Chapter Text
“I think I wanna play a new game…” The Collector narrows his eyes and snaps his fingers, a giant blue force field encasing them within the Titan’s skull. He and Raine, possessed by Belos, watch on as the human girl and her allies look up in alarm, trying to see where their opponent is. At the sight of this The Collector let’s out a little giggle. Let the games begin.
He snaps their fingers once more, teleporting himself and Raine-Belos inside the force field and floating above the intruders.
“You thought you could get away with entering my house without being invited? Did nobody teach you guys manners?”
Camila narrows her eyes at the little child-god’s remark but doesn’t speak up. From what she’s seen and heard, one wrong move could be the beginning of the end for them. Stringbean hisses softly and slithers down Luz’s arm and into her staff form once again, which Luz holds in front of her and her mother protectively. She stares at the Collector dead in the eyes, defiance held within the bright brown– a far cry from the first time she ever set eyes on them.
Behind Luz, Hunter’s eyes dart between The Collector and Bard Head Witch-turned-Rebel Raine Whispers. He cannot see them very well, but something is… different about the witch. He can make out that they are in a puppet form, but it was unlike the other puppeted denizens their group had seen. This was–
“Hey! I’m speaking to you all! If nobody is going to answer, I’ll have to pick one of you.” Nobody dare breathes. “Eenie, meenie, miney–” He points an accusatory finger at Willow, Amity and Hunter. Before they can continue though, a voice rings out.
“You want to talk about manners? Let’s talk about how you took witches and demons hostage- including Eda and King- so you could play pretend. Does that sound fair?”
Luz steps forward, not once breaking eye contact with the Collector. She feels as though Boiling Rain is running through her veins. She will not stand by and have her mother, best friends or girlfriend harmed by this- this child. Not when he has already taken her Owl Family.
The Collector’s eyes darken at the mere sight of the human girl. Before she can see his reaction though, they begin to casually float around on their back, as if Luz means nothing to them.
“Luz, the human. Oh how much I’ve heard about you. It’s nice to finally meet King’s ex-bestie.”
At the mention of the young Titan, Luz’s grip on her staff tightens. “Where is he? You have no right to hold him hostage!”
“Hostage? No! King is MY best friend! He pinky swore he’d never leave me. But now you’re here. You weren’t meant to be here anymore!”
“Why?” Luz cocks her head to the side, “So you could play pretend and- and take over my life? What for? There’s nothing special about it!”
The Collector stops floating. He slowly spins around to stare at Luz once more, before cocking their own head in the same direction the human does.
“You’re right and you’re wrong. There’s nothing special about you. You’re just a powerless human from another Realm, yet somehow you were able to find a powerful Beast and a Titan to care for you. And that’s what I deserve!” He all but snarls at her, tossing a glittering star in her direction. Hunter teleports and pushes her out the way in record time, the star hitting the ground of the skull and dissipating.
Luz nods to Hunter and turns back around to the Collector.
“Have you ever considered that maybe what you want isn’t what others want?” She activates a light glyph and with the head of her staff pushes the ball of light towards the Collector at rapid speed. The child laughs, expecting the small orb to do no harm but before he realizes it he’s temporarily blinded and is pushed back a small distance. From below the group stare on in shock.
“Holy Titan,” Luz whispers to herself and her staff.
“What did you do to me? You’re a cheater!” The Collector whines, rubbing at their eyes.
She takes in a breath. “What you’re doing isn’t fair, Collector. Let everyone go.” Luz attempts to reason with the child, still stunned that her glyph messed with him.
Above, Raine-Belos finally speaks up.
“Collector,” They begin, “Remember that the human is trying to fool you. She is planning to team up with King and trap you again. You wouldn’t want that, would you?
Luz stares at Raine in disbelief. What in the Boiling Isles…?
The Collector stops rubbing at their eyes. Slowly he desecends with Raine-Belos to the ground of the Titan’s skull, a reasonable distance away from rebel group. He hums for a moment before smiling.
“I’ve got an idea! Why don’t I bring King here so I can show him that I beat him!”
Luz stares across the skull to the child, her heart beating out of her chest as he snaps his fingers once more. As sparkling dust settles, between the two groups stands the young Titan, dressed in a similar outfit to the Collector, looking around confused.
“Collector, what’s going on? You should be in…” He turns around to face the direction the child is facing.
No. No. It can’t be.
He stares at the human girl he had grown to call family, his sister. The sister he thought he saved. Who would never see him again. That he should have never seen again. Yet here she is, a few feet away from him.
“…Luz?”
Luz feels the tears running down her cheeks before she can even register them forming, a dam that has been wanting to burst for months. Every beat of her heart told her to run towards him, to hug him and tell him how much she has missed him and Eda. But one look at the Collector behind him has her on high alert.
“King… I’m here, okay?” She raises a hand in a calming motion. “Everything is going to be fine!”
King opens his mouth to speak but the Collector shushes him. “King! Look who I found! Luz! I figured out your new game before you could win!”
The young Titan looks between his sister and the immortal being, trying to piece together what has happened to get to this point. His new game?
“My… new… game?” Is all he is able to get out.
“Yeah, buddy!” He sings, “Raine told me allllll about it,” His eyes darken once more. “About how you and Luz plan on getting rid of me. Permanently.”
Oh.
Oh, Titan.
“Collector, that’s not true-”
“No! NANANANA, I can’t hear you!”
Luz slowly moves back towards the group, where Amity gently takes hold of one of her arms. “Are you okay?” She whispers. Luz shakes her head quickly, too afraid to take her eyes off of King and the Collector.
“Collector, I promise you-” King takes a step towards him but before he knows it the Collector darts back into the air, fear evident on his face.
“Don’t come near me! You and that human can both do magic that hurts me and I don’t wanna go through that again!” He cries. “Why can’t I just have friends?”
King doesn’t take a step closer. He looks between Luz and the Collector, unsure of what to say or do.
The Collector however, continues speaking. “I thought you’d understand, King- your old man left you and you- you’re just like me! There’s nobody else like us. Why do you want to get rid of me?”
“I don’t want to get rid of you, Collector. That’s not what I meant! I know how you’re feeling and I just want to talk to you.”
They scoff. “Talk? Why would you want to talk? Titans never want to talk. It’s always “Trap the Collectors, they are all the same!” But I’m NOT LIKE THEM! Why doesn’t anybody get that?”
Luz tenses.
“Luz, summer camp will be good for you. You need to focus on the things everybody else does, it’ll be better that way.” Camila runs a hand through her daughter’s hair the night before camp begins. Luz pushes her away, tears lining her eyes.
“But Mama I’m not like them, you know that!”
“We don’t belong here!” Belos glares down at her in his monstrous form, attempting to will her into submission.
“I’m not like you!” She shouts, preparing to meet her fate.
“The only thing I’ve ever really wanted… was to be understood.”
Luz lets go off her staff, Stringbean returning to her original state before hitting the ground and floating towards her holder’s shoulder to rest upon.
No fight? She hisses in question, clearly sensing realization of something important dawning upon the girl. Luz shakes her head at her palisman’s question while she hears her loved ones call out to her in worry.
“Luz? What’s wrong?”
“Mija, why did you let go of your staff?”
“Luz, we have to be ready to attack!”
She keeps her eyes glued to the obviously hurting child in front of her. As if feeling her eyes on him, the Collector turns to face the human once more.
“You!” He points his index finger at her, “This is all your fault! You don’t deserve any of this! I think it’s time you feel how it is to be in my shoes!” He swiftly raises Luz into the air with his pointed finger, gasps and screams ringing out from below. Luz looks down at them all with a small lopsided smile on her face, unknowing of what will happen next but hoping for the best. Camila has fallen to her knees, holding onto Hunter for support while Amity, Willow and Gus push off on their staffs to try to reach Luz.
“No, Collector! Please don’t do this!” King cries out, running on all fours to try to reach them. But it’s too late.
The Collector snaps his fingers a final time and Luz Noceda is transported away from the Titan’s skull and into darkness.