AshfromtheTree

Hi. I'm Ash, and I'm new here.

This blog will mainly be used to post things related to what I write about on Archive of Our Own.

I currently write fanfics for Five Nights at Freddy's, Resident Evil, and Greek Mythology. I may delve into other fandoms, but these are the current ones living rent-free in my brain.

My username on AO3 is AshoftheTree08.

One of the reasons I have been so distracted is that I've been working on a series that I would like to share. It involves the weddings of my favorite Hellaverse couples. Such will start off with Charlie and Vaggie. I had so much fun writing it I hope y'all have fun reading it.

I will admit that this was born out of a question I had. How would Lucifer react to the trial that happened in Mastermind? Since I wasn't sure if anyone had written such first, I thought I'd write my own answer. I hope y'all enjoy.

CW: kidnapping, near execution, mention of discrimination, brief mention of a historical execution.

Alastor really did not want to be at this current meeting for many reasons.

One was that he had things to do as the hotelier of the Hazbin Hotel.  Another was that he had gotten bored with the usual discussion of changes in things like territory and souls.  But the main reason was someone who finally thought he should grace his presence for the meeting.

The deer demon tried his best to ignore the TV-headed demon, who was trying to chat up some of the other overlords.  Thankfully, Rosie, Carmilla, and Zestial were not really paying attention to him.  

“And the ratings right before the Sinsmas holiday season have been through the roof!  Definitely the most impressive.”

“Weren’t one of these days interrupted by that trial thing?” Zeezi interjected.

“I wast genuinely surprised at which hour I hath heard our king wast not there for such an important trial,” Zestial added.

“Well, it mustn’t have been that important if Lucifer didn’t want to leave the hotel for such a thing,” Alastor interjected.  “He’s been quite busy helping the princess.”

“I imagine Satan was so salty that he made such an outrageous claim about our king,” Vox joked.

“What’s the claim?” Carmilla asked with a sigh.

“That he ruled Hell before our king fell from Heaven,” Vox stated before bursting out laughing.

This got a mix of looks from the other overlords.  Some found it slightly funny while others were serious about such a bold claim. 

Alastor himself found such fascinating.  

From Charlie’s book about the story of Hell, he knew that such was formed the minute he offered the forbidden fruit to Eve. Charlie also talked all about how her other relatives fought in her father’s defense before being cast out of Heaven themselves, the leader of which was Satan himself.  But since the war happened 10,000 years ago, it was likely Satan thought he could fool the ones in the courtroom.

It gave Alastor an idea.

“Say, old pal.  Do you have a recording of this trial?”

“Yes.  It was so entertaining that I could-”

Before the TV overlord could finish, he was suddenly grabbed and pulled out of his seat.  

“Alastor, where are you going with Vox?” Carmilla demanded.

“Sorry, but I need him for something very important.  I promise that at the next meeting, we’ll come nice and early—Au revoir,” Alastor said as he brought Vox to the end of the table.

“I hope you remember how to make it through shadow travel,” he whispered into his fellow overlord’s ear.

“What?” he asked before he saw the darkness surround him and Alastor.  

The Radio Demon welcomed such, allowing him and his companion to travel through the shadows to their destination.

XXXXXXX

Lucifer hummed a happy tune as he worked on some rubber ducks in his room.  After finally getting a picture of his favorite adopted siblings’ current love interests, he thought he should surprise them with their own rubber duckies.  

He was almost finished with Fizzarolli’s when a knock on the door came.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Dad.”

“Oh, come on in, Charlie.”

The door opened to reveal his daughter, who had given him a purpose for the first time in seven years.  

“What do you want to talk with me about?”

“Alastor is back early from the meeting and insists that you come down to the lobby,” Charlie explained.

Lucifer turned around, not wanting to think about the Radio overlord with whom he felt he had to compete for his daughter’s attention.  

“It’s crucial, Dad.  There was something that happened without your knowledge,” his daughter urged.  

“Whatever happened at the overlord meeting is probably no business of mine in the first place.  My main priorities are the other Sins and you,” Lucifer stated, finally looking back at his daughter.

“But it is about the other Sins.  Uncle Satan recently felt the need to broadcast a trial, and Alastor is saying he used such to spread lies about you,” Charlie cried out.

This got Lucifer’s attention immediately.

“What sort of lies?”

“Alastor and Vox refused to tell me.  They wanted to show it to us.”

“Vox?  Isn’t that the overlord he’s feuding with?”

“Yes, but Vox is the one with the trial recording.”

The king of Hell didn’t know what to expect.

On the one hand, he found trials boring. One of the reasons he had Satan study more on Hell’s laws was that he was pretty good at the prosecutor side of things.  Plus, Satan was quite interested in ensuring Hell’s form of justice prevailed.

On the other hand, if Satan had indeed used his power to spread false information about him, he had to be penalized.  With this in mind, he decided.

“Fine, I’ll watch the trial recording.  I just hope it won’t be too boring.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Charlie smiled before she held her hand out.  

He took it, and they walked out of the room and towards the elevator, ready to find out what the overlords wanted to show them.

When they reached the ground floor, the other hotel guests and staff were gathered around.  Niffty was the closest to Alastor and Vox, comfortably sitting on the former’s shoulder.  Husk, Angel Dust, and Cherri Bomb shared a couch.  As for Vaggie, she was sitting and waiting on the main couch.

“There you are, hun,” the former angel smiled, looking at her girlfriend.

“I hope you didn’t wait too long,” Charlie responded as she joined her partner on the couch.

“Alright, what exactly happened in this trial you want to show me?” Lucifer asked.

“This imp named Blitzo Buckzo was accused of stealing the grimoire of Stolas Goetia and using it to access the mortal realm illegally.  They even accused him of other crimes against Stolas,” Vox explained.  “They started filming just as he was being led to the executioner’s block.”

“Are you seriously wanting to show us an execution?” Husk asked.

“No, that is not why the trial is so talked about,” Vox reassured.

“Then why?” Cherri Bomb asked.

“You’ll soon see,” Alastor said.  

With that, Vox’s face disappeared from the screen, and they were shown the moment the trial was shown throughout the rings of Hell.

“Do you have any final words?” the voice of Satan boomed.  They then heard him say sarcastically, “We’ll pretend to care.”

Charlie wasn’t fond of such.  She knew her uncle embodied Wrath but felt that last comment was uncalled for.

“All I was trying to do was rise above the stupid fucking place you all forced us into!” the imp exclaimed, clearly irritated with everyone in the room.

This intrigued Angel Dust and Husk, who could relate to wanting more than their current positions in the afterlife.

They heard an unknown imp start speaking before the one called Blitz interrupted. 

“Moxxie, stop.”

The imp, presumably called Moxxie, continued speaking but it was too quiet for them to understand. 

“This big, red bitch never planned on hearing us out.  Just…Just take care of Loona for me.”

Vaggie’s mouth dropped, and Charlie’s eyes filled with tears.  

“He really cares about the Hellhound if he wants to ensure she’s taken care of after she’s gone,” Lucifer noted.

“No!  I can’t look, Millie!” the smaller of the male imps sobbed loudly.

As they put the chains on Blitz, holding him in place, Charlie started sniffling.  She buried her face into Vaggie, clearly not wanting to witness the imp being beheaded.  The moth took a deep breath, hating that they were going to harshly punish this individual without properly hearing him out.  It brought back memories that she wished would cease haunting her.  

The other Sinners frowned, knowing what it was like to be harshly judged and condemned for something they couldn’t control in life.  Alastor and Niffty looked at each other, clearly not liking the clear discrimination involved.

The audible whimpering from the Hellhound named Loona made Charlie cry harder.  Husk and Angel Dust’s fists clenched, for the court didn’t allow the loved ones of the imp the mercy of not having to witness this cruel act.  

“I love you guys,” the imp said before the axe came down.  

If it ended in Blitz being killed, everyone would’ve been absolutely devastated.  However, the only thing the axe cut was some feathers.

Everyone heard the gasps on the audio and gasped themselves when they saw why it was only feathers cut off.

“Stolas Goetia?” Charlie stated as she recognized whose feathers had been cut.

“The one the grimoire was stolen from?” Vaggie asked.

“Ugh, Stolas!” Blitz cried out from the recording, confirming Charlie’s assertion of who it was.  “Get your ass out of my face!”

Angel Dust was about to start snickering from such when Charlie’s wrathful uncle screamed, 

“What in Lucifer’s Hell is this?!”

“I’m about to explain everything in the only way I know how,” Stolas announced as he used his magic to break Blitz’s chains.  “Song!”

“Ugh!  No!” Vaggie moaned.

The others were focused on the random voice shouting, “Yes!  Yes!  Cantalo, baby!”

They then remained silent as they watched the owl Goetia begin singing.  

“I came down just as soon as I heard of the imp

Stood accused of a devilish crime

Could it be that a worm such as this half a brain

Could concoct such a plot so sublime?

Does this fool deserve the flame?

Or is someone else to blame?”

Everyone watched as Stolas made steps for him to address the judge directly.  Husk and Angel Dust frowned at the royal insulting the imp.

“Like who, you ask?

Some kind of mastermind

A mind behind the plan!”

The Goetia declared before disappearing in smoke.

“Some villain's grand design

To use the book

To breach the world of man!”

They saw he had appeared before fellow Goetic demons before disappearing again.

“Could he be roaming free?

Scheming more mastermindery?

Will he rest?”

Lucifer burst out laughing when Stolas knocked over Mammon’s block tower.  Charlie watched as the owl spoke to her other aunts and uncles before transforming into his complete demonic form.

“Woah!” Cherri Bomb exclaimed when she saw the giant black owl with red tips.

“Who knows what he may unleash-”

They heard the demonic owl sing before he returned to near the executioner’s block.

“Next, do you execute this little wretch?

Pat yourself on the back, close the case

Let this imp take the blame, take the fame

Let his name light a fire in the hearts of his race!”

This intrigued Alastor and Niffty, who knew Blitz’s current treatment was based on the type of demon he was.  Husk and Angel Dust wondered if Blitz’s death would’ve been considered martyrdom, primarily based on his last words.  Lucifer immediately frowned since he knew Satan would never even consider that.  He was all too happy to punish imps who stepped out of line.

“Why it's more than I can bear

I must make all of Hell aware!

Fuck it!

I am the mastermind, the hand that holds the strings!”

“Did this asshole not consider that this imp would be treated as his scapegoat?” Angel Dust exclaimed.

“No simple imp of mine could master the disaster

Oh it stings!

That you thought

You had caught the schemer of the schemes I wrought!

I confess!

It was me and I have no regrets!”

“Then why did they accuse Blitz of stealing Stolas' book?” Husk demanded.

“Maybe that frosty bird had something to do with it,” Cherri Bomb noted, recalling seeing the bird briefly. 

“Andrealphus,” Lucifer interjected.  “He and his father are the most arrogant Goetias I ever met.  Possibly wanted to punish the imp who motivated Stolas to divorce Stella, Andrealphus’ younger sister.”

Everyone else groaned or rolled their eyes about this moment they were watching all starting from someone being salty about a divorce.  Even Vox felt the need to break his silence by crying out, “For fuck’s sake!”

“I am the mastermind, the master of my fate!” Stolas continued.

Someone was about to comment when they heard Blitz shout, “I realized too late!”

“Sure as the stars have shined…” Stolas began before it being intermixed with Blitz’s pleas of 

“Don't give your life to clean my slate!”

This intrigued the others, who were wondering why Blitz would want to stop Stolas from defending him.

“You're my light!” Stolas declared.

“You're my heart!” Blitz said in response as tears streamed down.

“Only death can rend our love apart!” the two declared.

Charlie was awed by the two's confession to loving each other. However, the others weren’t wholly convinced, mainly because of Stolas’ previous words.  Even Lucifer raised an eyebrow at Stolas saying such, possibly wondering if it was only to comfort the imp he nearly had sent to death.

Everyone in the lobby sat up straight as they heard the Sin of Wrath laugh at this display.

“Well, isn't that adorable?  We have been betrayed by one of our own—a Goetic demon.  Your hubris has gotten the better of you, Prince Stolas.”

Lucifer had to agree with his fellow Sin that what Stolas did was hubristic.

“I am the mastermind, and here I am the law,” Satan sang as he stood up.

“He is the law,” they heard Charlie’s other aunt and uncles sing as they stood with him.

“I've ruled the endless dark

Since long before the golden angel's fall,” the dragon Sin then continued.

This immediately angered “the golden angel” mentioned.  

“Excuse me?!”

Everyone noticed Lucifer did have a place to sit at the top, but his throne was empty except for cobwebs, a rubber duck, and a note that said, “BRB 5 Mins.”

Charlie knew she had to ask her father later when he had put that note.

“So you see

Next to me, your master plans all look so small

Little mice,” Satan continued as he transported himself closer to where Stolas stood, clearly scaring the owl.

“When you break my rules

You pay the price!” the Prince of Wrath finished as he had Prince Stolas put in chains.

“Release the pawn!” he declared.

This gave those who were really rooting for Blitz sighs of relief.

“Stolas of the Ars Goetia, you are a disgrace.”

Angel Dust was about to add to this when they heard Blitz cry out and run to the owl prince.

“No!  No, th-Stolas, you-you can’t!  You can’t do this!  Stolas, please!”

The spider Sinner sighed, wondering what the prince did to Blitz to where, despite being used as a pawn, he was willing to defend him.  

“Get the fuck off me!” the imp demanded as the guards dragged him away.  He was able to get free but was dragged away by the guards.  “Stolas!  Stolas!!  Stolas!  Fucking use your powers, do something!  Stolas!”  

“Well, at least Blitz isn’t being punished for something he didn’t do,” Husk remarked.

“Are they going to kill the very bad boy?” Niffty asked.

They saw Stolas willingly go to the executioner’s block, which implied that was what they were going to do.  

“Wait!  Stolas has a daughter!  Octavia!  Are they really going to force her to watch them execute her father?” Charlie exclaimed with tears reforming in her eyes.

“Hopefully, she’s not there, Char-Char,” Lucifer attempted to comfort, knowing who his daughter was speaking about.

Thankfully, for everyone, they heard Satan interrupt.  

“Uh…what are you doing?”

Stolas got up, utterly confused about not being executed like Blitz almost was.

Satan chuckled before declaring, “Aw, no, ‘course not.  You are a Goetia.”

“But I committed a heinous crime,” Stolas argued.

“Yeah, you did.  But, you are demon royalty, so…your life has actual worth.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Husk and Angel Dust echoed.

“That didn’t stop them from gunning down the Tsar’s entire family!” the cat demon added. 

Alastor was also disappointed by such as he loved when the mighty fell hard.

The owl prince then asked if he could go.

This led to Satan laughing out loud.  Lucifer, despite being still mad at the dragon, also laughed at the prince’s question.

“No,” Satan finally said.  “No.  No.  You still definitely fucked up, we just need to figure out a fitting punishment for you.”

“Prison time?” Alastor suggested.

“Might I suggest something, Your Majesty?” they heard Andrealphus interject.  

The ones in the lobby groaned, not wanting to hear whom Cherri Bomb called ‘the frosty bird’ had to say.  

“I think you should banish this shameful excuse for a prince and allow someone else to take over his legions.  Considering the heir isn’t yet of age, I’d be happy to volunteer.  After all, I’m basically everything he is, but,” Andrealphus said before clearing his throat and finishing with a “Not!  A deviant piece of shit.”

“Octavia’s seventeen!  Not five!” Charlie exclaimed.  “That’s old enough for her for her to be in charge of her father’s legions early!”

“All this because your sister’s stupid marriage didn’t work out,” Cherri Bomb grumbled.  

It didn’t help matters that Satan agreed.  They then saw his demeanor change.

“Stolas!  I hereby strip you of your status, your power, and your title.”

The others frowned at Andrealphus celebrating such.

“For the next hundred years,” Satan finished.

Everyone but Charlie and Vaggie burst out laughing when they heard Andrealphus swear, “Oh motherfuck!  Seriously?” when he learned he wouldn’t be getting Stolas’ power permanently.

“You will have to live amongst the citizens of Hell and revel in your failings!” the dragon finished as Stolas had his powers taken from him.  

“Oh, I like your uncle here, Charlie,” Alastor commented.  

Niffty bounced in excitement from hearing such around the same time.

“But what about my daughter?” Stolas asked.

“She’ll be safe and sound…with her mother—the wholesome parent,” they heard Andrealphus say.

“Stella’s not wholesome,” Charlie exclaimed.  “Pardon my language, but she is a massive bitch!”

Everyone was stunned by the ordinarily calm princess being angered in such a way that she swears.

The cameras cut once Satan adjourned the court for lunch.

Vox blinked once his face returned to the screen.

“Whew!  That was definitely a ride.  Now, if you excuse me, I need to head back to Vee Tower.  I’m helping Velvette make some shirts for what just happened,” the TV Overlord remarked before getting up.  

Once he left, the others looked at each other.

“That was the most entertaining trial I ever witnessed,” Alastor declared.

“I just feel bad for Octavia.  Losing her father and having her birthright taken by her uncle,” Charlie continued.

“Well, you did say that she’s seventeen, querida.  Once she turns eighteen, she can sue for her rights to power over her father’s legions,” Vaggie reminded.

“I hope so, and her mother hadn’t convinced her to allow her uncle such power,” the princess sighed.

Lucifer looked sympathetically at his daughter before being interrupted.

“So, is what Satan said true, or was he lying?” Alastor asked.

“Lying!  That bastard was a fallen angel like me and fell after me and Lilith!”  Lucifer declared.

“I guess he thought the Goetia, imps, and Hellhound didn’t know this history,” Husk remarked.

“I still can’t believe that guy Blitz was going to get killed for a royal’s actions!” Angel Dust exclaimed.  “And to top it all off, that other royal likely wanted to exploit it for a power grab from the beginning.  At least with overlords, you can say they worked their way to their position of power while that fucker thinks he deserves it just because he was born in the right family!”

“I would say Andrealphus was the mastermind in this trial based on that,” Cherri Bomb noted.

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he actually was,” Lucifer noted.  “Seriously, how can Satan not know how greedy for power Agares and his descendants are?”

“He probably doesn’t deal with Goetic demons as much as you do, Dad,” Charlie sighed.

“True,” he agreed.

“So, are you going to demand a retrial or something?” Vaggie asked her future father-in-law.

“I’m sure things will work out, and Andrealphus will be knocked down a peg as he should be.  I just know I really need to speak with Satan,” Lucifer stated, pulling out his phone.

“Please tell him not to be so harsh with the imps from now on.  I was hoping that since he is responsible for their creation, he would be kinder to them, like how Aunt Bee treats the Hellhounds respectfully despite them being at the bottom of Hell’s hierarchy,” Charlie pleaded.

“I’ll try,” the king of Hell sighed.  

He hated that Charlie was having to find out the hard way who her uncle actually was, but he figured it was better late than never.  

This is my first Tumblr fic and I thought I'd do something unique with it. Since watching Beetlejuice for Halloween, I thought I'd do a recreation of one of my favorite scenes from the movie: the Banana Boat scene. Around that time, of course, was the release of the Ghostf**kers episode, which introduced us to infestor demons. I've headcanoned since the trailer that they come from Envy, which led to the idea of Leviathan having powers of possession. If you've read the Family Visits series on A03, you probably recognize that this isn't my first time writing about the Sin of Envy. Something I'd like to share is that in the chapter where they and their partners met with the Vees, there was going to be an alternative scene where Leviathan utilizes their powers of possession to make their point. However, it got thrown out because I wasn't 100% sure if what we now know as infestor demons were from Envy, and I thought a peaceful resolution would've been better. So, I'd thought I'd utilize the old idea here for a different scenario. In this case, where the Vees will be made to recreate the Banana Boat Scene courtesy of Leviathan. I hope y'all enjoy this semi-serious crack fic involving possession and dancing.

Summary: After Charlie reveals what happened when she went to Vee Tower, the Sins decide to get revenge on the Vees in a unique way, especially after learning that the overlords will be visiting their king for an annual dinner. 

CW: Valentino, mention of sexual harassment, vomiting, and briefly porn, drugging, possession, and non-explicit violence.

If there was one thing the most ancient denizens knew, it was that one of the worst beings to have on your bad side was Beelzebub, the right-hand woman of Lucifer.  After Lilith and Charlie, she was considered to be the most powerful demoness in Hell.  Like her niece, though, not many expected someone so happy and pleasant to be so terrifying when angered.  But there would be some who would quickly learn this. 

It all started when she arrived early for the monthly Sins meeting.  She wanted to see her niece, especially since the girl finally got her father to leave the prison of the palace he created.  She calmly asked her about the hotel and how those below her treated her and her companions. 

In the midst of happily sharing how she got along excellently with those who chose to stay, there was a sour note.  Charlie confessed that she was apprehensive about her guest, Angel Dust.  All because of how she and her guest were treated when she tried to negotiate with his overlord boss about a more agreeable work schedule.  The Sin of Gluttony was saddened when she heard of what Charlie learned about the overlord, Valentino.  But this briefly paused when the blonde shared something she wouldn’t forget: how Valentino made her highly uncomfortable with his greeting.  

“Please don’t tell Dad.  I don’t want him to make things worse by turning things into a bloodbath,” her niece pleaded upon seeing her expression.  

With a sigh, she promised, hating the idea of not telling Lucifer about what happened to his daughter.  But even so, it didn’t stop her from sharing with others during their lunch. 

“WHAT?!” was what everyone said, though Mammon only said it after throwing up in response to the news.

“What do you mean that overlord pest licked our niece?!” Satan bellowed out.

“That’s what he did, and he tried to offer her to star in one of his productions,” Beelzebub confirmed.

Asmodeus growled in response, allowing his flames to show.  He was already angry about learning how Angel Dust was being treated, but finding out about Charlie got him fuming.

“That former man doesn’t deserve the title of ‘Overlord of Lust’ if this is how he behaves!”  

“He needs to die!” the Sin of Wrath growled.

The others showed explicit agreement.

“As much as I’d love to chip in on your revenge plan, I need to clean myself up,” the Sin of Greed remarked before disappearing in a cloud of dollar signs.

“While that’s what I would prefer, I know such isn’t the way.  He’s part of Lucifer’s domain, so that it would earn his ire.  We need to be a little more sneaky about getting back at Valentino,” Beelzebub stated.

There was silence until Leviathan finally sang out. 

“I know how to get back at the overlord.”

“How so?” the fox demoness asked. 

“You know how dear Luci told us he was having a dinner party with the overlords after the Sins meeting?”

“Yes?” 

“I was thinking of using my powers of possession to make Valentino do something humiliating not only in front of his peers but the king of Hell himself.”

“Um…I don’t really like the sound of that,” Asmodeus noted. 

“Ozzie, you’re furious with that moth demon because he refuses even to consider consent.  Wouldn’t it be nice to give him a taste of his own medicine?” the sea serpent reminded him. 

“You are tempting me,” the Sin of Lust mentioned.  

“And who knows, maybe we might scare him so much he immediately confesses his crimes to Lucifer,” Leviathan added.  

“Okay, but just make sure it is just him and his allies that end up getting possessed.”

Leviathan nodded.

“So, how do you plan on making this happen?” asked Satan.

“I was thinking of putting something in his drink that makes it easier for me to locate him when it’s time to do so,” Leviathan remarked.

“I may have something for that,” Belphegor interjected.  “Bee and I can mix it in the drinks once done.”

“Alright,” the mentioned Sin nodded.  “Let me know when you’ve finished it, and we can meet in the kitchen.”

The Sin of Sloth left, ready to get the plan into action.

“So, do you have a good spot for us to hide so Lucifer doesn’t notice us?” Satan asked Leviathan.

“I know just the place,” the Sin of Envy responded.

XXXXXXX

By the time Belphegor finished her potion, it was fifteen minutes before the overlords were due to arrive.  Beelzebub got in to see that there would be a punch bowl.  Thankfully, it wasn’t put out yet, so they could easily sneak in the new ingredient for the Vees.

“I decided to write a ‘V’ on three glasses so you know which ones to add the thing to,” Beelzebub noted.  

“Good.  The only glass I recognize is our adopted brother’s usual,” Belphegor nodded.

“I just hope it works.  I feel like the only reason Asmodeus agreed to such is because I doubt Levi plans on having Valentino sexually humiliate himself,” the fox demoness remarked.

“Not to worry.  I’ll make sure it is complete,” the Baphomet reassured.

“Okay,” her adopted sister nodded before leaving the kitchen to see where the others had gone.

When she was gone, the Sin of Sloth quickly found the glasses with the “V’s” and gave a good serving of the punch before putting three drops each into them.  

“That should be enough for Levi to locate them,” she declared.

She then heard multiple footsteps and knew she had to hide before she got caught.  In the midst of such, she had forgotten one thing.

From her spot in a cooler, she overheard the imps that had entered the room.

“I just don’t understand why Lucifer feels the need to cater to these overlords specifically.  To the rest of us Hellborn, they’re just over-glorified Sinners,” one remarked.

“Well, some of them are powerful.  Enough to rival the weakest of the Goetias,” the other argued.

“Whatever.  I just don’t like having to hear Lucifer demand we follow specific recipes to the T,” the first one said.

“Look.  I think someone forgot an ingredient by the punch bowl,” the second stated.

Upon hearing such, she peeked out to see they had found her potion.

“Shit!  We need to put this in the punch, so Lucifer doesn’t have our heads,” the first declared.

The first imp then dumped the rest of it in the punch bowl and stirred it quickly.  Once done, the second gave generous servings to the empty glasses.

“Three are already full,” they informed the other when they tried to put some in the glasses for the Vees.  

“Probably to make sure that one trio doesn’t bitch that their drinks aren’t done fast enough,” the first snorted.  

The second asked, obviously concerned, “Do you think they have the ingredient we just put in?”

“Who knows?  They’ll definitely taste it when they get a second helping,” the first responded.

“The first of the overlords are arriving!” a distant voice called.

“Fuck!  We got to hurry!” the first imp exclaimed.

The two then grabbed the punch bowl and brought it to the dining room. They then returned for the glasses, the second making sure to group the three full ones. Neither of them saw the Sin hiding in the nearby cooler.

Her formerly angelic blood ran cold, but not because of where she was.  Instead, it was because of the horrible error she had just witnessed.  All she could do was hope it didn’t completely mess things up.  The only comfort she had was that the potion she made at the dosage she did couldn’t affect anyone higher than a Goetia.  So if her dear adopted brother did sample some of it, he would be just fine.

XXXXXXX

Lucifer really didn’t want to be here right now.  He would honestly rather be back at the hotel helping his dear daughter run the place.  The only thing that could remain the same was that he would still have to deal with the overlord he had hated from first sight: Alastor.

The Radio Demon sat on Lucifer’s right, which the king considered borderline offensive.  The only thing that stopped him from telling him to sit somewhere else was the fact that Zestial, the oldest of the overlords, decided to sit on his left.  Next to the two were Rosie and Carmilla Carmine, respectively.  Lucifer liked this arrangement because it meant that he could form closer bonds with the female overlords who chose to assist their princess in her time of need.

Zeezi sat next to the arms dealer, mainly because she knew the demoness didn’t want Velvette to take that spot, especially not after the stunt she pulled at the last overlord meeting.

Unsurprisingly, the three arrived last and took the remaining chairs out. The others watched as they made themselves comfortable, trying to hide their disgust at Valentino chugging the punch he had first sampled and deemed delicious.

“Another drink!” he ordered the poor imp present to ensure their glasses were full.

“I’m glad you like my special punch.  I often use it for special occasions,” Lucifer said with a wide smile. 

“What’s in this?” Alastor asked, looking slightly suspicious after sampling his beverage. 

“A bunch of fruit juices.  I do know I made sure to have the alcoholic version done so it has a couple of shots of spirits in it,” the king shared.  “Charlie is much more used to the one without alcohol.”

Even with such, Alastor decided only to take occasional sips.  Something felt off about it. 

Zestial copied Alastor as he felt like some magic was used in it.  He just couldn’t fully identify it. 

“I guess you had such for her birthdays,” Carmilla commented. 

“Of course,” Lucifer nodded.  “She just adored it.”

“While I’m sure you want to be a proud parent and share every detail of your daughter’s childhood, we came here under the impression of it being something important,” Vox commented as he finished his drink before passing the empty glass to the imp. 

“Yes, thank you for reminding me,” Lucifer nodded. 

Unbeknownst to him, that was when the Sins started to tune in from their hiding spot.  Five of them were present for this since Mammon decided to grab some of the food being prepared in the kitchen. 

“I wanted to mention to you all that I will be taking up residence at the hotel Charlie started.  I believe she needs all the help she can get to fulfill her dream.  If you wish to sponsor it like Alastor, I would be more than pleased, but I require cooperation from all of you.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.  Your daughter is the sweetest girl I’ve ever met, and I would love to see her happy,” Rosie beamed. 

“Your Majesty, while I think your daughter’s efforts to rehabilitate Sinners are cute, I fear that her plans are upsetting the delicate balance in Hell,” Vox began. 

“How so?” Lucifer asked as he picked up an apple slice from his salad. 

“Well, with her offering redemption for any Sinner, us overlords could lose potential souls.  Maybe even those we already have,” he continued. 

“If you lose souls because of another option being available, you shouldn’t mourn their loss.  I firmly believe quality outweighs quantity when it comes to things like allies.  I’d rather have as many allies as there are fingers on my hands that will stay by my side no matter what than a hundred supposed allies that would leave me the minute things turn sour.”

“I’d adviseth you hark to our king’s words of wisdom,” Zestial interjected, looking directly at the Vees.  “For it is one lesson every overlord has hadst to learneth, one way or another.”

“Maybe it worked in the past with you, Grandpa, but this is the present.  Numbers matter,” Velvette asserted as she passed her empty glass to the server.

“Forgive me for interrupting, but I feel that this whole discussion of the hotel is more personal for the Vees since one of their thralls is a prominent guest at the hotel,” Alastor remarked to Lucifer.

With this information in mind, Lucifer looked directly at them.

“Really now?  Which one of Charlie’s guests is it?”

“Angel Dust!  How could you not know him?!  He’s the most famous star in my entire studio!” Valentino growled.

“I’ve never been too interested in pornography,” Lucifer admitted.  “The rare times I do watch it, it’s the movies made in Asmodeus’ ring.”

The mentioned Sin definitely didn’t expect the king's compliment.

“As Valentino mentioned, Angel Dust is his most popular and profitable actor.  If the whole redemption thing actually works, we would be losing someone quite valuable.  If not, we would be stuck with dealing someone who refuses to comply with his agreed contract because of some belief he could get away from fulfilling his terms of it,” Vox explained.

“If he’s not fulfilling his end of the bargain, then I’d say cut him loose, especially if he is causing so much trouble as you claim,” Lucifer noted.  

“I think that would be the easiest way to end such an unsatisfying contract,” Carmilla noted.  “It’s definitely better than the other options, such as death or the forceful taking of the soul due to another overlord desiring them or because it has been found the soul has been severely mistreated.”

There was silence among the Vees, who were now realizing their mistake.

The Sins were surprised to learn that this was an actual thing. They found it a shame that the ordinary Sinner likely had no idea they could leave a cruel overlord through such a means.  

“If I recall correctly, I believe Charlie did visit the Vee Tower once,” Alastor remarked.  “I just don’t remember off the top of my head how she described it to me.”

“That’s enough!  I no longer want to talk about the princess and her hotel!” Valentino snapped.

Leviathan felt that this was the perfect time to implement the plan, so he got to work.

“Then what do you wish to talk about?” the King of Hell asked.

Every overlord immediately felt weird, like something was now taking over their bodies.  Valentino had the strongest feeling of this as he tried to think of something else to discuss.

“I would like to say-Day-o, day-o, Daylight come and me wan' go home.”

The moth pimp immediately covered his mouth, wondering where that came from.  

The others were confused about why Valentino would sing such, especially Vox, who immediately recognized the song.

“I don’t think now’s the time to start singing Calypso, Val,” Vox remarked.

Before the one called Val could protest that he wasn’t doing it on purpose, it continued.  

“Day, me say day, me say day, me say day

Me say day, me say day-o…”

Velvette burst out laughing as her business partner started moving around.  She was about to take a video when she and Vox’s bodies suddenly jerked as the trio sang together, 

“Daylight come and me wan’ go home.”

“Alastor, is this one of your tricks?” Lucifer asked.

“No, Your Majesty.  If it were, they would be dancing and singing a jazz s-” the Radio Demon responded before being interrupted.

“Work all night on a drink of rum!” Valentino sang out.  

The other overlords suddenly felt something similar as they were made to grab their napkins and sing, 

“Daylight come and me wan’ go home.”

This made Lucifer feel a combination of confused and amused by what was happening.

“Stack banana 'til de mornin' come,” came out of Velvette’s mouth.

The other overlords repeated their line as they swung the napkins like a helicopter.  In the meantime, Vox threw the vegetables out of his salad appetizer to give him an empty bowl.  Zeezi ended up being covered in such due to the TV Overlord’s careless tossing.  He flipped the bowl over and beat it like a drum before singing the following lyric.

“Come, mister tally man, tally me banana.”

Soon enough, the others realized that they would repeat this while in this state. This was especially emphasized when Vox was made to repeat his line.  Meanwhile, Valentino and Velvette spun around with their arms in the air while shaking their hips.

While the overlords made arm movements that reminded the youngest overlord of the Macarena, the Vees practically shouted the next lyric.

“Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch…”

During the first part, everyone shook their chests, which was embarrassing for those not used to dancing like this. When it was repeated, they soon grabbed each other’s hands for stability, only for them to be swung back and forth still.

By this point, Lucifer had gotten up to watch the madness before him at a comfortable distance.  He smirked at seeing the usually feuding overlords holding hands and singing, even if it wasn’t exactly Kumbaya.  The imp server cowered nearby, terrified by this sudden change of pace. 

As Valentino chanted, everyone went to one side before returning to their original position with one arm in the air and their hands above their stomach.  If it weren’t for her being made to sing along, Velvette would immediately complain about having to do various dances that she deemed old.  

The social media overlord then belted out the following line as everyone spun around like earlier.  

“A beautiful bunch o' ripe banana…”

Everyone stopped to where they had to bend down away from the table, and each shook their asses in tune with the song.

Meanwhile, Asmodeus wondered if such was a good idea.  Before he could say anything, though, Mammon found them while snacking on crab legs he pilfered from the kitchen.

“What are you lot up to?” 

He turned to see what they were watching, and they knew he was about to say something really loud to give away the game.  

Acting quickly, Beelzebub used her magic to make the five remaining crab legs form a hand that grabbed at Mammon’s face.  Such was done as they heard Valentino resound the ironic line, “Hide the deadly black tarantula.”  

The giant spider demon was temporarily silenced because of the crab hand.  Satisfied, the others turned to watch Leviathan make the non-Vee overlords form a conga line.

While the trio cried out the “six foot, seven foot” part of the song, the newly formed conga line went around the dining room table.  Zeezi used this opportunity to shake the remaining lettuce sticking to her. 

Lucifer laughed uproariously at Alastor being the leader of such a thing.  Vox also found some amusement in it, briefly smirking at him as he passed.  Alastor gained enough control to flash his radio-dial eyes at his rival before he lost it again.

When Valentino finished the chanting that followed, everyone returned to their original spots. Vox was made to pick up the bowl he had dropped earlier and drum on it again, this time with a better sense of the rhythm.

“I think that’s enough tormenting of the overlords that had nothing to do with this,” the rooster demon finally told the sea serpent.

Nodding in agreement, the Sin doing the possession decided to free the other overlords after they chorused their last, “Daylight come and me wan’ go home.”  This resulted in them collapsing on the floor.

With the Vees left, the tallest sang, “Day-o, day-o,” while the other Vees responded, “Daylight come and me wan’ go home.”  It finally ended with him singing alone one last time.

“Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, Me say day, me say day-o…”

The three then finished the song. 

“Daylight come and me wan’ go home.”   After hitting the last note, they joined their fellow overlords on the floor.

Spying the purple aura that left the overlords, Lucifer immediately knew what had been going on and who was responsible.

“Alright, Levi.  Come and show yourself.”

The overlords, still dazed from the sudden loss of the ability to control their bodies, looked confused until they saw the mentioned Sin galumph into the room. 

“I imagine it’s not just you present,” Lucifer continued. 

Leviathan then turned to the others and motioned for them to leave the hiding spot.  This included Mammon, who still had a crab hand glued to his face. 

“Um…what does Mammon have on his face and why?”

“We were worried he would reveal us too early,” Beelzebub admitted before snapping her fingers, allowing the crab legs to return to their original form. 

“Fucking bloody Hell!  I was wondering when that thing would get off of me!” the Sin of Greed gasped. 

“Us?  You all planned this mass possession of the overlords?  Why?” Lucifer asked, sounding more confused than upset. 

“We intended only to do it to Valentino and his two allies,” Leviathan stated.  “I didn’t think the others would somehow fall under my spell.”

“It was my fault.  I forgot to take the potion with me when I hid, and two kitchen workers, assuming it was a punch bowl ingredient, dumped the rest inside,” Belphegor admitted. “I’m sorry to those unnecessarily affected by such.”

Radio static came out of Alastor, who still felt humiliated by being made to do what he did earlier.  

“Okay.  Now the main question is this: why did you want to possess Valentino and the other Vees?” the King of Hell asked. 

“Because he hurt our niece and her friend!” Satan declared. 

“How so?” Lucifer asked. 

“I promised Charlie not to tell you.  So I think it would be best to ask the overlord himself,” Beelzebub confessed. 

Getting much more serious upon learning this, Lucifer turned to the accused. 

“Valentino.  What happened when Charlie went to Vee Tower?”

“She set fire to my studio, and she was close to assaulting me before Angel Dust told her to leave,” the moth pimp responded. 

”Valentino, my daughter is not an arsonist.  And she only fights for those she loves.  I sense you’re purposefully leaving things out to villainize Charlie.”

“All you have to do is admit the truth, and we can be done with this,” Asmodeus frowned. 

“And even though your mind is one of the most fucked up things I’ve ever witnessed, I’m not afraid to use possession again to get you to admit the truth about how you treated my niece,” Leviathan added.  “So, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”

Valentino froze.  He knew there was no way out of this.  He just didn’t know how to do what he was told. 

Behind him, Vox reluctantly stepped forward to play camera footage from that day, specifically right at the doorway to the studio.  Eyes were glued onto such as they watched Angel Dust begging Charlie to leave before Valentino approached them. 

Exclamations of disgust sounded from the other overlords upon witnessing how Valentino greeted the Princess of Hell.  Everyone thought it would end there until Lucifer interrupted. 

“No.  Let Charlie’s Papito see everything that happened while she was there.”

Alastor hummed to show his annoyance as he felt such was enough for Valentino to receive his just desserts. 

The next scene was aimed at where she stood and talked with the boom operator. This also happened to show the faulty wiring that was the actual cause of the fire. 

“Continue,” Lucifer insisted, hiding his increasing anger. 

The next showed what happened in the dressing room and how Angel Dust was aggressively told to get Charlie out of the studio.  The Sins entered their demonic forms as they heard the moth insult their niece.  Asmodeus and Satan were the quickest as they witnessed how the spider was treated.

“And the last bit of footage you have,” Lucifer stated. 

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to-?” Beelzebub asked. 

The former archangel made a hand motion to stop her from finishing.  

“I said, continue.”

Vox sighed and showed the last footage of Angel Dust being thrown against the set bed.  This triggered Charlie’s demonic form as she went to confront him before her friend and guest stopped her and told her harshly to get out.  It was only when Charlie started weeping that Lucifer finally said,

“I’ve seen enough.”

He then showed his complete demonic form before looking at Valentino, who was sweating bullets. 

“Your Majesty!  I-I”

“I don’t need to hear any more of your excuses!  I gave you the opportunity to rise from nothing to one of the most powerful demons.  And this is the thanks I get?!  Exposing my only child and your future queen to sexual harassment, workplace abuse, and having her friend turn against her?!

“You don’t deserve to have the title of Overlord of Lust,” Asmodeus growled. 

“You and your shameful actions of bullying the weak are done,” Satan condemned. 

“And I hope the other overlords present learn this is what happens when you offend the most powerful beings in all of Hell,” Beelzebub exclaimed. 

Vox and Velvette showed apparent fear as they knew their work partner was fucked.  Alastor remained smiling, but one could tell it took a darker tone as he was ready to see the well-deserved punishment of the one who hurt the one he saw as an adopted daughter.  Rosie and Zeezi were shocked by what was about to happen.  Meanwhile, Zestial and Carmilla showed serious expressions, knowing what the consequences would be for the overlord they didn’t like.  

The moth demon trembled as the King of Hell approached him slowly.