Danny's Demons Chapter 14 (Early Preview) (Patreon)

Chapter 14: Gossip Column

Octavia finally got a chance to sit with her father and Danny. Her mother decided to talk to some friends across the room.

Octavia's eyes sparkled. "Thanks again, Dad. Danny. I loved all of it. Really. I didn't expect that at all."

Stolas beamed. "Again, I'm so glad you liked it, my dear. We wanted to make this day extra special for you."

Danny smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about hiding this from you for the past month. We wanted it to be a big surprise."

Octavia chuckled softly. "You practiced when I wasn't around. I won't lie and say it didn't sting to hear about it being a secret, but the results speak for themselves. I don't blame you." Her eyes shifted to Danny. "You never mentioned anything about dancing before. Was that another secret from me?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you believe me if I said this was my first performance?"

She gaped. "No way?!"

Stolas chuckled. "Indeed. We practiced whenever possible, especially when you were busy with your other studies. Sometimes late at night or when you were out with your mother."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, Stolas kept his promise of making me a Renaissance man. We set aside the science lessons for singing and dancing. He's been really good. His magic helped with training, but I guess I picked it up faster than I thought."

Octavia nudged Danny lightly. "I would have never guessed."

Stolas nodded. "Danny even suggested some of the choreography himself."

Octavia's eyes widened. "You came up with some of it?" 

Danny shrugged. "That's a strong word. It's more like I took inspiration from other movies and videos online."

"I couldn't have done so myself. I prefer my information analog for the most part." Stolas chuckled. 

Octavia's heart swelled. "It makes it even more special knowing how much work you put into it."

Danny blushed slightly under her praise. "I'm glad you think so. I was kinda nervous about it, to be honest."

"Really? You didn't seem nervous at all," Octavia said, genuinely surprised.

"Are you kidding? My heart felt like it would pop out as I was performing," Danny said.

Stolas patted him on the back. "It's always like that the first few times. You'll get used to it on the next one?"

Octavia smirked. "Next one?"

Stolas coughed and crossed his arms, not wanting to spoil Danny's personal gift directly. "What? Did you think we were going to stop at this one? You're wrong."

She smiled warmly at them both. "So far, this is honestly the best birthday I've ever had."

Stolas's eyes softened. "That's all I ever wanted to hear, my dear. And it'll only get better as the night goes on."

Before Danny could respond, a voice called out. "Stolas, darling! A moment, if you will."

Stolas turned to see a demon royal approaching them with an air of entitlement. It was clear that whatever this was, it wasn't something Stolas could easily brush off.

"Ah, of course," Stolas said reluctantly. He turned back to Octavia and Danny with an apologetic smile. "I have to take care of this."

Octavia waved him off. "It's okay, Dad. We'll be fine."

With a nod, the demon led Stolas away, already diving into whatever topic was on their mind. 

Danny watched him leave. "Well, looks like we can finally talk again."

"How have the other guests been treating you?"

"The kid's table I was at seemed okay."

"Yeah. Most parents put the kids they don't want to deal with at that table."

"Really? They didn't seem that bad. A bit messy, but okay."

"Exactly. Their parents don't want them to make them look bad next to them. It's mostly just showing face coming here."

"That sucks."

"Yea… So," Octavia began, curious, "I saw you talking with Princess Charlie earlier. What did you two talk about?"

Danny perked up, scratching the back of his head. He still had to hide the next surprise. "Oh, yeah. Princess Charlie was something else. Not what I expected. Much kinder. She was a bit curious about meeting me after the show. She asked a few questions about myself here and there."

"Many royals say that when they talk to her long enough." Octavia frowned. "Should I be concerned she knows the truth?"

He blinked. "No… I think we're good. She was more interested in my connection with Stolas. I also asked about her parents."

"I'm still surprised not as many people know about Lilith as Lucifer on Earth."

He shrugged. "I guess belief in her isn't as popular. In any case, Charlie seems to love them and them back."

Octavia's lips thinned. "Wish I had that…"

"You're Dad's a good guy."

"And my mom?"

"… From what I've heard around. She can be… cold."

She sighed. "Right…"

"On a lighter note, the Princess seems to have this big project in the works."

"Oh, what kind?" 

"We were talking about… well, her idea. She's got this big plan to open a hotel here in Hell." 

Octavia raised a brow. "Uh, why?"

"It's supposed to help sinners, like, redeem themselves. You know, a way for them to get out of Hell and into Heaven."

Octavia blinked. "A hotel… for redemption?"

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "I didn't really get it at first either, but she's serious about it." 

"Aren't sinners sent to Hell for a reason? You know, because they were bad?"

"She thinks that sinners can, like, change or something. If they work hard enough, they could earn their way out of here."

"That's a thing?" Octavia frowned. "How is it supposed to work? Has it ever happened before?"

"I asked that too, but she didn't have an answer for that yet. I thought it might have happened before, but I may be wrong."

"Sounds pretty impossible?"

Danny shrugged. "Charlie's pretty convinced that it could work. She seemed really passionate about it."

Octavia crossed her arms. "It's not that I don't think she means well, but why? Lucifer never did anything about it before."

Danny put a hand to his chin. "She said that she didn't want to keep seeing her people suffer every year. Overpopulation affects Earth and Hell. I guess 'Hell is other people' is true in some way."

Octavia's eyes widened, knowing the real reason the Princess saw the sinners suffering. She and Stolas hadn't told Danny about THAT yet, had they? "Yeah… Sure…” She coughed. "Well, if they were bad in life, why give them a second chance? Doesn't that defeat the whole point of Hell?"

"I don't know," Danny admitted. "Then again, eternal punishment can seem like overkill. Crime and punishment and all that."

Octavia sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not really one to question the Princess. If she thinks this will help, I guess there's no harm in trying. In any case, I don't think most demons here are going to care much about sinners getting out of Hell."

Octavia grabbed his hand. "Come on. Let's see the other kids."

#

Stella continued to watch Stolas. He was sharing stories with a group of younger demons.

Stella sneered, and she leaned in closer to her friends. "Can you believe him? Parading around like some sort of... circus performer. It's embarrassing." At least young Daniel had the excuse of acting like a child because he was a child. Granted, the boy and her husband earned points from Lucifer, for what it's worth. She could overlook it for the boy.

The other demoness shrugged. "I don't know. Lucifer and most of the guests seemed to like it, so he must have been doing something right." She didn't want to admit that she was also enjoying herself during the show.

Stella scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Be that as it may, a proper man, a proper prince, should be commanding and strong, not flitting about in ridiculous costumes like some... entertainer."

The other demon in their group smirked. "To be fair, Stolas is emulating the King of Hell a bit. Both have a flair for the dramatic, don't they? They even had the same ringmaster aesthetic for a while. Not exactly what you'd call... manly in the conventional sense."

Stella rolled her eyes with irritation. "I know.  That's one of the things I loathe about Lucifer. Stolas needs to be more like Satan. At least he knows how to run a tight ship. He even runs a successful business across the rings. He knows how to take charge and make people submit. And that body... oh my Satan, you could grind meat on th--" She paused as she turned back to her staring friends.  

"Honey, relax..."

Stella cleared her throat. "Right... Where was I?"

"Your husband..."

"Yes... Stolas... Where's the dignity? The authority? I know it's for our daughter, but he could have easily hired someone else to be part of the act."

Her friend raised a brow. "Didn't he try to get one of those Fizzaroli toys, but he was unavailable."

Stella growled. "Don't interrupt me when I'm venting."

"Sorry…"

"And yet here he is, twirling around like a court fool." She shook her head. "I've had to put up with this nonsense for years. Growing up, my parents promised me a proper royal husband, and this is what I got."

The other demons exchanged glances. "At that point, you have no one but your parents to blame for not finding one that fits your personal preference. Not everyone in Hell is gonna be your ideal match. I mean, have you seen your brother and those texts he sends your way sometimes?"

Stella shot her a withering look. "Don't remind me. I have the right mind to bash his head in the next time he makes that tone with me. I swear, he should have never gotten a hold of that book on Earth royalty and how they 'kept the bloodline pure.' At least the first demon families had an excuse. There were limited options, unlike now." She sighed. "Regardless, he should at least be able to keep appearances to the public. We have an image to uphold."

"Yeah, you've told him on multiple occasions he needs to change."

"I've waited long enough for Stolas to finally man up," Stella began. "But clearly, he's not capable of doing that on his own."

"And what do you plan to do about it, darling?" the other friend asked, enjoying the drama.

Stella smirked. "If he doesn't act like a proper royal, then I'll have to force him to become one. I've given him too many chances to shape up. Now, I'll take matters into my own hands."

"And if he doesn't comply?"

Stella smiled. "Then I'll simply remind him what happens when royals forget their place. There are plenty of ways to make a man bend to your will—Stolas will learn that one way or another."