Helluva Boss: Sunshine and Moonlight

Seeing Stars

It was late at night in Stolas' mansion, he sat with a young Octavia and told her story while using his grimoire to project images of galaxies.

"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." the owl demon used his illusions to show asteroids catching on fire and flying through space. "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."

A young Octavia giggled as she looked up at her father, "Daddy, can we go see it someday?"

"Yes, dear. I promise, when the day comes nothing will be able to keep me from being there with you. Good night, my Owlette."

"Good night!" the young princess turned and wiggled and giggled in her bed as she thought about the stars.

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In the present Octavia, still looking happy, circled a drawing on a calendar of her face, Stolas' face, and a meteor shower. On the date, 'The Starfall is today' was written on it. She hopped down a long hallway while putting on her boots.

"Hey, dad!" She looked in her kitchen and around the manor, but he wasn't there. "Dad? Dad?" Octavia saw an open foyer door, with Stolas' voice coming through it. "Yes, I know!"

The scene jumped to Stolas out front on the phone with Stella, he was squeezing a servant in his other hand. Imps were loading items into a van. After the night at Ozzie's just over a week ago, Stolas was finally divorcing his wife Stella. He had enough of all her verbal and physical abuse over the last seventeen years and deemed now that Octavia was old enough, he could divorce her guilt free.

"It will be there shortly." Stolas scoffed. His ex-wife shouted at him through the phone. "Of course they're being careful!"

"Dad, what's going on?" the goth owl asked.

"Apparently, your mother can't exist somewhere for two minutes without the entirety of her possessions–" Stolas was cut off by Stella yelling something incomprehensibly in response through the phone as he spoke. "What? No! I'm not turning her against you– Yes, Stella!"

"–never have to see your fucking face again!" the peacock demon's voice rang out.

"Dad?"

"Everyone–" Stella continued to yell incomprehensibly through the rotary phone.

"This is going to be done before tonight, right?" Octavia questioned with a worried look.

"What? Oh. I hardly think so. Knowing your mother, this will take all weekend." he then turned to the imps loading the truck. "Don't be gentle about it, now! Break whatever you have to to get it all in there."

"What!? What did you just tell them to do!?"

"But, tonight was supposed to–"

"Darling, can we not talk about this now? Your mother's being a real B-I-T-C-H."

"The fuck do you mean–"

Stolas tuned out his now ex-wife's shouting. "Well, how was I supposed to know you can spell!? I've never seen you read!" the demon mocked.

"I'm going to take everything! Everything you own!" Stella threatened.

Feeling frustrated with her father's seeming lack of care, Octavia went to her room and slammed the door behind her. She yelled as she ripped up the calendar page, angrily throwing her telescope over before grabbing a bag with her things and leaving the mansion. Outside, she brought out her phone and scrolled to Hati's contact.