First Demonic Dragon

An upset dragon is hard to ignore. Even the ones with sentience.

As Abaddon, his wives and children rode in a carriage on Gandora's back, it was noticeable to everyone just how absent he was.

It was rare for him to pick a window seat.

While the ride droned on minute by minute, Abaddon continued to hold his chin in his hand while he stared out the window into the space between realms.

A pair of headphones covered his ears that were nearly identical to Thrudd's. Perhaps it wasn't the most dignified thing for a ruler to wear, but it wasn't like anyone was going to jump down his throat about it.

Abaddon had only gotten through about three or four songs before he felt a weight settle in his lap.

Gabbrielle, in a precious white dress and lacy socks, gestured for her father to remove his headphones.

He did so, and showed her a warm smile that made it hard to believe anything was wrong. "Need something, Peach?"

Gabbrielle shook her head with large, doll-like eyes. "What are you listening to?"

"The Kings of Leon. Wanna try?"

Gbbrielle nodded, and Abaddon pulled off his headphones to place them over her ears.

As she settled into a more comfortable position on his lap, she held up her thumbs in solidarity.

With a fond smile, Abaddon leaned down and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"Wow... all of this blatant favoritism is sick, amiright guys?"

"Maybe we should turn into babies and he'll look at us like that."

"I'm already plenty cute, and he still doesn't look at me like that."

Abaddon's older sons and daughters had no problem voicing their irritability over a perceived disparity in treatment.

Mira was particularly upset. "I remember when he used to look at me like that... now it's just 'don't eat my stuff, Mira', 'clean your room, Mira', or 'why are there crumbs all over my sweat pants, Mira?'"

His daughter folded her arms in a huff. "I swear it's like the only people who love me in this house are my adorable little beastie boys."

"Well, when you control their food supply..." Belloc shrugged.

Mira didn't take kindly to his words and the two had to be separated.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about. Everyone knows I've always been Dad's favorite." Thrudd smiled with unabashed confidence. "I'm just letting Gabbs have my spot for a little bit."

"You were his favorite. Then you joined the rest of us in heathen land, and now you're just another walking reminder of the fact that nothing in this world stays innocent." Apophis waved his hand dismissively.

Thrudd looked crushed. "...Dad?"

Abaddon went back to staring out the window. Only his sons seemed to find that funny.

"Well, by that logic, Bash and I should be favorites too, since we also have our virginity, but he never lets us sit in his lap and use his stuff." Yemaja complained.

Bashenga held up his hand to put an immediate stop to such slander. "Please do not involve me in this as if lap sitting is something I have an interest in."

"Besides, don't you girls all pretty much go in Dad's room and take his stuff anyway?" Straga reasoned.

"I don't!" Nubia rushed to raise her hand. "That's what having a husband is for."

Ayaana and Zahara showed their daughter dual nods of approval.

Throughout everything, Courtney remained silent.

She was sure that after everything that had happened earlier, she must not have been too high on their father's list of favorites at the moment. She'd spent the entire ride trying not to look in his general direction.

"I'm..."

Abaddon suddenly spoke, but he didn't turn his head back to his children. His voice was so low it was barely a whisper.

"I'm going to miss all of you when you're gone. I honestly don't know how your mothers and I are going to get by, but... we'll manage."

Ayaana and Zahara felt their eyes start to sting slightly. The three of them entwined their tails unconsciously.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence in the carriage. Perhaps it was then that it finally dawned on them that this would be the last time they were together for a while.

It wasn't uncommon for the family to be separated for just a little bit, but the times that they weren't together were always difficult in their own ways.

The family is a complete body. When even one of them is missing, it feels like the Tathamets are operating with a lost limb.

Being without all of their adult children was going to be hard on them as parents. It would likely be even more difficult, because the kids wouldn't be the only ones gone from home.

Even his mothers had decided to go with his father, just as Helios' wives had decided to follow him. Abaddon had already considered taking his decree back several times this morning alone.

But he thought that if he did that, he'd be compromising short-term pain for long-term gain.

His family needed this. And he had to be the one to let them go.

There was a low rumble as Gandora landed at their destination. Soon after she landed, an outpour of screams came from outside from those who were unquestionably horrified by her appearance.

Abaddon stood up and switched Gabbrielle from his lap ot his shoulder.

He looked back at his kids for a final time and showed them a heartwrenching smile.

"And just for the record, my favorite kid is usually the one standing in front of me at any given moment."

Abaddon passed through the curtains of the palanquin, and his wives followed swiftly in his path.

By the time his feet landed on the white marble of heaven's streets, the daughter on his shoulder was significantly larger and more mature-looking.

Gabbrielle gave her father a pat on the head and a sad look.

She didn't say anything, and he didn't need her to.

Instead, he gave her hand a firm squeeze and an unwavering smile.

That seemed to be enough for the both of them.

Abaddon held his arms out for Ayaana and Zahara as they descended from the palanquin and placed them gently on the floor beside him.

Together, arm in arm, the three of them began walking up the steps to heaven amongst a sea of other gods. Their children followed shortly behind them.

It isn't often that a congregation of gods this large gets together for anything as insignificant as a trial. Least of all one concerning humans.

However, this occasion was different. The scale of the crime made it necessary for not just Asherah, but the entire divine body to take part.

The last time soething like this happened was when Yesh held a vote deciding on whether or not the first generation of nephilim should be purged. The gods were here for around two days then.

This wasn't necessarily how Abaddon and his wives wanted to spend their last day with their children, but supporting Thea was paramount.

They felt bad enough that they had missed an opportunity to save her while they were away. They would not miss her captor's sentencing as well.

"ABADDONNN!!! AYAAANA!!! CONCUBINE!!! HIII!!!"

The dragons froze in their tracks when they heard the heavy rattling of chains and feet coming ever closer.

Loki jumped high into the air with a gleeful smile and his arms poised for an embrace.

A hard wall of light appeared between the three of them and their assailant. Loki slammed face-first into the wall and slid down it with cartoonish groans escaping his mouth during his descent.

When the wall disappeared, Ayaana placed her foot on the back of his head and applied enough force to crack open his skull.

"Who are you calling a concubine, you disgusting urchin..? Do you desire to meet your end? There are easier ways, we assure you."

Black spots began to fill Loki's vision as the pressure of Ayaana's foot became more and more burdensome.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't know the new one's name yet! It's supposed to be a joke, you know; 'ha-ha, funny'!"

"The only thing funny about you is the noises you make before you die." Ayaana started to apply even more pressure in to her foot.

"Wait, wait, I'm a character witness!" Loki sputtered. "I'm here to give my honest testimony!"

Ayaana stopped.

Slowly, she lifted her foot from Loki's head and kicked him away like an empty can.

He rolled down the steps toward the feet of Odin, who looked even more displeased than normal.

"...It wouldn't have made me any difference if you killed him."

Ayaana huffed and resumed her trek up the steps. Abaddon and Zahara followed her with a certain glossy look in their eyes.

From on top of her father's shoulders, Gabbrielle peered down at her second mother.

"I'm sorry about that cretin, Mother. I hope you won't pay him any attention."

Zahara barely heard anything that Gabbrielle had said. "H-Hmmm..? Oh, sure, honey, we're fine in here. Don't worry."

"More than fine..." Abaddon murmured.

Gabbrielle followed their gaze a few paces forward. It didn't take her long to discover why her parents no longer looked like they had a single thought behind their eyes.

Suddenly, she didn't particularly want to be carried by her father anymore.

As she climbed down from her perch, she noticed a face in the crowd of deities who was staring particularly hard in their general vicinity.

She gave her father a gentle nudge. "Father?"

"Yeah, peaches- I mean, Peach?"

Gabbrielle had never had a problem with her family nickname before now.

Despite her inner disgust, she turned her father's head in a very distinct direction.

"Look. Aunt Demeter is over there."