Athena and Hugo went back to the palace and took Sophina and the women with them. The guards and staff were shocked to see that the queen was alive.
"STEPFATHER!" Hugo growled loudly.
Gaston heard his stepson's voice and said, "Hugo, I thought I killed you with the..."
Suddenly, Gaston stopped himself when he saw Athena standing right next to Hugo. "Oh, I see you've found your mother," he gulped. "Athena, it's such a surprise to see you," he said to Athena.
"Yes, it is, and you're the one who turned me into a bear three years ago!" Athena glared. "Hugo told me that you're trying to kill him! Why did I ever marry you? Now that I'm home, I think it's time to..."
Suddenly, there was a rumbling, and everything was shaking. Everyone knew exactly what that meant.
"Earthquake!" Hugo yelped. "Duck! Cover your heads!"
Everyone ducked away to protect their heads. But Gaston couldn't move. Before anybody knew it, the ceiling caved in right on Gaston. Once the earthquake stopped, Hugo stared at Gaston. Gaston didn't move, and he wasn't breathing.
Athena summoned a doctor who examined Gaston carefully. Gaston was dead. Hugo had mixed feelings about this. He was sad when his birth father died, but his stepfather's death would be different—it meant that he didn't have to worry about Gaston killing him anymore.