Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The portal was open. The Collector was free. Everything had gone wrong just when he was finally so close.

Belos was trying to put himself back together, body splattered against the wall as if he wasn’t the most powerful magic user in the boiling isles. It was like clawing his way up an icy slope, trying desperately for some traction where gravity kept dragging him down. Finally he could assemble enough form to lift his head, if you could even call it that, and look around. Now he just needed to figure out-

“Wehhhhh!”

Oh. He was flying. Tumbling through the air end over end over end before coming down with a splash. It was raining. He should make for shelter except it didn’t burn. It didn’t even sting. Wait. This was human rain. He was home.

-----

How could King do that? They had to go back for Eda and everyone else!

Luz was quick to get to her feet and try the door. And try the door again. Still, all that revealed itself was a dusty old cabin with broken furniture. As if all those months ago she followed a little owl and was met with the mundane. As if months of life struggling in the Boiling Isles didn’t happen. As if she hadn’t fought tooth and nail to keep the family she had found. As if she was about to leave for a boring summer camp as soon as she got her book back. But a quick turn reveals none of this to be true. Her friends are there, being pelted by the rain that hides the tears but not the redness in their eyes. They are all bloody and bruised and tired. She was home, but they weren’t.

Luz opened her mouth to speak when something caught her eye beside the others. It couldn’t be. Although she rubbed her eyes, the faint glow of blue against the green- green!- of human grass didn’t fade. There in one of the many soaked puddles was a small pile of green slime with two smoldering teal eyes.

Belos.

Glyphs were out in an instant, though experience told her they wouldn’t work in the human realm. Hunter was the first to jump up at her aggression and follow her line of sight, letting out a startled sound and scrambling to his feet. In moments they were all ready to fight. He might not look like much, no larger than a grudgby ball, but that didn’t mean they could let their guards down. Staffs were pointed at the man, if he could even be called that anymore, but he just let out a sigh.

“I’m not going to fight you. I doubt I could in this form. Not that you could kill me.” The creature hisses, voice barely audible above the patter of rain.

His words rang uncomfortably true. They had all watched the Collector splatter him against the wall and yet here he was. He had apparently been living in the isles for something like 400 years. Once he might have been human, but now one could scarcely imagine him ever being so. Was he really immortal?

Luz shook her head. It didn’t matter. They couldn’t just set him loose on the human realm, regardless of how weak he seemed to be now. Maybe there was something they could do.

“Watch him, I’ll be back in a moment.” Luz barked out before dashing inside the house. There had to be something useful in here. Within a few seconds she was ducking back out with her prize in hand.

“A human bucket?” Gus asks, tilting his head slightly in confusion. “How is that going to help?”

Without a word she strode over to where the one proud emperor lay and dropped the thing over him, scooping him up in one quick motion. He let out a noise of protest which was muffled by the metal sides of his prison before he managed to right himself and stare up at her with those soulless eyes. Ignoring him, she began marching down the long overgrown trail towards home and the others followed, attention still trained on the bucket in her hand in case Belos tried anything. They needed somewhere safe to stay. Hopefully her mama will understand.

-----

Belos can’t help but feel slightly ill at his cramped world rocking with the human’s every step. His body was as far from human as it had ever been and he could do nothing about the twinges of pain as the curse tried to eat at magic that wasn’t there. Despite all that he was losing the fight to keep his mind in the present. All this time and he was back.

It was so different to the last time he stepped through one of those damned portals and ended up in a realm of demons. Back straight as he stared out at red foliage and the great spires of rock that jutted out like some poor carrion’s rib cage. No, wait, that’s exactly what it looked like. Complete with a giant skull resting in the far distance, two giant horns protruding from the crown like some sort of goat.

Oh, how naive he had been. Philip had thought he could take on this whole new world by himself. That it didn’t matter what kind of horrid creatures stood in his way, he was going to get his brother back.

That mindset hadn’t lasted long. Not when the first rainfall had scalded his skin and left him huddling in a too-small cave where the cool stones might soothe his burns. Not when the first ‘people’ he had met took one look at him and sneered. Growing up he thought he knew hunger, but it was nothing like those first months in the Isles. The townsfolk of Gravesfield had never welcomed him and his brother, but at least they were willing to accept honest work for a hearty meal. Here, he was lucky if those witches and demons he beseeched would only turn the other way. Then of course there were the times he got desperate enough to try eating whatever he could find out in the woods. It’s truly a wonder he survived it at all.

The human realm was supposed to be different. It would welcome him back with open arms when he had finally triumphed over the witches. Yet something deep inside seemed to whisper it wasn’t just his failure that made his homecoming feel so... hollow.

Chapter Text

It didn’t seem to matter how many steadying breaths she took. Or how the weight of Amity’s hand on her shoulder would normally have been comforting. Staring at that door after everything had her so close to just turning and running. If it was only for her she just might have. But her friend’s were relying on her. And truthfully she didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Luz raised her free hand to rap on the door quickly, before she could change her mind. She glanced at the others. Gus had finally managed to stop crying, though now he just looked so small next to Hunter. Hunter himself at least seemed to have recovered completely from the effects of the draining spell. Now he seemed torn between staring resolutely ahead and sneaking glances down at the metal bucket that hung at her side. On her other side, Willow’s glasses were speckled with the rain, making it hard to make out exactly where she was looking. The rest of her face fell in a way that it was obvious she was still upset. And Amity. Amity, standing strong at her side as if she wasn’t bothered by the cold or the small wounds that still covered all of them. But Luz knew better than that and beneath she just looked so tired.

There was the sound of movement, a bolt turning, and then the door was open and her mama was standing there, bathed in golden light. Despite all her mental preparation, her eyes were watering in an instant.

“Hey Mom. I’m back.”

There was a tug at her right hand and panic shot through her for a moment before a glance down revealed her girlfriend gently trying to take the bucket handle. Belos was still in it, seemingly content not to draw their ire any more than he already had for the moment. Luz relinquished her hold with a gentle 'thank you' before launching forwards into her mother’s arms. Camila caught her and pulled her in close, sniffling slightly into Eda’s old jacket but it didn’t matter. All that mattered at the moment was pulling the other close until they might as well become one.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” Her mom’s quiet voice finally broke the delicate silence and Luz took one more breath, nose buried in her mother’s hair and taking in the nostalgic scent of her conditioner. Then she dragged herself back so she could look the woman in the eye.

“A lot. Can we come in? I’ll explain everything.” Luz manages to get out, though she nearly chokes up again at the thought of having to live it all over again. The good parts and the bad.

-----

It was all a lot to take in. She had had some time to get used to the idea of the Boiling Isles. Vee had told her more about it after that fateful night at the historical society. Still, she just thought Luz was there learning magic. Why was she suddenly tangled up in some sort of plot to end the world?

Camila took a few moments to calm herself before she snapped at one of the kids. It really wasn’t their fault. Still they shouldn’t be the ones dealing with any of this. Dealing with him.

She couldn’t help but look again at that slightly rusted metal bucket which had become the table’s new centerpiece. It looked relatively unassuming from this angle, not being able to see the inside. She really didn’t want to believe that some evil man who tried to wipe out a whole race was sitting in her dining room looking like one of those awful-tasting kale smoothies that are supposed to be good for you.

“So, what are you going to do now?” She asks to the table at large, eyes glancing up before falling back on the metal pail.

“We figure out how to make a portal on this side. And make this one help us.” Luz was the first to speak up, as always. The girl poked a finger at the bucket as if it wasn’t obvious who she was talking about.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” The smaller boy, Gus was his name, piped up hesitantly. “How can we trust anything he says? Maybe we should just... leave him out to get eaten by something?”

“Well for one, the human realm isn’t full of nearly as many dangerous creatures as you might have been led to believe. And secondly, he may be a murderer but I’m not.” Luz responds, although she seems to have an almost wistful look in her eye as she goes over her second point and Camila doesn’t like it at all.

The girl with greenish hair and glasses finally chimes in at this. “She’s right, Gus. Besides, Belos might be an awful person, but he is also the only one who knows basically anything about this Collector. He can get his punishment after he fixes that.”

That seems to quiet the whole room for a few moments. From what she had been told, The Collector was some sort of child god. They had stopped the magic that was going to kill all the witches and smashed the really powerful Belos monster against the wall with one finger. Then they started doing something that was breaking the whole room apart before the kids all ended up here. She was trying so hard to keep up with it all but truely none of it made sense.

“Why don’t we ask him about all of this?” The purple haired girl finally spoke up. Apparently her name was Amity and Luz had blushed and stammered so badly when introducing her that the woman couldn’t help but hide a fond smile.

Before anyone had even agreed, or disagreed as it was, with this plan, her daughter was upending the rusted container onto the table, causing that mess of green goop to tumble out. In a few moments though it had righted itself and was now in a more defined form. It climbed to its feet, still dripping loose material but looking around with those fierce eyes.

-----

There were words being spoken all around him, but Belos couldn’t be bothered to make them out. He was busy pulling the pieces of himself back together with agonizing slowness. What he really needed was a new body to mold into shape, instead of trying to convince his overstretched form to simply be whole. But it wasn’t likely the humans or the witches would just give him something like that. So he would survive with what he had, like he always did.

The inside of the dirty pail they decided was fit for him, an emperor, was not very reflective. Still, there was just enough to make out the vague smudge of a dark green face with pale hair framing it and antlers protruding upwards. Ha. He never thought he would be glad to see those. He was just trying to get his limbs into some sort of usable proportion when the world tipped on its side and he was unceremoniously dumped onto the wooden surface of a table.

“What is this?” Belos snaps, looking around at the giant forms leaning over him. Now wasn't that strange? It had been a very long time since he wasn't the tallest person in a room.

"We have a proposal for you. In exchange for not killing you or throwing you out in the woods for something to find, you help us. You help us make a portal back to the Boiling Isles and defeat The Collector. And then maybe we don’t just leave you to the first angry mob with a bone to pick about the day of unity.” The Blight girl speaks with an icy tone, fitting of the few meetings he had suffered with her mother. Part of him couldn’t help but admire the girl’s resolve, even if it would make it that much harder to get under her skin. Oh well, everyone has weaknesses.

Belos stayed silent for a long few minutes, thinking over how he could spin this. On one hand he would need to get back to the Boiling Isles himself soon enough and how much more convenient it would be to have five sets of hands building the portal for him. But something in his core- not his stomach, he was sure he didn’t have one of those. For as humanoid as he had managed to get, his insides were still liquid, swirling around in sickening loops as they tried to find something to feed on- tightened at the thought of being so wholly at another’s mercy. What choice did he really have?

“You make a good argument. We could have used someone like you in the Emperor’s Coven you know, with that cunning ruthlessness.” He admits, head dropped to keep his gaze steadily fixed on the grain of the table. Best to keep a good balance of hubris and civility, if this surrender to their plan is to be believable. “You intend to protect me then, while we do this?”

A glance around finds most of his captors looking away, as if they are afraid to meet his eyes. But Ca-Hunter is staring directly at him, mouth set in a hard line. Belos is almost glad this form doesn’t have lips. It keeps him from giving himself away with a smile.

“We won’t harm you. I can make no promises as to what would happen if you get yourself in trouble with someone other than us. So, deal?” The human girl, Luz, was the one to respond. He had never quite managed to figure her out, but it seemed now he might finally have time.

“Deal.”

Chapter Text

The room was uncomfortably quiet, for what to an outside viewer might think to be a teenager slumber party. Amity, Willow, and Vee were with Luz in her room. The boys were downstairs watching over Belos, in case he decided to try something. This left the girls to try and figure out just what they were supposed to do now, stuck in the human world with the man who caused all of this and a god-like child causing who knows what chaos in the demon realm.

“Are we sure we can’t find a way to... deal with him?” Luz ventures, knowing well enough she doesn’t really mean it. The looks she gets back in response seem to share her feelings and she can’t help but sigh.
“He may be a horrible person, but that doesn’t mean we need to stoop to his level. Besides, we might end up needing him,” Willow points out as she runs a brush through her hair.

The discussion dies out as quickly as it had started. It was still rather early in the evening, though they should all be sleeping. They had decided that Belos needed to be kept under constant watch and had agreed on shifts. Hunter and Gus were going to need to be allowed to rest in a few hours, so they should be getting whatever sleep they can. None of the girls could manage to even doze off. Eventually they had all sat up again to talk and try to propose the next steps.

“I don’t like him in the house though. Maybe we can keep him somewhere else,” Luz suggests. It would likely mean they wouldn’t all be nearby if something happened, but her mom would be safer and they could all sleep a little easier.

“What about that old house? The one out back that we sort of came from, “Amity breaks in softly. Mostly she had been trying to calm her girlfriend down these past few hours.

All the girls seem a little hesitant, Vee especially, but what other options do they have?

-----

Early the next morning, the kids set out for the old house. Hunter is carrying Belos in the same rusted bucket they have been keeping him in. Not one of them got more than 4 hours of sleep and it shows. Belos is clearly more alert now, after he rested much better than any of the witches. He is standing up on hind legs to peer over the rim of his current prison.

Hunter would never tell the others, but there is still some part of him that is glad the man is alive, if you could call what he is now alive. The part of him that can’t help but think of the man that raised him, the man that is the closest thing he has to family. The rest of him never wants to think about his ‘uncle’ ever again.

As they push through the brush that hides the view of the dilapidated building from the street, there is a rustling of leaves and sticks nearby. Hunter looks on in a mix of curiosity and fear as a large creature with short brown fur and antlers goes bounding down the path away from them. Surely it is dangerous with natural weapons like Belos that. If you ask, he will say it is the fact that he is prepared to defend his friends from this unknown creature that distracts him from noticing the shifting weight in his left hand until it is too late.

“It’s just a de-” Luz is interrupted when one of the others shouts - Hunter isn’t sure who - and there is something small and green moving away with surprising speed. It disappeared into the overgrowth after the de-something. He is moving before he even realizes, staff in hand, but by the time he pushes through after them it is too late. The creature, whatever it was, is now a shifting mass of green sludge. First it is still quadrupedal. Then, with a snapping and popping of bones, it stands upright.

The others are here now too, staves at the ready.

The muck shifts and changes color until suddenly the Emperor is standing before then, wearing an odd blue coat. Hunter doesn't notice his grip slipping until the bucket drops with a loud clang. They are so screwed.