absorbed everything he said and remembered it all. Word for word.  

Stolas looked up and saw another shooting star fly across the galaxy. 

“For ages, humanity believed that a shooting star was either a good omen or a bad one. If it shoots to the right, you will receive good luck but if it shoots to the left, bad luck follows,” He saw their eyes quickly shooting glances at each other and he knew that they were wondering if they saw the star shoot left and right, “Some believe that if you make a wish if you see a shooting star, it will come true. And there's a belief that a shooting star are souls being released from purgatory.” 

The twins' eyes lit up in awe, their lone pupils were close to glowing. 

“Wow...” Octavia whispered, looking for more shooting stars. 

“Humans have great imaginations,” Orion said, his new voice was trying break through. 

Stolas smiled, “They do when it comes to something they don’t understand. As you both know, shooting stars are burning meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at high speeds.” 

Octavia was now the one chuckling, “I think I prefer the wishes. A feeling of hope you know?” 

“Honestly, I do as well Via,” Stolas said looking up at the beautiful display of the stars and cosmic clouds, “Hope is what humans have had for a long-time my children, it's what keep them going. That’s what makes them interesting. Most of the time.” 

The twins smiled and began to float around, they felt so free. Stolas looked at his pocket watch and sighed sadly, it was almost time for their lesson to end and seeing them smile as they began to fly around space made him feel bad that he was going to end it. 

“Alright children, it's time to go.” 

They gave frustrated groans. 

“Already?” Orion croaked. 

Octavia crossed her arms and sat in the air, “It’s always when we’re having fun!” 

“I know children, I understand but if I were to make these lessons longer, you will get bored,” The prince explained as he opened a portal back to the library, “The both of you are very intelligent and I don’t you to burn out.” 

How does he know how to make them feel better when they get upset over their lessons with him ending? The twins wondered that as they followed their father through the portal. They fell not so gracefully to the ground when gravity decided to say hello. Stolas let out a laugh and his children glared at him before they laughed as well.  

“The spell I used to open the portal to space is yours to use freely to go to space whenever you want,” Stolas explained as he helped his children stand up and used his talon fingers to get any cosmic dust out of their hair and try to preen the unruly shagginess known as their hair, “It does not open a portal to the living world so don’t get any ideas.” 

The twins pouted a bit, but they nodded, it was tempting to want to travel to the living world when they wanted too but to go back to space was just as nice. 

“It is still a long time before dinner so why don’t you two have a free day?” 

Octavia and Orion smiled and ran off. 

“We’re going to see Blitzo then!” Octavia declared. 

“See you dad!” 

Stolas gave a wave and smiled; his children have become so close to his friend over the years, and it made him happy. He was saddened when their friendship with Loona cooled down, but it was expected. Loon was older and she was already a teenager by the time the twins were ten but the bond they had was still there. Just not as close as it used to be.  

The prince walked towards the window of the library that overlooked the courtyard and saw as the twin walked in the waiting car. And then a thought struck him. 

“Wait... isn’t that person there at his apartment now?” 

X 

Please don’t ask Octavia and Orion why they did it. They don’t know why either. 

All they knew was that after they were dropped off at Blitzo’s apartment, they ran in, took the elevator to his floor and knocked on the door that had a hanging door decoration Loona made as gift for her father’s birthday a long time ago. Said girl was out with friends for the day so Blitzo should have been home. 

The door opened but instead of their best friend opening the door, it was a woman with pink skin, black and pink wins, long platinum hair with pink undertones with a pair of pink horns with black tips with a black star on each one sticking out. 

She was wearing nothing but a thin robe that was slightly opened and she looked annoyed. 

“Who the hell are you?” was all she asked. 

Octavia and Orion’s feathers puffed up, their lone pupils shrinking to the size of pins, and they each let out an ear-piercing hiss which woke up a certain imp who ran out, thankfully in his boxers, just in time to stop the twins from attacking his girlfriend. 

X 

“Sorry Ver, I had no idea what got into them!” Blitzo said, he was sitting on his couch now wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants all the while two owl preteens were holding on to him in a vice grip glaring at the succubus who now sitting in front of them.  

The succubus, named Verosika not that they cared, was wearing a very low-cut rouge sweater, white short shorts and black heeled boots. Her arms were crossed, and she had a sour look on her face with had a couple of scratches, courtesy of the twins. 

“So, these are the ‘little shits’ you keep talking about Blitzo?” She asked, upset over her face being scratched. 

Blitzo let out a nervous laugh, “Yea, they're my friend's kids. They’re normally very sweet!” 

He pointed at Octavia on his right who had her cheek pressed against his, “This is Octavia, you can call her Via for short.” 

Octavia clicked her beak in response. 

“Uh... Ok...” He then pointed to Orion on his left who also had his cheek pressed against his, “This is Orion, you can call him Rion for short.” 

Orion also clicked his beak in response. 

Verosika gave a huff, she could tell that the owls did not like her, but they were obviously important to her boyfriend as much as his adopted daughter was, so she gave a smile, “Hello there! I’m Verosika, it's nice to meet the little kids my boyfriend talks so much about.” 

The twins clicked their beaks again, they knew she emphasized the word ‘boyfriend’ and felt insulted that she called them little. 

“Come on you two, be nice,” They heard Blitzo say but they still held on to him. 

Verosika looked at her phone and opened a message, “Come one Blitzo honey. Our reservation is in an hour.” 

She stood up and made and an attempt to reach for the imp, but Octavia swiped her talons at her. 

“Via!” Blitzo scolded, “You know better than that young lady!” 

The owl girl looked at Blitzo with wide eyes, surprised and sad at the scolding face Blitzo had, he only showed that to Loona when she was bad. 

“Now, both of you let me go. I have a date,” he said firmly. 

Octavia and Orion were reluctant to do so before they did but they were still glaring at Verosika. Blitzo didn’t nocte as he walked to his room to change. 

“I bet you wanted to visit, sorry you two but Loonie said she’ll be back when we leave so you can hang out with her for a while. How does that sound?” 

The twins were now sitting on the couch with their arms and legs crossed, never looking away from the succubus who was now trying to cover up the scratches on her face with a sweet-smelling foundation from a heart shaped compact. 

“Yippee...” Orion hissed. 

Octavia was silent, she felt something bubbling in the pit of her stomach as she watched Verosika put herself together. It was a weird feeling. A feeling of aversion. 

The succubus noticed the intense stare and put her compact away, “What? Something on my face other than the scratches you gave me?” 

Octavia and Orion didn’t flinch. 

“No,” the girl grumbled, “Didn’t think Blitzo would go for a succubus...” 

“No offense but you people are weird,” said the boy, who also felt that weird feeling in his stomach. 

She approached them and smiled in a way they did not like, she leaned down, making her sure her cleavage was exposed. Something that succubus do to claim territory, “Well I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot but I'm going to be around for a long time so try not to act like little brats next time you see me, okay?” 

The twins, knowing what she was doing, clicked their beaks and were about to say something when Blitzo walked out. He was wearing black turtleneck sweater with a black leather jacket, black pants and his boots. 

“Hey Ver, ready to go?” 

Verosika stood up with a sweeter smile, “Of course!” 

She sauntered towards him, leaned down and kissed his cheek before walking to the door. Octavia’s feathers puffed again, that was the cheek she rubbed and clicked her beak again. Was that... that... succubus challenging her and Orion!? The little smirk Verosika made as she left almost confirmed Octavia’s suspicions. She wanted to jump over the couch and tackle that harlot, but she felt Orion’s hand on her shoulder. As if he was calming her down and keeping her from doing anything drastic.  

Blitzo didn’t notice the tension, pulled out his wallet pulled out and took out some money, “Loona will be here any minute you two so why don't you order a pizza?” 

“We can use our own money Blitzo,” Orion commented, “We came here uninvited any way.” 

“It’s fine! Save your money!” he said that as if he wasn't talking to a Goetian prince and princess. 

Blitzo gave them the money and left after a quick goodbye. The twins sighed, Octavia took out her phone while Orion took the money and went to Blitzo’s room. 

“Ew! It smells like her in here!” the boy screamed after he put the money in the sock drawer he knew where Blitzo kept his emergency stash. He ran out with his hand over his beak, Octavia took a whiff and reacted the same way. 

“What is that?!” 

They heard the door open and saw Loona walk in, she was looking at her phone and looked up to see the twins. 

“Hey you guys,” she said in surprise, “Dad didn’t say you were here.” 

Orion smiled, “Hey Loona! We wanted to stop by and hang out!” 

“But....” Octavia grumbled. 

Loona knew that look the girl had, “You met Verosika huh?” 

They nodded. 

“Let me guess, she was half-naked and acted nice?” 

“Pretty much,” Orion sighed as he took his sisters phone to order his own pizza, “She smells weird.” 

The got Loona’s attention, she smelled the air, “Thats her perfume, it’s a hit in Lust for um... your... hm...” 

“We know what sex is Loona,” Octavia said with a raised eyebrow, “we’re ordering pizzas, the usual for you?” 

The hellhound teen let out a sigh of relief, she did not know how to explain to the twelve-year-olds about how that perfume was actually a pheromone perfume that couple use to make it more ‘fun’ in the bedroom. How it worked was that the couple was supposed to mix their ‘essence’ in the bottle, so it didn’t affect anyone else. Those who did smell it would be welcomed by the sweet smell of flowers and champagne. 

“Does it really smell weird?” Loona asked as she made her own pizza on Octavia’s phone, “It’s basically a couple's perfume, it’s supposed to smell nice.” 

The twins wrinkled their beaks and shook their heads. 

“It has a weird smell, it smells like... I don’t know, it just has a smell,” Octavia said, confirming the order and address, her father won’t mind that she used her ‘emergencies only’ credit card. It's not like she used it all the time.  

Loona raised an eyebrow, “Really?” 

Orion nodded, “Even I can’t explain it. The smell is gross, and she was covered in it.” 

The sixteen-year-old was curious now, the perfume was supposed to have a pleasant scent for everyone, but Via and Rion say that it smells? They went through puberty so they should already have some curiosity about sex.  

“Did you guys have the ‘talk’ already with your dad?” Loona settled on the couch, sitting between them like she used to do. 

Orion nodded, “Kind of, he tried getting mother involved but she said that she said that it was not her job.” 

“And daddy got flustered when getting to the basics, so we went to Pringles instead. He told us everything we needed to know,” Finished Octavia. 

“Uh... He does know that you’re built differently, right?” Loona asked, knowing that Goetia royals are not like any demons. 

Octavia giggled, “He does silly! He’s known us since we were babies!” 

“I think he helped dad change our diapers,” Orion added, sending a text to his dad that they were going to have dinner at Blitzo’s, “Hey, Loona?” 

The hellhound looked at him, “What’s up?” 

The preteen looked at his sister who nodded before looking at his friend, “Sorry for asking but you're older and you won't say anything stupid like Blitzo would but... do people have to have sex?” 

“Huh?” 

Octavia nodded, “Yea, it’s something we were both wondering for a while.” 

“Oh, I see now,” Loona said with an amused look, “Well, I think I'm last person to ask that question too. Why don't you wait until you're a little older?” 

“Why?” they both asked. 

“Because you're still young,” She explained, “although I think it's cool that you're aware about yourselves this early. Maybe your fancy library might have an answer.” 

They agreed on that, but it didn’t hurt to try and ask someone older than them.  

Orion got a message from Stolas saying he understood and told them to get home at nine. It was five now, so it meant that they get hang out with Loona who set up her gaming system. 

“Ready for some Berserk you two?” 

“Yeah!” They both exclaimed with their arms raised, gaming with Loona was the best.  

The pizzas arrived by then and they helped themselves to the soda Blitzo had. He didn’t mind that they were gone when he came home late.  

X 

It was official. 

Verosika was not a pleasant person. 

Octavia and Orion were visiting Loona for her birthday, she didn’t want to do anything big, so they brought her a tray of her favorite cupcakes. Black velvet with the traditional cream cheese icing with a raspberry glaze on top. They made them themselves, with the help of their pastry chef and Pringles of course, and they were proud of them. Blitzo was out picking up dinner from his little girl’s favorite restaurant. Stolas who would have loved to have been there had to do official royal business, but he did send a nice gift, a laptop Loona was saving up for. 

Verosika, who was visiting although Loona was suspecting that she was slowly moving in, ate one and said that she tasted better and compared them to that of wrath coals. The twins took that as an insult to their pastry chef who helped them create that recipe. 

“I’ll have you know ma’am that Blinky has been our pastry chef since our dad was a kid!” Octavia snapped at the succubus, “He takes pride in his baked goods! How dare you insult his recipe?!” 

Verosika smirked and crossed her arms, “Oh I’m sorry, I take it back. They are worse than wrath coals.” 

Orion clicked his beak and wanted to slash at that woman, but he was not going to ruin Loona’s day.  

The birthday girl was enjoying her second cupcake, “They’re good Verosika so knock it off.” 

The succubus gave a small huff but smiled, “Alright Loonie toonie since it is your birthday.” 

It came out as a bit of an insult. 

“Loona is fine,” She growled, her dad was the only one to call her that nickname even though she hated it. 

Verosika then left due to an important appointment, leaving the kids behind. 

“She’s a great singer and I like her songs but as a person...” Loona muttered. 

“She’s a bitch?” Octavia asked, still shaking from the insult to Blinky. 

Orion scoffed, “I’d say she’s a cunt.” 

Loona gave a laugh, she never heard the twin swear before ever, Verosika really pushed their buttons. She didn’t blame them though, she didn’t care for her dad’s girlfriend that much, but she knew that Blitzo sacrificed a lot to raise her and since she was now old enough to take care of herself, he wanted to start dating for real.  

“Well dad seems to like her enough.” 

The twins sighed and sat at the table. 

“Why though?” Octavia asked, picking up a cupcake, “What’s so great about her that he likes?” 

Orion already had his own cupcake, “Maybe it's an adult thing.” 

Blitzo walked through the front door with bags of food. 

“Happy birthday Loonie!” 

Loona’s mood shifted from annoyed to happiness. 

“Thanks dad.” 

The twins got up and began helping to set up the table for the small dinner. They puffed up in pride when Blitzo ate a cupcake and said it was the best cupcake he’s ever had. Blinky was asked if he could share his recipe when the twins came home. 

X 

It was now Octavia and Orion’s thirteenth birthday. It was the big one! The day they were no longer kids! They were now teenagers! Close to being adults! 

They wanted to go to gluttony for a shopping spree the day before they had to attend a stuffy birthday dinner their mother had planned(demanded). Stolas told them it was going to be like this from now on as he kept them from the family long enough. He apologized for letting it happen, but they understood. From meeting family members during event, they had to attend, they could see why their dad kept them away. They found their family members to be arrogant and boring, so they were grateful that their father let them have a normal childhood. 

Today they were to hang out with Blitzo and Loona for their birthday shopping and have a small lunch before the boring dinner. Stolas had to stay behind to supervise the preparations. 

It was going to be perfect! 

They were going to have fun! 

They were- 

Going to have to deal with Verosika who decided to tag along.  

“Blitzo... what's she doing here?” Octavia with her arms crossed and with a sour look on her face. Wearing a dark pink dress with yellow stars, a long black cardigan, black leggings and black heeled boots that were fitted for her talon feet. Her tiara was traded for a black beanie with a crown on it and a pink choker was around her thin neck. 

“I thought this was an us day,” Orion muttered his arms were also crossed and his face also had a sour look. He was wearing black pinstripe turtleneck sweater, a long magenta cardigan with pictures of the planets and constellations, black pants and black boots fitted for his talon feet. His crown was traded for small black fedora with a crown on it and he was wearing a star shaped medallion. 

Blitzo scratched the back of his head, “Yeah well, Ver wanted to tag along.” 

Said succubus was looking around the mall with her small entourage, not paying attention to the three teenager who were glaring nearby. 

“I know you kids got off on the wrong foot, but she wants to get along with you,” the imp said, unbothered by the scene, “Come you little shits, it's your birthday! Let's go!” 

The twins and Loona smiled, and they ran to the nearest shop they liked which was Stylish Occult.  

Octavia found a beautiful midnight purple dress with constellations at the skirt and wanted to show Blitzo but couldn’t find him. She looked around and found him walking out of the dressing room, fixing the jacket he was wearing. A second later, Verosika walked out, also fixing her very revealing dress. Octavia could smell that stupid perfume again and scowled. 

Verosika saw her and smirked, “Dressing rooms free now Via.” 

“Octavia is just fine you tart!” the teen hissed; she didn’t want the dress anymore. 

Blitzo scolded her and made her apologize. 

Orion and Loona saw the scene and were now pissed. Verosika saw them and smirked, as if she was challenging them. 

That’s it! This means war! 

X 

It started small. 

Ever since that day, Loona and the twins began to get back at Verosika for her treatment towards them. Loona confided to the twins about how the succubus acted sweet when Blitzo was around but then acted passive aggressive towards her when he wasn't around. The twins were mad for her that they ignored their own treatment they got from her, but Loona said that they needed to get back her as a team. 

Loona began her attack by melting Verosika’s lipsticks whenever she left them behind during her sleepovers. She had a smug look when she would wake up to her screaming about how her expensive limited-edition envy lipstick was ruined. She would then switch out Verosika's diet soda with a special soda that produced loud belches to the drinker. 

The twins tried to shred her clothes with their talons under the guise that it was an accident but being a succubus, she pulled off the shredded look and flaunted her perfect figure with pride. 

Blitzo was not aware of what was going one, he was under the impression that maybe Verosika was having trouble getting to know not just his daughter but with the twins he loved as his own. He tried to have a sit down with Loona, but she said that she just wanted her dad to herself and was sad at the idea of losing the only parent she’s ever had. That made the imp tear up and he hugged her, promising that he was never going to leave her. 

Stolas tried to talk to his twins about how Blitzo was allowed to date. But they were stubborn and said that he could do better than a woman who smelled. He did not understand why they kept saying that Blitzo told him that Verosika used a perfume that smelled like flowers and champagne. Maybe they just had a sensitive sense of smell. 

Three months went by and even after all the small and harmless pranks, from Orion gluing her shoes to the floor to Octavia hiding her phone, Verosika was still around and Blitzo started going out more with her. Octavia had enough and decided that she needed to up the ante. 

How? 

Orion saw her sneak into Blitzo’s room with a small jar, he watched as she opened the small jar and shake it over the soft bristle brush Verosika used for her hair. Orion snickered and then looked away to watch the Mortal Combat movie Loona played. Loona was too busy ‘looking’ at her phone to notice. 

X 

“Children!”  

Stolas’ voiced echoed throughout the halls of the palace as he made his way to the children’s study. 

He did not sound pleased. At all. 

Octavia and Orion were looking over a picture they took of Loona looking at a statue in Stylish Occult when they heard his voice. They have never heard him like that before and gulped. 

Just outside, Stolas took a deep breath and exhaled. He was not happy with what he just heard but knew very well that the children were innocent until proven guilty. He walked in and found them standing in the middle of their large study, side by side, hands folded in front of them, and they looked worried.  

“Yes dad?” Orion asked, his voice finally stopped cracking. 

“Did we do something wrong?” Octavia asked, her feathers were close to puffing out. 

Stolas sighed, he wanted to not believe it, but he still asked, “So I just had an interesting phone call with Blitzo. Apparently, Verosika has come down with a severe case of lice.” 

He watched for a reaction and saw Orion glance at Octavia in surprise, she flinched. 

“Via?” 

The teen looked away, “So? Why tell us daddy?” 

He got them, “Because Blitzo sent a picture, it was a Strigiphilus garylarsoni. A species of lice only owls get. Octavia, what did you do?” 

Stolas gave his daughter a stern look that made both his children flinch, but Octavia crossed her arms. 

“I just wanted to teach that tart a lesson,” She grumbled. 

“Octavia!” Stolas exclaimed, “Why would you do such a horrible thing?! Blitzo has tried everything to get them out! Verosika might have to cut her hair!” 

“Well, she deserved it!” Orion yelled, “We don’t like her! She’s rude and she smells awful!” 

Now Stolas was scolding both of his teenagers, “Listen,” He said firmly, “I do not know why you have such an issue with her, but this will stop now. You have been rather possessive of Blitzo as of late, he’s not a toy.” 

The twins crossed their arms and looked away. 

“We know he’s not a toy,” Octavia said, “He’s Blitzo and he's the best.” 

“He can do better than that tart who stinks,” Orion grumbled. 

Stolas sighed and placed his hands on both their shoulders, “I am very disappointed in the both of you,” okay that hurt more than the beatings they got from their mother, “Octavia, you knew better than to put parasites in someone's brush. And Orion, I can tell you knew she did it and did not stop her.” 

The twins were still defiant until they deflated, their feathers had puffed during the scolding until they settled. 

“You’re not going to tell Blitzo are you?” Octavia asked, she did not want the imp to hate her. 

“No,” Stolas said, his tone gentler now, “You will.” 

“What?!” They exclaimed in shock. 

“And” Stolas used his magic to take away their hellaroid camera, their phones and their credits cards, “You are grounded for two weeks, and you will apologize to Verosika.” 

“But dad!” Orion yelled. 

“But nothing, if you apologize sooner than you get your camera back,” Declared Stolas as he left the study. 

He could hear the frustrated groans and the door of their study locking. He hated being the bad guy, but he knew he had to be firm. 

X 

Two weeks came and went. 

The twins refused to apologize but Octavia did tell Blitzo that she was the one who put lice in Verosika’s brush. Blitzo swatted her on the head for that, she took it because his disappointed face was just as worse as her father’s. Orion also got swatted for knowing what she did and saying nothing. Blitzo made them go to Verosika to tell her but all it resulted in was them making snide comments about her pixie haircut.  

It was clear that Octavia and Orion were not going to warm up to Blitzo’s girlfriend, but the imp and Stolas just accepted it since they could not force them to like her. Loona made it clear during the louse incident that she did not like the succubus but kept her reasons why to herself, for her dad’s sake. It was assumed that, with time, the teenagers would eventually warm up to the woman in Blitzo’s life and everyone would have a good laugh afterword later in life. 

But things don't go according to what a demon wants sometimes. 

It happened one day at the palace when Octavia and Orion were in their study mixing a bubbling concoction in their small cast iron cauldron on a podium they had between their desks. It was blue and it smelled like sage and lavender, Orion was the mixer while Octavia watching the firebox. The fire had to be at a certain temperature otherwise the potion would overheat and turn into a nasty color. 

“Well Via?” Orion asked, his arm was getting tired. 

“The fire is perfect, how's the potion?” Octavia looked up after confirming the fire. 

Orion looked at the liquid and smiled when blue color began to change into rich purple. 

“It’s ready! Get the wormwood sprig!” 

The eldest went to her desk and grabbed the jar where she kept the wormwood sprigs. She pulled out a leafy sprig and dropped it in the liquid as her brother took the wooden out. 

The liquid had a small reaction to the sprig, it bubbled aggressively before it settled into a simmering liquid. Octavia waved her hand to summon small tear drop bottles while Orion waved his hand to manipulate the liquid. Working together, they filled the fourteen bottles with the potion and split them evenly. 

“Let’s test it to make sure it works,” Octavia said as she put her share in her storage. 

Orion nodded and pulled back his sleeve to reveal the bare patch on his arm. The pink skin was raw showing that it was recent. 

“Rion! When did-” 

“Mother had another mood,” he said, answering her unasked question, “Apparently, I look too much like dad and screamed at me.” 

Octavia bit her lower lip and hugged her little brother, “Sorry, I should have been there.” 

He chuckled and hugged her back, “I’m fine Via. Come on, I need to test it.” 

She let go and Orion took a bottle and drank it. While it smelled like sage and lavender, it tasted like a lemon drop. 

“Blegh... why do healing potions have to taste awful?” 

Octavia shrugged and looked at her brother’s arm. Almost instantly, pin feathers emerged from the skin before they turned into a fresh patch of slate gray feathers. It was almost as if the teen never pulled anything off there in the first place. 

“Well, it works,” Orion smiled, rubbing the new patch gently before rolling his sleeve back. 

“Perfect!” 

They started cleaning up when they heard a knock at the door, they knew it was their father because their mother simply barges in.  

“Yeah daddy?” Octavia called out, making sure their cauldron was covered. 

Stolas walked with a bit of a worried look on his face, he was wearing white flowy blouse and beige pants. 

“Children? I’m afraid you will have to have dinner in your study tonight,” he said, they saw that his mind was elsewhere. 

Orion was confused, “How come?” 

The prince sighed, “Blitzo is coming for a visit and no its not a casual visit.” 

Octavia tilted her head, “What do you mean? Did something happen?” 

“Uhm you can say that” Stolas mumbled, “All I can say is that he and Verosika are no longer seeing each other.” 

Normally, the twins would have been happy if anything happened to that succubus, but they could tell that it was serious, so they remained neutral. 

“Really? I thought he liked her,” A confused Octavia said. 

“Well, that is all I can tell you two,” Their father told them, gently preening their shaggy hair with his talon hands, “after you eat, i want you to go straight to your rooms.” 

The twins’ tail feathers wagged, and their feather fluffed, even as teenagers, they loved it when their dad preened their hair. It was the small acts of affection they loved to receive. 

“Okay dad,” Orion smiled, “you're just saying an early goodnight?” 

Stolas chuckled, “Of course my owlets. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

They smiled and rubbed their faces against their father’s cheek, Stolas had to lean down for Octavia to rub his face. He returned the gestures and left after making sure his children had their dinner delivered. 

X 

They didn’t mean to look. 

They truly didn’t mean to. 

After they had their dinner and thanked Pringles for sneaking them a desert, Octavia and Orion were going to go to their rooms when they decided to try and greet Blitzo before he left. They wanted to be sneaky, so they quietly crept their way to their fathers drawing room. The twins knew that was where their father and Blitzo were because it was the one place their mother would leave them alone. She hated Blitzo and always made it known whenever he visited, she was probably in her room sleeping but they didn’t care. 

The door leading to the room was slightly ajar and they gave a peek. 

Octavia and Orion could see their father talking to Blitzo, they couldn’t hear what was being said but they could see that he looked disappointed and showed concern. Blitzo was looking at the drink in his hands with a slight scowl on his red and white face. The expression on their father’s face then softened as he placed a comforting had on the imps back, he looked like he was saying something until suddenly, Blitzo looked at him and looked like he was yelling, throwing his drink to the ground, the glass shattering and their father jumping in surprise.  

“What’s happening?” Octavia whispered; she was worried. 

Orion placed a hand on her back and whispered back, “Maybe something happened between Blitzo and that woman.” 

They watched as Blitzo was now standing up with clenched fists and shaking shoulders. Their father, while still frazzled from the outburst, placed comforting hands on his friend’s shoulders. He looked like he was saying something until Blitzo lunged towards him, making him fall back on the couch with the imp on top. 

Blitzo realized what he did and looked like he was going to get up but Stolas' hands reached up to cup his face. He didn't look mad, he looked relaxed and yet shy. And then, Blitzo slowly leaned down and pressed his lips against Stolas' beak.

The twins’ eyes widened, covered their beaks with their hands and backed away from the door. Octavia looked at Orion who was just as surprised as she was, he jerked his head towards the way that they came, and they quickly and quietly made their escape. They ran until they were walking through the hallway that led to their rooms. They slowed down and made a small walk. 

It was a silent walk until Octavia finally asked the question that was burning both of them. 

“Did we just-” 

“See Blitzo kiss dad?” Orion finished, “Yes. Yes, we did.” 

“I... I don’t know what to think Rion. Daddy is married to mother.” 

Orion scoffed and crossed his arms, “And do you think he likes being married to that raging bitch?” 

Octavia gave it a thought and sighed sadly, “No, I don’t think he does.” 

For a while now, the twins began to suspect that their parents hated being married to each other, but they wondered why they remained married. They did not like their mother after giving up on trying to bond with her a long time ago, but they were too scared to say anything. 

“.... You know Rion,” Octavia played with her fingers with a small, “If daddy got with Blitzo, I wouldn't mind...” 

She heard Orion chuckle before he spoke. 

“You know what Via? I wouldn’t mind either,” he said, stretching his arms above his head and interlocking his fingers behind his head. 

They shared a laugh as they walked by a large full-length mirror when they stopped. 

That mirror was there for mostly as a decoration, so it wasn’t anything special but now it caught their attention. 

“Rion?” 

The boy walked towards it and poked the surface and, to the surprise of both, it rippled like a still lake after throwing a pebble in it. 

“Via... I think someone’s trying to summon dad,” Orion said with a smile. 

“Really?” she asked standing next to him, “When was the last time that happened?” 

“Last week but it always happens in his study.... Wanna go through?” 

Octavia was surprised, “Are you crazy?!” 

He smirked, “Why not? We can use the spell to go to space to come back.” 

She wasn't sure but Octavia decided to try, “If we get stuck, I’m blaming you!” 

“Noted Via!” 

Holding hands, the twins walked through the mirror, it felt weird, like walking into a wall of water without getting wet weird.  

They made it to the other side and were met with a wide-eyed girl about their age and a couple of other teens. Looking around, they saw that they were in a warehouse and saw that the girl was holding a book on demonology, and they realized that they were standing on a crudely drawn Goetia seal. 

The girl looked at them and looked at the book. 

“You’re not Stolas of the Ars Goetia!” 

The twins tilted their head. 

“No,” Octavia said with a smirk, her eyes glowing. 

“We’re better,” Orion smirked, his eyes glowing as well. 

Chapter Text

So, what was going on between Stolas and Blitzo when the twins were spying on them?  

In a spacious yet cozy drawing room with marble floor, the crimson curtain drawn closed and luxurious couch by the brick fireplace that provided the room’s light, a lone imp sat there on said couch. He was wearing his signature black leather jacket over a red shirt, black pants with holes on the knees and his black boots. He looked like he hadn’t slept and was fighting a hangover.  

“I’d pour you a drink, but I think you had enough,” He heard Stolas say from the mini bar nearby, “I’ll give you a fruit drink instead.”  

“Whatever,” Blitzo grumbled, he didn’t care as long as he had something.  

Stolas poured himself a cup of scotch on the rocks after pouring a cup of apple juice before going to the couch. He sat down and gave his friend the fruit drink, took a swig of his drink and spoke.  

“So... Verosika told you that she loved you and you responded by abandoning her at a hotel, stole her car and maxed out her credit card?”  

Blitzo looked away, the prince did not know if he looked bitter, remorseful of both, “So what if I did?”  

“Blitzo...” Stolas sighed, rubbing the bridge of his beak, “You looked like you were happy. You do this all the time whenever you enter a relationship. The moment they get close, you run. Why do you do this to yourself?”  

He placed a comforting hand on the imp’s back, “I don’t want to stand by and watch you do this yourself and other so please, tell me why you-”  

Blitzo shot a look at him and yelled, “I’m just a fucking goddamn screw up okay!?  

He threw his drink to the floor, the glass to the ground, making it shattering into a million pieces causing Stolas to jolt in surprise and stood up.  

“I try Stols.. I try to put myself out there, I try to make myself into a decent fucking partner but all I do is ruin everything I touch! Just like how I ruined Fizz, ruined Barbie and now I ruined that bitch! Maybe our little shits were onto something, I don't know but still! Maybe I’m better off being alone!” His voice cracked, clenching his fists and his shoulders shaking, “I have Loona but soon she’ll leave, and I’ll be alone. I’m going to die alone and it my own fucking fault!”  

Stolas looked at his dear friend with sad eyes, he knew that Blitzo had a hard life after the accident that altered his life, while still frazzled by the outburst, he placed his hand on the imp’s shoulders, “I’m sorry Blitzo, I didn’t mean to offend you I was only-”  

Blitzo grumbled something as he looked down on the ground.  

“Blitzo?”  

“I said shut up!”  

Without warning, Blitzo lunged forward with a growl, Stolas’ pupils appeared in surprise as he fell back on the couch. Blitzo’s hands where on his shoulders and was straddling his thin chest.  

“Blitzo?” He asked in concern; his heart was beating rapidly.  

As if a switch flipped, the imp realized what he did. He tackled his best friend on the couch, he was on top of his best friend on the couch and... Stolas wasn’t even mad?  

He got up and looked away, “Sorry... I didn’t mean to...”  

Stolas smiled and reached up to cup his friend’s face gently.  

“It’s alright, I’m used to being roughed up. Are you okay now?”  

By whom, Blitzo didn’t know. He remembered how they used to roughhouse as kids but then he remembered that Stolas was married to a fucking beast who slapped him around every chance she got. He wished that Stolas wasn't a pacifist and just fought back but what could he do? And of fucking course Stolas’ main concern who be his best friend who just had an outburst.  

Stolas' curious fingers traced Blitzo’s face softly, admiring the soft skin of the imp and softly rubbed the white spot over his right eye.  

“Stols?”   

Blitzo leaned down slowly, for some reason he wanted to feel more.  

“Yes?” Stolas asked, very relaxed and a bit shy. His blue gray feathers were lightly ruffled from the fall and there was a blush on his white cheeks.  

Damn, did he always look this cute? Blitzo wondered as his tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips against the prince’s beak. Don’t ask why, it was so tempting to do so, and Stolas let him.  

“Mm?!” The owl prince muffled in surprise, but he didn’t make any attempts to push him off. His heart was beating fast against his chest as Blitzo’s clawed fingers reached up to run them through his feathers.   

Soon, the surprised gasp turned into soft moans as Blitzo’s forked tongue crept into Stolas’ mouth which made him shiver. Stolas reached for the imp’s impressive horns and stroked them gently making the spikes on Blitzo’s back began to stiffen which, for an imp, was a sign of arousal. Stolas felt hot and his feathers puffed which knocked both men back to reality.  

“Shit!” Blitzo cursed, backing away from the prince and scooting away as far as he can.  

Stolas immediately sat up and fixed his shit that somehow was pulled down and smoothed his feathers, “Um....”  

There was an awkward silence between the two demons, this had never happened before.   

Blitzo cleared his throat and spoke, “I’m sorry Stols! I-I-I... Well... um...”  

Don't you fucking dare say rebound! He thought to himself, Stolas deserved way better than to be called that.   

“We just got caught up in the heat of the moment,” Stolas said softly, it wasn't much of an excuse, but it was better than anything, “My apologies Blitzo, I didn’t mean to-”  

The imp held up his hand to hush the owl as he rubbed the back of his head with the other.  

“You’re right, we did get caught up in the moment,” He said with a nervous smile, “I shouldn’t have done that so I’m sorry.”  

Stolas was about to say something when Blitzo cut him off.  

“Anyway, there was another reason I came here,” He said and looked at him with a sad smile, “I’m going away for a year or maybe longer, and I wanted to say bye.”  

Stolas’ white pupils appeared in red eyes again as he heard that, his best friend was leaving? Why? Did something happen? Did he and Loona get kicked out of the apartment?!  

“Easy Stols, I’m not pulling a disappearing act and we did not get kicked out,” Blitzo knew his friend too well, “It’s for my business, I finally got everything ready!”  

“Really?” The prince’s mood shifted, and he was now happy, “That’s wonderful! But why do you have to go away for a year?”  

“You know, training, recruiting... and get my dick wet since I’m now single!”  

“Blitzo!”  

Blitzo shrugged, “Hey, I'm single again so I'm allowed to have fun!”  

He’s doing it again, acting as if nothing happened and brushing it off like he always does, Stolas thought to himself, he worried but he chose to not push the matter.  

“What about Loona? Is she coming along?”  

“Nope. She’s a big girl now and she wanted to stay at the apartment.”  

“You’re going to leave your daughter?” Stolas asked, he would never dream of leaving his owlets for even a day let alone a year.  

Blitzo looked at him with a raised brow, “Stols, imps raise their kids to be independent at a young age, its normal to leave them alone. Loona’s a hellhound but I raised her the same way, I have some money save up to help her for the year and I'm not going radio silent. I’m going to call her every day.”  

“But what about Via and Rion? You know they adore you right?”  

“Yeah, I know, those little shits grew on me,” chuckled the imp, “Can you tell them I’m sorry, but I’ll call them too?”  

Stolas, long used to that vulgar term of endearment Blitzo had for the twins, smiled, “Of course but they will be sad knowing they won't see you for a while.”  

“They’ll be okay, it’s not like I’m leaving forever” Blitzo remarked, he then saw that it was close to midnight. Holy shit how long was that kiss?!  

“Well,” He stretched his arms above his head and relaxed, “I gotta go now, I gotta to be at greed by tomorrow.”  

Stolas escorted him out of the palace, wanting to spend as much time with his friend as possible. Once outside, Blitzo gave a quick wave before heading to his van.  

“Blitzo?” The prince called out, his arm stretching out as if he wanted to grab him, but he pulled back.  

The imp stopped and looked at him, “Yeah?”  

“Are you... Are you going to call me as well?”  

Blitzo gave a small chuckle, “You know I will dumbass. See you later.”  

Stolas waved as the van sputtered to life and drove out of the palace grounds, “Goodbye Blitzo...”  

He walked back inside the quiet palace and placed his hands over his heart with a smile. He knew that they shouldn't have but he enjoyed the kiss. Stolas had no idea that kissing someone you trusted felt so right.   

“Oh Blitzy...” He whispered as he walked through the halls.  

He did check on his children, they were in their respective rooms sound asleep and made his way to his chambers, relieved that Stella decided to sleep somewhere else for the night.   

Stripping down to nothing, Stolas crawled into bed, but sleep evaded him. He tossed and he turned, trying to find sleep but nothing worked.   

The kiss. Oh, sweet satan, that kiss was still fresh in his mind. Stolas had always found Blitzo attractive, but he kept those feelings at bay for the sake of his friendship and for his family. But he longed to know what it felt like to have had those lips pressed against his beak and it finally happened. His lips were so soft, and his tongue was so skilled.  

“Oh dear...” Stolas found the culprit to his restlessness, “That’s never happened before.”  

At least not unintentionally.  

The prince’s hand reached down slowly and gently played with the small bundle of nerves hidden between his legs. He made sure not to moan out Blitzo’s name but that didn’t stop him from imagining himself being taken by the imp.  

X  

As expected, Octavia and Orion did not take the news of Blitzo’s departure well. They immediately ran to their study and called him, demanding to know why he left without saying goodbye. Stolas didn’t know what was said but when they came back to the kitchen, they were smiling.  

“He said that he was sorry, but he’ll keep in touch,” Octavia answered.  

Orion nodded in agreement and then decided to ask his dad a question, “So... Did Blitzo tell you anything dad?”  

The twins watched as their dad’s feathers fluffed for a fraction of a second and they saw a light blush threatening to stain his white face, but he calmed himself down.  

“Just adult things children, you know, boring stuff that would put you to sleep.”  

They looked at each other, nodded in silent agreement to not ask further questions, and looked at their dad.  

“Okay daddy.”  

“Adult stuff is boring anyway.”  

Stolas smiled and began to summon his children’s favorite cereal. It was their break day and that meant they could be lazy and carefree.  

“Hey dad?” Orion asked, filling his bowl with cereal.  

Stolas was enjoying his morning coffee and his paper nearby, “Yes?”  

The youngest twin was nervous, but he spoke again, “You know that mirror that’s in the hallway nearby? The one you’ve been trying to find a place for?”  

“Yes, what about it?”  

Octavia then spoke, “Can Rion and I have it in our study?”   

Stolas looked up from his paper with a raised eyebrow, “You want that old antique in there? Is there a reason?”  

“Um... well...”  

“We could use it for our studies!” Orion claimed, “So we can see ourselves perform our spells...?”  

Octavia smacked his arm with a ‘are you serious?’ look and he gave her a ‘you think of a better excuse’ look. That made Stolas chuckle, his children always made his day brighten even with the smallest of actions.  

“I’ll have the servants bring that mirror into your study, I was going to throw it away because I had no use for it.”  

The twins smiled brightly.  

“Thanks dad!” they said at the same time.  

“Must you be so loud in the morning?!” Stella’s voice boomed as she entered the kitchen, she was already dressed in her white and black dress and her feather hair was immaculate as ever.  

The cheery atmosphere that was once there was now gone. Stolas’ smile dropped and he went back to his paper in silence. Octavia and Orion’s shoulders sagged, and they went to their cereal.  

“Good morning mother,” Octavia said softly.  

“Did you sleep well mother?” Asked Orion, he was more focused on his cereal.  

Stella looked at her family and scoffed at the miserable display. She was made to marry into the Ars Goetia and what did she get out of it? A pathetic prince for a husband and the two heirs she produced came out looking just like him.  

“Fine,” She said sharply, “Stolas, our children greeted me, and you did not? Is it chore to you now?”  

Stolas, hiding his dread, looked up from his paper, “Good morning Stella. My apologies, I was engrossed in the news.”  

What a dumb lie, the twins thought to themselves, eating their breakfast in silence.  

“Well leave it, I have something important to tell you!” Stella barked and then she looked at her children, “Go, I need to talk to your father!”  

Octavia and Orion looked at their father, not wanting to leave when their mother was having a mood. Stolas smiled at them reassuringly as if telling them that it was going to be alright and they left.  

Once they were gone, Stolas looked at his wife with tired and annoyed eyes.  

“What is it this time? You want to plan another party?”  

Stella scoffed at the question, “No and even if I wanted to, you would try and cancel everything. Answer this, how old are Octavia and Orion?”  

The prince knew where this was going, “They are thirteen, their birthday was in August. It is January now.”  

“I am not asking what month it is Stolas! I am asking how old the twins are!” She spat, “But yes, they are thirteen now. Thirteen and they have yet to be-”  

“We have discussed this before Stella!” Stolas stood up, fixing his robe, “We are not betrothing them to anyone! Not now, not ever!”  

Stella glared at him, “it’s marriage, it's not the end of the world!”  

“Well times have changed Stella! Octavia and Orion are free to marry whomever and whenever they want! I’d be happy if they don’t marry at all! I will not have them be carted off and-”  

Stolas found himself on the ground, his hand on his right cheek after Stella swung her open and freshly manicured talon hand at him.  

“Pathetic, I have allowed you to keep them away from the family this long because you would not stop bitching about wanting them to have a normal life,” She looked down at him and then smirked, “Enjoy it while you can because once they turn fifteen, you will have no choice but introduce them to the family and there will be talks of potential partners. Like it or not it will happen.”  

Stella turned to leave and saw a pair of tail feathers leaving the open doorway. Great now Stolas made her look like a terrible mother to her children, she thought to herself, after all she has done for them. Tutoring them and training them to be proper heirs to the Goetia family and they preferred their father?!  

“I am going out! Try not to cry like a bitch!”  

Stolas could hear her footsteps echo through the halls and flinched when he heard the palace doors slam. How he could hear that from the second floor, he’ll never know. He stood up, his injury healed quickly, and he sighed in defeat. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew that Stella was right. Once his children turned fifteen, he would have to introduce them to the family. End their childhood and fully immerse them into their royal duties.  

He dreaded the day it would come.  

Dreaded seeing his little starfire and starlite, his wonderful and darling children, being sucked into the stuffy environment. He dreaded the thought of seeing their bright smiles slowly disappear within the family. Stolas tried to shield them as much as he could but inevitably, it was going to happen. They did meet some members of the Goetia but not all of them. Their fifteenth birthday will no doubt bring in all the family. Especially the ones who have yet to meet the elusive twins.  

He sighed, wiping away the tears that fell from his upper eyes and went to his chambers to change.  

X  

Octavia and Orion flinched when they saw their mother slap their dad after he declared that they would not be forced into any arranged marriage. Octavia grabbed Orion's hand, and they ran the moment they saw their mother turn to leave.  

They ran until they were in their father’s chambers, they don’t know why but it gave them a sense of safety. They sat on the chaise chair and heard their mother’s footsteps echo through the halls and jumped when they heard the palace doors slam shut.  

Orion wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed them in an attempt to calm himself down.  

“Mother hit dad... she hit dad...”  

Octavia hugged him tightly, trying to calm herself as well.  

“I saw it too...” She croaked out.  

They always knew that something was wrong between their parents but seeing their mother hit their dad proved what they were suspecting, their mother hated their dad. And by extension, she hated them. Hated them enough that she wanted to marry them off which was something they absolutely did not want.  

Octavia let go of her brother, got up and walked towards the bathroom. Orion followed and they saw the pink pill bottle that was on the sink counter.   

They saw their father taking the pills in there when they were little and hiding to give him a scare. They remembered him being startled and immediately hiding the pill bottle afterwards. It took a few times sneaking in to find out that the pills were called ‘happy’ pills from Sloth.  

And it took until their twelfth birthday for them to sneak in and taking some of the pills. They felt guilty for taking them behind their father’s back, but he always said that their smiles always made his day better. And with their mother acting the way she did, it was hard to keep smiling.   

“Dads going to be really mad if he finds out…” Orion said after Octavia gave him two pills.  

 She looked at the pale pink pills in her hand and then looked at her brother, “I know but… how can we be those happy kids for dad with mother around?”  

Octavia took a deep breath and shoved the pills in her mouth. Grimacing as she swallowed them dry. The bitter taste was something she could never get used to. Orion followed suit and coughed.  

“Anything?” He asked putting the bottle back where it was.  

Octavia was silent and shook her head, “Shouldn’t we feel happy after taking these? They’re called happy pills, right?”  

They walked out of the bathroom and decided to get the grimoire from the bookshelf for a quick read when the door opened, they gasped thinking it was their mother but relaxed when they saw their dad.  

“Oh, Children what are you doing in here?” He asked in surprise.  

Octavia closed the book, holding it to her chest, “Wanted a quick read daddy.”  

“Yeah, we know it's our break day, but we really wanted to study the grimoire.”  

Stolas blinked and then he chuckled, “I see, let me get dressed and I’ll show you some things that might be useful.”  

They nodded and went the chaise to wait.  

Stolas went to his closet and grabbed a red button-down shirts and pants before walking to the bathroom. He did a quick wash up and put on his outfit. Before he headed out, Stolas picked up his pill bottle. He shook it when he felt that it held fewer pills. Strange, he swore that it was a recent refill.  

“I suppose I’ve been a bit liberal with the intake,” Stolas muttered to himself as he poured out two pills and took them.  

Once he was out, he saw his children fidgeting in their seats.  

“Children?”  

“Nothing daddy!”  

“Just waiting for you!”  

He chuckled and motioned for them to follow him to the library.  

“There is a spell in there that can project a galaxy in your room,” Stolas said with a smile.  

“Really?!” Orion asked with a smile.  

Octavia also smiled, “Isn’t the spell you used to help us sleep when we were little?”  

“It is so let’s see who can make a better replica of the cosmos.”  

A little friendly competition was good for the twins who were competitive after all.  

X  

Warning! This part contains uncomfortable themes of abuse! Feel free to skip if you don't want to read! If you choose to read, viewer discretion is advised!  

Orion just wanted a snack.  

Orion just wanted a snack!  

Octavia and Orion were once again dragged to their uncle’s house under the guise of a small vacation.   

They did not want to go saying that the freezing weather was too much for them, but their mother brushed it off as them acting like brats. Stolas was not onboard, but he was convinced that it was to help the twins adjust to meeting their family. Andrealphus always had many members of the Goetia over for tea, so it made sense for them to go there for the weekend.   

The moment they got out of the car, Stella took their phones away, telling them that they did not need them. They knew it was to keep them from calling their dad to get them. Stella made sure that they were cut off from outside world, the servants steered clear from them, all the phones were locked away and their magic was limited when they entered the mansion. Only Andrealphus could use his magic.  

They were still forced to share a room, the same small room they were given at eight. There wasn’t a privacy curtain, so they had to go to the bathroom across the hall to change.   

Octavia was currently using the bathroom for a shower when Orion, bored out of his mind, walked out of the room to find the kitchen for a snack. Mother was strict with meals and snacking between meals was forbidden.  

He only wanted to get a small mouse and run back to his and Via’s room before dinner. But Orion didn’t find the kitchen, but he did find his uncle who was leaving his study.  

“Ah, hello Rion,” He smiled that chilling smile that made the boy freeze.  

“Uh... Hello uncle... Sorry, I was looking for the kitchen...” Orion tried looking for an escape, backing away slowly.  

“Oh? If you wanted a snack, ask a servant.”  

Andrealphus made long strides towards the teenager.  

Orion was backed against the wall, “I-I try but they keep running away whenever Via and I try to talk to them.”  

“I see,” The peacock walked towards the boy and hugged him, “I’ll be sure to make the servants know their place.”  

He then rubbed his face against the boy’s cheek, Orion froze and clenched his fists. He started thinking about wanting to plan a gift he wanted to give his sister for their birthday. Via always wanted an eyeshadow pallet from Stylish Occult, but dad said to wait until she was older before even thinking about putting makeup on. She was already pretty without it. Dad was right, his big sister was pretty, but he wanted to surprise her. Oh right, he needed to get some plant food later for Oscar, that plant is very meticulous about his food, only the best for the plant he grew when he was nine.  

Andrealphus let go of the boy, scowling when he froze once again, “Wait until it’s dinner time. Off with you.”  

Orion shivered, biting his lower beak and wrapped his arms around himself before running back. Back in the room, he threw himself on his bed, sniffling and curled into a ball. He placed his hand on the cheek that was rubbed, he could still feel the cold from Andrealphus.  

Gross... disgusting... he wanted it off!  

Orion began to scratch. He scratched and scratched and scratched until he broke the skin.  

“Rion!?” Octavia had walked in to see her brother cutting his skin.  

She ran to him and made him sit up, “What are you-”  

“He did it again Via!” He cried; his tears were stinging the bleeding scratches.  

Octavia’s feathers puffed and she held him close as he cried, holding his hands to keep him from scratching.  

“I want dad... I want Blitzo...”  

“I know,” Octavia sniffled, “I do too.”  

Orion just wanted a fucking snack.  

X  

Dinner was uneventful but when it was over, and the twins excused themselves, Stella ordered Octavia to stay behind. Orion wanted to stay as well but Stella gave him a look that told him to leave or else. Octavia smiled at him, telling him that she was going to be okay. It was a lie, but it made the boy leave.  

Once he was gone, Octavia’s smile dropped and looked at her mother who was enjoying a glass of wine with Andrealphus.  

“Yes mother?” She asked, her hands folded in front of her.  

Stella placed her glass down, “Come here Octavia.”  

The girl squeezed her hands together as she approached her mother. As soon as she was close, Andrealphus grabbed her and held her on his lap.  

“Uncle?!” Octavia squeaked in surprise, regretting staying behind.  

“Now Octavia, you are the oldest of the two and the most obedient,” Stella said, filling her glass, “You love your uncle, right?”  

The girl gulped when she felt long cold arms wrap around her, “I... I do. Uncle Andrealphus is really n-n-nice!”  

The peacock demon smirked and rubbed his face against her cheek, “Well why don't you be a good girl and bond with me?”  

Octavia froze instead, she clenched her hands together and her feathers puffed. Was today Saturday? Right, she and Rion needed to go home early in the morning because daddy needed to go to an event, and he wanted to bring them along so they could watch what he was doing. He said that they needed to learn their duties, so they were going to observe him while he worked. She knew that it was going to be boring but if she and Rion were going to take over someday, they must see how daddy works. Oh right, she needed to get something for Rion soon even though their birthday was six months away. Rion wanted a book about the history of the constellations that Stylish Occult had but it was always sold out. Via found the book online and went on a bidding war to get it. Rion’s going to love it! She loved making her little brother happy.  

Andrealphus gave a growl and pushed her off, “Well someone is not being a good girl.”  

Octavia fell to the floor and stood up, looking down at her trembling hands, “I’m sorry...”  

Stella scowled and dismissed her, “Off with you! I still find it hard to believe that you and Orion are my children!”  

The girl nodded and ran, only to have a full glass of wine thrown at her. It didn’t hit her, but it flew passed her, hitting the door and shattering.  

“Ah!” Octavia stepped back so she wouldn’t get hit with the glass shards, she nervously turned her head around to look at her mother, “Yes, mother?”  

“No running! A princess never runs!”  

“Yes mother... Sorry mother...” She said with a soft voice and walked out of the dining room.  

To her surprise, Orion was waiting at the hall, grabbed her hand and briskly walked her back to their room.   

Octavia threw herself on her bed, curled up and cried, her feathers were puffed, and her tails feathers shook.  

“Via?” Orion sat on the bed and tried to preen her shaggy hair since it always calmed her down when their dad did it but she pulled away.  

“He did it to me too Rion!” She cried, now scratching the spot on her cheek that was rubbed, “I can still feel his face!”  

The skin on her face broke and she began bleeding, Orion made her sit up and he hugged her close. The same way she did for him a while ago when he was hurt. Octavia cried until she had no more tears to shed, her tears were stinging her wounded cheek, and she looked at the black blood on her talons.  

“I want daddy... I want Blitzo...”  

Orion gave her one his healing potions, “I do too Via...”  

Octavia drank the potion, and her scratches healed, not even leaving a scar.  

They didn’t sleep well that night and when morning came, they were more than happy to leave. Stella once again told them to keep their beaks shut or else she would send them back to their uncle.  

 And as always, they kept silent.  

Rubbing their faces against their dad’s just to get Andrealphus’ touch off them when he happily welcomed them home.  

End of the warning!  

X  

“Happy fourteenth you little shits!” Blitzo’s voice called out from Orion’s phone.  

They were sitting on floor of their study reading a star chart when he called, and they smiled. Their birthday was a week away, so they guessed that he was super busy and decided to wish them well early.  

“Thanks Blitzo!” Orion said happily.  

“We thought you forgot,” Octavia teased with a fake pout before giggling.  

They heard a pfft on the other end, “I do that, and Loona would skin me alive!”  

“And turn your skin into beef jerky!” Orion added.  

“And she’ll throw your skinless carcass to Cannibal Town!” finished Octavia.  

They laughed at the morbid joke; the twins were only like this with Blitzo.  

“So,” Blitzo decided to change the subject, “What are you two planning?”  

The twins shrugged, not that he would see it, and answered.  

“Maybe go out with Loona to Gluttony,” Octavia said first.  

Orion nodded in agreement, “And maybe go to Freddy’s.”  

“Christ on a stick!” They jumped at the outburst, “You hate LooLoo land, but you still love that stupid pizza arcade?!”  

That made them laugh.  

“Sorry Blitzy~” Octavia teased, knowing that he hated that nickname but also knew that he wouldn't yell at her, “But it’s fun to go to a place that isn’t run by mammon.”  

“At least we get our money's worth,” Added Orion, “Besides, it’s going to be our last ‘fun’ birthday, so we just want to end it with a bang.”  

“Last ‘fun’- oh right, I forgot,” Blitzo muttered, “Once you’re both fifteen, its goodbye fun birthdays and hello stuffy formal bullshit birthdays.”  

“You speak from experience,” Orion had a raised eyebrow.  

“Did daddy tell you?” asked Octavia.  

“Tell me? He lived it! He used to have his birthdays at the circus before he turned fifteen! He hated it! But I made sure his birthdays were still fun!”  

“How?” they both asked.  

“I snuck him out during the formal parties, it's not like they noticed he was gone. We did that for two years and then you two came along.”  

The twins were surprised, they didn’t know their dad was that young when they were laid.   

“Well anyway, I just wanted to call and check on you both,” The calls were getting shorter and shorter, “And happy birthday.”  

“We miss you Blitzo,” Orion said, hoping to keep him on the phone longer.  

“Yeah, yeah, I miss you too.”  

Octavia knew the rushing tone in the imp’s voice, “We love you.”  

There was a pause, and they heard a soft groan before Blitzo spoke, “Y-Yeah sure... Gotta go. Bye!”  

And the call disconnected, making both teens sigh.  

“Blitzo really hates it when we say that huh?” Octavia drew her knees to her chest.  

Orion crossed his arms, “If he did, he would have said something by now.”  

She sighed, “You’re right, I hope he doesn’t think we’re lying.”  

That made the boy chuckle, “Via, we can’t lie to Blitzo! It’s hard to lie to him.”  

It was now her turn to chuckle, “True.”  

They went back to their charts when they heard yelling from down the halls.   

“Mothers at it again,” Mumbled Octavia as she reached for her phone and a pair of earbuds.  

“Wanna bet she wanted to throw a party for us, and dad said no?” Orion grumbled, putting on a pair of wireless headphones.  

“I’ll gladly wager my share of our inheritance.”  

The youngest let out a small hoot and turned on his phone. Recently, the twins got into a new band that rose up from underground. They identified with the deep and heavy lyrics of self-worthlessness and deep pain; the band was called F*** You Dad. They knew that their parents, yes even their dad, would not allow them to listen to such songs but they still bought the songs out of spite.  

The music was enough to drown the yelling.   

Sometime later, Stolas entered the study with a tired smile and asked if the twins wanted to go out for their birthday. They said yes and told him what they wanted to do.  

Stolas didn’t even flinch when he heard the name of that fucking pizza arcade. They saw that and both knew that the fight must have really gotten to him.  

“You okay dad?” Orion asked in concern.  

Octavia noticed that there was a fading bruise on their dad’s left brow, “Daddy?”  

He let out a soft hoot laugh, a laugh he only made when hiding something, and used his magic to make the bruise heal faster, “You know me children, I can get clumsy when I’m thinking.”  

There was a time they would have believed him, but Octavia and Orion knew better now.  

“If you say so daddy.”  

Stolas smiled and decided to see what charts they were looking at. He gushed at the Orion constellation and commented how he saw that constellation the night the twins were hatching, and he saw it as sign. He had already picked Octavia’s name but had a challenging time choosing the second name. He had a list of suggested names, but they didn’t seem to compliment Octavia’s name, he asked Blitzo and his answer was to name the baby chick ‘Octavio.’  

That earned a laugh from Octavia and Orion was mortified.  

“What?!”  

Stolas chuckled himself, “Yes, he was never good at names. I yelled at him on the phone for that.”  

“Glad you didn’t listen dad,” Orion muttered.  

“Yes, I was not going to name you both the same name. Anyway, when you finally hatched, I looked up and saw the Orion constellation and I knew I found the perfect name.”  

The boy smiled, “Thanks dad.”  

“What about me daddy? What made you choose my name?”  

Stolas’ smile softened as he spoke, “It was the name of my mother.”  

Her eyes lit up, neither did she nor Orion now much about their grandmother other than her portrait that hung near their father’s chambers.  

“As you both know, I lost her when I was young, but I remember her voice. How soft and gentle it was and feeling safe in her arms,” He said, his pupils appearing as he remembered the memory with fondness and melancholy, “I wanted to keep a piece of her alive so I promised myself I would name my daughter after her.”  

Octavia beamed, to be named after someone who meant a lot to her daddy felt great.  

Stolas’ mood shifted to glee, “Now how about we plan the day? You invited Loona?”  

“Of course!” Declared Octavia.  

“Why would we not?!” Demanded Orion.  

He chuckled and helped them make a small plan of what to do for the day. Hoping that the servants cleaned up the mess Stella made in the kitchen after he objected to Stella’s plans to invite the sons and daughters of prominent members of the Goetia to a small get together for the twin’s birthday.   

Was Stolas isolating them away from the family? Yes, he knew he was, but he wanted to protect them. He knew his wife and he knew that she would use this as an opportunity to find potential marriage partners for Octavia and Orion. He was not going to let that happen, he was not going to subject his starfire and starlight to the same misery he was enduring. Stolas can only hope that they would forgive him for keeping them away.  

X  

  Octavia stomped to her room and slammed the door behind her.   

Today was her and Orion’s birthday and it ended in a disaster.  

At first, things were great.  

She, her brother, father, and Loona went to Gluttony, they went to Stylish Occult and bought a cool taxidermy chimera and clothes, they went to Freddy’s and played the games for tickets to win a prize. Dad even helped them on the rhythm game they were playing in order to get the tickets. He had long fingers and four eyes which he used to his advantage. While he admitted he had fun, he still hated that pizza arcade. Loona entered a raffle to win a stereo set she wanted and sadly, she didn’t but she did get a new phone case. A small consolation prize but it was better than nothing.  

It was fun! Everyone was happy! She was happy, her brother was happy, Loona was happy and her daddy happy! The best way to celebrate the last fun birthday!  

Until they came home.  

Loona drove herself to Gluttony with that piece of shit van so the family took a portal home. Since they only had lunch, they had dinner with Stella who was at a garden party during the day.   

It was an uneventful dinner until Stella gave both twins a binder.  

What was inside the binder? Pictures.   

And what kind of pictures? Pictures of sons and daughters of prominent families within the Goetia family.  

Now why would Stella do that?  

Because she reminded them that now that they were fourteen, they needed to ‘get to know’ the family, mother’s words, and wanted both of them to each pick a picture they liked. Octavia and Orion knew what she meant by picking a picture. She was basically saying that she wanted them to find a partner so she can arrange a potential engagement.  

Stolas immediately took the binders and told them to go to their rooms. They left the dining room, but they stood by the doorway to hear the arguing.   

Daddy made it clear that he was not going to allow any sort of engagement for her, or Orion and mother was not happy. She screamed that it was time for them to do their part for Goetia and that marriage was not the end of the world.  

Orion huffed and ran off while Octavia stomped to her room where she was now. The yelling was not muffled but it was still the same thing.  

Octavia made it clear that she wasn’t interested in marriage. She told daddy who understood and gave her his support, but mother would not listen.  

“Why won't she just drop it already?!” She grumbled, running her talon fingers through her long shaggy hair.   

Octavia collapsed on her bed and listened as something was being thrown. She let out a frustrated groan and rolled off her bed, knelt down and reached under her bed and pulled out a small chest. She opened it and picked up a bottle of bourbon, it was something she stole from her father’s drawing room a long time ago and used it to cope with the stress of her mother's moods. Octavia leaned back against her bed, opened the bottle, and took a swig of the burning liquid as the yelling continued.  

X  

Orion sat at the edge of the roof if the palace with a scowl on his face. He found a way to the rooftop by chance and found it as his sanctuary. It's not as if mother will climb the stairs leading to the roof.  

“What’s the big deal about marriage anyway?” He grumbled; his shoulder length hair flowed in the wind.  

To him, marriage was not fun, and he saw his parents' marriage as an example. If marriage means living with a raging bitch forever than no thank you.  

He sighed and looked at the white and orange stick in his hand. Orion stole the cigarettes from Pringles when he wasn’t looking. He remembered seeing the servant’s smoking them whenever they took their breaks, and they looked relaxed when doing so. With someone like his mother for a boss, he never blamed them.  

Orion put the stick in his mouth, snapped his fingers until a purple flame appeared at the tip of his thumb and lit it. He coughed when the smoke invaded his lungs, but he didn’t stop. Orion took out the cigarette and blew a plume of smoke.   

He sighed and put the stick back in his mouth and looked up at the red skies of hell. He wished that he could see the stars like some humans get to see in some parts of the living world.  

“Happy fucking birthday to me,” Orion muttered.  

He put out the cigarette out when the trap door nearby opened to reveal Pringles.  

“Oh, there you are Rion!” He said with a smile, “Via’s been looking for you!”  

“Yeah?” Orion asked as he swiftly hid the packet in his cardigan pocket.  

The butler smiled, “Of course, she's waiting in the study!”  

Orion stood up and followed Pringles downstairs.  

“Where’s dad?”  

Pringles sighed, “His highness has retired to his room for the night.”  

“I see...” he crossed his arms and sighed softly, “Thanks.”  

Pringles did not ask if the boy wanted to know where Stella was because he knew that Orion would not care. Once he was escorted to his study, Pringles turned to leave but not before he gave the boy a smile.  

“Happy birthday Rion, it is always a pleasure to serve you and Via.”  

Orion smiled and thanked the butler before walking in his study.  

“Via?”  

He was surprised with the sound of a popper and a giggle.  

“Happy birthday!”  

Octavia was surrounded by many little gifts and there was a small cake on one of the desks.  

Orion smiled back and walked in, “It’s your birthday too Via.”  

“I know but there's nothing wrong with wishing you happy birthday as a single person, right?” She asked.  

He laughed and sat down on the floor, “Yeah you're right!”  

Octavia sat down and picked up a present she wrapped herself, “This is from me! Open it!”  

With a raised eyebrow, Orion opened the crudely wrapped object but the moment he saw the black and blue coloring of the spine, he ripped the paper off. It was a book, a book that Orion had been trying to get his hands on for months!  

“ History and lore of the Constellations, VOL I !? Via! How did you-”  

“I went to war to get it,” Octavia had a smug look on her face, “It’s funny that this is so popular even though we’re hell.”  

The boy hugged the book with a smile, “Thanks Via! You're the best sister ever!”  

He then reached and picked out a gift in the pile and gave it to her.  

“This is from me!”  

It was small and in a little gift bag but Octavia happily opened it, she pulled put a small eyeshadow palette, the colors were of various shades of purple and designs on the makeup were delicate carvings of stars.  

“Wow! You got me this?” Octavia opened the package with a smile.  

 It was Orion’s to have a smug look on his face, “Yup! Dad says no but I say yes! Purples always been your color so why not?”  

She hugged the palette close, “Thanks!”  

The next hour was of them opening the many gifts they received from their dad and the servants.  

The gifts from Stolas were clothes he knew they would like because he understood their taste in style.  

The gifts from the servants where the same handmade trinkets and baubles they would always get but they were always appreciated.   

The night ended when they shared the small red velvet cake that Pringles made for them.   

At least they ended their last fun birthday with just a small and happy get together with just the two of them.   

Octavia and Orion never got out much growing up and even though they had their dad, Blitzo and Loona, they only had each other for company.  

And it was all right with them.  

As long as they had each other, they will be okay.  

Chapter Text

Octavia and Orion, now fully aware of how their mother treated their dad, made it a point to never leave their father’s side when she was around. If one twin had to leave, one would stay. They made the excuse that they had questions about the grimoire and only dad knew the answers. 

At first, the yelling stopped, and everything was quiet. Until Stella decided that she was done playing the quiet wife and yelled at Stolas while the twins were eating their lunch in the kitchen. They didn’t know what it was about, but they were given an unwanted show of their parents arguing in the kitchen.  

“Not in front of the children Stella,” Stolas calmly said when his arms crossed. 

Stella looked at her children who were more focused on their sandwiches than anything rolled her eyes, “Well if they were not so clingy towards you than I wouldn’t have been so loud! Octavia! Orion! Leave now!” 

They looked up with small glares, looked at their dad who gently smiled at them and reluctantly got up to leave. 

Once they were out of the kitchen, Stolas looked at his wife with an annoyed yet tired face. 

“It is November, and you want to plan their fifteenth birthday now?” 

Stella glared at him, she was the one who should be annoyed, “Yes. Do you know how important it is for a Goetia when it is their fifteenth birthday? It means that they are now adults and will now know their place within the Goetia family! Are you really going to deny that for them?” 

Stolas slightly tightened his hold on his arms, “I am aware that turning fifteen means that they are adults within the family, but do you not think it is too soon to start planning? All the members of the Goetia will be attending anyway.” 

“Exactly!” Stella snapped, “That is why we plan now! Decorations, the food, the music and the twins need to learn how to dance and practice their etiquette! So they won't embarrass us in front of the family!” 

“They will not embarrass me Stella,” The prince said, there was nothing the children could do to make him think that “They know how to dance, and their manners are immaculate.” 

And then a thought struck him. 

“Are you still going on about finding them a partner?” 

Stella gave a scoff, “Oh you would hate that wouldn’t you. Unlike you, I actually care about their future and finding the right partner for both is appropriate for their future!” 

“Or someone you can control...” Stolas muttered under his breath. 

“What did you just say!?” 

The prince looked away, “Nothing. Just some nonsense I read this morning with the children.” 

Stella gave him a pointed glare before turning to walk away, “I am going out.” 

“Again?” 

She ignored him and marched out of the kitchen. It was then she saw Octavia and Orion leaning against the wall with their arms crossed and they gave her small glares. She paid them no mind and left the palace with her usual door slamming. They sighed and decided to go to their study instead of finishing their lunch, mother killed their appetite. 

“Did dad put a spell on the palace to keep it from shattering?” Orion mumbled. 

Octavia shrugged her shoulders and reached into her black cardigan pocket, “Who knows.” 

She took out four pink pills and gave two of them to her brother. He took them and swallowed them dry while she did the same. 

“Still nothing?” 

“What do you think Rion?” Octavia grumbled, rubbing her arms, “I read the label, two a day should have helped by now.” 

Orion sighed, looking at his phone to read a message, “Maybe they only work for dad.” 

Today was a break day so they decided to just stay inside and hang out in their study. Aside from it being a place for them to do their lessons, it was also a makeshift game room. It had a small area where a large tv and game set was.  

“What should we play this time Via?” Orion asked as he turned on the tv and PlayStation. 

Octavia was looking at their game collection nearby, “Hm... how about Mortal Combat?” 

“Sure!” 

They put in the game and settled on the floor to play. 

“I’ll be subzero!” 

“Ok Rion! I'll be Scorpion!” 

They began to play, feeling a little better than they were feeling that morning. 

Meanwhile, without them knowing, Stolas watched them from the slightly open door. He smiled at the sight of his children having fun. For some time now, he had noticed that their moods were slowly shifting from being happy and full of life to sullen and withdrawn. It was an alarming change, and he wondered what had happened to make them feel like this. He tried asking if everything was all right, but he only got small answers or no answer at all. 

He sighed and was getting ready to walk away to give them space when Octavia turned her head over. 

“You can come in if you want dad,” she said with a small smile. 

Stolas gave a surprised hoot; how did she know he was there? He walked in with a nervous smile, “My apologies children, I didn't mean to snoop.” 

“It’s fine dad,” Orion said, not taking his eyes off the screen, “You needed something?” 

The prince sat down on the floor and smiled, “No, just wanted to check on you both to see what you are up to.” 

He watched as his son nodded and gave subzero the finishing blow. 

“Hey!” 

“I win again Via,” Orion had a smug look on his face. 

Octavia clicked her beak and demanded a rematch through her gritted beak. Stolas tried not to laugh because her reaction reminded him of Blitzo when he lost a game of chess. He could still remember how Blitzo growled and demanded a rematch. 

“Dad?” he heard Via ask, “You okay?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry Via, I was thinking about Blitzo just now.” 

The twins’ tail feathers twitched and paused their game.  

“Children?” 

They both turned to him with worried faces. 

‘Is… he, okay?” Octavia asked, folding her arms, “He hasn’t called since our birthday.” 

“We tried calling him, but it keeps going to voicemail”, added Orion as he tucked in his knees, “Loona told us to not worry.” 

Admittedly, Stolas was also worried about his friend but knew very well that he was not one to let himself get into anything drastic. 

“I understand children, I know how you feel. I dreaded seeing him go whenever the circus did its yearly travels.” 

That got the twins’ attention. 

“Blitzo was in the circus?” asked Octavia. 

“He never said anything about that,” said Orion. 

Stolas sighed as he thought about the old days of his youth, “Rightfully so, it’s… a delicate subject for him. All I can say is that his father owned a circus and Blitzo was a clown. I met him during one of his performances. Oh, you should have seen it, he was flying through the air and made such delightful jokes. Those were the days, I used to go there every weekend to see him perform. His mother Tilla was always so kind to me.” 

“And?” Octavia tilted her head. 

Orion doing the same, “What happened?” 

They watched as their father’s smile dropped, “Things happened and now he wants to be an assassin.” 

They gave him a narrow glare. 

“Sorry children but it’s not my story to tell. All I can say is that Blitzo does not like to be reminded of his time in the circus so don’t bring it up he comes back.” 

And quite honestly, neither did Stolas. He used to love going to the circus to be with his friends but now all he had was Blitzo. He lost track of Barbie who ended up in a dark place after the accident and he chose to not associate with Fizzarolli after what he did to Blitzo. That half robot half imp should count his blessings that Blitzo cared enough for him to convince the prince to not ruin his career in retaliation. 

Octavia sighed and tucked her knees to her chin, “I miss him.” 

“Me too, dad he said he’ll be back soon. Is it soon yet?” Asked Orion, wrapping his arms around his legs. 

Stolas wished he could say that Blitzo would be back soon but not even he knew when his friend was coming back. 

“I wish I knew my darlings,” Stolas reached and brought his children close to him, “I miss him too.” 

The twins fought the urge to make warbling sounds of content, even as teenagers they loved being in their dad’s arms. Long and thin yet they were strong, and they felt very much protected. 

“Well, I must go now children,” Stolas let go of his children and stood up, “How about we go out for dinner later?” 

The twins knew very well it was their dad’s way of apologizing for what happened at lunch. Was it a silly way of apologizing? To them, yes. But they didn’t mind if it meant spending time with their father.  

“Sure dad,” Orion said with a small smile. 

And then Octavia had a small smirk, “Is it Freddy’s?” 

Stolas’ pupils appeared as his right eye twitched, “O-o-o-of course! Anywhere you want!” 

The teenagers let out a laugh at their fathers flustered face and hugged him. 

“Kidding daddy.” 

“The BBQ place sounds better.” 

They heard their dad let out a small hoot in relief, “Alright then, when I am done with my work, I’ll call for you.” 

Stolas stood up and walked out of the study with the twins giving a small wave and closed the door. 

“Well Via?” Orion asked, his smile turning into an amused grin. 

Octavia snickered, “He’s got it bad Rion.” 

“I wonder if Blitzo feels the same,” He went back to restart the game. 

“Well, he did kiss daddy so maybe it’s mutual, but they can’t do anything because of well, you know, daddy still being married to mother,” Octavia decided to play as Mileena this time. 

They sighed and went back to their game.  

X 

Loona did not know what to think when she opened the door of the apartment she lived in on her own for the past year or so. She was lounging in the living room, scrolling sinstagram when there was knock. She did order Chinese for lunch so maybe it came early for once. Instead, she saw an imp standing there with a cheeky grin, she knew that cheeky grin all too well. 

“... Dad...?” 

Blitzo, in a new black and red trench coat, scratched the back of his head, still smiling that grin, “Hey Loonie! Sorry sweetie but I lost my- oof!” 

He was tackled to ground by a sniffling and growling hellhound. 

“You idiot! Where were you!?” She growled, hugging him tightly. 

With a nervous chuckle, Blitzo patted her back gently, “Sorry Loonie but I got into a little trouble and my phone broke.” 

“Bullshit excuse dad but whatever!” Loona still hugged her father tight, “I’m glad you're home.” 

Blitzo felt some tears form but he held them back as he returned the hug, “Thanks Loonie. Now, are you going to let me in?” 

“Sure, I ordered lunch for me, but I’ll share.” 

“I’m fine sweetie!” Blitzo looked around the apartment, amazed that Loona kept it clean. 

“I know what you're thinking dad!” Loona sat on the couch with a huff, “I did my best, but Stolas sometimes sends a maid.” 

The imp gave a small glare, “Does he?” 

The hellhound nodded, “Yeah so? You know how he is, and he didn’t like that I was alone for a whole year.” 

“Of course...” 

Loona raised an eyebrow, did her dad sound... pissed? 

“Wanna borrow my phone? Knowing him, he’ll be happy to see you again.” 

Blitzo took out a cigarette, “Nah.” 

“Huh?” 

“Last I spoke to him; I said I was gonna be IMA for a while. I’ll call him eventually.” 

Loona gave him a narrow glare, “At least call Via and Rion, they hated that left.” 

The imp chuckled a bit, “Those little shits missed me that much?” 

“They acted like you left to get milk and never came back. That’s how upset they were.” 

Blitzo hummed a bit as he lit his cigarette, “I’ll give them a call when I get a new phone.” 

Loona sensed that something was up with her dad but chose not to ask any questions, she was just happy to have him back. 

“Anyway Loonie, let me tell you about my little adventure!” 

X 

“I am not wearing that!” declared Octavia as she glared at the offending dress in front of her. 

She and Orion were with their parents in a dressing room of the palace looking at potential outfits to wear for their birthday party and so far, they were not liking any of the outfits their mother showed interests in. 

Octavia was looking at a bright satin pink dress with white lace on the hem and sleeves. The skirt was long and there was a big bow tied at the waist. She liked pink to an extent, but this was not for her. 

“What’s wrong with this one!?” Stella demanded, annoyed that the third dress she picked was rejected. 

“It looks like a dress a human would wear at prom.” 

Orion snickered as he leaned back on the couch he and Stolas were sitting on. Stolas had to agree with Octavia. 

“Stella, let the children choose what they want to wear,” he said, not even looking at the monstrosity of a dress. 

“And have them show up in their gloomy colors? I think not!” Stella snapped and turned her attention on Octavia, “Try it on! It won’t hurt you!” 

Octavia gave an annoyed groan, grabbed the dress and went to the small changing room. She stayed in there for five minutes, she saw herself in the mirror and glared. 

“Well?” she heard her mother say, “Come out and show us the dress.” 

With a small growl, Octavia walked out in the pink dress. The color clashed with her gray feathers and the chest was baggy.  

Stolas jumped and placed his hand on his chest in shock while Orion pulled his crown hat over his eyes and shook, trying not to laugh. Pringles, who was standing nearby turned around, not showing the small smile that threatened to spread on his face. 

“Oh my...” Stolas said, his pupils appeared, “Well... you do like pink Via...” 

Orion was still shaking, and little laughs tried to escape. 

“Shut up Rion,” Octavia growled, “I hate this dress! I am not wearing it!” 

Stella was about to say something when Stolas stood up, “And you won’t dear. Let's keep looking.” 

She ran back to the changing room and threw the pink monster out before running out in her usual clothes to sit next to her brother.  

Stella was not happy, “How long are you going to continue to interfere Stolas?” 

“I am thinking in the children's best interest Stella. That thing was not Via’s style, and you know that.” 

“Oh, so you think you know more about their style than?” Stella hissed, “Fine! Then you can help them! I don’t know why I even bother!” 

“Stella, they have a different style,” Stolas said calmly, even though his face said otherwise, “I am not trying to undermine you.” 

Octavia and Orion just watched as their mother once again had a mood and began ranting about how apparently, they don’t appreciate all the ‘nice’ things she does for them and stormed off. At least she didn’t try to hit their dad this time. 

Stolas sighed softly and immediately turned to his children with a smile. 

“Now let’s see what this catalogue has to offer.” 

They could never understand how their dad can act like everything was okay when it was not, but the twins were glad that he actually understood what they wanted in terms of style. 

“Your birthday is four months away, have you been told about this important event?” He asked, looking at a picture of a beautiful royal purple strapless dress with blue ombre at the hem, had some stars and it would look perfect for Octavia. 

“Only that it means we’re adults in the family now,” Answered Octavia, showing interest in the same dress. 

Orion was looking at a picture of a dark blue bodysuit with a navy blue breastplate and a silver piece of armor around the waist. Stolas saw that it came with a cape and chuckled a bit. Maybe his son was more like him than he let on. 

“Yes, that is true but there is more to that,” Stolas explained, giving the picture of the dress to Octavia so she could make edits of what she wanted, “Traditionally, you are told your place in the family. Your role and purpose, what you can do to serve hell. However, that is not always the case, I was much younger than you when I was told my place.” 

The twins listened and gulped, they didn’t what their place would be, and it was a bit of a scary thought. They were worried that whatever role they would be given meant they would be separated not only from each other but from their dad. 

“I know what you are thinking children,” Stolas said softly, a tone reserved for his children, “I promise, you won't be separated if anything happens. You can stay with me as long as you wish.” 

That earned a happy chiro from the twins. 

“Anyway, there is another tradition that has been long standing. You must dance with all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes of the Goetia,” The prince explained, timing when the twins would start protesting. 

He counted five seconds. 

“What?! Dad seriously?!” Octavia stood in protest. 

“Why?!” Yelled Orion as he did the same. 

Stolas sighed softly, “I know my darlings, but it is tradition. I tried to take that part of the ball away but my father, your grandfather, was adamant that it stays. I suspect that he is trying to find a partner for you both.” 

Octavia and Orion clicked their beaks and clenched their fists. 

“Do not worry my children, I made it clear that it will only be a formality. I know where you both stand on marriage.” 

That calmed them down and they slumped back on the couch. 

“Fine...” Muttered Octavia, crossing her arms. 

Orion gave the picture he wanted to his father, “But don’t expect us to like it.” 

“I am not,” Stolas said with gentle smile. 

He saw that they made edits to the pictures, Octavia wanted to add a sash on the waist of the dress, and she added black gloves to the dress. Orion just added navy blue knee-high armored boots along with a note that asked if he could borrow the galaxy cape he had.  

“Is this what you both want?” He asked, “Once we send these out, you cannot change your minds.” 

They nodded. 

“Positive!” Piped Octavia. 

Orion nodded, “I like that style dad.” 

Stolas smiled, “Very well,” He gave the pictures to Pringles who gave a bow and left, “Now then, let us go to the tasting shall we?” 

They were due for lunch anyway and the twins loved sampling the cook’s, his name was Sebastian, food. When they were little, they would try to sneak a taste of whatever he was making, only for him to playfully swat at them with his trusty wooden spoon. At least he was fair and looked the other way sometimes when they would sneak into the kitchen. Blinky the pastry chef though was strict and never let them steal samples. 

The twins were walking with their dad to the kitchen, humming a bit. 

Stella wasn’t there, Stolas was told that she already picked the food and left. But Sebastian knew better and already had samples of the food Octavia and Orion would actually like ready.  

“I made a separate menu for the occasion your highness,” The imp chef explained to the prince as the teenagers were sampling the bits, “A menu of the foods your wife prefers which will be handed to the adults and a menu of what the young mistress and young master want for their birthday.” 

Stolas was looking over the menus, he saw that Stella picked foods that the children did not care for and sighed. 

“I see.” 

Octavia smiled when she took a bite of braised mouse, so savory and tender. She could eat a popcorn bowl full of it. Orion was enjoying a venison steak with vegetables, he loved it when Sebastian was in charge of the meats, he knew how make them so flavorful. They also enjoyed the mixed berries and mouse kabobs that were slowly roasted in a wood fire and seasoned with lemon pepper. 

“These are great Sebastian!” Declared Octavia. 

“Only you know how to make the best roasted mice!” Added Orion. 

The chef felt a hint of pride, no one has ever praised him for his cooking the way the children did. 

“Thank you for your consideration Sebastian” Stolas said with a smile, “I’ll make sure you are properly compensated for your services.” 

Sebastian nodded and left with the menus when Blinky stepped forward with a tray of cake samples. 

“Your wife did not choose the cake your highness so you and the children will the first,” The older imp explained. 

The samples were of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and red velvet cakes. It was obvious that they would choose the red velvet since it was their favorite flavor, but Octavia and Orion still ate the other samples. 

“Is it possible to have mini cakes of the other flavors Blinky?” Orion asked, “They’re so good!” 

Blinky was surprised but he smiled, “Of course!” 

Stolas chuckled and dismissed the pastry chef. 

Octavia gave a small glare at her father for the dismissal but went back to her cake sampling. 

“Now children, you have an hour of free time before your lessons with me so why don't you go have some fun?” 

The twins nodded and ran off, most likely going to their study to play a game. 

X 

In the cold halls of Andrealphus’ mansion, a lone teenage girl walked through the halls, rubbing her cold arms in an attempt to stay warm. Octavia thankfully managed to avoid her uncle for the day. She shivered when she thought of what her uncle would always do to her and her brother every time they were dragged there. She knew why he was doing it and knew why her mother was allowing it. Octavia was not going to yield to what they wanted and neither will Orion.  

Octavia was going back to her and Orion’s room when she heard a scream in the room. She ran in and saw Stella shaking Orion by grabbing his upper arms. 

“How dare you defy me!?” She squawked, “After all the trouble I went through?!” 

Orion pushed her away and rubbed his sore arms, “I told you mother! I will not marry anyone!” 

Stella growled and grabbed the boy by his shirt, “You will do as you are told you brat!” 

She rose her hand and swung only for Octavia to run in and grab the offending arm. 

“Mother stop!” She cried, trying to push the woman away. 

Instead, she was slapped making her stumble and Orion was pushed to her. Stella glared at her children who glared back. Octavia had a hand over the left side of her face, not caring that it was cut by her mother's sharp talons. 

“How dare you glare at me! Your own mother?!” 

Orion wrapped his arms around his sister, “How dare you make decisions on our lives mother?!” 

“We told you before, we don't want to get married to anyone!” Screamed Octavia. 

Stella gritted her beak and grabbed the wooden rod that the twins used to barricade their door to keep Andrealphus out and swung. The twins found themselves on the ground, holding their arms up to cover their heads as they were beaten by their mother. Each blow was painful and because of the fact that their magic was limited in the mansion, their healing did not happen. Octavia threw her small body over her brother and took the blows to her back, but she didn’t care, big sisters always protected their little siblings. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Stella stopped and dropped the thick rod, she glared at the two trembling owls who were now clinging to each other, “Pathetic, just like your father.” 

They glared at her, their magenta eyes glowing and their lone pupils shaking. 

“Even now you still defy me,” She growled, “Well you are to not have dinner tonight so stay in here and think about what you have done.” 

She left and slammed the door, making a small picture fall off the wall by the force of it. 

Orion gritted his beak, still holding onto to his sister, “Think about what?! Why we don’t want to get married?!” 

Octavia sniffled, she refused to let go of her brother, “I don’t want it either Rion. I don’t!” 

They stayed on the ground for a while before they found the strength to get up and walk to their beds, ignoring the pain of their bruised and battered bodies. Thankfully the potions they carried healed the bruises and regrew the feathers that were yanked off just now. 

They did not get dinner, but they weren’t hungry. They just laid in their beds, curling into fetal positions and wishing this stupid weekend would end. 

Octavia wishing she could take drink from the bourbon bottle under her bed and Orion wishing he could have a cigarette. 

X 

Two weeks to go before their birthday and the twins found themselves watching a movie in the living room each enjoying bowl of cereal. It was Monday and they didn’t have to go to any lessons for once. Stolas told them that because their fifteenth birthday was vastly approaching, it meant that they no longer had to do their daily lessons with their mother anymore. They were happy, very happy in fact. It meant no more ‘corrections’ whenever they got an answer wrong, no more being yelled at for looking bored and no more being stuck with their mother for hours.  

However, they were told that their lessons with their dad would still stay but they didn’t care. Lessons with dad were the best and the most fun. 

Today was the first day of freedom and they decided that a movie would be fun. Normally they would have gone to their study to watch a movie, but Pringles told them that their father was worried about them being locked in there all day so they decided to go to the living room so he could see them whenever he walked by. 

The movie they were watching was an old CGI movie from the mortal realm. It was a movie about robots and so far, they were enjoying it. It felt nice to just relax on a Monday morning, wearing their usual day to day outfits and  

“Bigweld reminds me of dad,” Octavia said with mouthful of cereal. 

“Really? You think dads a fat guy?” Orion asked, trying not to laugh. 

“No!” She playfully smacked her brother, “I meant because he never leaves the palace!” 

That earned a laugh from both teenagers, but they stopped when they saw their dad pass by. 

“But he’s still the best dad!” 

“Who makes awesome spells!” 

They heard a soft hoot and smiled; they made him feel better. 

As they went back to the movie when the phone next to them rang, they ignored it at first until the caller id smoke showed who was calling. 

“Blitzo?!” Octavia flew over the couch, dropping her cereal to the ground and answered. 

“Yes, hello?!” 

There was silence on the other end until she heard someone clearing his throat, “Hey Via sweetie, how are you?” 

Octavia lit up at the sound of the voice she wanted to hear again after so long. 

“I’m doing great Blitzo!” Pressed a special button on the rotary phone to put it on speaker so Orion could hear. 

“Blitzo!” Orion was smiling and he was on his sister’s back. 

“Get off!” 

“I’m not that heavy Via!” 

They heard a laugh, “Still trying to kill each other huh?” 

“No, not recently,” pouted Octavia. 

“Good because twins shouldn’t fight.” 

“Yeah, yeah Blitzo,” Orion said rolling his eyes, “Where have you been? You stopped calling us!” 

They heard a nervous chuckle, “Sorry you little shits,” They missed being called that, “But my phone broke, and I lost all my contacts.” 

“Really? That sucks,” muttered the girl, “We’ll give you our numbers so you can call us.” 

“We really missed you Blitzo,” Orion replied with a small smile, “Are you coming back soon?” 

Blitzo hummed on the phone, “Sooner than you think, there's still so much I gotta do an all.” 

The twins lit up. 

“Really?” they said at the same time. 

“Sure! I’ll send you the address of where to go when I’m ready.” 

They smiled brightly and chirped. 

“And I wanted to say happy birthday to you two,” The imp muttered, “good luck.” 

Hearing that made them feel good. 

“Thanks Blitzo,” Octavia said happily. 

“We really appreciate it,” Added an equally happy Orion. 

“You’re welcome you little shits!” Blitzo’s voice sounded happy, but his delivery said otherwise. 

The twins felt that and decided to say something to make him sound real. 

“We really missed you Blitzo, did you miss us?” Asked Orion tucking in his knees. 

The happy tone of voice died down and they heard the genuine voice of their friend, “Of course I did, I missed both you and Loonie.” 

Octavia felt better, “Good! Can’t wait to see you again!” 

They heard a chuckle, “Good deal you two, see you!” 

“Bye!” they both said. 

“We love you Blitzo,” Orion was able to say before the call disconnected. 

The twins sighed and went back to their movie, Pringles had already picked up the fallen cereal bowls went about his merry way. 

“He did it again Rion,” Mumbled the oldest. 

“Has he always acted like that around us?” The youngest asked. 

“Maybe being gone did something to him.” 

“I guess.” 

They watched the rest of the movie and made it to the final battle when Orion spoke. 

“He said he lost his contacts, Blitzo has terrible memory and yet he remembered the palace number?” 

Octavia looked at the phone, “Well it is a number found in the phone books.” 

“Blitzo can barely read Via.” 

“He can read numbers Rion.” 

Orion agreed and they went back to the movie until Octavia spoke. 

“Do you think he was trying to call daddy?” 

“He’ll call again later.” 

The twins pulled out their phones and sent their numbers to Loona so she could give them to Blitzo. He would obviously remember her number. 

X 

Late! They were late! 

Octavia and Orion ran through the halls of the palace with Pringles trying to keep up behind them. They needed to meet their father in his massive study for a quick lesson he said was crucial for their birthday ball which was only four days away. Stolas never scolded them for being a few minutes late but this time, they lost track of time. They were now thirty minutes late! 

“You had to demand a rematch Via?!” Orion skidded when they turned a corner. 

She also skidded, her heels leaving a scuff mark on the marble floor, “Sorry Pringles! And anyway, I wanted to beat you as Mileena for once Rion!” 

“If dad grounds us, I’m destroying your eye shadow palette!” 

“You wouldn’t dare!” 

“I gave it to you so I will!” 

Pringles saw that they were near the study so he took in a deep breath and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him to run ahead of the twins. It would be disgraceful if they came in before he announced them. 

Stolas was reading a romance novel when the large double doors opened to reveal a very winded Pringles. 

“Your*wheeze* Highness*wheeze* Lady Octavia *wheeze* and Lord Orion have,” Pringles wheezed out a high pitched voice, “Arrived!” 

And he collapsed on the floor with the twins skidding to a halt so they wouldn’t accidentally trip over him, 

“Are you okay Pringles?!” Octavia immediately knelt down to help the poor butler. 

Orion helped him up, knelt down and dusted off his uniform, “Sorry Pringles, go take a break.” 

The butler was still wheezing but he gave a bow and left. Stolas made a mental note to give the poor imp a weekend off. 

Octavia and Orion stood up and ran in the study where their dad was waiting. He did have a stern face, so they knew they were in trouble. 

“Sorry daddy, we lost track of time!” 

“Via wanted a rematch!” 

They ran and sat on the two ottomans they usually sat on, but they forgot that the chairs had wheels and wheels tend to move. They flew across the area with surprised squeals. Stolas stood up when it happened, but the twins stopped the ottomans and scooted back. 

“We’re good!” 

“Sorry dad!” 

Stolas let out a sigh of relief, but he did chuckle. 

“If I were my father, I would have reprimanded you for keeping me waiting,” he said, his face going back to being stern, making the twins gulp, “But,” Stolas’ face relaxed into a smile, “I am not my father.” 

The twins sighed in relief, but Stolas still spoke, “I will let this slide this time but remember, you must be punctual at all times from now on. Your childhood ends at fifteen and these little mistakes will no longer be tolerated.” 

They nodded in understanding. 

“So... What did you want to teach us daddy?” asked Octavia, sitting up straighter with her hands on her lap. 

Stolas smiled and picked up a fan and a black cane with a golden top from his desk. 

“I will be teaching you Octavia the art of the fan and the history of the cane Orion.” 

They tilted their heads in confusion. 

“I know but I heard from a reliable source that some of the eligible bachelors Via are older men,” Stolas did his best to keep himself from seething in anger, he was really going to handsomely compensate Pringles, “And they are very old fashioned.” 

Octavia’s feathers puffed and she wrapped her arms around herself, “Ew!” 

Orion’s feather flared and he growled. 

“I know Via, so I am going to teach you a trick to keep them at bay politely and not in a way where you offend them,” Stolas gave her the pink fan while he pulled out a black fan, opening it gracefully. 

Octavia tried to do the same, but the fan fell open instead. 

Stolas fanned himself before he closed his fan, “now Via, if one of them approaches you and you do not wish to speak with them, rest the fan on your left cheek. Doing so means ‘no’ and they will go away.” 

Octavia copied her father, “And they will actually go away?” 

“What if they don’t get the message?” asked Orion with crossed arms, “They might think she’s playing hard to get.” 

“Oh, they will go away Rion,” Stolas snapped the fan on his hand, “They know better than to offend a direct descendent of King Paimon.” 

He then placed the fan to his left ear, “If they do approach you with a windbag of a story, this will tell them, ‘I wish to be rid of you’ and that will shut them up.” 

Octavia did the same and when Stolas was busy giving other examples of the fan, she decided to make funny faces every time she flipped the fan over her face. Orion chuckled a bit since it was obvious that their dad wasn't paying attention. 

Stolas was about to show how one could get a suiter to come hither when he saw his eldest’s antic, he snapped the fan shut, “Are you sassing your father?” 

She squeaked and hid behind the fan, peeking out with a nervous smile, “I would never sass you daddy!” 

The prince then chuckled and playfully swatted her with the fan, “And this means you are annoying.” 

Octavia giggled as she playfully got away and hid behind an equally giggling Orion. 

“Enough of that,” Stolas said after his small laugh and put the fan away, “Orion when you and Via are presented, you will be carrying this.” 

Stolas brought the black cane to Orion who looked at it with a raised eyebrow, “So... why do I need this? I don’t have a limp.” 

“In the history of high society, a cane was seen as a sign of gentility and social status, you are a prince, and this will show who you are.” 

Orion ran his talon fingers over the sleek wood and inspected the golden top and traced his fingers over the intricate designs. He saw that it had the design of a crown. 

“Wow,” he said in awe, “Was this yours dad?” 

Stolas smiled, “Yes, I used this on my fifteenth birthday and now I want you to have it.” 

The teen smiled and hugged the heirloom close, “Thanks dad.” 

Octavia was playing with her fan and practiced the positions to make sure she was doing them right. Forever thankful that her daddy took the time to show her how to properly reject older men. 

X 

Tonight was the night. 

The night that all the members of the Ars Goetia gathered to celebrate the fifteenth birthday of the elusive twins of Prince Stolas.  The empty ballroom was decorated with elaborate purple silk curtains and the plants were arranged where they were placed by the windows and classical music played in the background. 

Stolas, in his royal garbs, stood by as he watched the Goetia intermingled and chattered. He was enjoying a glass of wine when he was approached by a black crane in a formal suit. 

“Stolas!” He greeted with great enthusiasm, rather odd since the prince didn’t remember having a pleasant conversation with the marquis. 

“Ah, hello Marquis Naberius,” Stolas greeted politely, “Thank you for attending tonight.” 

The demon let out a raucous laugh, “Of course! I would not miss this for anything! Especially since I am one the many of the family have yet to meet your children. What were their names again? Hm... ah yes, Octavia and Orion.” 

The prince gently swirled his glass of wine as the Goetia spoke to him, Château Lafite Rothschild. Stella may be a loud and cruel witch, but he could not deny that she had good taste in wine. 

“Pray tell your highness, why did you keep them away from the family?” Naberius asked with an amused smirk, bringing his own glass of wine to his beak. 

“Hm? Is that a problem?” Stolas asked, knowing that was what everyone has been talking about. 

Naberius took a sip of his wine, “I mean no disrespect Stolas, I am merely asking what everyone had been asking for years. There are also some unsettling rumors about them.” 

Stolas narrowed his eyes but remained calm, “Rumors?” 

He was no fool, he was aware of the many rumors about his children. One rumor was that Octavia and Orion were blind in one eye because of their lone pupils which was why they were always together, one was that Octavia had mental difficulties and one was that Orion had a deformity. Each rumor had one thing in common, it all ended with that being the reason Prince Stolas kept them away from the family. 

“You have my sympathies Stolas, I can’t even imagine having to hide my children away because of their issues,” Naberius took another drink until he felt the air around him grow heavy. 

“I do not know where you heard such ridiculous stories dear brother,” Stolas was smiling but it was too calm and void of emotion, “But Octavia and Orion are nowhere near that. I kept them with me because I loved them so much that I wanted them to have a normal childhood. I never paraded them the way you paraded your son to the point where that boy is an absolute nightmare whenever no one pays attention to him.” 

Naberius took a step back, “I mean no disrespect...” 

“Good,” Stolas finished his wine, “You will be pleasantly surprised when you see them.” 

The crow Goetia gave a nod and left to intermingle with the family. Stolas sighed and took a mouse kabob from an imp who was walking by with a tray. He knew this was going to happen, but he knew that his children would prove those rumors wrong. 

He heard the loud laughter from Stella who was talking to her two friends. 

“I have been wanting to plan this kind of party for years! But Stolas always bitched and complained every year! Always crying that the twins need a normal life,” She said, sipping her wine, “As if he forgot that they are members of the Goetia.” 

She laughed along with her friends. 

Stolas gave a glare but shook it off, his children were not going to see him like this. He looked at his pocket watch when Pringles approached him. 

“They are ready your highness.” 

He gave a nod of acknowledgment and dismissed the imp before he cleared his throat. All of the Goetia stopped what they were doing and looked at the owl prince. Stella walked to his side, acting like the dutiful wife she spent years creating. 

“You all know why we have gathered here today,” Stolas said with his regal voice, “Tonight we celebrate the fifteenth birthday of my children who will now devote themselves to serving the Ars Goetia and hell.” 

There were whispers of acknowledgement. 

“Please raise your glasses in celebration for Octavia and Orion’s fifteenth birthday.” 

They did so and Pringles held up a piece of fine paper, “Presenting, Princes Octavia and Prince Orion of the Ars Goetia!” 

The double doors of the ball room opened with trumpets playing as the elusive members of the Goetia family made their entrance at last. 

Octavia was absolutely stunning in her purple and blue dress, the small diamonds on the hem of the dress glittered in the light like stars and she wore a satin sash around the waist. Around her slender neck was a golden necklace with a large peridot gem in the shape of a tear drop and she wore a peridot bracelet on her right gloved wrist. Her normally shaggy hair was flat ironed and put in a lace braid homecoming updo, a new rose gold crown with peridot accents rested delicately on her head. She was also wearing purple eye shadow, no doubt it was from the palette she had. 

Orion looked dashing in the armor like suit he was fond of. The dark blue colors worked wonderfully with his fathers red and black cosmic cape that draped elegantly over the boys slender shoulders. His shaggy hair was also flat ironed and because of its shoulder length, it was tied into a low ponytail, and he wore black eye liner. A golden crown with a large peridot gem on the front was on his head and he was holding the black and gold cane in his left hand. 

They each had small smiles as they walked, Orion holding Octavia’s hand as they did. They then looked at the family and gave a clean bow and curtsy. 

Stolas raised his glass with a smile,” To Princess Octavia and Prince Orion!” 

The Goetia repeated what the prince had said and took a sip of their drinks. 

The ball began and tradition said that the birthday kids were to stand by their birthday cake and greet all seventy-two main members of the Goetia. They were to curtsy and bow before every single one. Stolas was watching from afar and could see that the twins were not enjoying it despite their polite smiles. 

“If I keep curtsying Rion, I'm going to get thick thighs,” Octavia whispered to Orion who was trying not to make a pain noise from the bowing.  

“At least you’re not killing your back Via,” He whispered back. 

They were polite of course but they quietly agreed that their family was full of pompous assholes who only saw them as the children of Stolas. The only one they seemed to like was Vassago who greeted them kindly and wished them a happy birthday before introducing himself. There was a member who did not show up due to his duties named Belial who was a king, but he did send a gift. They were very polite to their uncle Andrealphus although they were very distant towards him. 

After the introductions, there was a dance, and the twins were following the next tradition of dancing with the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes of the family. 

They danced with a pair of rock partridge siblings, the brother was older than his sister by two years. He was nice but he was speaking to her in Greek. 

“I’m sorry, I don't speak Greek,” she said politely. 

He spoke again and Orion who dancing with the sister spoke, “And they obviously don't speak the language Via.” 

Orion was now dancing with a woodpecker demon who was three years older than him. She was not a good dancer and kept counting her steps, trying to keep up with the fluid movements of the young prince until she accidently stepped on his foot. He let out a yelp. 

“My apologies!” she said frantically but he waved her off. 

“It’s fine...” 

Octavia saw it and excused herself from the parrot she was dancing with to help her brother. Stolas gave them a small break so they could have something to eat and drink. They enjoyed their rat kabobs and fruit punch with smiles, they had to make sure that their tail feathers didn’t wag because they were told by their mother that it would embarrass their dad. They didn’t want to believe her but for their dad’s sake, they kept their tails as still as possible. 

Stolas and Stella meanwhile were receiving praise for how refined their children were and Stella relished in it. 

“Of course! I didn’t have to do much during their etiquette lessons. They picked it fast and are naturals!” She said with a laugh. 

“Well, they are very intelligent,” Stolas added, “They never took notes during their lessons, they absorbed everything I teach.” 

Stella scoffed, “I always made them take notes, it's a shame that they inherited your handwriting. Like a child just now learning how to write.” 

Octavia and Orion heard that and clicked their beaks for a moment, but they went back to their small snack and went back to the dance. 

Orion danced with the seventeen year old daughter of Marquis Marchosias who was very enthusiastic in her dance. He yelped when she did a high kick and the splits when he was holding her hand. Stolas was watching with a stunned look on his face. 

“Oh dear...” 

The girl then did a shimmy dance against Orion who bent back and tried to get him to shimmy back. 

Octavia was not faring well with her partner, she was dancing with the twenty year old son of Camio and she was constantly being dipped. 

“You are a beautiful dancer!” He said with a deep French accent. 

“Thank you!” she said with a yelp. 

She was dipped again. 

“Like a deer! Or a chipmunk, in the forest!” 

Octavia was dipped again. 

Stella was actually surprised, “Is he trying to land a plane!?” 

Orion gave a bow to his partner and briskly walked to the pair, there was nothing wrong with dancing with a sibling anyway. 

He tapped the crow demon and politely asked if her could cut in. The crow gave a bow and left. 

The twins began to dance together, showing off their fluid movements for all to see.  

“Thanks Rion,” Octavia said, she looked green, “I didn’t know you could get motion sickness from dancing.” 

“I saw, good thing this was a formality,” Orion commented, “Thankfully were almost done.” 

“Really?” 

“Dad said that after this is a feast and then we can leave for the night.” 

Octavia smiled, “Great!” 

They stopped dancing when two little horned owl chicks approached them saying it was their turn. The twins chuckled and picked them up, at least this was a good end to the dancing. 

The banquet was rather boring, but Octavia and Orion could feel the many eyes staring at them. Watching their every move, trying to find a single flaw and gossip about it. They proved them wrong by showing their excellent table manners and picking up the right utensils. Orion still found it stupid that there were different spoons and forks.  

The grand cake was presented to them, and they cut a slice after the candles were blown. They smiled when they saw that it was red velvet, their favorite flavor. The mini cakes were also presented, and everyone was pleased with the small gestures. 

The night ended with the birthday teens giving their parents a bow goodnight and they left the ballroom. Once they were out and the doors closed, they ran through the halls. Their dress and cape flowed behind them with each step. They ran to their rooms for a quick change and washed their makeup off their faces.  

They walked out in their pajamas, their hair down and they went to their study to open the gifts from the servants. They did like the very expensive and extravagant gifts from the family but the trinkets they got from the servants were the best.  

Octavia was wearing her new black cardigan with a smile while Orion wore his new maroon cardigan with a content coo. 

They decided to watch a movie and enjoyed their secret stash of sweets and sodas. 

X 

Nothing changed much after their birthday. 

Octavia and Orion were lounging in their study after their lesson with dad were over and they were bored.  

The week before, they accompanied him to the harvest moon festival for the first time and fell in love with the country celebration. They made quite the first impression on the locals when they were seen playing with the implings and enjoying the local cuisine. It was fun and couldn’t wait to go again. 

But now they were trying to figure out what to do. 

“Hey Via?” 

She was laying down on the floor and looking at her phone, “Yea?” 

“Mother is hosting a party tonight. I think it's her and dads anniversary.” 

Octavia dropped the phone on her face, “Ow! What?” 

Orion pulled out his phone pulled up the newspaper article, “Still not divorced ball, tonight at the palace of Prince Stolas, couples only. I think it is.” 

The oldest huffed, “Let me guess, we have to stay hidden?” 

“After mother yelled at me for asking about it.” 

They let out annoyed groans and wished they could leave and spend the night with Loona, but she told them that things were getting crazy, and that the apartment was a mess. They called Blitzo who told them that he wanted to see them in a few days so that made them happy.  

It was nearing dusk and Orion looked out the window to see the many cars gathering outside. 

“Well, the party is starting.” 

Octavia walked and stood next to him, “Joy, i bet mother is going to talk about how bad dad is in bed.” 

“Gross, did not need to hear that.” 

X 

Two hours passed and the twins, despite having dinner, were starving. It was a small dinner, and it wasn’t enough.  

“...” 

“...” 

They tried to pass the time by reading or watching a movie, but their growling stomachs were loud.  

“... Fuck it!” Orion yelled, shocking Octavia out of her dazed trance at the movie. 

“Rion?!” 

The teen opened the door to the study, “I’m starving so I'm getting food.” 

“Seriously?” she stood up, following him anyway. 

Slowly, they crept out of their room and tiptoed down the halls, they heard the music in the ballroom and slipped in without anyone noticing. They did see some demons who attended their birthday party, and they saw the buffet table. Hiding behind a pillar, Orion reached for a silver tray of hors d'oeuvres when an imp caught him. 

Panicking, he shushed the server, and Octavia clasped her hands together, silently pleading with the imp to keep quiet. The server blinked and then turned the other way after she conveniently placed more bits of food and pastries on the try. The twins smiled with Octavia grabbing the tray while Orion looked for the perfect time to escape. Seeing an opening, they ran to the double doors and slipped out. 

“Perfect!” declared the oldest. 

The youngest took a bit of their bounty, “These are amazing!” 

They started to leave when they heard the loud laugh of their mother. 

“No! Stolas is terrible in bed! I swear to fuck, he just lays there staring at the wall, and I have to do everything ! It's embarrassing! *sighs* I'm glad at least two eggs fell out of me, so I could stop pretending to want to fuck his scrawny twig ass.” 

She laughed again along with her friends. 

The twin growled and stomped off. 

“If she hates him so much than why marry him?!” Octavia hissed, eating a pastry. 

“Maybe it's the money,” commented Orion. 

They walked down the halls when they heard footsteps approaching their directions. They froze and ducked behind a large plant, tucking their tail feathers to further conceal them. Was it their mother who somehow saw them? Was it a hellhound guard looking for them because they snuck out of their study? 

The footsteps got closer and closer until they saw who it was. 

It was their dad, very regal and he looked very peeved. Behind him was an imp wearing a gray coat with red accents, black and red boots with gauntlets. They knew who it was but kept quiet until the men were gone. Once they were, the twins ran to their study and locked the door. 

“That was Blitzo!” Octavia squealed happily. 

“I know!” Orion was just as happy, “But what happened? How come dad looked pissed?” 

The girl shrugged her shoulders and began to set up the area near the tv, “Maybe he wanted to surprise daddy. And knowing Blitzo, he did something stupid.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

Orion set the tray on the floor and the twins enjoyed their meager feast. Octavia was tempted to go to her room and get the bourbon she was hiding but instead chose the water they had.  

They spent the rest of the night watching a movie about teenager who discovers she was a princess before they turned in. They decided to sleep in their study, they still missed the old day where they used to share a bed. 

The next morning.  

A crash from outside jolted the teenagers awake from their slumber, they got up from their sleeping mats and went to the window to see that their mother was having tea in the garden with her friends. They saw that something fell on the table. 

Orion opened the window just in time to hear Blitzo say. 

“Sorry, I fucked your husband!” 

Octavia gasped and Orion slammed the window shut in shock. 

“Call Blitzo! Call Blitzo!” He yelled 

She took out her phone and dialed Blitzo’s number, he answered after one ring. 

“Not now Via sweetie I-” 

“Don’t worry, I'll be quick!” She said with urgency in her voice, “Blitzo did you fuck our dad?!” 

Octavia put her phone on speaker just in time to hear, “Yeah, I did! Sorry! Gotta go!” 

And the call ended. 

There was silence. 

The twins blinked. 

They looked at each other with wide eyes. 

And then they laughed like a couple of hyenas on laughing gas. 

Their laughter was soon joined by their father after he declared to Stella that what she saw was the sound of a fucking divorce!  

Chapter Text

What happened next was pure chaos. 

Stella was furious, beyond furious. 

She screamed when she ran in the palace, how dare her husband sleep with an imp?! In their fucking bed?! 

Stolas pointed out that he and Stella haven’t shared a bed in six years, he ducked when she threw a plant at him. There was screaming, there was yelling, and more plants were where thrown. 

Octavia and Orion hid in their study when it was happening, the door was locked but they still barricaded it with their desks just in case their mother decided to use them as her next target. They were huddled in the corner with a large blanket over them and holding on to each other for comfort, something they would ever since they were children. 

Hours later, they heard a gentle knock and a soft voice. 

“Children? It’s me...” Stolas sounded so tired, “May I come in?” 

The twins moved their heavy desks from the door and Orion unlocked the door to let their dad in. 

Stolas was wearing a simple white blouse opened to revel his chest feathers and beige pants. 

“Are you alright my starfires?” 

Octavia still had the blanket over her shoulders, “Yeah, were okay dad.” 

“Oh, that’s good,” He said nervously, scratching the back of his head, “Um.. Well... I...” 

“You don’t have to say anything dad,” Orion said, standing next to Octavia, “We heard and saw nothing.” 

She agreed, “Yeah! Was mother having a mood again?” 

They watched as their father’s feathers fluffed and he did the nervous chuckle he always used whenever their mother had a mood, “You could say that my darlings.” 

They looked at each other and agreed to not ask what had happened this morning. 

“Where’s mother?” 

Stolas sighed softly, “She decided to go stay with her brother for a while, she said that she missed him and wanted to spend time with him.” 

What a lousy answer, they thought but they accepted it. 

“Okay daddy.” 

“You know when she’s coming back?” 

The prince’s father shuddered again, “It depends...” 

The twins nodded and they followed their dad to the kitchen for breakfast. They saw the servants cleaning up broken plant pots and sweeping the floors. 

They hoped their mother was gone for a long time. 

X 

“Is this the right place?” Asked Orion as he looked up at the tall building with giant imp horns. 

Octavia looked at the address she wrote down and looked at the building number, “It should be. I had to double check the text to make sure.” 

It had been a week since the ‘incident’ and the twins got a text from Blitzo saying he wanted to see them along with an address. It took a while for them to figure out what it said because the spelling was off as always, but they didn’t say anything. It took a while to convince their dad into letting them go because the address was located in Imp city. And it took an another while for them to convince their driver to drive them there.  

But there they were, walking through the halls of the old building that had a weird smell looking for a door. They made it to the top floor where they saw a door with the words “I.M.P. Headquarters” crudely painted on and there was a note. 

“Meeting in progress?” Orion read aloud, “Should we wait then?” 

Octavia looked at the text she received that morning at breakfast. 

“He said he wanted to see us so...” She reached and knocked on the door. 

They waited for a minute before the floor opened, they stood up straighter, hoping to see the very imp they wanted to see. But instead, it was a shorter impish man with white hair and short horns. He wore a black two tailed coat with a large red bow tie, black pants and fingerless gloves. 

He blinked at them, confused and stunned to see two royals staring at them, “Uh... hello there your highnesses.” 

Octavia smiled, “Oh hello sir! Sorry to bother you during your meeting but we were looking for someone.” 

“Do you know an imp called Blitzo?” Asked Orion, “We’re supposed to meet him here.” 

The imp blinked his yellow eyes in confusion, there are two royals in front of him, they are unusually polite, and they are looking for his boss? 

“Blitzo? Don’t you mean Blitzø?” he asked with a tilted head. 

Now it was the twins’ turn to be confused. 

“Blitzø?” they asked at the same time. 

Before he could say anything, an annoyed voiced called out to him. The two owls knew that voice. 

“Hey Moxxie! What’s the hold up?! Unless it's a client, shut the fucking door!” 

The imp, that the twins now knew was named Moxxie, turned his head, “Sorry sir! But there are two royals here, they said that they’re looking for you.” 

Octavia and Orion peeked their heads in the office, they saw a sitting area, a desk where they saw Loona looking at something on the computer that was there, an impish woman enjoying a cup of coffee, and they saw a taller imp walking out of a room. He was wearing the same thing he wore the night they saw him at that stupid party. 

“Two royals?” Blitzø asked, thinking it was Stolas and his wife at first but when he saw the twins, he let out a sigh of relief, “Oh hey you little- Christ on a stick!” 

It happened so fast. 

Octavia and Orion charged, magenta eyes glowing bright, their talon hands stretched out as they tackled the imp, making them tumble to the ground. Moxxie and the woman, his wife Millie were shocked and tried to run to their boss’s aid.  

Loona stopped them though, “They’re not hurting him.” 

“What do you mean?!” Moxxie yelled. 

Millie was ready to attack, “Just cause they're royals doesn't mean-” 

“Look,” Loona pointed at the trio who stopped tumbling. 

Octavia and Orion were sitting on the floor, hugging Blitzø in a grip that would not hurt him and rubbed their faces against his with smiles. 

“Blitzo! We missed you!” Cried Octavia. 

“Never leave again!” Orion exclaimed. 

Blitzø had the look of defeat on his face for a brief moment, but he shook it off, “For fucks sake! I already got the riot act from Loona, do I need it from you two?!” 

He looked annoyed but he was still hugging them back and briefly returned the face running gesture. 

“Depends,” the oldest stopped rubbing the imps face and gave him a glare, “Are you going to leave without saying goodbye again?” 

The youngest also stopped and glared at the imp, “That was low Blitzo!” 

The man chuckled nervously but the twins still hugged him. They would have stayed that way if not for the nervous cough Moxxie made. 

“Uh... sir?” 

Blitzø and the twins looked up to see Moxxie standing there, very confused, “You know these two?” 

Octavia and Orion stood up and helped Blitzø get up. 

“Yeah, little shits this is Moxxie and his wife Millie, but I call them M&M. M&M, little shits,” He introduced with a cocky smile. 

The twins smiled at the introduction, but Moxxie was mortified, “Sir! Don't insult them like that!” 

Millie had to agree, “What if they’re offended?!” 

Octavia giggled and gave a curtsy, “It’s okay, he's called us that our whole lives. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Octavia!” 

Orion gave a bow, “I’m Orion, it’s also a pleasure to meet you.” 

Millie blinked and then a realization hit her, “Oh my lands, you're the Goetian Twins!” 

She had heard from her parents that the prince who curses the Harvest Moon Festival every year brought his kids for the first time. They assumed that they were going to be spoiled brats who never saw an imp who didn’t work for them since they were rarely seen. But instead, they were greeted with two down to hell teenagers who were seen playing with the implings when they were not following their father and enjoying the festivities. Millie didn’t believe them until now, they were so polite and talking to them as if they were equals. 

“Is that our official title now?” Orion asked with an amused looked and a raised eyebrow. 

“Oh sorry,” the wrathian imp apologized, “I meant no offense.” 

“It’s fine,” Octavia said shrugging her shoulders, she then looked at Loona was looking at her phone, “Hey Loona!” 

The hell hound gave her the peace sign in acknowledgement before Blitzø cleared his throat. 

“Okay enough of this sappy bullshit! Come on you little shits, follow me!”  

The twins nodded and followed the imp to his office, closing the door behind him. Moxxie was still in shock that Blitzø knew two members of the Goetia. 

“Is it really that weird?” Loona asked, still looking at her phone. 

“Well... how does he know them?” 

Loona looked up and showed a picture on her phone. It was the picture of her, Blitzø, Stolas and the twins at LuLu world when Loona was eleven and the twins were six. 

“Dad is best friends with their dad so that's how he knows them.” 

Millie was curious, “How does Blitzø know prince Stolas?” 

“Childhood friends, that's all I know.” 

Moxxie still had questions, but Loona shut him up. 

Meanwhile, the twins were in a small office sitting in front of a large desk, Blitzø was sitting at the large desk, and they sat up straight in respect. The chairs they were sitting on were plush ottomans because he knew that they were uncomfortable sitting on their tail feathers. 

“So...” Octavia looked around the room, taking in the many pictures and the lemon tree in the corner, “You finally have your business.” 

“Sure do!” Blitzø was leaning back on his plush office chair with his hands behind his head, he had a satisfied smirk on his face. 

Orion tilted his head, “Why did you text us to meet you here?” 

“Can’t a guy meet his kids without wanting something in return?” 

The twins’ tail feathers wagged when he said ‘his kids’ but they also knew their friend too well. 

“Well, you did show up a week or so ago,” Octavia commented, she tapped her lower beak. 

“You don’t call, don't text and after what happened, you finally decided to see us?” Orion crossed his legs and folded his arms. 

They both had smirks. 

“Okay Blitzo, what's going on?” 

Blitzø chuckled, “Fine you got me, I did want to see you little shits again but...” he pulled out a large book he hid in his desk, “How the fuck do you use this?!” 

The twins knew what it was the moment they saw their father’s seal. 

“Blitzo... why do you have daddy’s grimoire?” Octavia asked, using her magic to bring it to her. 

“Well....” he gave an apologetic look. 

Orion gave him a narrow glare, “Is that why you fucked our dad? To get it because you know that he wouldn’t just let you use it?” 

Blitzø played with his fingers, “Maybe...?” 

The twins looked at him and then the book. 

“.... Gross, we did not need to know that,” the girl muttered. 

The youngest took the book and opened it, “Why did you need it anyway? Something like this shouldn’t be lent out to just anyone you know.” 

“Funny story you two, remember how I said I wanted to kill for a living?” They nodded, “Well apparently, sinners have a lot of unfinished business in the living realm so....” 

“You thought it would be a good business deal to do hits on humans?” Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Interesting idea,” Orion muttered already finding the page that opened a portal to the living world, “Poor planning though.” 

“And that’s why you two are the smart ones!” Blitzø added, “But there's a problem...” 

“You don't know how to use it, and you needed our help,” the twins deadpanned at the same time. 

A wave of guilt hit the imp, he really did miss them and felt bad that they might have thought he only wanted to see them just so he could figure out the book. 

But to his surprise they showed him. 

“You could have asked us when you sent that text,” Octavia said showing him what he had to do. 

“Don’t get us wrong though, fuck you for stealing the book because dad can’t give us our lessons without it,” Orion added. 

“Since when did you start cursing?” Blitzø asked with an amused smirk. 

“Mother,” Was the boy’s answer and the imp dropped it. 

The twins wrote down the instructions that were needed to make portal and got ready to leave. 

“Just so you know, you can come and visit anytime you want,” Blitzø said, his arrogant act dropped, and he was smiling genuinely, “I did miss you little shits.” 

The teens smiled and bid him farewell before leaving. They said their goodbyes to Loona and M&M as Octavia texted their driver to get them. 

After they left, Blitzø walked out of his office with a proud grin on his face. 

“Alright bitches! We are finally in business!” 

X 

As tempting as it was, the twins chose to not ask their father why he let Blitzo- oh right, Blitzø take the grimoire, but they did say that he invited them to visit as much as they wanted. 

“Are you sure you want to go all the way to Imp city?” He asked them over dinner. 

It was quiet since Stella was still gone. 

Tonight's dinner was mouse stew with fresh bread, one of Stolas’ favorite meals since it meant more relaxed manners. 

Octavia dipped her bread in the savory stew, “Well, you always said that you’re worried about us being locked in our study all day.” 

She ate her soaked bread with a smile. 

“So why not got see Blitzø?” Orion asked, using the new name now, “Besides, you know he won't let anything bad happen to us.” 

Stolas wasn’t so sure; he did not doubt Blitzø’s abilities, and he knew that the imp would never let harm come to his children but... 

“Come on dad,” Octavia’s voice snapped him out thoughts, “You said you would ease up on being overprotective.” 

“And you always said that you want us to go out and explore the world and what it has to offer,” Orion added, leaning on the table, something he would never have been allowed to do if Stella was home. 

The prince looked at his two children and let out a sigh of defeat, “Very well but don’t bother him too much, he is a very busy man.” 

The twins smiled and nodded. 

“Of course!” 

“Don’t worry daddy, we will be on out best behavior!” 

The three owls happily ate their simple dinner and talked about what book Stolas was reading or what collection series of taxidermy the twins found and liked. 

After dinner the twins bid their father goodnight and went to their rooms.  

Orion stretched on his four poster bed and looked up at his ceiling, it had the illusion of the cosmos, and he often found himself in deep thought when he looked at it. He was happy that Blitzø was back, he hoped that him being back would make life better from now on. He turned to his side and pulled the purple blanket to closer when a funny thought struck him. 

At first it was a little snicker until he began chuckling, “I gotta tell Blitzø .” 

Without a minute to lose, Orion reached for his phone and sent a quick text to the imp. 

‘Sorry to bother you Blitzø but have you thought of an ad for your business?’  

X 

“Kids die for free~”  

Octavia smacked Orion’s head when she heard the jingle he wrote on tv. They were in the meeting room of IMP headquarters watching the meeting Blitzø was having with M&M and Loona over the issue of not getting enough business. They didn’t know why they were allowed to join but then again, they just followed Loona when the meeting called. Moxxie was having fit about how Blitzø spent all their salaries after they played the ad on tv. Apparently, Orion wrote the song the week before and gave it to Blitzø who loved it so much that he had to make the commercial. 

“Why would you write that last line?!” Octavia demanded from her snickering brother. 

“What? I heard that shock factors were good for advertising,” he said, still snickering. 

Octavia glared at him until she heard Blitzø’s voice. 

“Now Via sweetie, big sisters don’t hurt their little siblings,” he said as he stood in front of the white board. 

She gave a small pout and slumped on the chair she was sitting on with her arms crossed. Moxxie cleared his throat to get the boss’s attention. 

“Anyway, you blew most of our salaries on an obnoxious TV ad last week. One that you then additionally paid to have run for a full three hours on a channel... nobody watches. How is that good for business?” 

Blitzø turned to the young imp, “Uh excuse me? What’s wrong with a super fun jingle? The one that we got for free I might add?”  

Millie was giggling, “People Love musicals, sir.” 

“They’re okay if the plot is good,” Octavia commented. 

“And they’re better than most of the crap we see on TV,” Added Orion. 

Loona said nothing, more interested in looking at her phone. 

Blitzø pointed his hand at the teenagers, “See? They get it! We’re doing a fucking musicals! Are you gonna crush my dreams like my dad did?” 

Moxxie gave an unamused look, “Sir-” 

“Because all I see right now is my dad’s asshole talking to me,” Blitzø had sad eyes and a puppy's whimper was heard, “Crushing my dreams of being who I truly am inside.” 

Octavia and Orion glared at Moxxie while Millie leaned on her husband, “Are you tryin’ to crush his dreams, Moxxie?” 

“Eh... what?" 

She batted her eyes, “I thought I knew you.” 

“And after I made you employee of the month,” Blitzø tearfully held up an unflattering picture of Moxxie. 

Octavia crossed her arms and looked away, “And I thought you were cool.” 

Moxxie looked at the princess with a surprised look, “wha-” 

“Guess we were wrong,” Orion gave two thumbs down. 

Loona looked up briefly and looked back on her phone. 

The wrathian deflated, “Okay sir! I’m sorry, a commercial jingle is not comparable to musical theater. Nobody actually likes the jingles.” 

“Well, I liked it,” Millie commented. 

“Please don't agree with him in front of me.” 

Orion blew a raspberry, “Well if you think my jingle was bad then you make one.” 

Octavia groaned, “Please, he can’t even do a proper hit.” 

Moxxie gave them a glare, “What's that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh, you know what I mean Moxxie.” 

The teens gestured to the very human boy hooked up to a machine in the corner of the meeting room. He had be about eight years old, he was still as a statue, and he had a vacant stare that it was creepy even for them. 

“You shot a kid and dragged him down here!” The princess yelled, “Are you out of your mind!?” 

“Sure, there’s no law against it but really?!” shouted the prince, “Was he even the target?!” 

Moxxie gave a small glare, but he sat up straighter, he was in the presence of royalty after all, “I'd like to go on record and say that incident was Loona's fault,” He looked at the young hellhound who was looking at a video on her phone, “Dispatch is supposed to give us the right info on the target. It's very simple.” 

Loona, unbothered, had her feet on the table, “Sit on a dick Moxxie.” 

“YOU sit! Sit on... a... and the... d-- DO YOUR JOB!!” Moxxie stammered out. 

Blitzø ran to his daughter’s defense, “No one is blaming any of their screw ups on Loona! You got that?!” He hugged her and Loona let him, “She didn’t do anything wrong.” 

Poor Moxxie wondered if he was in some sort of twilight zone, “Are you kidding me? She’s awful!” 

He began pointing out the many things Loona had done since they opened for business, picking and hanging up phone calls, stealing food from the office breakroom and that was only the small issues. 

Blitzø brushed it off, “Hey, Loona is a valued member of our family and we don’t get rid of family!” 

Loona tail wagged for a second. 

Moxxie rubbed his head in frustration, “Sir, we’re not a family! You’re the boss! We're the employees! You treat her like some spoiled teenager!” 

Slowly, Loona raised her hand, flipping off the screaming imp. 

“And speaking of teenagers,” Now he turned his attention to Octavia and Orion who were leaning on the large meeting table, “When did this place become the hangout of royals?!” 

The twins looked at him with small glares. 

“Excuse me?” Octavia lifted an eyebrow. 

“Blitzø said we could come here anytime we wanted,” Orion said, sitting up with his arms crossed. 

Moxxie glared at Blitzø, “Sir, I get it, you knew them since forever, but this is a place of business. Not a place for bored royals to use as their personal playground!” 

Octavia let out a small snarl and stood up along with her brother, “Fucking excuse me? We stay out of your way whenever you do your jobs, even when you mess up!” 

“And we tolerate your sickly-sweet public displays of affection with your wife,” Orion added with his hands on his narrow hips, he remembered nearly gagging seeing M&M acting so cute and sweet, gross. 

“Behave Rion honey,” Blitzø appeared between the twins, reaching up to pat their backs, “Moxxie just loves his wife and is happy to show it!” 

The young man glared at his boss, “I still find it hard to believe that they like you after what you did to their dad.” 

“Hey!” Orion flipped off Moxxie, “The last thing we need to hear is Blitzø’s sex life!” 

“Especially with our dad!” Octavia added, also flipping off the imp. 

Blitzø got the two to calm down and made them sit back down, “Anyway, these two are good kids and be thankful Moxxie,” He hugged them both and rubbed their cheeks with his face, “Without them, we would be out of the job!” 

The twins gave Moxxie arrogant smirks while still flipping him off. 

Poor Moxxie let out a hiss and calmed himself down, “Fine... but since we are on the topic of ‘family’,” he made air quotes, “Can you stop finding me and Millie outside of work sir?” 

Millie touched her husband’s shoulder, “Come on sweetie! It's not a big deal!” 

“Excuse me... What?!” he sputtered, “Do you not remember the fridge incident?!” 

“I thought it was cute!” 

“Or when he was staring at me while we were sleeping?!” 

“He just wanted to know what you were dreamin’ about.” 

Loona and the twins looked at Blitzø who was now back at the front with disturbed looks.  

“And then there was the time he filmed us-!” 

“Dad! Get a new hobby!” Yelled Loona. 

Blitzø shrugged, “Don’t worry it wasn’t anything good to record.” 

Moxxie was close to banging his head on the table, “Just... stop... doing that!” 

“I don't see what the issue is,” Blitzø then smirked, “Unless there’s something you don't want me to see.” 

“No!” 

“Got a baby wiener?” 

“We didn’t need to hear that!” Octavia yelled as Orion covered his ears. 

“Sir, what you say and how you act is...” Moxxie stood up to yell, “Inappropriate!” 

Millie reached over and rubbed her husband’s shoulder, “Easy Mox, you're gonna have another panic attack!” 

“I AM CALM!” the poor imp slumped on his hair whimpering. 

“Ok, I don't judge the boring couple stuff,” Blitzø moved his hand in a suggestive way, “you do outside work hours. So, don't... judge me!” 

“Oh, I do judge you, sir!” Growled Moxxie, “Quite a lot, actually!” 

Millie gasped, “Mox, he's our boss!” 

The twins growled and slowly got up from their seats 

“No-no-no, it's fine Mills, your husband is just... how do I say this without being offensive?” Blitzø smiled smugly, “...re-” 

“Blitzø!” Orion yelled, stopping him from saying that word. 

“Does immaturely insulting me make you feel better about your sad, single life?” 

“It actually does,” Blitzø said proudly, leaning towards the younger man. 

Loona, having enough of the drama, looked up from her phone, “The only reason you have a wife is because you're easy to manage!” 

Now Millie was angry, “That’s my husband you bitch!” 

Octavia and Orion hopped on the table; eyes glowing and ready to strike. 

“Do not talk to my daughter that way! She’s sensitive!” 

“Yes, I am!” Loona declared. 

Just when a fight was about to break out, a new voice spoke. 

“You guys are all fucking assholes.” 

The human boy the demons had forgotten about was glaring at them. 

“Oh, shut up kid! You’re lucky to witness this! Via, Rion, get off the table!” 

Moxxie sighed for the umpteenth time, “This company is such a mess.” 

“So are you but that’s nothing new” Octavia muttered, still sitting on the table. 

“Why you-” 

The boy sat up and ripped off the monitor he was attached to, “It’s been a literal hell pretending to be paralyzed so you fuckshits wouldn't kill me! But now I want that. I want death!” 

He pointed at Blitzø, “You are a selfish greedy clown! And I’m a kid! Clowns are what we’re supposed to like! Even the creepy ones!” 

The twins were about to get off the table when they heard the insult, now they were mad. 

Moxxie gave the human aglare, “Hey! That's not very-” 

“If I wanted to hear from a spineless jackass, I'd rip out your spine and ask you some shit!” 

“That’s my husband you're talking too!” Millie yelled in defense of her husband, making said man smile. 

The boy then laughed and spoke in a mocking tone, “That’s your husband?! I figured you for a slut. But I didn't know you needed dick that bad!” He then pointed at Loona who went back to her phone, “And you!” 

The hellhound looked up, “What?” 

“Nothing,” he crossed his arms and smirked, “I don’t talk to dogs. I’m a cat pers-” 

During the barrage of insults the human was hurling at the assassins, no one noticed that Octavia and Orion were crawling on the table until they pounced, talons out and eyes glowing. They did not like the insult towards Blitzø and yes, they were arguing with Moxxie, but they would never insult him like that. They knew Millie would take care of herself but the moment that insignificant boy called Loona a dog, that was it. 

They tore the boy to shreds before he could even process what was happening. Limps were torn and his head was sent flying across the room. All four adults stood there in disbelief as the teenagers slashed at the body, hissing, and screeching before the only thing left was a pile of guts and blood along with a blue baseball cap. 

“And this is why I hate kids Via!” Orion declared wiping a bit of sweat off his face. 

Octavia dusted off her hands, “Agreed.” 

Even though they ripped the human to shreds, there was not a single drop of blood on their clothes. 

Blitzø blinked and shook off his shock, “You little shits, what the fuck was that?!” 

The twins flinched; their feathers poofed 

Moxxie pointed a shaking hand at the pile, “He was a hellion sure but... but... he was still a child!” 

Octavia and Orion stood in front of the mess; they didn’t know what to say. 

“We’re... we’re sorry Blitzø, he just made us so angry!” The oldest said, acting as if she and her brother did not commit a murder. 

“What were we supposed to do?! Stand by and let him insult you?!” Orion asked. 

Blitzø was about to say something when Loona’s phone rang, it was a text. 

She looked the message, and her eyes widened, “Oh fuck! It's a text from our client! Turns out that kid was the right target!” 

“He was?” Millie asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yup!” 

“They wanted us to kill and actual child?" Blitzø asked in disbelief. 

Even the twins were in disbelief. 

Loona nodded, “That’s what they’re saying.” 

“Oh,” the imp’s disbelief faded away and he was back to his arrogant self, “Christ on a stick, there is a God”  

He ran to the teenagers and patted their arms, “Good job you two!” 

“But-” Octavia was interrupted when Blitzø shushed her. 

“Remember you two, this is hell and no one would care if you killed a human.” 

 “That’s true...” Orion muttered, “What are we going to do about the body.” 

Blitzø stood straight and fixed his jacket, “Oh don’t worry, here at IMP we pride ourselves in a clean job. M&M get ready, Loonie, let the client know we did the job!” 

Like clockwork, the two assassins stood up and began the cleanup job while Loona left the office to make a phone call. Octavia and Orion decided to help by looking for the head, it was found it in the waste basket, how fitting, and dropped it in the trash bag Moxxie opened to collect the guts and limbs. They then followed the group outside so they could open a portal to drop off the remains when Blitzø gave them all a group hug. 

“Y'know, even though this kid was a target... he's still a child. And it's important that we handle this going forward respectfully,” he said, wrapping his tail around the group. 

Everyone smiled, Octavia and Orion gave his tail a happy squeeze. 

They had to be quick when Loona opened a portal to the mortal realm, they threw the bloody bag in and closed it before anyone noticed. 

A job well done for everyone! Thanks to the two teenagers who were tagging along! 

“Well, that was... weird,” Octavia said during the walk back inside the building. 

“Weird but oddly fun,” Orion admitted, “Dad’s going to flip!” 

The older twin chuckled, “You want to tell daddy?” 

The youngest chuckled, “Maybe.” 

They both shared a laugh when Blitzø called out to them. 

“Meet me in my office little shits!” 

They stopped and tilted their heads, are they still in trouble for what happened? 

“Don’t worry, I'm actually gonna offer you something!” he assured them as they got in the elevator. 

“Like?” Octavia was curious. 

Blitzø nodded, “How would you like to work for me as junior assassins?” 

 Loona who was texting the client looked at her father in surprise, “Dad?” 

Moxxie and Millie were also surprised. 

“Sir!? Are you listening to yourself right now?” 

“Askin’ two royals if they want to be assassins?” 

Blitzø didn't see anything wrong it, “Didn’t you see how they worked? They were in the same room as us and we didn’t notice them creeping up to the kid and then BAM!” he slammed his closed fist on his open hand, “That’s a skill assassins would kill for!” 

The twins snorted a bit, a skill assassins would kill for, Blitzø was still a master of jokes. 

“So, what do you say little shits?” He asked with an enticing grin, “Wanna be the first Goetian assassins?” 

They made it to the top floor and walked out. 

“Blitzø, are you really being serious?” Octavia asked with a tilted head. 

“You do know that we’re still kids, right?” Asked Orion who also tilted his head. 

“Oh please, you two are basically adults in royalty standards so why not?” Blitzø countered, “Besides, it’s better than locking yourselves in your rooms, right?” 

That struck a chord within the twins, they really didn’t like locking themselves in their rooms or in their study, but it was their only places to escape to whenever their mother had a mood. However, if they were to take up on Blitzø’s offer, it would mean that they are out of the palace and doing something.  

They looked at each other, nodding and looked at Blitzø. 

“We’re in,” Confirmed Octavia. 

“When do we start?”  Asked Orion. 

“Next week!” Declared Blitzø as he led them inside his office to discuss their contracts, “Just so you know, we offer no dental, no health care the only way you are getting a day off is if you lost a limb. Got it?” 

Octavia chuckled, “Well we don't have to worry about dental care, we don't have any teeth, and I think we’re good on health. But Blitzø, we do have other responsibilities so we can’t be here all the time.” 

“And we are completely busy during the new moon.” 

“Done!” 

The twins sat on the ottomans while Blitzø gathered paperwork. 

“Are we getting paid for this?” Orion was curious about that. 

“Yup! Here at IMP, you get paid if you dropped the body!” the head assassin declared, “But not for this one.” 

The twins were confused. 

“Why?” they asked in disbelief. 

“Because you weren't on the payroll, so you don’t get the commission,” Blitzø had a shit eating grin when he said that. 

“..... You're an ass,” Orion muttered. 

“Oh, I’ve been called worse Rion honey.” 

X 

“Well, that went well,” Octavia and Orion were outside of the building waiting for their driver to pick them up. 

Orion dug into his cardigan pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, “Yeah? I didn’t know he was going to offer us a job.” 

He put a stick in his beak and lit it with the small flame on his thumb, he took in a drag and blew out a plume of smoke. 

“I didn’t know you smoked.” 

“Stole them from Pringles last year.” 

“Why?” 

“Why do you drink Via?” 

“You have a point,” Octavia said, with a mother like there's, it's no wonder they picked up bad habits to help them cope. 

“You think dad is going to let us be assassins?” asked Orion as he discarded his cigarette. 

Octavia let out a hooting laugh, “No, he's going to say-” 

Scene change to Stolas in his study with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. 

“- Absolutely not!” 

The twins were standing in front his desk after telling him about their day and that Blitzø gave them a job. 

“Told you,” Octavia whispered to Orion before looking at their father, “How come daddy?” 

“We’ll be out of the palace and doing something,” Orion said, “You always said that it was worrisome that we were always in our rooms or study!” 

Stolas gave them another look, “I would like it if you got out of your rooms and study but to go out to the mortal realm and killing people for pay?! No! Out of the question! It’s dangerous out there!” 

The twins gave him looks now. 

“Well daddy,” Octavia crossed her arms, “It’s not like we can do anything now. Blitzø has the grimoire, the book you use to teach us.” 

“And without the grimoire, we can’t do our lessons,” Added Orion, “And without our lessons, we’ll lock ourselves inside our rooms and study.” 

“Blitzø even said that he worries about us doing that.” 

“He said that it reminded him of when you were our age.”  

That got Stolas’ attention, “Really?” 

They nodded. 

“During the year he was gone, he told us to try and go out to have fun because he never liked that we would shut ourselves away,” His daughter sad with a sad look in her eyes. 

His son nodded, “He said that he had to drag you outside because you did the same thing.” 

The prince looked at his children and sat at his desk, they were right about what Blitzø had said he himself wanted to find a way for the twins to go out more. But assassins? Did they not know of the dangers it would bring?! He knew that they didn’t share his views on pacifism but was this truly what they wanted? 

He ran his talons through his feathered hair and tried to keep his panic under control.  

Stolas had no doubts of their personal safety, they are members of the Goetia family! Powerful demons who could not be brought down so easily! But they were still his darling children! But then again, Blitzø would never let anything happen to them. He adores them! 

Octavia and Orion could see their father’s distress walked up to the desk. 

“It’s okay dad, we’ll call Blitzø and tell him we changed our minds,” Orion reached over to place a comforting hand on his father’s arm. 

“We didn’t mean to make you worry,” Octavia did the same. 

The owl prince’s feathers that were puffing up without him knowing settled, “Oh no children... Please don’t do that for my sake,” He stood up and walked around the desk to hold his children close, “Answer me this, is this what you truly want to do?” 

The twins leaned on their dad, breathing in the woodsy smell of his preening oil. 

“Well, it sounds interesting daddy,” Octavia said, “I wouldn’t call it fun, but it sounds stimulating.” 

“We’ve been through every inch of hell and it’s kind of boring,” Orion claimed, “And we’ve been to the mortal realm plenty of times.” 

Stolas was still waiting for an answer. 

“So yeah dad, we want to do this,” the younger twin finished. 

Stolas gave a small smile and hugged his children, “Very well...” 

The twins cheered and hugged him. 

“Thank you daddy!” 

“We’ll be careful! We promise!” 

They ran off before Stolas could say anything else. 

“Oh dear...” he went back to his desk with a sigh, “I should have said no but...” Stolas looked at his phone and saw another angry voicemail from Stella and a very disappointed text from Andrealphus, “I don’t want them to see this.” 

Stolas knew that from now on, things were going to get difficult, he slept with his best friend, announced to all of hell that he was getting a divorce and all he wanted was to make sure that Via and Rion were shielded from the chaos it would bring.  

He was glad that they didn’t hear Blitzø that morning, he didn’t know what he would do if they heard that. 

X 

While the twin did not officially start working at IMP until next week, Blitzø immediately went to work in giving them as much training as possible. He showed them diagrams of how and where to stab a bitch, he showed them the basics of firearms from how they function and what kind of bullets can go into certain type of gun. He then took them to a shooting range like he used to when they were little and noticed that Octavia was more comfortable with her left hand while Orion alternated between his hands. 

Interesting, he thought, watching them as they shot at the targets. They were still a little clumsy with the recoil, but they were improving. 

Blitzø then taught them how to tie a knot for whenever they needed to get their hands dirty. Octavia needed to work on hers, but she was having fun doing so. Orion on the other hand was a natural with his knots. 

During the week of training, the twins got to know Moxxie and Millie and a small friendship formed. They still butted heads from time to time, but they got along well. 

They found out that Loona got a job as a receptionist due to her ‘people skills’ but she was still given the choice if she wanted to go out to do a job. 

After the week was up, Octavia and Orion were officially part of IMP, but they were not true assassins yet, they needed to take part in a job, and it had be the right one. 

Which what lead to the twins sitting on Loona’s desk watching as Moxxie was aiming his black and red crossbow at a family picture Loona was holding a cross the office. They were waiting for Blitzø who was in his office with a potential client. 

His arms were shaking, and he aimed the pointer a little too close to Loona direction, Millie thankfully stopped him. 

“Moxxie stop shakin’!” She said with a slight annoyance, “You’re going to shoot our only hellhound.” 

Loona, who was laying on the couch, was unbothered as she looked over her phone, “Wow, I feel so loved here.” 

“Her name is Loona Millie,” Orion said with a bored voice, it was fun at first watching Moxxie try to shoot the target but now he was bored. 

Millie was more focused on her husband, “Just take a deep breath and let it out!” 

Her husband looked at the picture of the family, he couldn’t do it, “But... it’s a family! Under what circumstances would we ever need to kill a human family?” 

“Because the client wants that?” Answered Octavia. 

Moxxie looked at the princess, “Maybe a shitty dad. Or a mob family,” He then changed his accent briefly, “That’s understandable,” and he changed his voice, “Give me a reason Octavia why we need eradicate an entire innocent—seemingly, in this instance—upper middle class family bloodline!” 

Loona got up and looked at the picture and marched up to the group, “Hey! You don't know they're innocent!” She pointed at the boy, “This kid probably sets dogs on fire”, She then pointed at the girl wearing braces, “Maybe this girl gets off to bullying Australian kids online", And then she pointed at the father, “And this guy… This guy definitely watches.” 

The twins nodded while Millie explained that humans have deep dark secret, which was why hell had so many of them. 

“But-” 

“Moxxie, what are you?” Octavia asked, leaning towards him from where she was sitting. 

He was confused, “An imp?” 

“Exactly and what do humans associate imps as?” 

“Demons?” 

Octavia gave a clap, “Yup. You’re a demon, I'm a demon and so is everyone else in this office! Empathy for humans should not be in our system!” 

Moxxie still tried to give his reasons, but Millie cupped his face, “Guilty and innocent aren't our business, Mox,” He gave him a sweet kiss, making the twins gag, “Killin' who we're paid to is our business. Shoot the target.” 

He leaned down and aimed, “I just think it's a bit excessive, and we could be a bit more selective, is all.” 

Orion was losing his patience, “Just shoot the damn target.” 

Just as the imp was about to pull the trigger, Blitzø kicked open the door his office, “Guys I want you to meet-” 

Moxxie pulled the trigger in fright and the arrow went flying, the twins ducked and used their magic to make shields, Millie jumped in Moxxie’s arms to avoid the arrow, and the little bastard went through the picture Loona was still holding. It then hit the eel tank Blitzø was so proud of and he cooly caught the arrow before it hit the client. 

“-our newest client...” 

The tank fell over and the ells that fell out released large amounts of electricity that caused a fire. Surprising everyone but Blitzø who then then the arrow at the desk in anger. 

“Damn it, Moxxie! I just bought those eels!” 

The fire department was called as everyone got out of the office, Blitzø was apologizing the client, the twins would find out that her name was Mrs. Mayberry who wanted revenge on the mistress who slept with her husband, and personally called a cab for her. They stood next to M&M while Blitzø waved at the cab, 

“Byyyyye! And, don't worry, we'll get that skank in less than twenty-four hours or your first kill is freee!” He called out to the leaving cab. 

“Umm when did we start implementing that deal?” Moxxie asked in confusion. 

The boss held the smaller man's face, “When you set fire to my office in front of a client you fucking dipshit!” 

He threw Moxxie and yelled some more, “Now, someone PLEASE tell me that fancy book is still intact!” 

“It better be,” Octavia hoped, “Otherwise daddy will kill you.” 

Loona held up the book, “Don’t worry, I got it.” 

Blitzø was by her side with a smile, “That is why you're my favorite Loonie!” 

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a treat. 

“No.” 

He threw it in the air and caught it with his tongue, making Loona groan. 

“Quit being gross dad!” she yelled as she opened the book to open the portal. 

“Aw stop, I get enough of that from my therapist.” 

The adults were ready to go. 

“Let's go lick some ass!” Blitzø declared, pushing Moxxie out of the way. 

“it’s kick some ass Blitzø,” Corrected Millie as she walked through the portal. 

“Mine’s better,” he walked through the portal with a grumbling Moxxie. 

Octavia and Orion stood outside the portal, was this a job they could be a part of? Where they ready?  

“Double O get your asses here right now!” they heard Blitzø yell to them. 

They were confused, double what? 

Blitzø looked at them, “There's two of you and your names start with ‘O’ so... get through that portal Double O!” 

“R-right!” Octavia ran through the portal, “Sorry Blitzø.” 

Orion came through just when the portal was closing, “It won’t happen again!” 

The teenagers stood up straight and saw that Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie were looking at them with stunned expressions. 

“Guys?” Orion wondered if he or Octavia did something wrong until Blitzø pointed at them. 

“The fuck happen to you two?!” 

They looked at each and saw the reason why they were stunned, their human disguises. They were wearing the same clothes they were in hell, but their bird faces were traded for heart shaped faces and their feathers were replaced with pale skin. The eyes that had no pupils were black while the eyes with pupils were magenta. 

“A spell dad casted on us a long time ago, every time we come to the mortal realm, this happens,” Orion answered, looking back at the group. 

“It’s automatic, can’t help it,” Octavia added, “Can we go?” 

Blitzø shook the shock off and lead the group to a charming little house by the lake, they hid in the bushes while the leader looked in the window, “That’s gotta be her,” He chuckled darkly, “this is too easy! Moxxie, want this one?” 

“Me?” he smiled as he got up to see the target. 

Orion got curious and looked up as well. 

“Yea, this one is simple enough for you to handle.” 

Moxxie smiled evilly at first until he saw the target. A happy mother with her handsome husband and two small children gathered together for a happy dinner. Just like in the picture he couldn’t shoot. Orion gagged at the happy couple being so affectionate, he saw something else that disturbed him. It was a hunting trophy of a human head, there was no way that it was just a Halloween prop. 

“It's just a happy mother who just got out of the hospital,” the boss explained. 

Poor Moxxie hesitated and Blitzø decided to change the plan, “You snooze you lose Mox! Rion, this one's for you!” 

He handed the boy the sniper rifle. 

“Really?” Orion asked with a smile. 

“Sure, you gotta start somewhere.” 

He heard a jealous trill from Octavia, “You’ll get the next one Via sweetie.” 

Orion aimed the rifle at the woman who had the most innocent expression on her face. 

“On my signal Rion, aim for the bitch’s face...” 

The boy had his finger on the trigger, ready to go, “Yes sir!” 

“Wait...” Moxxie whispered, “Are we actually killing a family?!” 

Orion looked at Blitzø, not sure what the target was now, “We are?” 

“No, were not killing a family. It's only the mother,” he explained, “We’re ruining a family!” 

“Oh, okay that makes sense!” The youngest junior assassin aimed the rifle, ready to shoot. 

But Moxxie had other plans, “But… Ho- Hold on, hold on! Let's just think about it,” He reached for the rifle only for him to move Orion’s hand that caused to pull the trigger, making the gun go off and missing the target. 

“Fuck!" Orion ducked before he could be seen, “Sorry Blitzø!” 

“It’s not your fault Rion!” the imp reassured the boy as he glared at a hyperventilating Moxxie, “What the fuck was that Moxxie?!” 

He sunk to his knees, looking up with tear filled eyes, “I'm sorry! They just seemed so wholesome and happy!” 

“Wholesome and happy!?” Orion whispered harshly, “Did you not see the head on the wall?!” 

“Exactly!” Blitzø growled as he grabbed Moxxie buy his shirt, “Who the fuck is innocent, Moxxie?! From the moment of birth, you're already a parasite leeching off your momma's tits!” He groped himself to prove a point and leaned over to jab his finger on the smaller imps head, “Get the fuck over yourself! You baby dick prune!” 

All of a sudden, there was a blast that shot through the wall, hitting Blitzø in the arm and narrowly missing Orion. 

“AAAHH” he gripped his arm, “A new hole! Scatter!” 

Blitzø and Octavia ran off in the same direction while Millie ran the other way just another blast came. Orion who briefly froze in shock from the first blast gathered his bearings and tried to run only to grabbed by the back of his shirt along with Moxxie who was grabbed by his tail. 

“Christ on a stick!” the boy screamed as he blacked out. 

Millie managed to get away and almost gained the upper hand against the husband of the target, but she was bit with the beer bottle the man was using as a weapon and she passed out. 

Meanwhile, Orion and Moxxie woke up and realized that they were tied up at the once innocent dinner table with the two children staring at them. Orion saw the main course was actually a human body styled like a turkey. 

“Cannibals... Lovley...” 

Moxxie though, for some reason, didn’t see it and was focused on the kids, “Oh hello little ones. aren't you cute!” 

The kids had evil grins and spoke, “It’s nice to have new critters to play with.” 

Moxxie glanced up in fear at the red light above him. The light revealed a human head high up and several limbs on plaques. The wooden walls were stained with red blood. A larger plaque displayed a dead man with long white hair, arms crossed, eyes and teeth bulging out. His upper chest was connected to the plaque. A picture frame made of bones revealed a face made of skin inside it. Human skin was tacked to the wall with "Bless this mess" stitched onto it.  

Moxxie then saw the human ‘turkey’ Orion was staring at, “Ohhh... crumbs...” 

“I want to hurt you right now Moxxie,” the teenager said with angry trill. 

Meanwhile in the woods, Blitzø and Octavia were running away from the woman as she shot at them with her rifle, they rushed through some thicket and slid down a hill. They could hear the woman manic laughter as they hid behind a tree, Blitzø doing his best to calm down the girl who was breathing heavily when they heard the woman’s voice. 

“I know you’re hurtin’ little devils!” 

They both planted their hands over each other mouths to keep from making noises. They could hear the human behind them. 

“I promise that I can make that pain go real quick! Just come let Mama Martha put a bullet in your pretty little skulls!” she was saying it in a sing song voice. 

Blitzø silently instructed Octavia to make a break for it while he held off Martha, she shook her head no, but he was firm, if anything happened to her or Orion, Stolas would skin him alive. Just when the girl was about to run, Blitzø’s phone rang, scaring them both. 

“Damnit, run Via!” he whispered as he answered the phone, running with her “Stolas! This is a really bad time!” 

Octavia ran ahead but she heard most of the conversation thanks to her owl hearing. All she could hear was that Blitzø was technically using the grimoire illegally and her dad was allowing it. She dove into a bush to avoid a bullet when she heard her father give Blitzø a deal. Once a month he and her dad would meet so Blitzø would return the book in exchange for... what?! 

She got out of the bush and ran again, not knowing that Blitzø was not behind her until she bumped into something large and burly. Octavia tried to run but her arm was grabbed, and she was pulled up from the ground. 

“Well, hey there little missy” the figure said with a southern drawl, it was Martha’s husband who was holding an unconscious Millie, “Are you a little devil whose come out to play?” 

Octavia gulped, “Oh... Fuck...” 

Back at the cabin, Moxxie struggled to get out of his ropes while Orion sat there still angry when they saw a fire starting outside. 

“Millie/Via” they both shouted, and they struggled to break free. 

Orion easily broke his ropes and pounced on the son, he didn’t kill him, but he did punch him with his impressive strength until he was passed out. Moxxie saw that the daughter had a knife and threw himself back, crashing on the girl and using her knife to break free. He then grabbed the human chair, threw it at the window to make it shatter so he and Orion could make their escape. They ran down the path with Moxxie carrying a rifle. 

During that time, Martha’s husband, Ralphie let out a demented cackle as he doused a stake with gasoline. Tied to the stake was Blitzø, Millie and Octavia. The male imp tried to escape his binds but to no avail. While the youngest of the three could easily get out, she didn’t want to leave them behind and she also didn’t have a weapon on her. 

“Rion had that fucking shot! God dammit Moxxie!” he said bitterly. 

Martha stood nearby with a torch in her hand as she said a prayer, “Satan! We return your FILTHY creatures back to the pits of Hell!” 

Octavia was confused, “Uhh... I don’t think he cares...” 

Martha was still praying, “May the root of evil remain honored as we continue thy WORK!” 

“What work? He doesn’t care what humans do!” 

“Via sweetie, I don't think she’s listening!” Blitzø yelled as he and Millie struggled to break free. 

As they were doing that, Martha threw the torch and because of the gasoline, they caught on fire, and she cackled... until she saw that they weren’t screaming in agony. 

“Um yeah, that's not exactly how it works, lady. Sorry, your fire doesn't really hurt us, but, I mean, I could fake it if that'll get your dick hard,” Blitzø said with an enticing smirk. 

Millie and Octavia had mocking smiles as the fire burned around them. 

Martha stared at them confused, “Oh... shit,” and then she pulled out her rifle, “Well, I'll just shoot you in your smartass mouth!” 

“That would be more effective.” 

“Blitzø!” both ladies yelled angrily. 

Martha cocked her gun, and the demons closed their eyes until they heard a long bang. They opened their eyes and saw the human woman’s right was shot out and she collapsed dead on the ground. Moxxie and Orion were standing a few feet behind her, the rifle in Moxxie’s hand was smoking. 

“Moxxie/Rion!” cried out the girls. 

They ran over to the stake and untied the ropes. 

“You’re not getting your goddamn paycheck for this one, Mox!” Blitzø yelled as Orion caught him before he fell. 

Octavia hugged her brother tight, “That was intense!” 

“I can tell,” Orion saw that the husband had run away. 

Moxxie went to Blitzø who was drinking a potion one of the twins gave him, he was told that it was a healing potion, and it helped the new hole in arm. 

“I'm sorry, sir. I compromised our objective and put us in harm's way. It won't happen again,” He explained, “I promise!” 

Blitzø smiled and hugged him, “Apology accepted,” And then he whispered in a low voice, “Pull another stunt like that agaaaiinnn, I will fuck you and your wife!” 

He then pushed a visibly scared Moxxie away, “Alrighty! Good job team! Let’s get off!” 

Moxxie looked back on the path leading towards the house, “Ehhhh, yeah. Give me a moment. I think I left something at the house.” 

Blitzø was looking through his jacket to find his other phone, “Yeah whatever, just hurry up!” he found his phone to call Loona that they were ready to go home. 

Octavia and Orion decided to slip away when Millie’s back was turned, they ran after Moxxie in the woods and came across a discarded phone, Orion picked it up and heard the voice of his father vulgarly describing something about jelly sandwiches. Octavia heard the whole thing, and her look of disgust matched her brother’s. 

“Dad! What the fuck!?” Orion squawked in disgust. 

Stolas sputtered on the other end, “O-Orion!? What are you- Never mind!” *click* 

The line went dead. 

“I wish we didn’t have good hearing,” Octavia grimaced, “He said worse earlier.” 

The boy put the phone away, “What did he say?” 

“I’ll tell you later, let’s go!” 

They ran towards the house and hid when Moxxie walked out of the house with a smile on his face.  

“What did you do?” Octavia asked, scaring the imp. 

“Octavia! What the hell?!” he screeched, clutching his chest as if he was having a heart attack. 

“I hope you killed that family Moxxie,” Orion muttered, he then saw the husband walk by the window, “Seriously?” 

Moxxie fixed his large bow tie with a smile, “Listen kids, humans are interesting creatures, they have the choice to do better with their lives. Those people in that cabin are monster but they have a chance to face their crimes accordingly.” 

They were walking back to where the portal was. 

“Are you really a demon? Because you’re too nice,” remarked Octavia. 

“Are you and Orion really Goetian royals? Because you’re also too nice,” the imp countered. 

The twins rolled their eyes as they made it to the portal where an annoyed Blitzø was waiting. 

“Where were you little shits?!” he demanded, pointing at the teenagers, trying not to show that he was worried. 

“Following a too compassionate for his own good Moxxie,” Orion answered, he walked through the portal. 

Octavia followed, “This was fun Blitzø!” 

“Yeah, these jobs can be Via sweetie but don’t get too excited!” Blitzø stayed behind for a brief moment while the twins eagerly told the client that the woman she wanted dead was indeed dead. 

There was a party afterwards where everyone celebrated a job well done and it celebrated the first job Octavia and Orion did with the team. Blitzø did apologize though for making them run in blind because they were the only ones without weapons. He promised that next time, they won’t be ill equipped. 

“Thanks Blitzø!” piped Octavia. 

They were waiting for the car that was meant to pick them up, Blitzø decided to wait with them. 

“You don’t have to wait with us,” Orion said, still glad to be around the imp, “I’m sure you’re busy.” 

The man shrugged his shoulders, “And what will your daddy think? How did you convince him to let you do this?” 

“Easy,” The girl answered, “We told him that it gets us out of the house for a while.” 

“Huh.” 

An all too familiar black car drove in front of them and Pringles stepped out from the passenger side door to open the back door for the twins. 

“See you later Blitzø!” Octavia hugged Blitzø with a smile. 

Orion also hugged him, “Thanks for having us!” 

Blitzø gave them a hug back and made sure they were in the car safely, he stood there as it drove away and gave it a wave. He turned to leave when his felt his foot kick something, he looked down and saw a packet of cigarettes, he picked it up with a raised eyebrow. While finding a packet of cigarette was nothing new, Blitzø knew for a fact that it wasn’t there before.  

“Wasn’t Orion standing here?” 

X 

During the drive back to the palace, Octavia and Orion told Pringles about their day with great enthusiasm. From going to the mortal realm, Orion almost killing a human and to Octavia being burned at the stake. 

The poor butler, who was sitting in the back with them, was breathing into a paper bag, why were the twins so excited about doing something so... barbaric?! 

“You okay Pringles?” Octavia leaned forward in concern. 

“I’m fine Via!” the butler gasped, “Just worried...” 

Orion chuckled, “We’ll be fine Pringles, it’s a good outlet for us.” 

While it did little to ease his nerves, Pringles was at least glad that his Lady and Master were out of the palace. 

“So, how's daddy?” Octavia asked, leaning back on the car seat to look out the window, watching the scenery change from the rough streets of imp city to the semi safe streets of Pride city.  

Pringles sat up straighter and they knew that something serious happened. 

“Is... She back?” Orion asked, his feathers were slowly puffing up and he rubbed his arms in an attempt to calm himself. 

“Yes Rion,” Pringles answered, “She arrived an hour ago.” 

Octavia’s feathers also puffed, “What’s her mood?” 

Pringles’ silence was their answer. 

The car drove into the palace courtyard and parked at the steps. The twins got out first, something they did to give Pringles less things to do. 

“Make sure mother doesn't know about what we do,” Octavia ordered with authority in her voice. 

“The last thing we need is that raging bitch screaming at us,” muttered Orion. 

Pringles sadly watched as the bright and cheerful mood of the children slowly evaporated and their postures slumped, he nodded and escorted them into the palace. 

The screaming welcomed them as soon as the doors opened, and the twins followed the sounds to their father’s study. Walking in, they saw their mother screaming at their dad as he tried to meditate the situation. They did not notice the teenagers who were now watching from the study’s hallway. 

“I can't believe you slept with an imp! In our fucking bed!!” Stella screeched, throwing a potted plant at Stolas who ducked. 

“It was unexpected!” He claimed, “I didn’t have time to go to a hotel!” 

That only added to the woman’s fury, “A motel?! Like a fucking plebian?!” 

The twins didn’t notice that Pringles walked past them to announce their arrival until Stella grabbed him by them, “Do you want to fuck this one too!?” 

She threw him at her husband who ducked again, “No! Of course not!” 

Seeing their butler fly across the made the twins gasp, finally making their parents aware of their presence. 

“Children!?” Stolas was stunned to see his two children standing just feet away from them. 

Stella was now even more furious, “You!” she pointed at them, “Do you have any idea of what your father has done?!” 

Octavia and Orion said nothing, instead they walked past them and tended to Pringles who was now slumped against the wall he was thrown to. 

“Your father! Slept! With! An! Imp!” she screeched but they didn’t look at her, “Are you listening to me?! It was that imp you are attached too!” 

They still didn’t look at her, they knew their mother would not do anything to them with their father present. Orion picked up Pringles and they walked past their parents. 

“Octavia! Orion!” 

Stella marched towards them when Stolas got in between them and her. 

“Not in front of the children Stella!” 

They heard their mother scream again as they left the study and set Pringles down. His horn was broken, and he had a black eye. 

“Are you okay?” Octavia knelt to his eye level in concern. 

Despite his injury, the butler smiled “I am fine Via. Thank you for your concern.” 

Orion tried to set the broken tip of the horn back, “How do imps heal horns?” 

Pringles reached up and snapped the broken tip off, making the twins jump in shock, “I’ll file the jagged tip down and let it grow back.” 

“You can do that?” Asked Octavia, giving the butler one of her potions. 

Pringles took the potion with gratitude, “Yes, my lady. Imps are quite sturdy.” 

They nodded and told him that they were going to their study for the night.  Octavia diverted towards their fathers room while Orion contemplated going to the roof of the palace to smoke, only to reach into his pocket and realize that his pack of cigarettes were gone. 

“Shit...” 

The boy cut his losses and went to the study, he could still hear the screaming of his mother and the small voice of his dad. 

He pulled out his wireless headphones and turned on F*** You Dad on his phone. It was a new song that was released, and he had wanted to listen to it for a while.  

‘ My world is burning down around me...’  

How fitting, Orion thought to himself. 

He pulled out his book on the constellations when Octavia came back, she had something in her closed fist. And there was a bottle in her hand. 

“Via?” he took off his headphones. 

She locked the door behind her and sat next to him. 

“Mother is on the war path, she's screaming at daddy.” 

Orion held out his hand and she gave him two pills she had just stolen from their fathers room, “Well he did sleep with Blitzø. He technically cheated on mother.” 

“It’s not as if he likes her or anything!” Octavia countered, taking her share of the pills. 

“Tell that to mother and let’s see how she reacts,” Orion muttered, taking his share. 

Just then they heard the handle of their door jiggle and there was pounding on the door. 

“Octavia! Orion! Open this door now!” Stella’s voice screeched, “We are leaving!” 

The twins flinched and they held on to each other, Octavia used her magic to make one of the solid wood desks move to the door, barricading it. 

“Open this goddamn door this instant!” the beating on the door increased. 

They whimpered and held on tighter until they heard their father’s voice. 

“You are not taking them!” 

“I am their mother! It is my right!” 

“And I am their father! They need to stay here!” 

“You want them to stay here?!” 

There was more yelling they heard a slap and their father’s yelp. 

Outside, Stolas held his cheek that was cut from Stella’s talons. She was glaring at him, fury in her eyes. 

“You are a goddamn embarrassment!” She screeched, “I am not spending another moment looking at your pathetic imp sucking face!” 

Stella then stormed off, screaming and throwing more plants and objects through the halls. Stolas sighed and knocked on the door gently. 

“Children?” 

There was silence and he didn’t hear any sounds, but he knew they were in there, “I’m sorry you had to hear that my darlings...” 

No response. 

Stolas had a sad smile, and he placed his hand on the door, “I know what I did was terrible, and I am so sorry. I truly am...” 

Deciding to leave them alone for the night, Stolas walked away with his arms wrapped around himself. He knew right then and there that things were now going to be different, he hoped he can shield his children from what was to come. 

Inside the study, there was an empty bourbon bottle on the floor and the large mirror that was placed by the large bookcase was rippling on the surface. 

X 

“Mother! Daddy!”  

“Help!”  

Stolas slowly woke up as the cries of his children echoed throughout the halls, he turned to his wife who was curled up away from him, “Via and Rion are calling us Stella.”  

She groaned and refused to budge, “You get up...”  

He knew she would say that, but he hoped that she would get up as well. The owl got out of bed, threw on his robe and walked to his children’s nursery. He saw two little lumps on the bed trembling.  

“Via, Rion, what troubles you, my owlets?”  

Two little owl chicks popped out of the blanket, they were crying as they crawled out of bed.  

“Daddy! Daddy!” Octavia cried.  

“We had a dream!” Orion also cried.  

“A really bad dream!”  

They ran into their daddy’s warm arms, and he gently picked them up.  

He smiled and yawned, “A nightmare.”  

“We were looking all over the palace!”  

Orion sniffled, “And we couldn’t find you anywhere!”  

Stolas suspected that their developing magic had them share dreams again.  

Octavia cried again, “You weren’t there!”  

They hugged their daddy crying as he soothed them gently, “There, there my darlings, it's okay. You're okay.”  

He carried them to bed and the grimoire floated behind him.  

“When you’re scared and you don’t know where I am,” Stolas said softly, “You must remember, no matter what happens to me, I will never be far away from my precious little starfires.”  

He nuzzled both of them, earning small smiles and began to sing a soft lullaby while he opened a portal to space. The twins were gently soothed back to sleep after looking at the stars and listening to their father’s soft voice, promising them when he’s gone that they would be okay.  

When Stolas was done singing, he tucked in his little owls and quietly left the nursery, taking one last look of them with a smile before he closed the door.  

Octavia and Orion slept soundly, sharing a dream of finding their daddy in the greenhouse.  

CRASH!  

The sound of something large and heavy breaking jolted the fifteen-year-old twins out of their slumber in their respective bedrooms and they both glared, sat up and groaned. Just when they finally got some sleep after yesterday, their mother who they thought left, just had to cause a commotion so early in the morning. 

They heard her screams about the same thing yesterday, they were used to her screams but with the throbbing headaches they had now it made the screaming worse. They both decided to put their earbuds and headphones on, and they each took out their phones to play the new song from F*** You Dad! It was on a lower volume so it would not aggravate their headaches any further. 

Getting out of their beds, they got dressed in their usual clothes and they walked out of their rooms at the same time. They linked their pinkie fingers together in greeting and they made the walk to the kitchen, dodging a flying plant that was thrown in their direction, Orion used his magic to mend the broken pot, and they walked in to see their mother throw a coffee mug at their dad. 

Octavia grabbed two mugs while Orion grabbed the coffee pot and milk. They heard their mother screeching again about how their dad was an embarrassment and she stormed off. They could hear more things being thrown and the plant Orion fixed was thrown in the kitchen. 

Stolas in his red robe gave a defeated and tired sigh before he turned his attention back to his children with a smile, “Good morning, Octavia, and Orion! Did you sleep well my owlets?” 

They drank their coffees straight black, slammed their mugs down and looked up with tired eyes. 

“Is that a serious question?” 

“Put some fucking pants on dad.” 

He could tell they were still tired and decided to not ask how their first day at IMP was, he went to the fridge to grab something. 

“Mhm... what are you listening to?” he asked, trying to get them to open up. 

“This song?” Octavia mumbled, “It’s called ‘My World is Burning Down Around Me,’ it's by F*** You Dad!” 

Stolas froze when he heard that and then Orion spoke, “It’s a band.” 

“Oh!” He picked up a zebra steak with a troubled look on his face, “How charming.” 

He walked up to his large plant that was waiting patiently for its breakfast when he heard his son speak. 

“Is the raging bitch done screaming for the day?” Orion took another swig of his coffee; his headache made him honest because lying hurt.  

Stolas was stunned when he heard that, but he chose to not say anything just when another scream was heard. He rubbed his large plant affectionately, and he concluded that they did not need to be at the palace for the day. 

A brilliant idea popped into his head, “You know what I haven’t done in a long, long time?” He sat by Octavia side of the breakfast nook, “I haven’t taken you to your favorite place in all of hell!” He wrapped his long arm around both his brooding children, “Why don’t we go to LooLoo land?” 

Instead of the excited squeals he was hoping for, they gave annoyed glares. 

“We’re not five anymore,” Octavia grumbled. 

Stolas wasn’t deterred, “You were always so happy when I took you to LooLoo land!” he hugged them close and gestured to the portrait of him, his children and Stella at the theme park, the rare times she went with them, “Why don’t we go there again? Have a day! Just the three of us!” 

“I’d rather be burned at the stake again,” Octavia answered. 

“Or be tied up by cannibal brats,” Orion added. 

“There we go!” Stolas exclaimed gleefully, “Anything but staying here!” he hugged them again and stood up, “Now, I’ll arrange our security!” 

Octavia raised an eyebrow, “Security for a theme park?” 

“We’re rich and hot,” Their dad explained, “People want our money and our bodies.” 

“Our money maybe,” Orion grumbled reaching into the cereal box Octavia had. 

“Speak for yourself my little prince,” Stolas began to dial a number on the rotary phone, “Now, I am calling the one man who can fuck me!” 

“What...?” Octavia dropped the cereal she was about to eat. 

Orion gave a look that could only be described as grossed out and confused, “Dad...!” 

Stolas stammered when he realized what he had said, “Who can protect me! I mean us! Being part of the Goetia family is rather valuable, you know!” 

The twins groaned, leaned back and pulled their hats down to cover their eyes. If they had to go out, why not go to Freddy’s? Even though it was loud, and their heads were hurting, they would rather go there than that stupid theme park. 

They decided to drink their coffee when they heard... 

“Well, hello my big dicked Blitzy~” 

Both the twins and Blitzø on the other end spat out their coffee. 

Blitzø yelled on the phone, “What-” 

Octavia screamed, “The-” 

“FUCK-”  

Orion shouted “Dad?!” 

Stolas covered the receiver after hearing that, “Language everyone!” He went back to the phone, twirling that cord, “I have a special request~” 

The twins looked at each other, was their dad seriously going to ask Blitzø to play bodyguard? He does know that he’s an assassin, right? 

“It’s for my children...” He let out a yelp, “No! No, no-no-no. I'm taking the children to LooLoo Land, and I was hoping you brave little Imps would accompany us!” 

He was going to ask Blitzø to play bodyguard! Octavia and Orion let out annoyed groan again. Now that they were both aware of the little deal their father made, they assumed that he was going to use this outing as an excuse to spend time with Blitzø. But Blitzø was smart, there’s no way he was going to play bodyguard. 

“Excellent!” Stolas declared with smile after he hung up the phone, “It’s been arranged children! We are going to LooLoo land!” 

Blitzø was smart but money was his greatest enemy... 

X 

It looked as tasteless and dilapidating as it did the very last time they were there. Octavia and Orion looked out the window with a look dread and slowly crept out of the IMP van after their dad who was as excited as a schoolboy. 

They peeked their heads out and saw that he had donned a large apple hat and made a moving gesture towards the entrance. 

They groaned and pulled their hats over their faces, Millie and Moxxie were their escorts. Loona was back at home nursing a hangover, lucky her. 

“Don’t you think it’s weird that yesterday we were with you on a job?” Octavia asked Moxxie who was looking around. 

“Well, you two are royals first before you’re junior assassins,” he explained logically. 

Millie patted Orion’s arm, “It’s fine Rion! Now why so moody? We’re in LooLoo Land!” 

“Yippie...” the boy groaned sarcastically. 

They caught up to their dad and Blitzø who was telling the prince that he and his team were there for work and work only. They were not there to satisfy Stolas’ perverted bird needs. 

Octavia walked up to them, her head was throbbing, “Hey... dad... Do we have to-” 

Blitzø walked up to her, “Okay, yeah. Hold on right there, Via sweetie,” he turned to Stolas and growled, “If you try fuckin' my little ass in that park, I swear to-” 

Stolas knelt down with a smile and booped the imp’s nose, “You are so cute when you are serious!” 

Orion stood next to his sister and was just as grossed out and bothered by their father’s remark. Blitzø was not being cute, he was taking his job seriously. Even if it was a stupid bodyguard job. 

“I’m literally going to be sick Rion.” 

“Same.” 

Moxxie jumped, “Oh crumbs! I knew today was going to be a lot!” he dug through the fanny pack was wearing, “What do you need? Anti-acids? Ibuprofen?! Morphine?!” 

They saw that he had several needles of a green glowing substance. He had a smile, thinking that he was helping them. 

Octavia wrapped her arms around herself, “That was figurative Moxxie.” 

The twins walked off to follow their dad who was happily looking around the area. 

“Oh right!” Moxxie had a sheepish smile and threw the needles in and open carriage.  

Orion saw that and ran to the carriage and saw an imp baby happily reaching for the needles, “Moxxie!” 

He used his magic to get the needles out and put them back the fanny pack, “What the hell?!”  

The boy stormed off rubbing his throbbing head. 

“Those two are in a mood,” Moxxie mumbled. 

Octavia and Orion walked up to their dad who was looking at a merry go round with a smile, he remembered watching his children riding it so long ago. Stolas could still remember their little giggles and squeals, asking their daddy if he was watching them. 

When the twins were by his side, he wanted to ask them if they wanted to ride it when he heard a cartoonish voice. 

“Well, hey there!” 

Moxxie was heard screaming, and the twins turned to see a red and green apple mascot doing a little dance. 

“I'm LooLoo! Welcome to LooLoo Land! If y'all get hurt here, just try and sue us!” 

Stolas was excited and leaned towards his children, “Look children! It’s LooLoo!” 

Back then, Octavia and Orion would have squealed in happiness and run to the mascot with open arms but now, they just stood there with narrow glares. 

“I have a question,” Mumbled Octavia with her hand raised. 

The mascot turned to her and Orion; the left eye popped out “Well ask away little girlie! A-hyuk a-hyuk a-hyuk!” 

She looked around the park and smirked along with her brother, “Is it true this park is just a really shameless spin-off of Lucifer's far more popular LuLu World?” 

Stolas had a nervous smile on his face. 

“... No?” 

Orion huffed, “This place reeks of insecure corporate shame.” 

A nervous chuckle escaped Stolas’ beak and grabbed Octavia’s hand while she grabbed Orion’s hand, leading them away, “Let’s check out the rides.” 

They showed zero interest in the rides.  

“Rion! Remember how you were upset when you could not ride the roller coaster?” Stolas moved the boy to the height chart, and it was shown that he was passed the recommended height. 

“No,” was all the boy said, “Not a fan of heights.” 

“Oh! Alright then... Oh! How about the Sidewinder? You loved that ride!” 

The teenagers looked at the scrambler ride in question and they could feel their headaches throb harder. 

“Pass...” 

“Not interested dad.”  

Stolas chuckled nervously again, “Alright, no rides then. How about the gift shop!” 

The twins followed him to the shopping area, but they still showed no interest. They saw Blitzø looking around in a small shop and walked in. 

“Blitzø, why did you agree to this?” Asked Octavia with a grimace, "You know we hate this place.” 

The imp assassin grabbed a hat with two bottles from a shelf, “Work is work Via sweetie.” 

Orion gave a small glare, “How much did dad pay you?” 

Blitzø picked up an apple cup, “Money plain and simple. Come on you two, he wants to spend time with you and if it's this crappy place, deal with it.” 

They glared at him and walked out of the shop and saw that their dad was holding two shirts that matched his own shirt. 

“Wouldn’t it be cute if we matched children?” He had a smile on his face when he showed them. 

Octavia glared at the garments, but Orion snapped his fingers, making a purple flame appear on the tip of his thumb. 

“I’ll burn it if you put that thing near me dad,” He growled, his eyes glowing “I will!” 

Stolas took back the shirts, okay that was a bust. 

“Umm... oh, it's almost lunch time! Come along children!” 

Once again, the twins followed their father out of the shopping area and to the food stalls, they didn’t want anything, so they wandered aimlessly, they were bored and had throbbing headaches, but they noticed that Blitzø was popping up everywhere with his rifle ready. This may have been a cheap job that was not in his resume, Blitzø was still taking it seriously. They admired him for that and hoped that they could be that skilled someday.  

Blitzø aimed his rifle, ready to shoot at any threat that came his way when he felt a finger stroke his horn. 

“You know, it's quite thrilling to see you on the job, Blitzy,” Stolas said with a low and seductive voice. 

The teens gagged and Blitzø had an unimpressed look behind his sunglasses, “Save it bitch, I’m working!” 

“Get a room you two,” Orion grumbled. 

“Rion honey I am not a day-hooker!” 

A woman and her baby walked by him with a glare and a huff making Blitzø flip her off, “I said I’m not prude!” 

Stolas looked around and saw a large circus tent, “Children Look!” He brought them close with a large smile, they saw the tent and their feathers poofed, “You used to cry tears of joy at this show!” 

“Oh no,” they said at the same time. 

Memories of the terrible show and the scary clown came back, the sounds of the children laughing and pushing forward to the stage and the fizz bot laughing in their faces. 

“I hate that fucking clown,” they and Blitzø growled. 

Just then they heard Stolas, “Oh Blitzy!” 

They turned and saw that the prince got himself owl napped by small imps, his wallet was stolen and there was a bag over his head, “I need my bodyguard please!” 

Blitzø cocked his rifle and pulled the trigger without breaking a sweat, the sound of the shot made the twins’ headaches worse, but they didn’t show it. Instead, Octavia and Orion walked into the tent with glares and sat in the wooden bench. Blitzø walked in carrying Stolas, the bag was still over his head. He was placed next to Orion and Blitzø went back to work, Octavia reached over and yanked the bag off their dad’s head just when the show started. 

It was a new song, and the flashing green lights aggravated their heads, but they still sat there. When Blitzø told them that their dad just wanted to spend time with them, they tried to at least make him happy by staying and not storming off like they wanted to but that stupid clown and his stupid song was getting to them. 

Stolas was clapping along with the other children during the song with a smile, Octavia had her head back and she banged on the bench with her fist while Orion was hunched over banging his fist on the seat in front of him. 

The song finally ended with fireworks and the bear animatronic falling from the stage. 

" Ah hohohoho ho ho ho ho ho, how delightful!” He said, clapping rapidly not noticing that his children were now covering their heads with their hats again. 

An imp with a curved dagger appeared behind him and then he was shot dead by Blitzø, causing a panic from the implings in the tent. 

Stolas was once again awestruck, “Oh my! What aim you have Blitzy!” 

That was it for the twins, they stood up abruptly. 

“Ugh! I can't do this anymore!” Octavia yelled out as she ran. 

“I’m out of here!” Shouted Orion, running off as well. 

 They could hear their dad call out to them, but they didn’t stop. Just like when they were small, they ran through the park, hand in hand, and zigzagged through the crowd. They didn’t notice that the tent had caught fire behind them or that Blitzø picked a fight with the robot clown they hated. 

“Children?” they heard their dad call out. 

“Just leave us alone!” Octavia cried as she led them to the Lucifer fun house. 

“Children!” 

Octavia and Orion slid down the slide and ran though the swinging pendulums before they found themselves in the room with the half eten apple cars. They picked a car, sat down and just cried. 

They didn't know why they were acting like this, they loved spending time with their dad, but they also hated that he would not listen to them. Was it because of the thought of their mother taking them away after the incident with Blitzø? Or was it something else? Was it because they were seeing a side of their dad they never saw before? Giggly and flirty? Who knows. 

The headaches from their hangovers were slowly fading but the throbbing was still there. They held on to each other and dried each other's tears when they heard the sounds of talon feet on concrete floor. 

“Octavia... Orion...” Stolas took off the apple hat and approached the slow-moving car, he sat next to his son who was holding his big sister, “I take it you are... not having fun.” 

Octavia shook her head, still crying, “We didn’t even want to come here!” 

“I’m so sorry my darlings,” Stolas said softly, “I... I thought you loved it here.” 

With a sniffle, Orion muttered, “When we were kids, and our parents did a better job not fighting in front of us!’ 

“And our dad didn’t flirt with his best friend the entire fucking time!” Octavia added. 

Hearing that made Stolas feel guilty, he knew that he did wrong by sleeping with Blitzø but he never considered what his children thought about this, “I'm sorry, children. I'm sorry for... everything... happening right now,” He looked away and then down at his talon hands, “I know it's... a lot. I should have listened.” 

“We just want to go home” Via cried, Rion gently wiping her tears, “But home... hasn’t felt like a home for a long time...” She hugged her brother and they both looked at their father, “What’s going on daddy?” 

Stolas stammered when he heard that question from his oldest, how could he tell them why everything happened the way it did? 

“You need to understand children... your mother and I... I just-... I felt-” He ran his fingers through his feathered head, “... She's always been... I haven't been- Ha-... We weren't in...” The twins could see that he could not explain why, Stolas sucked in his bottom beak and hid his face in his hand, “I'm sorry, I- I- I don't have the words.” 

Octavia and Orion looked at him and then each other. 

“Are you going to run off?” The girl asked, “And leave us behind?” 

They held on to each other again, Octavia gently wiping her brother's tears. 

“Go away where... we can’t find you?” Orion whimpered. 

That fear of never finding their father was still a fear that they could never get over not matter how hard they tried. It got worse last night when their mother tried to take them away. 

Stolas had a small gasp and pulled them close to him, “What? No. No, never my owlets, I would never do that. Never.” 

Octavia and Orion hugged him back, they felt better being in his arms, their shaggy hair being preened gently, and the smell of his preening oil soothed them. And with gentle ease, Stolas picked them up despite the fact that Orion taller than Octavia and that they were teenagers. It helped that Stolas was far stronger than most would think, carrying two teenagers was nothing to him. 

“I think it’s time to leave this place,” Stolas declared with a smile, getting out of the car, “You both were right. You are too old for it anyway.” 

Stolas carried them through the hall of the funhouse, he turned a would be imp assassin to stone and walked out of the funhouse. The twins saw that the park was now on fire and there was a dragon on the loose. No doubt it was Blitzø’s doing, he always knew how to make things interesting. Octavia and Orion nuzzled their father when they were safely out of the park. 

“Now, where would you like to go next?” Stolas asked, smiling as if there was not a fire behind them but they didn’t mind. 

“Oh, can we go to Stylish Occult? They have a new taxidermy collection on display!” Octavia asked. 

Stolas raised an eyebrow, they still loved collecting weird taxidermy huh? “Alright then.” 

Orion also asked, “And can we go to Freddy’s afterwards? There’s a new rhythm game I want to try.” 

Stolas stiffened and his eye twitched, but he still smiled, “Of course...” 

They chuckled and hugged him. 

“Thanks daddy!” 

“You’re okay sometimes!” 

That made the prince smiled, “Thank you my darlings, thank you.” 

They hugged when a large explosion erupted, and three beings were blown out and landed in front of them in sizzling heaps. 

Moxxie rose his head and yelled at the limp body next to him, “Way to ruin another good thing sir!” 

Blitzø lifted his head, “Worth it! That slutty toy clown had. It. Coming!” 

Orion saw that a quieve appeared out of nowhere and it was dragging Millie’s limp body away, “Um Moxxie? Your wife!” 

“Millie!” Moxxie forced himself up and ran after the stray before Millie was on its menu. 

Stolas walked up to Blitzø was now face planted on the floor, “Geuss what Blitzy! The children want to go to Freddy’s isn't that wonderful?” 

“What?! No! Fuck no!” he shouted, struggling to sit up, “We are not going to that shitty pizza arcade! You hear me!? You only paid us for this stupid park!” 

The prince walked over the imp, and the twins turned their heads, they had sneaky smirks, and they rose their hands to flip him off. 

Paybacks a bitch Blitzø those smirks were saying. 

“Oh, you little shits...!” 

X 

The trip to Stylish Occult was fun, Octavia and Orion were immediately obsessed with the new collection the store had. It was fantasy theme with the animals dressed as elfish characters and they bought three of them. Stolas gave M&M a lovely bonus for their troubles, they used it to go to a nice restaurant while Blitzø was trying to convince him to not make him go to Freddy’s, but Stolas was insistent. 

Orion looked at the literature section of the store, he heard that the author of his favorite book History and Lore of the Constellations Vol I  published volume two and he wanted it to find it before it sold out. But as soon as he found the section, the shelf was empty. 

“Are you kidding me?” he grumbled, how is it that a book talking about constellations was so popular in hell? 

He looked around the area for an employee and found one stocking a nearby bookshelf, she was wearing a black dress with a blood-stained apron with a black cloak, they were promoting an Alice in Madness theme, so the employees were wearing inspired uniforms. 

“Excuse me?” the young prince asked politely, “May I ask you a question?” 

The employee turned her head to reveal that she was a slate gray hell hound with short black hair, “Yes sir?” 

Orion blinked and shook his head briefly, “Sorry, I was wondering if you have any copies of History and Lore of the Constellations Vol II .” 

The girl looked over and raised an eyebrow, “Huh? Already?” 

“It’s that popular?” 

“For some reason yes, I’ll look in the back. Please excuse me!” 

She smiled and left, leaving Orion to stand there by the books, he decided to pass the time by looking at a manga display to pass the time when the girl came back. 

“You’re in luck! We had another shipment this morning!” she had a book in her arms, “Here you go!” 

Orion took the book, “Thanks.” 

“You’re going to love it! There’s chapter dedicated to the Milky Way! It talks about the many stories to how it was created, it’s amazing!” Exclaimed the hound excitedly 

“Really?” he was interested now. 

“Yeah! I was able to get a copy before it sold out! It’s so weird that it’s popular here in hell of all places.” 

“I know!” Orion commented in agreement, “It is weird!” 

The employee chuckled, “Well I hope you enjoy it! I’m Onyx by the way.” 

“Orion.” 

Onyx’s red eyes lit up, “Like the constellation of the Greek warrior!” 

“That’s right,” He chuckled, aside from his sister, Orion never met anyone who was enthusiastic about the stars. 

She giggled, “Well I gotta get back to work. Have a good day!” she turned and went back to what she was doing, and Orion’s eyes widened a small blush appeared on his white face. 

“Wow...” 

“Orion?” Octavia’s voice from behind him made the boy jump. 

“Via! Don't do that!” He said, trying to calm his heart that nearly stopped. 

Octavia laughed a bit, “Well you were standing there like a dummy, I was worried.” 

He gave a small glare and held the book close. 

“Come one little brother, I think Blitzø is trying to bribe daddy with a round in the van to avoid Freddy’s.” 

Orion’s feather shook, “Oh he better fucking not!” 

The book was paid for, and they walk out of the shop just in time to see Blitzø dragging their dad to the van. 

“We’re ready daddy!” called Octavia, playing dumb. 

Both men froze and turned around slowly, Stolas had a forced smile while Blitzø had a grimace on his face, both of their eyes were twitching. 

“Are you certain you want to go to Freddy’s children?” Stolas asked with a fake cheerful voice. 

Blitzø was not faking it, “You hate that amusement park but you like that fucking arcade?1 Why can’t we go to that BBQ place?!” 

The twins crossed their arms. 

“We went to that park because daddy wanted to go.” 

“So, we want to go somewhere we like to go.” 

They could see that their father was defeated by what they said that while Blitzø remained defiant, and he remained defiant during the walk to that stupid pizza arcade. No one was forcing him to stay, Blitzø could easily leave but he grumbled and walked in front of the teenagers who reached and held his tail, something they remembered Loona doing when she was young. He didn’t glare at them or tell them to let go so they held on. It was a slow walk, but it gave Octavia and Orion a warm feeling being near their father and Blitzø. It almost felt like they were a real family which was something they always wanted, they just needed Loona for it to be complete.  

Stolas gave a happy hoot, despite now knowing that they knew, he was glad that his children didn’t hate Blitzø. He was confused to why though, he knew that the ‘other’ person was normally hated but he didn’t want to disrupt the happy atmosphere they were in.  

The moment they walked into the large pizza arcade, the men could feel the dread and cringed when they heard Freddy the Bear singing the arcade's theme song. But they saw the twins were smiling for the first time since the day started and sighed, they felt that they owed them for all that was happening. 

Stolas paid for the pizza and the four-hour long game card so the twins could run off and play some games. M&M were watching them while Stolas and Blitzø sat in a booth in the far corner waiting for the pizza they ordered. They listened to the song the mascot was singing for the umpteenth, and they did their best to not get up and walk away. 

“Blitzy?” Stolas said with a strained smile. 

“Yeah?” Blitzø was keeping his hand from reaching for his gun. 

“I hate that fucking bear.” 

“Same...” 

Chapter Text

“And then Millie sliced that fish wide open!” Octavia made a slicing motion with her fork as a demonstration.  

Orion snickered, “She also found that tramp’s flask in the fish’s belly. You should have seen the look on her face dad! Via scared her into agreeing too!”  

“That’s because I threatened to pop her fake chest.”  

They were having dinner with their dad after they came home from another day at IMP, they were talking about that morning, Blitzø picked them up after their driver said that he no longer wished to drive all the way to Imp city, citing personal safety and well-being. They understood so Blitzø had to pick them up.  

During the drive, they were cringing at the imp’s terrible singing when someone stole their parking spot. Imagine their surprise when they saw a tall succubus stepping out of the pink car.  

The last time the twins saw Verosika, they made snide comments about her pixie haircut that was the result of Octavia putting lice in her brush. They hoped to never see that vile woman again but there she was. She still looked as flashy as ever, the twins could tell that her long and full bodied hair were mostly extensions. Loona growled at her but stayed neutral, she still liked her music after all.   

Well, she decided to make shop at the building and practically kicked Blitzø and the others out. Moxxie tried take the diplomatic approach, but it resulted in awful things being done to him and when Blitzø tried to get Orion to go in there since he was a prince who knew how to speak diplomacy, the boy said that there was going to be a blood bath if he was thrown in a room full of succubus and incubus.   

He meant it too.  

So instead, Blitzø challenged Verosika to a demon duel. Basically, if they could kill twice as many humans as much as Verosika’s people can seduce them, IMP would win their spot back.  

So, they did, they were at a beach where the humans were celebrating a thing called ‘spring break’ and with Loona’s human disguise they were able to kill many humans on the hit list they had. Because they were too young to go near the drunk humans, Blitzø wisely told them to stay with him since he didn’t want them to get hurt and he also knew that they had weird reactions to Verosika’s lust charms. Something about them being ‘ace’ or whatever.  

And then Verosika threw of flask of beezlejuice into the ocean which resulted in a giant man eating fish that ate a drunken Moxxie. Millie saved him, killed the fish and Blitzø blackmailed Verosika into giving back their parking spot. Octavia upped the ante by threatening to write a letter to Asmodeus himself about what had happened if Verosika ever pulled a stunt like that again, all the while poking her talon finger on the succubus’ breast. It worked and IMP went back to hell victorious.  

“And all because of a parking spot?” Stolas asked, too stunned to eat his now cold dinner.  

The twins nodded with triumphant smiles.  

“Serves her right!”  

“She acted all high and mighty, so it was great to see her stand there in defeat!”  

The owl prince gave them a look, “Why are you so... hostile when it comes to her?”  

The teenagers looked at him and went back to their meal.  

“She was always rude to us,” Octavia muttered, “That’s why.”  

Orion picked at his salad, “And she treated Loona like a pet.”  

Stolas sighed, he thought about Verosika. He never met her when she was dating Blitzø but he thought she was good for him until the night Blitzø told him that he broke up with her. Loona and the twins were very open to how they felt about her, something he never understood. From what Via and Rion had told him now, he could see that Verosika was still reeling from the breakup.  

“I think she’ll stay away for good,” Octavia’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, “Asmodeus is very strict on how his lust demons act.”  

Orion snickered, “She was trembling when you said his name Via!”  

The clearing of their dad’s throat got their attention, “It sounds like you both had an... interesting day.”  

“We did, I wish we could use weapons instead of our hands though,” the oldest commented, drinking her tea.  

“But Blitzø says we need more experience,” Added the youngest, “but we’ve been doing this since October.”  

Stolas let out a small sigh of relief, while he was still not happy that his children were assassins, he was happy that at least they were at least going out more. Who was he kidding, of all things to get them to stop locking themselves in their rooms, it had to be going out to the living realm to kill people?! Yes, they’re demons so taking a human life was not an issue but still! Well, at least Blitzø hasn’t given them a weapon to use. Stolas could not even imagine his children carrying a gun or knife.  

“Daddy, you’re daydreaming again.”  

Stolas let out a startled hoot and saw his children giving him unamused looks.  

“You always said that daydreaming was a bad habit when we were little,” Orion said, he was already done with his lunch, “Now your foods cold.”  

“Something on your mind?” Asked Octavia as she placed her knife and fork on her plate horizontally across, “Let me guess, you still don't like what we do.”  

Stolas chuckled, “You know me too well. You are correct Via, I don’t like it, but you always have such interesting stories to tell me whenever you come home.”  

Orion tilted his head, “Doesn’t Blitzø tell you anything?”  

“He does in his own way Rion.”  

The twins shrugged and excused themselves for the night, Octavia giving Stolas a kiss on the cheek and Orion hugging him goodnight before they left.  

Stolas smiled as he watched them leave the dining room, he may not have been completely on board with the idea of his children working as assassins, but he saw that they were opening up and talking more. Perhaps it was also because Stella had moved out of the palace after the incident. She left after the LooLoo land trip only coming back to yell at him and take some of her things, mostly clothes and her jewelry, but when that would happen, Octavia and Orion were thankfully gone for the day. Despite his claim that he was getting a divorce, it was easier said than done. Stolas can see it now, being laughed at by the Goetia for wanting a divorce because of the cruelty she inflicted on him over the years and being called pathetic for being that desperate that he slept with a lowly imp. It was also a marriage arranged by his father Paimon himself, to dissolve this marriage would be an insult to the king.  

But there was another issue that worried him.   

If he went through with his plans for a divorce, there was a possibility that he could lose Octavia and Orion. They’re fifteen now and they said that they wanted to stay with him. Stolas was happy but he knew that despite what they wanted, the Goetia had the final say. They could easily say that the twins were to stay with their mother until they turned twenty-five. It didn’t matter if Stolas was more hands on when it came to the children’s upbringing or that Octavia and Orion were vocal about their desire to stay with him. All it would take was a meeting between the kings and the dukes of Goetia to decided that. The thought of losing his children, the stars of his dark galaxy, frightened Stolas.  

The only solution to ensure his custody would be that he had to wait until they turned eighteen.  

Fifteen meant they were adults in the eyes of the Goetia but they were still children who needed a proper parent. Eighteen though meant that their opinion mattered so Stolas made the decision to wait.  

Right now, it was out there that Stolas and Stella were separated. It had been that way for the past seven months and he was enjoying it. He had his children, he had his palace and most of all, he had his Blitzy who had been coming over every month for the past five months on the full moon.  

Speaking of the full moon, it was tonight.  

Stolas stood up and made the long walk to his chambers, he dismissed the servants for the night and walked through the halls that lead to his children’s rooms. He saw the lights were on in both rooms and saw moving shadows. The prince smiled and continued towards his chambers.  

Once there, he locked the door and went to his bathroom to take a quick bath. Stolas used a special bath oil with a scent that imps like and when he was done, he made sure his feathers were dry and fluffed to perfection. Stolas threw on his red robe and walked out of the bathroom just in time to see Blitzø climb over the balcony with a bag slung over his shoulders.  

Stolas’ heart began to pound against his chest as he opened the doors to let the imp in. Blitzø was wearing his usual assassin outfit and pulled out the book from the bag.  

“Good evening Blitzy!” Stolas greeted with a smile, “How was your day?”  

Blitzø shrugged, “Had to deal with a bitch who stole my spot, but I got her back.”  

“Oh, I see, Via and Rion talked about it during dinner.”  

“They did huh?” the imp was making himself comfortable on the massive bed.  

Stolas crawled on the bed to sit next to him, “Yes in fact-”  

Blitzø reached out and closed prince’s beak, “Are we going to talk about those little shits or are we fucking?”  

An excited trill erupted from Stolas’ throat, and he let the imp tackle him on the bed. The kisses were rough and passionate, and the touches were possessive. The owl prince reveled in the pleasure, and he loved stroking Blitzø’s impressive horns during the long foreplay. Blitzø ran his claws through Stolas’ feathers slowly as his devoured his beak in a rough kiss, he fought back the smirk that threatened to spread on his face. Stolas was so easy to excite, it made the sex fun.  

Stolas spread his legs, a sign he wanted him and Blitzø pulled away. To the surprise of the prince, he got out of bed and went to the bag he brought.  

“Blitzy?” Stolas sat up, not bothering to fix his robe that was pushed off, “Is everything alright?”  

“Yea,” Blitzø smirked and pulled out a large silicon dildo before crawling back into bed, “We’ve been doing vanilla shit since we started this whole thing. How about we... spice things up~?”  

Stolas shuddered when his beloved imp said that in a deep voice and fell back, spreading his legs once more, clearly showing how hot and wet he was.  

“Please Blitzy! Shove that in me!”  

That night, Stolas let out loud moans and cried for more. He didn’t know many times he came until Blitzø replaced the toy with himself, but he was so happy.  

The night ended after Blitzø’s third climax, and the prince insisted he stay the night. The imp almost said no but he agreed because he felt that it would save him the hassle of coming back later.  

X  

The smell of coffee and pancakes filled the kitchen of Stolas’ palace. Blitzø, his boxers and a large t-shirt was humming a tune as he flipped a pancake off a pan and onto a plate. Stolas poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the breakfast nook, it felt nice to see Blitzø make breakfast.  

“Don’t get used to it,” Blitzø grumbled, “I’m only doing this because, thanks to your pussy of a driver, I have to drive all the way here to get those little shits for work.”  

Stolas chuckled, “I’ll be sure to teach them how to make a portal.”  

“You better.”  

And speaking of little shits, Octavia and Orion walked in the kitchen. The men were ready to greet them until they saw them.  

The twins were still in their pajamas, their normally shaggy hair was messier than usual, and they looked like they were still sleeping. Octavia was holding her favorite starry night pillow and Orion made a sound between a warble and hoot.  

Stolas blinked but he stood up with a smile, “Good morning children! Did you... sleep well?”  

They said nothing and walked up to the table.  

Octavia spoke, her voice still heavy with sleep, “Father...”  

“Why so formal dear?”  

“I speak on behalf of my little brother and I that we request that our rooms and study be made soundproof every time Blitzø visits ...” She said while opening her very tired eyes.  

Both men froze when she said that.  

“We. Heard. Everything,” Orion’s voice was low and tired, he then turned his head over to face Blitzø who dropped a purple pancake, “Bravo...”  

Stolas stammered and tried to apologize but Octavia spoke again.  

“Daddy, we don't care what you and Blitzø do but please be considerate to the fact that Rion and I still live here...”  

The twins sat on their usual spots at the nook and poured themselves some coffee. They watched as their dad and Blitzø scrambled to get the plates and syrup ready, probably their way of trying to make things less awkward. But this was already a very awkward situation, a Goetian prince has his affair partner in his palace for breakfast and said prince’s children were not only okay with it but acted like it was normal. Stolas still hasn’t figured that out yet. As much as he didn’t understand why they never asked for their mother.  

Blitzø presented two plates with three purple pancakes to the twins, “Eat up little shits, we got a looong day ahead of us.”   

“Umm Blitzø I don't think it’s appropriate to take them to-”  

“It’s fine dad,” Orion mumbled, “We’ll sleep in the van.”  

Octavia poured a liberal amount of syrup on her pancakes, “We’ll be fine.”  

“Are you certain?”  

They nodded and ate slowly, they still don't understand why Blitzø puts food coloring in pancake batter, but they didn’t mind. Blitzø’s pancakes were delicious.  

After breakfast and three cups of coffee later, the twins were dressed and ready to go. They bid their dad a goodbye and they were in the vans front seat as Blitzø drove. True to his word, Orion and Octavia fell asleep during the drive. First Loona was picked up and then M&M before they woke up when the van parked at their reclaimed parking spot.  

“Sleep well?” Blitzø asked in a genuine caring tone.  

Octavia stretched, “Mhm...”  

Orion popped his neck, “Yeah...”  

“Good!” the carefree attitude came back, “Because assassin don't take naps! Now hustle! All of you!”  

One by one, the assassins (and junior assassins) got out of the van followed the leader.  

“This is going to be a fucking great day everyone! Time to kill some motherfucking humans!” Blitzø declared with such vigor.  

It was met with an enthusiastic clap from Millie, Moxxie let out a weak ‘hooray’, Loona was looking at her phone and the twins did a half assed version of jazz hands, obviously still tired.  

Despite the weak motivation, the day went surprisingly well.  

There was a client who wanted her ex-boyfriend offed when she died by his hand. Apparently, he knew of her peanut allergy and gave her a milkshake laced with it so he could bang her sister. Octavia slapped him so hard, she broke his neck when he tried to make a pass at her in the park. She was supposed to lure him to a secret place so M&M would get him but when an adult man makes passes at a fifteen year old human disguised demon, he deserved that slap that sent him straight to hell.  

Another client was a fat business man who wanted his son dead because he had it in head that his son poisoned him and not the eight quarter pounder burgers he ate. But he paid well so they didn’t care if it was true or not, all except Moxxie who wanted to approach this delicately. Millie and Orion went ahead and killed the target while he was enjoying a joint in his condo. They almost felt sorry for the guy when he thought they were his imaginary friends come to life, but they still hacked the guy to pieces.  

And then there was a client who wanted them to kill the creepy neighbor across the street who killed him for asking too many questions. Let’s just say that Blitzø took one look inside and made the twins stay outside of the house. Enough said.  

It was now two in the afternoon, lunch time for IMP, Loona and the twins were enjoying pizza and soda at her desk when Blitzø approached them with two boxes.  

“Hey you two! I got you something!”  

Octavia and Orion looked at him, cheeks stuffed with pizza and curious eyes.  

Blitzø gave them one box each, they were crudely wrapped and there were notes.  

‘ Hapi supr lte brthdy!’  

The twins smiled and opened the gifts, Loona had her phone ready to take a picture of their reactions.  

Octavia was the first to open her gift, in the box was large double barrel shot gun with a wooden handle and it had a little blue rose design on the side. She picked it up with her left hand with a look of awe.  

Orion’s gift were two pistols, one black and one white, he also picked them up with a look of awe.  

Each gift came with holster belts.  

“I would have given them to you ages ago, but Carmine is one tough bitch!”  

The twins were silent as they stared at their new weapons, they were used to using their talons since they could make them very sharp, but they knew how to shoot a gun. Blitzø was nervous when they didn’t say anything.  

“You don’t like them? I tried to make them where you could- Ack!”  

Octavia and Orion tackled him in a hug and rubbed their faces against his.  

“We love them! Thank you Blitzø!” the girl cried with a smile.  

“We thought we were going to use our talons!” the boy exclaimed.  

Blitzø sighed as he hugged them back, returning the weird face rub, “We really need to talk about your hug tackles. I’m used to being roughed up, but you are killing my back.”  

He heard sad trills before they let go.  

“Sorry Blitzø,” Octavia stood up and brushed the wrinkles off her dress.  

Orion fixed his magenta cardigan, “We do that to dad all the time and we keep forgetting that your different. I’m sorry.”  

Now Blitzø felt bad, “Hey you two, I don’t mind the hugs! Just be gentler.”  

The twins smiled and went back to hug the imp with happy trills. They were gentle this time and Loona took a picture of a smiling Blitzø.  

“Alright, no more mushy shit! I got a job for you two!” he yelled, wiggling out of their hug.  

Octavia looked at Loona’s computer, it was where she kept a list of jobs and didn’t see anything.  

“It’s more of a pet project,” the head assassin said as he walked out of the office with the teenagers following.  

“A pet project huh?” Orion asked, his new guns were now in his new holster belt that somehow managed to fit his narrow hips.  

Octavia had to make a new hole on her holster belt, she was tinier than her brother, “What is it?”  

“You’ll see!”  

They walked out of the building and Blitzø made a beeline for something large that was covered by a tarp, it took a bit but he pushed the large thing towards them.  

“It took a while, but I finally found it!”  

The twins watched as Blitzø pulled off the tarp and they saw that it was a street 750 bike. It was old but it looked like it was in good condition. Orion recognized it almost immediately.  

“Isn’t this the bike you had when we were ten?”  

Octavia blinked until she also remembered, “You took us out in that! What happened to it?”  

The imp had a bit of an arrogant smirk, “Well i borrowed it from a friend and he wanted it back so...”  

“You stole it and now you ‘found’ it?” they both asked.  

“Is that all you think of me?” he feigned hurt.  

Orion rolled his eyes with a small huff and looked at the bike with awe, he always had a bit of an interest in bikes, but he was told by his mother that such interest was unbecoming of a prince, so he never really pursued it. He retreated to his hobby of collecting taxidermy since his mother tolerated it.  

“Well i need help making this baby purr! What do you say?” Blitzø asked.  

The twins smiled and nodded.  

“Perfect! Now let’s get to work!”  

Blitzø pulled out a toolbox out of nowhere and they began to work, he did most of the work since the two royals had no idea what they were doing. All they did was hand his tools, after they had to figure out what tool he needed and listen to him as he spoke bike. Showing them what made the bike go and where the brakes were. Blitzø knew that they would remember so he never bothered asking if they were paying attention.  

He continued to work on the bike before he called it a day.  

“Well, that's all for the day! Let’s head back!” he announced, rubbing the oil off his hands, “Thanks kids!”  

“We didn’t do anything though,” Muttered Octavia as she picked up the tools.  

Orion nodded, “Why did you need us?”  

Blitzø was humming another tune as he strolled back inside the building, “I needed spotters just in case that thing fell on me.”  

The teenagers chuckled and they followed him inside, lunch was over so it back to the grind.  

They only had two clients left for the day, so they wanted to get those done. The first one was bank robber who was killed by his partner in crime, Orion used his new guns for the job, and he liked how they worked. Moxxie complimented the boy’s aim and helped take out the target.  

The second and last job was a simple one. A woman who was a hairdresser wanted a client killed for running her over. Millie and Octavia took that job, it took a while because the target was using the car as a weapon. Octavia’s new gun was a gun that could shoot two bullets which she used to stop the car while Millie dove into the car's windshield with her axe, taking out the target with ease.  

“Okay team! Good job today!” Blitzø announced, clapping his hands together as everyone packed up for the day.  

M&M were talking about what they wanted for dinner, Loona was looking over something on her phone and the twins yawned, it was a long day after all.  

“Hey dad, is it alright if I take the van after we drop everyone off?” Loona asked as they made their way to the elevator, “There’s a party in Gluttony I wanna check out.”  

Blitzø gave it a thought, “Sure thing Loonie! Just bring it back in one piece!”  

The twins grumbled, they thought Loona was so lucky that Blitzø let her go out whenever she wanted, they had to beg their dad to let them go to Stylish Occult during the weekend when he wasn’t working.  

They sat in the backseat this time and listened to their music during the drive. M&M were dropped off first, Loona was next so she could get ready to go out and the twins were last. Blitzø took the long way back because he saw that it helped the kids relax after a long day, he watched from his rear view mirror to see them dosing off.  

He still did not understand how they did not care that he slept with their dad. Even after Octavia asked him point blank that day, they had such calm reactions. Was it because he knew them as little kids? Doubt it.  

Either way, Blitzø was at least happy that he didn’t lose their affections, but he felt bad about what he was doing even if they said that they didn’t care.  

The van pulled up to the palace courtyard and the twins got ready to get out.  

“You’re off for two days,” Blitzø explained to them, “Get some sleep.”  

They nodded but before they got out, Octavia reached over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, Orion gave him a hug as well and they left. Blitzø was stunned to say the least, the twins were always affectionate, but this was the first time Octavia kissed him.  

“... they probably miss their mom,” He concluded, putting the van in drive and drove off.  

Meanwhile, Octavia and Orion were showing off their new guns to their frazzled father who was breathing into a paper bag Pringles gave him.  

X  

Stylish occult was hosting an event for taxidermy enthusiasts today, Octavia and Orion begged their father if they could go. It was a day off and they did not want to stay cooped up in the palace. Especially since they heard from Pringles that their mother would make surprise appearances, and they wanted to avoid her as much as possible.  

Stolas wasn’t so sure about letting them go alone but he conceded when the twins gave him the cute owls eyes. He could never say no when they did that, he opened a portal and told them to call when they were ready to come home and to not talk to strangers. They rolled their eyes when he said that but gave him a wave before the portal closed.  

“Okay, the event starts in five minutes Rion! Let’s go!”  

“Right Via!”  

They ran through the shopping area and saw that the store was setting up the stalls for the vendors to show off their work, they saw that there were others waiting for the event to start so they walked over to wait. The twins didn’t intermingle much, so they stood in the crowd and when the announcer of the event said that it was ready, they scattered. Octavia saw a vendor who was selling a book about how to do your own taxidermy, and she was interested while Orion lit up over a wolf with horns when he bumped into a Stylish Occult employee.  

“Sorry!” He yelped.  

The employee stumbled a bit and turned, “It’s okay sir! I wasn’t paying attention.”  

It was the girl who helped him not long ago.  

“Oh, it's you!” Orion said with a smile, “Umm... Onyx, right?”  

The hellhound smiled when she recognized him, “Oh hey! What brings you here Orion?”  

“The event, taxidermy is a hobby my sister and I have.”  

“Really? Cool!” Onyx exclaimed, “How’s the book you got?”  

Orion lit up, “You were right about the chapter with the milky way! I stayed up all night reading it!”  

“Awesome! I’m glad you liked it,” Onyx said, “Well I gotta go now, I'm technically on the clock.”  

“Okay,” he turned to leave but he turned back, “Actually... can I have your number?”  

Onyx’s eyes widened in surprise.  

“I- I mean! I’m sorry!” the boy stammered, “I just... never met someone who likes astronomy before! I wanted to exchange notes!”  

“Uh...”  

Orion deflated, “Forget I asked...”  

The hellhound smiled and took out her phone, “I normally don’t do this, but my boss said you're an okay guy so sure.”  

The young prince smiled and took out his phone, “I promise I'm not a freak.”  

“Well, I know who you are,” Onyx said as they exchanged numbers, “It’s not every day a royal wants your number.”  

“Trust me, I'm not like my family.”  

During the exchange, Octavia was watching them, and she smirked. He baby brother was being so cute talking to a girl.   

“Orion?” her voice spooked Orion who almost dropped his phone.  

“Will you stop doing that?!” he yelled.  

Onyx chuckled, “Well I gotta go. See you.”  

She left and Octavia teased Orion about what she saw.  

“My little brother has crush?”  

“No, she likes astronomy Via. How many demons do you know that like it?”  

She had to agree on that one, one had to have a deep appreciation for the stars. And that was something you don't find in hell.  

“Well come on, the event just started, and I want to update our collection!”  

“Right! I wonder if they have a mini set!”  

The twins went back to the event to see the stalls, they bought more animals that resembled chimeras, and they saw one animal that looked like an owl from the living real, Octavia thought it would make a good gift for their dad, so she bought it. They spent four hours there and they decided that it was time to go home, Orion got a text from their dad asking if they were okay. They took it as a sign, so they texted that they were ready.  

A portal opened and they walked in with their bounty in hand. They saw that they were in their dad’s office.   

Stolas looked tired but he still smiled when he saw his children.  

“You okay daddy?” Octavia held the bag that had the owl gift she had for him.  

“Oh... I’m fine Via, I just had a long day...” he explained, his voice sounded so tired.  

Orion wasn’t convinced, “Did mother call or something?”  

“That’s none of your concern children,” Stolas said with alertness, “How was your day?”  

Octavia knew she had to change the subject, “Great! We saw really weird stuff and I got you this!”  

She pulled out the weird owl and presented it to her father with a smile, “What do you think?”  

The weird owl looked like a white snowy owl with four eyes and antlers.  

“Oh... how charming...” Stolas took the owl and placed it on his desk, he still found his children’s hobby odd, but he would turn away any gift relating to said hobby.  

The twins smiled and began to leave.  

“Children?” Stolas called out as they were heading towards the door.  

Octavia and Orion stopped turned to give him their attention.  

“.... Nothing, dinner is in hour,” the prince said with a small smile, “We’re having fried mice and a salad tonight.”  

He watched as they smiled and ran off, they liked fried mice. Once they were gone, Stolas let out a tired sigh. A while ago, before he texted if his children were okay, he received a long and lengthy call from Stella. She said that she gave him enough time to ‘think about what he had done’ and she planning to come home. Stolas protested but she screamed that he owed. Especially month od him keeping their children away from her. How dare he deprive her of the children they had together for seven long months Stella claimed with a hint of dramatics. Even when Stolas said that she never once reached out to them, she still went on about it was hard to keep in touch with them and claimed that he probably kept them away out of spite.   

Stolas was hit by that. Was he truly keeping the twins away from their mother to spite his wife? Octavia and Orion never said anything, but he wondered if they were hiding what they were feeling. Where they only smiling to keep the peace? He wanted the divorce, he truly did but he did not want to be selfish. The twins deserved a normal life.  

So, he agreed to Stella’s demands that she have the children on the weekends of her choosing. Stella dropped the dramatics and said things along the lines of her being glad that he saw reason and that he wasn’t such an idiot after all before she hung up.   

And afterwards, Stolas brought his children home.   

He read that divorce was hard for children to process and that was more difficult for teenagers. He tried to see any signs of change from the twins but all he could see that they were livelier and talking more. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism they developed when this started.  

During dinner, Stolas listened as Octavia and Orion talked about the event. He loved hearing them talk about their day even if it was about a job they did for IMP.  

“Children?” He spoke when they were done talking, they looked at him in full attention, “I wanted to talk to you both about something...”  

They tilted their heads.  

“Well... I was wonder if you-”  

Orion’s phone pinged loudly, making him look at it. His face went from curious to stunned.  

“Via look!” He showed her the phone, and she was stunned.  

“Children?”  

Octavia stood up as did Orion, “Daddy, we have to go. Something happened.”  

O-oh,” Stolas blinked, they never acted like this, “Is there something the matter?”  

“Sorta,” Orion answered, downing his drink, “Sorry but we gotta go.”  

They left their father at the table, and they ran the moment they reached the halls.   

Stolas sighed softly, he wasn’t able to talk to his children about their mother coming back after all. Maybe he’ll wait until morning to talk to them, during breakfast when they are enjoying their coffee.  

But he didn’t tell them during breakfast.  

He didn’t tell them before they left for work.  

And he didn’t tell them when they came home with more stories to tell during dinner.  

X  

“Since when did we get commercials from heaven?” Orion whispered to Octavia quietly.  

They were sitting in the meeting room with Moxxie, Millie, Blitzø and Loona watching the small tv playing a commercial. It was commercial of cherubs in advertising about saving humans on behalf of souls in heaven.  

“I don’t know but it’s funny,” Octavia answered with a snicker, “I think they ripped off your jingle Rion.”  

The boy gave a small growl, “Stupid baby angels...”  

The commercial was so cutesy and innocent that it made the demons feel sick. Once the commercial was over, Blitzø shot the tv with his flintlock pistol. What was left of the tv was a small flame and wires. The twins jumped at the sound of the blast while, who was taking a nap, didn’t stir.  

“Nice one B!” Millie exclaimed with a smile.  

Blitzø had a look of annoyance, “Gimmie another Mox.”  

Moxxie picked up another tv that was sitting nearby, brushed away the flaming debris before putting the tv on the stand. He switched it on, and it showed the news, he looked at his boss with a scared look on his face, Blitzø hated the news.  

Blitzø was pouring more gun powder into his gun and took a look, “Not feelin’ it, next!”  

Moxxie quickly changed the channel to a cartoon of a large breasted woman bouncing erotically, Octavia and Orion pulled out their guns ready to shoot. Millie and Blitzø grabbed their arms to keep them from pulling the triggers.  

“Change the channel, Mox!” Millie yelled, “Hurry!”  

Knowing how the twins reacted to anything sexual, Moxxie changed the channel to a commercial of Wally Wackford advertising his weird idea factory.  

“Oh, he’s doing that now?” Octavia lowered her gun and Millie who was holding her arm.  

“You know ‘im?” Millie asked curiously.  

Orion nodded after putting his guns away, “He hosts the Harvest Moon festival. He’s okay sometimes.”  

Blitzø looked at the commercial when Wally was begging for anyone to call.  

‘ Please! I’m very desperate!’  

“Bingo!” he shot the tv which caused it to explode, the bullet barely missed Moxxie who ducked at the last possible moment.  

Millie and the twins clapped.  

“Woo! You're on a roll sir!” Millie exclaimed with a bright smile.  

Octavia and Orion were asking about then they could have a turn when Loona was woken up by a rumbling, she was confused.  

“Guys? do you feel that?”  

Soon everyone could feel the rumbles as they got stronger.  

Blitzø stood up, “Oh, shit! Is that a hellshake?!”  

The twins were standing with Millie and Moxxie, trying to figure out what was happening.   

“That’s possible?” Moxxie asked, he was more confused than scared.  

Millie grabbed her grabbed her husband’s arms, “Alright, don’t panic Moxxie!”  

He got out of her grip, “I’m not panicking because hellshakes don’t happen. Right kids?” He turned his attention to Octavia and Orion, knowing that they knew the ins and out of hell better than anyone in the breakroom, Moxxie found them making a check list.  

“Emergency bags are secured Via!” Orion declared looking over the six camping bags that appeared out of nowhere.  

Octavia was holding a clipboard, “Perfect! Don’t worry Moxxie! It’s going to be okay!”  

“W-What? I'm not freaking out!”  

Loona then grabbed him, shaking him violently, “Stop getting hysterical fatty!” She then slapped him so hard that he flew against a wall only for a large ball of black tubes to crash through the wall and burying the poor imp in rubble  

The dust cleared and the bizarre wrecking ball thing detangled into multiple robotic cables and a weirdly dressed demon used them to hoist himself into the room with his cape wrapped around him in a dramatic effect. Loona got on all fours with a growl while the twins had their guns drawn and hissed with their feathers puffed. Blitzø and Millie were confused by the unusual entrance.  

“Do not be afraid,” The demon said in a voice one would hear in an old cartoon.  

He stood up to reveal his black and green outfit and his robotic tentacles.  

“Please tell me you got that insurance thing,” Blitzø could feel the dent in his wallet growing.  

Millie stood up with her axe, “Who are you and what do you want?!”  

“I am Loopty Doopty!” He used his robotic arms to make a loop-de-loop to make him go over to the other side of the room, “dastardly inventor of all things loopy and loopiiiiiish!”  

“You look like someone our daddy tells us to avoid,” said Octavia with a raised eyebrow.  

Blitzø motioned for the kids to stay by him, just in case. As they did, they noticed Moxxie’s limp hand sticking out of the debris.  

“Moxxie!” the oldest cried.  

Orion grabbed the rubble and threw them out of the way while Octavia dragged the unconscious imp out. Thinking he wasn’t breathing, she rubbed her talons together to produce magical electricity.  

“Clear!” she yelled as she placed her palms over Moxxie’s chest.  

Moxxie made a funny noise as he was shocked.  

Octavia did it again.  

“Clear!”  

More funny noises but the young avian demon wasn’t sure if it worked so she rubbed her hands together again.  

“Clear!”  

“I’m alive!” Moxxie grabbed her wrist before she could shock him again.  

The twins blinked twice.  

“Clear!” Octavia yelled out again and placed her palms on Moxxie’s chest.  

“Octavia-ya-ya-ya-ya!” he screamed as he was shocked once again.  

During the rudimentary CPR, Loopty  explained that he wanted his former business partner dead to prevent him from earning trillions from a machine that was meant to stop or reverse the aging process. Unfortunately, they decided to test it themselves and not the poor (no wonder he ended up in hell) and without them knowing, the machine was set for old. Loopty ended up dying from a heart attack and his partner was still alive and would now take all the credit for their work. He ended his sad story standing there with a clenched first with a pissed off pout.  

Blitzø wasn’t sure if they should take job, “That doesn’t sound evil.”  

Loopty turned around offended, “It’s evil towards me!”  

Moxxie was now a sizzling imp in Orion’s arms, “Medium rare imp anyone?”  

“Did I overdo it?” Octavia asked with worry. She was poking his little arm, it twitched with each poke.  

Back to Loopty who was determined to get what he wanted, “Now, get your crimson asses up above and send that heartless, no-good son of a bitch to Hell, where he belongs!”  

Watching how the demon was acting made Blitzø wonder if becoming old so fast made the sinner go senile or insane, “eh y-you do know poopty-”  

“Loooptyyy" the demon growled.  

Yup he did go insane.  

Blitzø immediately apologized and held up his hands in defense, “Of course! Of course... If we do kill him, though, and he ends up down here... y'know, you will be stuck with him. Forever.”  

Surely Loopty wouldn’t want to be stuck with his archenemy for all eternity.  

 The sinner let out a low and sinister laugh, “Oh, trust me,” he summoned an array of weapons from his back, pistol, a rifle, a missile launcher, and a circular saw blade, “I'm counting on it.”  

Octavia and Orion were surprised by all the weapons and that Loopty wanted to be stuck in hell with his enemy forever.  

Moxxie, still sizzling from Octavia’s electric hands, gave a thumbs up, “That’s kind of hot...”  

Orion was tempted to drop him for that comment.  

X  

“Gee, I wonder whose house this is,” Moxxie mumbled sarcastically as he looked through his binoculars.  

The five assassins were in a living realm, the twins were in their proper human disguises while Blitzø and M&M were wearing costumes. Blitzø wore a clown's wig, a gray duster and large sunglasses. Moxxie wore a fake moustache that matched his hair, a light gray Victorian coat with a matching top hat while Millie was wearing a blonde wig, a pink outfit, and a straw hat.  

They were sitting on a tour bus that specialized in tours of the rich and famous.  

“And to your right is the home of famous inventor, Lyle Lipton!” The tour guide said in great enthusiasm.  

The humans made ‘oohs’ and ahhhs’ and they took pictures with their cellphones. Blitzø looked over the mansion and lowered his sunglasses.   

He smirked and threw off the shade, “Let's do it gang!”  

One by one, the assassins pulled out their weapons with smirks and they jumped off the fence, landing in poses.  

“Let’s kill this rich guy!” Millie yelled in her thick southern accent.  

They ran towards the mansion windows.  

“And here you'll find five tacky stalkers about to attempt a murder! Things like this could happen to famous people all the time!” the tour guide exclaimed with a big smile.  

The twins stopped running when they heard that.  

“Seriously?” Orion asked with deep confusing in his voice, “You’re just going to let this happen? You’re not going to call the authorities?”  

“How stupid are you humans?” Octavia asked in complete disbelief.  

“This is California,” the guide answered with glee, “We love watching crime!”  

The other humans were still taking pictures.  

“Double O! Get your asses over here now!” Blitzø’s voice boomed towards them.  

“Right!” they yelled back, running over to the three assassins.  

They peered through the window and saw a fat old man in a hospital bed.  

“Wow, that machine did a number on his,” Moxxie muttered.  

Octavia watched as the target kissed a picture in his hands, “if a machine did that then what’s stopping him from going back in-”  

Blitzø planted his hand over her human mouth, “You’re going to ruin the plot Via sweetie!”  

“What plot?” she muffled through the hand with a raise eyebrow.  

He shushed her and made her look at the target.  

Lyle Lipton, famous young inventor who had the world at his feet was reduced to a fat and feeble old man as a result of his arrogance. He bemoaned his sad and sorry state.  

“All the riches of the world can't fill the emptiness I'm feeling now that my shitty old body can't do anything of value,” He grumbled, grabbing the tube from his IV bag to make a noose.  

Blitzø gave a big smile, “Oh fantastic! He's doing our job for us!”  

the old man pulled on the knot to make sure it was tight.  

“Should we go in there and tie it for him?” Moxxie asked, confused about the supposedly easy job.  

Lyle moved to lower the makeshift noose over his head, the assassins were eating popcorn and drinking soda while they were watching, the junior assassins were eating mouse jerky and shared a soda. As the noose was lowered, it began to glow a holy white and explode, blowing the demons back from the force and Blitzø lost the little kitty sock puppet that was on his tail, he reached for it with a sad face.  

Briefly blinded, Lyle adjusted his eyes and saw that were three beings gracefully floating down in rays of pure light. One being had the appearance of a human baby wearing coral overalls with a yellow short and periwinkle flat, he had light orange hair, big periwinkle eyes, small wings, and a halo. The other being was a yellow anthropomorphic sheep girl in a yellow dress with a pink hem and bow and white frilly gloves, she also had wings and a halo. The last being was a purple anthropomorphic sheep boy in a long sleeved light blue turtleneck with a periwinkle and white stripe bow tie, and like the other beings he had wings and a halo.  

“Oh lord!” Lyle pulled his blanket close to him, “I’m being haunted by ugly orphan children now!”  

Outside the mansion, the assassins and junior assassins recovered from the holy blast. Octavia and Orion shook the shock of the blast off when they heard Blitzø growl.  

“Who the fuck are they?!”  

Moxxie who was rubbing his head after he fell on it looked up and realized what he was seeing, “Oh no! Sir, those are-”  

“Cherubs?!” Octavia screeched, pressing her face against the window.  

“What are they doing here?!” Orion growled, gritting his human teeth.  

The three adults walked to the window and heard the purple sheep, who had introduced himself as Colin, speak.  

“We're here to convince you not to kill yourself, sir,” He gave a bow to the human, “To grant you a blessing, on behalf of those in Heaven who benefited from your amazing technological advances.”  

Hearing that did not go well for Blitzø who did not like that heaven was interfering with their job, “Oh hell no!”  

He rolled up his sleeve while holding his pistol and marched towards the window, eh kicked the glass and faceplanted on the floor. Moxxie along with Millie, Octavia and Orion made the logical choice of using the door that was to the side.  

“Lye Lipton!” Moxxie announced as he briefly taking a look at the crumpled form of his boss, “It is our humble opinion that you should continue the process to commit die.”  

Millie and the twins were peeking in the room.  

“I mean, what do you expect to do with all this money now you're old... and gross?” the young woman asked with a grimace as she walked in.  

Orion walked in the room as well, “Well if he went back in that machine, he cou-”  

Millie planted her hand over his mouth, “Hush, you’re gonna ruin the plot!”  

“Plot?” he muffled out.  

Keenie, the yellow sheep cherub, blissfully asked, “Is that a serious question?” she reached into Lyle’s bed to reveal his wallet that was bursting with cash, the baby cherub, Cletus, grabbed it and pulled out the cash, “He can help spread his wealth around with the people of the world! And do so much good with it! And be so fulfilled!”  

Keenie threw the money in the air with a smile.  

“Nnno!” Lyle muttered stubbornly.  

The twins helped Blitzø up and brushed off the glass when Colin made a comment about how the target could pay for hospitals and schools. The twins snorted, since when did humans actually care about such things?   

“Why won’t you let me die?” the target asked, clutching his blanket.  

Blitzø slipped away from the twins and slinked his way to the old man’s side, leaning back against the machine, “Oh, sounds like ya need help offin' yourself there, buddy. Moxxie, what do we got for this fella?”  

Moxxie reached into his jacket and pulled out the variety of weapons he hid, “Let’s see, I have some assault weapons, crossbow, hunting bow, Tommy gun, old-fashioned shotgun, revolvers in three colors, chainsaws, katanas-”  

Colin interrupted him, “He’s classier than that!”  

Lyle picked the assault rifle to try and shoot himself, but Colin grabbed it, “There are still plenty of reasons to live Mr. Lyle!”  

Millie frowned, “Yeah right! Smells like he ain’t been out of bed in months!”  

She took a whiff of the bed and turned green, Moxxie rubbed her back while she threw up. Meanwhile Octavia popped up in between Lyle and Blitzø with a cup.  

“Here you go sir! You looked stressed!” She said with a smile.  

The liquid was bubbling, and it had a strange color, the old man took it and was about to drink when Colin slapped it out of his bony hand. The cup went flying and landed on the floor, barely missing Orion who jumped out of the way. The liquid ate through the carpet and the floor.  

“Acid huh?” Blitzø was impressed, “Very original Via sweetie!”  

The girl made a happy trill, only for Cletus to fly to her, “You poor thing, a slave to demons! It’s not too late to save your soul!”  

She glared at him, “For your information, I’m a demon too!”  

If it weren’t for the spell Stolas has put on her and Orion, she could have easily shown the baby angel her real form. Orion walked to Millie to see if she was okay when Cletus flew to him.  

“Are you a demon as well you poor soul?”  

The boy let out a hiss in response, “Blitzø can we kill this guy now? He stinks!”  

The baby cherub flew to the safety of his friends, “Well life is beautiful at any age!”  

“And we will show him!” Keenie declared with a bright smile.  

The cherubs cheered with great joy and holy music was heard. The demons yelled their protests.  

X  

Orion, in a camo version of his cardigan, dragged Millie’s axe behind him as he snuck behind the target’s bed. He was in the woods because the cherubs wanted to show the old man ‘God’s gift of nature’ or whatever. Colin then tried to sweeten the deal about how he would out on the beauty if he wanted to end his life.  

Blitzø, in a tiger costume, appeared with a smirk, “Mm-hm. You're gonna buy that load of shit from a baby and the sheep it fucks?” he made suggestive movements with his fingers.  

Normally the boy would gag at any sexual joke the imp would make but he snorted a bit because of Keenie’s reaction.  

“That is so inappropriate !” She screamed.  

Millie who was wearing a pink cat costume rolled her eyes, “Oh kiss our ass prude!”  

Moxxie was wearing a black cat costume while Octavia was also wearing a camo version of her cardigan. While the teenager wasn’t a fan of the imp’s sex jokes, she also snorted at Keenie’s reaction.  

“Aaanyway,” Blitzø pushed Lyle aside and sat on the soiled bed, “Take it from me, a fellow genius”- “Jury’s still out on that,” Orion muttered as he made it behind the bed. - “Shut up Rion honey, anyway nature is no picnic up close.”  

The imp grabbed a pair of binoculars out of nowhere and gave to the old man who looked into them. He saw cute little squirrels and bunnies enjoying a lovely day with innocence and bliss. Only for the sweet scene to be interrupted by pack of hungry wolves who devoured the poor critters.  

“Oh no!” Lyle cried out in horror.  

Colin tried to take the binoculars away from, but Blitzø held it tight to make the human walk.  

“Don’t look!” The cherub cried desperately  

“I can’t!” the old man was now gripping the binoculars, he watched as bear appeared and swiped a wolf only for a tree to fall on it. The logger who cut the tree was attacked by a beehive that was on the tree, he screamed which made him throw the chainsaw he was using to cut the tree into the air, “I CAN'T stop! I've never wanted to die more than I do now!”  

The chainsaw fell and cut the loggers arms off, he screamed harder until he was skewered by a charging stag.  

The cherubs and Lyle had the look of horror on their faces when they witnessed such a gory scene. Blitzø had a mock face of horror before he gave a smug grin on his face, he noticed Orion raising the axe behind him and scooted off the bed.  

Cletus nervously chuckled, “Uhhh, let’s go someplace else!”  

The bed disappeared just when Orion swung the axe, it landed on the ground with a dull thud. The sudden weight drop made the boy almost stumble  

“Oh, for fucks sake!” he yelled out in frustration.  

Blitzø rubbed his head in an attempt to comfort the boy.  

X  

“Sooo why is it Christmas in April, Via?” Orion looked at the little Christmas display in the human mall, he was certain that it was still spring.  

Octavia shrugged her shoulders, “Human corporate greed, I guess. Mammon would be proud.”  

They were in a crowd of human children who were ecstatic to see Santa. They heard Lyle’s voice from behind talking about how the children he was looking at where untouched by the burden of adulthood and turned their heads. The same time that happened, Blitzø dressed as an elf yanked off Santa’s beard along with his costume to reveal that he was an ugly sweaty gnome. There was a panic from the children, but they also noticed the teenagers with their heads fully turned which made the screams louder. Something about Santa being evil and two monsters.  

“Oops.”  

“I forgot that we can’t do that here Via.”  

“Whatever, let's go!”  

Octavia pulled out her gun and shot at Lyle, but the cherubs disappeared with him and the bullets from the gun hit a random human.  

“Oh, come on!” She screeched.  

“Those baby angels don’t know when to quit!”  

Blitzø patted Octavia’s back to calm her down.  

X  

The twins decided to be bystanders during the lover’s lookout. Why the cherubs thought that this place was an ideal way to convince a suicidal old man to keep on living was a mystery.  

They watched as Blitzø, who was dressed in drag along with M&M although Millie looked cute in the pink dress she was wearing, pulled out his megaphone.  

“Hey, horny lovers! Which one of you would FUCK this old man?!” He yelled, gesturing to Lyle who twiddled his fingers.  

The retreating cars was the answer.  

“Sex is dumb but ouch,” Orion muttered.  

“I almost feel sorry for him,” snickered Octavia.  

For some reason Colin got into her face, “You know, you lot are so utterly c-c-cruel! We're just trying to give hope to someone in need!”  

The princess’s hair puffed in response, how dare this little thing get in her face?! “And we should care why, little lamb?!”  

She would have slashed her talons at the cherub if it weren't for Millie pulling her back.  

“Oh... and you three are so superior to us just because WE want some selfish, greedy, authoritarian capitalist to keel over DEAD!” Moxxie retorted, swaying his hips and throwing his hands in emphasis.  

Blitzø walked up to him with a spray bottle that was labeled ‘PISS’, “You’re making things too real now Moxxie.”  

He sprayed the smaller male who hissed in disgust.  

X  

The twins groaned in boredom when the Viking woman belted out another long note. They liked musical theater, but operas were so boring. Blitzø told them to sit with the audience in order to make sure one of them got the kill.  

“I think this would make me want to kill myself even more....” Orion whined dragging his hands down his face.  

Octavia hung her head back and banged her fist on the armrest of her seat, “Where’s the story?! She's just belting out notes!”  

They were sitting two rows away from Lyle who was just as confused as they were. Orion took his gun out and aimed for the old man’s head.  

“This is too easy.”  

Before he pulled the trigger, he and Octavia noticed that the singer’s spotlight was moving. They looked up and saw that Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie were on the catwalk. It was Blitzø who was moving the spotlight.  

“What is he doing?” Octavia asked with a chuckle.  

“Who knows,” Answered Orion.  

They watched as the singer tried to follow the spotlight for every time it moved.  

“She’s not very good,” Lyle mumbled with a gruff.  

The twins chuckled as the light moved faster and singer desperately tried to keep up while still holding her note. And then the light got bigger and then slowly shrunk as the singer belted out one last high note under. Before anyone could blink, the spotlight lamp fell on her, crushing her to pieces, blood and body parts were everywhere.  

Octavia and Orion let out lout hoots of laughter while Lyle, the cherubs and the audience screamed in terror. The pianist gulped and continued to play.  

“Well, this just got interesting!” Orion said in between hoots.  

Octavia pulled out their hellaroid camera and took a picture of the mess, “This is my favorite job now!”  

They laughed again when Colin appeared in front of them, “W-w-why you... You... heartless f-f-fiends! D'ooh, we're just trying to do our j-j-job!”  

“Well so are we little lamb!” Orion spat, his shoulder length hair poofed.  

The cherub gave an angry pout, summoned a golden crossbow, and aimed it at the teenagers, “I-I-I don’t care if y-y-you say that you’re both demons! We are saving that man’s life!”  

Octavia scoffed and pointed her gun at the lamb, “You really think we should care about worthless humans?! Somebody wants him dead!”  

“And we’ll ignore that Blitzø just admitted up there that he spent all the money on something stupid!” Orion growled, pulling out his two guns.  

Super demon owl hearing sucks, they both thought as they dodged the holy arrows Colin was shooting. They aimed their guns at Lyle, but Colin grabbed him with one hand and flew off with him as they fired, hitting human bystanders. They growled and chased after the lamb and Lyle, shooting more people as they did. Meanwhile Moxxie saved Millie from falling to her doom as a result of Keenie, they swung through the air with the rope Moxxie was holding. Millie gave him and alluring smile, and they kissed passionately, as they did, she pulled out the two machine guns he had in his coat and began firing as they spun rabidly.  

Orion fired his guns again when a thong landed on his face, “Ewewewew!” the underwear was flung off and he screeched at the spinning pair, “Moxxie!!!”  

Octavia was starting to lose her patience when Colin once again flew away with Lyle, “Hold still, you fucking old man so we can fucking kill you!”  

Lyle was back on the hospital bed but by then, the twins were now shooting at Colin. More people were shot, bullets and arrows were everywhere but during the whole carnage of the opera house, Lyle had an epiphany.  

“It's all starting to make sense now! Life is worth living because we only get one! We must cherish it! “He focused on M&M making out and Keenie shooting at them, “If creatures far beyond this living world are going through these lengths over my life, then certainly it's worth living! Killing myself is not the answer! Plus… I'm still rich! I can just buy all the things!” he reached into his bad and pulled out wads of cash and looked over at the lucky few who were still alive but haven't run for the hills for some reason, “I NO LONGER CRAVE DEATH!”  

The audience applauded the man’s newfound will to live before many of them where shot by either stray bullets or the twins who kept trying to shoot Colin.  

Meanwhile Blitzø was running along the metal scaffolding pointing his pistol out to make sure no cherub was coming near him, he jumped onto another scaffolding that held lights and turned sharply when he sensed a presence. Blitzø and Cletus pointed their weapons at each other and the imp pulled the trigger, but nothing came out. He looked at the cherub with wide eyes and then his empty gun before he threw it at him.  

It landed square on his square on the cherub's face.  

“Ow! You fucker!” Cletus screamed, firing his crossbow in response, cutting the rope that was holding the scaffold Blitzø was standing on making it fall. Apparently, it was the same one that held the rope Moxxie was using so all three assassins were falling to the stage.  

Octavia and Orion cornered Colin when they saw the scaffold fall. Ignoring the lamb, they ran to the stage as the metal beam fell and crashed on the stage, just missing the pianist who was still playing. He must have had enough of the bad performance because he casually walked away before the piano was flung into the air.  

The demons and cherubs watched as the large and heavy instrument flew into the air and made its way towards Lyle who saw it and tried to run but it changed its direction and fell on him, crushing him and the many corpses at the opera house.  

The assassin and junior assassins had smug grins on their faces.  

“Well, well. Would'ya looook at that?” Moxxie was grinning at the stunned cherubs, “You... did our job... for us. Heh!”  

He and Millie were tied up, so Octavia used her talons to cut thew rope. Milline and Orion flipped off the cherubs while Blitzø sent a quick text to Loona to open a portal. They heard a few screams and wails as they snuck away but they didn’t care.  

The target was dead but there was a snag.  

Back in the meeting room of IMP Blitzø clapped his hands together, “Welp, the old man wanted to live again, and we didn't kill him, so we failed.”  

“But Blitzø,” Octavia was sitting next to Moxxie at the table, “He’s still dead though, shouldn’t that count?”  

Blitzø walked to the hole of the building with his hands behind his back, “That’s true Via sweetie but thanks to those fuckin' cherubs, he's probably up in Heaven now, so... It's a shame,” he looked out towards the city, “All our client wanted was eternal revenge on his business partner. And now the two are forever separated, and now we gotta face the fire of fuckin' up.”  

“So...” Orion was sitting next to Millie at the table, “How are we going to tell the client?”  

The imp looked at his team and showed his phone, “Easy, I just sent him a text! We're in good hand because texts don’t make people angry.”  

The young owl had weird feeling, so he reached over and grabbed his sister, pulling her over the table while Moxxie darted out of the way just in time for a metal escalator crashed into the building. Coming down the escalator was an incredibly happy Loopty.  

“Blitzø!” he exclaimed happily.  

Blitzø panicked, “Loofaaaaa! We can explain everything. I was-”  

Before he could anything else, another metal escalator crashed thought the building and it crushed Moxxie before he could react. Rolling down the ramp was a mechanical demon with piano keys for teeth.  

“Lyle Lipton!?” Blitzø, Milline, Octavia, and Orion yelled in disbelief.  

“I don't understand, we thought you went to heaven!” the female wrathian explained, still confused.  

Lyle laughed at the thought, “Heaven?! You don't make millions in technological advances in robotics by NOT experimenting on the poor!”  

Yeah, that made sense, Octavia thought and then she looked and saw Moxxie turning pale and frothing at the mouth.  

“Moxxie!” she screamed, crawling off the table to the imp's aid.  

Orion ran around the table to the escalator, he cracked his knuckles, gripped the heavy metal, and lifted it up so Octavia could drag Moxxie to safety.  

“I think he’s broken!” the boy cried out.  

Octavia panicked but this time instead of repeating the same thing from that morning, she reached into her cardigan pocket and pulled out a vial.  

“Here Moxxie, drink this!”  

She poured the lemon-flavored potion in the imps gaping mouth. It had been almost eight months since she and Orion last used their healing potions, but she knew that they were still very potent. Moxxie’s crushed body slowly healed as the broken bones mended themselves and his color came back.  

He coughed at the bitter taste, “What in the blue blazes was that?!”  

Octavia smiled, “A healing potion. Sorry about the taste but it worked, right?”  

Moxxie sat up and felt around his body and was amazed that he wasn't hurt anymore, “Amazing...”  

“I know right?” Orion commented, “We-” His phone range and he answered, “Yes? Pringles? What’s.... oh...,” His face changed from a small smile to a look of fear and dread, “Are you... okay... we’ll be out soon...”  

He hung up.  

“Rion?” Octavia knew that look and it made her stomach drop.  

“M... Mother’s home... Pringles is sending the car right now.”  

She froze as the fear and dread washed over her as well.  

Moxxie looked at the twins as they stood up and made a beeline towards the door, he knew that look on their faces all too well.  

During that time, Lyle was wondering what two genius inventors were to do now that they were in hell. For some reason Wally Wackford crashed through the ceiling, offering a ‘wonderful’ offer of employment.  

Blitzø was not amused, “Will you STOP fucking up my walls?! Moxxie’s gonna have to fix all this shit!”  

Said imp walked up to Blitzø, “Um sir...?”  

“Oh, chill out, Moxxie. If you kiss my ass any harder, you'll go right inside me. Satan's balls! First, we deal with Heaven's table-scraps, now this?”  

“Sir?”  

Wally played with his moustache, “I guess… you can say, you say, you have a... holey operation here, Blitzo!” he burst out laughing like a mad man,  

Blitzø was not amused by the sound of his old name, “Get out.”  

The sales imp continued laughing while the two clients stood there awkwardly.  

“I'm serious. Get the FUCK OUT!”  

The sudden outburst surprised everyone in the break room, but it made loopty, Lyle and Wally leave to discuss whatever business deal Wally had in mind.  

“Fucking finally!” Blitzø groaned as he rubbed his temples, “By the way what do you want Moxxie?”  

Moxxie cleared his throat, “Well, the twins left.”  

Blitzø snapped his head towards the smaller imps direction, “What?”  

“Yes... I guess their butler called, he said that their mother was back...”  

Hearing that made the older imp glare, “I see...”  

“Sir? You said you've known their dad for years; do you know his wife?”  

“No and thank satan I don't! She's a world class bitch who thinks she’s the fucking queen of hell!”  

Moxxie jumped at the outburst, “I see... um... do you know her relationship with the twins?”  

Blitzø was silent, not even he knew the answer.  

“Well, I'll go and see them off, I'll be back,” he left the break room and made his way to the elevator.  

X  

Octavia downed the bottle of bourbon she stole from the nearby by store in great haste as she leaned against the side wall of the building.  

“Via, if you go home drunk mother will be furious,” Orion croaked as he took another drag from one of the cigarettes he stole from Loona’s desk.  

She out an exhale as she stopped drinking and wiped her tears, “Well can you blame me?! I thought daddy got rid of her!”  

“How do you think I feel?!” The boy took the stick out of his mouth, “Pringles told me that she’s demanding weekend trips with us!”  

Octavia shuddered, “What?”  

Orion nodded, fearful tears weld up in his eyes, “Weekend trips at her choosing. Dad agreed to it!”  

That only made the girl whimper, and she downed the bourbon again, she forgot how it burned her throat, but she didn’t care.  

Her brother dropped the spent cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot before lighting another one, who would have thought that smoking again after eight months would make him cough.  

“She’s going to take us to uncle Andrealphus...” Octavia whimpered, “He’s going to do it again... I just know it...”  

Orion wrapped an arm around his big sister and pulled her close, he didn’t know what to say to comfort her because even he feared the inevitable.  

“Why would daddy allow this?” She croaked, feeling the buzz of the bourbon.  

“I don’t know,” Orion mumbled, “I don’t...”  

They heard the revving of an engine and saw the black car they knew very well parking at the front of the building. They walked out of the small alley and into the vehicle and it drove away.  

Little did they know was that Blitzø was hiding in the back of the building after his bad sense of direction yielded its ugly head, but he glad it happened for once, he didn’t hear anything, but he did see his kids, his sweetie Via drinking a from a bourbon bottle she left behind and his honey Rion smoking.  

Where did they pick up those habits, Blitzø thought to himself, Stolas did drink and smoke, but he never did it around the twins and he knew for a fact that he himself never did that around them even when he started IMP.  

From the looks of how casual they were doing it, it could only mean that they have been doing it in secret.  

Blitzø walked up to the spot the twins were standing at and picked up the abandoned empty bottle with a sad look on his face.  

He didn’t want to believe it.  

But Blitzø suspected something when he found the pack of cigarettes the day he offered the twins a job.  

He knelt on the ground and rubbed his temples and groaned, “How am I going to tell Stolas?”  

And that’s where the problem was, he tells Stolas, and the prince will accuse him of being a bad influence on the twins and ban him from their lives. But he if he didn’t tell Stolas and the prince would find out some other way, it would be the same thing.  

“Christ on a stick,” He grumbled, throwing the bottle across the parking lot.  

It shattered into pieces.  

Chapter Text

One look at their mother and they knew that the eight months of happiness was gone.

Octavia and Orion were brought home after their day at IMP and were greeted by an oddly cheerful Stella who gave both of them a hug the moment they entered the palace. If a stranger saw them, they would see a mother happily hugging her children after being gone for so long. But to the servants of Stolas’ palace could see it for what it really was, they saw Stella holding Octavia and Orion in a cold grip while the teenagers stood there limply, not even making an attempt to hug her.

The hug was cold and devoid of any comfort, it felt as if Stella was holding objects and not the children she laid.

It helped that Octavia was buzzed from the bourbon she drank but she knew that Orion was stiff from the hug. She held his hand to comfort him.

“Oh Octavia, Orion, I missed you both so much,” Stella claimed as she let go of them finally, “Let me take a good look at you,” She held their faces and examined them, “No blemish, I'm actually quite surprised.”

Octavia gave a glare, “Where’s daddy?”

“I don’t see you for eight months and you still ask for that pathetic man?” Stella growled, tightening her grip on the girl’s face.

“Mother, you left and never called once,” Orion hissed with a glare also.

The grip on his face tightened as well.

It was a dangerous game they were playing, provoking their mother. Octavia and Orion knew that their mother would not risk raising a hand to them at the palace out in the open. During her ‘teachings’ yes, she would but that was in their study with the doors shut but in the parlor room? They knew their mother well.

Stella let go of their faces, took out a handkerchief and wiped her hands, “I can see that my absence has taken a toll on you both. No worries, this weekend I am taking you to your uncle’s.”

The twins froze and for the first time in months, wrapped their arms around themselves and rubbed them in an attempt to calm down.

“Why?” Octavia asked with a tremble in her voice, “You know what he does to us mother...”

“You even watch when he does it,” Orion’s voice cracked, “So why?”

She glared at them, they still acted like that pathetic man who was her husband. From the trembling way they stood to the wide eyes that looked at her in fright.

“Oh hush, your uncle just wants to show how much he loves you,” Stella leaned down and whispered, “If you know what is best for you, you will accept his kind gesture and imprint on him.”

The twins gulped and looked away.

With a loud chuckle, their mother stepped back and turned to walk away, “Now that that’s out of the way, I will be staying here until it is time to leave.”

She barked orders at the maids to get her bags and get her a drink, leaving the twins to stand there still trembling. Pringles approached them in concern.

“Children... I”

“Where’s our father?” Octavia asked, the authority in her voice was worrisome.

“In his study my lady,” the butler answered, knowing that if her addressed her casually, there would be consequences now that Stella was back, “Would like for me to escort you there?”

“No... we’ll be in our study...”

Orion mindlessly walked up the stairs without saying a word. Octavia followed him and walked by him in the right like she always did. When they reached the halls where one lead to their area and one leads to their father’s room, Octavia walked towards their father room while Orion went to their hallway.

Octavia peeked her head in and was relieved that she didn’t see anyone there, she crept in and slipped into the en suite bathroom. She remembered a time where she and Orion would take baths together in this bathroom of purple curtains because they loved the constellations that were glowing around the tub. Now it was place where Octavia would sneak in and steal the pills her dad used to be happy.

She approached the large vanity and reached for the bottle of pills, it was heavy which meant that it was a refill. Octavia opened it and poured put four pinks pills into her hand, she pocketed the pills, put the cap on the bottle and put it back where it was before she slipped out of the bathroom. She then ran out of the bedroom, looked around to make sure no one saw her and raced to the study.

Once she was in, she found Orion sitting on the floor texting on his phone. He was texting Onyx and told her that he wasn’t going to meet her at Gluttony this weekend to compare notes.

“Hey,” Octavia sat down next to him, “Talking to Onyx?”

He nodded, Onyx texted back with a message of understanding and even sent a cute emoji of a wolf girl giving a peace sign.

“This would have been the first time talking about astronomy with someone else for once,” He mumbled quietly, opening his hand expectingly.

The oldest dropped two pills into her brother’s hand and down her share, grimacing at the taste. The boy took his share and gagged.

“Well?” Orion asked, tucking his knees to his chin.

Octavia was silent leaned on her brother, “Nothing. As usual...”

He wrapped his arm around his sister, and they held on to each other, trying to comfort one another and preparing for the dreaded weekend that awaited them.

Back in Stolas’ bathroom, the bottle of happy pills that was disturbed showed on its label that it was refilled that morning, and that the dosage was increased.

X

The next three months were hard for the two young Goetian royals. Their mother was back, and they were not happy about it.

She didn’t live at the palace, she refused to stay in the same place as her cheating husband, but she did buy a small estate nearby. Stella only used it when it was time to sleep, other than that she spent all day at the palace. Possibly to keep on an eye on the twins.

Octavia and Orion did not like it but what could they do? Their father told them that she was still their mother who wanted to spend time with them. And that fear they had of their her was still strong so they couldn’t tell him what they were going through. But they noticed that she wasn’t yelling as much as she used too and acted nice to them.

They found that suspicious.

The weekend ‘trips’ were of going to their uncle mansion but to their surprise, he didn’t do anything to them. They didn’t understand why but they were not dropping their guards. Octavia and Orion still shared that stupid room, but this time they had a privacy curtain put in-between their beds, and they were getting more privileges such as getting to keep their phones and being able to walk around the mansion. There were times where they would find gifts waiting for them in their room.

Another suspicious feeling.

Aside from that, their job at IMP was still secured although Blitzø stopped picking them up in the courtyard and opted to pick them up around the corner outside the gates. Stolas told Stella that they signed up for a club that specializes in taxidermy, she thankfully fell for that lie because she knew of their ‘uncouth’ hobby.

The only thing that changed for them at IMP was that Blitzø kept them close to him at all times. He said that it was because they were still young and needed guidance. Even when it was near quitting time, he told them to stay with him until he was ready to drive everyone home. They didn’t mind, Octavia and Orion loved being near Blitzø anyway.

Especially when it came to working on the bike. Blitzø was showing them what made the bike move, Octavia was nervous driving it, but Orion was more than happy to try. He only crashed once, and Octavia promised to delete the video she recorded on her phone.

While the twins were having a difficult time adjusting to their mother being back, Blitzø had an extremely hard time trying to tell Stolas what he saw.

That last four full moons, he would try to tell him, but it only resulted in another round of sex. How could he tell the owl prince that his two kids were smoking and drinking? ‘Hey Stols, I wanted to tell you that your little shits are smoking and drinking!’ yeah like that would go well. So instead, Blitzø kept them close and made sure that they were not out of his sight when they were doing a job. And he made them take off their cardigans when they entered the office, that way he could check the pockets to make sure there were no cigarette boxes. So far, he found nothing, and he didn’t smell any alcohol on them afterwards.

But he knew that maybe they were hiding their habits at the palace, but he still had a hard time telling Stolas.

Something that made him upset, he and Stolas used to talk all the time.

X

Loona told them once that turning sixteen meant that you get more freedoms. In her case, her dad started letting her go out, drive the van (they didn’t ask if she had a license) and her bedtime was gone.

Octavia and Orion didn’t feel any different when they woke up in their rooms and realized it was their birthday.  But they were greeted with a joyful dad who had a cake ready for them.

“Happy birthday my darlings!” Stolas announced with a smile.

He had noticed for a while that his children’s moods were sullen and wanted to do something to lighten their day. When Octavia and Orion smiled at the sight of the red velvet cake, he knew he succeeded.

They sat at their spot in the breakfast nook and Stola served them each a slice of cake.

“So, we’re having cake for breakfast daddy?” Octavia asked with a smile.

“Of course, Via!” Stolas declared, “It is your day after all!”

Orion chuckled and took a bite of his cake, “Thanks dad. When's the ball?”

“Ball?”

“Yeah, you said that after we turned fifteen, we had to have balls for our birthdays,” Octavia answered, enjoying her coffee.

Stolas blinked and then remembered, “Oh yes, that is true... but due to some... certain events, there wasn’t time to plan one.”

The twins lit up, no ball? Great!

“So... I was thinking we could have a fun day!” Stolas said with a smile, “Just the three of us?”

They could see the hopeful expression on his face and knew that if they said no, it would make him sad.

“Sure!” They said at the same time.

Stolas lit up and clapped his hands, “Excellent! I’ll get dressed and we can go to Gluttony!”

He turned to leave when Octavia spoke, “Do you think Blitzø and Loona could come along?”

He stopped by the door way and chuckled, “If you ask, oh that reminds me, are you two working today?”

They shook their heads.

“Blitzø told us yesterday that we had today off,” Orion explained

“Well, depending on his and Loona’s schedule, they can come,” Stolas said, and he left to change.

Octavia pulled out her phone to call Blitzø while Orion was about to call Loona when his phone pinged.

“Hm?”

It was a text message from Onyx. Ever since they met, they would often hang out at Gluttony to exchange notes on astronomy and texting her was Orion’s new normal.

It read, ‘Happy Birthday!!! \(^-^)/’

He smiled and texted back, ‘thanks! I’m going to Gluttony today, I might see you’

The little three dots danced, and another message popped up.

‘Sorry, its my day off and I like to stay home on those days :’(‘

Orion chuckled and texted back.

‘Don’t feel bad. You’re always working so its great when you get a break!’

‘This is coming from a prince????’ there was a cute emoji of a wolf thinking

With another chuckle, Orion texted back, ‘Well I do work for my dad’s AP.’

‘Weirdo’

‘Not to me’

‘lol maybe I'll go to Freddy's later, I'll get you a Freddy's astronaut plshie.’

Orion smiled and texted back his thanks when he noticed Octavia leaning on the table looking at him smugly and wiggling her hips that copied way Blitzø wagged his tail when he was on to something.

“What?”

“You’ve got it bad Rion,” Octavia said with a little sing song voice.

The youngest gave a small glare, “Shut up Via.”

She giggled, “Well it’s true, you have the same look daddy has whenever he’s around Blitzø.”

A little sound erupted in Orion’s throat as he started to text Loona, “It’s not like that, she’s just really cool to talk too.”

“If you say so little brother.”

Loona said that she was in for a day at Gluttony and Blitzø said maybe if he could get the bullet that was in his ass out, he might show up. So, it was going to be a good day for the twins.

They didn’t see their mother, so it only added to their jolly mood.

X

Stolas opened a portal to the Gluttony shopping center just when the IMP van drove up to the parking lot. When the twins walked through the portal, they saw that Loona was driving it, they weren’t upset when they didn’t see Blitzø they were happy that Loona came.

“Hey Lonna,” greeted Octavia, running up to the hellhound, “Thanks for coming!”

She made a sound because she was on her phone as always, but she gave her a star charm for her phone, “Happy birthday Via.”

Orion ran up to her as well and was given a star charm as well, “Thanks!”

“Happy birthday Rion.”

Stolas walked up to the trio with a smile, “Loona! I’m so glad you agreed to join us today!”

Loona looked up at the smiling prince and had a small smile, “Well... it’s a tradition to meet up for our birthdays, right?”

At least for Loona it was, she couldn’t even remember a birthday without having Stolas and the twins around.

“Of course!” The prince ruffled her hair like he used to when she was little and she let him, any else would have been bitten, “Where's your father?”

Loona turned her head while fixing her hair, “He was behind me a while ago.”

And then on cue, the group heard the sounds of a motorcycles engine coming their way. Octavia and Orion lit up when they saw that Blitzø got the bike working again. Blitzø parked the bike by the van, wasn’t wearing a helmet but he wore a pair of shades, and he was wearing his spiked leather jacket, the one that Stolas absolutely loved.

“Blitzø!”

They ran up to him with smiles.

“You got it working!” Orion said with a smile.

“When did you get the engine?” Asked a very happy Octavia looking over the bike.

Blitzø put the bike in park and took the keys out, “Junkyard, it still worked so I put it in.”

He watched as the twins looked around the bike, making little happy trills as they did.

Stolas was intrigued, “What’s this children?”

“It’s something we were helping Blitzø with daddy” Explained Octavia, “He gave us a ride on this when we were ten!”

“Did he?”

“Yeah!” Orion responded, “It’s great huh?”

The prince looked at the simple motor bike with small interest, it looked nice, and the twins seemed to love it although Orion looked more excited.

“It’s quite nice,” Stolas answered, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s enjoy the day!”

The group agreed although Blitzø shrugged his shoulders.

It was the same as all the other birthdays before Octavia and Orion turned fifteen, they would go to their favorite store (Stylish Occult) and bought whatever they found interesting. Octavia saw a makeup set that matched her eyeshadow palette and bought it. Orion found a sphere shaped bubblegram with the Leo constellation and bought it.  Loona was looking at clothes because she was planning to go out the next night and found a red dress.

“Hey Loona?” She heard Octavia's voice beside her, “Yeah Via?”

Loona turned to her direction and saw that the owl teenager looked a little nervous.

“I have a question.”

“Yeah?”

“You know your dad more than anyone right?”

A chuckled escaped from her lips, “A little too much honestly, why?”

Octavia eyes lit up, “Then you might know something. Do you know how he feels about daddy?”

Loona shrugged, “Well they’re friends... but dad’s been a bit weird lately.”

“Define weird.”

“I don’t know, he always acts weird when it’s the full moon and he comes back with a silly grin on his face.”

That got the girl’s attention, “Really?”

“Yeah, why?” Loona asked, deciding to buy the dress.

“Because he always goes to the palace on the full moon!” Octavia explained, “Do you know why he does that?”

Loona paid for the dress and looked at the young girl, “It’s because of the ‘you know what’.”

“Exactly!” Octavia was paying for more items she found along the way, “Daddy also has a silly grin! I think there's something there!”

Loona sighed, Octavia has such an innocent imagination, “You do know that my dad gets around, right?”

“Yes,” Octavia grimaced, “I know...”

She shook it off as she took ger bags, “But this is different!”

“If you say so,” Loona looked around the store, “Where did Orion go?”

Octavia giggled, “He went to Freddy’s because his ‘friend’ has a gift for him.”

They walked out of the store.

“A friend?” Loona had a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“She works here but today’s her day off.”

“She huh?”

Octavia nodded, “He says that she’s just a friend, but he has this silly grin on his face whenever she texts him. That same grin daddy has whenever it’s related to Blitzø.”

“I heard that Via!” Orion’s voice yelled as he approached them.

He was holding a Freddy plush in his arms, it was wearing an astronaut's helmet.

“Onyx is just a friend!”

Loona smirked, “Sure and that blush is because you were running?”

“Y-yes!” The boy declared and whispered, “I saw dad and Blitzø making out in an alley near Freddy’s!”

That got attention of the girls.

“You did?”

“They were making out?” Loona asked with a raised eyebrow.

Orion nodded, “It looked like it, I saw them talking before Blitzø grabbed dad.”

Octavia’s tail wagged a bit, “Interesting.”

Loona got suspicious of their reactions, she remembered how Octavia reacted when she saw her dad and Verosika when they left the changing rooms and now, she looked happy about her dad and stolas possibly making out somewhere in the shopping center. But then again, she found it weird that they didn’t care that their dad was having an affair with her dad.

“You guys really like my dad huh?” she asked as they sat on the benches the shopping center had.

“Yeah,” Orion responded with a raised eyebrow, “Why wouldn’t we?”

“Blitzø is the best!” Octavia said with a small smile, “Sure he’s brash, very brash... but he cares about us! All of us!”

“In his own way,” Loona mumbled with a small smile.

Orion hugged his plushie and mumbled, “And he doesn't hit us like mother does...”

The hellhounds ears perked up, “What?!”

“Nothing!” He yelped when he realized what he said, “It’s nothing!”

She wasn’t convinced and whispered so no one could hear, “Your mom hits you?”

Octavia shook her head, “Not anymore... but don’t say anything Loona!”

Loona looked at the teens with worry, they never acted like something was wrong, “Does your dad know?”

Orion shook his head, “No and we’re keeping it that way.”

“But-”

“Please Loona,” Octavia pleaded, “She stopped doing it and we don’t want daddy to worry.”

Loona wasn’t sure, she remembered when the lady at the adoption center stopped hitting her, but it was only because she found someone else to take out her aggression on. But judging from the scared looks on their faces, she sighed.

“Fine.”

The twins let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks Loona,” Octavia smiled.

“You’re the best!” added Orion.

Before she could say anything, Stolas and Blitzø approached them. Blitzø was fixing his jacket trying to not smile, and Stolas had that silly grin on his face again. The trio saw that but chose to not say anything, it was too amusing.

The twins decided that they wanted to go to the BBQ restaurant instead of Freddy’s, much to the relief of the men, because they heard that they had burn ends made from mice and they wanted to try it out. It was a good lunch, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Blitzø wasn’t complaining like he usually would, but then again, he always complained, and Loona was looking over the drink list.  Stolas was listening to Octavia and Orion talk about what they got at Stylish Occult and about Orion’s plushie. The boy claimed he won it at claw machine at Freddy’s and stuffed a pulled hellhog sandwich in Octavia’s mouth when she tried to tell the real story.

Once Lunch was over, it was time to go. Blitzø made comment about closing shop for half a day.

“You didn’t have to,” Octavia said to him as they walked to the parking lot.

He huffed, “You asked.”

“I said if it’s possible.”

“Still the same Via sweetie,” Blitzø countered with a smirk.

Orion chuckled, “Asshole.”

“Orion!” Stolas scolded, “Don’t talk to Blitzø like that.”

“It’s fine,” Blitzø commented, “They know how I am.”

“Too well,” Muttered the twins.

Loona chuckled to herself and when they made it to the van after she said her goodbyes, she got in on the driver’s side while Blitzø was standing by the bike.

Stolas opened a portal back to the palace when Blitzø whistled for Octavia and Orion, they turned to him, and he threw something. Orion caught the flying object and realized it was the key to the bike.

“Blitzø?”

The imp had a smirk, “Happy birthday little shits!”

Stolas closed the portal in shock, did Blitzø just give his children a motorcycle?! Octavia and Orion lit up and ran to the bike.

“Seriously?! This is ours?” Orion was shaking in excitement, his feathers were fluffing up.

Octavia’s feathers were also fluffing but her tail feathers were wagging, “This isn’t a joke, is it?”

Blitzø shrugged his shoulders, “It’s not and yeah, it's yours. I don’t need it and you two need a way to work. So why not?”

Stolas, still in shock, and staggered to the imp, “B-B-B- Blitzy?” he had a nervous smile, “please tell me you did not give them a motorcycle!”

“Oh, calm down Stolas,” Blitzø smirked, “They've been helping me repair that old thing. Plus, it’s safer than walking outside the gates to the van. And they’re big kids now, they need their independence!”

“But they’re not imps...”

The twins taking pictures of themselves on the bike and Stolas saw it. He sighed, it was their birthday, and this was happiest he’d seen them since their mother came back.

“Very well,” he said reluctantly, “But!”

Octavia and Orion heard him and gave their attention.

“There needs to be rules!”

They nodded and Blitzø went to the back of the van.

“No wild rides! Only use that thing for work. And above all else, wear a helmet!”

“Yes dad,” Orion said.

“Yes daddy,” Octavia added.

Blitzø came back with two full-face helmets, “Way ahead of you!”

Stolas gulped but he watched as his children took the helmets and saw that Blitzø had painted crowns on them. They were smiling and that’s what made him happy, even if his nerves were rattled.

Orion put his helmet on and got on the bike, Octavia sat behind him while pushing his tail feathers safely out of the way. Stolas thought they looked cute and took out his phone to take pictures.

“If it makes you feel better Stols,” he heard Blitzø say to him, it had been a long time since he heard that nickname, “You can ride with us while they head home.

The prince gulped, “You... you want them to drive that back to the palace?!”

“Yeah so?”

“But-but I have never seen them drive!”

Orion lifted the visor off his helmet, “I rode this before dad! In the parking lot.”

“And he only crashed once!” Octavia replied.

Poor Stolas had to calm his nerves after hearing that. A part of him wanted to immediately grab his children but the other part of him told that he needed to stop being over protective. They were teenagers, teenagers need to explore and have fun. Something he never got to do growing up.

“I’ll... I’ll ride with you Blitzy....”

“Good!” Blitzø smirked, “Now start her up Rion honey!”

Orion put the key in the ignition, the bike hummed to life, and he messed with the throttle. Octavia held on to her brother as the bike began to move.

“We’ll be right behind you Rion honey!” Blitzø called out from the van.

“Do be careful my children!” They heard Stolas cry out from the van.

Stolas was in the front seat of the van and Blitzø was driving.

“You, okay?” the imp asked as he started the van.

“No...” the prince answered, “I am not.”

Orion rode the bike slowly to get into the feel of it before he added more speed. Stolas gripped his hands as they followed the bike out of the parking lot. He didn’t know if the twins knew their way back to the palace from Gluttony.

“Take it easy birdy, they’ll be fine,” muttered Blitzø, “Trust them.”

The twins made a turn, and Stolas thought he saw Octavia’s tail feathers graze the pavement, making him squeak.

“You need a paper bag?”

“Yes please.”

Loona gave him a clean bag and he breathed into it.

While Stolas was trying to calm his nerves, Octavia and Orion were having the time of their lives. They loved the feeling of exhilaration and freedom as they rode through the streets. Orion was nervous of course, he has ridden the bike before, but this was the first time he had Via riding with him, so he knew he had to be careful. Octavia was enjoying the sights around her as the scenery changed from the jungles of Gluttony to the desert plains of Wrath. The wind felt great, and her tail feathers flew behind her.

“See Stols? They’re doing great!”

Stolas was still trying to calm himself down, “Lovely...”

Blitzø followed the twins as they took a road that cut through most of Wrath, “Smart, they remembered the shortcut!”

“Shortcut?”

“Yeah, remember? It's a shortcut that cuts through Wrath without going through the towns,” Blitzø explained, “They’re fine.”

“Right...”

Soon, they made it out of Wrath and into the Pride ring.

Orion drove through the streets he knew very well.

“How's dad?” He asked loudly over the sound of the engine.

Octavia turned her head over and saw their daddy was breathing into a paper bag but when he noticed that she was looking, he put the bag away gave an encouraging smile.

“He’s having a small panic attack, but he looks like he's doing better,” She yelled out.

“Well, he can relax now! I can see the palace!”

When Stolas saw that, he deflated in relief.

“You gotta trust them you know,” Loona mumbled.

He turned his head over.

“I do Loona dear, I just... I don’t know...”

The young woman looked up from her phone, “Remember when I started driving? Dad was acting like you”- “Was not!” Blitzø yelled”- “You did dad anyway Stolas, you told him the same thing, to trust me.”

The owl prince chuckled, he did remember that Loona wanted to drive at sixteen and Blitzø was having the same anxiety as he was right now.

“You’re right dear...”

“Yes, I am,” Loona smiled smugly.

Orion drove up to the gates of the palace and parked by the fountain, once they got off the bike the adrenaline rush, they felt was still in their system.

“That was awesome!” Octavia took off her helmet when the van parked nearby, “Daddy did you see that?!”

Stolas was stuck for a moment before he got out of the van, he was wobbly legged, so Orion had to help him stand, “I did sweetheart...”

“How’d I do dad?” Orion asked, eager to know how he did.

The prince looked at his son and patted his head, “Wonderful...”

Octavia chuckled and went to Blitzø, “Thank you for the bike Blitzø! We love it!”

He smiled, “You’re welcome, Via sweetie. But remember, both of you are on your own with that bike. Everything has to be done by you two, you know how it works right?”

She nodded.

“Good, okay gotta go.”

Blitzø started the van again and gave short wave to the twin and Stolas before driving off. Stolas did have to lean on his children for support when they walked in palace, he made mental note to have the bike put in the garage in the back.

Stella wasn’t there but she did send folders filled with pictures of eligible Goetia men and women in Octavia and Orion’s room. Stolas said he needed new kindling for his fireplace anyway.

X

The harvest moon festival, an annual event that celebrate the bountiful harvest of the previous year. Celebrated in wrath, it was Stolas’ duty to oversee the festival every year, curse it and use his grimoire to give the wrathians a view of the true harvest moon.

This year was different though, instead of Stolas, it would be this two teenage children's task to open a portal. Now that they were sixteen, they were going to be even more involved in their father’s tasks. It helped that they were seen in a more favorable light by the imps in the small wrathian town the festival was held in compared to their father or any other member of the Goetia.

The moment they walked into the town before the festival, Octavia and Orion were greeted by the little implings they played with the year before. Octavia knelt to their eye level to greet them, and they gave her a bouquet of wild wrath blossoms. Orion let the little implings climb up his back and let one little impling swing off his arm. They smiled in gratitude and promised to play with them again once they were done with the festival and the implings  ran off to their parents who were still stunned that two members of the powerful Goetia family were so sweet and kind to imps. The twins waved at them in greeting as they walked off to enjoy the festival.  They decided to grab a bite to eat because they needed to meet their dad on stage, they had a good hour to kill, and it beats standing around doing nothing.

Wrathian cuisine was different compared to Pride cuisine. While Pride does focus on both flavor and appearance, Wrath focused on how food was cooked. Slow cooked to bring out the flavors of the food and the imps of wrath loved to add spices to their meat.

Orion walked near a food stand and sniffed the food that was cooking.

“Hellhog kabobs with peppers?” he asked the food vendor.

“Yessir your highness!” the vendor explained, “This was smoked overnight, and I cooked the peppers that were grown in my garden!”

“Interesting, I’ll take one please,” the boy politely ordered, when he was given one, he reached into his cardigan pocket for his wallet, but the vendor stopped him.

“On the house!”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

The vendor smiled, “Of course! You and Princess Octavia just enjoy the festival!”

Orion blinked and then he smiled, “Thanks sir!”

The imp vendor stammered over being called ‘sir’, but the young prince turned to leave with his kabob, he made sure to at leave a tip in the tip jar.

Octavia meanwhile found a food stand that sold homemade jerky. She always had a thing for jerky and found it as a good snack whenever she had to do a night job.

“This meat was marinated by a homemade sauce that’s been passed generation by generation!” the female food vendor claimed as the princess was eyeing a good sized flank.

“Really?” Octavia asked, picking up a paper bag to get her fill.

“Of course! My great-great-great grandpappy invented this sauce when trying to replicate a sauce he tasted a long time ago.”

Octavia was listening and the vendor gave her a sample.

“Oh, wow this is so good!” she exclaimed with smile, the smoky favor intensified the meats flavor, “I’ll take a small bag.”

The vendor gave her a medium sized bag.

“Thanks! How much,” Octavia reached for her wallet, but she was stopped.

“Take it! A gift from a simple food vendor to you.”

“No, I shouldn’t!”

She was waved off, “It’s fine princess, enjoy the festival!”

When she saw that the vendor was not going to budge, Octavia gave a quick curtsey and left. But she left a tip in the vendor tip jar.

Deciding that the bag of jerky was all she needed, she ran out of the small down and found Orion leaning against the wooden fence that separated the town from the pastures.

“Hey Rion!” Octavia called out.

Orion finished his kabob when he heard his name, “Oh hey Via! Got your lunch?”

She stood next to him and showed her bag, “Want some? It’s jerky.”

“I’ll pass thanks,” Orion wasn’t a fan of jerky that wasn’t made from mice, too chewy for him.

“Suit yourself.”

Octavia ate her jerky as she and her brother enjoyed the calmness of Wrath, ironic really.

“You think daddy’s making the right choice” Octavia asked, “Giving us the task of opening the portal?”

Orion shrugged and reached into his pocket for a cigarette, “I guess he thinks we’re ready.”

He pulled out a small stick and lit it.

“How brazen.”

“We’re not near town and I need it,” with a snap of his fingers, a purple flame appeared on his thumb and the cigarette was lit.

Octavia sighed, “I’d say more but you’ll bring up my drinking.”

Speaking of which, she wished she had one.

“Isn’t that what little siblings do? Bring up your deep dark secrets?”

Orion chuckled at his sister’s face.

“Shut up.”

“Mmmm... no.”

Octavia playfully punched Orion’s arm when they heard neighing behind them, they turned their heads and saw a dark gray horse with black stripes on his body and a flaming mane and tail. It's underbelly had a lava like appearance. It was running along the pastures carefree and at great speed.

“Wow!” they said in awe and turning their bodies to fully look at the magnificent beast.

“He’s a beauty ain’t he?” A new voiced asked on Orion’s side.

The twins looked towards the direction of the voice and saw a tall pale red imp male in cowboy attire, he had a gold tooth and a small moustache.

“Oh, hello sir,” Octavia greeted politely, “Is that horse yours?”

The cowboy gave a nod, and he had a smile, “He sure is. His name’s Bombproof.”

Orion smiled, “That’s a cool name.”

Bombproof approached them and the cowboy rubbed his face.

“Excuse me,” Orion pulled out his hellaroid camera.

The cowboy gave a small grunt.

“Is it okay if I take a picture of your horse? You see, my boss really loves horses-” “A little too much,” chuckled Octavia”- “Anyway, and I know he would go crazy over yours.”

The imp cowboy looked at them with his yellow and dark green ringed snake eyes, “I’m honored little prince, but I must politely decline. Bombproof doesn't like flashing lights.”

He was expecting the two royals to become offended and demand that they take a picture but instead, he watched as the boy put his camera away.

“Understandable sir.”

“Sorry to offend you,” Octavia apologized.

A loud bell was heard, it was time for the real festival to start. Which meant that the twins needed to go on that stage before their father had heart attack looking for them.

“Oh, that’s our cue to go Rion!” Octavia put of her bag of jerky away and made a walk towards town.

Orion put out his cigarette, “Right,” he then turned to the cowboy, “It was nice meeting you sir!”

The cowboy tilted his head, “Pleasures mine highness.”

He watched as the teenagers ran back into town and smirked, his gold tooth gave a sharp shine and his rattled like a rattlesnakes, “So those are the elusive Goetia twins.”

X

 They met up with their dad who gently scolded them for obviously running around outside of town because they had sand on their shoes. With a small wave of magic, he got them cleaned up and fixed their shaggy hair to make them look more presentable. He wished that they wore something nicer instead of their usual everyday attire, but he wanted them to be comfortable.

Stolas then adjusted their crown hats properly, “There we go!”

“Daddy is it really a big deal on how we look?” asked Octavia.

“Yes Via, I know you and Rion have a more casual approach to these events, but you are members of the Goetia family,” Stolas went back to his son and wondered if the boy needed a haircut since his hair was getting longer, “We must set a proper example.”

Orion rolled his eyes, “If you say so dad.”

Stolas had a small chuckle and instructed them to follow him to the stage, they were greeted by Wally who showed them their seats. Stolas sat in the middle seat, Octavia sat on his right and Orion sat on his left. He chuckled to himself, they were sitting to where their solid pink eyes were still side by side. They still had that cute childlike quirk.

Octavia and Orion lit up when they saw an all too familiar imp in the crowd from the stage. They were told that Blitzø, Loona and M&M would be at the festival, but they didn’t see them when they were exploring the venues. They waved at him, and he raised his eyebrow in acknowledgment. They saw Moxxie in the crowd and the cowboy they met earlier.

“Hey dad?” Orion turned to whisper at Stolas, “Are we announcing the Pain Games?”

Stolas nodded, “Yes, you are. Blitzø is competing and so is his little friend” - “His names Moxxie daddy,” Octavia corrected her father, she was holding the Grimoire- “Yes, yes Moxxie right. Be sure to cheer for Blitzø children.”

They nodded.

Wally Wackford welcomed everyone at the festival with his loud and southern voice, he happily introduced the two young Goetian royals who made quite the impression on the townspeople last year.

Octavia and Orion stood up and walked up the stage, the crowd greeted them with small cheers and claps.

Taking the microphone from the sale imp’s hand, Octavia cleared her throat and shook the nerves away, “Thank you Wally. Hello citizens of Wrath! We are glad to celebrate with you yet another year of enjoying the spoils of your labor that continue to feed the citizens of Hell!”

The cheered as the princess spoke and she gave the microphone to her younger brother.

“We’re happy to kick off the start of these games that will challenge the toughest Imps to show their skill and dominance. Good luck everyone!” Orion announced to the cheering crowd, he was about to say something else when the microphone was grabbed.

“Especially that sexy little one there,” Stolas declared, gesturing to the very annoyed Blitzø, he waved at him in a flirty manner, “Yoo-hoo! Blitzy!”

The twin blushed in embarrassment and wanted the stage to collapse under their feet.

“Really dad?” Orion grumbled, tilting his hat over his face slightly.

Octavia hid her face behind the grimoire, “You’re so embarrassing...”

In the crowd, Blitzø glared at the prince, “Oh fuck me...”

Striker snickered, “You know ‘im?”

“Too well,” He answered and then he looked at the twins who were waving at him and giving him a thumbs up, “They got over their stage fright. That's good.”

Orion was given a revolver, and he pointed it in the air, “Get ready!”

The crowd got riled up.

“Go!” the young prince pulled the trigger.

The twins watched as the crowd raced towards the wall they had to climb over. Blitzø used the cowboy as leverage to hoist himself over the wall, Moxxie tried going over the wall which he did but he slipped. He desperately clawed at the wall until he fell in the small puddle, only for a wrathshark to pop up with Moxxie in its teeth, thrashing around.

Orion covered Octavia’s eyes when the cowboy, who they now knew was named Striker from the screaming ladies, hogtied Blitzø who looked like he was blushing. They did not want to see what the larger wrath imp was going to do to Moxxie.

The twins cheered for Blitzø during the tug of war, they could see that Striker loved the attention and they flinched when poor Moxxie was attacked by a wrathshark that was in the pond the tug of was taking place on.

Wally had to help Octavia and Orion when Stolas got a little too excited during the mud wrestling when Blitzø managed to pin down Striker.

“Daddy! You’re going to fall over!” Octavia was holding her father's cape for dear life.

Stolas was fanning himself with a black fan and was looking at the match through opera glasses, “Oh my!”

“Dad! You have good eyes! Why do you need them?!” Orion yelled, holding his father’s tails feathers.

Wally was holding the prince’s arm, “Easy there your highness!”

Blitzø won the match and Moxxie....

“I swear that’s the same fucking wrathshark Rion.”

“I think you’re right Via.”

Octavia took out one of her healing potions and used her magic to send it to the injured imp.

X

The Pain Game was over, and towns imps gathered at the stage for the announcement of the winner. This time though, there two winners.

Octavia and Orion were on the stage, each were holding a plaque award, and they were told that they were to present them to the winners.

Wally jumped on the stage with great excitement, “I say, I say, for the first year ever, we have a tie for winner of the Harvest Moon Pain Games!”

Stolas eagerly grabbed the microphone, “The winners are...” The twins groaned, they knew what he was going to do, “Striker, aaaaand my darling Blitzy!”

He gave a bow and smiled brightly.

“Daddy...”

“Why are you so embarrassing!?”

Striker was already on the stage, he had a confidant stride.

Blitzø was now even more annoyed, “Just say my name right! Fucking dick!”

Once they were on the stage, Octavia gave her plaque to Striker and Orion gave his to Blitzø. The cowboy took the reward with a smile and Octavia felt a small chill crawl up her spine, she hadn’t seen a smile like that since Andrealphus. Orion saw it and he felt it too, but they maintained their composure and congratulated the two imps on their victories and went back to sit with their dad.

Normally after presenting the reward to the winner, everyone at the festival would go back to enjoy the venues but this time, Striker announced that he wanted to sing a song he had supposedly just wrote about winning. They cringed and looked at their dad, silently asking for permission to go stretch their legs. Stolas gave them a nod but told them to be back in one hour.

Octavia and Orion smiled and ran off to the fields where the implings where playing. As much as they wanted to go look for Blitzø, Loona or M&M, they did promise the children that they would play with them. The little ones ran to them with excited squeals and smiles. Octavia and Orion decided to teach the small group about the constellations based off their birthdays. They sat under a tree, Octavia explained what the zodiac was while Orion used a stick to make drawings on the sand, a little imp girl was leaning over his shoulder.

“Okay, who here has a birthday between January 19th and February 18th?” she asked with a smile.

In the group of twenty, four hands were raised, one of them was sitting on the princess’s lap.

Orion drew a picture of a man pouring something from a jug and a line of stars, “This is the Aquarius constellation. Those who were born under this constellation are rebellious by nature,” the four implings snickered and Octavia gently tickled the one on her lap, “They are forward thinking and innovative. They are also known for loyal and faithful to their friends.”

The children were in awe, especially the four who rose their hands.

Octavia smiled and spoke again, “Who was born between February 19th and March 20^th?”

Five raised their hands and Orion brushed away the Aquarius drawing and drew a pair of fish that were tied by a long ribbon and drew the constellation, “This is the Pisces constellation. Those born under this one are known to be very sensitive to those around them and are very compassionate.”

“Well, that’s silly,” a little boy muttered, “Who needs that stuff?”

“Oh?” Orion smirked and raised in eyebrow, “And you were so sweet to your mother this morning.”

The little boy blushed, “Because I love my mama!”

“And there's nothing wrong with that, now where was I? Oh, yes. A Pisces is also someone who puts their family and friends before themselves. They are good at spending money but can be impulsive.”

The implings giggled.

“No laughing,” Octavia chided gently, “Ok who was-”

The bell rang, signaling that it was time to go back to the fairgrounds. The implings knew that and groaned in frustrations

“Already?” the little girl on Orion’s shoulder whined, “You just got here!”

Orion smiled and patted her head, “I know, time does that when you're having fun.”

Octavia gently took the little imp boy off her lap, “Sorry we didn’t get to play today.”

“Are you kidding!?” one child asked, he was smiling, “Learning about stars is awesome!”

“You make learning fun!”

The twins smiled and Octavia pulled out a book out of her magic storage, “Since we didn’t tell you all of the constellations, we’ll give you this.”

One of the implings took the book and saw that it was book about the zodiac. The twins knew that even though the children in this small town had basic forms of education and were mostly taught how to farm, they knew how to read.

“When we’re gone, I hope you take care of this for us.”

The children smiled and ran off with the book.

“I miss those days Via.”

“Running around without a care in the world?”

Orion nodded, “Growing up sucks.”

Octavia agreed, “Let’s go.”

They walked back to the stage and Stolas once again gently scolded them for getting dirty.

“I swear you two,” He mumbled to himself, using magic to clean their clothes, “But I can’t judge, I was worse when I was your age.”

Each twin rose an eyebrow.

“Nothing my children,” Stolas said softly, “Now, do you remember what you need to do?”

They nodded, they were nervous but they knew what to do. Octavia and Orion studied the grimoire whenever they had it for the day when it was the full moon and when they were at IMP. Opening portals looked easy but it required concertation and great amounts of magic. Prince Stolas could easily open a portal without worry but this was the first time that his teenage children would perform the task. He knew it was a gamble to have them do it this year, but he wanted them to have experience for when he was ready to pass down this duty over to them in the future.

Stolas gave Octavia the grimoire and instructed his children to follow him to the stage. Orion looked around but he couldn’t find Blitzø, Loona or M&M, he huffed a bit, he wanted them to see him and Octavia open a portal. Octavia also huffed but she shook off her disappointment and silently instructed her little brother to do the same thing.

The twins walked up to the stage, side by side, making sure their solid pink eyes were next to one another. The crowd cheered when they saw the young royals, they heard from the implings about how the princess and prince were so nice to them and how they taught them about stars. Implings are smart and know fake when they saw one so hearing that the teenage royals were nice to them must’ve meant that they really were as nice as they portrayed themselves to be. The crowd even cheered when Prince Stolas walked on stage, and they barely tolerated his presences.

The prince was holding the microphone when he spoke, “My dear commoners of the Ring of Wrath!” He announced, the twins opened the book, a magical aura of fuchsia manifested in their hands, their pupils appearing in their solid pink eyes, and they raised their hands, “I, Stolas of the Ars Goetia, am honored to have my children, Octavia and Orion, curse this year's harvest with the glow of the true Harvest Moon!”

The twins’ power surged from their fingers as a portal opened to reveal the living realms harvest moon, showing its orange light for all of Wrath to see. They smiled when they saw that they succeeded when a flash caught their attention. Octavia and Orion looked out into the cheering crowd to try to find where the flash came from. They each concluded that it must’ve been a camera and went back to admiring the harvest moon.

X

The festival was a success!

Everyone was talking about it was the best harvest that year and many talked about the down to hell teenagers known as Princess Octavia and Prince Orion of the Ars Goetia. The young royals who became the talk of the town last year when they were seen playing with the implings and enjoying the cuisine at the festival. This year, they opened the portal to show the living realms harvest moon and they still had time to play with the implings. The twins showed that they were nothing like the other members of the Goetia and the inhabitants of the small Wrath town hoped that they would stay that way for a long time.

Speaking of the twins, Octavia and Orion decided to look for Blitzø and ask if he saw them open the portal. They wandered around the small town when they found him looking around the back buildings.

“Blitzø!” Called out Octavia, she was smiling and ran to him.

Orion ran after her, “Did you see us? We opened a portal all on our own!”

The imp turned and they saw that his pistol was out, he never has that out unless something happened.

“Blitzø?” Orion stopped running.

Octavia’s hand reached towards her left hip, where she kept her blue rose gun in her storage, “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

Blitzø gulped when he saw them, just a while ago, he caught Striker pointing a blessed tip rifle at them on the stage. The imp hybrid said that he was aiming for Stolas but made a comment that getting his little spawns on the side would be a good bonus. That set Blitzø off in more ways than one. Sure, Stolas was his best friend despite all the shit that’s been happening lately, but he knew Stolas would take care of himself, there’s no way he could let something like that hurt him. But Octavia and Orion, they were still kids. His kids. The little shits who always gave him strong hugs and stuck by him whenever they had the chance. He didn’t want them hurt and he didn’t want them to see their dad get hurt, if that were possible.

He put his pistol away and reached out towards them. The twins realized that he was reaching for their faces and froze, was he going to grab them the way their mother did?

Instead, Blitzø placed his claws on their faces gently, they were soft like their dad. And they were okay, that was all he wanted to see.

“Listen you two,” he said in a serious voice, taking his hands away, “That cowboy who competed in the games, remember him?”

Octavia and Orion stood a little taller when they heard Blitzø’s serious tone, he never talked to them like that unless something happened.

“You mean Striker?” Octavia asked, “The one who sang that stupid song?”

“What about him?” Orion did not like the tension, “Blitzø?”

Blitzø took a deep breath, “He tried to kill your dad.”

Both teens gasped and took a step back.

“What?” the older twin squeaked in disbelief, “What do you mean?”

The youngest wrapped his arms around himself, “Why? Why would he do that?”

Seeing their reactions made Blitzø regret telling them, but he needed to, “I don’t know. Compared to other royals, your dad is actually nicer to us imps, in his own way. He had a blessed rifle and tried to snipe him. I just wanted you to know so you can be on the lookout for him. If you see him, kill him on sight!”

The twins gulped but they nodded. For them, it explained the weird flash they saw, it wasn’t a camera after all. But then again thought struck them, if Striker was trying to snipe at their dad then how come they saw the flash?

“Blitzø?” Octavia spoke up, fear was clear in her voice “Was... he aiming at us too?”

Orion trembled, he didn’t think about that at all.

“Oh, fuck no!” Blitzø snarled and pulled them close, they were taller than him, but he didn’t care, “If he did, I would’ve torn him limb from limb!”

Octavia and Orion sank to their knees and hugged him close, rubbing their cheeks against his face. They needed to feel reassured, and they felt better when he returned the gesture.

“Tell dad," The boy said after he let go of Blitzø, “He needs to know this.”

Octavia agreed, “I think he would appreciate it.”

Blitzø raised an eyebrow, “Why can’t you tell him?”

They shook their heads.

“We tell him, and he goes full on overprotective,” Orion muttered, he was back to wrapping his arms around himself, “He already hates that we work as assassins.”

“If you tell him though, he’ll be on the lookout,” Octavia added, “He knows you wouldn’t let anything happen to us, so he won’t worry too much.”

The imp looked at them and sighed, “Fine but remember what I said.”

They nodded and went back to what they wanted to ask him.

“So did you see us open a portal?” the owl girl asked, her eyes were lighting up and her tail wagged.

“Oh yea...” Blitzø answered nonchalantly, “Sorry but I missed that.”

The twins sputtered and their tail feathers stood up.

“Seriously?!” she screamed, stomping her foot.

“You suck Blitzø! We wanted to impress you!”

X

In the great dining hall of Stolas’ palace, Stella sat across from her husband and two children. Octavia and Orion had their headphones on, most likely listening to that stupid band again, while Stolas was looking over a book. ‘Imps in the Sheets’ it was called, how brazen to read about how to please a plebian in bed. She was seething when she saw Stolas walked through the doors with that pathetic smile on his face. Her hitman failed her?!

She grabbed the phone from a trembling Pringles and listened as her hitman told her that he failed.

“Don’t worry ma’am, it won't happen again”, she heard that pathetic snake imp’s arrogant voice say to her.

Stella drummed her talons on the table and growled, “It better not! I want this cheating prick dead! I don't care who you have to go through, MAKE IT HAPPEN!”

Stolas, not paying any attention to what she just said, looked up when he felt her eyes on him, “Yes?”

With a growl, she heard her hitman say that he understood the assignment and she hung up. Slamming the phone back on the receiver, Stella glared at him and then at Octavia and Orion.

She was going to kill that pathetic excuse of a husband, and she was going to take the twins.

Without them, she was nothing.

Without them, she would get nothing.

Chapter Text

A yawn escapes her beak as she tried to stay awake at her desk, Octavia leaned back and stretched her back. 

“Yawn one more time Via, I will punch you,” She heard Orion grumble next to her. 

She ran her hands over her face, “Well sorry,” she grumbled with heavy sarcasm, “Forgive me dear brother that I'm bored.” 

Orion huffed and turned the page of the book he was studying, “Why did dad make us stay home again? We had a job!” 

“He said that we were behind on the essays he wanted us to write.” 

The teens sighed and went back to their books, Stolas wanted them to write an essay about supernovas and why they happened. Octavia and Orion were to write their own versions of why they happen but because they were so focused on their job at IMP, they put it off. Their father reprimanded them for neglecting their studies, reminding them that a royal must never neglect their duties and must learn to balance their personal life along with them. 

So, he had them stay home to finish their essays, Blitzø understood and told them that until they finished, he was not going to call them for a job.  

Thankfully for the twins, they were smart, and they knew how to write essays. The problem, they got bored easily and it made them write slower. It was a bad habit they tried to get rid of, but it could never go away. 

Orion groaned and ran his fingers through his feathered hair, “How far are you Via?” 

“I’m barely passed the first paragraph...” Octavia grumbled, “the words are in my head, but I can’t write them...!” 

Once again, the twins let out frustrated groans and slumped on their desks again. They were willing to do anything to get away from their boredom. 

And, as if by some form of magic that was not theirs, a portal opened in their study to reveal Loona at IMP. 

“Loona?” Octavia stood up confused, “What are you doing? You know we can’t leave.” 

The hellhound motioned for the twins to come through the portal, “Sorry you guys but this is an emergency!” 

Orion stood up from his desk, “Emergency?” 

They ran through the portal and saw a distraught Millie. 

“Blitzø and Moxxie are in trouble!” She screamed. 

Octavia and Orion pulled out their guns in immediate response. 

“Where?” Octavia asked with a glare. 

Loona was packing up Blitzø’s emergen-C bag and pulled out the Grimoire, “Caught by weird humans, we need all the help we can get!” 

Orion checked his guns to make sure they were loaded, “No need to ask!” 

Millie grabbed her battle ax, and Loona activated her human disguise before opening the portal to where they last saw Blitzø and Moxxie. The twins’ human disguises automatically turned on the moment they stepped into the living realm. They saw that they were in an alleyway. 

Millie jumped through with her axe ready but saw no one, she dropped to her knees in despair, “They aren't here!” 

Loona picked her up, knelt down and sniffed the ground, she then stood up, “It smells like they went this way!”  

She then dropped the imp in the bag, “Come on, let go find the dumbass twins.” 

Octavia and Orion nodded and ran after the human disguised hellhound. 

“So, what happened Millie?” Asked Octavia. 

“Well Via, we were done with a job and Loona opened a portal when all of a sudden, two humans ambushed us!” The imp woman explained. 

They crossed a street. 

“I was already through the portal when Blitzø ordered Loona to close it!” 

“Hey!” Loona stopped and looked at Mille, “Dad was using a total of zero euphemisms, innuendos, or swears. That meant it was serious!” 

Orion had to agree with that, “What did those humans do?” 

“They had weapons. One had one that shot nets and the other had rifle, I think it was a tranquilizer gun.” 

“That is a serious,” Octavia said with a finger on her human chin, “So why call for us?” 

Loona turned to them, “We don’t know what we’re dealing with, so I figured that we needed you guys.” 

They stopped at a corner and the twins smiled. 

“Daddy’s going to ground us for leaving.” 

“But it’s worth it!” 

That made the hellhound smile, and she shushed them as they crept on the wall of the building, it had a search light and there was a warning alarm. The trail she sniffed lead them to that building, she peeked her head around the corner and saw two guards standing at the entrance holding naginatas. 

Millie looked over her shoulder, “This where they ended up?” 

“I think so,” Loona stepped back, “Fuck this looks intense.” 

Octavia peeked over to see the guards and stepped back, “How are we going to get in?” 

Looking up, Millie saw a small vent over them, “Loona, lift me up to the vent!” 

She did, lifting her arm for the imp to climb up and she got in. With ease, Millie dove into the vent and after a few seconds, she opened the door Orion was standing next to. She was standing on the handle with a satisfied smile. 

Loona, Octavia and Orion were impressed but they didn’t have time to spare, they ran in the building and tip toed by two guards holding katanas. The twins wondered if they were in a building full of fanatics. The group turned a corner, and an alarm rang through the halls, and they stopped when they were confronted by more human in suit and shades. A human swung his naginata at them which they ducked. Loona swung the ax she was now carrying on one human while Millie shot at him with two guns. Not wanting to waste their bullets, Octavia and Orion lunged towards a human and tore her to shreds with their hands that still held the strength of their talons. 

The ax in Loona’s hands was thrown and it hit another human, Millie then grabbed it and sliced a woman in half with it. Loona attacked two more humans, Octavia used a human man’s kusarigama chain to break his neck, and Orion stabbed a human’s eyes with her two sais. When that group was done, they ran towards three humans inside a large doorway. One human pressed a button to close the door while the other two threw shuriken at them, but the twin used their magic to divert them away. 

“Throw me!” Millie yelled at Loona. 

She did and Millie flew towards the humans, landing with a roll just as the doors close. Screams of terror were heard and the door opened to reveal a happy Millie standing amongst the dismembered bodies and blood-spattered walls with the ax on her shoulders. 

“Now that’s cool,” Orion muttered with a smile. 

“I’ll say,” Octavia added happily. 

Loona walked into the room, “Damn! You’re pretty agile for an old lady.” 

Millie was not impressed, “I’m like five years older than you!” 

The twins looked at her in surprise. 

“Really? I thought you were younger than Loona,” The oldest said. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” 

“Nothing just surprised that you're older,” Chuckled the youngest. 

X 

Blitzø ripped off the golden feathers screaming as the many voices of those around him chanted how he was going to die alone. It not as if he didn’t know that already!  

The chanting persisted until a small voice pierced through, making those voices dissipate.  

“Daddy! Daddy, where are you?!”  

Blitzø snapped his head up when he heard that voice, he knew that voice.  

“Loona?” he looked around the now barren area, “Loona, is that you?!”  

The voice sniffled and he ran towards the voice until he found the source. In front of him was a little gray and white hellhound girl in a green dress with her hair in little pigtails. Blitzø knew that outfit, it was the outfit she wore the day he adopted her. The day his life changed for the better.  

She was crying and looking around.  

“Daddy!”  

The imp ran to her and hugged her, “I’m here Loonie!”  

Little Loona sniffled before hugging him back, “I couldn’t find you! I thought you left me forever!”  

Blitzø hugged her tighter, “I’m sorry my sweet girl! I just wanted you to be independent!” 

He knew that this was a hallucination from that weird gas, but it felt so real. Did Loona cry alone when he was gone? Did she think he abandoned her when he lost his phone? She had every right to be angry at him so why was she still with him?  

Little Loona hugged him tighter, “So you won’t go away again?”  

Blitzø broke the hug to look at his little girl and gently untied the green ribbons in her hair. He knew that she hated wearing pigtails, she was forced to have her hair like that to make her look cute and adoptable. Little Loona was called a nightmare child because of her temper but Blitzø didn’t see that. She wasn’t a nightmare; she was just hyper and scared. All she needed was someone to love her.  

He cupped her face and rubbed her muzzle softly, “I’ll never leave you again. You’re my sweet girl.”  

Little Loona’s tail wagged, and she hugged him. Blitzø smiled tearfully and then he heard two new voices.  

“Blitzy!” a little girl's voice chirped.  

“There you are!” It was a little boys voice.  

He looked and he saw two little owls run to him with smiles. They were wearing the clothes they wore the day they met him for the first time. Little Via and Rion ran to him and hugged his waist with happy chirps.  

“I still don’t know why you still like me after what I did...”  

After he said that, the children grew, and Little Loona was now twenty-one, but she was still hugging him.  

“You’re the only parent I ever had dad,” She let go with a smile, “You’re an idiot sometimes but I know you care.”  

The now sixteen-year-old Octavia and Orion rubbed their cheeks against Blitzø’s, that weird bird thing they do all the time, before they let go and stood next to Loona with smiles.  

“We don’t care about what you did, you're still our friend,” Octavia smiled with her hands behind her back.  

“The best friend we ever had,” added Orion who was also smiling with his hands behind his back.  

Blitzø fought back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes and tried to reach for them only for them to disappear in a soft plume of smoke, but he could still hear their soft words of love before everything went dark.  

X 

Running through the halls of the building, Loona and Millie found a door that had a key pad. Octavia and Orion saw that the number one button was the most worn out. 

“Not very creative” Loona muttered as eh began to press the button. 

“Well, what do you expect from humans?” Octavia asked, “They still think that aliens exist!” 

Orion snickered as they ran in the room where a sign the read ‘D.H.O.R.K.S. was above a desk. 

“Weird...” 

They ran as the door behind them closed, going through the halls, they found a door that said, ‘Interrogation room in use’ and they knew that they possibly found Moxxie and Blitzø. Millie crawled through the vent above the door while Loona kicked down the door and the twins ran in. The teenagers tackled a small group of humans and tore them to shreds with ease while Millie and Loona attacked a pair of humans who were watching something from a window. 

X 

In the interrogation room, both Blitzø and Moxxie woke up from their gas induced sleep. They were still tied up with their tails still tied to the dumbbell. There was a silence between the two imp men.  

That is until Moxxie spoke, “Do you remember what you said to me after my first day at the company?” 

Blitzø looked down, “Not really.” 

“I remember. You told me I did a good job and that you were proud to work with me. I feel like you wanted to say something more judgmental, but...,” He turned his head towards his boss, “you said that because I needed it... And it helped.” 

“Look, I'm hard on you, because I know what you're capable of, Mox. You care too much about what everyone thinks except for... me, because, y'know, my opinion is correct, but just... keep doing a good job. 'Kay? You shoot 'n kill good, you escape things easy...” Blitzø looked over at Moxxie before he looked away, “You can be strategic and cold-blooded when you need to, aaaand don't expect any more compliments; I'm maxed out.” 

Moxxie chuckled, “Thanks sir.” 

Blitzø huffed, “You know my name... Use it.” 

“Thanks, Blitzø,” the younger imp chuckled. 

A sound from above caught their attention, it was the sound of pounding before the ceiling gave out and Millie crashed through. 

“There’s my Millie!” Moxxie exclaimed with a smile. 

With a smile, she ran to them and untied the ropes on the chair and the dumbbell. 

“Impressive work, Mills! How'd you get here all by yourself?” 

The happy little reunion was interrupted when the glass of the one-way mirror was shattered by Loona who was using a human as a battery ram. Octavia and Orion jumped through the window. 

“Loonie!?” Blitzø yelled in shock, he then saw the twins, “What the?! What are you doing here?!” 

“Saving your fucking ass!” Octavia yelled out. 

“Be thankful we came!” Orion growled. 

Loonie threw the agent at the other human who was standing there in shock and shouted, “Get your asses out here before MORE FUCKERS SHOW UP!” 

She jumped out and reverted back to her true from, dropping the bag to reveal the many weapons Blitzø had collected over the years. Blitzø and Moxxie looked at each with maniacal grins and took out their guns. 

The human agent hat was hit reached up and pressed a button, causing an alarm to go off and soon, the team was surrounded by humans in suits wielding Edo period weapons. 

“Ooookay, I've had one too many emotions for today! Guys...,” Blitzø turned to his team with a slasher smile, “Let's FUCK these FUCKERS UP!!” 

Octavia and Orion’s tail feathers shook, and their feathers fluffed in pure excitement. They spent the last five hours incredibly bored and now, they can finally let loose and hopefully make it home before their dad even notices. 

They aimed their guns and fired. 

Loona grabbed the blade of a kusarigama aiming for her dad with her teeth, grabbed it and wrapped its chain around the necks of three agents and yanked it, decapitating them. Millie swung her axe with ease at the agent, slicing off heads and limbs. Moxxie and Blitzø tagged teamed with Moxxie shooting and Blitzø throwing new firearms at him for every time he ran out of bullets. Blitzø pulled out a knife and began stabbing the many agents who charged at him, even decapitating one and took a selfie of himself holding the head. 

“Eat! My! Ass!” He bellowed. 

Octavia and Orion shot at the agents; Octavia’s gun could shoot two bullets at the same time, which was useful, but its downside was that she could only shoot it three times before reloading. So, Orion would cover for her while she did so since he had two guns. Blitzø discovered that the boy was ambidextrous the year before, so he decided to give him two guns. The twins shot at the agents, dodged the swings of the mele weapons and when they used up all their bullets, they smirked and tackled the humans. Tearing apart bodies with their hands, screeching, and hissing as they did. 

Meanwhile Blitzø and Loona tagged teamed, the hellhound used her teeth and claws on the humans, and she grabbed the energy gun her dad gave her. 

“Die motherfuckers!” She yelled with smile, and she looked down to see Blitzø looking at her with a smile, “Dad?” 

Blitzø jumped up and nuzzled her face, “I’m just so damn proud of you Loonie!” he gave her a kiss on the cheek and jumped off, “Bye sweetie!” 

Loona blushed and screamed, “Dad!” 

She mauled a nearby agent in response. 

Blitzø checked on Millie who was doing great, she politely declined his offer of a gun since she loved using her ax, but she did accept his offer of water. He then checked on the twins who were on their fifth human, their fingers were drenched in human blood and as always, they didn’t have a drop on them. 

“Careful you little shits! You don’t know where that humans been!” he called out to them. 

They smiled and nodded before they lunged towards another human. 

Knowing that they were okay, Blitzø pulled out a submachine gun and a shotgun from his backpack, his eyes were glowing, and he had a sadistic smile. 

“Now who wants some quality time with daddy?” 

More agents appeared but the imp shot a few dead with his guns, he grabbed a spiked baseball, beat one agent to death and used the bat to swing a grenade at a group of three agents. The explosion was loud, and more body parts scattered. Blitzø ran to Moxxie who was standing on a pile of bodies. 

“Hold this!” he shoved the bag in the younger imp's hand and pulled out an insanely large rocket launcher that had the words ‘MY DICK’ painted on it, “Oh, yeah! I'm gettin' hard holdin' this motherfucker!” 

Blitzø pulled the trigger, and a rocket labeled ‘PUSSY DESTROYER’ was fired. It flew passed Loona, Millie, and the twins before it crashed into the open window where there were more agents. It exploded, making them flinch away from the flames although Millie lost her ax from the blast. 

“Oh crumbs!” Moxxie ran to them, “Is everyone okay? 

Before anyone could say anything, Blitzø jumped on Moxxie, “WOOOOOO! How's THAT for demon scum?!” 

 “I really want to know what happened,” Orion said with a smile. 

“I’ll tell ya when we get you two back home before your dad finds out!” 

But as they prepared to leave, another alarm was sounded and the whole room was tinted red. Octavia screamed at the sudden change in light, Orion closed his eyes in response. 

“Oh shit,” Blitzø began to order everyone to get going, “C'mon, fam! Let's blow this cocksicle joint!” 

Millie helped her husband up from the floor and they grabbed the disoriented twins by their hands and helped them out of their stunned state. Loon grabbed the bag and ran towards the exit, but it slammed shut. 

“Hey!” 

Millie,  Moxxie, Octavia and Orion banged on the door, it would have been a bit easier for the twin to pry the doors open but they were still stunned by the red flashing lights, and they were exhausted from tearing all the humans apart. 

“Quick!” Moxxie yelled at Loona, “The book!” 

The hellhound pulled out the grimoire and tried to read it, “Shit! I can't read the spell in this light! I can’t see dick!” 

She tried to get either Octavia or Orion to read the spell, but they couldn’t because the flashing red light messed with their eyes. Hearing them say that made Loona look at her dad with a look of worry in her face. 

Blitzø searched himself for any weapon he might have but he found nothing, “Well, shit. Looks like we've milked this weapon tit dry, and now we're out of badassery.” 

Soon, two being approached them menacingly. It was a man and woman dressed in suit and shades. They were holding guns, and they were grinning wildly. 

Octavia and Orion held onto each other and let out low hisses, they were scared but they were not going to show it. Blitzø’s tail wrapped around them and a growling Loona, pulling them close as he spread his arms out in an effort to protect his team. 

“Ha!” The woman cackled, “You demons aren't goin' anywhere now! Haaa!” 

They aimed their guns but then a strange feeling overcame them. The shadows of the demons they cornered grew and morphed into a sinister creatures silhouette. A tv monitor nearby began to flicker to life before it turned off and turned on to reveal an image of a being with four eyes.  

The twins gulped, they knew this great power very well and they shuddered. 

“He pissed,” Octavia whispered. 

Orion held onto Blitzø’s tail as the great demonic force broke the screens and threw the tv monitors to the floor. 

From the shadows, a sinister hiss reverberated in the room, “ Who dares threaten... my impish little plaything?”  

What? Plaything? Now that confused the twins very much. Why would their dad say such a thing about his friend? They knew that Blitzø was sleeping with their dad, but not once had they ever heard their dad say something like that around them. 

They watched as footsteps appeared in front of Blitzø walking towards the two agent who were now terrified. Then one of the agents spasmed, it was the woman, and she looked like she was in pain. As she struggled with her body, the corpses of the other humans stood up and surrounded her. 

“Possession,” Orion said under his breath, holding his sister close. 

Octavia remembered their father talking about that, it was an advanced spell he said and when they were older, he would teach them.  

The woman's head then turned 180 degrees, her eyes were red with the marking of their father under them and her teeth were sharp, she was smiling a slasher grin at the trembling human man. 

“What’s the matter demon hunter?” She asked, her voice being overlapped by Stolas’, “Never seen a real demon before?” 

The corpses used their own blood to create Stolas’ seal as the woman began to laugh but then she began to vomit black sludge and feathers once the seal was completed. Once she was done, she was back to her senses, but the laughter continued. 

Blitzø gulped as he watched the sludge and feathers pulsed and morphed, this wasn’t the first time Stolas did something like this and he still felt the same twinge of fear and fascination. He also felt the twins trembling, his tail was still wrapped around them and knew that this was probably the first time they have seen their fathers Eldric form. 

The shadows then morphed into a black and red demonic owl monster, it crept towards the now terrified agents, roaring and screaming at them as they held on to one another. The beast then stepped, and the black and red essence turned back into the Owl Prince. He was in his royal attire, and he glared at the humans with his glowing red eyes before turning away and clicked on a button to turn off the alarm.  

The red lights turned off and the doors unlocked, Octavia and Orion blinked when their eyes readjusted back to normal. They then saw their father approaching Blitzø who looked uneasy. 

“Stolas? Wha-... A- Wh- Hold on, how did you know that we needed help?” He asked in confusion. 

Stolas had a small smiled as he leaned forward, “I have my ways darling,” he cupped the imp’s cheek, “Are you alright?” 

Blitzø rolled his eyes and huffed, “I’m fine Stolas.” 

The owl smiled again and gently caressed Blitzø’s tattoo, “Good...” 

The gentle smile then turned into an angry scowl, and he pulled the man face forward, his white pupils appeared, “How the fuck! did you get caught by humans?! Are you little creatures not being careful up here?!” 

He gave the group a look a disappointed father would give, ironic since two out the six agents were his own children. 

Stolas booped Blitzø’s nose much to his annoyance, “You know, if you get in trouble, I get in trouble! We don't want that!” 

The twins jumped at their fathers tone and they froze when he noticed them. 

“And you two!” Stolas pointed at his children, “What are you doing here!? I specifically told you this morning that you both needed to finish your essays!” 

Octavia had a nervous chuckle, “Well we were doing them daddy, but you see-” 

“I told them I needed their help Stolas,” Loona stepped forward after Blitzø’s tail unwrapped from her, “I knew they weren’t supposed to leave but I panicked!” 

“And those humans caught us off guard your highness,” Moxxie added, even he knew that the twins were not supposed to be there. 

Blitzø pushed away the prince’s hand from his face, “Yeah, you can unclench your bird-puss, Stolas. It's not gonna happen again, 'kay?” 

Stolas stood up and had a hand on his hip, “Luckily for you, most don’t believe the word of the demon obsessed lunatics.” 

He turned to glare at the still trembling humans. 

“They’re seen as kooks,” He then giggled to himself, “Kooks, such a silly word” 

Stolas then clapped his hands and opened the portal back to the IMP meeting room, “Now, let us return!” 

“Yes please!” Moxxie piped as he and Millie ran through the portal, “I wanna go back to the correct hellhole!” 

Loona walked through with tired sigh and the twin followed. 

“I trust you two will go straight home?” Stolas’ stern voice made them tense. 

Orion turned his head slightly, “We left our bike here so don’t worry dad.” 

“Good. Have those essays done by dinner time.” 

Octavia sighed, “Yes daddy.” 

The twins were about ready to go when they heard their dad and Blitzø talk about something. Curiosity got the better of them when they turned to see what they were talking about, only to see the two men kissing. And not just any kiss, it was a deep, tongue twirling kiss. 

“Oh wow,” Orion turned his head, using his hand to block his view. 

Octavia blushed and turned away, “At least wait until we leave the room!” 

They ran out of the meeting room and out of the office after saying their goodbyes. 

“Well at least we didn’t get into too much trouble Via,” Orion said with a smile. 

They were walking through the halls of the building, all they had to do was take the elevator down, go to their bike and go home. 

“Yeah, but I think we’re going to be stuck in our study tonight,” Mumbled Octavia and then she spoke about what they heard, “Why would daddy call Blitzø a plaything though?” 

The boy shrugged his shoulders when they walked in the elevator, “Fear tactic?” 

“I guess so.” 

Once out of the building, Octavia and Orion went to their bike and Orion drove them home. Now that they stretched their legs and burned off the boredom, they were able to finish their essays before dinner time, but they were told that they needed to pick where they were to sleep that night. 

They chose to sleep in their rooms. 

X 

Loona’s nose twitched as the smell of pancakes woke her up from her slumber. She sat up in her king sized bed and stretched. She only ever got pancakes for breakfast these days whenever Blitzø stayed over at Stolas’ for the night. 

“Loonie! Breakfast!” she heard her father call out to her. 

She chuckled as she crawled out of bed, fixed her bedhead and changed into her usual outfit. Walking out she saw that Blitzø had set the table with eggs, bacon and pancakes. He was sitting on his chair and poured himself a cup of coffee. 

“Wow, what's the occasion dad?” 

“Nothing Loonie!” he said with a smile, but Loona knew better. 

“Your coffee is black, something happened.” 

Blitzø stiffened when he realized that he was caught, he set the cup down. 

“Stuff sweetie,” he mumbled and then he looked at her as she was about to eat piece of bacon, “Loona, were you... okay when I left?” 

The hellhound looked up and then shrugged, “Not really... I didn’t like it.” 

Blitzø looked at his daughter when she spoke. 

“I mean, I didn’t want to go in your stupid little adventure, so I knew I would be on my own, but I didn’t like waking up to an empty apartment.” 

Loona took a sip of her coffee, “And then, you stopped calling me. I thought you abandoned me.” 

Hearing that, Blitzø got up from his seat and hugged her, nuzzling her face, “I didn’t abandon you sweetie! I did lose my phone!” 

Loona rubbed his head, and her tail wagged, “I know that now.” 

“And not being able to call you hurt so much! I was worried about you!” 

“Dad, calm down,” she pushed the now sobbing imp away, “I hated being alone, but I wasn’t completely alone. Stolas would visit once a week for a while to check on me, he would bring a maid when he did.” 

Blitzø stiffened and his mood changed, “He would visit?” 

Loona shrugged a bit and ate her breakfast, “Yeah, he wanted to make sure I was okay.” 

“Mhm...” 

That caught her attention, for some time Loona noticed that her dad would give a small scowl whenever Stolas was mentioned. For her, it was completely out of character for him, Blitzø was always happy when Stolas was around, and he should have been happy that the prince went out of his way to check on her every week during the time he was gone. 

“Dad? What's going on?” 

“Nothing Loonie, just eat your breakfast,” Blitzø said, his scowl changed into a smile, “I closed shop for the day, go have fun!” 

Loona lit up and began to wolf down her breakfast, she wanted to go to Gluttony so getting day off was fun. 

As she ate, Blitzø sipped his black coffee slowly.  

So, Stolas had the time to visit his Loona, but he didn’t.... 

“Stols please help me! I swear I was framed!” He said desperately on the phone, just his luck his one phone call went straight to voicemail. Just his luck he could only remember the palace number.  

Blitzø shook the memory out of his head and decided that black coffee sucked and poured in the cream he always used. 

X 

In a small park in Gluttony, a young hellhound girl was sitting on a bench reading a book about the constellations and its lore. She was wearing a long sleeved white blouse underneath a black corset dress that complimented her slate gray fur, and she wore black toeless stockings that were laced in the front like boots. She brushed a lock of her short black hair away from her eyes. 

She smiled when she turned the page that talked about the Orion constellation. She giggled to herself, what a coincidence, she was waiting for an Orion. 

Speaking of Orion... 

“Onyx!”  

She looked up at the sound of her name and saw Orion walking up to her. To her surprise, he wasn’t wearing his usual magenta galaxy cardigan over a black turtleneck sweater, black pants and boots. Orion instead wore a black short sleeved hoodie with a galaxy pattern over a black and white striped shirt, he still wore black pants and his boots along with his crown hat, but it was still a new look. 

“Wow...” she blushed and shook it off, “Hey Rion!” 

The boy chuckled, “Hey, what’s up?” 

“Nothing really,” Onyx stood up and put her book in her bag, “New look?” 

Orion scratched his cheek bashfully, “Yeah... my sister thinks she’s a fashion expert, so she told me to change.” 

He gave a small scowl when he remembered how Octavia nagged at him about going to meet his ‘friend’ dressed like how he always did.  

“Anyway, I’m here,” He smiled at her, “What do you want to do?” 

Onyx shrugged her shoulders, “Well we can go to Freddy’s to compare notes, or we can go to the BBQ place you like.” 

“Uh-uh actually...” Orion stuttered, “I was thinking... can we just have a fun day?” 

The hellhound looked at the prince confused, “A fun day?” 

He stammered, “W-w-well, we’ve been meeting up for a while comparing our notes on astronomy and I realized something.” 

“And that is?” 

Orion scratched his head, “I don’t even know you. All I know is that you work at Stylish Occult and you like astronomy. I want to get to know you as you.” 

Onyx blinked and then smiled, “Okay! A fun day sounds great!” 

Hearing that made the young prince smile in relief, “Great! Let’s go to Freddy’s than!” 

The teenagers walked out of the park and straight to the shopping area. They went to Freddy’s where they decided to eat a large pizza before playing the games. They talked about random things until Onyx was comfortable enough to talk about herself. 

“You’re an orphan?” Orion asked from across the both they were sitting at. It was far enough away from the song that was playing. 

“More like I was abandoned at the adoption agency when I little. I don’t even know my parents faces,” Onyx picked at the mushrooms on her pizza, she loved eating the toppings first, “We live in hell, but that place was a place of nightmares. Did you know that they would keep hellhounds in cages like common criminals?” 

“N-no... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to open old wounds.” 

“Oh nonono! It's fine!” She said with a panic, “I don’t mind talking about it, it’s therapeutic for me. Anyway, I found my sanctuary in a star sheet the head of the agency used to cover a hole in the wall of my cell. I guess my love for the stars came from that.” 

“I see,” Orion leaned on the table, “So when did you get adopted?” 

Onyx chuckled, “Oh I didn’t get adopted, I ran away.” 

“O-oh...” 

“It’s not uncommon, it's just rare. I lucked out when that stupid head of the agency forgot to lock my cell. I even had a friend who aged out and he helped me get an apartment here along with that job.” 

She ate her bare slice of pizza. 

“And when was that?” Orion asked as he took a sip of his soda. 

“I was fourteen when I ran away so two years ago,” She answered, “And I regret nothing!” 

“Huh,” the young prince ate his own slice, “You’ve been through a lot.” 

Onyx smiled, “I guess I have but I’m living my best life! I have a job I really like, and I get to live near a place that has everything I need!” 

Orion smiled and finished his half of the pizza. 

“Well, enough about me princey, what about you?” The girl asked, “Who is the elusive Prince Orion of the Ars Goetia?” 

“Uh...” 

“Don’t worry, I won't say anything, I hate gossip.” 

Hearing that made the boy relax a bit, “Hm... Well, I hate royal etiquette. It’s too stuffy and I hate the many members of my family.” 

“What?” Onyx giggled, “how come?” 

He shrugged, “Just a bunch of pompous assholes who care about their next party. Was never really into the whole thing, I can thank my dad for that.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah! He gave Via and I a normal childhood, we didn’t even meet most of the family until last year! And we both agreed that they suck... well there was one who was nice, but we never got to know him.” 

“I see.” 

Orion nodded, “And that’s all I want to say right now.” 

“Fair enough,” Onyx finished her half, “Well I'm done, ready for some games?” 

Orion got up from his seat, “Oh yeah!” 

The last three hours were spent with the two demons playing the many rhythm games and claw machines the arcade had to offer. Orion won a plushie of the mascot and gave it to onyx for her collection and Onyx beat his high score on a rhythm game he liked. It ended with them leaving the arcade laughing. 

“Now that was fun!” The hellhound declared, hugging her plushie close with a smile. 

Orion chuckled as he opened the door for her, being the gentleman that he was, “I’m glad you had fun.” 

“I did! Normally on my days off, I stay home and watch tv but...” She hid her face in her plush, “I’m glad you convinced me to get out of my cave of solitude.” 

He didn’t know whether he should chuckle or not, so he scratched his cheek, “Well... If you want... we can do more fun days...” 

Onyx looked at the prince with surprised eyes, but she smiled, “I’d like that, I’ll text you my schedule later.” 

“I’d like that,” Orion said with a small smile, “I’ll see you then?” 

“Sure!” 

Onyx smiled and she patted his arm, “See ya!” 

She walked off before he could say anything, but he did wave with a smile, “Wow...” 

As he did, a flash caught his attention, “What the?!” 

He turned and saw Octavia standing there with the hellaroid camera, “My baby brother’s first date! I’m so proud!” 

“Via!” With a wide blush on his white face, Orion used his magic to grab the camera as it printed the picture it was an image of him standing there with a silly grin on his face, “Ugh... I look like dad!” 

Octavia grabbed the picture before it was burned, she knew her brother well, “You look so cute Rion!” 

“Shut up... and it wasn’t a date!” 

“You took her out to eat and used your emergency only credit to her that plushie, i think it was.” 

“Onyx is just a friend!” Orion yelled but then he realized something. “Were you spying on us?!” 

Octavia snickered, “Well when you said that you were meeting Onyx today and after I made you change clothes, I had to see for myself. And little brother, what I saw was a pair of smiling teenagers on a date.” 

“It wasn’t a date!” Orion grumbled, walking away from the entrance, “Besides, relationships aren’t for me.” 

With a sigh, the oldest walked next to him, “If you say so but I could see that you were having fun.” 

“Nothing wrong with having fun with a friend.” 

Octavia rolled her eyes and let it go, her brother was stubborn and would keep denying it. She knew that between the two of the, Orion was different when it came to their sexuality. Although asexuals like them could enter into relationships if they wanted too, Octavia wasn’t interested in that and for while she knew Orion wasn't either until he met Onyx. She had never seen him so giddy whenever the hellhound texted him. He almost acted like their dad whenever he was talking to Blitzø on the phone. 

“Anyway Via,” Orion’s voice broke her out of her thoughts, “How did you get here? Portal?” 

She shook her head and pocketed the photo, “I took the bike.” 

“You drove it?” 

“I can drive that thing!” Octavia let out an offended gasp, “I just like it when you drive.” 

Orion chuckled as he followed his sister to where she parked their bike. 

“Our birthday is next week, did you pick your outfit yet?” She gave him his helmet and the keys. 

He sighed, “Yup, mother disapproved, as always...” 

“She disapproves of everything.” 

“What else is new?” 

They got on their bike, Octavia making sure that Orion’s tail feathers were pushed aside so she wouldn’t sit on them and Orion turned on the bike. It rumbled to life, and he drove them out of the parking lot. She wrapped her arms around her brother and sighed softly, she missed the days when she and Orion used to share a bed and cuddle. Octavia knew that he felt the same but growing up meant that they had to do their own thing and live different lives soon so it’s times like these they treasured.  

And if what she saw was true, then it was only a matter of time that Octavia would not have these moments with her one and only sibling anymore. 

The thought of it scared her. 

X 

Don’t take big gulps, don’t take big gulps, Octavia thought to herself as she was given her ‘first’ champagne glass. 

Tonight was her and Orion’s seventeenth birthday and almost all of the Goetia attended the lavish ball her mother threw. Tradition said that since they were close to adulthood, they were allowed one glass of champagne. Octavia fought back a huff as she took a small sip and pretended to grimace at the taste. She didn’t care for the fruity taste, she wanted something stronger but that was in her room under her bed and the party just started. 

She was wearing a dark fuchsia evening gown with dark purple sash around her waist, her hair was flat ironed and styled into a French twist, she wore her peridot tiara that sparkled in the ballrooms light along with the matching necklace she wore and wore her favorite purple eyeshadow. 

Octavia was watching Orion dancing with Marquis Marchosias’ daughter again. She was a far better dancer than she was on their fifteenth birthday, and she actually kept up with Orion’s fluid movements. Orion was wearing a black and blue suit with the jacket looking like a trench coat that reached his knees, his hair was trimmed but because he protested, it wasn’t much of a trim, so it stayed somewhat shoulder length, and it was tired into a low ponytail. He wore his peridot crown, and he wore black eyeliner.  

He was smiling but Octavia knew he was being polite.  

She took another sip when she heard her mother laughing, rather loudly. 

Octavia looked towards the direction of the laugh, “Huh?”  

Stella was laughing with the marquis as they shared a drink. Stolas was elsewhere talking with Vassago over something Octavia didn’t care for.  

“I know!” Stella laughed taking a sip of wine, “Your daughter Aurelia gets along just fine with my son. I am so glad you agreed on a possible engagement!” 

Marchosias also laughed, “Well my daughter is getting on in years and Orion seems to have taken a liking to her despite the age difference!” 

“Oh, don’t worry, Orion is very mature for his age!” 

She took another sip of her wine and laughed that loud and obnoxious laugh. 

Octavia’s feathers almost puffed as rage coursed through her body, how dare her mother plan an engagement behind Orion’s back. She wanted to march up to her mother and confront her, but she didn’t how Stella would react. Her mother was smart enough to not act like a fool in front of the other Goetia but Octavia knew that is she herself made a scene than she would look like a fool.  

She decided to do something else, ignoring what anyone else might think, Octavia downed her glass and looked around the ballroom for her father. She found him happily talking to Vassago and walked up to him. 

“Ah, Octavia!” The Parrot prince greeted her kindly, “Happy birthday! How are you?” 

Octavia gave a quick curtsey, “Thank you sir, sorry for interrupting but I need to speak with my father real quick. It’s very important!” 

Stola raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Via? Is something the matter?” 

Not wanting to make it obvious, Octavia mentioned him to lean down so she could whisper something in his ear. Stolas did so and she whispered what she heard, the look on his face changed from confusion, to surprise and then anger. 

He stood up, “My apologies Vassago but something came up.”  

Stola then looked at Octavia, “Thank you for informing me Octavia, go to the buffet table, your brother will meet you there.” 

She did as she was told, and she watched as her father approached Orion who had just finished his dance with Aurelia. He looked like he whispered something in the boy’s ear before he left to go find his wife. Orion walked up to the buffet table where Octavia was standing. 

“Via what's going on?” he asked very confused, “Dad sounded angry.” 

Octavia gave him his glass of champagne, “Let’s just say that mother is up to her old tricks regarding our futures.” 

The boy froze and he turned to see his dad approach Stella and Marchosias, he talked to them politely. Stella looked annoyed but then her posture changed, he looked enraged and Marchosias looked disappointed, but he gave a bow before leaving. Taking his daughter with him, he left the ball. Stella looked like she was going to yell but because so many was looking at them, she didn’t but she turned her attention to Octavia and shot daggers at her. 

“You want me to stay with you tonight, Via?” Orion held her trembling hand. 

Octavia gulped, “I’ll be fine. The last thing I want is for her to go after you.” 

The party continued through the night, Stolas commended Octavia for looking out for her brother before they went to the grand dining room to eat the fancy dinner.  

Stella was seething, she knew that Octavia said something. She knew that the girl was standing nearby during her talk with the marquis. Her pathetic husband didn’t say where he heard it from, but he shut down the marriage talks right there. She was humiliated! While Marchosias was a rank below Stolas, he still had great influence within the Goetia. A marriage between Orion and Marchosias’ daughter would have given her great standing! 

Octavia ate her meal quietly, but she could feel her mother’s glare, she wanted to run away but she stayed. 

After the meal was over and the grand cake was cut, the twins thanked everyone for attending their birthday before they left. Octavia was hyperventilating during the walk to her room, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. 

“Via, I can stay with you,” Orion said with a comforting arm around his sister, “Mother has been very quiet lately, she may not even try to hurt you.” 

She shook her head, “She’ll go after you too. I’ll be fine, okay?” 

The youngest gave a concerned look but he let go of her when they made it to their hall. 

“Good night, Via,” Orion said softly. 

“Good night, Rion,” Octavia answered back as she walked in her room. 

Once inside, she tore off her dress and ran to her en suite to take a quick shower, she kept reminding herself that she did good, she protected her brother from a loveless marriage, and she knew that he would do the same for her if he were in her situation. 

Octavia finished her shower and changed into her pajamas when she heard bedroom door being kicked open. 

“Octavia!” her mother shrill voice made her flinch. 

Taking a few deep breathes, Octavia walked out of her bathroom with a calm face. 

“Yes moth-” 

A hand made contact with her face, and she was on the floor. It had been a while since her mother slapped her, so she forgot how painful Stella’s sharp talons where. Octavia sat up to look at her mother with a glare, it only made Stella angrier. Reaching down, Stella grabbed the teenager by the front of her night shirt and spoke softly so as to not get Stolas’ attention. 

“Why did you meddle young lady,” her voice was dripping with animosity. 

Octavia growled, “I didn’t meddle mother! I just told daddy what you were doing!” 

Stella slapped her again and dropped her, “I cannot believe I have such a spoiled brat for a daughter!” 

Octavia curled into a ball on the floor, but she still glared at her. Stella sneered at her and left. As she left, she saw Orion standing at the doorway of his own room, he was also glaring at him. 

“What are you looking at Orion?! Don't you know what your sister did?!” 

She approached the boy, but he stood still, “Knowing you, she stopped you from planning a marriage.” 

Stella opened her mouth, but Orion spoke again. 

“Careful mother, dad hasn’t taken his sleeping medicine yet. Do you really want to risk it?” 

It was a gamble, but it worked. 

Stella may have hated her husband, but she knew that he valued his children dearly. If he were to hear Stella scream at them, he would not take it well. 

“Don’t you have a home to go back too? Why are you here anyway?” 

Without saying a word, Stella turned to leave, flipping her long feather hair and she grumbled about having ‘disrespectful’ brat for children. Once she was gone, Orion went to Octavia’s room and found her reaching under her bed for her secret chest. Not saying a word, he sat next to her and watched as she opened the chest to reveal the bourbon bottle and a little pink bottle. He forgot about that, how Octavia used a spell to change her voice in order to trick the pharmacy into deliver another bottle of their dad’s pills. It was a sneaky yet risky move, but she felt that she had no choice. Lately, their dad was noticing that his bottle was getting lighter, and she didn’t want to risk getting caught. Taking the pill bottle first, Octavia poured out four pills and split them with Orion. 

“Why do we even bother?” the boy asked after he took his fill, “They don’t work.” 

“They should,” Octavia took her share, “They have too!” 

Orion sighed and watched as she took the bourbon bottle and drank from it. 

“I don’t know what you did Via... but thanks.” 

Hearing those words made the girl smile, the red slap marks on her cheeks slowly disappeared. She offered her bottle to her brother, who gladly accepted it.  

After he drank a couple of gulps, he spoke, “Will we be okay Via?” 

“Hm?” Octavia tucked her knees under her chin. 

“Will we be okay? Dad said he was divorcing mother, but I haven't seen anything yet.” 

Indeed, it was true, ever since that day a year and a half ago, the twins eagerly anticipated the day that their parents would divorce, and they could live with their dad and hopefully Blitzø in peace. But instead, all they got was that eight month period of not seeing her.  

“Daddy might be planning something,” Octavia reasoned, “Remember what we heard? Divorces are hard and daddy is probably making sure that everything's in order.” 

Orion sighed softly, “I hope you're right. Knowing mother, she's going to bring up what dads been doing with Blitzø. No matter how justifiable we try to make it, cheating is cheating. You know that.” 

A small huff escaped Octavia’s beak, “I do,” And then she giggled, probably from the bourbon, “How many teenagers do you know that are completely okay with their dad’s affair?” 

“Don’t know, I guess we’re just that weird,” Orion chuckled. 

They shared a laugh and decided to see what the servants gave them this year. 

X 

Warning! This part contains uncomfortable themes of abuse! Feel free to skip if you don't want to read! If you choose to read, viewer discretion is advised!    

They’ve done it now. 

After their birthday ball, Octavia and Orion were told by their mother that she was taking them to their uncle house for the weekend. They immediately said no because they did not want to risk the possibility of their uncle rubbing his face on them again. He stopped doing it after the eight months their mother left but there was that fear that he would go back to his old ways.  But as always Stella had the final say and Stolas told them that it was the agreement he had with their mother in order for them to stay with him. Hearing that made them upset, but they didn’t have much of a choice. 

So there they were, sitting on plush ottomans, in their uncles office as he spoke about how ‘awful’ he felt for missing their birthday and how he promised to ‘make it up to them’. Octavia and Orion sat up straight with their hands on their laps, their mother was elsewhere, probably yelling at a servant. 

“Thank you, uncle,” Octavia spoke formally. 

“We’ll hold you to that,” Orion said with a tone his dad used when dealing with Andrealphus. 

The peacock gave a smirk and approached them, he chuckled to himself when he saw that they started to tremble, “Why are you still afraid me?” 

He acted hurt but they weren’t fooled. 

“What do you want?” Octavia asked, she knew that look on his face. 

“Nothing,” Andrealphus said feigned sadness, “I’m just hurt that you both treat me like a monster.” 

Orion clenched his fists, but he was too scared to move, “Maybe it’s because you are...” 

Without batting an eye, Andrealphus leaned down and embrace the twins, they froze when he rubbed his face against theirs for the first time in months. 

“Listen children,” He spoke in a sickly sweet tone that made them feel sick, “I can be your greatest ally during these hard times of you behave like good children. So why don’t you be good children, and do as you are told?” 

Octavia and Orion clenched their fists and tried to think about other things, but nothing worked. 

“....op...” The girl whimpered, “... St...” 

Andrealphus stopped for a moment but continued when all of a sudden, Orion pushed him off.  

“Stop!” He screamed, tears were forming in his eyes. 

As he stumbled back, the twins got up from the ottomans and backed away. Octavia began to scratch the cheek that was rubbed, trying not to cry. The boy did the same thing, scratching his cheek to try and get the filthy feeling off. 

The marquis was not pleased at being pushed, “How dare you-” 

“How dare you!” Octavia screamed, her cheek was now bleeding, “You've been doing this for nine years!” 

“We know why you were doing it too!” Yelled Orion, his tears stinging the scratches on his cheek, “You’re disgusting! We would never accept you!” 

Andealphus was now angry, he approached the twins, but they did not back down. 

“At least Blitzø earned it!" Octavia shouted through her hiccups when the urge to cry became great, “He never made us feel disgusting like you do!” 

Hearing that, their uncle glared at them and Octavia almost regretted what she said. 

“Blitzø?” He asked in a rather calm yet chilling voice, “That imp you father has been fornicating with? You imprinted on that plebian?” 

Orion was scared of the consequences, but he answered, “So what? Blitzø cares about us! He treats us like were his!” 

“And he never hits us!” 

Andrealphus said nothing but he did leave his office. The twins knew what was going to happen but because of their magic being mysteriously limited, they could not open a portal to run. All they could do was hold onto each other tightly, they could hear their mother’s furious screeching, they could hear her footsteps running up the halls and they stood there as she barreled in the office, a wooden rod in hand with a face of anger and hatred.  

Stella marched towards Octavia and Orion, she was screaming about how ‘dare they imprint on an imp’ and about how they ‘are just as useless as their father’. She raised the rod, and the twins flinched and were beaten to ground, Orion using his body to shield his sister, the same way she did to him when they were fourteen. They didn’t make any noises, they knew that it would only make it worse. 

Stella kept hitting them with the rob until it broke but that didn't stop her from using her hands and kicking them. 

Once she was done, she looked at the trembling forms of her children and sneered. 

“Pathetic... disgraceful...” 

She then stormed off, leaving the twins crumbled on the cold marble floor. 

End of warning  

The weekend trip was cut short as stella could not stand looking at the twins. She spent the long drive ranting about how she failed as a parent and questioning on where she went wrong. 

Octavia and Orion were looking at the window of the car, it was late at night, but they didn’t care. They wanted to go home and sleep in their beds. The dark bruises from the beating were still there, Octavia had a black eye on her solid magenta eye while Orion had a large bruise on his left cheek. By the time they reached Pride city, the injuries began to heal themselves. 

“Say one word and that imp you love more than your own mother is dead,” Stella hissed. 

They flinched, they knew Blitzø could take care of himself, but they knew that he was not match against a Goetia. They loved him and they didn't love him than their mother, they had no love for that woman. The resentment that they had of her for years finally boiled down to pure hatred.  

Once they made it to the palace, Octavia and Orion got out and ran inside. They ignored their mother doing so and they ran to their rooms. Orion collapsed on his bed and tried not to cry, he hated this! He hated his mother, he hated his uncle, and he hated that his dad was not doing anything to make the divorce happen. He pulled the sleeve of his shirt and frowned at the new bare spots on his left arm, he looked at his right arms and frowned at those bare spots. Orion dried his bitter tears off and got out of bed. 

“Fuck it,” he mumbled. 

Octavia opened her bedroom door the moment he did. 

“Rion?” 

“I’m telling dad. I’m telling him everything.” 

She panicked and grabbed his arm, it was tender from the plucking, and he flinched, “Sorry, but don’t! You know what mother said!” 

“Dad won’t let anything happen to Blitzø!” Orion reasoned, “And I can’t take it anymore Via. I’m tired of keeping my beak shut every time that raging bitch hurts us.” 

He was sniffling and trembling, Orion was at his breaking point. 

Octavia could see that, so she let go, “Me too Rion... I’m sick of it too...” 

“Well then let’s go.” 

The twins made the long walk to their father’s chambers, they had to be quiet in case their mother was still there bit they made it to the door that was opened slightly, they heard their father saying something but they also heard their mother. 

“The fuck are you doing?!” they heard their mother screech. 

Their father’s soft voice answered, “Reflecting...” 

“Well, stop. It's annoying to hear you screeching your silly woes all the time.” 

The twins rolled their eyes, they made sure they weren't seen from the doors window. 

“Why are you still here?” Stolas asked softly, “You leave with the children on weekends, but then you stay around the house despite everything.” 

Stella chuckled, “I like tormenting you. I want to keep reminding you of what you did.” 

Octavia gave a soft growl. 

“I know what I did,” Stolas snapped but then he calmed himself, “I would feel bad if I hurt you, but we both know I didn't do that. You and I were arranged for one reason; to birth a precautionary heir to the Goetia family, nothing more! And we ended up having two!” 

Orion planted his hand over his mouth and looked at his sister who had the same shocked look in her eyes. Judging from her reaction, he knew that he did not mishear. 

“...I tried so many years to make it comfortable for us; to have this family, but it was never enough for you. The only reason I have endured your constant insults and cruelty was for the children! So they could have a normal life. ...I cannot do this anymore. I want you out. Now.” 

“What do you mean out?” Stella asked in a threatening manner. 

“I mean out!” Stolas yelled, “Out of this palace! Out of my life! We are getting the divorce!” 

The twins heard their mother growl, “How dare you! What do you think the rest of the Goetia family will think? Andrealphus-” 

“I don't care what your arrogant brother thinks!” Stolas barked, “And the only things the Goetia family wanted from our marriage are finally seventeen, so, it's over, I'm done.” 

They heard enough, Octavia and Orion slipped away and ran to their study. They were silent and they both tried to process what they had just heard. Sitting on the plush floor pillows of their study, they were silent. 

“Arranged...” Octavia muttered, breaking the silence, her voice was trembling, “It was an arranged marriage... just to... have us...” 

Orion ran his talons threw his hair and gripped at the strands, “Normal...?” He then yanked up the sleeves of his shirt to show the bare spot, “You call this normal?!” 

Octavia felt tears welling up in her eyes, “Rion... It was arranged,” She could not get that out of her head, “We exist because it was arranged...” 

The boy reached over and hugged his big sister close. 

“Normal life my ass,” He croaked, “I don't want it...” 

And then they began to think, they wondered about everything. Was everything they ever did with their dad a lie? Did he really care about them as he always claimed? Or was it because of an obligation? Did he love them? 

Just then, Octavia and Orion felt something in their chests.  

It felt like an ache. 

And they thought it made a sound, like the sound of creaking metal. 

Chapter Text

“In the great expanse of the nether there exists boundless amounts of magnificent phenomenon the great brilliance of an exploding star, the nimble dance of space dust through a nebula but once every one thousand years our corner of reality is treated to an incredible sight from the deep eldritch recesses of the cosmos the tears of a forgotten colossus begin to fall. Tears made of the hopes and dreams of every living thing that never came to be. Condensed and sent shooting across the night sky in a dazzling final display. What appears to mortal beings as a meteor shower, we can see for what it is: Azathoth's Tears.”  

Six year old Octavia and Orion giggled when they father showed the beautiful display of the stars with his magic, they loved how he used some of his lessons as bedtime stories. They were sitting on his lap watching the hues of purple and blue when he closed the book.  

“Daddy?” Octavia piped, “Can we go see it someday?”  

“I wanna see the tears!” Orion chirped.  

Stolas smiled at them, “Yes my darlings, I promise,” He gently picked them up and tucked them into their bed, “When the day comes nothing will be able to keep me from being there with you.”  

He gave them both a kiss on their heads and left.   

“Good night, my Owletts.”  

“Good night!” The little ones chirped as their door closed.  

They did their usual tossing and turning but then they looked up at the ceiling that held an illusion of the stars, Octavia and Orion giggled at the thought of seeing the stars with their daddy.  

They couldn’t wait.  

Seventeen year old Octavia and Orion woke up at the same time in their rooms with big smiles on their faces, leave it to their magic to make them have the same memory dream again. They had remembered that memory, they remembered studying Azathoth’s Tears in secret to figure out when it was going to happen. It was going to be the Wednesday after their birthday and now they were excited. After the terrible weekend they had, Octavia and Orion were looking forward to this day. 

Getting out of bed, Octavia circled the day on her calendar, it was a picture of the meteor shower and cute drawings of her, her dad and Orion watching them. Orion dressed in the outfit he wore when he went out with Onyx, he decided that it was more mature look for him, he grabbed the hellaroid camera and ran out his room to meet his sister. 

“Via that’s my hat!” he squawked as they ran to the kitchen. 

“Sorry!” Octavia gave it back. 

They made it to the kitchen, expecting to see their dad enjoying his morning tea while reading the paper. 

“Hey daddy!” Octavia pipped. 

“Morning!” Orion greeted. 

But to their surprise the kitchen was empty, and they saw boxes on the floor. 

“Daddy?” the oldest looked out the hallways. 

The youngest then walked around, “Dad?” 

Octavia followed and they saw that the entrance doors were open, and they heard Stolas yelling. 

“Yes, I know... It will be there shortly!” Stolas was outside, in his robe and bunny slippers, holding poor Pringles in a vice grip while he was on the phone, “Of course they're being careful!” 

In front of him was a moving van with imps trying to load hordes of furniture into the van that was filled to the brim. 

“Daddy, what's going?” Octavia asked as she and her brother made it to the entrance. 

Stolas sighed, he did not want them to see this, he turned to them, “Apparently, your mother can't exist somewhere for two minutes without the entirety of her possessions--” 

They heard their mother screaming on the phone. 

“What? No! I'm not turning them against you-” Now Stolas was annoyed, “Yes, Stella!” 

Orion waked down the steps and tried to pry his father’s talons off of Pringles, “Dad?” He was able to set the poor butler free from the strong grip, “This is going to be done before tonight, right?” 

“What?” Stolas turned and saw his two children standing there rubbing their arms, “Oh. I hardly think so. Knowing your mother, this will take all weekend.” 

The twins flinched, that weird ache they felt a few nights ago came back. They thought it was stress at first and they went all out when doing a job for Blitzø the day after they came home but it was still there. It felt like something was twisting something within them from the inside. 

“Don't be gentle about it, now! Break whatever you have to, to get it all in there!” Their father’s voice snapped them from their thoughts. 

Octavia looked down and then spoke up, “But, tonight was supposed to-” 

Stolas turned back to his children, “Darlings please, can we not talk about this now? Your mother's being a real B-I-T-C-H.” 

If it were a different time, Octavia and Orion would have laughed at that. They've never seen their mother read so they doubted she could spell. But this time, they were not in a laughing mood, they were upset, upset that their dad who never forgot his promises seemed more interested in yelling at their mother than spending time with them. 

Stellas screams were heard, and they heard the loud crowing laughter of their uncle, apparently, she can spell. 

“Well, how was I supposed to know you can spell?! I've never seen you read!” Stolas snapped as he walked away from the twins. 

They reached out to him, but he kept going. Octavia and Orion turned away and ran back inside the place in angry huffs. Stomping their way to their study, they felt that stupid ache in their chest, but they didn’t care. Once in the spacious study, Octavia slammed the door, Orion kicked the telescope that was nearby, and Octavia grabbed the other calendar that they had there. It was also marked in case one of them slept in there again. She crumbled it in her hands and threw it across the room with an angry grunt. 

“He’s a fucking idiot!” Orion yelled in frustration, he slumped on his desk chair. 

Octavia was still breathing heavily, “Guess he found a new hobby...” 

The youngest grumbled and reached for a book when he saw the bag his sister used for traveling being grabbed, “Via?” 

“We are going to see those stars, with or without him! Let’s go!” 

“Are you insane? We can’t even open a portal right.” 

Ever since their first time opening one during the harvest moon festival, the twins had a hard time trying to open a portal on their own. Their dad said that they were still learning their magic and they needed to touch the grimoire to do so. Right now, the book was at IMP, and they were off the day. They had to beg Blitzø for today off so they could see the stars and wasn’t like they had seen the book lately. Blitzø didn't even show up during the full moon, so they were bookless. 

 “Let’s go Rion,” Octavia grumbled, “Where’s the bike key?” 

Orion sighed and got up, “I’m driving.” 

They left their study in a huff, they will see those stars. They waited a long time for them, and they were not going to miss them. 

X 

“He’s so predictable” Whispered Octavia after she punched in the basic code on the safe in Blitzø' office. 

When she and Orion arrived at the building, they were surprised to see Loona beating up her dad. And then they remembered that today was also the day Blitzø was supposed to talk to Loona about her attitude with customers. From the looks of it, she did not take it too well. The doors were locked but all it took were the pliers Octavia had for it to open when everyone's backs were turned, tried being sneaky, using her hair as a mask but Orion casually walked in. He knew that once Blitzø started his ‘me time’ he would turn off his hyper vigilance and relax. 

Loona saw them from her desk but because she was still mad at her dad, she gave a single wave and went back to her phone. 

Once in Blitzø's office, the twins looked around trying to find where he hid the book. That was until Octavia remembered the safe behind the large portrait of the everyone. Blitzø was a simple man, a simple minded man who used the same number combination of his phone as well as the safe. Once the safe door was opened, Octavia smirked when she saw the grimoire. She grabbed the book and flipped the pages to the portal spell. 

Once she found it and sighed, “Take us to see the stars...” 

The book slowly sparked to life. 

“Dad is going to be pissed,” Orion muttered as he reached over to touch the book. 

The moment he did, the book began to glow and both the twin’s pupils appeared. A purple pentagram swirled around them, and black swirls of power streamed around the room. 

Outside the office, Moxxie saw the light. 

“Sir?” he got Blitzø's attention. 

The boss imp had cucumbers over his eyes, he turned his head, the slices fell off and he saw the light, “The fuck?” 

He and M&M squeezed through the office door with weapons drawn, just in time to see Double O as they stood in front of an open portal. Octavia looked over her shoulder, holding the grimoire in her arms and Orion who also looked over sighed and they disappeared in the portal as it closed. 

Blitzø and then yelled, “Loona!” 

She answered, her tone still angry, “Oh yeah. Dad, Via and Rion are here.” 

X 

“Ow....” 

“Via you opened the portal upside down!” 

Octavia growled, “Shut up! Where are we?” 

When they went through the portal, Octavia and Orion realized too late it opened upside down and they fell on top of each other. The girl landed on something soft with her brother falling on her. She looked down and saw a star, but it wasn’t what they were looking for. Before she could react, someone threw up green bile on her. 

“Ah!” Octavia recoiled and Orion realized what they landed on. 

“Christ on a stick!” They landed on a human man, and he was dead. 

They got up, grabbed the book and ran. Running across the street, they encountered a protest of something stupid, a golden statue that moved and bumped into a group of women who doing a topless protest. Octavia and Orion ran until they found themselves in a corner. They were hyperventilating and tried to calm themselves down. 

“Where did we end up Via?!” yelled the youngest of the pair. 

The oldest gasped, “I don’t know!” 

X 

Back at IMP, Blitzø was panicking. 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” He grabbed Moxxie and shook him, “How the fuck am I going to tell Stolas?!”  

Moxxie blinked, “Well he is your friend, and he seems to like you sir. Maybe he would understand-” 

Blitzø growled and shoved the young imp away, “My dick is good but it’s not that good Moxxie! And me being his friend won’t help!” 

 “We really don’t have a choice...” 

“So?! You want to call him up and say ‘Hey Stolas-’” 

Scene change to Blitzø on Loona's reception phone. 

“So Via and Rion slipped in, took your book, and teleported off to who the fuck knows where, and we have no way of getting either of them back, okay?! Okay! Good talk, byeee!” He hung up and stepped away from the phone as if it were a bomb. Loona was sitting at her desk texting. 

When nothing happened, he let out a sigh of relief and turned to a visibly nervous Moxxie. 

“Well, that went better than I thought.”  

One second later, the door to the office was blown off, hitting Moxxie and the doorway was destroyed. 

Standing there was the demonic form of the Great Prince Stolas. 

“Blitzø!" the form hissed in pure anger. 

X 

Back in the living realm, Octavia and Orion tried to ask any human they could find for directions to perfect spot to see the stars. They concluded that they ended up there because of how inexperienced they were with portal magic, they were glad that their human disguises still turned on. 

“Excuse me?" Orion asked one human who had her gremlin child on a leash, but she ignored. 

Octavia tried asking one human who walked by, “Do you know where-” 

The human flipped her off. 

“-to see the stars...” 

They groaned and rubbed their heads. 

“I hate fucking humans...” Orion grumbled. 

Octavia was about to say something when a pamphlet flew to her face, she took it off and saw that it read ‘Star Struck Tourz. Stalk your fave celebs’. She showed it to her brother, and they smiled. 

“Yes!” they exclaimed with smiles. 

Looking around, Octavia and Orion looked around and found the tour bus across the street. They ran towards the bus as it loaded up more humans. 

They decided to sit at the top of the double decker bus, Orion sat on the edge of the bus and checked his hellaroid camera to make sure it was ready. 

“You wanted to take pictures?” Octavia asked as she settled next to him. 

“I told Onyx about the stars, and she wanted to see.” 

A wide smirk stretched across the girls face and she poked her brother’s face, “A little gift for your girlfriend?” 

“She’s not my girlfriend!” 

“The blush says otherwise,” Octavia teased. 

“Don’t make me throw you off this bus Via!” Growled Orion. 

She laughed until the bus began to move and off they went. They recognized the tour guide as the guide who showed them Lyle Lipton’s mansion and kept their heads down in hopes he wouldn’t notice them.  The bus drove them to a street with mansions on each side but no stars. At least not the stars they were looking for. 

“I think we went on the wrong bus....” Octavia groaned, looking up at the sky. 

Orion took a picture of a plane that flew over them. 

The tour guide pointed at one mansion, he said that a makeup artist lived there and that she was famous for lying about her reviews. One mansion housed a spoiled teenager who was known for driving his quad bike up and down the streets, basically being a public nuisance but he was rich which gave him a free pass.  

“And to your left, you'll see the home of one of those influencers who thinks they're hot shit cause now they do TV shows.” 

The twins turned and saw a human man on his hands and knees, begging a woman with a suitcase in one hand and holding a child with one hand. She looked like she was leaving him, and it was confirmed when a limo drove up and she went in with her child. The limo drove off, but he wasn’t that sad, he lip locked with a man in a robe nearby. 

Octavia and Orion gagged at the sight but the humans in the bus were eating it up. 

“Next stop, we’re out of here,” Octavia grumbled. 

“Agreed,” Orion mumbled. 

They stayed on the bus after it concluded its tour. Once off, Octavia tore up the pamphlet and the twins walked off with annoyed glares. They walked by two officers, walked through police tap that was surrounding an accident scene, Octavia stepped on the bisected body that was there and they tore through more police tape. They continued to walk until a poster caught their attention. 

It was a poster of an owl flying in the night sky and holding a small skull in one of its talons. The words ‘Star Owl Souvenir Shop’ were on the poster. It’s colors were beautiful blends of gray and purple. 

Their eyes lit up and they both took out their phones to take pictures. Orion then had Octavia stand in front of it, he wrapped arm around her and took a selfie, making sure the poster was seen. 

“You’re so pretty Via,” He cooed, looking at the picture. 

She chuckled softly, “Thanks. At least I have something nice from mother.” 

“Don’t say that, you look like dad and he’s a looker.” 

He uploaded the picture on their shared sinstagram ‘gothchks17’. They weren’t allowed much social media, but they were able to convince their dad to at least let them have a shared account on sinstagram because they wanted to show off the pictures they have taken with their hellaroid. Their account was mostly filled with pictures of places they have gone in hell, but they were smart to not upload the pictures they took from their jobs. And they had a lot of them. Octavia’s favorite picture was of her holding a target’s head with a bright smile, he was a wife beater who was targeted by his wife’s alcoholic father who wanted to at least do right by his little girl one last time. Orion’s favorite was of him standing over the body of a woman who conned an old man of all his money, the old man was none too pleased at being taken for a fool. 

Those pictures are in a shoe box in their study, and they will never see the light of hell. 

As the picture was uploaded, the twins walked by a window display and saw something that said ‘Starstruck' on it, it had other things that caught their attention. Deciding to take a detour, they walked in the shop. It reminded them of Stylish Occult, and they knew that their ‘emergencies only’ credit cards would work in the living realm. Octavia saw a dark purple sweater with a skeleton of an owl on it and grabbed the one in her size while Orion was reading a book on demonology that focused on the Ars Goetia. They snickered when they saw the drawing of an owl with long legs. 

“That’s supposed to be dad?” Octavia whispered. 

“He looks silly,” Orion chuckled, “I’m getting this.” 

The twins bought their little souvenirs and made a walk around the small shopping are. Taking pictures of whatever caught their interest. 

X 

Loona took a swig of her recently purchased coffee as she walked out of the small coffeeshop she found.  

After managing to calm down Stolas who burst into IMP in all his demonic glory, he began panicking because Via and Rion were alone in the living realm with the grimoire. Asking why they would do such a thing and desperately wondering where they went how any of were supposed to find them. Loona was sniffing around the desk and grimaced when she smelt urine and desperation. 

They were in LA. Why? Who knows. 

Getting there was easy enough, Stolas opened a portal and joined the team in the search. Loona wished she took a picture of her dad’s reaction to Stolas’ human disguise, she saw that wide eyed blush. Somehow, they lost M&M when looking for a costume store, Loona witnessed Stolas steal a pair of sunglasses to compensate for his lack of a second pair of eyes and after they found a costume show, Blitzø, in his very stupid human costume disguise, was somehow mistaken for some Hollywood star which resulted in a mob. 

In the confusion, Loona got separated from her dad and Stolas when some tv producer or something showed up and they, who also believed that Blitzø was that celebrity, took him away along with Stolas. But not before Blitzø yelled at Loona to look for Octavia and Orion just when the van they were thrown in drove off. 

Normally, Loona would do as she was told but she was still pissed at her dad for that stupid talk. It wasn't her fault that she lost her temper on clients, they treated her like an untrained pet, so she gave that energy back to them. And aside from being angry, she was also hurt when Blitzø said that he could replace her.  

So, there she was drinking her too damn expensive coffee and looking at her sinstagram. Octavia and Orion are seventeen now, they weren’t little kids anymore, so they’ll be okay for a while. Loona walked down the sidewalk and saw a poster of an owl advertising a souvenir shop. 

“Stolas is gonna love this,” she said to herself, taking a selfie with her phone. 

She then started to upload the picture on her account and checked on the recent posts. Loona scrolled through the other posts and saw a picture of Octavia and Orion in front of the same poster. She spat out her coffee in surprise and immediately clicked on their account. She saw that they uploaded a series of photos in LA. 

The one post of Octavia in front of a building that looked like a castle with a caption saying that it looked like home. Loona then realized that the building was behind her and figured that the twins couldn’t be far. She contemplated whether or not she should go look for them or enjoy a small vacation. Knowing that Stolas would be upset, Loona threw her coffee to the ground and ran towards the building. 

The rest of the day was spent with the hellhound looking for the twin owls. She used their posts as clues to look for them. She tried looking around the Hollywood sign and mistook a pair of cousins for them. Loona tried the Chinese theater next and found nothing, she tried Little Tokyo and flipped off prudish Karen who insulted her outfit.  

By nightfall, Loona found herself at Griffith Observatory. Octavia and Orion were astronomy nuts, and this would be the perfect place for them to go. Loona wiped sweat off her brow and walked around the area. 

X 

“You’re here for Loona?” a French bull hellhound asked from her front desk in a deadpan tone.   

Blitzo raised an eyebrow with an annoyed look, what a cheerful person, he thought.  

“I saw her picture on tv last night,” the imp answered, “Is she still available for adoption?”  

The lady stood up, “Wait here sir, I'll get her ready.”  

“Uh... you're not going to ask me any questions?”  

He was ignored and the lady went to the back, leaving Blitzo standing there. And to think he spent three paychecks to buy a suit to make himself presentable. He even asked his best friend Stolas for advice on how to speak professionally. Well at least he liked the suit, and he’ll use the advice for the company he wanted to create.  

A scream and howl interrupted his thoughts and the lady came back. Behind her were two large hellhounds, one was holding a control pole while the other was holding a leash. They were dragging a little gray and white hellhound girl roughly. The child was wearing a bright green dress, and her gray hair was tied in tight pigtails with green ribbons. She was kicking and screaming, and the hellhounds roughly pulled her, making her yelp.  

“Hey! Hey!” Blitzo barked, marching up to the large hounds, “You’re hurting her!”  

The lady, unbothered, spoke in the same deadpan tone, “It’s fine sir, Loona is just being the nightmare she’s always been.”  

The imp glared at her and went to the little pup who was whimpering from being harshly grabbed. Blitzo glared at the two large hounds and demanded that they get the pole and muzzle off.  

“She’s so little! What the hells the matter with you!?” He barked as the restraints were taken off.  

Loona gave a small growl when the new demon looked at her, was he going to look at her and leave too, just like all the others?  

Blitzo looked at the little girl and smiled, “Hi there!”  

She took a step back.  

“My names Blitzo, it's nice to meet you!”  

She growled in response.  

The imp smiled and reached towards her, Loona was about to bite his hands until they reached for the ribbons in her hair. Gently, Blitzo untied them and undid the painful braids.  

“There we go,” Blitzo said with a smile, “Those looked it hurt.”  

Loona sniffled and looked away.  

“I’ll take her!”  

She looked up in surprise when she saw the man walk to the desk.  

“Alright sir,” The lady gave him some forms, “Sign here and be warned, Loona has an attitude problem. If you ask me, she’ll never amount to anything much.”  

Loona gripped the skirt of her dress and sniffled.  

Blitzo looked at the little girl and he could see that she was never given a chance. She wasn’t a nightmare, she was just a little girl.  

“We have a month long trial basis to see how your hound adjusts to their new environment, if you aren’t satisfied...”  

Blitzø blinked and held the little pug he was holding. After getting mixed up in some sitcom, he was supposed to play a guy who was giving his dog away.  But just looking at the pup remined him of his little girl. He remembered that bitchy lady telling him about that stupid trail month. 

“No. No, no, no,” He mumbled, repeating the same words he told that bitch, “You can't have her! She's mine, and I love her!” 

The audience watching it made ‘aww’ sounds but Stolas, who was in the audience under the guise of being the imp’s agent, knew those words. He remembered what Blitzø had said to him when he asked about Loona’s adoption. 

Blitzø was breathing heavily, still holding the dog, when the child actress approached him. 

“But, Mr. Ronnie, you gotta let me have the puppy. You just gotta!” 

With a hiss, he swiped at the child, “Don't you touch her, you little anal fissure!” He then glared at the audience who began laughing, “Oh, you think this is funny, assholes?! She's not fit to be a mother! I saw her doing lines of coke in her dressing room!” 

The child actress slipped away, the producer was not happy and silently ordered security to take Blitzø away. Stola became worried, he could see that his friend was having a breakdown. 

The actress playing the mother tried to follow the script, but Blitzø shoved her hard, “No! You can’t have my baby! She’s mine! I’m the only one she has!” 

He then pulled out his pistol, “I’ll never get rid of her!” 

What resulted was panic when Blitzø shot at a few people before he was dogpiled. 

“I’m coming Bliiitzø!” Stolas tried going over the railing he was standing by, but his natural clumsiness got in the way, and he fell over. He stood up and fixed his glasses before approaching the dog pile. 

“Excuse me?!” he tried to go through the mob but to no avail, “Would you mind?!” 

When he was pushed away, Stolas pulled out a water bottle he was carrying and threw it, it was a pathetic throw but when it hit the producer the bottle burst opened, and its contents splashed all over the man. And, without warning, the man’s skin began to burn. He screamed in bloody horror and pain, making him run to the teleprompter before dying. The device short circuited and to caught fire, it spread fast and soon the studio was on fire. Panic spread and the human ran screaming, Stolas was shocked that he was the cause of it and tried to find Blitzø only to be pushed by a panicking human. 

But as he fell, a red and white claw reached out and grabbed his hand, keeping him from falling. Stolas looked up and saw his beloved imp, his shirt was ripped open to reveal his impressive abs and he had his gun out. The flames in the background gave Blitzø an impressive appearance. 

“Now let’s go find our kids,” he said with determination in his voice. 

There was an explosion in the background, and it only increased his sexy appearance. Stolas blushed and his heart pounded, his feelings for Blitzø all but increased. 

They ran out of the burning studio and into the streets. 

X 

They were too late. 

After spending all day looking for the perfect spot, they thought they found it at the observatory. But after all the trouble they went through, Octavia and Orion were greeted with a smoggy night sky. By then, the meteor shower was long over. 

The twins sat on the edge of the stairs they climbed and sniffled. Octavia with her knees tucked under her chin with Orion sitting next to her with an arm around her. Crying alone like they always did until a soft blue hue got their attention. They turned and saw Loona in her true form. 

“Hey you guys,” she said softly, knowing that they had a long day. 

Octavia dried off her tears, “Hey Loona...” 

The older demon walked to the balcony and leaned down in a relaxed manner. 

“How did you find us?” Orion asked, reaching into his pants pocket. 

“Your sinstagram,” Loona looked at the recent pictures they uploaded, “Nice pics by the way. You guys always liked taking pictures.” 

“Oh, thanks Loona,” sniffled the older twin. 

Loona put her phone away, she saw that something was bothering the twins, “You okay?” 

Octavia shook her head, tears were forming in her eyes “Can't believe we were so stupid. We spent all day looking for a place where we could see some dumb meteor shower...” 

Orion pulled put a package, his tears were falling in large droplets “All we got was this!” 

He gestured to the sky, how could humans live like this!? Deprive themselves of the stars?! Loona looked up and saw the smog, she knew something like that was not a good sight for the teens who loved and studied the stars. 

“Yeah, smog's a bitch,” She mumbled, pulling out a cigarette and tried to light it but her lighter refused to light. 

Octavia poked her and snapped her fingers to reveal a purple flame on her pointer finger. She lit it just as Orion lit his cigarette, Loona chose to not ask why he was smoking. Octavia hooted when both blew smoke at her direction. 

 “You know, your dad's really worried about you two,” Loona explained as she sat by Octavia. 

With a scoff, the girl cried, “Right! That's why you're here instead of him,” Octavia glared at the hellhound, “He couldn't be bothered to keep his promise, and now he can't be bothered to come and get us himself. He'd rather spend his time just screaming at out our mother!” 

She leaned on her brother and hugged him. 

“Why does he hate her more than he loves us?!” Orion cried, taking a long drag from his cigarette. 

Loona could tell that the twins were more affected by this whole thing more than they were letting on, they did confide in her about their fears being taken away from their dad. She wished she could give them some encouraging words, but she didn’t know what to say. 

“You know that’s not true you guys.... Sometimes... sometimes it's not as simple as that,” They looked at her, their human eyes were red from the crying, “This kind of shit gets messy, you’re going through a lot and everybody's got issues, especially dads. And sometimes they fuck up -- well, all the time,” Loona remembered the many good things Blitzø had done for her ever since he brought her home, “But that doesn't mean they don't care.” 

“If he cares then where is he?” Octavia demanded. 

Loona chuckled and pointed at the city, “Making an idiot of himself down there.” 

“He’s here?” Asked Orion, discarding his cigarette. 

The hellhound nodded, “Looking for you two, don’t worry you're not in trouble. Try to cut your dad some slack if you can. He may not always get it right, but... he's trying.” 

She took one last drag from her cigarette and played with her lighter, it finally lit up. Loona looked at it smiled when she looked at the IMP sticker, she remembered listening to her dad talk about it when it was just a simple idea in his head, “That's more important than you think.” 

The twins looked at her and took in what she said when the smog above them cleared up to reveal the moon, they loved looking at the moon. Loona stood up and stretched after she discarded her cigarette. 

“Ready to go?” she extended her hand, but Octavia gave her the grimoire. 

“Yeah,” they answered softly, they had enough of today. 

Loona smiled and they hugged her tight and she hugged back, they were still the very affectionate twins she met all those years ago. 

X 

Somewhere in the city, Blitzø was looking at his phone, he was searching for the human equivalent version of Stylish Occult. He lost his wig, but he didn’t care, he was holding Stolas’ hand as they ran far away from the building. 

“Now, if we could just find where...” 

A portal opened when they turned a corner and Loona walked out. 

“Loona!” Blitzø cried, running to her. 

Behind the hellhound, Octavia and Orion stepped through. 

“Oh, Loona, my sweet baby girl!” He ran to her crying, “I'm so sorry, I'll never replace you no matter what you-” 

She responded by kicking her dad in the groin, much to the surprise of the three owl demons “Still mad at you dad!” 

Stolas at Blitzø with pain in his eyes and the he turned to see his two beloved children standing there. 

“Daddy...” Octavia rubbed her arms as she and her brother took small steps, “We’re so sorry.” 

Their dad ran to them and hugged them close, his human disguise dropped, “I'm just relieved you're both okay!” Stolas did not want to let them go for a second, but he did to look at them, he gently held their faces, “But, what would possess you to do such a thing? You know I haven't taught you spells like this yet.” 

Orion rubbed his arms, “We just wanted to see the stars you promised.” 

“The stars?” Stolas blinked and then he remembered what he had promised them so long ago, “Azathoth's tears!” How could he forget that? His children were looking forward to that day, “Oh, no. Oh, my dear sweet children. I am so-” 

They stopped him by hugging him close. 

“We know daddy, it’s okay.” 

“You’re here now.” 

Their tail feather wagged in content and Stolas hugged his darlings close with a smile. Loona smiled at the scene and looked at her dad who was trying to hug her. She sighed and let him, knowing that he would pout for the rest of the night. She then noticed a flash in the sky, fireworks were exploding in the sky, it caught the attention of the owl demons. It was an array of beautiful colors that lit up the smog sky. 

“What the fuck is that?” She asked, taking out her phone to record. 

“My acting career,” Blitzø muttered. 

Loona chuckled and patted his head. 

Stolas, Octavia and Orion were busy looking at the fireworks in awe. 

“Look at that one,” Octavia pointed at the sky, “Did you see that one?” 

Orion took out his hellaroid camera and took pictures of the display, it may not have been the meteor shower, but he hoped that she would still like the pictures. 

Despite all that happened today, the twins felt happy. They were with their dad, Loona and Blitzø. They couldn’t even remember the last time all five of them were doing something together.  

It felt right. 

It felt like they were supposed to be like this. 

“Now where the fuck is M&M?” they heard Blitzø say. 

X 

 In a humble part of Gluttony was a three story apartment building. The rent was decent for the average minimal wage worker, the maintenance fees were low, and each floor had a laundry room. It had the same hexagonal pattern as the other building in the ring, but it had a humbler design. 

Orion looked at his phone and reread the address Onyx had texted him. It had been two days since his little adventure in the living realm. Octavia and Orion were thankfully not grounded for stealing the grimoire, but they had to help their dad sort through his plants. It was an easy ‘punishment’, and the twins loved the green house.  

When they were done, Orion texted Onyx and she gave him the address to her apartment. So, he took the bike and went to Gluttony, he had butterflies in his stomach because this was the first time he was going to a girl’s apartment and his heart was pounding, he didn’t know why though. Onyx was a great person to hang out with because she loved astronomy as much as he did, and it felt nice to talk to someone else about the subject. But lately, every time Onyx texted him, he would get giddy and chuckle. Octavia teased him about that, but he kept denying it even though he had he had his doubts about what he was denying. 

Orion walked to the building and saw a buzzer by the door. Onyx told him to press the button with her name on it.  

Which he did. 

There was static in the speaker for a moment until a voice answered. 

“Hello?”  

The young prince smiled, “Hey Onyx! It's me!” 

There was a clatter and a flustered, “ Oh! Rion! Give me a sec, I'll be right there!”  

Orion chuckled and waited, he went to check on his bike and made sure it was parked at the appropriate spot when the glass door opened to reveal Onyx in a simple black brace skirt over a white t-shirt and she had a green headband. 

“Hey!” She smiled and let him in. 

“Did i catch you at a bad time?” Orion asked with a smile. 

Onyx shook her head, “I was putting something away when you buzzed.” 

She led him to the elevator, she lived on the third floor. 

“Sooo how was your trip to the living realm? Did you see the meteor shower?” Onyx asked with a nervous smile, she always felt giddy when near the prince. She didn’t know why but she liked it. 

Orion scratched his cheek softly, “Well... I did go to the living realm, but I ended up in America’s cesspool known as LA. There’s smog in the sky so I didn’t get to see the shower. I’m sorry.” 

“For what?” 

“I said I would take pictures for you.” 

Onyx smiled, “It’s fine! Really!” 

Deep down, she was bummed but looking at the owls down face, she knew that it was better to not act selfish. Onyx knew that he at least tried. 

“I’m sure you at least had fun with your sister.” 

“I did but I did take some interesting pictures of what I saw at the end of the day.” 

Her tail wagged, she liked pictures. 

The elevator doors opened, and she led the way to her apartment. 

“Fair warning, it’s not fancy or anything so don’t be surprised.” 

Orion smiled, “It’s okay, I know that not everyone lives where I live.” 

They walked to a door that had Onyx’s name on it and she unlocked it. The apartment was a simple studio apartment with the full sized bed greeting them when the door opened. There was a small kitchenette on the side of the door there was an open doorway that showed a toilet and a shower. There was a floor sofa besides the bed and a coffee table and the tv was on the wall by the sofa. There was a sliding door that led to a small balcony. 

“I know, it’s small. I bet your closets bigger than this,” Onyx muttered, ashamed that she was showing royalty her cramped space. 

She let him in, and Orion looked around the cozy space. 

“Actually, I have an armoire,” He commented, “This place is nice, this space is all yours?” 

Onyx blinked, was he being serious or was he making fun of her? 

“Umm... I do pay rent, but you can say that,” She answered, closing the door behind her and locked it, “Make yourself comfortable on the couch and I’ll make some tea.” 

That got his attention, “You like tea?” 

That question made her chuckle, breaking the uneasiness that bubbled within her, “Not really at first but I read that drinking tea help with anxiety. With my line of work, I needed it, I have chamomile, peppermint and green tea.” 

“Green tea is nice.” 

Onyx took the kettle that was on the hot plate and filled it with water before putting it on the hot plate. She turned it on and took out two black mugs from the cupboard above small sink. Orion made himself comfy on the floor couch, he reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out the pictures of the fireworks. He stretched his back, and he looked at the ceiling, it was there that he saw little plastic stars. 

“What are those?” He asked, noticing that the plastic stars were arranged in certain shapes. 

She looked up and then blushed, “Eep! Oh... well.... I uh...” 

The kettle whistled and shed poured the hot water on the mugs that had green tea bags in them. 

“I know it’s silly,” Onyx mumbled with a pout, “I always wanted to see the stars, but I can’t afford a projector, so I decided to use glow in the dark stars.” 

Orion opened his mouth to say that projectors weren’t that expensive until he remembered that unlike him who was born into wealth and privilege, Onyx didn’t have the luxury of using her paycheck for needless spending.  

So, he looked up at the ceiling again, “Did you shape those into the constellations?” 

Placing the mugs on the coffee table, Onyx sat next to him and a good distance, hoping he wouldn't notice her blush, “Yeah! You know that it’s always daytime here so the chances of me seeing stars in real life are slim to none.” 

Orion noticed the distance and scooted a bit closer, “Have you ever considered moving?” 

A huff escaped her lips, “I wish but it’s hard to find a place that has the perks this place has in the other rings.  I’m just a mutt to them.” 

“It’s stupid...” 

That earned a small smile, and she looked up at her crude attempts of making a starry sky, “Thanks. You really aren’t like your family.” 

“You can thank Blitzø for that.” 

“Who's that?” 

“My dad’s friend, childhood friend actually,” Orion answered, “He’s an imp and I’ve known him my whole life. Seeing how he gets treated because of that made me and my sister decide to never treat imps and hellhounds like garbage.” 

Onyx smiled and then Orion pointed at a shape that was at the center of the many shapes. 

“You like the Gemini constellation?” 

She nodded, “I’m a Gemini so I wanted to look at it before I go to bed,” 

Orion’s eyes widened and he looked at her, he was a Leo. Out of curiosity a long time ago, he read about the compatibility between zodiacs. The Leo and Gemini zodiacs were known to be compatible. 

Was it a sign? 

He shook his head, no way. 

“I wish I could see the stars.” 

That snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“Huh?” 

Onyx blushed when she noticed how close they were and took a sip from her tea, “Nothing. Just saying dumb stuff.” 

“You... want to see the stars?” Orion asked, his heart was pounding, and he fought the blush that wanted to appear on his white cheeks. 

The hellhound nodded, “Yeah... I do. But I have a plan, I’m saving my vacation time so I can take a trip to Pride city, I heard that you can at least see some stars there.” 

“.... You can but...” 

“Hm?” Onyx looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

Orion cleared his throat, “What if... I show you the real thing?” 

With a smile, he raised his right hand, a fuchsia glow was there and opened a whole into space. Onyx was greeted with the majestic beauty of space, the sight of it made her almost drop her with a gasp. 

“Wow!” was her only word. 

Seeing her look of awe made Orion feel happy. 

“Do you... want to see it up close?” 

Onyx snapped her head at him, “You can do that?” 

He nodded, “Do you think we just open a hole into space and just look at it?” 

“Uhh....” She didn’t want to answer that she did think that. 

Orion stood up and looked at the sky, “I can show you the stars if you want. They very stars you loved for a long time.” 

Onyx gulped and looked up at the galaxy, “.... Is it safe? What if I can’t breathe?” 

“Don’t worry,” The prince said with a so, “With my magic, anyone I bring will be unharmed.” 

Orion stretched out his hand, “Do you trust me?” 

Onyx looked at his hand and then at him before she smiled, “Yeah...” 

She took his hand, and he helped her up. Pulling her close, Orion wrapped his arms around her waist and Onyx clutched the front of the boy’s shirt with a blush. 

“Hold on.” 

With practiced ease, the young flew into the portal making Onyx yelp in surprise. She closed her eyes in response because this was all incredibly new to her. 

“Open your eyes Onyx, it’s okay.” 

With a gulp, she did and gasped when she was greeted by the lovely shades of the cosmos. The stars twinkled and the emission nebulas only added to the beauty. 

“Is this... real?” Onyx asked, hoping this wasn’t a dream. 

Orion’s arms gently tightened around her, “It’s very real Onyx. This is my world, the world I've always known.” 

The hellhound held on to him, scared that she might fall, “It’s beautiful!” 

With a chuckle, something she felt in his chest, Orion whispered softly, “I’ll show you more.” 

And with gentle ease, he flew them through the vast space, something he had done countless times before but never with anyone else. Orion made sure that Onyx was secured in his arms and showed her the planets and the milky way. The girl was in deep awe, she only ever seen the stars in books and because she lived in a place with endless day, it only made her chances duller. But now, Onyx was looking at them, real stars and with someone she met by chance. She could only hope that Orion didn’t think she was using him just so she could see the stars.  

Orion flew to an asteroid and sat down, Onyx was now sitting on his lap. 

“Wow! Just wow!” the excitement was clear in her voice, “I never thought I... I mean... you didn’t have too... I uh...” 

He looked down and brushed a lock of her hair from her face, “I wanted to show you. I never met anyone who had such deep appreciation for the stars as much as I, my sister or even my dad as much as you do. I want to show you more, if you’ll let me.” 

Onyx smiled, her tail wagging and she leaned against Orion’s chest. She could smell the sandalwood and vanilla scent from his preening oil and the warmth of his body felt nice. Orion let out a happy trill as he held the hellhound close, his head resting on her soft hair, and he slowly moved his hand to hold hers. Their fingers interlaced and the silence of space soothed them. 

X 

Orion fell back on his four poster bed with a big smile on his face, he felt unbelievably happy right now. He felt as if he could jumped out the window and fly away. He had just come home after hanging out with Onyx, and he had a dopy smile the whole time.  

Octavia saw it and knew something happened, she was sitting at the foot of the bed. 

“Soooooo, what happened?” She asked with a smirk, she had to hear this. 

The younger twin was still in happy land when he finally answered, “I showed Onyx the stars! She loved it!” 

“You showed her the stars?” that surprised her because they were very private about their spells. 

“I did, dad did say that we could use that spell whenever we wanted. And I wanted to show Onyx the stars.” 

With a smile Octavia crawled up the bed and laid next to her brother, something she used to do when they were little, “Well I’m glad for you.” 

He chuckled and laid on his side, resting his head on his hand, “It’s not completely official Via but she was open to the idea of a relationship. She wants to weigh her options.” 

“Why?” Octavia didn’t understand, she could see that her brother was absolutely smitten with the hellhound he met at Stylish Occult, and she saw that the feeling was mutual, so why? 

“Because Via, I’m a Goetian prince and she’s a hellhound,” Orion turned on his back and looked at the illusion of the cosmos on his ceiling, suddenly preferring the rudimentary display of Onyx’s glow in the dark stars, “ We can easily say that we don’t care about the whole social status and all that bullshit but the others? Mother already says that we’re useless as dad, what would she think if she found out that one of her meal tickets is love with a ‘plebian’?” 

Octavia sighed and turned on her back to look at the illusion, “You have a point Rion. Sure, daddy has Blitzø but it’s so complicated with those two right now. The feelings are there but they won’t do anything. And what does mother know anyway? Her one true love is daddy’s money.” 

“Exactly, so don’t tell anyone Via.”