Stolas Summer Week 2025: August 27th Playing In The Sand: Operation Castle Wall and Moat

by TheCat1987

Summary:

For Stolas Summer Week 2025 August 27th: Playing In The Sand

While spending a day on the purple sand beaches of Envy, Blitz has an idea to keep the tides from messing up their perfect spot.

Notes:

I'm surprised I'm on a role with this one for Day 3 but I figured it was almost done anyway so why not finish it? I might not be able to put up stuff as frequently for a few days this week but I wanted to put some things out.

https://bsky.app/profile/mellemoon.bsky.social/post/3lugcahq42s2e

I think Blitz, since he'd want to be more conscious of Stolas's needs now they're together, he'd want him to be able to enjoy their spot on the beach without having to worry about the tides wrecking their spot. I imagine that the moon's affect on the tides would affect Heaven and Hell's oceans just like they would on Earth so when they're high, you'd best move or get soaked. But with their spot being perfect, Blitz would wanna make a barrier of packed sand and a moat/trench to catch any water that might try to wreck their spot.

I think every kid's tried that with their sand castles, trying to waterproof them as best they could without the ocean knocking them over.

I also wanted to include Vassago since he's known for finding things that are lost and Envy's probably one of the more mysterious rings so he could find treasure or lost artifacts there some other time. He's just happy to be included spending time with his brother, niece, and new friends. ^_^

And Loona I think has more control over her full hellhound form so she'd wanna help her dad out by digging out his little moat. Even if it means she'll have to shower the sand off later. But after all that's happened, she's just happy to spend time with him and Octavia. And Octavia doesn't mind getting dirty since she would help her father in the gardens back home.

“Vassago this was a very nice suggestion for a break from royal duties,” Stolas commented to his brother.

Vassago had finished placing a blanket on his beach chair before smiling a bit. “I remember you were always curious about visiting the beach towns of Envy,” he told him, seeing the other blankets being put out for Loona, Octavia, and Blitzo. “And they seem like they’re enjoying themselves.”

Loona was napping on her blanket while Octavia was reading a book. The girls weren’t quite ready to swim yet so they were just relaxing on the beach. That was perfectly fine since there was no wrong way to enjoy a vacation. As long as you had fun, anything could go.

But he was curious about what Blitz was doing.

“Darling?” Stolas tried as Blitz was dragging a stick in the purple sand. “What are you doing?”

“Tryin’ to see how big a moat I should make,” Blitz told him, utterly focused on his task as he dragged the stick in an almost half-circle.

“I’m sorry, a moat?” Octavia blinked, looking up from her book in confusion.

“You’ll get used to his weirdness…” Loona muttered in her sleep.

“Yeah to keep the tide from messin’ up our fun day at the beach,” Blitz replied, looking at his birdy boyfriend. “You said the tides in Hell kinda match the ones on Earth, right?”

“Yes. The pull of the moon’s gravity on Earth affects them and at certain times of the day, the waters will rise high past the shore line.” Stolas nodded, recalling a talk they had once.

“It’d be a bitch to get all set up and have to move when the tides come in. So I’m makin’ a moat that’ll be big enough and deep enough where we don’t have to worry about packin’ up early.” the imp assassin explained.

“That’s very thoughtful of you darling but the ocean’s waves can be pretty powerful,” the owl prince reminded him. “What if the water fills up your moat too quickly?”

Blitz stopped marking the sand before giving him a grin. “I thought of that too. All the extra sand I’ll make into a barrier to keep the water out,” he told him.

Vassago looked at the marking Blitzo had made in the sand before nodding in approval. “This is a smart idea, mi amigo,” he smiled. “You’re making it large enough so we’ll have room to move around and I’m guessing you’ll make it deep enough to catch the water?”

“You know it, parrot-dude,” Blitz grinned, getting on all fours to start digging. “Watch and learn people!”

“Can I join you?” Stolas offered, moving to his boyfriend’s side. “I’ve never really dug anything bigger outside of holes for sproutlings in my garden but this should be fun.”

“The more the merrier!” Blitz nodded, looking at his mark. “Let’s see how deep we can go before we need help getting out.”

With that, the strange couple soon began to dig a large hole in the sand. Blitz requested that Stolas try to move the sand by the water so they could make their barrier without having to backtrack getting more sand. It was fascinating that the deeper they dug, the more wet and clay-like the sand was. Perhaps the harder clay could stabilize their structure when it was time to make it.

After around half an hour, they dug around five feet into the ground. The hole was about at Stolas’s upper stomach when he stood up while Blitz could only be seen just barely at the top of his horns. Vassago helped them both out, being pretty strong in his own right as a Goetia prince.

“¡Increíble!” He gasped in awe. “You two did quite a bit of work here! Muy impresionante.”

“Thanks! I figured five feet’s a good start,” Blitz replied, wiping sweat off his brow. “The only problem is…my arms are getting fucking tired and we’ve got a lot of ground to dig up before the tide comes in.”

“This is certainly more difficult than gardening,” Stolas agreed, rubbing his shoulder.

Loona, having watched them digging like fools, got up from her spot and cracked her back. “If you’re gonna do it, do it right,” she declared before turning into her full hellhound form.

“Whoa!” Octavia gasped, having only seen Loona in this form once before.

Loona gave her a smile before running to the hole and beginning to dig for herself. Feeling inspired, Blitz jumped back into the hole and started to dig in the other direction. Stolas decided to help work on the barrier with Vassago joining him. They could probably make something sturdy enough to work for Blitz’s little plan.

“Hey can I help?” Octavia asked, hopping over the trench to join her father and uncle.

“Of course, sweetheart!” Stolas smiled.

“Gracias, mi querida sobrina,” Vassago added, looking around at Blitz’s markings. “I think when we reach the end of where he marked the sand, we should probably have it taper off so it doesn’t just collapse.”

“Good idea. Maybe we could add extra support near the front and back so the water won’t knock it into the moat.” the young princess agreed.

Stolas was so happy seeing his daughter come out of her shell a bit more. He always appreciated when she would help him in the gardens. Stella would act disgusted at the very idea her daughter would lower herself to play around in the dirt. But Stolas was happy that she wanted to spend time with him. Who cares about royal traditions?

If they were having fun, that’s what mattered.

Once Loona and Blitz had finished digging the trench, they clambered up to help prep the barrier with Vassago, Stolas, and Octavia. Loona and Octavia were making slopes packed in sand, laughing at the absurdity of it all. A Hellhound in her 20s and a princess in her late teens were basically making a sand castle together. But to hell with what other people thought; they were having fun.

It was probably the most relaxed Loona felt in a long time.

“Damn I’m gonna be washing sand out of my fur…” Loona muttered before looking at Octavia. “Think this is sturdy enough?”

Octavia looked it over before nodding. “Yeah I think so. Maybe we can add some turrets to give it a little style.”

Loona snickered as she gestured to the guys. “I think they have the same idea,” she commented, seeing her dad and Stolas piling extra sand on top of their little wall like castle decor. Vassago was sticking little sticks and palm leaves into the tops of the piles like little flags, looking quite proud of himself.

“Muy elegante, ¿no?” the parrot demon commented, making Blitz and Stolas laugh.

“We’re gonna have the driest section of beach while those other suckers run for the boardwalk!” Blitz grinned.

“I admire your determination, dear,” Stolas told him, plopping him on their section of beach. “It was fun getting my hands dirty as it were.”

“I’m gonna go wash off at the showers,” Loona told them, offering a hand to Octavia. “Wanna get some drinks?”

“Sure.”

As the girls went to get cleaned off, Blitz turned to Vassago with a surprisingly serious expression. “So your thing in that whole Ars Goetia thing is you find stuff and can look into the future and shit?” he guessed.

“More or less.” Vassago nodded. “Anything that has been lost to history I can find. It takes effort but it is not impossible.”

“So…like pirate treasure?” Blitz grinned excitedly as Stolas shook his head in bemusement.

“And historical artifacts,” Vassago added excitedly, his feathers perking up. “I think the journey of finding treasures can be just as fun as the treasures themselves.”

“I wish Fizz would listen to ya about that,” Blitz joked, looking at him with big eyes. “So are the rumors true about treasure being at the bottom of the seas of Envy?”

“Well I have heard stories. Envy is one of the more mysterious rings in Hell since, unless you’re an aquatic demon or can afford those magic bubbles to travel down below, it’s hard to really explore it,” the parrot demon mused.

“Would you like to see it sometime, Blitz?” Stolas guessed.

“Hell yeah I would!” the imp assassin nodded, looking out at the waves in the ocean. “Oh shit the waves are coming in!”

Vassago and Stolas sat back on their chairs, curious if Blitz’s plan would work. It was almost adorable seeing him stand by his moat waiting for the water to come in. It would start slow but eventually the water would come in pretty hard and fast. If the wall didn’t hold up, the moat would at least catch some of the water so their spot would remain untouched.

“Do your worst, ocean!” Blitz declared. “I ain’t afraid of you!”

As if on cue, the ocean waves began to splash against his barrier and so far it seemed to be holding steady. But as time went on, the waves began to make the structure weaker which concerned Blitz. He scampered over to the weaker parts of the wall, trying to scoop up sand to repack the barrier but the water was a lot stronger than he thought.

“Ack! Cut it out!” Blitz gasped, seeing the water burst through and filling up the trench. He tried to scoop the water out but the waves weren’t listening. It was troubling trying to figure out where he needed to go to keep their spot safe but in the end, nature won.

The water reached right up to their chairs, soaking their things. Thankfully their beach towels were on the chairs but everything else would need to sit out and dry.

“Crap!” Blitz groaned, trudging over to Stolas’s chair and sitting with a pout.

“It was a good effort, dear,” Stolas reassured him. “And I did have fun in the sand with you.”

“You had the right idea but Envy’s waves can be pretty powerful,” Vassago explained.

“I guess…” the small imp muttered, shivering when Loona pressed a cold can of soda on the back of his neck.

“So your plan didn’t pan out?” she guessed, she and Octavia handing drinks out.

Blitz opened his can of soda and took a large gulp before giving her a grin. “Nope but next time I’ll make another moat in front of the sand wall! All about innovation, kiddo!” he told her. He then flopped down on Stolas’s chair, resting on his lap. “But that’ll be next time…I’m wiped…”

Stolas chuckled as he patted boyfriend’s head. “I’ll look forward to it, dear.”

[END]

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Stolas Summer Week 2025