POV Octavia
More shouting in the house. Father came by "to see his daughter" again, and again I won't even see him today because of Mother... Not that I'm against it...
When Dad was on trial... When he was walking to the chopping block, ready to give his life for that imp, I felt two emotions at once—a chilling resentment and a primal fear. I was sad that Dad would be killed. I love him... loved him. And I never wanted anything like that to happen to him. I wanted Dad to always be here. I knew he'd actually do anything to protect me, but... that night, he chose him. He abandoned Mother, abandoned me, and stormed off to that damned trial, ready to give his life! He abandoned me, and because of that I... I don't know, broke, maybe?
Father swore he would stay with me, no matter what, that he would be by my side and always protect me, and after that he just... abandoned me...
It hurt. It hurt like hell, and it was disgusting. So much so that I didn't want to live, and only Mother, always so cold and distant, was able to calm me down. I cried all night in her arms until I found out from Uncle Andrealphus that Dad wasn't executed, but "just assigned a psychologist and told to fuck off"...
Only then was I finally able to calm down and go to sleep. After apologizing to Mother for my behavior, I went back to my room and lay there motionless until morning, until my body shut down from the stress...
It wasn't until the next day, when I woke up, that I could think straight and texted Loona. We ended up talking for a total of twelve hours that day...
Finding out what happened there firsthand was much more interesting and reliable than relying on the picture they showed on TV. It's just a shame that Loona found out about the Archangel's arrival at the trial from the same TV... unlike Dad...
To be honest, talking with the hellhound, I even felt a little ashamed that I only worried about my father that day and completely forgot about my friend. Even though I saw the broadcast after she'd already been taken away, I found the recording later! And I didn't text her right away, I just cried all evening... Oh, Lucifer, that sounds so awful. I want to sink into the ground from shame...
Once again, the shouting in the house dies down—which means Father has been successfully driven away again. I go to the window and pull back the heavy blue curtain just a bit. Here, in Uncle Andrealphus's castle, everything was in blue, cold tones. Unfamiliar, but beautiful in its own way. There's Dad's figure. Walking with his head down, just like yesterday, and the day before...
And again, conflicting feelings. On the one hand, I'd like to turn everything back to how it was, to spend time with him again, to feel his support again, but... he made his choice. When that imp's fate was being decided, he rushed there and personally took all the blame, thereby simply abandoning me... I... it hurts to remember my feelings at that moment, but anger was definitely there, and it still remains—pain and resentment that he chose his "loved one" over his own daughter. Pain and resentment because he betrayed me, deceived me... Maybe I'll forgive him, but... not now. Not right after he so easily cast aside all his promises...
He stops at the gate again, as always, turns around, and searches the windows for my silhouette, with that pitiful expression on his face... It's enraging!
I slam the curtain shut and hurl my plush owl at the wall with all my might. It's enraging! He abandoned me, so why is he acting like... whatever it is he's acting like? Mom and I left the castle, so bring your damn imp over and live there however you want!
I fall onto the bed, burying my face in the soft, cool pillow. I'm so tired of all this: Mom spends all her time with her friends, telling everyone what an "impotent loser" Father is. Father himself is a complete idiot who abandoned me. And I... all I can do is listen to depressing crap and occasionally talk to Loona, who, after that trial (which became pretty good advertising for their company), now has a ton of work...
Baal... He still isn't answering, even though he's online. And it's been like this ever since we... after drinking a little, started hitting on him... Oh, I'm so embarrassed! Why did I even decide to argue with that cunning hellhound? Oh, Lucifer, why?
Yes, Heaven has been influencing Hell a lot lately, and I'm sure Grandpa is not happy about it. But after that time, when we, in a drunken stupor... well, after Baal somehow transported us to Heaven, I read quite a few books about Heaven. I even found some textbook or something, written by Lucifer himself, which explained the "model and social structure of Heaven's society." Basically, it explained how heavenly society is organized, what relationships are established between angels and its institutions, and on what principles it functions. That was probably the most interesting thing I could find. It described the relationships between angels, exorcists (who were classified as a separate "caste"), and many other inhabitants of Heaven. From all this, it turned out that Baal simply could NOT physically be a demon, because "no inhabitant of Heaven can contain a demonic essence." Which means no demon could be in their "upper echelon." And the exorcists' inaction that day could only be explained by the great authority and enormous trust placed in whoever brought two demons to Heaven.
Loona and I made a lot of guesses. No, scratch that, a LOT. However, we came up with no more than a dozen suitable candidates, like Adam's sons or a couple of Seraphim... In any case, Baal's age turned out to be extremely... old, compared to ours. Which, by the way, isn't a big deal in Hell or Heaven, but it's still unsettling...
In reality, our investigation hit a dead end a long time ago, and we were just guessing based on images of angels, because we just had no other options. Or rather, we didn't until recently. But a couple of days ago, I remembered that Father... also spoke with Baal a little, and he has access to the highest circles of Hell, so he might know something more. Plus, Loona was curious to know what exactly happened after they were kicked out of the courtroom... On the one hand, it was the last lead we had. But on the other... I didn't want to see him. Not now. Not right after he abandoned me... But I couldn't just sit and do nothing anymore. I was literally drawn to this idea, and the daily idleness had gotten so bad I wanted to climb the walls. Having made up my mind and sighing heavily, I took out my phone and dialed my friend's number...
POV Loona
"Dad, get off."
"You called me 'Dad' again! Aww, my little cutie, come to Daddy's arms!"
It's been like this for a whole week... Work has piled up significantly, but Blitzo still manages to find time for... well, this! Fuck. As soon as his owl buddy isn't around, he's all over me! Petting me, saying all sorts of cutesy crap... It's enraging! I'm an adult hellhound, and I've told him that a million times! But that... idiot just ignores everything I say! Oh, Satan, how I want to get out of here, just for a couple of days... or better yet, a week! This isn't a job, it's a fucking circus!
At that very moment, my phone rang. Blitzo immediately fucked off toward his office. Well, at least that got him off me... It was Via. I've actually managed to become pretty good friends with this owlet. And... while I couldn't pour my heart out to anyone before, now I finally had
someone I could cry to and get support in return, not harassment and attempts to drag me to bed. Fuck imps! Especially the "cool guys," they're the most F-ed up assholes!
"Sup, what's up?" I ask lazily, answering the phone. Yesterday, we bullshitted for an hour, mostly about her father. I don't mind listening to my friend's problems and supporting her, of course, but I think she's a little too fixated on it. Sure, her dad isn't perfect, but many can only dream of a dad like that. And I don't hold any grudge against him. After all, with that act, he ended up saving Blitzo...
"Hey. Am I interrupting?" Octavia's thoughtful, but noticeably determined, voice came through the phone. What's she planning?
"Nah, I'm free for now. So what's up?"
"I think our last option for finding Baal is my father. He has to know much more than we do. So... I'd like to meet with him, but on my own... I'm... I'm nervous..."
"Oh... damn... Half an hour, by that alley where we first met?"
"Deal. See you there!" my friend replied and immediately hung up. Mph... well, at least I'll get away from my annoying daddy-boss for a while...
Third-Person POV
Loona arrived first. She stood leaning against the shabby brick wall, lazily scrolling through her phone. The alley was as dirty and smelly as ever. But now it lacked that subtle magic, that sense of presence she had felt that evening. Being a hellhound comes with many surprises, pleasant and otherwise.
Octavia appeared a few minutes later, moving with a grace unusual for these slums. Seeing Loona, she smiled warmly, and the hellhound, putting her phone away, smiled back. The girls hugged—tightly, like true friends who had found support in each other in this insane world. After brief greetings and the owlet's story of her escape from the castle, the girls finally got down to business.
"Empty," Loona stated, scanning the alley. "Absolutely nothing."
"Yeah," Octavia agreed quietly. "I thought so. Should we go to my father's?"
On the way to the Goetia palace, they walked in silence, but it was clear the owlet was nervous, as she kept glancing at the hellhound. But Loona ignored the glances, waiting to see if Octavia would decide to voice what was bothering her.
Finally, Octavia couldn't stand it. "I'm scared, Loona," she admitted. "And I'm still angry at him. But most of all... I'm hurt. Hurt that he broke his promise so easily."
"I get it," Loona nodded, bumping her shoulder. "But he's your dad. And he almost died. I think he's figured out a lot, too. By the way, I ran away today, too."
Octavia looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"From work. Blitzo's being annoying," Loona snorted. "So, we're both on the run today."
They both laughed, and the tension eased a bit. But the closer they got to the huge, majestic castle, the slower Octavia's steps became. At the very gates, she stopped, her resolve seeming to evaporate.
"Maybe we shouldn't?" she whispered. "This is a stupid idea."
"Hey," Loona took her hand. "We're already here. You're strong, Via. You can handle this. And I'll be right here, so don't worry."
Octavia took a deep breath, nodded, and pressed the buzzer. After an agonizingly long minute, the gates swung open, and Stolas himself appeared on the threshold. He was disheveled, dressed in a house robe, and at the sight of his daughter, his eyes filled with tears.
"Octavia! My owlet!" he rushed to her. "Forgive me! Forgive me, I was such an idiot! I almost lost you, and only then did I realize... I don't want to lose you! I'm sorry!"
Octavia recoiled and looked away. Seeing her father in this state was... Not very pleasant for her, nor was the realization that he was like this partly because of her coldness.
"Dad... I... I can't. I can't just forgive you yet. I was in a lot of pain," she said honestly.
"I know. And I'm glad you came. I'm just glad to see you," he looked at Loona and nodded. "Please, come in."
Inside the castle, it was quiet and empty. An obsequious imp poured tea into cups, and the three of them sat down at the table in the living room. "Since you didn't come to listen to my apologies, what brings you to me?" Stolas asked gently, taking a sip.
"We're looking for information. About Baal," Octavia said directly.
Stolas choked on his tea, coughing so hard his feathers ruffled. When the fit passed, he looked at his daughter with alarm. "Why do you need him?"
"That's none of your business," Octavia cut him off, still with resentment in her voice. "If you won't say anything, we'll leave."
Stolas sighed heavily. "I'm not sure I have the right to say this... but... Baal was officially recognized as the son of the Seven Deadly Sins."
The girls exchanged shocked glances. "What?!" they exclaimed in unison.
"That's not all," Stolas continued, lowering his voice. "That day, in the courtroom, an angel saved me. Not just an angel, but Adam himself. The Progenitor of humanity, the Head of the Angelic Army. And after he decided my fate, he... he winked at me, and for a split second, his eyes turned black-and-red. Exactly like Baal's. I don't know for sure if it's him, but... That's all I know."
Octavia and Loona sat in complete shock. As they were leaving, Octavia held her gaze on her father longer than usual. He smiled at her, a faint, sad smile, and she returned it with one of her own.
After leaving the castle, the girls walked for a long time in silence, in no particular direction, processing what they had heard.
"Adam..." Loona finally breathed. "Fucking Adam? The same asshole who runs the Exterminations? No way!"
"But it explains everything!" Octavia picked up, her eyes burning with excitement. "His power! How he transported us to Heaven! Why the exorcists didn't touch us! Loona, it's him!"
"Okay, let's say you're right," Loona rubbed her temples. "But what does that get us? We can't just walk up to an Archangel."
They stopped in the middle of the street. Loona pulled out her phone. "Let's try a different way. Now that we know where to dig, let's just search online, using keywords, maybe we'll find something... 'Adam,' 'Hell,' 'news'."
Several hours passed. The demonesses were sitting in some cheap dive, scrolling through Hell's news sites. And finally, they found it. First—a fresh story, published just a couple of hours ago. The headline read: "SENSATION! ARCHANGEL ADAM TAKES OVER BAR IN PENTAGRAM CITY! KING LUCIFER AND LORD VON ELDRITCH ARRIVE FOR NEGOTIATIONS!". And under the headline—a clear photograph. It showed Adam, leaving the bar in the company of Lucifer and Frederick.
After that, the girls started searching for information related to Lucifer and his family, and they found an old, blurry photo, taken by some paparazzi several months ago. It captured Baal entering the doors of the "Hazbin Hotel." There was no mention of Adam in that news story, but if Adam really is him...
"He's connected to the royal family," Octavia whispered. "He was 'recognized as the son of the Sins,' he meets with Lucifer... The Hotel! He was at the hotel!"
"Then that's where we're going," Loona said decisively. "Going straight to Lucifer is above our pay grade. But to his daughter... you're an aristocrat too, and she opened a public establishment. They shouldn't kick us out... I think..."
The friends looked at each other. Their eyes held a common goal. They would find him. And they would get their answers.