Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone always told Luz that she needed a reality check. That her head was too far up in the clouds. That she needed to focus on what was right in front of her. But Luz wasn’t so good at focusing, so when the door to her science classroom suddenly came up in front of her, she somehow missed it.

“Heck.”

Their hand rubbed their forehead where it had collided with the door. She picked up the book she dropped while ignoring the snickers of a group of nearby seventh graders.

Stupid door. When did they even put that here?  

She pointedly ignored the fact that it had always been there, and instead reached for the handle. As she did, one girl from the group laughing called out and taunted her.

“Try using your eyes, freak. And stop reading those kids’ books. It makes you seem like even more of a loser.”

Luz just clenched her jaw shut and entered the classroom. It wouldn’t do any good to get into a fight. Again.

Everyone always told Luz to stay calm. To not let people get to them. To just let it go. And she did her best. They hadn’t been involved in a fight all year, but that didn’t stop the insults or the teasing from stinging. Luz had gotten better at ignoring everyone who gave her shit, but that girl had pushed a button. The Good Witch Azura wasn’t even a kids’ series, but somehow the illustrated cover and an emotions-based magic system deemed it ‘too-childish’ for the incredibly mature 13 year olds that liked to hate on it.

Deep breaths, Luz. Think happy thoughts. Think of the amazing redemption arc for Hecate that will definitely be coming. Speaking of… 

Luz sat at her desk and opened her book once again, excited at the prospects of an Azura and Hecate friendship or, dare she hope, something more. Unfortunately, they didn’t get far before the class started and the teacher started talking about the sun. But somewhere around the topic of nuclear fusion, Luz tuned out. Who really cared about the sun other than from the perspective of the earth? It wasn’t as if they were going to have to go to outer space and ever see the sun from out there. Luz liked the sun in more of a poetic sense. It represented a cycle of life and light and could be counted on to bring the hope of a new day. The way the teacher was talking about it made it sound boring and like it was just some concept. Bored, Luz opened up her book again. They smiled to themself as the walls around them melted away and the world opened up in a much brighter shade than the dull colors that adorned the science classroom.

But before she got far, she was back in the classroom as her teacher closed her book and looked at her with a stern face, “Please try to pay attention. You can read on your own time. We are learning about the universe around us, not whatever imaginary world you like to spend your time in.” Luz’s face burned red as she mumbled out an apology and went back to pretending to pay attention.

Everyone always told Luz to get her nose out of her books. To reel in her imagination. To make real friends instead of fictional ones. But making friends isn’t easy when you’re constantly switching schools and always seem to be in trouble. And it didn’t help that they were queer either. Luz had managed to get themself kicked out of the last 7 schools she had been to. The longest she had managed to stay at a school since she was 6 was for a little under three semesters… and that had been a school specifically designed to handle “trouble kids.” For reasons that she couldn’t explain, Luz was often at the center of strange incidents that ended with her looking bad. Okay… maybe sometimes things were her fault (admittedly, bringing backup snakes for her book report last year hadn’t been her brightest moment), but other times she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. No matter what she tried, whether their head was up or their chin was down, no one could see past her label of a “problem child.” The only thing she could do was try her best to go with the grain now. But that was easier said than done.

After sitting through a seemingly endless lecture and absorbing approximately zero of the mind-numbingly boring trivia about the sun (more catching up for her to do during her free time, yippee), Luz perked up at the prospect of spending some time reading in the library until her mom got finished with her shift at the hospital and could pick her up. At least there they could just chill with Azura and not have to worry about bullies or tests. It would be nice and peaceful.

******

Things in the library did not stay nice and peaceful.

Shrieks of middle schoolers filled the air and drew closer to the previously tranquil library as Luz was again rudely interrupted from her book. They rolled their eyes.

Did someone light their hair on fire while smoking again or something?

The commotion kept getting closer to the library, so Luz put away their book and stood to see what was going on. Through the windows into the main hallway, they could see something weaving around people and making them trip. She couldn’t quite make what was out there, the view being obstructed by adolescents’ legs, but it seemed to be some sort of pack of animals let loose in the school. For an instant, Luz’s mind went back to the snake incident, but she was drawn back into the present when the creatures reached the library doors.

Standing right at the entrance was a pack of wolves. An honest to goodness pack of wolves. Inside her school. This made perfect sense. The librarian and other students screamed and ran for an exit, but Luz was too stunned to move as the pack slowly fanned out and moved towards her. She counted 6 of them, all baring teeth that glistened white and dripping saliva to the floor. Their eyes were trained directly on her, and as Luz looked at their faces, they couldn’t help but notice how very intelligent and human their eyes seemed as they studied her. The largest of them was in front of her and seemed to be the leader as the other wolves stayed a step or two back.

Luz finally managed to get her legs to work and backed away from the advancing beasts. They already had cut off any routes to an exit, so she crept backwards, desperately trying to find a way out of this situation. Her mind raced as she thought about what she knew about wolves. Heck. They knew jack-shit about wolves. All Luz could come up with was that this seemed like abnormal behavior for any sort of wild animal.

Well that’s *very* useful to know. Now I can be sure that when I die, it will be for an unusual reason. Not even my death can be ordinary, huh.

Their back pressed up against the bookcase on the wall. Fear crept into her voice as tears began to press against her eyes.

“Dios, please make it quick.”

With that, the lead wolf made a noise that sounded an awful lot like a chuckle. Luz could swear it was smiling. Then, right before their eyes, it began to change.

The transformation was the strangest thing that Luz had ever seen. Its snout sank into itself, shrinking closer to its face as its fur thinned down to almost nothing. Its whole body seemed to morph as if it was made of putty, fluidly shifting from a wolf’s body into… 

“You aren’t wolves; you’re…”

…werewolves.

“ Lycanthropes, or werewolves if you prefer. I’m Wrath. Pleasure to formally meet you, little hero.”

His voice was deep, and he articulated his words slowly, somehow making him seem even more menacing. He stood up slowly, seemingly in no rush to kill Luz. She now got a better view of his face, and it sent shivers down their spine. His eyes were small and glinted yellow with hunger, relishing in the smell of their fear, and his teeth poked out of a mouth which seemed far too big for his face. His body was huge and imposing, and he wore clothes made of what seemed to be various animal skins.

Luz tried to sound brave, but their voice cracked and felt weak.

“Are you gonna eat me? I don’t think I’d taste very good.”

Wrath chuckled again, amused.

“Actually no. Fate has other plans with you, Luz Noceda, as does our master.”

Luz’s mind reeled as she processed what he said. How had he known their name?

“And who might that be?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, young godling.”

Wrath and the pack continued their advance, and Luz looked around desperately looking for some sort of weapon.

“Take that!”

Wrath shielded his face from the projectile headed towards his face, but the book Luz had grabbed off of the shelf behind them hit the monster with all the force of an asthmatic fly.

No! My weak nerd arms!

The werewolf snorted and reached out for Luz as they cowered against the bookshelf.

All of a sudden, someone yelled out something unintelligible, and there was a loud thwack. Luz opened her eyes to find a woman holding a staff extending her other hand to them.

“Come with me if you don’t want to get killed by these dogs!”

Luz didn’t, so she did.

Chapter Text

Luz really needed to get in shape. As they raced down the hallway with werewolves barreling after them, Luz made a vow to exercise if she managed to get out of here alive. Too many times their couch-potato nature led to a red-faced Luz panting heavily after the faintest bit of exercise. Her lungs already burned from sprinting out of the library after this stranger that had rescued her. The mysterious woman had knocked Wrath down with a blow to his head from her carved wooden staff, and then grabbed Luz’s hand and jumped off of Wrath’s downed body to somehow vault them over the remaining pack. Luz was in no way an athlete, and she was shocked that she managed to keep up with the nimble moves of the strange looking woman.

Her sense of fashion was… odd to say the least. Her sleeveless red dress seemed to be badly torn, on one side reaching her mid-calf while on the other only down to her thigh. Various jewelry with amber-colored gems adorned her neck and hands, and her nails were long and pointed like some sort of claw. She had a wild mane of grey hair, but didn’t seem to be very old if her agility was any indication. Her other features were somewhat strange as well. Her skin seemed unnaturally pale, and her face had curious proportions. Not that Luz exactly minded about her rescuer’s weird appearance, but she was intrigued.

Together they shot down the now empty hallway and through the doors at the back of the school, Luz feeling like they were dying every step of the way. They had managed to gain a few seconds of a lead on their pursuers, but Luz didn’t see how they could get past the high fence of the schoolyard before they were overtaken. Her panicked face turned towards the woman inquisitively, but the stranger just smirked knowingly, put her fingers in her mouth, and whistled loudly.

Out of the corner of their eye, Luz spotted a shape streaking towards them through the sky.

“Attaboy, Owlbert!” the woman shouted, raising her staff.

Albert? Owlbert?

A small, brown owl descended towards them, claws extended. Luz covered her face fearfully before realizing that it wasn’t aiming at her. The owl latched its talons onto the end of the woman’s staff before she turned it on its side and mounted it.

“C’mon, kid! Get up here!” she encouraged with her hand extended.

Luz had no breath left to answer, but she used the rest of her strength to throw herself onto the staff behind the eccentric character. Somewhere in the more logical part of their brain, Luz questioned how getting on top of a staff would help them get out of this situation, but since she had already spoken with a werewolf today, she figured logic was not going to be very helpful at the moment. Besides, she read enough fantasy to have an inkling of what was about to happen.

The owl on the front of the staff flapped its wings, and the staff began to lift off from the ground just as the wolves caught up with them. They jumped up and snapped at their feet, but they were just out of reach. Meanwhile, Luz felt like squealing and shouting because they were flying , but she was still gasping for air after running for her life. Her savior on the other hand seemed to be managing just fine as she laughed and looked down at the pack.

“HAH! Take that, you brutes! Let’s get a move on. Whaddaya say, Owlbert?”

The bird squawked in response.

“And away we go! Hold on tight, kid.”

Luz grasped the staff and nodded before they shot up into the air much faster than they were expecting. Already light-headed, Luz found herself dizzy, and reached out to the woman ahead of her as her vision went blurry.

“Hey! Hey, kid, don’t pass out on me,” she said, sounding both annoyed and concerned.

******

Luz passed out.

Yeah… she really needed to get in shape.

Chapter Text

The creaks and hums of machinery echoed off the walls, blanketing the room with a blended medley of noises. The eerie sounds gave the only indication of the size of the room as darkness consumed almost all of it. Only a small area of the spacious chamber was lit, as if a spotlight cast its gaze on the project that resided there. Footsteps fell loudly below as the illuminated section drew closer.

Footsteps? Whose? Oh, mine.

The structure came into focus: a large, circular frame with what seemed like wings surrounded some sort of machine connected to various pipes and cables. It was an impressive sight, freshly painted white and gold, but it seemed… unfinished somehow.

A piercing and methodical voice spoke admiringly towards the device, “Almost enough. You will be ready soon. And then the day will be upon us when this era will end and the world will be born anew.”

Is that my voice? That doesn’t sound right… 

Voices began to whisper frantically from the incomplete contraption, growing louder and louder as the frame grew hazy and faded from sight. The only thing left was soon the centerpiece and the frenzied murmurs that overpowered all the noise in the room until… 

… a piercingly yellow eye sprung open powerfully and everything was consumed in a flash of light.

******

Luz woke up with a start. Their heart was pounding. Weird dreams were not uncommon for Luz (her imagination after all was wild enough when she was awake), but normally they weren’t this… vivid.

What was that?

What was that, and where am I? How did I get here?

Luz looked around frantically before realizing she was at home. They were lying down on the couch, still in their school clothes. She heard hushed tones and was reminded of the frantic whispers in the dream, but she realized that they were coming from the kitchen. She strained her ears and listened.

“... and you can get her there today?” Luz recognized the voice as her mother’s.

“If we leave now we can. I’d really prefer not to wait any longer. The circumstances have changed, and they’ll be able to find them really easily now. She doesn’t exactly blend in at school anymore, Cam.” 

Luz’s face burned. They couldn’t quite place who that was, though the voice sounded familiar, but they had struck a nerve. Luz had been trying all their life to just be normal and keep the quirks in her brain, but no one seemed to think that she belonged.

“It’s Camila, but… I know. I know this is her best bet. I’ll just miss her when she’s gone,” their mother replied.

And from the sound of it, her mom wanted to get rid of her too. Luz scrunched their brow in confusion. Her mom was always her biggest supporter, reassuring her when they felt alone and telling her that she didn’t need to change for anyone. She shifted herself on the couch to hear better, but the couch let out an audible creak and her cover of being unconscious was blown.

“Luz? Are you awake, bebé?” Luz’s mother walked around the corner into the living room and stroked her hand through Luz’s hair. Her presence softened some of Luz’s fears and they felt their heart rate begin to settle. She was still wearing her scrubs and smelled vaguely like her vet clinic. Behind her, Luz saw the strange woman with the gray hair peering in on them.

“Mamí, what’s going on? Who is she, and how did I get he-” Luz cut themself off as the events of the day caught up with her.

“Wait- WERE THERE WEREWOLVES? DID WE FLY ON A MAGIC STAFF?” they practically shrieked.

Camila chuckled and continued stroking Luz’s hair soothingly while she sat down next to them. “Yes, cariño. It’s alright. This will all make sense very soon.”

That response did not satisfy Luz in the slightest, and she opened her mouth to start shooting off the dozens of questions blaring in her mind, “Is magic real? How does it work? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME SOONER!? Is she a witch? Are you going to send me away to go live with witches? Do I get a magic sta-”

The grey-haired woman fully entered the room and interrupted them, “Hold your horses there, kiddo. We don’t need you fainting again.” Luz pouted at that. “My name is Eda, and before I answer more of your questions, we need to get somewhere safe.”

Luz frowned, “Is it not safe here?” She looked at her mom who had a smile on her face, but they saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. “What is going on, mom?” they repeated.

Her mother bit her lip and spoke carefully, “Mija, there’s a place you need to go, a summer camp, for… people like you.”

Luz recoiled. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it didn’t sound good.

“But school isn't even over yet! Please don’t send me away. I try my best to be normal, but somehow it never works out!”

Luz’s mom put her hand on their face. “Luz, it’s okay. You’re different from the other kids at your school. You’re special. Unique. And that’s one of the things I love about you. This camp will have other people like you. Everyone there will also love you for the things that make you different.”

“But what about our family? Isn’t that more important?”

Camila sighed, “Luz… this is about your family. I’ve tried to keep you to myself all these years, but I can’t do that anymore. This has to do with your father, and- and I can’t go with you.”

That threw Luz for a loop. Their mom rarely talked about their dad, so she didn’t know that much about him. Camila often described him and Luz both as the “lights of her life,” which is how Luz got her name, but since he had left when they were just a baby, she was always wistful when she spoke about him. How did he factor into this? Was he also a screw-up like Luz?

Her mom continued but tears started to fall from her eyes, “I thought I could keep you safe on my own, but according to Eda, things are different this year. This is the best path for you.”

Luz still wanted to protest, but she bit her tongue for her mom’s sake. This was clearly hard for her too. They looked at Eda, who gave her a smile, then back at her mom.

“I’ll miss you,” she said, her voice breaking.

Their mom kissed their forehead. “Go pack your things, mija. Te quiero.”

Luz went down the hall to her room. The walls were covered messily in artwork and posters from her favorite books and television series. She glanced around at the space and set to work. She gathered some clothes, her favorite books, her notebooks full of poetry, short stories, and art, and a picture of them and their mom. Shoving it all in a backpack along with some toiletries, she breathed in the familiar feel of what had been her safe haven for the last time in a long while. Then, they turned around and left.

She heard voices again coming from the kitchen, so she stopped just out of the adults’ view. They froze when they realized their mom was crying.

“Hey, it’s all right. We’ll take good care of them,” Eda reassured her.

“I know. I just worry that I haven't been a good enough mother all these years, that I haven’t supported them enough. She always felt like an outsider, and now here I am sending her away. How can I know they’ll ever forgive me,” she said through sobs.

Luz’s eyes widened. She definitely did not want to eavesdrop on that conversation anymore, so she stepped into the kitchen to find Eda giving Camila a tight hug. They cleared their throat softly to make their presence known.

Her mom looked up and wiped her eyes, clearly trying to be strong for Luz’s sake. She reached behind her and handed Luz a couple of small bags. “Here’s some money for the camp store and a snack for the ride over.”

Luz took the bags and pulled her mother into a tight hug. “Muchas gracias, Mamá. Ya te extraño mucho.”

Their mom kissed their forehead again and whispered, “Cuídate mucho mija. Que te vaya bien.” She gave one final squeeze, then let go and nudged her to the door where Eda was waiting.

“Take good care of her, Eda.”

“You know I will, Cam,” she said with a wink.

They took one last look back, and Luz could have sworn she saw her mom blush. Eda led them outside and closed the door.

Eda regarded her strangely, making Luz’s heart sink. While kids could be cruel, it was often adults that made her feel the most out of place in her life.

Luz looked up at her, “So you probably think I’m a weirdo, huh?”

Eda laughed. “Well sure I do, but I’m kinda funky too. Us weirdos have to stick together.”

Luz smiled at that as Eda whistled loudly for her owl.

Chapter Text

Flying was definitely more fun awake. As they cruised over the clouds, Luz marveled at the sight of her city sprawled below her. They’d been on a plane once or twice, but that was nothing compared to the unobstructed view all around her and the feel of the wind in their hair that made her feel free. Thankfully she was able to enjoy it since Eda took them up much slower than before, and Luz now knew what to expect.

“Alrighty then, Luz,” said Eda, turning around on the staff to face them, “Now I can finally give you an explanation.”

Luz immediately lost all interest in anything below her, instead lasering her focus on Eda and spitting out all the questions that she had been holding in, “So magic is real? Are you a witch? Am I a witch? What does this have to do with my dad? Are we going to a camp for witches? When we get there, can I get my own magic staff? When will we get-”

Eda cut off their questions once again, “Look, I know this is very exciting, but I think it’ll be easier if I explain the basics, and then you ask questions. Alright?”

Luz still wanted Eda to just answer the questions they’d asked and was frustrated that she’d have to hold and then probably forget her questions, but nodded along anyways.

Eda cleared her throat, “Essentially, the gods are real. Like, the Greek gods.”

Luz took a breath to respond, then paused, “Wait, like Zeus and Poseidon and stuff?”

“Yup. All of those stories that they now call myths, they’re all true, or at least based in truth. The gods that they worshiped in ancient Greece are real, alive, and generally just making our lives harder whenever they can,” Eda said with a huff.

Luz took a moment to consider that. She’d seen a lot of weird stuff in her life, but she’d written it off as her imagination like everyone else told her to. If what Eda was saying was true, so much in their life would make sense.

“So… gods and monsters and stuff are real.”

“Yep.”

“And I got attacked by werewolves in my school library today.”

“Uh huh.”

“But, that still doesn’t explain where we’re going now.”

“Well,” Eda began, “You know how in all those old stories all the gods would go around sleeping with mortals and having kids with them? Yeah, they haven’t changed much in the last few millennia. Their kids are demigods, or half-bloods, and they have dangerous lives. That’s why there’s a camp to protect and train them, and that’s where we’re going.”

Luz blinked. “We’re going to a camp for the children of the Greek gods?” The realization hit them. “Is that what I am!?”

“It’s what we both are. My father is Hermes, god of messengers, travelers, merchants, and thieves. Your father is also a Greek god.”

“But I’m just a normal kid! That’s impossible!” Luz protested.

“As impossible as flying on a stick pulled by a bird or being chased by werewolves?” Eda retorted.

Fair enough. At this point, Luz was pretty sure they weren't dreaming all of this up. Who was she to decide what was possible or not? And wasn't Luz always one to question what was real and what was fantasy? That was a big part of why everyone thought they were such a freak. She understood a world that was more than science and logic, a world full of deeper meanings and beauty. Books, poetry, music, art… they mattered. Maybe even more than what people considered “reality.”

“Ah shoot,” Eda muttered, “I forgot to call and say that I had you. We have to make a quick pit stop, kid.”

Luz wondered exactly why they had to stop to make a phone call but figured it had something to do with the altitude. “Alright.”

They descended much closer to the ground, but Eda still seemed to be looking for something.

Maybe she also wants a snack or something?

She finally seemed to find what she was looking for and set them down right behind a… self serve carwash? Eda led Luz over to a station with a spray hose and put some coins into the machine.

“Eda, wha- We don’t even have a ca-”

“Shh, kid. I gotta make a call. Hold this right there for me,” she said, handing Luz the end of the hose and digging through her pockets. “I coulda sworn I had a- oh, there we go.”

She pulled a golden colored coin out of her pocket, but it must have been from some other country because it didn’t look like any currency Luz had seen before.

“Start spraying that thing,” Eda instructed. “No, a little higher… Perfect!” Luz didn’t get how that was anything resembling perfect; it was just spraying a lot of mist everywhere. Eda flipped the coin up with her thumb with a flourish, then caught it and tossed it into the mist. “O goddess, accept my offering.”

Luz gasped as the coin sailed into the cloud of mist sparkling in the sunlight and instead of clattering to the ground, disappeared into a rainbow shimmer.

“Lilith Clawthorne, Camp Hexide,” Eda requested.

All of a sudden, Luz was looking somewhere else in the world entirely. Where there had been the lovely view of a liquor store, a pizza place, and a party supplies shop across a gross smelling parking lot, Luz now saw the interior of a cozy looking old-timey house. Wood panelling adorned the walls with a fan spinning overhead, and… was that a stuffed leopard’s head!? Regardless of that, the image showed a dark-blue haired woman sitting at a desk, muttering to herself while she looked at some papers tiredly.

“Lily!” Eda called to her.

This is so cool! Magic video chat!

The woman, presumably Lilith, looked up and smiled, then checked her watch and gave them an annoyed look. “Edalyn, you were supposed to check in hours ago!” she chastised.

“I got sidetracked, okay? There were those werewolves again, and then this one passed out…” she gestured to Luz, “... and then I had to tell her what was going on, and there was a very emotional goodbye scene, and-”

“So you’re telling me that you’re late to check in because you were too busy explicitly breaking protocol to call? You have to take this more seriously, Edalyn,” Lilith chided, her voice beginning to raise.

“Will you get off my back for once? I got the kid. That’s the important thing,” her tone hardened to match Lilith’s.

Ooo, demigod drama!

“And you put yourself in more danger than you had to because you couldn’t wait a few hours to tell her about herself!”

“It was fine! We were already on the way, and I just went over the basics!”

The basics: The gods are real, and they have kids, and those kids have issues. Got it.

“We have these protocols for a reason!” At this point they were essentially shouting at each other.

“You just wanted them to watch your dumb orientation video instead so you can feel better than everyone else!” That seemed to rile Lilith up.

“No, I just want to keep you and everyone else safe!” Lilith took a moment to collect herself. Pinching the bridge of her nose irritably, she took a deep breath and sighed, “I’m glad you’re okay. Next time please follow protocol.” She looked up and continued, “I’m also glad that you called when you did. We’ve just caught wind of another recruit in your area from Aaron and Nellie. They’re a powerful one. Very strong scent. It shouldn’t be too far out of your way.”

Eda crossed her arms, still looking resentful. “Of course we’ll go get them. I don’t leave people behind,” she said, her voice dripping with spite. It was obviously meant to somehow strike a blow at Lilith, and Luz could see from the momentary flicker on the blue-hair woman’s face that it had hit its mark. 

However, Lilith kept her composure and continued, “I also want you to stay away from the Phoenix area. Apparently there’s some sort of freak dust storm that has the whole city evacuating. It would be dangerous to fly near there.”

Eda grunted in acknowledgment. “Anything else you need, your highness?” she said, rolling her eyes.

Lilith looked imploringly at Eda. “I- I just-” she sighed, resigned, “No. Be safe, sister.”

Sister?

“See ya later,” Eda said simply before waving her hand through the image, dissipating the mist and terminating the call. Luz stayed standing in her place, astonished at both the conversation and the method it had been conducted with. They realized they were still spraying water and getting themself wet, so they put down the spray gun and followed after Eda who was wandering off while seemingly having an argument with her owl.

“You think I’m being too hard on her ?”

The bird squawked accusingly in response.

“This is ridiculous! I can’t believe after all this time, you’re siding with her !”

Another flutter of angry noises followed from the owl.

Luz cleared her throat and cut in, “So… I don’t suppose you’re gonna tell me what any of that was about?”

Eda seemed to suddenly remember that Luz was even there. “Oh, uh… It’s nothing. It happened a long time ago. I just hate that Lilith still acts like a stuck up, entitled asshat!” She took a breath and steadied herself. “It’s all good. What we need to focus on now is getting that other kid and getting to camp. Waddaya say?”

Eda was clearly trying to drop the subject, and Luz decided to let her. Whatever this was was probably some sort of old family dispute, and they didn’t want to get in the way of family matters.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

This time on the staff, Eda was much more quiet. Luz figured that she was still thinking about the conversation with her sister (with a mysterious past !), so they let the silence continue uninterrupted. Instead, they distracted themself by experimenting with the staff and its flight mechanics. She discovered that it seemed to have some sort of shield from the air resistance, but if she stuck her hand out far enough, she could feel all the air rushing by. When she stuck both of her hands out on either side of her body and felt all the force pushing back, she had the sensation of being on a roller coaster. They might have tried getting their head out far enough to stick their tongue out like a dog sticking its head out the window, but before they knew it, the staff started to descend and her fun was ruined.

“How did you know where to go? I didn’t hear Lilith tell you a location or anything,” Luz questioned.

“Oh I didn’t know where; Owlbert here did. Some of our satyrs out in the field found the kid, and Owlbert can sense them. Something to do with their scent I think. Try not to question it, squirt.”

Luz wrinkled their nose at the nickname. Anyways, their knowledge of Greek mythology was pretty limited, but from what she knew from The Chronicles of Narnia, she was pretty sure that satyrs were goat people.

That is sooooo cool! I wonder what other sorts of mythological creatures I’ll get to meet.

“Aaaaand we’re here,” Eda said, hopping off the staff behind a large building that upon closer inspection appeared to be an elementary school. “Luz, you stay here while I go find Aaron and Nellie so that they can tell me where to find the other half-blood.”

“But why can’t I come?” Luz whined, not believing that they wouldn’t get to meet the satyrs .

“Because they are posing as teachers inside the school, and it is much less suspicious for me to request to talk to some teachers than it is for a random teenager,” Eda answered, not leaving any room for discussion. “I’ll only be a few minutes; cheer up.”

Groaning, Luz slid off the staff and let Eda walk away with Owlbert in tow. They slumped down against a wall and sat down on the ground.

Since when is someone like her walking into an elementary school with an owl on a stick not suspicious? She probably just wanted to ditch me.

Luz was pulled out of her head by a rustling coming from around the corner. Nervously, she shot to her feet and strained her ears. For a moment, they didn’t hear anything, but then the noise came back. There was a slight scraping sound and something straining, as if whatever was over there was trying to move a bulky object.

What if it’s another monster?

Luz scanned their surroundings for anything that could be used as a weapon, but the only thing they came up with was a broken chunk of concrete that was a little bigger than their hand. Cautiously, she crept over and peeked around the corner while clutching her makeshift weapon. When she saw the scene in front of her though, they relaxed and released a held breath.

Some dumpsters and old furniture lined the edges of the little nook Luz found themself in, and in front of one of them a young boy was struggling to push an old chair up to the edge of one of the trash containers. He had on a tattered dark hoodie with a skeletal design on it that seemed too big for his little body. On his head was a hat that once probably had two horns on it, but one was so faded that it looked broken. There was mud on his face, but it was streaked with tears.

Aye, poor baby. I should help this little cutie pie.

Luz dropped the piece of concrete to the ground and approached the child, making some noise so as not to startle him. He looked up and grabbed a rock of his own, holding it menacingly.

“Who dares attack the King of Demons!?” he ordered. His voice was high pitched but very steady, and only the look in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was frightened.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Luz reassured him, “I’m not trying to attack you. Do you need any help?” They took a step forward with their hands raised in a non-threatening way, but the boy immediately raised his arm, warning Luz to back off.

“Stay back, I’m warning you,” the tiny boy threatened. It would have been comedic had Luz not been extremely worried at this point.

“Okay, okay,” she said softly, “I was just wondering if you wanted any help. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You don’t scare me!” he shot back, “I’m not afraid of anything! Just leave me alone so I can get my crown!” He began to push the chair again although he didn’t take his eyes off of Luz.

Luz wanted to say more, but when she opened her mouth to offer to help, he glared daggers at her head. Eventually, he managed to get the chair to the edge of one of the dumpsters and scampered up onto the back of the chair to be able to look inside. The chair was perched rather precariously, and Luz worried that he would fall. They instinctively moved closer to catch him if the need arose. As she was doing this, the child seemed to find what he was looking for and made out to grab it, but in doing so, his other hand lost its grip on the edge of the dumpster. He began to pitch sideways, so Luz stuck her arm out and supported his hip until he regained his balance.

“Stop touching me!” he griped as soon as he was stable. Luz had to hold back a small chuckle but obliged.

The little guy tried once again to reach down into the dumpster, but his arms proved too short. He sighed. “Can you get my crown?” he asked begrudgingly, gesturing to a small paper crown sitting next to a pile of old school lunches.

Luz smiled. “Sure! How about you get down from there first though, okay?”

When the kid had gotten down, Luz hopped up onto the chair and pulled out the crown. It was a bit crinkled, so they straightened it out as much as they could and handed it to the boy who was dancing around in excitement.

“My crown!” he giggled with glee as he put it on his head. “Now, my subject, we shall raise an army of demons and rule the world!” he commanded as he strutted back and forth in the little alleyway filled with dumpsters.

Luz giggled as she played along, “Of course, your majesty. What would thou bid me do in thy service, my liege?”

The little ruler straightened and set out his strategy, “First, we’ll take the school, and all those who laughed at me will pay! We’ll find those jerks who disrespected my crown and see how they like being thrown in the trash!”

Luz stopped. “Wait, people threw your crown in the trash and laughed at you?” she asked angrily. “And what are you doing out here all alone? Why aren’t you in class?” The neglect being shown to this boy who couldn’t have been more than 7 was astounding. Luz clenched their fists.

The monarch paused and nodded sheepishly at Luz. “I don’t actually go here. It’s just a good place to get a free meal.”

A free meal?

“Where are your parents?” they asked.

The boy immediately tensed up and Luz sensed that they had struck a nerve. “I- uh.” He shook his head. “Not here.”

Luz thought she heard him say something under his breath like, ‘not anymore,’ but she decided to change the subject and ask some different questions.

“How old are you?” Really, he shouldn’t be giving his age out to strangers, but that was a matter for another time. For now Luz wanted to focus on keeping him here so that when Eda came back, they could figure out how to help this kid.

“I’m 6 and a half.”

“And what’s your name?”

“I’m the King of Demons, of course! King for short,” he offered.

“Alright King, are you hungry?” she asked, “‘Cause my mom packed me some food that would probably taste better than the school food.”

******

As they unpacked their food, Luz scooted back out into the area where they had landed so that Eda would be able to see them. Soon, Luz and King were sitting against the wall of the school and digging into PB&Js and apple slices. Luz had made sure to give King plenty of space to not scare him off, but he shuffled over right beside Luz until they were shoulder to shoulder. His head leaned on Luz’s arm, and she smiled at the softness of the moment… 

…that was immediately botched by a voice that started calling out for Luz, “Luz! I’m back, chap!”

King tensed up, but Luz rubbed his back and calmed him, “It’s okay. It’s just my friend. She might be able to help you.”

“Luz!” Eda finally walked into view. “There you are. We have a problem. Turns out, the kid doesn’t actually go to the school, so we’ll have to- Wait. Oh! You found him already. Sweet.”

“Found who already? What happened with the goat people?” they asked.

“That’s the kid we’re looking for. He wasn’t actually enrolled at the school; he just came around sometimes to eat. Good job finding him. I thought we were gonna have to do some sort of stakeout dealio.”

“What are you guys talking about?” King questioned nervously.

“We’re going to a safe place for kids like you two,” Eda responded, bending down to be more level with the small boy.

“What are you talking about? I don’t even know you!” he said, backing away.

Luz caught his arm and explained in the most soothing voice they could muster, “Kids like us are special, and we have dangerous lives. Have you ever noticed weird things happening to you sometimes?”

King’s eyes suddenly felt far away and unfocused as he nodded shakily.

“We’re going to a summer camp to be safe,” Luz continued.

Owlbert abruptly started hooting at Eda urgently. A howl pierced through the air, sending chills to Luz’s bones.

“We need to leave now!” Eda said, readying the staff.

“You trust me, right King?” Luz said, reaching her hand out to the boy.

He hesitated, then nodded, and they both climbed onto the staff after Eda.

Chapter Text

It seemed as if Luz was never going to be calm whenever they flew on Owlbert. Eda could literally feel that kid vibrating with excitement behind her as she guided her trusty avian companion up to a cruising altitude. Well…  it was either coming from Luz’s elation or from King’s apprehensive shivering. She was about to say something to soothe the ragged-looking  boy’s fears, but Luz beat her to it, putting their arms around him while he pretended to resent them for it. Eda smiled to herself at his feeble attempts to seem tougher than he actually felt and recalled fondly a time when she had done the same. She stifled a chuckle when after a short moment of protest, King moved back and settled into Luz’s embrace, leaving the two cuddling contently.

At least he’s opening up to her a little bit. That’s good. He seems like he could use a friend like Luz.

Once she was sure Owlbert could handle the flying on his own for a bit, Eda sighed and got ready to rehash what she had already told Luz for the newcomer and give the rest of the rundown to them both.

“Alrighty! I should probably introduce myself.” She addressed the boy, “Also kid, if that weren’t a life or death situation back there, you definitely shouldn’t have just come with us. Stranger danger and all that junk. I’m pretty sure that this would legally be considered kidnapping, but whatever. Regardless, my name is Eda, and, well, I guess you already met Luz.”

The boy nodded. “Yeah I did. I am The King of Demons!” he said with flourish. Then quieter, “Um, you can call me King if you want though.” 

“It’s nice to meet you King. Anyways, I suppose we should have another go at that whole ‘explanation’ thing.” She turned her head and looked towards King sympathetically. “What do you know about Greek mythology?”

“Like demigods and monsters and stuff?” he asked.

“Yeah, exactly like that. Basically… all of that is real. It’s not mythology. It’s history,” Eda explained.

 “I figured that was what this was about. You know about that too?” the boy responded nonchalantly.

He- He already knows!?

Knowing you were a demigod essentially put out a flare to monsters, signalling to them where to find a tasty snack. It made your scent stronger, easier to track. How then, had this little runt managed to survive on the streets, presumably on his own!? It was a good thing she found him when she did. Especially this summer… 

Eda realized that she had been lost in her thoughts for a bit too long, and the kids were staring at her. “Uh, y- yes. Yes. Us three are all demigods, and we’re going to a special camp for people like us. I’m one of the activity directors there.” She cleared her throat and prepared to give them the whole spiel. “As children of the gods, our lives can be dangerous and full of monster attacks, so Camp Hexide was made by the gods to give us a safe haven. It’s magically protected from the perils of the outside world, so it’s the perfect place to stay and train to fight and survive. Does that make sense?”

She directed the question at King in particular. He was much younger than the typical camper, and Eda wanted to make sure that he understood. Somehow though, he didn’t seem phased at all. Luz on the other hand, was clearly only just keeping herself from firing out another myriad of questions in a frenzy.

Eda sighed. “Are there any questions?” she asked hesitantly. “Slowly, please.” she clarified.

Luz took a breath and organized her thoughts before speaking. “There’s one big thing I don’t get. How come nobody knows about any of this? I mean, there were werewolves at my school. And I’m pretty sure we started flying in view of hundreds of people. Somebody must have seen that, right?”

“You’re right. Someone probably would’ve seen that. But there are a couple of reasons that nobody really believes in the Greek gods and magical stuff anymore.”

Luz cocked her head inquisitively, prompting Eda to continue.

“The first reason is that mortals are incredibly stubborn. They wouldn’t believe in anything outside of their preconstructed views of the world even if it whacked them in the face, and believe me, I’ve tried that.” Eda winced at the memory, remembering the black eye she’d left some poor stranger with when she was ten. “The second reason is- it’s- well it’s kinda hard to explain. There’s this thing called the Mist, but it’s not like a literal mist…  It’s magic, I think(?). Urgh gods, I’m bad at explaining this bit.”

King jumped in, “It’s like a mystical force that obscures the eyes of mortals, right?”

How does he know- wh- a-

Eda furrowed her brow. Somehow this absolutely tiny person not only already knew the fact that he was a demigod but also about the Mist and how it worked. And he could explain it better than Eda could! This was intriguing, if not a little concerning.

“How’d you know that?” she asked, astonished.

“I uh-” he trailed off. He might’ve mumbled something to himself, but then he shrugged his shoulders and curled his body back into himself and closer to Luz. For some reason, he didn’t want to give an answer, and Eda couldn’t fathom why. Something was clearly spooking the kid though, so she decided to move on to make him feel more comfortable.

“That’s a really good way of putting it. Thank you,” she started with a light tone. “Regular mortals can’t actually see a lot of the stuff that we can as half-bloods.”

Luz’s arm sprang out dramatically. “That’s why nobody ever believed me when I saw weird shi- I mean stuff,” they corrected with a glance at the six year old. “I’m not actually crazy! And those football players did have forked tongues!”

Eda chuckled while Luz had their amusing realization. Looking at their animated face, Eda decided she liked them. Luz was a fun kid, optimistic and excitable, and she liked sharing her joy with others. Some kids Eda hated being around all the time, but she could tell that wouldn’t be the case with Luz.

Luz started telling the story of the serpent-like athletes to an amused but evidently tired King as he was stifling yawns and rubbing his eyes. Eda probably needed to finish talking to the kid before he passed out, so she cut into the conversation.

“Sorry to interrupt, but King, I need to ask a few questions before we get too far. Is that okay?”

“I thought you said not to talk to strangers,” he replied impudently. Luz gave him a little shove. “I mean, yes of course. Whatever you want, kidnapper lady.” He gave a little grin.

Gods, I hate children. Why do I work at a fucking summer camp? Bunch of little twerps.

She swallowed her annoyance. “Do you know who any of your parents are?”

His grin faded. He shifted nervously before speaking in a very guarded tone,”I never knew my father, but I know he’s one of the gods.” The boy continued quietly after a short pause, “My mother was killed by monsters a few months ago.” He folded himself back into Luz’s arms, and the teenager held him close with a pitying expression on her face.

Eda honestly wasn’t surprised. While a lot of half-bloods ended up as runaways on the streets, she doubted anyone that young would just bolt. Not under any normal (for a demigod that is) circumstances anyways. She’d met her fair share of kids who’d lost their parents, but she still didn’t know exactly how to go about consoling them. Do you distract them to keep their mind off of it? Give them a hug (this seemed to be Luz’s strategy)? Let them figure it out on their own? She always tried her best to seem supportive and caring, but oftentimes she barely knew the kids at all. She opted for some awkward shoulder pats for King.

He didn’t seem to want to talk more after that, so Eda let them ride in silence. When she looked back at the children from the front of the staff, he seemed to have nodded off on top of Luz.

I really need to get better at this.

******

I really need to get better at this.

Luz wished they could do more than just hold King, but he didn’t want to talk. Instead, his head rested on her chest until eventually Luz realized that he’d fallen asleep. Instinctively, Luz started to rock them both back and forth just like their mom did when they were younger. Her mind drifted to all the times her mother had comforted her, but abruptly Luz came to a realization.

How come she never told me about any of this?

There had never been a single mention, any sort of indication from their mom about any of this Greek stuff. It was like she avoided it completely.

How could she hide something so important from me?

Luz felt torn. They wanted to be angry at her for keeping this from them, to blame her for never fitting in, but she also believed deep in her heart that her mom always was looking out for her. Maybe she was just being selfish to keep Luz to herself, but maybe… 

“Hey Eda, is there a reason why my mom never told me any of this stuff?”

Eda looked back with a smile. “Cam was trying to keep you safe, kiddo. Once you know you’re a half-blood, monsters can find you easier. You know how the satyrs found King, using his scent? That gets a lot stronger the more you know about all this. She wanted to make sure nothing could happen to you."

Luz nodded understandingly but still had a puzzled look on their face. "If she was doing all she could to keep me safe, how come the werewolves found me? They even knew my name!"

A grim look settled on the adult’s face. “This year things have gotten… worse.” She sighed. "Those werewolves you met, they've been more aggressive than usual, more organized. Somehow they're finding demigods faster than usual, and we're having trouble protecting them when they're scattered across the country. So Lilly and I decided to bring in all the kids we knew even if it's earlier than usual this year."

That had left Luz with about fifty new burning questions, but for Eda's sake she started the one that seemed most pressing. "Wait, was that howling that we heard from the same wolves that attacked me?"

"Well it was probably a different pack since we're pretty far from your school, but they're all working as a group. Like I said, they've organized."

The tone of the conversation had darkened, but Luz in some ways felt relieved. Now it made sense why her mom had lied to her for all her life, and in a much larger sense, why Luz had always felt out of place. Though they still had many questions, Luz felt as if they were flying closer to answers instead of away as they were used to. Maybe finally this could be where Luz would feel less like a freak and actually make some friends.

Chapter Text

Flying all the way across the country on a magic owl staff took longer than Luz expected. She’d sort of been hoping to get to the super cool Greek mythology camp before dark, but before long the sun had fallen under the horizon, and the moon was the primary source of light in the sky.

Luz entertained themself for at least two hours playing with the magic bubble that protected the staff from air resistance. Sticking her hand out into the free air and pulling it back into a space that felt still and safe felt so satisfying and let her mind clear enough for her to ask Eda for some more answers about the whole greek-mythology-is-real-and-you’re-a-demigod thing.

Over the course of the evening, Luz managed to form coherent enough questions to discover all sorts of things about her newly discovered heritage. It turned out that the gods were centered in America instead of Greece because they followed the idea of Western civilization around the world. They lived on Mount Olympus which apparently was currently located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building (Luz was pretty sure that there were not 600 floors in the Empire State Building but she let that go).

At one point they pulled out their phone to check in with their mom, but when Eda saw, she yelped and grabbed it.

“Sorry, kid. Demigods and technology don’t mix. Monsters will be after us like crazy if you use that thing.”

Luz bit her lip, worried. “But what about my mom? How will she know I’m okay?”

“There’s a landline you can use once we get there.” Eda stuck the phone somewhere in the massive mane of hair on her head. “I already talked to Camila, and she knows I’ll take good care of you. Speaking of, it’s getting late, and we won’t get there until tomorrow evening. How about you get some rest? Owlbert and I will make sure you don’t fall.”

Luz scrunched their eyebrows with doubt at the ability to sleep while riding on what was essentially a broomstick, but then she looked down at King sleeping peacefully and reevaluated. Luz hadn’t gotten even a little uncomfortable or felt like they were going to fall throughout the entire ride, so clearly the staff’s magic did more than just make a cool bubble. They couldn’t explain how, but soon enough they had their eyes closed and were drifting off to sleep.

******

The next day went by both lightning fast and at a snail's pace. That didn’t logically make sense, but it was the way it felt to Luz. The whole picture was surreal: flying above the clouds sent Luz into worlds she thought could only exist in her mind, and yet it was reminiscent of long road trips with nothing to do but look out the window. To pass the time they chatted with King and even started to read him the first Good Witch Azura book, but periodic spells of silence left Luz with only their thoughts and a spectacular view lit by the sun above.

Eventually though, Eda told them they were approaching their destination, and before Luz knew it the trio was back on solid ground standing atop a hill somewhere in New York, thousands of miles from her home. Luz tapped their fingers together anxiously as they followed Eda to the crest of the hill. King stood off to the side, the younger boy shading his eyes from the bright sun overhead as he looked down at the scene below. Luz found herself positioned over a camp sprawling through a breathtakingly beautiful valley which stretched for miles. Luscious strawberry fields, a lake, and several buildings filled the space. Kids in orange shirts milled about doing activities: canoeing, playing volleyball, and… were those kids sword fighting?

“Welcome to Camp Hexide,” Eda said proudly as though she had said it many times before, “As I mentioned earlier, within the camp boundaries you should be safe. From monsters anyways… generally. We’ll just pop by the Big House after I talk to-”

“Eda, I have to go potty,” King whined loudly, pulling on her shirt.

“And why didn’t we just land in the actual camp? This seems kinda far away,” Luz wondered aloud.

“Do I have to walk all the way there? I really gotta potty!”

“Zeus’s beard, you kids are annoying,” Eda cut in. “You’re at a summer camp, so get used to walking! I’m just checking on my friend up here on the hill. Let me introduce you real quick to Hu-” the grey haired woman faltered and suddenly seemed tired and much older. “…to Hooty.”

Hooty? What sort of a name is-

“HOOT’S THERE?” A shrill voice came, interrupting her thoughts.

Luz jerked her head over to the right where the voice originated, but all she saw was a large pine tree. Suddenly, a wooden tube shot out at them, and before she could even blink, a beaked face was right next to hers, talking loudly and spraying spit slightly in its excitement. Luz and King yelped and fell down from the shock of a bird tube yelling at them.

“HOOOO ARE THESE KIDS EDA. DID YOU BRING US SOME NEW FRIENDS ALREADY. I CAN’T WA-”

“Hooty! Calm down, you’re scaring them.” Eda helped Luz up as Hooty backed away a few inches, “Sorry about him. He gets excited when new campers come in.” She offered her hand to King, but he elected to ignore it and stood up on his own.

“Hooty here is our camp’s main defense system. He scares off monsters and such and keeps us safe. Plus he gets rid of solicitors.”

Hooty nodded his head proudly, prompting a little grunting noise from King. He had probably meant it to sound dismissive and annoyed, but to Luz it was just adorable.

“Hmph, you’re not so scary! I bet I can fight off bigger monsters than you can anyways,” King challenged as Luz tried to keep a straight face and resist the urge to squish his cute little cheeks.

Hooty looked ready to respond, but before he could, Eda cut in. “You two are both very scary, but Luz, King, we need to head down to camp. There are a couple other new campers that are waiting for us, and I don’t need Lilly breathing down my neck more than she already is.”

King stuck his tongue out at the strange tree creature as he turned to walk down into the valley, but Hooty had already set his focus on some poor squirrel to harass. Luz followed Eda and King in silence.

That was… strange. At least no one will think that I’m the weirdest one here.

Chapter Text

Once again Luz bemoaned their poor physical ability as they wheezed their way over to the building Eda had called the Big House. The picturesque sky-blue farmhouse with a porch looking over the shimmering waters of the lake proved to be just as far away as Luz had suspected, and she was sweating her ass off in the summer heat.

“First door on your right,” Eda called to King who had made a beeline for the front door so he could use the restroom. Luz dragged herself the last few feet to the door.

Sweet relief; air conditioning!

Inside was an office like the one Luz had seen in the iris message, with several desks and cabinets arranged in little pods dotted the far end of the room. Just to her left was a small seating area situated in front of a tv mounted on the wall while an unlit stone fireplace sat on the wall across from a crumbling staircase leading past Luz’s line of sight. Three figures sat by the tv and were now looking directly at Luz and Eda in the doorway.

Luz recognized the pale woman from the iris message. “Edalyn. You finally got here.” Her tone was cold as she regarded the pair.

Eda crossed her arms. “Give me a break Lilly. You were the one who made me take those detours.”

“Enough of your excuses. It’s bad enough you went out of your way to take an unnecessary risk to tell the kids about themselves only a few hours earlier than they would have learned it!”

Luz heard a toilet flush to their right and was reminded of how King had somehow already known about demigods and gods. It didn’t seem fair that Eda was being blamed when that wasn’t her fault. “Actually, King alread-”

“-already was asking a whole bunch of questions,” Eda cut them off sharply and flashed an intense look to Luz, warning them to stop talking and go with it. “Did you want me to just mysteriously say, ‘It will all be clear to you soon,’ and not answer?”

Lilith looked ready to respond, but before she got the chance, King stepped out of the bathroom, snapping the sisters out of their argument.

“Oh, these are the new campers. This is King, and this is Luz.” Eda gestured to them.

Luz gave a smile and waved at the general direction of the other people in the room, but their mind was still stuck on why Eda had wanted them to be quiet.

What’s the deal with everyone here having secrets?

Eda and Lilith continued bickering over by one of the desk setups after Lilith mentioned something about paperwork, and Luz finally turned their attention to the people they were still waving at.

Put your hand down, Luz. They’re gonna think you’re an idiot!

She hurriedly started over, arm extended to shake hands. “Hi, I’m-”

THUNK

They fell face-first into the edge of a table, and bumped their elbow hard on the floor. This was all going so very wonderfully.

Luz blinked as a hand was offered to help her up. It was neatly manicured, but they felt tough calluses on the inside of the thumb and index finger as a firm grip enveloped their hand. The girl attached to the hand wore an expression that was stonily neutral. She had dyed blonde hair tied half up, but her light brown roots had grown out a few inches. Luz stood up self-consciously as they felt the girl’s startlingly golden eyes flitting over them judgingly. Luz realized that they hadn’t showered in a few days, and they must look like hell.

Luz cleared her throat. “I’m Luz,” she finally got out, wanting to hide in her shirt from embarrassment.

The girl didn’t respond, apparently unimpressed. “Your lip is bleeding,” she said frankly before turning and walking away towards where the adults were shuffling through a pile of papers.

Luz stood there for a moment, not knowing how to react to that. Thankfully the other figure spoke and broke the increasingly awkward tension in the room.

“Uhm- do you want a tissue?” A dark-haired, bespectacled girl offered Luz a box of tissues from the table Luz had faceplanted on. Her green eyes were tinged with doubt, and her lips were pressed into a tight smile. Luz felt comforted that she wasn’t the only nervous one here.

Luz dabbed at their lip while the girl introduced herself. “My name is Willow. I just got here too.” She glanced behind her to where the blonde was eyeing them. “I don’t know what her problem is. Her name’s Amity. As far as I can tell, she just got here too, but she’s been acting like-”

“-and for the last time, THEY DON’T NEED TO WATCH THE DAMN ORIENTATION VIDEO!” Eda and Lilith seemed to be at the precipice of a full out smackdown, but before either one could do anything else, another voice took control of the room.

“Can everyone keEP IT DOWN?! Please! Or even better, just get out of my office!” The foreboding figure stood up from behind one of the desks pinching the bridge of his nose. He had long black hair almost down to his feet where a long black robe also hung. He might have been impressive, but he looked quite dishevelled as he staggered out towards the other adults with dark sunglasses on and a crooked party mask partially stuck to his face.

¿Quiénes este borracho?

Eda put her hands up playcatingly. “Bumpykins-”

“Don’t you “Bumpykins” me. I have had quite enough of the bickering and the incessant noise. Get out of my office!”

Lilith stepped in, “But Director Bump, the children still need to watch the-”

“No! Out! Now!” The oddly dressed man shooed everyone out the front door quicker than Luz would have thought possible given the fact that he seemingly just had woken up off of the floor.

******

“I’ll go talk to him,” Lilith had said immediately after being pushed out of the door with the others. She gestured to the kids. “You four stay here until I can convince him to let you watch the film. “And you,” she narrowed her eyes at Eda, “Stop acting like a child and do as I say for once in your life.” With that she turned and essentially stomped back into the farmhouse.

Luz looked around at the other kids then at Eda.

What the hell was that all about?

Eda started laughing to herself, causing the four young demigods to look at her in surprise. “Well that’s what happens when your camp director is a kid of Dionysus I guess, amIright?” she mused, nudging Luz with her elbow. When nobody else seemed entertained, she shrugged and moved on, walking off and gesturing for the new campers to follow. “Come on kiddos, let’s get you the grand tour.”

“Lilith told us to stay here until she got back.” The blonde girl, Amity, crossed her arms.

Eda snorted. “If you want to wait out here in the heat for Lily to manage to agree with that old geezer, be my guest. If you don’t want heat stroke though, I’d suggest you follow me.”

Amity narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue, and she followed behind the other kids as Eda led the way towards several other buildings.

Luz was feeling another bout of energy surfacing with about eight million questions as she began to take in the rest of the super-cool-awesome-greek-mythology-camp , but before they got too far, Eda stopped abruptly with a sharp uptake of breath. Her fists clenched tightly, and the easygoing impression she’d been giving dissipated without warning.

“I uh- I actually forgot I have to do something. Right now. I have to do something right now. So I can’t give you a tour…” Eda glanced around at the campers milling about and her focus landed on a short African American kid who was walking with his nose stuck in a book. “...but Goops here can.”

The activities director walked to the boy, grabbed his arm and plopped him down in front of the newcomers, surprising all parties involved. “Goops is going to finish your tour.” Eda smiled, trying to seem relaxed, but the corners of her mouth were too strained for the smile to be anything but forced.

“Huh?” the five kids exclaimed at once. Eda however, was already sprinting away, leaving ‘Goops’ in charge of the others.