Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luz Noceda was known for many things -- her creativity, her energy, her determination -- but silence has never been one of these things. That’s what Dr. Camila Noceda was the most worried about, to be honest. Of course, the bruises, cuts, scrapes, and the four other children with pointy ears weren’t exactly calming, but Luz’s total silence chilled her spine.

She had just come in from the rain with all of those other children, all of them cut up, bruised, and completely soaked through, and other than to tell her mother she missed her and giving her friends directions to the three bathrooms in the house, she kept her mouth closed and her eyes down. 

“Mija…you know you can talk to me, right?”

“Yeah, I know I’m just…” she sighed. “I think this one might fit Willow best…and Gus can wear my P.E. shorts and sweatshirt…we gotta get them out of those wet clothes…” 

“Sweetie, you also have wet clothes on.” 

“Yeah but I know everything in my closet fits me, they’re my clothes. Amity too, since we’d borrow each other’s stuff sometimes. But Willow is a different size, Gus is…he’s…he’s so small…and Hunter…” she kept trailing off. 

“So those are their names,” she said.

“Oh…I guess I forgot to introduce them to you. I mean, I’ve talked about them in my videos that are on my phone which I was recording for you from the Boiling Isles when I couldn’t send them to you until I came back to this realm…” she picked up a shirt and put it back down, deciding it wasn’t the right fit. 

“Let’s focus on getting something for them to sleep in,” her mother said. “I can run to the thrift store down the road first thing in the morning and get them a few things there and work out the rest later.” She went to the hall closet and grabbed enough towels for each of them, as well as an old fire station shirt and sweatpants. “Hunter’s the blonde boy, right? I still have a few of your dad’s things and knowing how he was…”

“Papa would’ve dressed Hunter himself if he was here,” she finished with a sad smile on her face. She gave her mother a small nod and found a set of pajamas for Willow and Amity to wear. 

“They’re probably starving too, huh? Good thing we always have extra arroz con frijoles. Vee and I can get that done in just a few minutes while everyone showers and warms up, including you corazon, and…I won’t force you to go into details, but I need to know what happened. At least a little bit.” 

“Mami…”

“At least the basics Mija. Now, go show your friends how the upstairs shower works and I’ll help the boys with the downstairs one,” she ordered, giving Luz some of the pajamas and towels while taking the rest. 

“Fine,” she said. “Though I should warn you that even though he’s tired and sad right now, Gus is a huge human fanboy and the shower may blow his mind. I mean, I already had to restrain him on the Boiling Isles after I introduced him to a stapler.” 

“Have…have they never showered before?”

“The Demon Realm has magic because of how the natural water there is quite literally boiling constantly. So they used spell circles and I used glyphs. Long story,” she said, watching her mother’s puzzled face. “But the mechanical shower? You’ll have to show Gus how *not* to break it.” 

“Noted mi amor. Now you too. And after you get cleaned up, I’ll feed you all and patch you up while you fill me and Vee in.”

There was a very specific sort of motion that Camila had seen in traumatized puppies and kittens in her clinic, those who were abused and neglected especially. They were starving, and having been presented with a plate of food, it was like they were afraid of eating it, getting sick, or in Hunter’s specific game, carefully analyzing every piece trying to determine if the food was poisoned. Hunter worried Camila quite a bit. 

“Okay, so…” she said. “From the top, what are the basics?”

Willow, the girl with glasses and wearing Luz’s yellow Pokemon pajamas from a few years ago, started. “I guess maybe…Luz isn’t the first human in the Demon Realm?” Camila noticed that her daughter’s grip on her plate tightened and she started to glare a hole through the floor. Hunter also reacted to that information, though he seemed to try and make himself shrink to be even smaller than Gus. “Centuries ago…two humans came through and one of them stayed, and fifty years ago, became the emperor of the Boiling Isles.” 

“He’s a witch hunter…was a witch hunter,” Luz said. “He made a plan to seal away witches’ magic and…he created all this…this stigma about living naturally and authentically and…he wanted to come back and be a Witchfinder General!” 

“Wow…he was very outdated,” Camila said. “Witchfinders didn’t even hunt real witches. They hunted innocent women who ‘caused trouble’.” 

“Well Emperor Belos tried hunting innocent witches,” Amity said. “And convinced corruptible witches to sell out their neighbors and even hurt them to help him get ahead…”

“He really affected all of you, didn’t he?” 

“You have no idea Mama,” she said. “But...he had this plan to drain witches of all their magic and kill them on the solar eclipse, but we were able to beat him because King…he’s…I lived with him and Eda…they’re the ones I told you about when I talked to you through the mirrors…King released basically…I guess he’s like a god? But he’s a kid? I don’t know, but he defeated Belos by tapping him, and moved the moon away from the sun with his finger, and started destroying the Titan we were standing on to play a game…” 

“We don’t know if he’s good or bad,” Gus said. “Just…powerful…and dangerous…and King knew that and he saved us by making us go through the portal right before it got destroyed.” 

“Wait, the portal back to your world is destroyed?” They all went quiet, picking at their food, finally forcing themselves to eat a little bit, and Gus started sniffing back tears, clearly not for the first or last time tonight. “Well, there has to be a way back. I mean, the portal had to be created some way, and the weird things that come through here…it can’t all be from that portal can it?” Luz was the one who gave a small nod. “Well, until we figure it out, and we *all* can figure it out, I’m going to do what I do best, and that’s patch you up and take care of you kids. Vaya, eat up, and I’ll get my medical kit and start working on getting you guys healed.” 

“You’re a healer?” Hunter asked. 

“I’m a veterinarian,” she said proudly. They all looked confused, so Luz piped up. 

“Think Viney. Beast Keeping and Healing together. She’s an animal doctor.” They all nodded in understanding. 

“Obviously, you guys aren’t animals, but patching up scars and healing scratches and bruises is the same on just about every animal in every realm…I think…I don’t know enough about demons. But you guys look like you heal like humans do…right?” 

“Well…Luz got a common witch sickness and she was fine and reacted like we did,” Willow said.

“I don’t know…she acted a lot loopier than most people with the common mold,” Amity said. “Remember how she thought her arms were snakes?”

“Oh no, that’s normal for Luz. She was the same way when she had the human flu,” Camila laughed, and Luz’s cheeks turned red. Amity smiled and giggled a little and reached out to touch Luz’s hand, making her smile too, and Camila pretended not to notice…for now.

“So…that Amity girl…como una muneca…” Camila said, handing the dishes to Luz, who was putting them in the dishwasher. “And she very clearly cares for you…” 

“Mami, I know what you’re hinting at…and yes, Amity is my very awesome, super powerful, and ridiculously pretty girlfriend,” she said, blushing again. 

“Ayy! I knew it!” she squealed happily and pulled her daughter in close, kissing her face over and over. “Your first girlfriend!”

“Ma!” she laughed, wrestling her off.

“I saw her trying to hold your hand all the time, and how she leaned on you, and how she volunteered to clean your scrapes…”

“Ma!”

“Oh! Is she not out yet? Do I have to play it cool? Pretend I don’t know?”

“Oh..no that’s not a thing there,” she said. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well…being queer on the Boiling Isles is not a big deal at all. There’s no coming out because there’s not really any homophobia. You just identify how you do and date who you want to date, it’s not seen as anything out of the ordinary or…weird or wrong…it never was. Eda’s partner is a nonbinary witch named Raine who uses they/them pronouns, Willow has two dads, Eda’s sister Lilith is Ace and nobody makes a big deal about it. Witches just…let people exist. Even Amity’s mo-...nevermind.” 

“Amity’s mom? What about Amity’s mom?” 

Luz looked out and closed the kitchen door to make sure they weren’t being eavesdropped on while Vee helped the others set up every air mattress in their house, and the extra mattress from Luz’s bunk bed, and put it near the couch to make almost a big giant bed pile. “Amity’s mom Odalia is…well…here in the Human realm, she’s the equivalent of the Bible thumping PTA mom who expects her daughter to be perfect. And she’s told me to my face many times that she doesn’t approve of me and of me dating Amity. But she never said it was because I was a girl dating her daughter. In fact, she said that she’d get Amity “a new girlfriend.” 

“What a horrible woman..” 

“Oh, that’s not even half of it…but that’s on Amity to tell that part,” she said. “I don’t want to go over a boundary. But the point is that queerness is so normal that she didn’t even blink an eye that Amity is a lesbian. She just wanted her to date someone who wasn’t me --again, let’s not go into that right now-- and honestly, it was kind of refreshing, hearing her say that…I was terrified that she’d tell Amity she was wrong for liking girls, even though I’ve been on the Isles for months and knew it would be okay, I’m just so used to…they don’t even know what homophobia is.”
“How…that must be really nice.”

“It was…it’s weird, but with all the weird stuff on the Isles, and the fact that people were limited to what magic they could learn…it was kind of liberating.” 

“Well, it's not the Boiling Isles or the Demon Realm, but you know you’re always safe within these four walls, right Luz? You know that I don’t want to change you…”

“I know you don’t…in that way…”

“Luz…”

“Ma…that summer camp? I mean, I’m glad Vee liked it, and her friends from there sound cool and all, but…thinking inside the box? Conformity? I know it’s not like a… a conversion camp but…Mama, why?” 

“Because…Because I hated how bullied and alone you were and I wanted to help, but I…I was so wrong Luz. I see that now, that I should’ve found something you would be into to find friends…like an Anime summer camp or…one of those LARPing thingies…I don’t know…but Luz…can you ever forgive me?”

“Ma…I’ve never been mad at you for that. I just wanted you to be proud of me for who I am…I was afraid of always disappointing you.” 

“Mija, you’ve never disappointed me. Everyone else disappointed me. And I should have never asked you to clip your wings for their confort. And you should know that I never will again. In fact, anyone says anything…so much as looks at you with an upturned nose…Ellos ni siquiera verán la chancla, solo sienten las ronchas después.”

Luz laughed lightly and hugged her mom. “Te quiero mucho mama, siempre.” 

“Te amo de un extremo a otro de la tierra, mija.” 

Vee took the bedroom to herself, and though it wasn’t said out loud, everyone knew that she would be sleeping in that bedroom alone for a while. There was a full-sized air mattress, Luz’s spare twin, and they were nestled into the crook of the L shaped couch, all fitted with fluffy pillows, soft and clean sheets, and every fuzzy blanket in that household. Hunter and Gus each took an end of the L shaped couch, their heads meeting in the middle, and Willow was in the twin mattress lying parallel to Hunter and almost like a headboard to the full sized mattress that Luz and Amity were currently cuddling on. 

All of them were trying to scoot as close together as possible without falling onto each other, with none of them (with Amity and Luz being the exception) knowing how comfortable the other would be with fully cuddling in one giant sleep pile. Almost all of them wanted to do that, but they were afraid of disturbing the others and disturbing their sleep, but all of them also knew that they certainly weren’t going to sleep well that night, or any night any time soon. Everyone’s heads were replaying images of the Day of Unity, thinking of what was happening to their loved ones and praying that they were okay. 

Gus was the first one to stifle his sniffling again and Hunter reached out to try and comfort him, holding his shoulder while Luz reached up and took his hand. That broke the invisible walls that each of them didn’t even know they built up and they all started letting tears fall quietly. Amity curled into Luz a little more and reached out for Willow’s hand, and Willow reached out to hold Hunter’s gloved hand, closing their little circle. Luz wanted to imagine that they were making a protection circle, but one that protected their families and friends on the Isles. That this action, though it was probably pointless, made them all feel better, like it would actually do something back in the Demon Realm, and they were able to slowly drift into a sniffling, dreamless sleep.  

Chapter Text

Luz woke up to the smell of arepas cooking, and the sounds of her mom and Vee having a quiet conversation in the kitchen. She looked around and saw Willow and Hunter still holding hands, his arm reaching down from his spot on the couch to hers which was resting out by her side. Luz also noticed that she was still holding Amity in front of her, having morphed into becoming the “big spoon” at some point in the night, and saw that Gus had vanished from his spot on the couch and was currently on the mattress next to Luz, curling up into the tightest and smallest ball possible against her back, like he was hiding from the world and seeing her as his protection. She wasn’t going to say anything to him about that, preferring he feel even a little better. 

Carefully, she removed herself from between the two bodies and made her way to the kitchen. Vee was still wearing her human “Luz” form and was folding clothes in three separate piles, while her mom was cooking by the stove. “Whoa..you guys already went shopping? This early?”

“Luz, corazon! You’re awake!” her mom said happily, hugging her but keeping her hands away since it was covered in what Luz used to call “Arepa Goop” as a kid. “Vee and I saw you all asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.” 

“But…how did you guys know all of their sizes? I mean…I do really appreciate the gesture, really…but…” 

“Oh, I shape-shifted into them in the changing room and tried on the clothes,” Vee said. “Just Willow, Hunter, and Gus. Camila said that you wouldn’t mind sharing with Amity. And we only went to the thrift shop down the street and to the Wal*Mart for some basics. We figured we can take them to actual stores and let them pick out more clothes.” 

“Maybe…” Luz said quietly, grabbing one of the fresh arepas and biting into it. “Thank you, mom, for all of this. You guys are going all out and you…you really didn’t need to.” 

“Luz, it’s the least I can do for your friends. I mean, aside from the fact that these children must be…well…terrified, they’ve made you happier. Even if you don’t look like it now, a mother can tell, you know.” 

“Yeah, but…but they’re not happy right now. I mean, Hunter is…well Hunter’s case is a lot more complicated…but the others? They don’t know if their families are okay or…alive…and the people on the Isles probably have no idea where we are and Eda…Eda was so…central to everything, you know? To defeating Belos and her curse was already bad…” Tears started falling from her eyes. 

“Wait, curse? Eda’s the one you stayed with over there, right? She was cursed?” 

“Yeah, but as a kid. She’s made the best of it though. I’m just worried about her and I hope Raine is keeping her safe…they promised me…” 

“I’m sure they kept their promise. Raine’s her partner, right? They wouldn’t want to see her seriously hurt.” 

Luz nodded, trying to sniff back tears. “I just want to know that she and King are okay. And know that everyone else’s families are okay too. I just…”

“Mija, it’s not your fault.” 

“It…it might be…a little…” she sniffed. “Belos’s real name is Phillip Whittebane, and I was using his journals to try and make my own portal, and Lilith and I found these time pools which took us back to the Deadwardian Era, when Phillip was writing the journals. I kept thinking he was amazing and taught him the glyph magic I was using…the only way humans can do magic there, and…mama…Phillip *is* Belos. I helped him!” Tears started falling freely now and Camilla hugged her tightly. Vee sat back in shock. 

“Luz…knowing you, you would never help someone horrible like that if you knew. And it’s not on you for being tricked and manipulated by someone who twists your best intentions.” 

“Luz, Belos manipulated and tricked all of the Boiling Isles,” Vee said. “Even some of us basilisks he literally kept in chains and cages were swayed to serve him willingly.” 

“You’re not guilty for helping him, Luz.”

Yeah, but she certainly felt it. 

The cutest sight in the world ended up being all of the Palismen curled together asleep on a couch pillow, and protecting Luz’s palisman egg. At least, that’s what the phone’s storage would say, if it could talk, since about 90% of its remaining data was taken up by pictures of the scene. 

Amity giggled and scratched Ghost’s head while helping clear up the table from breakfast, going into the kitchen with a pile of plates. “Thanks for the arepas for breakfast Dr. Noceda,” she said. “I’ve never had anything like them before.”

“Please, call me Camila,” she said. “And I’d want you guys to feel more at home, so tell me what you guys eat and I’ll make it!” 

“Oh…I don’t think it’s possible,” Amity said. “Food on the Boiling Isles is…very different. I mean, I know Luz had trouble digesting several things, so Eda would even go out of her way to make sure she got things Luz’s stomach could handle.”

“Oh, did Luz not eat well there?”

“At first, but we got to know what she could and couldn’t eat and it went fine. But the rest of us, we could also tell when Luz was just…she’d just look at a plate and her face would say everything,” she laughed lightly. “One time, she came over to my house and I was eating my usual breakfast of blood-eel gut sausages, griffon eggs, raven-bone bread, and a slice of leftover fairy pie from the night before and she had a whole conversation with me looking at a teacup and nothing else.” 

“Honestly, my stomach is starting to turn a little with that description,” Camila said. 

“Besides, Luz has told me that she wanted to show me the food from…Dominica?”

Camilla laughed lightly. “The Dominican Republic. It’s the country where our family is from. We’re Dominicanas.” 

“Oh, and that’s where we are right now?”

“Oh…no. We’re in Gravesfield, a city in Connecticut, and Connecticut is in the country of the United States.” 

“Oh…wow the Human Realm’s geography sounds…confusing,” she said, helping with the dishes. “The regions in the Boiling Isles are just named after the Titan’s body parts.” 

Camila heard that but didn’t know how to respond. She remembered Luz saying something about a Titan but didn’t want to accidentally insult their religion, if that’s what it was. “You know, muñeca, you don’t have to help me with the dishes. You’re our guest.” 

“It’s fine Dr.-Camilla,” she said. “I don’t mind helping out. It’s the least I could do, really.” She helped rinse a few more dishes. “So…what does that word mean? Mun-eka?”

“Muñeca,” she corrected. “It’s Spanish for doll, and what we call girls we think look beautiful, like porcelain. And it’s normally used as a term of endearment between mothers and daughters…or girls that these daughters are dating…” 

Amity stiffened up at that and tried to straighten the purple polka dot pajamas she was still wearing. “Listen, you daughter, I really care about her, and I would never-”

“Don’t worry Amity, querida, I’m not worried about that,” she said. “I can tell that you two care for each other deeply. I don’t have a doubt in my mind about that.” Amity let out a breath she was holding, but her face started to turn completely red, like a tomato. 

“She’s…she’s really amazing, you know,” she said. “She just has a way of worming her way into your heart…”

“That hasn’t been her experience here,” she said. “She loves it over there, doesn’t she?”

Amity hesitated, “She…she loves you so much, talks about you all the time,” she said. “She loves telling stories about you, your cooking, how you care about the animals you find all over this place…she’d make all these videos for you while she was there and she missed you so much.”

“But she loves it there, doesn’t she? She’s happy there?”

Amity sighed. “I can count maybe on one hand the amount of people who *don’t* like Luz. Everyone loves her. She’s so kind and genuine, and she’s not afraid to be herself which people there love, and the ones who don’t…they’re generally not good people. She’s made the Boiling Isles better by just being there. She even convinced Principal Bump that studying only one track was bad for students and they shouldn’t be punished for wanting to know more…and she made him cry when my mom forced him to expel her for a week and she kept trying to come back…” 

“Luz…wanted to go to school?” 

“She loves Hexside. She said that it’s human weird, which is Luz perfect.” 

Hearing all of that caused a sharp pain in Camila’s heart. She could never keep Luz away from the place that made her happy, and of course she needed to help Luz’s friends find their ways home. But at the same time, what if they could make a portal and it was only one way? How could she say goodbye to her Luz, her light, possibly forever? The only thing she knew now is that she would have to do a lot more thinking about her next steps. 

“I..I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep anything,” Amity said quickly. “I can go…help everyone with…something…” 

“Amity,” she turned on the kettle and pulled out a seat at the kitchen island. “Do you guys tea in the Boiling Isles?” 

Trying on clothes turned out to be quite the adventure. There were only about six or eight outfits for each person, except Amity, who had Luz’s whole closet to choose from, and Hunter was quickly learning that he had absolutely no fashion sense. “I don’t see what’s wrong!” 

“Hunter, wearing polka dot and stripes together? That’s literally what a clown wears,” Luz said, unable to stifle her laughter. 

“Well…they’re both blue this time…” 

“Yes, so we now know that at the very least, you aren’t colorblind too.” 

He groaned and went back into the bathroom to change. Gus meanwhile, was finally getting his excitement back. “What are these?!” 

“That’s a beanie. A type of hat,” Luz said. 

“We thought maybe we should try to find practical solutions to hide your ears when you go out,” Camila explained, helping adjust the hat on Gus. When he took the mirror, he gasped and started vibrating. 

“I look human!!!! Do I look human Luz?!” 

“Very human my dude,” she said smiling. 

“This is incredible!!! I’m going to make Mattholomule eat his cowl!” he shouted with a laugh. Camila frowned and looked at Luz. 

“Kid who stole his Human Appreciation Club presidency with fake human artifacts,” she summed up. 

“Witches like humans?”

“Not all of them,” Luz said. 

“Just the AWESOME ones!” he said. “I’ve done all my research! And I know things that other witches don’t, like putting metal on their children’s teeth as a way of saving snacks for later!” 

“Saving snacks for…Luz!”

“Well it’s what I used it for! My teeth were perfect!”

“They were preventative for you, querida. Your canine didn’t have room to grow.” 

“Wait…” Gus stopped. “Human teeth GROW?!”

Camila laughed and scooted over on the couch to give him room to sit. “Humans grow two sets of teeth in their life. There’s the first set, the baby teeth, when their mouths are still too small so they have these teeny tiny teeth to help teach them how to eat. And then, as they grow bigger, those tiny teeth fall out and their permanent, adult teeth come in, a lot bigger than their tiny teeth.” 

“Whoa! What do you do with the tiny teeth?!”

“According to Latinos, turn them into weird jewelry,” Luz said, earning a light slap on the arm from her mother.

“Some people toss them out,” she said. “Some cultures save them and turn them into keepsakes. Luz lost both of her front teeth at the same time so her father had them made into tiny earrings. And we tell the children that they should put their baby teeth under their pillows so they can let the tooth fairy know to come and get it.” 

All four witches looked absolutely horrified at that though, so Luz had to come in. “The human realm doesn’t have fairies, so they believe that fairies are kind and gentle creatures with wings who turn baby teeth into coins. And there is no tooth fairy here. It’s really parents waiting for the kids to be deep asleep and taking the teeth and putting money in instead.” They all looked relieved. 

“Fairies…aren’t gentle and magical creatures?” Camila asked worriedly. 

“No…they’re…tiny little menaces with sharp teeth who eat the skins off of living people and leave them to die in the Boiling Seas…if they’re feeling merciful,” Luz said. “Or…they get baked alive in pies for a treat to give your loved ones…” 

“I didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to handle it,” Amity said apologetically. 

“It’s fine, really. Eda enjoyed it! And it was the thought that I personally loved, sweet potato!” 

Camila stifled a giggle. “Sweet potato? There has to be a story behind that.” 

“There is,” Luz said, taking Amity’s hand beaming. “Gus found Amity a Spanish book for her to practice with and she called me a batata, as a term of endearment. But she’s the sweet potato!” 

Amity turned completely red again, using her free hand to try and stroke the sides of her face to calm her blush. Camila, meanwhile, was beaming so much her eyes looked like they were made of pure glitter. 

“Well, actually, I was thinking, now that Gus is all beanied up,” Luz said, standing up. “I was going to take him to that witchy metaphysical shop--not witches like the kind on the Boiling Isles,” she said, anticipating an interruption and freak out of her friends. “But I think maybe he can find some stones there that he can use a little of his gifted illusion magic on and turn them to concealment stones so that you guys can walk around with round ears like yours truly!” she kissed her mom on the cheek and turned Amity’s head to give her a quick peck on the lips before taking Gus’s hand and bolting out the door with him. 

Camila smiled and pulled out her phone. “So…Amity, you want to learn Spanish? I think I know just the right phone app for that…” 

Chapter Text

Of course there’s an Owl. It was almost like the universe wanted to shove it in her face, so of course the stupid mascot trying to teach her Spanish for her girlfriend was an owl. One that for some reason, made her think of Hooty, which in a very weird way, she missed him and his horrific voice and meddling ways. Still, she took a deep breath and clicked through the prompt’s on Camila’s phone, deciding that a stupid green owl was going to teach her Spanish and take her mind off the worries that plagued her mind. Just the green owl..which looked like it had green hair…

She hadn’t seen Edric or Emira since her mom grounded them for trying to hijack one of the balloons. She was sure they’d be in the house…right? And they didn’t have sigils…unless the Emperor’s coven forced some on them when her mom had her in that bubble. 

And her mom…Amity never wanted to see Odalia ever again, but that didn’t mean she wanted her to be dead…right? I mean, it was still her mom. Granted, a mom who pit her siblings against her, and forced her hair to be dyed green to match, and forced her to have a necklace that could read her thoughts, and tried to expel the only good friends she had, and of course, was complicit and totally fine with murdering the whole isles for a little cash. 

“ELLA NO ES UNA PERSONA BUENA”

“Ugh! Shut up, owl demon!” She reeled her hand back, but stopped herself from throwing the phone at full force against the wall. It wasn’t her phone after all. She sighed and tossed it gently a few feet away from her on the mattress. Her thoughts drifted to her dad. The last time she saw him, his sigil was active and he kissed her goodbye and said he knew she’d save the day. That couldn’t be the last time she saw him, not after they finally started a new relationship with each other…not now. It wasn’t fair!

“Hey Amity,” Willow came in and sat next to her. Luz’s mom had given her a big book about all the different types of plants in the Human Realm. “What are you doing?” 

“Luz’s mom gave me her phone with this app that can teach me Spanish, but…I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, the stupid mascot is an owl.” 

“Oh,” she said, stifling a little smile. “Those birds really are everywhere with us, huh?”

“I blame Luz,” she joked. “And Hooty. I don’t know how he’s involved in this, but he is.” 

“Maybe it’s because he’s the owl…thing…that got you two together?”

Amity shivered. “Don’t remind me…I mean, the dating part Luz, yes. But he swallowed me…and then threw me up!” 

“I don’t think I wish that on my worst enemy,” Willow said. “So…the owl that’s teaching you Spanish is getting you down?”

“Well…it’s not helping,” she sighed. “I don’t want to bring you down too…”

“You’re thinking about your family, aren’t you?” Willow said, looking down at the wrinkled sheet of the twin sized mattress right next to the couch, the one she was sleeping on. “I’m worried about my dads too. I told them not to go to the Day of Unity, and they believed me that Belos was up to no good, but they also knew I was going to try and help you guys…so they might have tried going to find me, and we have no idea if staying home helped at all since they  both had sigils…” she sniffed and Amity looked over, scooting closer and letting Willow rest her head on her shoulder. 

“You know, I sometimes think about how different my life would be if I hadn't met Luz,” she said. “Knowing her, she’s probably blaming herself for all of this, but Belos would have done all of that regardless, found a way to do it. But…without her I would’ve had a sigil too…I’d still be following my mother blindly, my relationship with Ed and Em would’ve been terrible, my dad would still be a total stranger to me, and…we still wouldn’t be friends. I would’ve been holding all of this guilt for doing exactly what my parents demanded of me, and you would still hate me and think I hated you for no reason after I blew up at you at my birthday party…”

“Who would’ve thought all it took to make us friends again, like we used to be, was a human with a little too much energy and a heart too big for her body,” Willow giggled lightly. 

“Honestly, looking back at all of this, Luz has made my life so much better. Just…being exposed to her, being around her, makes me better too. She helped me stand up to my mom, and my former friends, and the Emperor of the Isles himself…and she’s so…sweet and kind…I feel like I could never even compare to how she’s made things better for me. Like I could never repay her.”

“You know you don’t need to do that, right?” Willow said. “Luz would never expect you to keep…paying her back, whatever that means to you, because she thinks you’re just as wonderful as you think she is. And honestly, you two complement each other really well. I mean, you can even wear the same outfits,” she joked. 

Amity laughed a little and looked down at the shorts and button up shirt that she had dug out of Luz’s closet, and smiled when she remembered how Luz was practically vibrating with happiness when she came out of the bathroom having tried on this outfit and spun her around before kissing her, and promised her that she would be giving out a lot more kisses from now on. “She told me to keep raiding her closet forever.”

“There we go,” Willow said, cuddling her book. 

“Here, want to defeat this green owl together and learn Spanish with me? I know Luz would love having more of us speaking her language.”

“I think that’s a great idea. So, catch me up on what I missed out on.” 

Luz’s demeanor coming back home was a lot different than when she left the house, storming in and immediately going to the mattress pile by the couch where Amity was sitting and laying her head on her lap. Gus walked in confused, his beanie was off but he kept an illusion up of round ears until he closed the front door behind him, looking like his witch self. Camilla was sitting on an armchair across from the couch working on her laptop and looked up when she saw her daughter and friend return. “Luz, mija, are you okay?” 

“Pastor Geoff Key was outside the shop with a megaphone and a crowd…with cops ‘protecting’ him,” she grumbled. Camila groaned annoyed and closed her laptop. Amity looked down at her lap confused. 

“Who is this Pastor guy?”

“Pastor Geoff Key is an awful, hateful, human being,” Camila said. “What did he say this time?” 

She frowned and curled closer to her girlfriend and Camila understood. “The one where he said you’re a sinner going to Hell speech?”

“Yup.”

“I’m still very confused,” Amity said. 

“I’m confused, and I was there,” Gus said. “What is this Hell?”

“According to a few religions, place where bad people go after they die and are tortured by demons,” Camila explained. Luz laughed semi-sarcastically at that. 

“Actual demons are much nicer than that pendejo…” 

“Luz!”

“You know he’s one!” she said. “A pendejo. Not a demon. I like demons a lot, lot, LOT more.” 

“So…humans think demons torture humans after they die?” Amity asked. “That’s horrible! They would never!” 

“Well, humans think so,” Luz said. “And they think that…there are so many things that they think would get you sent to hell and if they think that, they take it upon themselves to say horrible, hateful things to innocent people and make them feel even more left out and isolated and unloved and depressed and who knows what else…” she mumbled. 

Camila sighed. “Luz, you know what he’s saying isn’t true…that there’s nothing even remotely wrong with that…it’s normal and beautiful and only truly terrible people can say bad things about love…” 

“What did he say?” Willow asked, still sitting next to Amity, the phone in her hand now. 

“A stupid, idiotic thing,” Luz mumbled. 

“Some humans…” Camila sighed. “There’s been this idea around for a while that less and less humans believe…but some still believe…that people of the same gender shouldn’t be allowed to love each other.”

Everyone looked absolutely horrified at that. “What do you mean shouldn’t be allowed?! Like, how would they do things like get married or have families?” Amity asked. 

“Getting married to someone of the same gender wasn’t allowed until about seven years ago, and that’s just this country,” Camila said. “Some countries still make it illegal, some have that love punishable by imprisonment, or even death…” 

“DEATH?!” Willow gasped. 

“They think it’s unnatural, corrupting to children, and even child abuse,” Luz said. 

“That’s…that’s wrong…wrong and stupid! My dads are amazing!” she said. “And some humans think that they shouldn’t be together or raise me? That they should be killed for that?!”

“Geoff Key is one of the people who think we should be put to death,” Luz mumbled. Amity looked horrified and livid. 

“Where is he?! I’ll go and give him a piece of my mind!” 

“Don’t,” Luz said, hugging her waist, pressing her face against her stomach. “He’s got a lot of police officers on his side.”

“Yeah, and those officers confused me,” Gus said. “Luz told me hats are fine, but they made me take mine off?”

“Oh…” Camila got up and put her arm around Gus. “Some humans don’t just have problems with people who love their partners of the same gender…but of other humans that look different from them…” 

“But…I look the same with my hat on, or with my ears rounded,” Gus said. “Luz told me my outfit was very human.” 

“It was…but…here in Connecticut…how would I put this?” She hesitated, but took a deep breath. “More people look like…Hunter and Amity than the rest of us…and they have assumptions and stereotypes about humans that look like the rest of us that aren’t good…” 

“Hunter and Amity? They look nothing alike…other than their skin color,” Gus said. 

“Skin color is a problem for some people,” Camila said. “They have a baseless and incorrect belief that lighter skin is better…and that people with darker skin are criminals…” 

“They made you take off your hat because they thought you stole something and hid it in your hat,” Luz said. “They also patted you down to make sure you didn’t have a weapon. They wouldn’t do that to Hunter.”

“But…Hunter is the one who’s most likely to have a weapon,” Willow said. 

“Yeah…they don’t care. For these guys, between Gus and Hunter, they’d think Gus is the violent one.” 

Amity gave the phone back to Camila and got in the big mattress with Luz. they were still the only two there while everyone else was showering, changing, and generally getting ready for bed. “So…the human realm has some really ugly people, huh?” 

“Yeah…I mean,” Luz sighed. “It’s not everyone, and people are getting a lot better overall, but…do you know how weird it was that when your mom said she’d get you a new girlfriend, I was relieved? She had no problems with you dating other girls.”

“And why would she?”

“Because a mother like her in the human realm would’ve wanted you to stay perfect, and that meant getting a husband and popping out perfect little babies,” she said. “But your mom affirmed your attraction to girls, and even as she insulted me to my face, I kept thinking about how lucky you guys are on the Isles that all love is accepted and affirmed, that you guys don’t have to deal with homophobia.” 

Amity was quiet and scooted closer to Luz, just wanting to hold her and be held by her. “How do you go through this?” 

“The only way we can,” she said. “Living our best life in spite of these guys. Surrounding ourselves with people we love, who love us, and loving freely. Learning to ignore them and tune them out while refusing to compromise yourself. I had gotten pretty good at that…but living in the Isles for several months, I almost forgot what it felt like hearing that, so I wasn't prepared to.” 

“Are a lot of people like this here?”

“Not that many here in Gravesfield. Really just the pastor and the people who go to his church. Everyone else is much more affirming and is unafraid to say it to his face. Even when I had crushes on girls that never panned out, and some people made fun of me for being weird, they would defend me from these guys.” 

“That’s good,” Amity mumbled, holding her hand. “I’m sorry you had to hear all that…”

Luz was quiet for a little bit. “Once we get you guys back to the Boiling Isles, do you think you’ll visit me here? Because I…I’m afraid of being forgotten and left behind if I can be honest…” 

“Luz,” she said, looking up at her. “Forgetting you is…it’s impossible,” she said. “But once we figure out how to get portals working, however long it will take us, just know I’m not planning on letting my awesome and amazing girlfriend go so easily.” 

“Amity…” 

“Besides, Ed and Em would eat my head and never shut up about it if I let the best thing that’s ever happened to me go without a fight. Granted…they’d also tease me for how much I care about you too, but that’s expected of siblings,” she joked. 

Luz laughed lightly. “I’ll get you back to the Boiling Isles…all of you guys. We’ll get you home. I promise.” 

Amity smiled and curled into the crook of Luz’s arm as everyone started coming to the the living room and getting under the covers to go to sleep again. But only one thought persisted in Amity’s mind now. 

*How could she possibly find any place home if she didn't have Luz around?*

Chapter Text

Amity heard a scream from the living room and rushed out of Luz’s bedroom to see what happened. Camila had just come in through the door and saw the abomination Amity had conjured cleaning the ceiling fan. “Dr. Camila, are you alright?” 

“Wh..monster!” 

“Huh…oh, OH!” she made a spell circle and the abomination disappeared and the goop flew into a pouch on her waist. “I forgot, humans aren’t used to abominations…”

“You…you control that?”

“Yeah, abomination magic is my specialty. Mine and…and my dad’s,” she said. “We use them in the Demon Realm as big helpers. I just…I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for us…we all wanted to, so while Willow is making you a full service garden, I thought the abomination could help you out with cleaning up after us.” 

“That thing…cleans?” 

“Cleans, cooks, my mother had our house abomination basically raise me,” she said. “But I don’t have to bring him out again if he makes you uncomfortable. At least he already cleaned all the bathrooms.”

“Wait…he cleaned all the bathrooms?” she asked. “Scrubbing the toilets even?” 

“Yup. He even got that one lime stain out of the upstairs shower. Vee told me that you both tried getting that out several times but it wouldn’t budge.” 

Camila was quiet for a moment, then looked at Amity. “Well it would be rude not to let him finish…” 

Amity laughed and brought him back out, and he went back to cleaning the dust off the ceiling fans. “You know, I can actually make more, get started on the laundry and dinner? I can also try to remember some of the blueprints I’ve seen my dad make to give you some remote controlled abominations so you wouldn’t have to worry about me doing it for you.”

“Amity, that’s kind, but you don’t have to keep trying to ‘repay’ me or, what I suspect might be trying to impress your girlfriend’s mother?” She blushed at that. “Trust me, I already think you’re wonderful, and I would already know you are even before meeting you because I know my Luz. Anyone who has her heart certainly deserves it.” 

Amity smiled, but she looked a little sad. “Luz is so lucky to have a mother as wonderful as you. I wish I had a great relationship like you have.”

“I don’t know how great it is,” she sighed, putting her purse down and putting her hair down. Ghost walked over to her and stroked himself against her leg, making Camila smile a little. 

“What are you talking about? From everything I’ve seen, you guys have an amazing relationship.” 

“Luz left here and chose to stay in the Demon Realm, possibly forever,” she said. “I…I never wanted to make her that unhappy…”

“Dr. Camila, is that what you think happened?” Amity said. “Because…there’s a lot more to the story.”

“Luz hasn’t told me about anything else,” she said. 

“Probably because it’s hard…because it involves Eda and Luz is worried sick about her,” Amity said. “But the portal, it used to be Eda’s. When she came to the Demon Realm, by accident at first, Eda promised to take her home after completing a mission involving a toy crown for King…don’t ask me for details on that part because I didn’t understand no matter how many times she explained it to me, and Eda kept her end of the promise, opening the portable portal she had. She decided to stay knowing that the door was available whenever she needed it to be, just wanting to live in a world of magic where she felt like she belonged, just for a little bit.” 

“She had a portal on her?” Camila asked. 

“Yeah, she even showed me how she could access the human internet by keeping the door open and introduced me and King to cat videos…so cute,” she giggled. 

“What happened then? That she couldn’t come home?” 

Amity sighed. “Emperor Belos declared Eda an enemy of the Titan, and sentenced her to death by petrification, then lied to Luz, saying he would free Eda if she gave him the portal. Luz knew it wouldn’t be a good idea, that he had something bad planned, but…she couldn’t…”

“She couldn’t let Eda die, of course,” Camila said. “So she gave up the portal?” 

“Kind of,” Amity sat down next to Camila. “She destroyed it. Blew it up with fire glyphs to make sure that the Emperor couldn’t use it. And this was before she knew who he was and what his plans were, back when she only had a suspicion that he wasn’t a good guy. But while she had him distracted with the destroyed portal, she was able to save Eda, and then she started her journey to figure out how to build her own portal, while Belos began trying to fix the portal she destroyed. That’s the portal we went through.”

“Luz…Luz only stayed permanently to save someone,” she said. “Not because of me?”

“It was easy to stay when she knew where the exit was at all times…I think if she knew the door wouldn’t stay, or if she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have,” she tucked her hair behind her ear. “But…selfishly, I’m glad she stayed. I…wasn’t a good person when she met me. I hurt people because my mom had taught me that we’re Blights, and Blights are better, so we need to act better. She knocked me down a few pegs first, then showed me what real kindness and friendship was…she repaired my relationship with Willow, who was my best friend until my parents threatened to not let her get into Hexside if she stayed my friend…” 

“What?! That’s horrible! Your parents made you get rid of a friend? Who would do that?” 

“My mother…who also had a vice grip on my father…and we finally…I’ve told her that I’m never speaking to her again and if they’re still…I know my dad is splitting with her for good, and maybe…I don’t know…” 

Camila didn’t say anything but hugged her, feeling a few tears soak through her scrubs. “I know I’m not the mother you expected, but I’ve been told my mom hugs are pretty good, and you don’t even need to ask for them, I’ll give them out as much as you need.” 

Luz was lost in her computer, looking up every possible result for multiverse, interdimensional portals, magic, giraffes, and whatever else she could, taking notes and trying to figure out what to do. Hunter walked in and looked over her shoulder. “What is that thing?” 

“Huh? Oh, my computer. Think of it like a Crystal Ball and Scroll in one,” she said, going back to her research. 

“Okay…and what are you doing on your comp-uter?” he asked, sitting down. “Multiversal Doorways…you’re trying to find us a way home?”

“Of course I am,” she said. “Last time I built a door, I could only go into this…in-between verse, and I could only communicate with people through reflective surfaces, and even then, I needed the Titan blood on Amity’s glove, but we don’t have any more of that. There are no Titans on earth, and nor were there ever. So now I’m trying to figure out how the Giraffes got here, and see if we could follow them in the reverse.” 

“Luz…we just came through a few days ago…have you actually slept?” 

“I’ve been in bed.” 

“Human, your eye-bags are almost worse than mine. That’s *really* bad.” 

“I’m fine,” she said, still typing, so Hunter took a drastic measure and closed the device. “Hey!” 

“The biggest problem with this is that you’re doing this on no rest and without the help of three witches, four palismen, and the one guy who oversaw his…Belos rebuilding the working portal you blew up into smithereens,” he said. “Plus, we all need to recover from the Day of Unity.” 

“We’ll recover after we get back and figure out how to defeat The Collector and get everyone home and safe and-”

“And what?” he said. “Luz, we don’t even know if The Collector is someone to beat or befriend, and that’s normally your go-to, and you’re not even considering it. You befriended two of your…rivals or enemies, whatever you’d want to call us, and even went so far as to start DATING one.” Luz went quiet with that. He was right. 

“I can’t give up though…”

“I’m not telling you to give up. I’m telling you to go eat a snack, take a nap, take your girlfriend on that date you promised her, and then teach the rest of us how to use this contraption so we can help you.” 

“Dang…if you’re being logical and making sense, I must be really bad,” Luz said. 

“Exactly…wait a minute! Hey!” 

“Alright Hunter, you convinced me,” she said. “I’ll take a break…but under one condition.” 

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

“While I take Amity out on a date, you need to ask someone else out on a date…” she smirked evilly. 

“I…I have no idea what you’re talking about!” 

“Come on, Golden Guard, it’s obvious…” 

“You know nothing, human! I have no feelings for the Captain other than friendship and respect!” 

“Ah ha!” she said. “I never made any reference to Willow!” 

“I…you…ugh!” he groaned. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” 

“Not at all Hunter, I’m trying to improve your life, like you’re trying to improve mine…okay this is weird…”

“Very.” 

“So…?”

He pursed his lips so hard it looked like he was trying to make them disappear. “Go take your girlfriend on a date!” 

“I’ll take that as a yes!” she said, skipping out to find an outfit. 

“You will take that as nothing! It was nothing! You will take it as nothing!!!!”

“Luz, come on, where are you taking me?” Amity giggled. Luz had all but thrown a dress at her head, told her to get changed, and took her out with her hands over her eyes. 

“I promised you the most normal, mundane, slice of life date,” she said. “And in Human Realm terms, don’t ask me why, but that means one thing,” she pulled her hands away from Amity’s eyes. “An Italian Restaurant!” 

She looked at around and saw the restaurant with candles lighting every table, and strung up lights making a dim but romantic mood as some orchestral music played in the air. “Luz…” 

“And this place is also a little dark just in case the concealment stone isn’t doing 100%, and I have a bandana in my bag so you can tie it on and hide your ears like that.” 

“Luz,” she took her hands. “This is amazing. It feels like…like too much…”

“Nonsense! This place is super romantic and totally typical of first dates here in the human realm. And not just first dates too…tons of dates!”

“I have no idea what to even order here,” she said. 

“Well, lucky for you, Italian food is my second favorite type of food,” she said, taking her hand and leading her inside. “Just after Latino food.”

“Well, I have loved just about everything you and your mom have made so far…” she said, blushing, as Luz spoke to the hostess to get them their table. Apparently, she had already made a reservation some time earlier today. Once at their table, Amity opened the menu and was instantly confused. “Okay, I’m totally lost. Linguine, tagliatelle, lasagne…” 

“Yeah, Italian is a whole other language. Kind of similar to Spanish but also completely different. The only thing you need to know is that the words that look Italian are just pasta, but in different shapes.”

“Does that make it taste different?” 

“Um…yes and no,” she said. “Technically, it doesn’t but it tricks your brain into thinking that it does.” 

“Why don’t you order me what you like?” she said. “What you think I might like? Introduce me to this food?” Luz nodded and scanned the menu before telling the waiter what they wanted. The waiter looked at the two of them with a smile before going to the kitchen. 

“So…human realm?” Luz said. “What do you think?”

“Well, this date doesn’t look like we’re in mortal danger…but what you told us yesterday, about how people think about couples like us? I can’t help but feel a little…worried. I mean, I know the two of us could take them with our eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back, but still.” 

“Right, and that’s totally valid,” she said. “But I also know that this place is safe. Did you see the rainbow flag outside?” Amity nodded. “That flag is the pride flag, meant for people like us to feel seen, and be proud. And places that display that flag among others tell us that this place is safe for us, that we’re welcome here.”

“There are other flags?” 

“Oh! Tons!” she pulled out her phone and pulled up a list of flags. “So this one, the pink, purple, and blue, is for people like me who like more than one gender, and this one, with the yellow, is for people who like people regardless of gender. This one…that would be your flag, the lesbian flag, for girls who like girls,” she said. “And there’s so much more.” 

“Wow…this isn’t a thing in the Boiling Isles, flags for people based on who they like.”

“That’s because the Boiling Isles don't care who you do like. Yeah, the human realm kind of got stuck with this whole idea that men can only marry women, and lots of other backwards ideas, but these flags show the world that we’re fighting back, making space to be happy, and to help other generations in the human realm grow up like you did in the Isles, like this isn’t a big deal, because it shouldn’t be.” 

Amity listened with a smile, watching how Luz got animated talking about the human realm and how they were striving forward. 

“Sorry, I was rambling…” 

“No, no you weren’t. I just…I’ve heard you talk about the human realm before and trying to imagine it was so hard…but now that I’m here…I think I know how you felt in the Isles.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah, there’s this…this danger, right? Everything feels just a little off, you don’t know where to step or who will yell at you or where you can feel safe, but then…” she gestured around her. “You see this beauty, and the people around you who seem kind and caring and loving, and…you know that you’ll somehow be okay. These friends…these adults who take you in and care about you without these expectations…okay that last one might be just me, but still…” 

“I still feel bad you’re stuck here because of me…” 

“Luz,” she took her hand. “I’m the one who begged you to come here, because I knew at least here, we’d be safe…and I couldn’t lose you…and missing my family, I can now imagine how hard it was for you with your mom…but I’m glad you and your mom are back together, and I’m happy I get to experience your world. And knowing you, I know we’ll get a portal working to the Demon Realm working again. But for now…I’m excited to see what else your world has in store.” 

“Amity…how did I get a girlfriend as great as you?” 

“Well, it certainly wasn’t easy. You missed all of the obvious signs…but I think we technically have to thank Hooty…” 

Chapter Text

“Luz, I’m so happy I had you as a big sister.”

King! No!

“And Luz, thank you for being in my life.” 

Stop! Eda!

King!

Eda!

“It’s a shame really,” she looked down and saw her hands turning to stone. “I never wanted to hurt another human.”

“Stop it! Stop it!” She was shouting, and she couldn’t move as the Collector’s laugh echoed in the air. 

“Stop!!!” Luz shot up in her sheets, hyperventilating, waking up everyone around her. 

“Luz, sweetie?” Amity got up worried and put a hand on her shoulder. Luz flinched at first, but then subconsciously leaned into her touch. Willow sat up and got in front of Luz, helping calm her down, while Gus went to the kitchen to get her a glass of cold water. “Hunter, go get Dr. Camila.” 

He nodded and got up while Willow got Luz’s attention and tried to get her to calm down and slow her breathing. 

“King…King and…and Eda…” she sputtered out, still panicking. “They’re…they’re…they’re in trouble…” 

“Luz, we’re safe,” Amity said softly. 

“But they’re not! They need our help! What are we doing?! I have to help them! I…I have to go help them!” 

“Luz, breathe with me,” Willow instructed. “We can’t do anything until you breathe.” 

Luz was still looking around panicked, but was starting to follow along with Willow’s prompts. Hunter returned with her mom, but had to hold her back for a bit. 

“She’s not here yet…I used to get those types of dreams a lot. She thinks she’s still in the Boiling Isles.”

“I have to help her.”

“You will,” he said. “But right now, her head is in the Isles with witches who were there. Her seeing you right now…she wouldn’t register that we’re safe in the Human Realm. She’ll think you’re in danger in the Demon Realm.”

“The Demon Realm was dangerous, wasn’t it?” 

“Belos was dangerous,” he corrected. “He made the Isles dangerous.”

“Really? Luz told me about the boiling rain and the painbows…”

“And she told us about tsunamis, hurricanes, and pandemics,” he countered. “You’re just used to those events and not ours. If you brought the whole of the Isles here, they’d have no idea what to do with even a minor earthquake.” 

Camila was quiet, watching her daughter slowly come back out of her nightmare and into reality. “We’re safe, aren’t we?”

“We are,” Amity said, holding her. 

“Is…mama?” She looked at the staircase to see her mom standing there. Gus came back and handed her a glass of water, which she took. 

“I’m here, mija,” she said, sitting down on Luz’s other side and hugging her. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”

“I’m fine mama,” she mumbled. “Nothing I can’t get through…”

“You shouldn’t have to,” she said. “None of you should have to. You should be just going to school and having fun, playing sports or games or whatever is common there on the Isles.”

“We were, right until…” Amity trailed off. 

“I only got the time to have fun when Willow introduced me to Flyer Derby. I never got that before,” Hunter said. “But then again, I was cr-raised by the Emperor to be the Golden Guard.” He looked away and Gus looked over at him, debating saying something but then thought against it and took the now empty glass from Luz. 

“Well, maybe we should do some things for fun here,” Camila said. “Introduce you to fun here…” she paused. “I know…” 

“What?” 

“Surprise,” she said. “But that surprise will require rest. So why don’t you guys all get some more sleep, and I’ll make pancakes in the morning." 

Vee woke up the next morning and was caught up by Camila while all the teenagers kept sleeping, clearly exhausted from last night. She looked over at how they had all forgone the mattresses and got together in a cuddle pile, except for Hunter, who was just off the edge facing outward, like he was guarding the slumbering youths. 

“You think they’ll be okay?” Camila asked her, mixing what could easily be classified as a giant vat of pancake batter. 

“Well…I was after a while,” she said. “But…Camila?”

“Vee, sweetie, you can still keep calling me mom if you want.”

“But…now that Luz is back…what does that mean for me?” 

Camila paused, looking down. “Well, I’ll admit that I haven’t thought that far ahead. I don’t think any of us have,” she said. “But…the good news is that the new school year hasn’t started yet, so we could come up with a new identity for you.” 

“Wait…I can still stay?” 

“Vee, querida, of course you can. I may not have realized it for a few weeks, but you’ve made yourself a home here, and I could never take that away from you, nor would I want to.”

“But…what about my friends?” 

“Well…I think we have to sit down and figure out a game plan for that,” she said. “But we’ll figure it out. Besides, I’ve met your friends, and they’re very nice. I’m sure we can think up something. Maybe say that you and Luz are cousins with a ridiculous resemblance and while she was in the Dominican Republic with her Tia, you went to camp and you both thought it would be funny to pretend to be each other?”

“Isn’t that the plot of the movie with the redheaded actress?”

“The parent trap, yes,” she said. “You could say you got the idea from there, I suppose.”

“Maybe…”

“Or…if you trust them and we all talk it out beforehand, maybe telling them the truth will be the right move?”

“Wait, you mean everything? The Boiling Isles? Witches? The fact that I’m a Basilisk?”

“Maybe querida,” she said. “We’ll figure it out. We have a few weeks before school starts, and we don’t know everything that will happen with all of them,” she gestured to everyone out there. “Honestly, we don’t know anything, really.” 

“I’ve heard myths of the Collector back in the Demon Realm. The eternal child who only plays and has no idea the difference between games and reality.”

“Sounds a bit like Peter Pan here,” Camila said. “And he’s dangerous?”

“He has power…a lot of it…and, it’s like nobody ever said no to him. Not like they could.” 

“So…maybe?”

“Maybe,” she agreed. “And I know she won’t want to hear this, but Luz and her friends are not enough to defeat him.” 

“Maybe defeating him might not be the answer,” she said. “How many times do you have to defeat a child, after all? But regardless, they can’t do anything if there’s no way back there. Are you sure there are no other portals?”

“None that I can smell. And I can smell any magic. Honestly, I’m getting used to the overpowering smell compared to the very clean, nothing smell from before they came. Especially that Hunter kid. His magic is…different.”

 “Different how? Bad?” 

“I don’t know. But, if he’s friends with Luz…friends like that,” she gestured to his protective sleeping position. “I may not have known her all that long, but I know that Luz has the best judge of character. If he wasn’t good, he wouldn’t be like this with them.”

“You’re right Vee,” she said. “I hope they start feeling better. But for now, should we make half of this batch into waffles?” 

“Nothing still?” 

“No. No sign of any of them. The last I saw them, they were in the Head.”

“The Head was destroyed!” Darius turned his arm into an abomination hammer and smashed the table in front of him. “What the hell were you thinking?!”

“I was thinking that our children, the only ones without sigils, they were the best chance we had at winning,” Alador said. “I also saw their faces and I know that if I tried to stop them, they would have stolen an airship and flown that way themselves with barely any flying experience! Or flown on their staffs the whole way there!” 

“You have no way of knowing that!” One of the Parks argued. 

“Your daughter was probably the most determined of them all! She was the first one on the ship!”

“Everyone just SHUT UP!” Everyone quieted down and looked at the Owl Lady sitting at the head of the table. She only had one arm now, but she made sure everyone knew that she was still just a powerful and intimidating that way. “Look, we’re all worried about our kids. The Collector has one of mine as a plaything and my other kid…”

“If it’s any comfort,” Principal Bump interjected. “Hunter said that the Emperor was rebuilding a portal to the human world. There’s a good chance that they’re there.” 

“The human realm? Isn’t that place dangerous?” the other Park asked. 

“They’re with my son,” Perry said. “And Augustus is a huge Human expert.” 

“They’re also with an actual human who lives in the area the portal spits you out from,” Eda interrupted. “And, that human has a mom there, and based on what she told me about her mom, I’d bet all the snails I have buried around my property that they’re with her, and they’re safe.”

“Even if that’s true, We can’t just leave them there forever,” Alador said. “Amity told me that you and Luz created a semi-functioning portal. Do you think you remember how to make it?” 

“No…I wasn’t around for that much. Luz built most of it during her free time. But…We did liberate the echo mouse with all that information.” 

“Well,” Raine said, standing up and speaking softly, the first time they spoke at this meeting. “It sounds like we have the next step to do. Alador, create whatever team you need to get this done however you can. What do you think?” 

“I think…based on what Amity told me and the materials you’ve seen…I believe I can get a similar semi-functioning portal done by the end of the month. We won’t be able to go between the realms, but we can communicate with them like Luz did all that time ago.” 

Chapter Text

“Hey, Luz?” Vee knocked on the open bedroom door, calling her attention. “Do you think we could talk for a minute?” 

“Huh…oh yeah, sure, of course,” she closed her laptop and set it aside. She knows her mom told her to relax on the whole ‘getting back to the Boiling Isles’ thing, but last time, she was the one who had to figure out the portal door, and now, she would have to do it again, but without Titan Blood. “What’s up?” 

“Well…I was talking to mo-Cam-uh…your mom…”

“You can call her mom too, or Camila,” Luz said. “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to overstep. I mean, she’s your mom, and I’m just…I’m the one who stole your life.” 

“You didn’t steal it, you just…substituted for a while. Understudied it,” she said. “But honestly, I’ve been missing King a lot lately and having a sister is really cool too. Unless you don’t want to go by female standards? Brother? Sibling?”

“Sister, I’ve identified as a girl long before I took over your life,” she said. “But thank you…you don’t know what that means to me.” 

“I have an idea,” she said, trying not to make herself sad while thinking of Eda and King and what they must be going through right now. “But what did you want to talk about? Was it this?” 

“Well…partially. The other part…I was talking to mom and she was saying how we could come up with a backstory of how we both exist, as cousins who look eerily alike and we Parent Trapped over the summer.” 

“Oh! That’s a great idea! I didn’t even think of that!” she said. “Man, my creativity must be rubbing off on Mama.”

Vee laughed and then looked down. “Right…well, you also know that while I was pretending to be you at summer camp…I made friends…friends who are all going to start going to the same high school…and know me as Luz…”

“Right…” Luz said. “They’re good friends?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty great! Like your friends are.”

“So…do you want to tell them about everything? The Demon Realm? Witches? You being a Basilisk?” 

“I don’t know, should I? Can I?” 

“Well…I don’t know,” she said. “I think it really depends on how much you trust them. Because on the one hand, we’d be able to have some allies to help us with cover stories, help keep our secret from everyone else…but on the other hand…if they’re not trustworthy, then…”

“Then they’d expose us, and people like that creep that tried to keep me in a cage would be all over us,” Vee said. 

“Exactly,” Luz said. “But…you’re the one who knows them best. It’s about if you know if you can trust them, because I’ll trust your judgment. I mean…you actually made friends, something I couldn’t do in my almost fifteen years in this realm.”

“You made friends, tons of them.”

“Yeah, in the Demon Realm. Where my weirdness isn’t all that weird,” she said. “Here…nobody wanted to be around me. But you made friends.” 

“Yeah, pretending to be you.” 

“Sure, physically and by name,” she shrugged. “But you didn’t know anything about me, so you were yourself when you became their friend. And we’re different people. You even made our identical faces look completely different.” 

She tucked the loose hairs behind her ear, still looking like her alternate Luz form, finding it easier to just stay like that for now than to keep switching between her basilisk form and this one. “So you want me to keep this face?”

“Do whatever face you want,” she said. “Though keeping my face might be easier to explain to everyone who’s seen you around town,” she said. 

“Well, how do I know if I can trust them?” 

Luz thought for a moment. “You can give them a small secret, see how they handle that?” She suggested. “Take some time with them, and if you feel like that they are trust-worthy, we’ll call a meeting with everyone and talk about how to approach this, letting your friends in on this.”

“Wow…thanks Luz.”

“You can talk to me anytime Hermanita.”

Willow sat outside in the backyard, a good portion of which she turned into a garden with seeds that Camila bought her from the gardening section at the home improvement store. She had a gardening book from the library open across her lap, reading up on the proper care of the plants while she made a spell circle to grow the strawberries into great, beautiful bushes in just a few seconds. She smirked proudly and tried one of the strawberries. Perfectly sweet, and ready for breakfast tomorrow. She started flipping to the page about her next seed packet when Camila walked out. 

“Whoa…Willow, a second ago, there weren’t any plants other than the grass for my lawn.” 

“Yeah, plant magic is my specialty. I’m pretty gifted in it, actually,” she said. “According to Principal Bump at least. I was also hoping to talk to you about your grass lawn? It’s really wasteful with water and if you want a green polished look, I’ve been reading about a ton of native plants that could make your garden look beautiful…”

“Willow, I appreciate it, but let’s do one thing at a time. Besides, you have not encountered one of the greatest mundane human perils…the Homeowners Association.” 

“Are they dangerous?” 

“Mainly to our wallets and our sanity,” she said. “But since home gardens are allowed within certain parameters, I don’t have to deal with them.” 

“Oh, the little area you marked off? I was going to ask if there was more space I could take up, but I’ll keep it in here,” she said smiling. 

“How are you doing, belleza?” she asked. 

“I’m…I’m okay, just…making plants that we can eat. There are so many varieties here, and none that swallow people up unless you tickle them,” she said. “Don't worry, they’re mostly harmless,” she said, trying to reassure Camila after seeing her bewildered expression. “Plus, you guys have so many different kinds of berries alone, and strawberries are not one of these berries, but bananas are?! It’s incredible.” 

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself with these, but you spend so much time out here. You don’t want to do anything else? At all?” 

“Well…I’m really good at plants. And it’s actually thanks to Luz. Before this, I was enrolled in the Abominations track with Amity and…I wasn’t good. People called me ‘half-a-witch Willow’ back then.” 

“Oh sweetie, that’s horrible,” Camila put her hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “Unfortunately, bullies are available in every realm, aren’t they?” 

“Yeah…and Amity used to be one of them even, but we worked it out. I learned the truth…that she was trying to protect me, in her own way…” she looked down. “But it was when Luz tried to help me out, she got in trouble and I had to use this seed in her pocket to help her escape and Principal Bump was so impressed with my magic he switched my tracks and I became the top plant student. All thanks to Luz,” she said smiling. “My dads wanted me to go into abominations because there are so many great opportunities in it, or at least, there were…” Her face fell. 

“Willow?”

“Sorry…sorry, I’m fine, I’m fine, really fine,” she said, shaking it off and bringing a smile back. 

“Willow, it’s okay if you’re not fine. You kids…you don’t need to pretend to be fine.”

“I guess I just…I do miss my dads…a lot,” she said, letting a tear slip out. “My Dad, he had this great talent in the kitchen, and he would be the “strict one” with me, trying to get me to study more and, he wanted me to be great, but he never made studying more important than my health or my friendships, but Papa, he was the one who would let me slide sometimes, let me call my friends when I was grounded, and he’d build me these flower boxes, and a little house for Clover on my shelf…” Camila sat with her and hugged her as she started crying a little more. “I don’t know if they’re okay…I told them to stay away from the Head but…they both had sigils…” 

“I know that feeling, you know?” Camila said. “Not exactly the same, but…Lucas, he’s Luz’s father. He was a firefighter. That means that whenever a house was on fire or really, almost any emergency, he would be one of the first ones there, putting out the fire, saving people’s lives. It’s one of the most dangerous jobs here, but a necessary one. Every day, he would leave the house, and every day, I had no idea if he was safe…and then one day, he wasn’t.” 

“Is that how he passed away?” she asked. “Sorry, if that’s insensitive…” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” she said. “But yes. It was a fire at a school. They did a count and two children were still inside. They didn’t know the fire alarm was for a fire and thought…they thought it was someone who came in and tried to harm them. There’s been several people doing that over the years…people who have weapons going into schools to cause tragedies. These children thought that was happening and instead of evacuating, they hid in a closet. By the time they realized what was happening, there was too many flames. Lucas saw that these two were missing and he went in and got them. But there were so many flames that he took off his jacket which is fireproof and wrapped it around them and sent them out. He…he got very badly burned on his way out with them…” she sniffed back tears. “And he breathed in so much smoke that by the time his team got him to the hospital…it was already too late.” 

“Dr. Camila…I’m so sorry…” 

“Don’t,” she said. “He always wanted to be a hero, do what’s right…and he left this world as a hero. Luz…she takes after him a lot. She wants to do what’s right…” 

“Luz is a hero,” Willow said. “Everyone is so grateful for her. She…she and the Clawthornes saved us all.” 

“I know, and I know she won’t stop until she does it again, no matter what I say or do, and that…it terrifies me. But it also makes me so proud,” She said. “I know my daughter enough to know I can’t keep her here, keep her safe.” 

“Well, I know you said her dad had a team, but in your story, he went back into the school alone, right?” Camila nodded. 

“He did it without permission…”

“Well, Luz won’t go back alone,” Willow promised. “She’s been there so many times for us…saving that world that isn’t hers, but she fell in love with…we’re going to be there with her, all of us. And I know that there are plenty more on the Isles ready to stand behind her too.” 

“Wow…everything I hear about the Boiling Isles is…makes me conflicted,” she said honestly. “I want to keep my daughter safe, but I also want her to be happy and feel loved,” she said. “So…I don’t know what to do.” 

“Well, she does feel loved by you,” Willow said. “She talked about you so much, and how much she loved you, and all the things you guys would do together. I never had a mom and I never felt like I missed out. I mean, I wouldn’t change a thing about how I was raised, but the way she talked, it did make me curious about what it would be like if I had a mom,” she said. 

“Well, I’m certainly not here to replace any parents,” she said. “So maybe mom wouldn’t be the right term here, but if you’d like a human aunt, I’d love it if you called me Tia.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, It would be my absolute honor.” 

“Thank you…Tia Camila.” 

“Ed! Hurry up!” 

“You know Emira, we’re the first generation in over fifty years to mix magic types, so there’s not an exact science to this yet. I’m kind of making this up as I go,” he said, trying to measure out the potion ingredients. “I mean, do you want to mix Beast Keeping and Potions?”

“I haven’t studied either of those, unlike you,” she said. “Unless you want to take over my shifts healing people from…well…” she gestured off to the distance where the Collector was. 

“I’m not taking your place, and you have no right to judge how hard it is for me,” he said. “Plus, I’m getting a really hard task right off the bat. Titan’s Blood is supposed to be the most powerful substance known in all the realms, one drop is even more powerful than every witch on the Isles combined, and I’m supposed to find a substitute.” He made a spell circle and called forth a swarm of fire-bees to drop some pollen into his tubes, making sure they haven’t started the process of making it honey yet. 

“How did Mittens help the first time?” Emira asked. “Supposedly there’s no Titan’s blood left.” 

“Except in that old key. She broke it and got it on her glove. A glove that they used up already,” he said. “I’m glad one of the former scouts that joined us was able to grab the key before the Collector completely demolished the head. That gives me a chance to try and study a dry scraping of the blood and try to measure it.” 

“So that’s what you’re doing with it. I thought you were trying to look through it like a magnifying glass.” 

“Funny, sister,” he rolled his eyes. “Why are you even here?”

“You said that some of the things you were going to get were pollen from fire-bees, the saliva of a bewilderbeast, and the toenails of the Bat Queen,” she said. “You needed extra muscle and a healer to bring you back from what would otherwise certainly be your death.”

“If it was dangerous, do you think dad would let me go?” 

“He flew Amity to Belos during the Day of Unity after mom…well…all that,” she said, trailing off at the end. “And now he’s trying to mix magic, science, and miracles to get her back. So yes, I don’t put dad putting us in danger past him right now. You know how he gets when his head is in a project.” 

“Yeah, but…aren’t you doing this to get her back too?” he asked her. “We weren’t always great siblings to her.” 

“I blame mom.”

“Same. But…we only just now got to a place where we can actually…well…have a good relationship with her, because we’re not in some stupid competition with her for basic decency from mom. I don’t want our good relationship to only last two months of our whole lifetime.” 

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this…but Edric…you’re right.”

“Yes! Finally!” He jumped up, but hit the hive and the fire-bee swarm quickly enveloped his hand. “OWWW!!!!”

“I’ve got you!”

Chapter Text

It had only been two weeks since the Day of Unity, but it simultaneously felt like two years ago and just yesterday. Gus was watching the news on the T.V. and couldn’t help thinking of his dad as he watched some guy on a channel called ABC talk about something called a SCOTUS. He was watching another man on a channel called Fox, but Luz quickly came and changed the channel, telling him it was a bad channel for people like Belos.

He wondered what his dad was doing on the Isles. He watched as the scene changed to some protests over stuff he couldn’t understand about, and the side by side footage of another protests with tons of fire and violence and wondering if his dad was doing that just now, seeing a bunch of violence and disasters and just standing in front of it, pretending to be calm, cool, and collected while praying he doesn’t die any second now. What was the collector doing? And was it truly any worse than what the humans were doing on the screen in front of him? 

“Okay, Gus,” Camila came in and muted the TV. “Are you okay, guapito?” 

“Is…the human realm okay?” He asked, pulling his eyes away from the screen and to her. 

“Well…it depends on your definition…and your location, I suppose,” she sighed. “But you don’t have to keep getting lost in all of these politics. You just escaped a dictatorship with an emperor who wanted to get rid of all of the witches. You should be resting, recovering, enjoying yourself.” 

“I’m just…worried about my dad,” he said. “He’s a reporter too. But not even he is as busy as this…or reported on stories as…bad…and he almost covered Eda’s execution.” 

“Her what?!” 

“Oh, she wasn’t. We stopped it. Well, mainly Luz, but Willow and I helped on the ground level by starting a revolt. Probably not the best idea but it’s fine,” he said. Camila tried to suppress the various emotions showing up in her face.  “I’m worried he’s out there, doing *this* somewhere where it’s not safe,” he gestured to the reporter on the TV, who was quickly running away from a tear gas canister that was launched in his general direction. “And I’m watching the stuff here and…I had no idea about this aspect of the human realm. I thought Belos would be the worst of the worst, but I’m not sure.”

“Gus,” she sighed. “Humans are a lot more complicated. Belos is from a different time. One where if you weren’t as white as paper and Christian, but only the right kind of Christian, or a man, life wasn’t great for you, and people like him took it as permission to treat you as less than…human…well that’s not a great phrase to say to a witch,” she sighed. “Okay, do you guys use the word person to describe yourselves?”

“Yes.”

“Great, so person will mean human and witch, and all humans and all witches are equal,” she said. “But for them, if you weren’t a white, male, Christian human of the correct Christian denomination, then those people thought it was okay to treat you as less than a person is truly worth.” 

“And it’s not like that anymore?” 

Camila hesitated. “Not…not as outwardly, I’d say. Of course there are still people who think that way. Those people are what we like to call wrong,” she said. “But those guys all that time ago, they put in a lot of systems in place that still give them a lot of advantages over the rest of us. And when we want equality, to make it so that instead of them having advantages over us, we’re all on equal ground, those with the advantages…they don’t like it, and they fight against it, keeping us down. Some don’t even know that they’re doing that, not really, and telling them that they are, they don’t understand it because they don’t think they had advantages, they think they earned their place.” 

“And they didn’t?” 

“That’s a complex question,” she said. “A lot of them did earn their place and worked hard for it, so they’re not wrong. But they don’t exactly realize that what for them was like climbing up a ladder, the rest of us were climbing up a rope, at best. Possible to get to the same height, but a lot harder, needing a lot more effort, and not something just anybody can do without the proper preparation.” 

“That makes sense,” he said. “So they need to learn this? That they’ve had advantages that make it harder for everyone else?” 

“Yes, but they also don’t always want to…and avoid learning about it. They want to live in ignorance.” 

“So…it’s hopeless?” 

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” she said.  “Not hopeless. But very difficult. And the good news is that with each generation, they’re more open to learning about these advantages, they’re more willing to put in the work to make things truly equal, and telling the older generations to callate.” 

Gus smiled a little at that. “So it’s always getting better?” 

“Overall yes,” she said. “But sometimes, those pesky older generations just like to give a big yank backwards, and make things worse for a while, and then they’ll continue getting better. That’s what happened in…” she stopped. 

“When? Or where?” 

“You guys didn’t learn human history on the isles, did you?” he shook his head. “Well…Human history has a lot of beautiful and inspiring moments…and also a lot of tragedies and monstrosities. And I don’t know how long you’ll be here guapito, so maybe we should start teaching you some of that history, so you also know how to blend in a little better?” 

“I’d love to learn the history!” 

“Even the bad parts?” 

“I lived through the worst part of the history of the Boiling Isles, how bad can human history actually be?”

A lot worse. The answer was a lot worse. He had taken Luz’s laptop and was watching several MewTube videos about Human history, his head in his hands when Luz came in. “Gus? What’s going on?” 

“Humans…human history is so bad…wars…assasinations…genocide…you guys have a word for that! Genocide!” 

“Ooooooh…kaaaaayyyy…” she went over and closed the laptop with one finger. “Someone went down the MewTube Rabbit Hole,” she said. “How much human history did you go through?” 

“There were cave people…then Egyptians took organs out of your nose…and the Greeks had a guy kill his dad and marry his mom and the Romans renamed the Gods but there’s only one god but there’s 14 but there’s 200…” 

“Okay okay, this is stuff we learn over the years in human school, and you did it in…” she opened the computer again. “Three and a half hours…oh boy.” She sat down across from him. “I’m also going to give you books to space it out. But the God thing, let me give you the basics. You know how the Boiling Isles worshiped the Titan?” He nodded. “Well, you guys have this…scientific and empirical evidence that the Titan is the Titan. Now…oh Titan…how do I explain this without being insulting to any religion?” She paused. “Okay…so…there’s no evidence of a Titan or anything like that here the way there is on the Isles. It’s more…ambiguous. So throughout human history, we’ve tried finding ways to explain the world. The gods are explanations of that. Humans have had different…beliefs and theories about how the Universe works. So Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, the Norse, Hindus, and many many other religions believe in something called Polytheism, meaning there’s multiple gods. So sometimes each of those gods would be assigned certain aspects that they “rule” over, so the Egyptians believe Horus ruled the sun, and the Greeks said the oceans were ruled by Poseidon, so on and so forth. Are you following me?”

“So…there’s no proof of gods, just theories?” 

“Without sounding insulting, yes,” she said. “The proof we humans have of our religions is in how things have appeared to us in the world, and we don’t always agree on how they present themselves so…I don’t know. Basically there’s no Titan we can see the head, heart, blood and knee of to say ‘that’s it! That’s what created this!’ and go with it. We’re just a big blue planet with green landmasses in random shapes that we made political.” 

“Okay, so Polytheism is multiple gods. And the Greeks, Hindus, Norse and Egyptians, those gods aren’t connected?” 

“Eh, depending on who you ask and which religions you’re talking about, yes and no. But let’s treat them as completely separate for now. Thor and Jupiter are two different people that just so happen to control lightning,” she joked. “But then we get to Monotheism. That’s the one that three of the biggest world religions are based on. That means only one God. One God who did everything and is everywhere.” 

“So Monotheism is just the one Titan that makes up the Boiling Isles ruling us,” Gus said slowly. “And Polytheism would be like…a council of Titans?” 

“Huh, pretty good analogy,” she said. “Not perfect, but I’m not here to go into details of the religions, just give you the basic framework so you follow along. But now the biggest three monotheistic religions are actually all related to each other. We call them Abrahamic religions because the stories all involve this one guy named Abraham. Judaism came first, then Christianity added some things and changed some things around, and then Islam did that on top. And within those three religions, humans created a bunch of sub-religions, and kept branching out and making differences.” 

“So that’s why I saw Christianity used with Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox…”

“Yes!” Luz said. “You’re following along a lot better than I would’ve in your shoes…and I did kind of with learning about…well…everything involving the Boiling Isles. But the biggest religion in the world is Christianity, and all the little branches of it fight amongst each other about who’s the ‘true and correct’ religion and the other ones are wrong and…well remember Pastor Key?” 

“He’s one of these Christians?” 

“Yup. One branch of it. He doesn’t speak for the whole of the religion, but just the one that hates people who are different.”

“Do you think Emperor Belos was a Christian?”

“Well…yes. Knowing the history of where he came from and some of the stuff I’ve heard him say sounded…familiar. But Pator Key and Belos don’t speak for all humans, or even the whole of the religion. I mean…Mami and I are Catholics, which is a part of Christianity. Titan knows even within Catholics we can’t agree on what’s right or wrong, but the way Mami and I see it, it’s also a part of our culture, how she was raised and how she raised me. We like the idea of a loving God who made us all exactly how we should be, in all different shades and sexualities and ideas and even religions and cultures. It’s all about if you’re a good person or not.” 

“That feels like it should be the obvious answer,” he said. “But all these people in history use these religions to justify hurting and killing other people? I mean, this guy in the 1930s in Ger-Many.” 

“Germany…” Luz corrected. “Yeah. That’s one of the worst evils humans have done.” 

“But also, all these countries stole people that, from the pictures, looked like human versions of me and my dad and enslaved them and tortured them! And…” 

“Gus, Humans…” she sighed. “Humans aren’t one thing or another. Yeah, there are these horrible people who did horrible things to their fellow humans, unforgivable, terrible things…but there are also the humans who do a whole lot of good. I mean, we have these artists that made beautiful art, scientists that have cured the worst of our diseases and…there’s this one guy who passed away a few years ago named Steve Irwin and another named Fred Rogers..you can’t see them and not smile and be happy…and then there’s my dad, who made it his life mission to save everyone he could to give them a good life…and he lost his life doing that, but…you can see the good. The kids he saved before he died, their parents came and took care of us when he passed away as a thank you, making me and mami dinner for months, and they come over every Christmas and we decorate cookies together and have snowball fights…” 

“I didn’t see any of that good stuff when I was online,” he said. 

“Because of the rabbit hole…human expression based on a book,” she explained. “Once you see one bad thing, it’s easy to keep going down more bad things and finding it. But sometimes, we can even take those bad things and make something great out of it too. Did you read about King Henry the VIII?”

“The guy who had six wives and killed two of them?” 

“Yeah him,” she said. “Well, there’s a person who made a musical about them, and it’s an amazing musical that shares their story respectfully and it's so much fun that you literally can’t help dancing along to it. It doesn’t minimize the tragedy, so to speak, but it shows that we humans, there is something pretty cool about us, I usually say.” 

“What’s that?”

“For most of us, we always try to make things better. Little things or big things.” 

 “Well Luz,” he smiled. “That’s one of the things we love about you. You always try to make things better. And for us, I think you did.” she smiled and hugged him. “Maybe I’ll slow down my human history research and ask you and Tia Camila and Vee so I don’t get lost like that again. Now…you said something about a musical about Queens?” 

King looked out over the Isles from the fractured skull of the Titan…his father. He didn’t even have time to truly process that this was his father. He found out and immediately had to help everyone defeat Belos. And they did, but now this Collector…

“King!!! You promised we’d play!!!!” 

“Collector, buddy, we will,” he said, getting up and looking over. “Sorry, I’m just a little tired. And…I miss my sister.” 

“If you miss her, why did you send her away?” they zoomed in close to his face. “I thought we needed everyone to play!” 

“We do need a whole Island, yes,” King said. “But my sister…she came from the Human Realm, and that portal was breaking apart and she had her own mom…another mom there. I sent her there because I didn’t want her stuck without seeing her mom ever again.” 

“Huh…I don’t have a mom…I don’t think,” he said. “What’s it like?” 

“Having a mom?” King asked, They nodded. “Well…They take care of you…love you, they’d do almost anything for you, but also joke around and play with you…know when you need hugs…” 

“How do they know?”

“Eh?”

“Moms. How do they know how to do all these things? Is it like the rules to a game?” 

“No, they just…they just know,” he said. “I don’t know how they know though. Must be some…universal mom secret.” 

“And they just…take care of you? What do they want from you?” 

“Nothing. Just to know you’re safe.” 

“No way! Everyone wants something! You wanted to save everyone! Philip wanted magic and the draining spell! Moms must want something!” 

“Well, not in that way,” King said. “And yeah, I did want you to save everyone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to play with you. At that moment, we needed everyone to play Owl House, and we still do. But if everyone wasn’t dying and I knew you before you met Philip, I think I’d still want to play with you.” 

“And what would you want from me?”

“Nothing…at least, nothing special, just the same thing I think you want.” 

“I can have whatever I want by snapping my fingers!” They said, feeling insulted. “What could I possibly want that I can’t get myself?” 

“Well…a good friend. A real one…”

The Collector was quiet for a bit. “You think everyone recovered from the draining spell to play?” 

“Maybe,” King said. “Why?”

“Because…I can’t get you to the Human Realm to get your sister…but if you can get people to come here to start the game, give everyone the starting positions so that we can play real soon…before we actually start the game…I can take you to the Inbetween World and help you talk to your sister.” 

Chapter Text

“So…this is really it, huh?” Hunter looked up at the imposing statue. Flapjack was perched on his shoulder, looking up at his stone doppleganger. “So…you did know him…” the little palisman chirped in the affirmative, but Hunter understood him perfectly, clear as day. “Caleb Whittebane…Belos’s brother…who he murdered,” he said softly. “And then made a bunch of…me’s…” Luz stood next to him, watching him stare up at the statue with a bag of groceries in each of their arms. “This is who I’m supposed to be.” 

“Hunter, there’s nobody that you’re supposed to be,” she said. “Not to all of us who know you.” 

“I don’t even know me,” he said. “Everything I’ve known about myself is a lie.” 

“Well, those of us on the outside know a few things.” 

“Like what?” he peeled his eyes away from the statue and looked down again. 

“Like…did you know your mouth actually curves like an upside-down smile whenever you’re freaking out while also annoyed?” she asked. “And that you snore with a small whistle through the gap in your teeth.” 

“Those are all physical things.” 

“You also like Willow…” He stopped walking and turned around to stare her down. “Yeah! That’s the face! The super frown! The upside-down smile!” 

“You…you don’t know anything, human!” 

“I know you call me human whenever you’re annoyed with me, or trying to hide something…” 

“Shut up Hu-...just shut up.” He started walking again, picking up speed, and Luz almost had to jog to catch up to him. 

“Come on, you’re so obvious! You’re red around her, stuttering, making excuses to sprint away when you two get a little too close…wow, I really was oblivious with Amity…” 

“Luz, me and Willow are not a thing,” he said. “The Captain is way too cool and powerful, and she wouldn’t want to even be with me.” 

“Wow…” she said, staring at him. “You’re oblivious too.”

“I am not! I was trained in the art of surveillance and observation! I know how to assess my enemies weaknesses from fifty meters away with one eye closed!” 

“Yeah, but your enemies and your friends are totally different,” she said. “Come on, you’re telling me you don’t like her? When’s the last time you liked someone?”

“I didn’t.” 

“Hunter, you’re sixteen! You mean to tell me you never liked anybody until Willow?”

“I don’t like anybody…shut up,” he said. 

“Well, what do you tell all those people who fall all over themselves for you? I mean, back in your Golden Guard days, that uniform must have made some of those Coven groupies weak in the knees…” she elbowed him. 

“Nope. I was sent out on missions or helping…you know,” he said. “No time for romance…not that there was any.” 

“You know, the more I hear about your time in the Emperor’s Coven, the more I’m glad Lilith broke his nose in the Deadwardian Era.” 

“Wait, she what?!”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Lilith is the one who broke his nose to looking like what it does now as compared to…well…that,” she pointed back towards the statue. 

“Wow…I have a whole new respect for her,” he said. “And that’s with how he just treated you guys…” 

“Why? What do you mean?”

“....nothing…”

“Hunter!”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s gone now, and I’m not there and I haven’t been there since we were inside of the Emperor’s mind, so it’s not something to worry about.” 

“Hunter? Did he…?” 

“Look the Emperor was not a merciful man, remember?” he said. “And I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Hunter…”

“Look, I’m good now, okay? Your mom…Tia Camila…she’s better. And so was Darius. He…he cared about me…” 

“We’ll get you back to him,” she said. “We’ll all get back to the isles…somehow…” 

“Luz, you’re just…I don’t want you getting crushed by getting your hopes up,” he said. “Creating a portal was almost impossible on the Isles and that was with the Titan’s blood in the key. Here, in the human realm with no Titans?” 

“Look, Giraffes somehow got here from the Isles, right? So, there’s got to be a way. And I’m going to find that way.”

“You’re hinging all of this on giraffes?” 

“For now,” she said. “But also the Azura books! It’s a human book series!” 

“So?”

“So…how did Amity read them as she grew up?!”

“I…huh…”

“Exactly! That means there’s a way. I figured out how to do magic on the Boiling Isles as a human, I can figure this out too. 

King took a deep breath as he looked at the house in front of him. The house he grew up in, had a family in, was all broken and shattered and there was a hole where Hooty’s annoying head was supposed to be. But he was in the Port-a-Hooty, so he wasn’t too worried about that insect-owl-tube-thing. The house may have looked abandoned, but King knew his mom well, and went around the back to the hidden entrance that she had under a bush ‘in case the Emperor’s coven scouts had any ideas.’

He went through the trap door and saw the new door ahead of him and a very familiar circle on it. “INTRUDER! INTRUDER!” 

“Hooty! Stop! Titan, that voice!” he groaned covering his ears. 

“KING!!!” The head rushed out of the hole and wrapped around King to hug him tightly. “YOU’RE OKAY!!!”

“Yes Hooty! I’m okay! And I’m here!” he hugged Hooty back as the owl-demon set him back down. “Is…is Eda here?” 

“YES!” He grabbed King and rushed him inside, dropping him at Eda’s feet. “HERE SHE IS! EDA! LOOK WHO’S HERE!”

“King!” She grabbed him and hugged him tightly. “Oh I missed you! I was so worried!” King felt a few tears sink into his fur and hugged her back. He noticed only one arm, but he didn’t say anything. Not right now. 

“I missed you too. I’m so glad I get to see you, especially after all that.”

“The Collector…did they hurt you? How did you escape?!” 

“I didn’t…he let me come here…there’s a lot happening and, you know, they’re just a kid.” 

“They moved the moon with the flick of a finger! And destroyed the Head!”

“A powerful kid…but we’re not that different. They just…they spent their life alone and just wants to play with friends.” 

“But all of this…”

“I’m not excusing their behavior,” Kind said. “But I’m saying I don’t know if they really know any better…and we can help…and they even gave me an offer to help, Eda. They can’t get us to the human realm, but they can take us to the Inbetween, where Luz’s portal door went. We can talk to her…let her know we’re okay! See that she’s okay!”

“King…really?” her eyes welled up a bit, getting to see both of her kids again. 

“Yes…but the Collector wants to play Owl House, like I promised them,” he said. “And I think, maybe we can all play along, and help them like Luz helped all of us. They’re a kid with a lot of power who never grows up, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn.” 

“King…what do we need to do?” 

“Well…Have you guys started on trying to make another Portal Door?” 

Gus was banned from using the internet until he was able to read a few books Luz picked out, saying he needed to get acclimated to the history of humans gradually, rather than bombing himself with all of the atrocities. But his mind wasn’t on the book about the American Civil War. It was on Hunter, sitting next to him, reading his own book, one that Luz thought he’d like. 

“So…what is that book you’re reading?” 

“Uhh…Frankenstein. Luz said she thinks it's a good book for me. She said it’s something called Science Fiction?” 

“Oh…cool…” Gus gulped a little. He hadn’t told him yet. He knew he should, but he had no clue on how. “Is it any good?” 

“The first chapter is so far,” he said, then looked up over the pages to see Gus sitting very stiffly and his eyes scanning over the same page several times. “Okay, you’re too smart to be struggling to understand the words on the page there.” 

“Um…thanks, I think?” 

“I mean I know that you clearly have something on your mind,” he said. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“Well…what if you found out some things…really unpleasant things…about someone else, but they don’t know you found out and you don’t know who else may or may not know, but it seems like an important thing…” 

“Gus? What did you find out?” 

“It’s…” he sighed. “Remember our fight with Belos? Right before we came here?” 

“How could I forget?” 

“Well…I trapped him in his own memories…memories I could see…” 

Hunter paled and let out a little squeak, before clearing his throat. “Oh?” 

“Hunter…he…I just want to start off by saying that how I feel about you hasn’t changed at all-”

“Oh great, you really do know,” He groaned and hid his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but-”

“No, Hunter, I get it,” he said. “But…so he really…did that to his own brother?” 

“Yeah,” he said softly. “And then…created me…and then…”

“You’re not the first, are you?” Hunter shook his head. “What did he do with…?”

“The others? He…got rid of them when they betrayed him. He almost did that to me…”

“I’m glad you escaped then, that he couldn’t.” 

“You don’t mean that.” 

“I do. I’ve always wanted an older brother,” Gus smiled. “And hey, if I can have a human best friend, who says I can’t have a Grimwalker brother?” 

Hunter smiled, a real smile that has been showing up more often since he’s hung out with Willow and Gus. And he had a feeling it was far, far from the last one.

“Luz! Necesitamos el jugo!” 

“Si mami.” 

“Hunter, flaquito, can you help Willow with bringing in and washing some vegetables from the garden.” 

“Yes Dr.- I mean, Tia.” 

“Bueno. And Guapito, set the table por favor?” 

“Of course!” Gus piped up, getting up and grabbing the placemats and dishes. All of them had settled into a comfortable rhythm in the household, knowing how to help each other and started looking more like a family. It was a weird, mish-mash, Brady Bunch type family, but one that the three Nocedas had a bittersweet feeling towards this new dynamic. They hated the situation that put them all in this situation, but loved the full house and how fluidly everyone worked together. 

“Tia, what do you want me to do with the empanadas after they’ve been folded?” Amity asked. 

“Well, I normally like them baked better, so just put them on the baking sheet there. Make sure there’s room between each of them. Vee, corazon, can you show her?” 

“Yes, Mom,” she went over and helped her out with the empanadas, also showing her how to close it a little better. Luz smiled and went over to her mom and helped her out with the rice. 

“It’s weird, having the house this full, huh?” she said. 

“Reminds me of how I grew up,” her mom said. “You know how I grew up with all your tios and tias in that big house.”

“Yeah, but everyone was either your sibling or your cousin,” she said. “This house, on the other hand, is you, me, your adopted basilisk child, and four little witchlings I accidentally brought over from a dimension full of demons.” 

“Well…you’ve seen your Tio Pedro. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a little bit of a demon.” 

“Mama!” 

“Ay, he’s my brother! I’m allowed to! You’ll see. Soon you and Vee will act like true hermanas once you get over the newness of all of this.” 

“I know what it’s like Mami,” she said. “You should’ve seen me with King. He was like the baby brother I begged Santa for when I was seven.”

“Well, it’s not Santa that gave him to you then. Just…what is King anyways? A demon or a witch?” 

Luz clamped up and looked down. “It’s…complicated,” she said quietly. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just…” she looked around discreetly. “Very complicated. I should…I can’t make the decision to explain all of that like this.”

“Okay, I understand,” her mom said. “It’s not ‘you’ keeping it this time. You just…don’t want to out him, so to speak.”

“You truly are the best mother in every universe,” She said, kissing her cheek before taking the rice off the stove. “Alright everyone! Dinner!”

“Really? I had no idea. I thought we were preparing for Grom,” Hunter teased sarcastically, bringing the salad he prepared with Willow to the table before sitting in his seat. 

“Shows what you know, my Grom training involved plenty of food,” she joked back. 

“Grom?” Her mom asked. 

“Luz told me it’s like your prom, but…more intense,” Amity explained, sitting down between Willow and Luz. Vee moved the vase centerpiece off of the table and put the beans on the potholder there. 

“Well while you guys learn human customs, maybe I should learn some demon ones. Especially since I’m outnumbered now,” she joked. 

Willow was about to chime in when:

“Wait! I see her! She’s here! They’re all here!” 

“Um…what was that?” Willow asked. Luz’s eyes widened and she looked around every reflective surface in the dining room, finally landing on the mirror on the wall overlooking the end of the table. 

“Oh my Titan…” She gasped. 

“Luz?! Is that really you?! Did it work?!” 

“KING!!!!”

Chapter Text

Luz stared happily into the mirror, seeing her own reflection and King looking out at her. “King, are you in that…that place I was when I created the portal door?” 

“Yes! It’s that place that looks like black water with floating cubes! You’re in this cube!” Another face popped up beside him. 

“Oh my Titan! Luz! You’re okay!”

“EDA!” she screamed happily, holding on to the mirror now. Everyone else got over their shock and rushed over to the mirror to see the Owl Lady they all grew to love, with Hunter hanging a bit further back with Camila and Vee. “You’re here! You’re okay!”

“Well, most of me is,” she held up her amputated arm. “Raine kept their promise. They wanted you to know that.”

“Tell them thank you,” She said, tears starting to flow down. 

“Hey now, don’t cry because of my lousy hand. You’ve seen me pop that off and on so many times now…heck you’ve even seen me do it with my head,” she said with a small laugh, her own eyes brimming with tears threatening to fall out. 

“We can’t help it,” Willow cut in. Luz looked around and saw almost all of them were starting to cry a little. “We missed you guys. Are…my dads there?” 

“And mine?” Gus asked. 

“And my dad? Ed? Em?” 

“Not in the Inbetween right now,” Eda said. “They’re on the other end here, keeping an eye on us. But we’ve been holding it down together while King has been with the Collector.”

“Oh God, King! The Collector!” Luz grabbed on. “Are you okay? Did they get everyone?!”

“Kid, you need to take a breath,” Eda said. “Look, King here has been with them the longest and, well, he says they’re not that bad.” 

“Yeah Luz. They’re just a really lonely kid who hasn’t learned boundaries yet, or when things go too far. But, they’re open to learning. And they’re helping us here too!” He held up a necklace that was half sun, half moon. “They gave us these necklaces that open a portal to the Inbetween. Your families have them too!” 

“Oh Titan…” Willow gasped. “So, they can open up a portal to the Demon Realm!”

“Well…yes…but…they don’t know how,” he said. 

“What?! What do you mean?!” Hunter pushed to the front. “We saw them push the moon away from the sun with a finger saying ‘Boop!’ How do they not know?!”

“Hunter, calmate,” Luz pulled him back by the arm. 

“Well, like I said, they’re just a kid. An overpowered one, sure, but something tells me there’s more to their story than I think even they know. I think I can relate on that end…”

“But!” Eda interrupted before the silence could hang too long and the others started asking too many questions. “We do have good news with that. Alador’s been theorizing, ever since we got this new info from King, that The Collector can open a portal to the Human Realm if they get a little help to focus it, like maybe a doorway. And thanks to our little human witch,” she said proudly, looking at Luz. “And a little echo mouse we found in the coven station, Alador already has the basic blueprints for a door!”

“So you’ll be able to get the door up and running soon!” Gus said. 

“Well…” Eda said. “When Luz made the door, she had the night market and pre-packaged ingredients. But after the Day of Unity and everything…the Blight twins have been leading everyone around with collecting the ingredients, but some of these ingredients have to be picked at specific times of day during specific times of the year, and brewed in the right conditions…” 

“Eda, what are you saying?” Luz asked. 

“I’m saying…that…everything going according to plan perfectly…the soonest we’ll be able to get this door up and running will be about a year from now…”

“A year!!!”

“I know, kid, but…we’ll be alright, okay?” 

“Well, there’s got to be a way we can help!” Luz said. 

“Luz…” Amity put her arm on her shoulder, but Luz looked at her pleadingly before turning back to Eda and King. 

“Well…there is…but you’re not going to be happy,” King said. 

“You know that shack where our portal door let out?” Eda said. “That’s one of what we like to say “bleeder areas.” Where our realms bleed into each other. So our portal was anchored there. This new portal that we’re going to create…we’re going to create it blindly. So we’ll need to figure out several different points that the portal would spit us out.” 

“Eda…the human realm is HUGE!” she said. “Like…think at least 300 Titans worth of huge!” 

“I know, it's not an easy task. But finding these spots…even if it’s something like a map you’d be able to show us through here, we’d be able to navigate our way to you whenever and where-ever we find ourselves. From there, it’s easier to reopen a portal from that old house.”

“Alright Eda…we’ll figure it out. Right guys?” Luz said, looking at all them, seeing a mix of nods, a cautious optimism among them all. “We’ll figure everything out. In the meantime…a whole year?” 

“We’ll try to make it less, as much as possible,” she said. “But hey, Luz spent several months here in the Demon Realm, almost all summer, and she came out alright…right?” she said, trying to keep the tone light. “Think of it as a cultural exchange.” 

“Right,” Luz said, looking around and seeing their weak smiles. “Cultural exchange. You’ll see what it’s like to live as a human. That’s exciting!”

“Well…it will be a first hand experience…” Gus said. 

“Exactly!” 

Camilla watched them and got up. “Hijos…why don’t you guys grab your plates over and go eat in the living room? I think I should have a word with them? Adult to adult?” King cleared his throat. “And…eight year old…Demon Realm resident?” 

Luz was about to argue but she saw the firm look in her mom’s eyes and nodded, herding everyone off. 

“So…Ms. Clawthorne, right?”

Eda sat down on the murky water-like substance of the Inbetween Realm, staring into the cube King had called up to see Luz. “So…Camilla Noceda. I’ve heard a lot about you. Good things, I promise. The kid really missed you.” 

“That’s what they’ve all told me, like they’re trying to make me feel better,” she said. “She talks about you too. She was worried about you.” 

“Eh, I’ve been in worse situations…she even helped me out of a pretty bad one once too. But that kid…she really worms her way into your heart and makes you want to take care of her doesn’t she? She’s really hard not to love. And believe me, I tried keeping my distance at first.” 

“You did? You didn’t…”

“Oh I didn’t do anything. Just tried to be an adult who would teach her stuff in return for some favors. But those cute big eyes of hers…whenever I visited the human realm, I’d go see movies every once in a while. And those *Disney* movies? Luz somehow looks like a cross between the princess and her cute animal sidekick.” 

Camilla couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I’ve never heard her described like that before. I’m sure she’d love it. And she told me that you took care of her, Amity said you even went without some items to make sure she could eat?” 

“Yeah, well I had been meaning to cut back on the Apple Blood anyways,” she said, looking down and brushing some hair behind her ear. “Honestly, I’m glad she’s back to you. When I was about to be petrified…I gave her the key to my portal and begged her to take it home and never come back. But…did she get that stubbornness from you?” 

“A little bit,” Camilla said. “But the kids told me the whole story, and that borderline reckless heroism…you can blame her father for that.” 

“She told me about him…I’m sorry. I…I had a good amount of trouble with my own dad that until about two weeks ago, I hadn’t spoken to him since I was her age. Man, after hearing about your husband…I regretted every year I avoided him. And now, even after the world here is confusing and we’re trying to figure it out, that kid inspired me to reconnect with him, fully.”

“Seems she has a habit about that,” Camilla said. “Meddling into everyone’s lives.” 

“Yeah a little,” she agreed. “But I’d say she made it better for everyone she came across. Even for a day.” 

Camilla was quiet. “She loves it there, doesn’t she? Living with you?” 

Eda knew what was coming and spoke carefully. “This…this was always meant to be a temporary arrangement. Live out her fantasies. Kid convinced me to train her how to be a witch, how to defy all natural laws we knew and do what we all thought was impossible. Heck, she convinced me to let her go to school! Of all places! Of course, this was before she reformed the school so that she could learn all types of magic and avoid the propaganda indoctrination…but, oh Titan I hated school and it was my nightmare to see my student go to it. And then there I was, cleaning up after my years of pranks to make sure I got her admission to it.” 

“You don’t just care for her, do you?” She asked. “You love her.”

Eda stroked King’s head. “Those dam-rrn…those darn Disney eyes…One human comes into my life and I go from a single and childfree hot vixen to someone with two kids and a partner,” she said with a small laugh. “But you’re her mom, and I’d never try to replace you.” 

“I know that,” she said. “And…when Luz first started talking about you to me, I was afraid of that, that she had a new mom she liked more than me, that she replaced me with…but I actually came to a different realization. As she would say, curse my hetero-normative Christian-based viewpoint.”

“Camilla, you’re losing me.”

“Right. Well, I was thinking she was replacing me because we’re both women. But…she was filling in a hole that was left in her life from very early. Her father actually gifted her the Azura series when she started liking shows about magic and fantasy…and he helped develop her creativity. You took on that role that I wasn’t strong enough to fill.” 

“Look, I don’t know you that much, but I know Luz. For a kid like that, she’s gotta have a strong, capable, and confident mother. And one with a bit of humor too, because you gotta have it with a kid like her,” she laughed a little. “Again, I’ve never met him, and Luz didn’t want to talk about him much…but her personality, based on how young she was when she lost him, didn't come from just him. It came from a mom who would love her and accept her and help her grow into this pretty bada-...uh…pretty cool person, one who doesn’t let people tell her who to be. She decided to be a witch when I explained how magic biologically happens in witches and she decided to try and figure out magic for herself! And she did! And when my sister and I lost our magic, she taught us hers! And the amount of caring in her? She has more care towards people more in her pinky than King and I do combined. Something tells me that it didn't just come from her own dad. I mean, you’re taking in five extra kids! And she did say you were a vet?”

Camilla smiled and nodded. “I’m glad she found you and stayed with you while she was there, and I can’t thank you enough for taking care of her.” 

“Trust me, we were the lucky ones here.” 

“Well…I also wanted to talk about what happens after we get the portals up and running. What our next steps could be.” 

Luz paced her room. She wanted to jump through the mirror and hug Eda, but when Amity grabbed her hand and tried to get her to sit again, she realized that now all she could do is just be thankful she knows that everyone is okay. Gus and Willow also seemed to have that relief. Strangely, even Hunter looked a little more relaxed now. 

“So…a year in the human realm,” Gus said. “I can tell Mattholomule to shove that crown somewhere where the sun doesn’t shine when I go back. I’ll be the true human expert!” 

“I like that attitude Gus!” Luz said with a laugh. 

“And I can help you guys with the Demon to Human perspective,” Vee offered. “That way you don’t have to make the same mistakes I do. At least you guys know about the rain and oceans already. They tried making me swim in summer camp and I thought I had done something to deserve an execution.” 

Luz couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Is that how you made your friends?” 

“Yeah…two of them couldn’t swim because of allergies. The other one was banned after he liked pretending to drown too much.” 

“Okay, they do seem cool. Even though they’re human high schoolers.” 

“Speaking of,” Amity asked. “Does that mean we’re going to go to school with you guys?” 

“I…don’t know. Maybe?” Luz said. “I mean, it’s not like you guys can openly be witches, unlike I was the very clear and obvious human. Your concealment stones work well to disguise you, but humans have a ridiculous amount of official documents and stuff, so…I have no clue. If we had Eda…”

“Well, we’re not completely without her,” Camilla said, coming in. “They had to go back to the Demon realm, but said that your families will try getting in contact with you over the next few days, and they will keep it up frequently.” All the teens seemed to relax slightly, letting go of some tension. “And let’s get some things out of the way. First, school will start in two weeks, and you will *all* be going. We already came up with Luz and Vee’s backstories, so we’ll figure something out for the four of you, and you’ll all attend the same school.” 

“Ma, what about Gus? He’s only 12 and that’s not high school age here…” 

“It is if he’s a foreign exchange student who has skipped grades, which isn’t a lie,” she said. “I’ll handle that part, but all of you will be in similar classes, except for Hunter, who will be a few grades above.”

“And what about-”

“Luz, I’ve thought through almost all of it,” Camilla said. “Now to go out looking for portal areas…you’ll have the option to do the areas in New England over weekends, we’ll take road trips and such to expand our search areas over long weekends, and plan the school vacations to go even further.”

“How will we even find these areas?” Willow asked. 

“I thought you guys knew…”

“Well, I’m a Basilisk,” Vee said. “I can sniff out magic, so I could probably detect them.” 

“And our Palismen probably could too,” Hunter said. “Flapjack seemed to know that the shack had some demon realm magic.” 

“Well…it won’t be an always thing, but I might consider letting Vee take ‘trips to the Dominican Republic’ during the school year and have her shift as me with my passport and credit cards to farther areas of the Earth. Like Asia and Australia.”

“Okay, that’s somewhat of a plan,” Luz said. “It’s a start. It’s…it’s looking like a plan. But…what about their IDs? It’s not like we have Eda around…”

“Mija, we’re going to talk about that later,” she said. “But, Eda did help us out…kind of. She said she has someone who owes her a favor. Her ex-husband.” 

“Eda was married?!” Gus asked. 

“She told me about this,” Luz said. “It was for less than a day, and it was for a scam somewhere in Las Vegas.” 

“Right. She said he can come up with fake documents for you that should be enough to get you passports for when we do want to travel and register you in school, and she still has his number, so I’m going to give him a call, but just in case, can you guys look up the contact information for a place in Oregon called ‘The Mystery Shack’?”

Chapter Text

“I thought the Deadwardian Era was tough to study,” Willow whined. “I’m never complaining again.”

“Well, we only have two weeks to get you guys caught up with human history,” Luz said. “We can excuse you not knowing specifics of American History since you’re going to be foreign exchange students from…somewhere…We haven’t figured out where yet. But world history? That would be very weird if you didn’t know it at all.” 

“I’m still lost on what came first, Greek or Chinese Mythology,” Gus said. 

“Both and neither,” Vee said. “They’re this far apart.” She pulled out a map and showed him. “And you see this island here? Sicily? That’s about the size of the Boiling Isles, just so you can have some context.” 

“Whoa…human countries are huge!”

“Right?” she said laughing. “And this is Greece, about six times bigger, and here is China, which is about a million times bigger. Back then, there wasn’t really any communication to anywhere you couldn’t easily ride a horse to, or at best, sail to, and so people tended to stay in their areas. So all of these cultures kind of developed themselves independently. So it’s not as linear as Greek first then Chinese or vice versa.” 

“Gotcha. But that’s just for myths, right?” 

“Yeah, everything else has actual dates with it so it’ll be easier to plot on a timeline. And again, you don’t need to be like, super well versed in everything. Not every human has these things memorized either.” 

“Okay, so I’m thinking they just have to know just some of the basics,” Luz said, talking to Camilla and Vee. “General centuries and decades, the 5 big religions, and some current events? The big ones?” 

“Good thinking,” Camilla said, writing that down. “And math is universal, even for them. You said they use the imperial system?”

“Yup. I have a feeling Belos was involved,” Luz said. “Being ‘Emperor’ and all.” 

“Well, at least they’ll be able to keep up…but how’s their science?” 

“Um….potions is kind of like chemistry?” 

“Tutors, got it,” she said, writing that down as well. “Think you can get them somewhat acquainted with Shakespeare?”

“Yeah, I got Hunter reading Frankenstein. Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You know we’re sitting right here, right?” Willow asked. 

“Sorry, but we’re just trying to go through everything I would have learned in fourteen years in this realm, and seeing what’s believable that you wouldn’t have learned because you’re foreign,” Luz said. “Oh! What if they’re homeschooled missionary kids?!”

“Well, that would explain them not knowing much about human realm science, literature, and even some history. But could they learn the Bible enough to quote it at the drop of a hat?” 

“Hunter probably could.” 

“I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or insulted,” he said, looking up from his textbook. 

“Belos was probably a hardcore old-timey Christian, and chances are, if you replace Titan with Jesus or God, given how close you were to him, they might be accurate quotes.”

“Interesting…” he mused. “Do you have one of these Bibles?” Camilla nodded at Vee, who got up and grabbed it from the bookshelf and gave it to him. He cracked it open and started reading it. “Well…it’s not completely different…” he said, skimming through several pages. “I think with a little practice and stuff, I could pull it off.” 

“People who quote the Bible typically can cite the verses and stuff,” Luz said. “So try to follow along with that.” 

“But what about everyone else?” Camilla asked. 

“The Titan rhetoric wasn’t as strong the further away from Belos you got,” she admitted. “Amity would be the closest after Hunter, and she would maybe pass for a newly Baptized, not a missionary kid who grew up with this.” 

“Is this because I wanted to join the Emperor’s coven?”

“That, and you were mentored by Lilith,” Luz said. “So maybe something else? Missionaries for some unheard of non-Christian religion?”

“No, because then they wouldn’t come to be with us,” Camilla said. “And hosting a missionary kid while their parents are out serving? That’s believable. How about…just homeschooled?” 

“In Connecticut? They’d be investigated immediately for not being Christians, geniuses, or racists.”

“Maybe Gus then?” 

“We’ll keep that as Plan B for him,” she said. “Because then they’d want to meet the parents of a prodigy and well…I’m not sure they’d be okay with talking to his dad through a mirror. How about foreign foster kids?”

“From an impoverished country?” 

“And with Willow and Amity, from a culture who didn’t believe in education for women after basic literacy and math?” 

“Sounds like a cult, Mija.” 

“Cult might almost be our best option depending on how much they can get through learning the equivalent of a human high school education in two weeks…” she said. “And only three tutors too.” 

“Two realistically,” Camilla said. “I still have to go to the clinic and see my patients.” 

“Right…” Luz sighed. 

Vee thought for a moment and then slowly chimed in. “What if I got three more tutors? Who could also help with corroborating a cover story?” 

Luz and Camilla shared a glance. “Linda…do you trust them?” 

“Yeah, when we’ve been hanging out while you guys were settling in, they kind of cemented my trust,” she said honestly. “So, if you guys are okay with it, maybe we can let them in on this craziness?”

“Well,” Luz said. “I trust you hermanita, and if you trust them, let’s come up with a plan. Are you guys okay with that?” 

The witches shared a glance and then nodded. The three Nocedas have cared for them immensely and they all knew now that no matter if it was something as small as knowing chocolate tasted good to how to navigate this strange new realm, they could trust them. 

Luz opened the door to three teenagers, the same teenagers she saw through Vee’s mirror. “Uh…hi….” Non-witch teenagers still scared her. 

“Hey Luz, you okay?” the goth girl asked. Carmen. That’s what Vee told her her name was. Carmen. And the dude with long hair was Tyler, and the other one with the striped shirt was Riley. 

“Uh…yeah, I just got some things I need to tell you guys, please…come in,” she said, opening the door. All the mattresses had been moved out of the living room and set up in her room. Luz’s mom also bought two new full sized mattresses so that nobody had to sleep on air mattresses for a full year, which made Luz feel bad that her mom was spending so much money but her mom gave her ‘the look’ when she tried offering to get a job and reminded her that her job was to be a student and help the others blend in. 

“Yo, what happened to your eye?” Tyler asked. “You didn’t have it a few days ago when we went to the movies. Are you okay?”

“Yeah…that’s…all within the explanation,” she said, leading them to the couch. “So…this is going to sound…insane…and weird…but the thing you need to know right off the bat is that I’m the real Luz.”

“Yeah, and I’m the real Carmen,” she said. 

“Just…hold on,” she turned her head to the kitchen. “Okay, you can come out now!” 

Vee walked out in her Luz disguise, and the three teens’ eyes widened, looking between the two. “Hi guys.” 

“Okay…Luz has a secret twin?” Riley asked. “And we were hanging out with…twin Luz?” 

“Kind of…” Vee said. “This is going to sound…insane…you already said that, huh? Well…its true. See, I’m not from here.”

“Right…you’re Dominican…”

“No! Well, actually still no,” Vee said. 

“I’m Dominican,” Luz clarified. 

“And I’m…from a different realm. The Demon realm.” 

The three of them looked between the two. “You’re…from Hell?” Tyler asked. 

“No, not Hell, the demon realm,” Luz said. “It’s a realm parallel to ours, but with magic! And while I was born here, I went through a portal to the Demon realm…” 

“And I escaped it, and turned into Luz, and I’ve been here since.” 

“Wait, turned into?” Riley leaned forward. “Are you a doppelganger?”

“Well, close,” Vee said. “Just…don’t freak out.”

“It takes a lot to freak me out,” Carmen said, crossing her arms. Vee took a deep breath and showed them her true form. “Huh…I may need to re-evaluate my system…”

“Is it rude to ask…what are you?” Riley asked. 

“I’m a basilisk, a shapeshifting demon from the Boiling Isles that consumes magic.” 

They were all quiet for a while, until Tyler said, “I understood that you spoke words. I’m still not sure if that was all English.” 

“Yeah, it’s all a little confusing,” Luz said. “I was on the other end of it, a human in the demon realm, with magic and monsters and witches.”

“Hold up, you said witches?” Carmen said. “I’ve been practicing some occult stuff since I was a kid.”

“Different kind of witch,” Luz said. “And speaking of…there’s a bit of a long story that we’re going to have to go into, but we’re really going to need your help with everything.”

“Well, for Luz…I mean…sorry, what’s the truth here?” 

“Right, well I’m Luz Noceda, the original and the human. And the shapeshifter you guys met and befriended is Vee. She ended up helping quite a bit to not cause my mom and multiple family members to panic for the almost three months I was on the Boiling Isles, an island on the Demon Realm, and…well I’m pretty sure my friends and I defeated an evil regime. It’s a long story…”

“Well, we’ll help you,” Tyler said. “But we do want the full story.” 

“Well then, strap in,” Luz said. “Let’s start at the beginning, when my mom was about to send me to the camp you guys went to.”

Camilla sighed as she opened up the practice. She was still alone as her techs and receptionist didn’t come in for another hour and a half, meaning she could open up and see all of her overnight pets that the night assistant took care of. “Alright Max,” she greeted the golden retriever who was waking up after yesterday’s surgery. “How are you feeling?” The dog gave her a small bark. “Clearly better.” 

“Are you sure this is the right place, Edalyn?” 

“I think so? I mean, the cubes follow the name of the person and I said Dr. Camilla Noceda.” 

Camilla stopped, looking back at Max. “Well clearly that wasn’t you…” she got up and looked around. “Hello? I’m warning you now, I have a taser in my pocket and I’m not afraid to use it!” 

“Hello mamacita. I knew I liked your style.” 

Camilla stopped, recognizing the voice, and looked down at her examination table. “Eda Clawthorne?” 

“Just Eda is fine. How are you doing?” 

“What are you doing here?” She saw another face next to Eda’s. A much older man with what looked like some sort of demon shaped ski cap on his head. “Who is this?” 

“Sorry, he’s been bugging me to meet you for a while. Of course, we couldn’t do that while we didn’t have any portals, but back when I did have mine, he’d been begging me to take him to you.” 

“Begging is not the right word, Edalyn. I’m just trying to do my duties.” 

“What duties? Can someone explain what’s going on?” 

“Yes. Dr. Camilla Noceda, correct? My name is Hieronymus Bump, and I’m the principal of Hexside School of Magic and the Demonics, where your daughter attends.” 

“Hold on…am I in a magical interdimensional parent-teacher meeting?” 

“Pretty much,” Eda said, rolling her eyes. “Come on Bumpy. Let’s get on with it. I bet the doctor is quite the busy lady.” 

“Of course, my apologies. I just wanted to talk to you about Luz.” 

“Ay Dios. What did she do?” 

“Well, nothing…unless you count saving the school, changing our minds about how to run things more efficiently, rediscovering a whole lost form of magic so that she could defy her biology to become a witch, and well…I’m not supposed to say it, but become my favorite student at the Academy.”

“Wait, you’re talking about Luz? Luz Noceda? This tall, brown hair, boundless imagination and energy to match it?” Camilla said. “Sorry, I know she’s a good kid, and I love every part of her more than life itself, but…every school principal who’s ever called me has not been with good news.” 

“Well, I certainly can’t speak for how she is at human schools, but here, I’ve never met another student as persistent, thoughtful, and determined as her, and I thought that you should know, though Titan knows how all of this will turn out in the end, that it’s been a privilege and an honor to teach her.” 

Camilla had to sniff back some tears, and she could see Eda next to her wiping her eyes as well. “Well, Principal Bump, you have no idea what hearing that means to me.”

“Always knew you were a softy,” Eda said with a small smile in her voice. 

“Now don’t get me wrong, she’s also quite mischievous. I mainly blame Edalyn for that…”

“Hey!”

“And she has destroyed two detention systems, and almost destroyed the school several times…”

“That’s sounding familiar to the conversations I’ve had with other principals…”

“But she’s also done those for the better, in her own way. She saved her friend from what she called a ‘beyond cruel and hedonistic form of detention,’ which I suppose might be true for humans, but is normal here in the Boiling Isles, and she abolished the other detention track by pointing out how we needed to introduce multitrack studies at Hexside and saving us from a Basilisk who set out to destroy the school…”

Camilla looked at the man cautiously when he started speaking ill about basilisks, thinking of her new, adopted daughter. 

“And the first time she destroyed my school, she pretended to be an abomination to help Miss Park from failing her classes, and helped her show me what a powerful and talented plant witch she was. She brought students out of their shells, helped them stand up for themselves, and saved us from Gromethius the Fear Bringer for at least another year.”

“Wait, what?” 

“Ask Luz to explain it later,” Eda said. “It was pretty cool.”

“Well, I also admit that I came here to talk to you, and I also wanted Edalyn here for this too, about what could come next for Luz.”

“Next? We don’t even know what’s going to happen with the portal.” 

“Yes, Edalyn and Alador both explained it to me, but I won’t be able to come back here for a while. It seems that King needs a favor from me, and I don’t know when I’d have an opportunity to do this again, so please, if we could have a few moments to run through some hypotheticals?” 

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Everything he’d ever known, everything he’d worked for, all squandered away by a child. He followed all the instructions to the letter, obeyed the old writings, and yet here he was, tossed aside, forgotten, and completely ignored. And a child was taking over his realm! With powers that were rightfully his!

This is not over. This wouldn’t be over until there was justice. 

This was not the end of his plans. Oh no. Now there was more to come for that insolent child, and their new pet too. 

They will never see it coming.