Chapter 36: Unaccompanied Minors
"So the portal's still busted?" Octavia asked.
Danny nodded. "Yeah. Dad's been tinkering with it, but nothing's happening."
They sat on the roof again, legs dangling over the edge. The night was clear enough to see stars.
Stolas tilted his head. "You know, there is a rather elegant solution to this."
"What?" Danny said.
"Use a bit of magic."
Danny blinked. "Where are you going with this?"
"The frame is already built. With the right enchantments, we could rework the device into a Hell portal."
Octavia glanced at her father. "And we would want to give his parents a portal to Hell because?"
Danny frowned. "I'd rather not have my parents get exposed to demons outside of you guys."
"Oh, relax. A few runes and sigils, perhaps a blood catalyst or two, we could make the portal to one of my warehouses in hell and do our thing. "
"Oh, god. What are you planning to show my parents?"
"We stage an incident. Hire a few lower demons to appear in the lab, cause a proper scene, nothing dangerous. Your parents panic, the portal 'malfunctions,' and suddenly they decide ghost research is far too risky to continue. They move on to other projects, and everyone wins."
Danny stared at him.
Octavia shifted slightly, watching Danny more than her father now.
"You want to fake a demon attack to scare my parents," Danny said slowly.
"A controlled one, yes."
Danny shook his head. "No."
Stolas raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"I'm not lying to them like that."
"Aren't we already lying about us, demons, and hell already?"
"We are, and I don't want to make that pile even larger," Danny said flatly. "And even if I wasn't, it wouldn't work. My parents don't scare easy. You've met them. They'd probably assume you were red ghosts, attack, and try to dissect whoever you sent down there."
"Hm…" Stolas considered that. "Fair point."
Danny's hands curled into fists. "It's their whole life's work. I'm not going to sabotage it just because I think they're wrong. They deserve to figure it out or fail themselves. That's the only way they would follow through with such a change."
Octavia's shoulders relaxed.
"You draw a very firm line," Stolas said finally.
"Yeah. I do."
Stolas hummed thoughtfully but didn't argue. "Very well. No theatrical interventions, then."
"Thanks."
"Though I still think the conversion idea has merit."
"Stolas..."
"I'm simply saying."
"Please drop it."
Stolas smiled faintly and let it go.
Octavia leaned back on her palms. "So what now? Just wait for your parents to fix it?"
"Pretty much." Danny shrugged. "I'll look up what I can, but I'm no expert in the metaphysical aspects." Danny was much better at hands-on mechanical and gearhead tinkering after working on various "Ghost" Research Vehicles and a few hand-held gadgets here and there.
Danny brightened. "Actually, speaking of that, my parents are going out of town this weekend. Some kind of paranormal convention in Chicago."
"So you'll have the house to yourself and Jazz?"
"Yeah." Danny glanced at Octavia. "I was wondering if, uh… if you wanted to come over. Just hang out. Watch movies or something."
Octavia blinked. "For the whole weekend?"
"If you want. I mean, you don't have to…"
"I want to."
Stolas looked between them. "A sleepover?"
"I guess, yeah."
Stolas nodded. "I don't see why not."
Octavia turned to him. "Really?"
"Of course. I trust Daniel completely." Stolas grinned. "He's never given me reason not to. And you're more than capable of handling yourself regardless."
Octavia's face flushed. "Dad."
"What? It's true."
"You don't have to say it like that."
Danny cleared his throat. "We're literally just going to watch movies and eat junk food. That's it."
"I know." Stolas gave him an approving look. "Which is why I'm not concerned."
Octavia covered her face with one hand. "Can we stop talking about this now?"
"Very well."
That Weekend
Danny's room had changed over the past few months. Posters covered most of the walls with bands Sam had introduced him to. His drum kit sat in the corner. Compared to another timeline, he had much more astronomy paraphernalia thanks to Stolas's tutelage.
Octavia sprawled across his bed, no longer bothering with her glamour. She looked more relaxed here than she ever did at the manor.
Danny tapped out the opening beat to Sugar, We're Goin Down for the fifth time in a row. The repetition helped him think. "I've been staring at those portal designs all week," Danny said between hits. "Everything looks right. Mechanically speaking, it should work."
"But it doesn't."
Danny let the cymbals ring out. "Maybe the problem is with the actual construction."
Octavia rolled onto her side, propping her head on one hand. "What if ghosts and the Ghost Zone just don't exist?"
Danny didn't answer right away.
"I mean, think about it," Octavia continued. "Your parents have been working on this for years and they've got nothing. Maybe there's nothing to find."
Danny turned to face her. "I've thought about that more than once, too, but science is about disproving claims. So far, people can't disprove God or the soul. That's something."
Octavia studied him. "You really admire them."
"They don't give up. Even when everyone thinks they're crazy, even when nothing works, they keep going. They deserve to figure the truth out on their own. Not because someone told them to quit."
Octavia's beak curved slightly in what might have been a smile. "You're stubborn."
"Runs in the family."
Danny picked up his sticks again. "So what's been going on in Hell lately? I could ask your dad, but he'd probably give me the boring political stuff."
"You want gossip?"
"I want whatever's actually interesting."
Octavia sat up and crossed her legs. "Princess Charlie started construction on her hotel."
Danny perked up. "Really? She's actually doing it?"
"Foundation's already laid. They're working on the main structure now. It's going to take a few years, but yeah, she's serious about it."
"That's awesome! Has she figured out how to actually redeem anyone yet? Like, the whole getting-sinners-into-Heaven part?"
Octavia shrugged. "Not that I've heard. She hasn't made any announcements about it. I think she's still working on the theory."
"Huh."
Danny thought about that for a moment. "After learning that Hell and Heaven were real, I figured God or someone else decided where souls go. Like a judge."
"There might be." Octavia tilted her head. "Dad says there are things nobody knows for sure."
"That kinda sucks."
Octavia stretched her arms slightly. "Oh, and Lilith's been MIA lately."
"Missing?"
"Sorta. She used to show up at events all the time. Meetings, galas, public appearances. At least once or twice a month. But lately it's just been Lucifer and Charlie."
Danny blinked. "Really? That's weird."
"Yeah."
"She seemed nice the few times I talked to her over the years." Danny frowned. "I hope she's okay."
Octavia shrugged again. "Dad thinks it's probably the sinners. They've been getting worse."
"So she's just… avoiding it?"
"Maybe. Or maybe she's dealing with it in her own way. I don't know." Octavia picked at a loose thread on Danny's blanket. "It's not like the royal family shares their problems with the rest of us."
Danny nodded. "Yeah. I get that."
He played through the beat one more time His phone buzzed on the desk. Danny set the sticks down and picked it up.
Tucker: yo can me and sam come over
Danny glanced at Octavia. "Tucker and Sam want to hang out. You cool with that?"
Octavia shrugged. "It's your house."
"Yeah, but you're here."
"I don't mind."
Sam had joined their little group since the history project. She showed up at lunch now, sat with them in study hall, and texted the group chat with album recommendations. Her taste in punk and alternative rock music had bled into both their playlists. She'd taken on the role of introducing them to bands, fashion, and a whole counterculture.
Octavia had latched onto it faster than he had. The demon had started incorporating darker clothing into her wardrobe along with her favorite magenta. Danny still wore his usual jeans and graphic tees, but he received a jacket from Sam and a long-sleeve shirt from Octavia..
Danny opened his messages and scrolled to Jazz's contact. She was currently doing errands and seeing some friends. She mentioned being back by dinner.
Danny: tucker and sam coming over later ok?
The reply came almost instantly.
Jazz: Fine. Just keep the house clean. I'm serious.
Danny: got it
He switched back to Tucker.
Danny: yeah come thru
Tucker: cool see you in 20
Octavia leaned back against the wall, her phone in hand again. "What are you guys planning to do when they get here?"
"Probably just hang out. Maybe play some games. Tucker's been trying to get me into this new MMO, but I haven't had time."
"Sounds boring if only you two are gonna play."
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I didn't say I was leaving."
Later
By the time the doorbell rang, Danny and Octavia were watching TV with the latter in her glamour again.
It turned out to be 30 minutes since the text that Danny answered the door. Tucker held a backpack stuffed with snacks, and Sam was carrying her usual messenger bag.
"Took you long enough," Danny said.
"Blame her." Tucker jerked a thumb at Sam. "She had to stop for batteries."
Sam pushed past both of them. "My camera died."
They filed into the living room and the casual rhythm of a weekend hangout took over. Danny pulled out the console and started flipping through his game collection.
"We're not playing another racing game," Sam said immediately.
"Why not?" Tucker asked.
"Because you cheat."
"I don't cheat. I'm just better than you."
"You literally unplugged my controller last time."
Danny held up two cases. "How about this one or this one?"
They argued for a few minutes before settling on a party game. As expected, an hour passed with fierce competition and betrayals in stars getting stolen. Tucker would swear revenger on Octavia.
It didn't take long for them to ditch the game and channel surf while music played in the background, cycling between punk tracks Sam queued up and whatever Tucker felt like adding to the mix.
Eventually, the game lost its shine. Tucker leaned back against the couch, controller resting on his stomach. "I'm bored."
"Already?" Danny said.
"We've been playing for like an hour."
Sam muted the TV and turned toward Danny. "Can I ask you something?"
Danny glanced at her. "Sure."
"Your parents are ghost hunters, right?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah."
"I've heard people at school talk about it. I didn't want to ask during the project because it felt rude, but..."
"Honestly, at this point, you're one of the few people who are polite to me about it. What's up?
"Is it real? Like, actually real?"
"I mean, my parents think ghosts are real. Me personally? It's 60-40."
"But they haven't proven it," Octavia added.
Sam's eyes flicked to her, then back to Danny. "So how do they plan to prove it?"
"They built a portal."
Tucker sat up. "A what?"
"A portal. To the Ghost Zone. That's what they call it." Danny gestured vaguely toward the floor. "It's a whole dimension, supposedly. Where ghosts live. Or exist. Whatever."
Tucker looked between them. "Hold on. You never told me your parents built a portal."
"I thought I did."
"You didn't. You just said they were ghost hunters, and I said, 'Cool.'"
"Oh… Well, now you know."
Sam leaned forward. "Wait, wait. Like an actual machine?"
"Yeah. It's in the basement."
Octavia crossed her arms. "Except it doesn't work. And I'm pretty sure ghosts don't exist."
Sam's expression lit up. She reached into her bag and pulled out her camera. "Can I see it?"
Danny blinked. "You want to see the portal?"
"Obviously."
Danny hesitated. He glanced at Octavia, who shrugged.
"It doesn't work," Danny said. "So there shouldn't be any harm..."
Tucker was already on his feet. "Yeah, come on. Don't hold out on us."
Danny sighed. "Fine. But don't touch anything."
"Got it."
"I'm serious. My parents have other stuff down there that could actually hurt you." Seeing that everyone was pretty interested in seeing the portal now, Danny led the way toward the basement. Tucker and Sam followed close behind, and Octavia trailed after them.