By all the stars in Heaven, Hell, and Earth, how much longer am I going to be here? Stolas thought to himself as he rested his head against his arms. For the past three hours, he had been sitting in Hell's Parliament for an emergency meeting requested by the Wraith and Greed Party members who wanted a matter settled right now of all times. And I was going to visit Blitzy with everyone else today.

Usually, Stolas let his Family Delegate stand in for him during regular Parliament discussions, but when one of the higher-ranking members requested you to join, there was no choice. It wasn't like he wanted to be part of this anyway, but seeing as he was one of the few who cared about the demons under his dominion, he felt he had no choice but to become part of Parliament.

If you were to ask most humans what they thought the government of Heaven and Hell was like, they would just assume that God and Satan were the supreme rulers, and, for the most part, that was true save for a few things. Most humans believed Satan and Lucifer were the same beings, but in truth, they were separate. Satan was the first demon to be born in Hell, made from all the negative energies during creation. It was Satan who first ruled and controlled all the demons into a united kingdom and went to war against Heaven until his defeat.

His body was used to create the nine rings of Hell with his heart said to be somewhere deep in the ninth circle that nobody has managed to find to this day. Yet despite his somewhat demise, it was believed he still lived, and so many demons praised him even now as their deity, hoping he had some way to help his former subjects. After his defeat, the Goetia Demons and other Overlords began to fight for power and control until Lucifer and the Fallen, having failed in their Great Rebellion, arrived and took control with their great power in what was known as The Demon War.

Since then, Lucifer was referred to as the King-Emperor of Hell, while others held other titles that made up the nobility or high positions of power. Yet, as time went on, Hell became even too much for Lucifer to rule on his own, and so he created a body of government to help him oversee things while still keeping the complete authority he held.

There were three branches of Hell's Parliament: The Ring Lords, The House of Nobles, and The Representatives of Hellborn and Sinners.

The first was the most influential and powerful among all the demons. Each ring of Hell was ruled by a Ring Lord, someone that Lucifer himself trusted to oversee things in his name save for the Ring of Pride which he declared his own territory to rule entirely over. There was Asmodeus The Ring Lord of Lust, Beelzebub The Ring Lord of Gluttony, Mammon The Ring Lord of Greed, Belphegor The Ring Lord of Sloth, Leviathan The Ring Lord of Heresy, Belberith The Ring Lord of Wraith, Mephisto The Ring Lord of Lies, and finally Samael, the Ring Lord of Treachery. Each of the eight was also members of the "Inner Council'' that answered to Lucifer only and were essential to establishing his control over Hell. Out of all three branches, they had the most voting power behind each of their votes despite nine members. They each also made the nine political parties each named after their respective circles.

The second branch was The House of Nobles, which was the branch that Stolas was part of. Despite no longer being in absolute power, the Goetia Demons were still powerful and influential in their own right, having traced their demonic origins to the start of Hell and under the rulership of Satan. While there were many Goetia Demon families, nine representatives were selected among all seven ranks to represent that rank via voting every five hundred years, making their total number sixty-two. Typically, the Goetia Demons were split between Royalists, Parliamentarians, and Neutrals. The first was more loyal and bending to Lucifer and his rule, the second wanted more power split evenly among Hell's nobles, and the last ones took no sides but their own. Stolas himself often considered himself a bit of a Royalist but also Neutral. He was willing to do what was necessary for the good of Hell's Population, but he wasn't ready to sacrifice his own family or lands for it.

Finally, the Representatives of the Hellborn and Sinners were the last branch made up of everyone else. They were voted among their own kind in the various districts of Hell with one representative per district, and there were a lot of sections in Hell. Over three hundred, actually. However, despite being the largest of the three branches, it held the weakest amount of power due to their votes being significantly less potent than the other two branches unless they united as one, but that rarely ever happened. Even worse, most of them were in the pockets of criminals, companies, or Overlords who sought to use them for their own gains. Some of them were even Overlords themselves. The only races who were not allowed to have a say were the lowest of the low such as imps and the Eldritch, because nobody really trusted them. Not that they wanted to take part in politics anyway and just preferred to be alone save for a few of them.

Naturally, their job was to discuss and represent their respective race or local interest, and everyone would vote. However, like all politics, there were various groups, mostly aligned with one of the Ring Lords, that often tried to get things done for their side rather than the overall good of Hell. It was why Lucifer's word was final regardless of any voting outcome. For good or ill, when the Morning Star wanted something done, it got done.

Sadly, this was not one of those days as even Lucifer seemed bored just by hearing Mammon and Belberith argue with one another. Apparently, both sides were arguing about how their respective rings were not getting the proper funding they needed for their projects and accused the other ring of stealing their resources through mercenaries and hidden parties. Prince Stolas personally felt that both were wasting their time. Mammon was a greedy little shit who barely spent the money he had on his ring and rarely did anything for anyone other than himself. It was a wonder why Lucifer even had him as the Ring Lord of Green in the first place. Belberith, meanwhile, was just a war hawk who wanted to still be fighting against Heaven, having never gotten over his fall or wanting to duel with anybody he suspected of being a traitor in Hell, which tended to be often. It wouldn't be a surprise if both were doing the same thing they were accusing the other of doing.

Rubbing his forehead, Prince Stolas came close to just telling the two to shut up when Lucifer cleared his throat, and immediately everyone was silent. Standing up from his top seat in the back, the Mourning Star said, "I feel that we all need a break. Let's take lunch and continue this...discussion in two hours? Sounds good?"

Nobody complained about that, and even if they did, they would get a hundred glares to get them to shut up. Prince Stolas got up from his seat and walked past his fellow Goetia members to get himself something hard at the bar. Looking at his phone, he tried to see if there were any texts from Octavia and the others who had gone to meet with Blitzo, but there was nothing that worried him. Blitzo had his good days and bad days, and he feared that he would be in a bad one due to the nightmare he had two nights ago.

His thoughts then turned to the discussion he and Octavia had yesterday. After telling her everything, including his plan to convince Metatron to help him, his daughter was quiet for a long time before stating she needed to think about it. Stolas was prepared to give her all the time in the world. Such a decision could not be made so easily and quickly without thought. It was ironic. Here he was, a demon that Lucifer himself trusted outside his Inner Council, planning treason that would see him, and all that he loved turned to ashes if he was caught. Then again, you've never been a traditional demon, have you, Stolas?

He was about to enter the bar when a dark and cold feeling entered Stolas' gut, and he knew who it was in an instant. Everyone knew who he was because, to many, he was one of the most enigmatic and darkest figures in the nine rings of Hell. "Stolas, buddy!" The bird demon winced upon feeling an arm wrap around his waist as he looked down and saw the Radio Demon, grinning as always, looking at him as if they were old friends. "How's the wife and kids? Or is that too soon to ask? Then again, I'm living with one of them and let me tell you Stella is a fascinating figure to have at the hotel. Makes me wonder why you cheated on her in the first place."

"What do you want, Alastor?" Stolas muttered as he shoved the Radio Demon aside. "And why are you in Parliament anyway? I thought you said you'd never return because of how boring we all were?"

"Ohhh, I just like to come down sometimes and see my old political buddies. A surprise appearance from a former representative. Is that so wrong?" Alastor asked.

"Considering you were only here for a single year before resigning? And the fact that nobody here likes you for what you did in that one year? Yes," Stolas stated as he folded his arms.

"Oh, come on. Are people still not over that Mikhail incident?" Alastor said with a chuckle as he snapped his fingers, and an old Soviet General's hat appeared on his head. "You comrades need to stop living in the past. Time makes the best healer, as they say in Russia."

"Yes, well, I'm not the one who ended up causing the end of Hell's plans with the Soviet Union," Stolas pointed out.

Having risen to power so quickly, it wasn't a surprise that Alastor eventually got a seat in power in Hell's Parliament. Only he did it for one year in the Earth Year of 1985 and soon resigned by the year's end but left quite an impression on many other members of Parliament. The mysterious demon had managed to quickly get the Representatives to bow to his whim out of fear, and a united Representative Branch was more than enough to challenge the other two. At that time, Hell and Heaven were also involved in the Cold War happening on Earth. Naturally, they supported the Soviets. Not because they believed in Communism, in fact, Karl Marx was in Hell, but because humans greatly suffered under the communist regimes and spreading it would cause more suffering. Thus, Heaven took the side of the Capitalist West to prevent it.

When the time came to manipulate things to pick the next leader of the U.S.S.R., Alastor had pushed for Mikhail Gorbachev to be the next leader of Russia. There were debates, a few mysterious deaths, and some promises made on various sides, but Alastor's candidate had won when the vote came. Soon after, Alastor left politics.

However, Mikhail Gorbachev turned out to be a "reformer" for the U.S.S.R. whose policies were one of the linchpins in causing its demise and ending the Cold War in the West and Heaven's favor. Many accused Alastor of knowing this would happen and intentionally causing it, but there was no proof. However, there were rumors that Alastor made a deal with Deng Xiaoping, The Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China at the time, to make China a stronger nation. With the removal of the U.S.S.R. as the leader of the Communist Revolution, China soon became the sole significant power for the ideology and was now a major world power. Many demons suffered numerous losses and influence on Earth with the downfall of the Soviets. At the same time, those associated with Alastor, and Alastor himself, managed to increase their own with China's rise. Many tried to go after him, but Alastor disappeared soon after and only reappeared recently by becoming the co-partner to the Hazbin Hotel, which only led to more questions.

For this reason, and a few others, Stolas knew that behind that happy-looking smile was a very calculated and manipulative demon that was not to be underestimated.

"You guys should be thanking me! I mean, American Capitalism has gotten just as corrupt as Russian Communism that many demons are taking advantage of it. Remember the 2008 Market Crash? Ah, those were fun times. Those humans! Everything they think of ends up turning into misery. And where there is misery, there is opportunity!" Alastor pointed out.

"Yes, well, some of us have some standards despite being demons," Stolas said as he turned away.

"Ah Stolas, why the long face? I'd think you'd be happy and joyful more now that you're single again," Alastor stated as he tidied up his bow. "Especially since your wife seems to be slowly moving on without you. I tell ya, she's been swamped these past few months. Almost as busy as I've been. Just without the sobbing, regrets, and endless pain of knowing she's pretty much been abandoned by all that she loved and cared for. Ah, it's like watching a tragedy play out. My favorite kind of genre."

"I don't want to know anything about Stella, and she's not my wife anymore," Stolas corrected as he turned to make a break for the bar. "Now, leave me alone. I wish to drown my head in something to wash away the headache in my head."

"Which one? The old news about those two old farts nagging about such petty little things that it puts C-SPAN to shame?" Alastor asked, narrowing his eyes as his grin slightly increased. "Or this latest news bulletin about how that little imp lover of yours in St. Judas that your ex-wife and family put through the wringer is breaking apart faster than the European Union?"

In a fraction of a second, Stolas lashed out and pinned the Radio Demon to the wall with an impact crater the size of a jeep. Both their demonic auroras were flaring out, with Stola's being a bright purple and red aurora while Alastor's was black and crimson. Stolas had both his feathered wings spread out as lighting began to emanate from his eyes, and his claws and talons began to grow inside. Alastor, for his part, had his eyes turned pitch black with swirls around them as bits of reality started to go static, and his horns were increasing in size. Dark runic symbols were starting to appear on the walls, floors, and ceilings from both powerhouses who stared at each other—one with utter hatred and the other with amusement.

"How do you know this?! Stella?!" Stolas demanded as his voice echoed across the halls.

"Well, you have to state your sins in the Hazbin Hotel before you can be accepted. Can't fix what we don't know what's broken. And trust me, a lot of broken people come into our fine handy dandy home. Normally, you can't tell others what you've done if you work there, but I never signed an NDA, so I'm free to blab however I want. Plus, I just wanted to see the look on your face when I mentioned it," Alastor said calmly before chuckling. "And I wasn't disappointed."

"You breathe a word to anyone about this, Alastor, and I will see to it that you-"

"Oh, I won't do it, trust me. Devil's honor. It's more fun knowing that I know a secret that few others know," Alastor said, holding his hands up. "But you have to admit it's an amusing story. At least to me. Makes me want to cause a little chaos here and there with it. I mean, mocking your ex-wife alone is a joy on its own days. But what about you? Or that imp friend of yours? Or maybe your daugh-"

"Alastor, enough." Both demons turned their heads to see Lucifer, with a slight smile, twirling his cane around before pressing it against the floor. "Much as I'm sure it would be an interesting fight between you two, we're still repairing the damage caused by Levathian's little rampage a few months ago when he got pissed off that Mephisto managed to backstab him on his latest bill vote. So I'd rather you two stop and please depower yourselves. This is a place of decorum after all."

After a few minutes of staring at the cheerful-looking Radio Demon, Stolas submitted his power and released the horned freak. Dusting himself off, Alastor turned to Lucifer and winked at him. "And there's Lucy for the save. Nice to see you're still in charge after all this time, your Morning Starness. Been wanting to meet with the old man who helped sired our Charlie."

"Yes, my daughter has said some interesting things about you, Mr. Alastor," Lucifer said as he calmly walked forward before straight face to face with him. "Some of these things I don't find quite pleasing but harmless for the most part at the moment. However, I would hate to hear that they were becoming anything but harmless in the future. Understand?"

"Completely," Alastor said as he bowed before taking his microphone cane and put it in front of the amused King of Hell. "Anything you want to say to your daughter that I can give when I get back to the hotel?"

The microphone suddenly sprang out two ears and red-eye, making Lucifer snort before he spoke to it. "Sweetie, please come by for dinner this weekend? We need to talk."

"Short. Sweet. To the point," Alastor said as he snapped the microphone back to his side and bowed. "Well, I'm off. Don't start any natural disasters without me. Toodles."

A flick of the wrist and the Radio Demon was gone in a shadowy flash. Stolas sighed in relief before rubbing his head. "I'm going to need twice the alcohol thanks to him."

"Put it on my tab," Lucifer said with a shrug. "You should be thanking me for interfering."

"I would have handled him on my own," Stolas said as they entered the bar. Walking to a small table, the butler asked for their orders, and the two friends quickly gave it before he retreated away. "Why do you put up with him? Especially since he's mingling with your daughter's affairs."

"Believe me, the moment I heard he was involved with Charlie, I wanted to wipe him from the face of existence, but my daughter believes she can tame him," Lucifer sighed as he accepted his drink and took a mouth full of it. "Besides, Hazbin Hotel is legally her place of authority. Anyone living under there is protected by her while also being absolved of any crimes they committed. So long as they continue to try and rehabilitate themselves, that is. I'm sort of surprised more criminals haven't tried to use it as a safe haven for their actions, but I think the Radio Demon scares them away."

"I guess he has some uses then after all," Stolas whispered as he took another drink. "Still, he's up to something."

"Let me worry about the Radio Demon. I have my eyes on that Hotel regardless of my daughter's wishes to do this on her own," Lucifer answered before taking another drink. "For now, you should focus on that imp boyfriend of yours. He seems to be doing worse, I hear?"

"Yes, he had another nightmare," Stolas admitted with a heavy sigh. "Nothing I'm doing seems to work. Have you ever felt so powerless in your life to save the one you love?"

"The only time I have ever felt powerless was when my Father cast me down to this place as punishment for my rebellion," Lucifer answered darkly as his eyes flashed with dark power for just a second before taking a deep breath to calm down. "Other than that? No."

"Hmmm," Stolas took another sip but nearly choked on it when Lucifer then asked him a question that made him shiver to the depths of his soul.

"So, how are things going between you and Metatron?" Lucifer asked.

"W-What?" Stolas asked as he slowly started to go pale. Did...Did he find out?!

"The building of the new Heavens and Hells. How are they going?" Lucifer asked while keeping his eyes on his drink.

Nearly sighing in relief, Stolas calmly acted like nothing was wrong. "Oh, they're going okay. I have an important meeting with him soon in Purgatory. It depends on a few other issues."

"Good," Lucifer said with a nod. "Ever since the whole COVID-19 issue, we've had new souls arriving in waves in both Heaven and Hell, which has only just further increased the population. It's getting bad, Stolas. And I want to make sure our progress is not delayed any more." He then stared at Stolas with a gleam in his eye. "I know you are handling a lot with what's happened to you and your family these past few months, but don't forget your job. If this imp lover of yours is hindering your progress in any way, I will take steps to fix it. There are already enemies in court who wish to see you removed from your job, such as Belial, and I can't hold them back if they start seeing weakness in your work."

"I...I understand..." Stolas answered with a heavy sigh. "I may have...a plan to save Blitzo...by leaving it in the care of an expert I've found. So if things work out...I should have more free time."

"Well, then I wish you luck," Lucifer said as he finished his drink and got up. "I should get going. Some of the Representatives of Dis need to speak to me about adding more refugee centers for the new souls entering. Talk to you later."

Stolas nodded and lifted his drink to salute to his king before he finished it off with one more gulp. He was about to order another one when his phone started to ring, and he saw that it was from Octavia. Answering it, he asked, "Via? Is everything okay?"

"...do it."

"Via?"

"Dad...do it...whatever takes...save Blitzo..."