"What is it, Mom?" Rachel asked as she escorted Atargatis into the villa.
"There's been a revolution!" Atargatis choked out.
"Believe me," Parthenope sighed, "we know."
"Who's this?" Atargatis asked Rachel, gesturing to Parthenope.
"That's General Parthenope," Rachel answered, "Formerly known as Joan of Arc. Yeah, the famous one. She's the wife of Archangel Michael. Michael arranged for her to be sent down here to be my bodyguard until all the threats die down."
"Pleased to meet you," Parthenope said. "I meant to be here days ago, but there was a crisis on Venus that I had to look into. I might not have made it at all if Prince Jesus and Queen Asherah hadn't come to relieve me."
"I'm honored, General Parthenope," said Atargatis. "I'm Atargatis, Rachel's mother and Archduchess Astaroth's fiancee."
"Now, what of the revolution?" asked Parthenope. "What led you to run here?"
"Astaroth and I eloped," Atargatis explained. "Well, I technically just became Astaroth's concubine, but that's the closest a former human like me can get to marrying an archduchess under this stupid Decree 13666. Ugh, fuck Lamashtu!"
"The news feed says she's not responsible," Maisy interjected, relieved that she didn't need to hate her sister. "Senator Laz Deathfire used Lamashtu's name to get her way."
"Well, fuck whoever did it!" Atargatis grumbled. "Anyway, some rebels recognized Astaroth out on the street during the initial uprising. We tried to flee, but I tripped and they caught us. We were thrown into this prison they seized. I was put under some kind of comfy house arrest, but they left Astaroth to rot in a cold, damp cell that was infested with these horrible rodent-like things that snorted fiery sparks."
"You mean dragon-rats?" asked Maisy.
"I guess," Atargatis shrugged. "Anyway, I managed to escape, but Astaroth's probably still in there. I'm worried that the rebels are going to execute her!"
"I wish it WERE the rebels!" Parthenope cut in. "They were beginning to compromise the surviving Morningstars. Unfortunately, the news says that they've been counter-couped by the secret police. The whereabouts of King Tammuz, Louis-Gaston, Princess Lamashtu, Senator Eligos Swordsight, and Senator Aym Flamewit are currently unknown. Most other rebel leaders have been executed. Lord Nergal has crowned himself the new Devil."
"Yikes," Atargatis winced. "I take it he's even more eager to kill Morningstars than the rebels?"
"If he's crowned himself the Devil and King of Hell, he'll need to wipe out the old royal family to strengthen his claim to the throne," said Parthenope. "You'll be on his kill-list as well, Atargatis. You may not be a Morningstar by blood, but you're human-born. Remember, it was Nargal's wife Laz who pushed Decree 13666 through."
"What do we do?" asked Atargatis.
"We retreat to Earth," Parthenope answered firmly. "You, Rachel, and Maisy will be safer there. It is especially essential to conceal Maisy from Nergal since she is the rightful Archdiablesse, the true heiress to Lucifer's throne. We may even be able to contact some Morningstars who have already fled there. Archduke Leviathan, his wife Sekhmet, and their son Dagon all made it to Earth. I'll try to take you to them."
"But what about Astaroth?!" Atargatis wailed. "I can't leave her with Nergal!"
"We have no choice," Parthenope sighed sadly. "All of Dis belongs to Nergal, and he's policing it thoroughly. Wherever we might go in this city, we'd be cut down by hundreds of infernal archers and spearmen in about five seconds. I can't sacrifice any of you on a doomed mission to find Astaroth."
"Then the woman I love is going to die?!" Atargatis wept.
"Not necessarily," said Parthenope. "Leviathan and Sekhmet might know what to do." The angelic general opened a portal to Earth with a wave of her hand. "Now come with me."
Parthenope hastily assumed a human disguise and leaped through the portal. The three demons did the same, Atargatis fighting back tears as she followed her daughter and daughter-in-law through the celestial portal.
****************************************
What Atargatis and her family did not know was that Astaroth was no longer in the East Dis Correctional Facility. Nergal had moved her to the royal dungeons in the palace. She had been placed next to the cell where Lucifer and Lilith lay helpless in a magical coma, soon to be executed. She looked down at her mutilated body, which now bore horrible wounds that even Enoch Morningstar would need to recharge his Lightbringer power for months to cure.
Astaroth's hands and feet had been cut from her limbs, and her black-feathered wings were gone as well. Astaroth stared tearfully at the useless stumps. She could no longer walk, fly, hold objects, conjure portals, or perform other magic. She felt less than worthless. Worse, she couldn't think of a way to return to her beloved Atargatis.
The Archduchess of the Sixth Circle had also been stripped of all the fine jewelry that typically coated her body. While the jewelry had never done much to conceal Astaroth's intimate parts, she felt exposed and truly naked without it. Worse, she felt less like Astaroth without it. A cherished part of her identity had been stripped off of her as spoils of war.
Suddenly, the door opened. A jailer barged in and jerked Astaroth's head up. "New orders from King Nergal!" he grinned evilly. "He's decided he doesn't like your mohawk. Says it spoils your pretty looks."
"And chopping off my hands, feet, and wings doesn't?!" Astaroth spat. "I got this mohawk while shopping with Atargatis! How I wear my hair is none of Nergal's fucking business!"
"Orders are orders," the jailer chuckled. "He sent me to get rid of that eyesore. Well, guess I'm a barber now!"
The jailer took out a rusty, serrated razor and grabbed a handful of Astaroth's green-dyed hair. He began roughly hacking at it with the razor, causing Astaroth to wince in pain as handful after handful of her mohawk was hacked from her scalp and dropped on the floor. The jailer then ran the razor over the stubble to finish the job.
"There we go!" the jailer chortled. "Maybe this will teach you to keep your hail its natural silver color and not twist it into insane shapes!"
"Fuck you!" Astaroth shouted as the jailer walked off. "I will fucking disembowel you and use your ribcage for a jewelry box!" But she knew it was an empty threat. With no hands, feet, or wings, all Astaroth could do was await her grim fate. She ran a hand over her freshly bald head, hoping that Atargatis at least was safe and sound.