Amity was thinking a lot about the future lately. She'd thought she'd known exactly what her future would look like before she came to the Boiling Isles. She'd get her Ordeal, become a wizard, and spend the rest of her life off on awesome adventures saving people from the Lone Power and the forces of entropy. Sure, she'd probably go to college and have a day job, because wizardry did not pay the bills in the books (the perils of having to be scrupulously ethical), but those would just be asides to her great and glorious destiny.

A destiny that she did not possess anymore. Instead, she had an awesome girlfriend, a new sister, answers about her magic, and a marriage that was being forced upon her unless she left the Isles before Grom. Ostensibly, Hart's "mysterious death" (which everyone knew had been done by Willow in self-defense) should have gotten rid of the need for the marriage, but Amity was pretty sure that Belos would just find another excuse. Or, worse, have her get married off to someone else, maybe even a man. At least Boscha was pretty, objectively speaking.

Even after Amity returned to the Human Realm, the path she'd sought for herself was gone, and she didn't know what would replace it. Moreover, it had never existed in the first place. And now she was trying to pick up the pieces.

"You know, it took great courage for you to realize you were wrong," Camila told her, after she'd finished ranting about it for the better part of an hour. Camila had encouraged her to be more open and honest about her feelings, and that was precisely what Amity was trying to do. "I can think of many, many instances when people just clung tighter to beliefs that are honestly a lot more ridiculous than yours."

Amity felt a surge of guilt, not the for the first time, that she was bothering Camila with her problems. Camila was working through the guilt of killing someone. Amity didn't want to use the word murder because it was a clear case of self-defense in her opinion, but Camila had used it often enough. What was Amity's problem? She'd believed in a delusion and now she was sad that reality was coming to collect its due.

"Hey!" Camila said, snapping her fingers in Amity's face. "I know that expression. I've seen it often enough. Your problems are not any less important than mine."

Amity nodded slowly. "It's just…mami, I feel so stupid for having believed all this. It was one thing believing it when I was a kid, but now…"

Camila reached out and squeezed her arm. "Mija, you still are a kid. Yes, you're heading for adulthood – maybe a little faster than your protective mami would like! – but you're only fourteen. You should be worried about homework and who you're going to invite to the school dance." It would, of course, be Luz, Amity knew. "Not arranged marriages and thwarted destinies! You don't have to have all the answers in the world." She leaned back in her chair. "Actually, I had an idea that might cheer you up! I know this Grom thing is coming up."

Given that Amity was supposed to be married there, she had absolutely no idea why Camila thought it'd cheer her up. Even if her wedding wasn't scheduled for then (a wedding; the whole thing was just barbaric), the idea of watching Luz's friend fight a fear monster wouldn't have exactly been filling her with excitement.

Camila must have seen the expression on her face, because she put her hands up. "No, no, let me explain. I was thinking that maybe you could invite Luz out on a special date on Earth. Have your own little private Grom…without the fear monster thing, because, wow, that's messed up. I mean, seriously, they let kids fight this thing?"

Amity couldn't help the smile that came across her face and didn't bother even trying. "Yeah! You know what, that's a great idea, mami. I'm sure she'd love that. Look, if you need to talk to someone about killing Wrath…I'm here."

Camila sighed deeply. "I don't know, Amity. This seems like the sort of thing a professional needs to help me through. But I appreciate the support."

Amity decided that she wouldn't bother waiting, so she left the apartment and headed down to the Owl House. She hoped Luz would say yes. She understood there was a decent chance she might refuse, thinking that accepting Amity's offer would be akin to abandoning Avery in their moment of need. But she still hoped Luz would say yes. Maybe it was selfish of Amity, but she wanted to spend more time with her girlfriend. Luz had seemed so stressed recently. This'd put a smile on her face, even if she refused.

Unfortunately, when she got to the Owl House, she was informed by Eda that Luz was out. "She's off spending time with Eddie," Eda explained. "The two of them have been thick as thieves recently. I think Luz was impressed that Eddie finally had the guts to kick Kikimora to the curb. I was pretty impressed with him myself! Gave him a nice token of appreciation, if you know what I mean." She elbowed Amity conspiratorially.

Then Eda clapped her hands. "While we're on the subject, I've got to give you the talk." Amity paled. She couldn't possibly mean that talk?

While she would rather be doing practically anything else, Amity did have to concede that if there were significant differences to the witch reproductive system, it would be in her best interests to know about them. The absolute last thing that she needed was to get pregnant, even if she couldn't envision how that could possibly happen since she and Luz A) were both girls and B) hadn't done anything more than some aggressive kissing.

"You've had the human side of the talk, right?" Eda asked, and Amity nodded so frantically that she was worried her head might fall off. "Good. Most of it's pretty similar. When two witches want to make a baby, they have a couple of options, depending on what equipment they have. First, of course, there's the same way you humans do it. That's obviously not possible in your case right now, but –"

"THERE'S A GHOST AT THE DOOR, HOOT HOOT!" Hooty screamed, and Amity had never been so grateful for the owl demon's interruptions before in her life.

Eda rolled her eyes. "Again? That's, like, the sixth time this month. Well, this Owl Lady ain't afraid of no ghosts. Just let me at them!" She pointed at Amity. "Don't think you're getting out of this conversation! We're going back to it after I kick some phantasmal ass."

Eda threw open the door and Odalia Blight was on the other side. It was unmistakably her. She had the exact same facial features as the woman entombed in stone that Amity had ranted at in the botanical gardens. Her hair was the same color as Edmond and Emma's natural color, but her eyes were blue. Amity and her siblings must have inherited their eye color from Alador.

Odalia gave a wide smile at Amity. "My darling Amity," she said, her voice warm and friendly. Loving. Motherly. It made Amity shudder. "It's been so long. You look just like I did when I was a child."

Eda made a spell circle and ropes appeared out of nowhere, tying themselves around Odalia, who made no move to resist. "You always were a particularly violent individual," Odalia mused. "Is this what you've been teaching to my daughter?"

"She is not your daughter," Eda spat. "You gave up the right to call yourself a mother when you abandoned all your children to die!" The ropes tightened. "I ought to kill you where you stand."

Odalia looked over at Amity. "Is that what you want, Amity? You want Eda to kill me? Without even giving me a chance to explain myself? Do you truly hate me that much?" She sighed. "If you do, then I will not resist. I will go to my death content that at least it has given you some measure of happiness. But, please, Amity, I beg of you, hear me out. The truth is not what you think it is."

Some part of Amity did want to see Odalia die in front of her. She did not like that part of her, but she'd be a liar if she pretended that it wasn't there. That part of her, however, did not get a say. It wasn't the person she wanted to be. "Eda, you can't just kill her! She's unarmed."

Eda laughed caustically. "You don't know her like I do. She's never unarmed. She can do a lot more damage with her words than she can do with any weapon." She narrowed her eyes. "I should let Hooty devour you for what you did to my daughter's girlfriend." Amity couldn't help but notice Odalia's face twitch at the mention of the word girlfriend. "But fine, if Amity wants you alive, then I'll spare you. I am not leaving the two of you alone, though."

Eda removed the ropes from Odalia, who brushed herself off. She carried herself with pride and great composure. One would never know how close she came to death by looking at her. Odalia walked into the living room and sat down on a couch, looking somewhat disappointed by her surroundings, but hiding it fairly well. Amity sat down in an armchair. Eda stood nearby, glaring menacingly.

"I'm sure you've heard about Tasha Hart's treason against the crown," Odalia began. "She did more than that, however. She also kidnapped you and framed me for stranding you in the Human Realm. After she was killed, the emperor started looking into her past affairs and discovered that I had been framed. He had me turned back to flesh. Unfortunately, the ritual he used could only be cast once per year, but next year, your father will be with us once more."

Amity blinked. She wasn't sure whether or not to believe Odalia. On the one hand, the witness had worked for Hart and Hart was definitely the sort of person who was capable of committing kidnapping and framing Odalia for her crimes. On the other hand, Luz was intensely distrustful of Odalia and Amity had seen firsthand how a version of Odalia could have abused Amity while under her care. Then again, was it truly just for her to judge people based on what they might have done? "Why should I believe you?" Amity demanded.

Was it her imagination, or was that a tear in the corner of Odalia's eye? Either way, Odalia did not acknowledge it. "I don't know," she admitted. "I honestly don't know. Amity, I won't deny that I was distraught when I learned of your destined choices in love."

Amity narrowed her eyes. "I did not choose to be a lesbian. I was born this way."

"Of course you were," Odalia said, and Amity could at least tell that this statement was a bald-faced lie. "Excuse me for implying otherwise. And I have never been the world's most…caring of individuals. Love is…hard for me. But I still do love you and your siblings and I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I don't believe you," Amity said bluntly. "You mean to tell me that you have absolutely no problem with me being with Luz? Me and another girl. Kissing. That doesn't disgust you?"

"Of course it does!" Odalia shouted. "I was taught that such relationships were immoral and debauched. But I will work my way through my issues, because I don't want you to hate me."

Amity shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I never said I hated you…"

"Yes, you did," Odalia said. "When you came to visit me at the Botanical Gardens. Amity, I've been conscious for the last fourteen years." Amity let out a gasp. She could only imagine how horrifying such a fate would be. Regardless of what Odalia had done, she didn't deserve that. No one did. "And the only thing keeping me sane was the hope you'd learn that I was innocent and forgive me." More tears appeared in her eyes. Amity wasn't at all sure they were fake. "And then I learned that you hated me…that you wanted me to suffer…"

Eda rolled her eyes. "Yes, this is a very convincing song and dance routine, Odalia, but you've conveniently avoided mentioning what you want."

"All I want is for you to stop hating me, Amity," Odalia whispered. "I can help you! I have the ear of the emperor now; I can get this arranged marriage canceled. I certainly have no interest in seeing you marry a girl; on that, at this moment, our interests are aligned. All I ask is that you spend time with me. Allow me to show you my side of the story."

Amity didn't know what to do. She didn't have the slightest idea if Odalia was telling the truth about anything. But if Odalia had really suffered one of the worst fates that Amity could imagine, if Amity had herself hurt her even more, then didn't she owe Odalia something? It wasn't as if she was signing her soul away or anything like that. "Okay," she said softly. "We can spend time together. But there are conditions! First of all, you will get this marriage stopped before I do anything with you. Second, I will not be alone with you at any point until I say otherwise. Third, I am going back Earth soon, and I will be continuing to live with my adoptive mother there. I am not coming back to the Isles while Emperor Belos is in power. We will talk about whether or not you will be allowed to visit me on Earth later."

"I agree to your terms," Odalia said instantaneously. She spread her arms outwards, clearly hoping for a hug. Amity didn't move a muscle. She had a mother who hugged her already. She didn't need Odalia for that. "Oh, Amity, I don't blame you for being suspicious. But I'm sure that the more time you spend with me, the more you'll realize that all I want is what's best for your future."

Edmond had never had the slightest interest in getting to know his birth parents. As far as he was concerned, Camila Serrano was his mother, and anything in his DNA that indicated otherwise was irrelevant. That hadn't changed when he had arrived in the land where he was born, and it certainly hadn't changed when his biological mother had been resurrected. He didn't believe Odalia's sob story. Hart seemed more like the type that would frame Odalia for their murder instead of bothering to banish them to the Human Realm. If Hart had kidnapped them, they wouldn't be alive today.

But Odalia wanted something from them, and Edmond was curious to learn what it was. Moreover, the farther away he could keep her away from Amity, the better. Amity was a strong girl, but she was more psychologically vulnerable than she knew, given all the traumatic changes in her worldview and life that she'd gone through.

So when Odalia had sent him an invitation to tea at one of Bonesborough's most exclusive tea shops, Edmond had accepted. He was going to play her game…for now. Of course, he wasn't stupid. He asked Lilith to have someone in the rebellion keep an eye on the meeting and intervene if foul play looked like it was imminent. But Edmond was reasonably certain that Odalia wouldn't make any such moves right away, especially if she thought he was ripe for manipulation.

"Thank you so much for coming," Odalia said as soon as Edmond walked into the teashop alone. Edmond wanted desperately to bring Hunter along, but there was no way he was exposing Hunter's existence to one of Zoe's lackeys. Most people didn't know what the Golden Guard looked like, but Zoe certainly did. "To be frank, after your sister Emma's…very pointed refusal, I was worried you wouldn't show."

Edmond shrugged casually. "Emma's always had a bit of a temper to her. She'll come around eventually." The two of them sat down. "You know why I decided to see you?" Odalia shook her head. "It's because I remember you." Odalia's eyes widened. She put a hand in front of her mouth, looking genuinely shocked. "It's just the vaguest of images. But I do remember your face."

Before arriving at the meeting, Edmond had asked Eda for a crash course on how to con people. The most important key to conning people, she informed him, was to lie as little as possible, as counterintuitive as it seemed. Lies were hard to remember, and ruinous if disproven. The truth was a potent tool to get people to trust her. So Edmond had told the truth – he really did remember Odalia. He thought he'd imagined that memory for so long, but he hadn't.

"Edric, you don't know how delighted I am to hear you say that," Odalia said.

"My name is Edmond Serrano," Edmond said, trying to keep his voice gentle. Odalia's face twitched. Ah. So that was a sore point. Well, too bad. Edmond was proud of his name, and it would look suspicious if he just gave in. "I know that's not the name you gave me. But it's my name now, and I'd like you to please use it."

Odalia sighed. "Of course. Emma was also quite insistent that I use her name. You know, you look very much like your father, Edmond. Though I hear that you're following my footsteps in learning oracle magic. It's a noble art." She reached into her purse and came out with a small but thick looking book. "This was written by your great-great-great-grandmother, Alexandra Blight. It has insights into oracle magic unknown outside our family. I want you to have it."

Despite himself, Edmond was touched. Yes, it was probably just another act of manipulation, but there was a part of him that actually was flattered by the favor Odalia was showing. That part of him wouldn't control him, but it wouldn't hurt to bring it to the forefront to sell the con better. "Thank you," he said, letting warmth fill his voice. "I know how important this must be to you."

"There are spells in there that not even Näkijä knows about," Odalia went on. "Tell me, is she still giving colossal amounts of homework?"

"Only every night!" Edmond complained. Näkijä had been in Hexside for so long that she'd probably taught Alexandra too, but it was still weird that the two of them had the shared experience of being Näkijä's student. "She's mellowed out a little recently. I think Luz might have something to do with that." Oh, crap, he definitely should not have mentioned her. Well, there was no getting around it now; changing the subject would be suspicious.

Odalia leaned forward, trying to look casual and miserably failing. "You know, I would so like to meet my children's…partners. I'm pleased that you've found love even if it's…not necessarily in the way I'd prefer."

Under no circumstances was Edmond going to let Odalia anywhere near Luz. For all he knew, Zoe could be listening on this very conversation through her; who knew what'd happen if Odalia met Luz? "I can't speak for my sisters," he said, trying to keep his voice casual. "But my boyfriend does not want to meet you. He's scared. He's heard a lot about how homophobic you were, and, frankly, so have I. So, no, we're not there yet."

Edmond expected Odalia to get enraged, but instead, she just seemed to accept that with a nod. "If we're not there, we're not there," she said calmly. "But I would very much like to meet the woman who's been raising you."

"My mami, you mean?" Edmond said, and that definitely got a reaction out of Odalia. Okay, maybe he shouldn't be baiting her like this, but he was a teenager. Teenagers were supposed to be rebellious. He may have been irritating Odalia, but he wasn't making her suspicious, and that was what mattered. "You know, I think that's an absolutely amazing idea!"

Odalia blinked. "Uh, no, I didn't mean right this moment…"

But Edmond was already getting out his scroll and calling Camila. As he suspected, Camila was quite ready to confront Odalia. She'd been all atwitter about Odalia returning all morning, and she had been just itching to confront her. It didn't take long before Camila showed up at the teahouse; by the looks of it, she'd ran all the way from her apartment. There was a homicidal expression on her face, not too dissimilar to the one she'd had just before she killed Wrath.

"Odalia Blight," Camila said, her voice laced with hatred. "If you think that you're going to get your hands on my children, you've got another thing coming."

Odalia tilted her head, a condescending smile on her face. "My dear, Edric and I – oh, I am sorry, I mean Edmond, of course – are just having a little chat. He's not here against his will, are you, child?" Edmond shook his head. "In fact, I gave him a family heirloom."

Camila looked at the book and a scowl formed on her face. "I want you to burn that book, Edmond," she said. "Who knows what kind of wicked enchantments she could have laid on it?"

Odalia laughed. "Camila, I think you've been watching too many…movies? Is that the right word? I have no desire to win my children's hearts through magic. I just want them to know my side of the story."

It was time to put a little bit of trust on the table, just enough to make Odalia think she was heading in the right direction. "I'm sorry, mami, but I think this book might be useful. She says that there are spells in here that not even Näkijä knows; it could really give up me a leg up in my studies." By the triumphant look on Odalia's face, Edmond was definitely going in the right direction.

"I want proof that you didn't try to kill your children," Camila pronounced. "Edmond, didn't you prank Luz with a truth potion? Can you get your hands on another one?"

"I pranked Luz with the idea that I was using a truth potion on her," Edmond corrected her. "But, yeah, I could probably get another one." As fun as the idea was, though, that would be pushing Odalia too far. She'd decide to take drastic action, which could potentially put them at risk. "I wouldn't put too much stock in it, though. There are ways to get around truth potions. They're really no better than lie detectors back home. We either need to trust her or not."

"Do you trust her?" Camila asked bluntly.

Of course Edmond didn't trust Odalia. She was a stooge for Zoe. Even if she was utterly sincere in wanting a better relationship with her children, even if she didn't have malevolent plans, even if she was innocent of banishing them to Earth, even if all that was true, Odalia was ultimately loyal to the fae queen that had condemned a version of his sister to a fate worse than death. Her intentions were irrelevant; her actions were what mattered, and there was no way she'd ever be a trustworthy ally, not while Zoe lived.

"I want to be able to trust her," Edmond said. That wasn't a lie, not technically. "My gut – my magic is telling me that she cares about us." Which was also actually true, though just because Odalia cared about Edmond didn't make her any less dangerous. If anything, it made her more dangerous. "Look, mami, Odalia has spent the last fourteen years enduring a fate that I can't even imagine without wanting to scream. What's the harm in giving her some time before we go back to the Human Realm?"

Odalia looked distraught. "Must you go back to the Human Realm? I've already gotten the emperor to call off the marriage between Boscha Hart and your sister." That was true; Amity had gotten word of that through Lilith that morning. "Can't you stay here longer?"

For the first time in the conversation, Camila looked vaguely sympathetic towards Odalia. "I'm afraid not," she said. "Look, these are my children. If you're telling the truth, then it's truly unfair that you were deprived of them for fourteen years, but you were, and I'm the only mother they've ever known. That's not going to change." She took a deep breath. "But I suppose if you wanted to visit us on Earth occasionally, I wouldn't say no."

A genuine smile formed upon Odalia's face. "I think I'd like that."

Willow had expected to feel guilty about what she had done to Mrs. Hart. After all, though she'd been defending herself technically, she had deliberately chosen to kill her. There were at least a dozen plants she could have summoned that would have incapacitated Mrs. Hart, and those were just the ones she could think of off the top of her head. But Willow had chosen to summon the Paralyzing Daisy, in full knowledge of its lethal qualities, for the simple and brutal reason that she felt that Mrs. Hart should die.

She had murdered Mrs. Hart, and she didn't feel an iota of guilt. All she felt was satisfaction that her most hated enemy, Boscha's longtime tormentor, was dead, and relief that Mrs. Hart no longer posed a threat to anyone. The murder didn't haunt her dreams. She wasn't second guessing herself. She had not enjoyed killing Mrs. Hart, per se, and she certainly had no interest in killing anyone else, except, of course, the changeling that had impersonated Luz, but it didn't bother her either.

No, Willow was instead reveling in the freedom she and Boscha now had. With Mrs. Hart's death, Belos had decided to withdraw the arranged marriage between Boscha and Amity. Willow was now able to call Boscha her girlfriend in public. She was now able to rub everyone's faces in the fact that she had the coolest, prettiest, most athletic girlfriend in all of Hexside. She'd finally gotten a chance to reveal her relationship with Boscha to her fathers and gotten their blessing to date her (though only after Boscha had gone through a series of trials that had almost driven her to madness).

Cat and Amelia had withdrawn from Boscha's clique in disgust upon learning of Boscha dating a "lesser witch," but Skara had stuck by her. She had actually been shipping them for ages and was over the moon that Boschlow, as she put it, was now reality. It was a relief to have a friend on her side, because other than Boscha, her social life was looking quite dreary now. But still, everyone would be singing a different tune when "Luz" was exposed for the imposter she was. They'd all thank her. She just knew it.

Willow was in the Bonesborough marketplace, looking for an anniversary gift for Boscha, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She slowly turned around to see a green-haired woman wearing a red brooch giving her a smile that looked somewhat fake. "Hello, Willow. It's very nice to meet you. I'm Odalia Blight."

Now that Odalia had introduced herself, she could see a resemblance to Amity. "Hi?" she said. "Do you need something?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you," she said, keeping her voice calm and even. "It's my understanding that you're my daughter's girlfriend's best friend. I was hoping to get your take on Miss Noceda. I hear that there's some…tension between the two of you?"

Willow sighed. "Let's not beat around the bush. I'm sure you've heard that I'm a ticking time bomb of insanity, just because I'm the only one who's figured out that Luz is a changeling."

Odalia's eyes widened. "A changeling? Good Titan, child, are you certain?" Willow nodded firmly. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name. "Then Amity could be in danger! Something has to be done!"

"You think I don't know that?" Willow shouted loud enough to get stares from people around her. "Look," she said in a much quieter tone, "why don't you do something, if you don't believe me?"

Odalia frowned and crossed her arms. "Because no one trusts me," she said in a tone of voice that suggested that this point should have been transparently obvious. "Tasha Hart has poisoned them against me." She sighed. "Willow, I love my children. I would never do anything that would go against their best interests." Willow believed her – though that didn't necessarily mean anything. Mrs. Hart could easily have thought the same. "But no one sees me as anything more than a monster. I suppose you can sympathize with that."

Despite herself, Willow could. If Odalia was telling the truth – and, frankly, Willow wasn't entirely convinced that she was yet – then she was in much the same boat as Willow was right now. "I'm sure they'll come around," she offered. "They just need time."

"Time is, alas, the one thing that I do not have," Odalia lamented. "Have you heard the news? Oh, no, of course you haven't. The pieces for the portal door have all been assembled. My children leave tomorrow." A tear formed at the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away. "I've been invited to visit them in the Human Realm…but it won't be the same as having them here."

Willow didn't know what to say. She indeed hadn't been informed of the Serranos' departure. Not surprising. Amity wasn't close enough to Boscha to think of informing her of her departure, and no one else in her circle bothered talking to Willow these days.

"In any case, things are proceeding most swimmingly now that Blight Industries is back in my hands," Odalia went on, her voice bright. Willow suddenly felt a bit of a headache coming on. The sun seemed to be shining so brightly, and it was reflecting off of Odalia's brooch, making it almost seem to glow. "The money situation isn't quite as good as I had hoped it would be, though. It would appear that Tasha had the nerve to embezzle money from my company! Ridiculous! It's going to take months before we know the extent of the damage."

Odalia rambled on and on, and Willow found herself losing track of what she was going on about. The sun was so bright, and so was Odalia's brooch, and she was finding it very difficult to think. And, to make matters worse, she was finding herself very tired. She tried to keep her eyes open and listen to the interminable and boring discussion that Odalia was having on business matters, but it was so hard. I'll just close them for a second, she thought to herself, and then the next thing she know, she was sitting on a chair in the lobby of the Bonesborough Library.

"Oh, it's good you're awake," Odalia said, sounding like she was restraining herself from worrying. "You fell asleep on me there. I brought you here because I thought you'd be more comfortable if I brought you to a public space."

Willow's face flushed blood red. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I swear, this doesn't usually happen! I'm so embarrassed…"

"Nothing to worry about," Odalia assured her, and Willow actually thought she saw her smirk for a fraction of a second. "With all the stress you've been under, it's not surprising you haven't been getting enough sleep."

Willow sighed. Odalia did have a point. She had barely been sleeping at all these days. She'd tried, but she'd been too consumed with worry about the changeling to succeed very much.

"Well, I do have some good news that might help your stress levels somewhat," Odalia announced. "I've decided to give Boscha a home in her former home – my former home. After the horrible things her mother did to us both, it was the least I could do. You're welcome to drop by at any time." Willow gave her a genuine smile. She had definitely misjudged Odalia, she decided. Yes, the Blight matriarch could be a bit icy sometimes, but she had a heart of gold underneath.

Willow stood up, and offered her hand for Odalia to shake, which she did. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Blight," she said softly. "It means more to me than you know. Well, I've got to get back to my shopping. I'm going to get something really nice to celebrate my anniversary."

Odalia removed the brooch from her jacket and handed it over to Willow. "Here, take it," she said. "Consider it a gift from me. A thank you for avenging all those years of torment."

Willow gasped. "I can't possibly accept such a valuable gift, Mrs. Blight!"

"Oh, pish posh," Odalia said dismissively. "My dear, I am rich. This is hardly close to the most valuable piece of jewelry I possess, and I can buy another one easily. May Boscha wear it in good health."

Willow looked at the brooch, which seemed to glitter in the light. She had no idea why she had ever distrusted such an obviously endlessly trustworthy woman as Odalia in the first place. It seemed such a silly idea in retrospect, and the more the brooch gleamed, the sillier it seemed.

Raising three children as a single mother had made Camila strong of will. Once committed to a course of action, she stuck to it, no matter how much her children begged and pleaded. Of course, that wasn't the same thing as saying she wasn't open to reason, but if she believed that a course of action was for the best, and no other arguments were being presented otherwise, nakedly emotional pleas would just not persuade her.

Even though the marriage between Amity and Boscha had been voided (and thank God for that), Camila was still keen on getting out of the Boiling Isles. The fact that Odalia was trying to ingratiate herself into her children's lives (well, Edmond and Amity's; Emma still resolutely refused to even meet with her) was just another of the many reasons why staying was just untenable. Her home was elsewhere. Besides, Vee was relying on her to return and give her the love that she'd been starved of. Not to mention the fact that even though this particular arranged marriage had been withdrawn, there was no telling if another one could await her children in the future if she stayed.

But she did have to concede that the need for their departure was not anywhere close to as urgent as it previously had been. That was why she had consented to having a going away party at the Owl House. Her children's significant others and Luz's friends had been invited, and so had Odalia, as much as Camila would have much rather not had her show up. Unfortunately, Hunter had come down with a case of the common mold (which, by the sounds of it, was really not much different from the common cold), and was thus unable to attend, but everyone else was supposed to be able to make it, even Luz's estranged friend Willow and her ex-joyfriend Avery.

Once the portal door had been constructed, it was just a simple matter of stepping through it and then she was back in the Human Realm. She had only tested it briefly. With her returned cell service, she contacted Jane just to let her know that she (and also Steve) were still alive; she had left the possibility of resuming their relationship up in the air, mostly because Camila honestly wasn't sure what she wanted on that front. And, of course, she contacted Vee to let her know that she'd been returning home soon. The poor basilisk was completely stunned to hear from Camila; clearly she had thought that Camila had abandoned her.

Anyway, Camila was honestly looking forward to the upcoming party. It would be a good opportunity for her children to say goodbye in a way that would leave as few scars on their hearts as possible. Of course, it wouldn't be goodbye forever – the portal should hopefully stand for the foreseeable future, allowing Luz, Hunter, and Viney to visit the Human Realm at their leisure.

"We're gonna miss you around here, Cammy," Eda commented, as Camila put the finishing touches on hanging up some of the decorations that Eduardo had dug up from the Owl House's attic. "You've made this place a lot more interesting. And I got to thank you for killing Wrath too. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that creep anymore."

Camila clenched her fists. "Can we not talk about that, please?"

"Oh!" Eda said. "Uh, sorry. Look, are you sure I can't persuade you to let your kids keep studying in Hexside? I mean, I'm with you – school, ugh! – but the kids kind of like it there. They wouldn't have to live here, just visit."

Camila shook her head firmly. "I am sorry, Eda, but I cannot in good conscience allow my children to continue to spend time here. The Belos regime is just too dangerous to them. If democracy came to the Isles, I assure you, I would reconsider."

Eda was silent for a while. She seemed to be calculating something. But she must have decided against saying whatever she was thinking of saying, because she just shrugged and said, "Well, it was worth a shot. Now let's get out the apple blood! Trust me, we'll need it with Odalia here."

Clearly, Eda must have expected Camila to argue, but Camila did no such thing, mostly because she agreed. Camila was no alcoholic, but she wasn't amiss to having a glass or two of wine in social occasions that were going to be particularly stressful. As long as she kept the apple blood away from the minors, she was in favor of it. She had a hunch she'd be needing a few glasses if she had to deal with her children's biological mother all night.

Camila wasn't ruling out the possibility that Odalia had been framed (the only reason, not that she ever admit it to anyone, that Odalia was still alive), but either way, she felt that having her children grow up under Odalia's thumb would have been an exceedingly bad thing. Odalia didn't seem to have any maternal instincts in any way whatsoever. Even her attempts to bond with her children had been more akin to efforts to make new business contacts. And that didn't even take into account her raging homophobia, which Camila was pretty sure she wouldn't have bothered to suppress if Odalia had raised her children.

At any rate, as long as she avoided Odalia, she was in for a pretty fun evening. She wasn't a party person by nature, but her time in the Isles had been very stressful and she was looking forward to blowing off steam.

Viney was the first of the guests to arrive, bearing flowers for her hosts. She was such a polite girl! Camila wasn't exactly the type to go way ahead of herself, but a small part of her was kind of hoping that Emma and Viney would go the distance – she could just envision what Viney might look like in a wedding dress.

Gus and his father – a friend of Eduardo's, she was given to understand – were the next to arrive. Gus had begged and pled to be allowed through the portal, but Eda had resolutely refused, and it wasn't Camila's place to give him permission, even though she couldn't personally see too much harm in it. It was quite endearing, really, to see how obsessed he was with humans. She hoped he didn't know about their darker traits. She certainly didn't want to be the one to burst his bubble on how humans could be just as horrible to one another as witches, and almost certainly much, much worse, now that she thought about it.

The next to arrive were the Harringtons. It had always struck Camila as strange that Avery and Luz seemed to get along so well, given the fact that their relationship had abruptly disintegrated for reasons that no one seemed to be able to give her. When she had asked Steve, all he had told her was that it wasn't his place to say. He'd seemed very uncomfortable discussing the matter, so she'd changed the subject.

Soon after Steve's arrival, Camila struck up a conversation with him, and it turned towards the subject of Jane. Steve revealed that Jane had actually grown up in circumstances not too dissimilar to Vee, a subject of a cruel and ruthless government experiment. Thankfully, in Jane's case, everyone involved was either dead or in prison, with her lead tormentor having been eaten by a demogorgon (whatever that was; it didn't seem like a good idea to ask, lest she get an answer). Now that Camila knew this about her, she could definitely understand why Jane had decided to cover up Vee's existence. Still, the fact that she'd lied so much to Camila still rankled. Well, there was plenty of time to figure out what to do about Jane later.

Odalia arrived next, dressed in an outfit that seemed a lot more fitting to a formal gala than a casual get-together at the Owl House. "I may have to be in the company of common criminals," she explained when questioned about her outfit, "but that does not mean my outfit has to be common." The snobbery made Camila want to gag, but Edmond seemed to enjoy Odalia's presence, so she held her tongue.

Finally, Willow and her fathers arrived. Camila had assumed that Willow had been adopted, but it was abundantly clear when looking at Messrs. Park that she was actually their biological child, which definitely raised some questions. Questions to which Camila needed some answers.

"So…please forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but is Willow your biological child?" Camila asked, instantaneously regretting the question the moment the words came out of her mouth. "Oh, God, look at me, that's probably a very rude thing to say!"

"It's perfectly fine," Sullivan said gently. "We used a magical ritual which combined our, um, well, seed with a magically generated egg, which gestated in an artificial uterus."

Camila could feel her cheeks turning red. God, she should have looked this stuff up in a book instead of asking for a sex ed lecture from complete strangers. "If you're asking how it would work for two females, then I'm sorry to have to tell you that I have no idea," Gilbert said.

"From what I remember from health class," Sullivan began.

"Which wasn't very much because someone was busy making goo-goo eyes at me instead of listening to the teacher!" Gilbert teased.

Sullivan rolled his eyes. "Like you weren't doing the same; that's why you don't have any more clue than I do!" Gilbert sulked, but did not deny the accusation. "At any rate, what I do know is that there is no way that any of your children could accidentally become pregnant. Assuming that they're cis – I shouldn't have assumed."

Camila breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that the idea was somewhat silly – okay, quite silly – but she was still relieved to know that she wouldn't have to deal with any grandchildren for a long while. "I'm surprised that you and Willow showed up at all," she commented in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "I understand that she and Luz are…well, not on good terms."

"That's an understatement," Gilbert muttered. "Yeah, I don't know what's going on there, but it's really starting to worry me. She really won't let up on this idea that Luz is a changeling. Which is definitely not the case, Camila, I assure you. I've known Luz for many years, and she's just the same bubbly person she's always been."

Not for a single second did Camila believe that Luz had been replaced by a changeling. Not because it wasn't possible, but because she believed it was completely impossible to con the Owl Lady. If she had been a nefarious changeling impersonating Luz, her first act would be to bump off Eda. She shook her head to ward off those thoughts. This wasn't a night for suspicion; it was one for enjoyment.

As the guests mingled, and Edmond played some songs from his iPod (which were quite more…bombastic than Camila was used to), Camila found herself growing more relaxed and comfortable. She even regretted that she was going to have to give this up. Perhaps, she privately conceded, she was going slightly overboard about totally refusing to let her children return to the Boiling Isles. Surely short visits to the Owl House couldn't be too harmful, not with Eda around to protect them. Luz would certainly love that.

Oh, and speak of the devil, there she was, showing off some sort of video to King. Camila walked over to her. Luz let out an eep when she saw her. The poor thing was still dreadfully shy around her, and desperate for her approval. Camila had tried to impress upon Luz that she was just another ordinary person, not some goddess like figure, but Luz had put her on such a high pedestal that Camila frankly worried about what would happen when or if she fell off it.

"Hello, Luz," Camila said. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing okay," she said, sounding somewhat glum. Okay, fair enough. Camila wouldn't have expected Luz to be jumping for joy at the thought of her girlfriend going back to her home reality. Still, it was more distressing than Camila would have expected to see her daughter's girlfriend to be down in the dumps.

Luz appeared to be itching to ask Camila something, so Camila gave her an encouraging smile. "Look, I know you said that Amity can never come back, but…Grom is coming up, and it's such an important celebration." Hunter and Viney had asked her the same thing; it was clearly important to them. "Can she come back just for that evening?"

"Honestly, Luz…I'm not sure," Camila admitted. "I don't want to make a promise I'll have to break later. I know it's not fair, but can you give me some time to think about it?"

Luz sighed. Clearly, she hadn't expected Camila to give her the answer she wanted. "Yeah, sure. Fine. Sorry I asked." She wringed her hands nervously. "What do you think of my parents?"

Camila blinked. "They're fine individuals, and they've clearly raised an exceptional daughter. But I have a hunch that's not what you meant, am I right?"

Luz shook her head. "Never mind. It was a stupid idea anyway. I shouldn't be expecting things to be like…" She shut her mouth forcibly, looking alarmed that she had almost said whatever she was about to say. "Do you believe in true love?"

These were all very strange questions. Camila wondered just where the heck Luz was going with this. "No, I don't," Camila admitted. "But then again, I never used to believe in magic either. Why? Is that a thing around here?"

"No, but…I thought Amity was my true love," Luz admitted. "I was so certain. I staked everything on it, far more than you can imagine. And now…now I just have no idea. What if I'm wrong? What if she's not?"

Camila shrugged. "Then she's not. That doesn't mean that you won't be happy together. Luz, are you having second thoughts about having broken up with Avery?"

Luz looked completely nonplussed at that question. "Uh, no," she said, and though she tried her best to hide it, she looked insulted that Camila was asking such a question. "Of course not! I love Amity! It's just…she still doesn't love me. I thought it'd happen by now."

Ah, now the pieces were beginning to fall into place. Eda definitely seemed like the type to leap into romances, and her relationship with Eduardo was probably no different. Luz had probably grown up with all sorts of stories about how they were destined for each other, how they'd fallen in love at first sight, and assumed that her own relationships should be the same. "Luz, every relationship progresses at its own pace. You're just fourteen! You have plenty of time to decide what you mean to each other."

Luz nodded, but Camila could see that she didn't really believe her in the slightest, and that just made her sad. Something clearly had to be done, and she knew what it had to be. "Luz, you know what? I've decided that Amity, as well as her siblings, can return for Grom."

By the huge smile that abruptly formed on Luz's face, that was definitely the right decision. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, mami!" There Luz went, calling her mami again. Camila actually found that she kind of liked it. "Oh, Amity's going to be over the moon when I tell her! She's going to –"

Luz's musing about what Amity might do was abruptly interrupted by a booming sound erupting from the direction of the attic. Camila's blood ran cold – the attic was where the portal was being stored! She ran upstairs and sure enough, the portal door was in ruins, blown to smithereens by some sort of blast.

Willow had gotten there before her and as soon as she saw Luz, she pointed at her accusingly. "There she is!" she snarled. "I saw her destroy the portal with a fire glyph!"

Camila sighed. "Willow, that's impossible. Luz has been talking to me for several minutes, and I've had her in my sight for longer. There's no way she could have sneaked up here and destroyed the portal."

Willow snarled at Luz, who let out a yelp and hid behind Eduardo, looking genuinely scared that Willow was going to hurt her. And given that Willow's eyes were glowing an alarming green color, Camila could easily see why Luz was scared of that possibility. "I know what I saw! It was her! She must have been using an illusion so she could be in two places at once."

Gilbert took a deep breath. "Willow, that's enough. I don't know who destroyed the portal, but it definitely wasn't Luz. If Camila says she was with her, then I believe her." He put a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder, which Willow shrugged away. "Sweetie, your paranoia about Luz…it's gone too far. We need to talk about getting you on medication to control it."

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Willow shrieked and the wood of the Owl House started shaking beneath Camila's feet. "She's a giraffing changeling, and I don't care that she's suckered all of you into believing her con, she'll never fool me!" She pointed at Gilbert. "You're not medicating me. It's not happening!"

Luz appeared to come to some sort of conclusion. "Okay, Amity, can you step out for a second?" she asked. "I have something that I need to talk to everyone about, and you can't be a part of it. Please. I'm asking for your trust."

Camila was mildly surprised when Amity, without appearing to have to think much about it, stepped out of the room. Luz took a deep breath, looking as if what she had to say was causing her immense pain. "Some of you may have noticed that I've been acting strangely lately. There's a good reason for that. I know it's going to seem weird, but just hear me out, okay?"

Before Luz could offer a further explanation, Willow abruptly jumped out the window. Camila gasped and strode over to the window, expecting to see a battered corpse at the bottom. Instead, Willow cast a spell circle midfall to summon a thick set of plants below her to break the fall, and then she ran off into the forest.

Most people who knew Odalia Blight would have assumed that she didn't believe in anything, and all of them would have been wrong. Odalia believed in the Titan. She believed that Emperor Belos was his divine messenger, and that all of his edicts were the words of the being that had gifted witches with magic. Her father, Demesne Blight, had drilled that into her from the moment of her birth. Belos' will was law. And that extended to his viewpoints on homosexuality.

Belos had preached, towards the beginning, that homosexuality was sinful and against the natural order of things. This particular emphasis hadn't lasted particularly long. It was just not politically expedient; the leading witches on the Isles weren't willing to give up their same-sex relationships even for the sake of Belos. In order to solidify his rule, Belos had given up on cracking down on homosexuality. But his message had reached the ear of a few witches like Demesne, who had let go of their perversions in the service of the Titan.

Odalia believed, completely and utterly, that damnation awaited those who gave into their perverted impulses, which is why she had freaked out upon learning that her children were destined to have such impulses. But she wasn't going to give up. She vowed that she'd cure them of the abhorrent disease that was homosexuality. And she was still committed to that when Tasha's agents had kidnapped all her children, threw them into a portal, used an illusion spell to make it look like Odalia was doing it, and then framed Odalia for her crimes.

One thing she had lied about was being conscious during her petrification; in fact, she remembered absolutely nothing about that time. Belos had briefed her on what to say to convince everyone that she had been conscious during the petrification. Her emperor had a plan that involved Amity's heart being broken. He would not say what it was, but Odalia trusted him implicitly. It was vital, he warned her, that not even suspicion could fall on his involvement in the plan, much less actual proof.

So Odalia had gone about putting her sovereign's plan into action, even though she really had no idea how all the pieces had fit together. She had gifted the book of arcane oracle spells that Belos had given her to Edric. She had blown up the portal using a fire glyph she stole from Luz's school supplies. And, most vitally, she had hypnotized Willow into believing that she had seen Luz blow up the portal. The posthypnotic suggestion would never have worked if Willow's mental state hadn't been heading in that direction anyway, but with the suspicions that Willow already had, it was child's play to convince her subconscious that she had seen Luz blow up the portal, despite the obvious evidence to the contrary.

Now all Odalia had to do was wait for the pieces to fall into place. And when she did, she'd receive her reward. Belos had vowed to turn her children heterosexual (his exact words were, when I'm done, you won't be worrying about their sexual orientation any longer, which seemed pretty ironclad to Odalia), and Odalia trusted her sovereign to shepherd all his subjects into the embrace of the Titan. Because Odalia believed in the Titan's will, and nothing could ever change that.

Luz couldn't believe that she was going to just blurt out her secret to everyone, including to Camila! Thank goodness Willow's escape had prevented her from doing that. She would have done it too, if that was what it took to bring Willow back from the brink, but without that possibility, the risk was just too great.

Willow hadn't been seen since the party. Her fathers had done a televised (well, crystal balled) appeal urging her to return, but to no avail. Luz was worried about her, even though she knew intellectually that if anything, she should be more afraid for those who wanted to do Willow harm than of them. Still, Luz blamed herself. She'd let the divide grow between Willow and her until it had led Willow towards having actual, real delusions. Ugh. Hopefully when Other Luz returned, things would get all cleared up.

At least no one else blamed her for the portal explosion. Luz was just glad that she had an ironclad alibi. Presumably, one of Zoe's agents must have sneaked in and blew up the portal, maybe even Odalia. But then again, it wasn't completely impossible that everyone else could be right and that they had just made a mistake constructing it which had destabilized the portal to the point where it exploded. Luz would put her money on the whole thing being Zoe's doing though.

But for now, Luz was too happy to think about any of that. She had just gotten a message on her scroll from Amity stating that she wanted to talk to her about something important. And given that Edmond had already revealed that Camila had given them all permission to return for Grom, Luz had a pretty good idea what it was!

Luz couldn't wait for Amity to ask her to Grom. Hopefully, she wouldn't chicken out like Amity Blight had in asking her still unknown Grom crush. Well, Luz wouldn't let that happen, even if she had to ask her herself instead. She walked into the Serrano apartment with a smile on her face and a song in her heart, and then something grabbed her and slammed her against the wall with enough force to knock her unconscious for a few seconds.

When she regained consciousness, she saw that there were vines wrapped all over her. Willow was standing in front of her with an expression that could only be described as homicidal.

"Willow, I can explain everything," Luz began, and then a vine covered her mouth.

"It's time for you to die, changeling!" Willow screamed at her, and then vines tightened around Luz's throat, and she couldn't breathe, and then everything went black.