Axel and Brody closed the front door. After what felt like an eternity, Danny and Octavia finally finished greeting all the guests who entered the grand ballroom. To be frank, after talking to the Morningstar family, everyone else was much easier to talk to in comparison. Each royal invitee walked forward, offering their typical well-wishes and gifts to Octavia. She did her best to handle the social obligation properly, but Danny noticed at times that she strained a smile when a particularly rude royal family came. To the birthday girl, it was exhausting.

On the other hand, Danny simply nodded politely and smiled occasionally, not wanting to cause his friend any undue stress.

Once the final guest was seated, Octavia let out a soft sigh. She turned to Danny. "Well, that's over with," she muttered.

Danny chuckled lightly, nudging her with his elbow. "You looked like you were about to strangle that last kid. The Raum family, was it?"

"Yeah... He was a total brat when I was forced to his birthday. Kept stealing my stuff." Octavia gave a reluctant glance toward the table where Stolas and Stella were already seated. It was near the head of the room alongside the Morningstar family. Clearly, her mother wanted to be seen in a good light with the King. She looked back at Danny, offering a quick shrug. "I'll catch up with you after the toast, okay?"

"Sure thing," Danny said with a smile.

With that, Octavia made her way toward her parents, who were mumbling at each other. She took a seat between her father and mother, and they immediately quieted.

Stolas sent her a thankful glance while Stella rolled her eyes. Octavia was used to it by now.

Meanwhile, one of the waitstaff directed Danny to another table near the far end of the ballroom. Due to the other reserved seats, Stella decided to place the boy with the other children whose parents either didn't want them seated at their side or didn't want to deal with the responsibility of watching them throughout the evening. The group around the table was a mix of awkward, bored, or mischievous-looking kids. The ballroom quieted as the final guests took their seats.

Danny sat down and glanced around the table. A snake-like demon child gave him a curious look, while a young lynx boy was already fidgeting with the cutlery, clearly not thrilled to be here.

Before any conversation could spark up between the children, a loud chime rang throughout the ballroom.

Stolas and Stella rose from their seats, drawing the attention of all present. All heads turned toward them and quieted. Stolas held a glass of deep red wine in his hand, and Stella held her own glass of champagne.

Stolas raised his glass. "Ladies and gentlemen, we gather tonight to celebrate a very special occasion: the birthday of my beloved daughter, Octavia. She brought us more joy than I could imagine."

The room gave a polite applause toward the girl.

Octavia expressed a shy smile but was grateful nonetheless.

Stella chimed in. "Let us extend our deepest gratitude to the Morningstar family for their presence today."

Lucifer offered a charming smile while Lilith nodded gracefully. Charlie waved cheerfully at the birthday girl.

Stella bowed. "Tonight, we also affirm our relations as one of Hell's most distinguished families. We all have a legacy and a standard to uphold."

There was a murmur of agreement.

Stolas lifted his glass higher, prompting the room to follow suit. "May this year bring her happiness. May her light continue to shine brightly in our lives."

Stella raised her glass. "To Octavia."

The room echoed with "To Octavia!" as everyone raised their glasses in unison, clinked, and sipped their drinks.

Danny raised his glass of juice at his table of misfits and glanced at Octavia. She smiled back, a little red from the attention.

The servants moved through the room as the glasses went down, bringing out the first course of appetizers.

Danny watched as the table was served a mix of familiar and bizarre foods.

On one side, there were demon crab claws drizzled with spiced hellfire sauce, slivers of shadow fruit served with a side of abyssal cheese, and blackened soul scallops garnished with edible obsidian shards. Adults nearby called it Hell's finest.

He picked up a fork and tentatively tried a bite of the deshelled crab. It wasn't that bad. Maybe it was an effect of the Polymorph, but he shrugged. Thankfully, there were plates of caviar, pork, beef, and freshly baked bread rolls. After finishing his crab, he went for the meat. The steak was rich, perfectly seasoned, and surprisingly tender. 'Way better than those steakhouses Dad likes to go to.'

As he reached for a bread roll, he caught sight of something that made him pause—a kebab lined with roasted mice. His eyes widened, and he blinked in disbelief. Are those seriously mice?

Danny's brow furrowed as he watched one of the kids, who had a snake-like lower body, happily crunch down on the skewers without hesitation.

Danny kept to himself as he listened to the idle chatter around him. It wasn't that much different from lunchtime at school. It was mostly about the birthday party and who was wearing the best outfit. Danny picked at his bread roll, only half-listening, when another demon child, this one with bird-like features like himself, piped up from across the table. "You should try the mice at least once."

"Yeah," the snake kid chimed in. "They're fresh..."

Danny laughed nervously. "Uh..." Well, he was part bird demon now. That had to count for something. Slowly, he picked up a kebab and bit into it with his beak. Upon the first bite, he blinked. "Huh..." He chewed again before taking another bite. "Not bad."

"Told you."

#

As the demons finished up the first course of food, Stolas stood up and walked to the front of the room, where a small stage was set up. He held a microphone, and with a clearing of his throat, the chatter of the crowd hushed. "Ladies and gentlemen, before we indulge further in tonight's festivities, I had planned several special somethings for the occasion."

On the side, Stella pressed a hand to her face. "Oh no..."

Meanwhile, the others were intrigued.

Stolas smiled. "You see, I initially intended to rent out the Loo Loo Land's Robo Fizzarolli from the Greed Ring for tonight's entertainment. My daughter absolutely loved Loo Loo Land. She would cry such tears of joy at the circus show!"

"Oh no..." At the mention of Robotic Fizzarolli, Octavia visibly tensed. She could feel the blood drain from her paling face as old memories came flooding back.

She still remembered that day. She was in a neon-lit circus tent. Imp children who were all too eager to shove her pushed her to the edge of the stage. The air smelled of fried snacks and metallic grease as the larger-than-life robotic clown cackled above her, sparking. Its hollow, mechanical eyes glowed, staring directly into her soul.

The excited squeals of the other children drowned out her whimpers as the Robo Fizz loomed closer. Octavia trembled in the crowd, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She hated that clown.

#

Unseen by others in the room, the Morningstars seemed to brighten at the prospect. Lucifer loved attending the mortal circus during his time on Earth away from Hell. It celebrated the strange and weird while putting on a show. It was so great that he brought the idea to Hell. Earth's circus ringmasters inspired part of his current outfit. It helped give him an air of pizzaz. However, Lucifer rolled his eyes at the mention of Mamon's theme park. The King of Hell would never understand why he allowed his fellow Sin to make what is basically a rip-off of his far more famous and popular Lu Lu World. Lu Lu World was one of the few times he could place his creations in the rings. In this case, it was for him to take his daughter out and have fun. He specifically made sure that the entertainment there was fair. Otherwise, the kids wouldn't have fun. Only a select few sinners were allowed in his park. In contrast, Mamon paid no concern to how the stalls scammed the attendants. All that mattered was that he made money. Still, he had met the original Fizzarolli, which the robots were based on. He seemed nice. Hung out with Ozzie a lot in his ring. They keep denying that they're dating, but Lucifer knows love when he sees it.

#

Oblivious to Octavia's inner trauma, Stolas continued. "Unfortunately, due to an altercation with a clown co-worker on-site, he was sent in for repairs and was unavailable." Additionally, any replacement Fizzies wouldn't be ready in time, and the original Fizzarolli was unavailable for bookings today. He waved a hand dismissively. "But fear not, dear guests, for I have decided to step in as tonight's ringmaster!"

Octavia blinked back to reality. "Huh..."

Stella narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Danny grinned. This is what they were preparing for the past month.

Stolas gave a grand, theatrical bow, clearly enjoying himself. "After all, I've seen enough circus performances over the years to have picked up a thing or two."

He thought back to his father, Paimon, taking him to a circus. His first time at the circus was spoiled by the news of his engagement, which had left him brooding and bitter. Still, what had turned the day around wasn't the circus itself. It was the imp he'd met there. Stolas' lips curled slightly as he recalled Blitzo. There was something about him that caught his interest. Apparently, his father noticed and decided to rent out the imp for a playdate. Blitze was so much different from the high-society affair. His first friend taught him how to have reckless fun for the first time ever. Granted, Blitzo had stolen much of his father's treasures at the time, but Stolas didn't care. Those were easily replaced.

The imp had opened the proverbial door beyond the rigid expectations of his royal upbringing. While he still cared for his books and scholarly nature, he soon learned to appreciate living without a filter. He hadn't seen Blitzo since. After realizing his home was robbed, Paimon had banned him from seeing the imp again, yet that brief friendship left a lasting impression on Stolas.

He snapped back to the present and continued speaking. "Tonight, we will bring that same excitement to you all."

Octavia seemed to have calmed down a bit after hearing that Robo Fizz wasn't coming.

Stolas turned to Danny, who gave him two thumbs up and encouragement.

"And now," Stolas said, clapping his hands together, "without further ado, let the festivities begin!"

The crowd applauded politely, excited. The lights in the room dimmed. The next thing the crowd heard were chants and a drum beat.

#

AN: Special thanks to Seana, Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, OmegaDelta, Henry Stickman, fearmegu, Kitsune Robyn, Salo Guzman, Traiton Moses, SonicSonicsSonic, KA012, Monkey, Tapion, Roger Cornejo, Dragon lord, JJsouza09, Alexander SegreLaw, Red Rasher, I am lord dems, Ajax Roranson, and trey hill!

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