Hunter stood at attention in front of the impromptu council that was going to judge him. The Owl Lady and whatever that King creature was were sitting on the couch with serious postures, something he figured was an oddity. And then there was the bird worm house demon. It was giving him a completely flat look. It was unnerving.

"I…" He began.

"Wait," Eda said. "We need a character witness."

"What do you…" Hunter was interrupted by the Owl demon's cheers. "Lu-lu is here!"

"Lu-?" Again Hunter was interrupted, this time by the door swinging open and Lilith Clawthorne walking in. She stared at the inhabitants of the room for a solid seven seconds before the house demon burst into cheers.

"Lu-lu!" It screeched and flew to wrap around her before lifting her off the ground in its excitement.

Hunter stared at the woman in shock.

"I missed you too Hootsifer," she said. "But when I received the emergency message, I couldn't wait any longer. Where are the girls?"

"School." Eda said.

"School?" Lilith asked. "Why?"

"Amity doesn't want her parents to know something's wrong. Luz went to show solidarity."

Lilith stared. "That's sweet but ill-advised. And speaking of ill-advised," she looked at Hunter. "Why are you here, Golden Guard? And why do you look like something King dragged in."

Hunter blinked.

"Hey!" King said, "I only drag in the finest garbage."

Lilith snapped her fingers. "Oh, you're here to help catch the monster that did this."

Hunter flinched.

"Well, I suppose you do have a knack of intervening in these matters. Though I'm shocked you found time in your busy schedule." She said the last part in a mocking tone.

"Let's clear this up now." Eda said. "Yes and no."

Lilith looked at her sister. "Yes and no?"

"Hypothetically," Eda said. "Someone locks an Alpha on the edge of a rutting rage and an Omega in an enclosed space that they can't escape from and nature takes its course against the will of both of them."

Lilith stared in horror. "Who would do such a thing? I-is that what happened to the girls? They were trapped with an Alpha on the verge of a rutting rage?"

"No." Hunter said. "The Alpha had snapped out of the rage a day earlier but could still feel the effects."

Lilith stared at Hunter in horror. "Are… are the girls in okay? I mean, no injuries, no mental scars, nothing?"

Eda nodded.

And then Lilith asked a third question. "What about the Alpha? Is the Alpha okay?"

"I'm fine." Hunter said reflexively. It was what he always said when she expressed concern for his health."

The room fell silent.

Lilith stared at Hunter like several scars had simultaneously appeared all over his face. Hunter looked away. He felt her approach and looked back in time for both of Lilith's hands to grab the sides of his head. She leaned in close and sniffed him before leaning back abruptly. Hunter realized that he must have still smelt like Amity and Luz.

"Hunter." She said with a voice like cold steel. "What happened?"

"The Emperor," he began. "He said that the Titan had a plan…"

After explaining the plan, Hunter felt drained.

Lilith, on the other hand looked murderous. Fortunately she'd let go of his face.

"Well Lily?" Eda asked.

"I'm going to kill Belos the next time I see him."

Hunter flinched at the threat to his Uncle.

"And what about him?" King asked.

Lilith stopped seething and looked at the overly anxious 18-year-old.

"He says he wants to help. But I saw him try to run into a collapsing mine because he didn't want to disappoint his boss." Eda said.

Lilith paused to consider this. Then she laughed.

Everyone stared at her.

"Well," she said, "I guess that's a common trait among us coven heads."

Eda rolled her eyes but had to agree.

"Hunter," Lilith said, her laughter dying down. "What about you? How do you feel about the Emperor?"

Hunter stared at the older witch before looking down. "I feel… used," He said.

"All this talk about the Titan's will and… I still don't know why. I trusted him, and he made me do something he knows I'd never want to do." He looked at his predecessor. "He knew I would never agree to this." He said, his voice getting louder. "That's why he kept it from me. Why he made me spend a whole day going to every corner of the titan, being pushed over the edge. He took my staff. He sealed me in the room with no warning. Why would he do that? I thought he cared about me! But he just used me! I did something considered impossible for Alphas and he used me!"

Everyone stared at the raging teenager, letting him vent his frustrations. Lilith smelt the rage in his scent.

Hunter quieted down. "He told me I did a good job," he said, barely above a whisper. "But he has to know that I would never… I mean, I would never willingly… he has to know." He looked at Lilith. "Did he just not care?"

Lilith sighed and hugged the shaking boy. "It's okay," She said. "It's okay."

"Honestly," Eda said. "Belos doesn't seem like the kind of guy who cares about someone else wanting something he doesn't want."

"Tell them the story about the one time you were late to see the Emperor." Lilith said.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"Wait…" Eda said. "Tall, gold and brooding was late for a meeting with Belos?"

Lilith let go of Hunter. "That story is a large part of the reason why I think he can be trusted. Belos has a talent for finding the line people don't want to cross and making them cross it." She put a hand over her right eye. "I know."

"Well?" Eda said looking at him. "What exactly did you find more important than going to see Belos?"

/

Hunter looked around the small room. "It's uh… cozy?"

"I'd expect it to, it's a big closet I just emptied out."

He turned around and looked at the Owl Lady standing at the door holding an assortment of items in her hands. "And I suppose it's too much to assume that there's a bed that fits in here?"

"Well I sleep in a nest and Luz sleeps on a carpet."

Hunter blinked. "Well, I suppose I can sleep on my clothes."

"That's the spirit." She said with a wink before leaving.

Hunter sighed and sat down with his back against a wall, setting his staff down. Movement in his clothes alerted him to his Palisman. "Hey," he said. "You've been quiet for a while."

The cardinal hopped out and sat on his leg. It tilted its head inquisitively.

"Looks like we'll be living here." Hunter said.

The cardinal chirped and hopped around.

Hunter looked off. "Nah. They don't even like me. The way Luz looked at me..." he paused. "But I have to protect them."

The cardinal chirped again.

"I don't know why. I feel responsible and that I need to help them, but I don't know how much of that is me and how much is the alpha."

The cardinal tilted its head and chirped again. Hunter blushed. "You know, now that I can understand you, you've gotten real chatty. And no, I don't think that's going to happen again."

At that moment a buzzing sound drew Hunter's attention to his staff. "Uh oh-"

A light shot out of the gem and onto the opposite wall projecting an image of Belos.

"U-uncle?"

"Hello Hunter." Belos said. "Are you currently with the Omegas?"

Hunter didn't move, staring at the image.

"Hunter?" Belos asked. "I can't see you."

Hunter hurried to his feet, his cardinal palisman hopping to the floor. He grabbed his staff and placed it between himself and the wall it was projecting onto. The recoding section was on the opposite side of the projector.

"There you are." Belos said. "Well…"

"Uncle." Hunter said. "Why?"

"Why?"

"Why did you do it?"

Belos was quiet before reaching up and pulling off his mask. "I'm sorry Hunter." Belos said, his voice a lot softer than Hunter was used to. "But it was the will of the titan."

Hunter stared at the emperor.

"But as much as you may not…"

"I'm not bringing them back." Hunter Interrupted.

Belos stopped talking and looked at his nephew. "Hunter… if you don't bring them back, then what was the point of us doing any of this?"

"There wasn't one." Hunter said.

Belos narrowed his eyes. "Are you disobeying me?"

Hunter gulped. "Well, I'm the Alpha of two Omegas now. And everything in me is telling me to protect them."

"Including from me?"

Hunter hesitated. Then he nodded.

Belos stared at him. Then he smiled. "Interesting."

Hunter held his breath.

"It appears you've recognized their dislike of me, and your instincts are making you distrust me to protect them."

That's not it, Hunter wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself too.

Well," Belos said. "I suppose I can have them left alone."

Hunter blinked. "What?"

"But…" Belos said. "I still need the information the titan requires."

Now Hunter was confused.

"You can send it to me." Belos said. "Just use your staff to scan them weekly and send the information to me."

Hunter blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it." Belos said. "Did you think I had something more violent in mind?"

"Wait even if that's the case, they won't let me do that."

Belos frowned. "Well they can either accept that or see how hard things get for them when I'm actually hunting them down."

Hunter's blood ran cold.

"Hexside has already been on my radar for a while for concerning reports I'm getting about the school curriculum mixing tracks. And there's no way I can trust Blight Industries to maintain its autonomy if they produce such a rebellious daughter. Not to mention the Clawthorne's. They've produced two. I can't really trust members of those families. And some children have been seen in the company of wanted wild witches. They will need to be reeducated. Or worse, petrified as wild witches before they can be a danger to others."

With every word, Hunter found it harder to breathe. Belos was threatening to rip Luz and Amity's lives apart.

"If you tell them that that's the alternative," Belos said, "I'm sure they'll see reason."

There was a moment of silence.

"But that may not even matter." Belos said. Then his eyes widened as if he'd just had a wonderful idea. "Hmm… that may work."

"What may work?"

"Well, I received info that the Omegas had returned to school and sent a platoon of Abomatons to retrieve them. They should be arriving right now."

"What?" Hunter all but screamed.

"But now it can serve as an example of what may happen if they refuse my order."

"And you'll call them off?" Hunter asked.

"Oh no." Belos said. "That's where you come in." His eyes hardened. "Your instincts are treating me as the enemy. That's not good." He paused. "But this can serve as a test."

"A test?"

"Yes." Belos said. "A test of if you can actually protect your… Omegas." Then he smiled. "And they'll trust you more when you protect them. All you have to do is win. And if you can't…" Belos trailed off.

"I believe in you Hunter."

The screen shut off.

Hunter stared at the wall, wondering how much of what he'd just been told was true and how much Belos had already planned. Then he began running.

He ran right into Lilith. She had been right outside the open door. "Hunter…" she began, her voice filled with concern.

"Not now!" Hunter yelled running past her and outside the house. He got on his staff and was about to take off before an idea occurred to him. He hopped off and walked to the edge of the cliff the Owl House was on, overlooking the boiling sea.

"This will take a lot of magic."

A staff appeared in his free hand. Hunter looked at the Cardinal at the head. He held both hands out, his artificial and Cardinal staffs glowing as he focused on them.

"Goldy," Eda yelled running out of her house. Lilith was following. "What are you doing?"

Hunter looked at the two women. "Planning ahead." With that, he walked off the cliff.

The Clawthornes stared at where he'd been.

"I'm going to kill Belos with my bare talons." Eda said, her body transforming into its harpy form.

At that moment there was a massive boom that made both women flinch before the unmistakable sound of a lot of rushing water made them step back instinctively. On the Boiling Isles, such a sound could be lethal.

They looked at the cliff Hunter had been on right as a massive form shot into view. As it hovered in the sky, the two witches realized what they were looking at.

A cardinal the size of the Owl House, made entirely of scalding hot water, held together by a maelstrom of red and golden magic. As it floated in the air the magic holding it seemed to nearly give way, causing it to lose its shape for a second before stabilizing. Inside was the barely visible form of the Alpha controlling it. The giant bird turned and flew away in the direction of Hexside.

"I did not know he could do that." Lilith said.

"I don't think he can hold it long." Eda said. "Let's follow him."

/

Next chapter, what's going on at Hexside? And I'm looking forward to the fight. I have some ideas I don't think the show has properly followed through on that I want to try.

I don't think Belos is that serious about hunting down the MCs in canon.

Don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts.

Follow me on Twitter. My handle is - WriterImmigrant