Hey, here's chapter 27 of Rise of Zeo. This chapter will be an adaptation of the episode Understanding Willow. This should be fun and show off more of Zeo and Willow's friendship. Here we go.
"Too wiggly. Too obvious. Now we're talkin'! I think today is a talons day - rawr!" Boscha said with talons for nails.
"Hey girls! Time to bug out at my birthday party!" Skara said, handing them invitations, "Invite only, but you witches are my VIPs!"
"Are these made of real insect wings?" Amity asked.
"My dad spared no expense! You only turn 15 once!" Skara said.
"You only turn every age once, Skara" Boscha rolled her eyes.
"Prepare to do battle like a human! Thumb War!" Luz cried.
Willow laughed, "It's funny because it's stupid!" she said, Grimrose watching from atop of Willow's head.
"I still can't believe a human goes here. Too bad she's already burned her social life at the stake. Any friend of Willow's is an automatic dork" Boscha remarked
Zeo's ear flinched when he heard that remark and begins to walk in the trio's direction.
"Ugh! Skara! Why did you give me an invite that was molting?" Boscha asked as the invite literally starts molting as if it were a real creature. "Gross! Give me another one," Boscha ordered. When Boscha throws the literal butterfly invitation away, Zeo easily caught the insect invite as he closes the gap.
"How would you know what it's like being a dork?" Zeo asked from afar.
"Um, I don't know because I'm not one," Boscha answered while Zeo didn't like that answer.
"Exactly," Zeo said, confusing Boscha as he began playing off of her answer. "Willow may be a "dork" in your eyes, but at the end of the day, she's my friend. Being friends with Willow is like going on potential adventures in the making with who knows what kind of creatures, horrors, and secrets waiting to be discovered throughout the Boiling Isles,"
"It's true," Amity admitted, shocking both girls. "My sister, brother, and me have been in enough situations to admit that by being around Zeo, you will have an adventure. Whether you like or not." She said, muttering that last sentence under her breath.
"Thanks, Amity," Zeo said, before turning his attention back to Boscha, "But Boscha, you wouldn't know about the adventures I go on with Luz and the others unless you were friends with Willow. Because Willow would tell you everything that I've done since she's one of the first few friends I've ever met in this place before I was even enrolled here," Zeo pointed out as he closed the distance between himself and the triclops.
This forced her to nervously step back until her back was literally against the face lockers as she didn't break eye contact with him with her friends unable to intervene, not wanting to be part of Zeo's potential wrath.
"So, if you want to know more about me, ask Willow, or Luz, or Gus. But one thing's for sure, Boscha, in order to mock a dork, you need to learn more about that person before you claim that they are a dork. I'm a dork—a badass one and I'm proud to be one. Just like my friends," he said as his glare intensified as he leaned in close, next to Boscha's head and whispered something in Boscha's ear. "For all you know, dorks are going to rule the world one day," Zeo said as the whisper would leave the triclops blushing with a frown on her face as he backed up to give Boscha some space while she was trying her hardest not to slump to the ground.
"Say, Skara, if it's not too much trouble...can I come to your party?" Zeo asked nicely since he technically has the old invitation that Boscha just threw away not too long ago, thus making it his invitation and he never has been to someone's birthday party before, so it's a very big deal for him. Hey, one person's trash is another person's treasure.
Skara was stunned for a second but quickly smiled as she was about to be the happiest girl in school if she could invite Zeo. He's popular, respected, and trying not to be the kind of guy that is "too cool for school." Her parents might not like him at first, but it would be a huge popularity boost to Skara's social life at Hexide if she invited Zeo, even for a guest appearance.
"Well..." she began with a small blush, slightly nervous of asking him upfront about the sudden invitation.
"Sorry, Zeo...," Boscha quickly cut in, mocking him with a smile. "It's a girls-only party."
"That doesn't mean I can't stop by, give Skara her birthday card and/or gift, maybe get a piece of her birthday cake, say "Happy 15th Birthday" and then leave before the real party starts. All of that while standing on the porch to her house. Am I wrong," Zeo explained, leaving Skara smiling widely, Boscha frowning at the loopholes he just pointed out, and Amity just cracked a small snicker at seeing Boscha's face.
"But it's all up to you, Skara. After all, it's your birthday, so naturally, it's all about you. It's your decision," Zeo said, not feeling bummed out if he was invited to the party or not.
"I'll keep the invite. If I have time, I'll show up. If I don't, no hard feelings. Right, Skara," Zeo asked, seeing Skara's face slightly frown at the thought of him not showing up, but she stayed brave and took the decision with a grain of salt.
"Sure. If you're not too busy, I don't mind if you stopped by. At least, so my parents could meet you. They are one of those types of parents that loves seeing talented students from Hexide. And you'll be doing me a huge favor if you provide a small form of entertainment with the beasts you summon just to keep some of party-goers distracted," Skara said.
Zeo looked at the invite, then looked at Skara's pleading face with her hands together as if she was praying.
"Please show up. Please show up. Please show up," Skara said in repeat within her head with her fingers crossed.
"No promises, but I'll try," he answered.
"Yes!" Skara cheered with a wide smile.
No soon than when she did that, the school bell screamed.
"Gotta go," Zeo said as he walked back to the others as Amity, Boscha, and Skara went another way.
"Soo...what kind of adventures have you been on with Zeo?" Boscha asked Amity after she was able to calm herself down from being so close to Zeo.
While they talked, Skara had her own thoughts.
"Mom and dad may not like the thought of having boys over, but if he just shows up out of support for my birthday, impresses them with his magic...then at least, it will get them off my back of finding a boyfriend. Personally, I just hope they don't try to embarrass me and convince Zeo to date me afterward. It would be too fast, too awkward, and too much at once," she said to herself with a sighing frown.
Later, Willow and Luz were talking next to the lockers, getting ready for their next class.
"Oh my gosh, Willow, I'm so excited for photo class! I can't believe you can make pictures of your actual memories!" Luz said while opening her locker, "I'ma see me some baby Willow!"
"I'll admit, I was adorable." Willow said.
*Chirp* "I can't wait!" Grimrose said as Boscha, Amity, and Skara passed by, Amity looking guilty over something.
"I can't believe she'd even hang out with her! It's just embarrassing. "Oh, look at me! I'm going on a date with my ferns"!" Boscha said, making glasses with her fingers.
"That could be anyone!" Luz reassured.
"Solid Willow impression, Boscha! Amity, weren't you friends with Willow?" Skara asked.
"I'm a Blight. We only associate with a select few. Keep annoying me though, I'm happy to select fewer" Amity said.
The minty-haired was about to walk off, when Grimrose inhaled deeply through her mouth, and then spat out thistles, hitting Boscha and Skara in the side of their necks. The two girls walked wobbly for a moment before falling faint to the ground.
"Nice shooting, there, Grimrose!" Zeo, joining Luz and Willow, said, Grimrose chuckling evilly. Although a part of him did feel bad for Skara.
"They're going to be out for a while, aren't they?" Luz asked with some concern.
"Probably. But since one of them is Boscha, who cares?" Zeo rolled his eyes, "Well, we don't want to be late for class!" he said rather nonchalantly as he walked off.
Luz and Willow watched as he headed to his next class.
"I like Zeo, but he scares me sometimes" Willow said.
"Eh, you get used to it." Luz said as she and Willow walked over to Boscha and Skara's unconscious bodies and pulled out the thistles.
Grimrose, not that I don't appreciate what you did, but don't ever do that again unless I say so, alright?" Willow told the plant beast.
*Chirp* "Yes, momma." She said.
"Alright, memory melon! Let's pick another juicy one!" Luz said, using a pair of teethed tweezers to pull a photo out of Willow's ear.
"Careful with my brain!" Willow said.
Luz then pulled out a picture from Willow's ear.
"Ooh! Who says brain surgery is hard?" Luz said as she placed the picture on a wire.
"I'm not even going to respond to that" Zeo said.
"How's it going?" The teacher asked. "Note that some pictures are clearer than others, these photos imply a strong emotional moment." She said.
"Makes sense" Zeo said, smacking Luz's hand before she could touch one of the photos, "Don't touch them!" he pointed at her sternly.
"Quite correct, Mr. Clawthorne. Even the slightest damage to these photos could have dire consequences!" The teacher warned before checking on other students.
It was then that a photo of will developed. It showed Willow with messed-up hair and a band-aid on her cheek. Zeo and Grimrose chuckled at the photo.
"Wow, Willow, you had a messed-up hair phase too? I knew we were meant to be friends!" Luz said, holding up a photo of herself with pigtails.
The rest of the photos appeared, including one of Willow and Grimrose, and one of Willow and her dads celebrating what appears to be the Boiling Isles' version of Christmas. But one stood out in particular. It showed Amity hugging Willow at a birthday party. Grimrose hissed loudly at the photo. Willow groaned, turning at the sight of a memory she had tried to long since bury.
"Hey, I know you and Amity have a history. Wouldn't you feel better talking about it?" Luz asked.
Grimrose glared at her and gave her a sharp smack on the butt with one of her vines.
"Ow! Hey, I'm just trying to help!" Luz said.
"Honestly, I'd rather do this..." Willow flipped the photo over, "That's my motto: Out of sight, out of mind" she said.
That's when the bell rang.
"If you won't tell me what she did, I'll never be able to cook up a scheme to make you friends again." Luz said.
"Luz, I get it, but I don't want you to do that. No schemes, no plots, no ruses, none! Okay? Now let's get to lunch!" Willow said as she and Zeo walked out.
"She never said anything about..." Luz started saying, turning the photo in question back around. "Shenanigans!" She said, slyly leaving the room.
"Wait up!" Luz said as she caught up with her friend and boyfriend.
"I can't believe I made him cry. Like, he's the teacher." Boscha said as she and Amity came from the opposite direction.
When Amity saw the photo, dread filled her. "Oh, no." She said.
"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? Wait, is there a cute ghost in there?" Boscha asked.
"Uh, yeah, just a cute ghost, and I saw him first!" Amity said, quickly closing the door.
"Ask him if he has any friends!" Boscha shouted through the door as Amity pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and looked at it with tears.
"Sorry about this, Willow..." Amity said while using a spell circle to create a flame on her fingertip.
As tears continued to fall down her face, she used the flame to burn a hole in the photo before turning around and getting ready to leave. However, the photo burst into flames.
"Oh crap!" Amity said. She blew on the flames, attempting to put them out, only for it to spread to the other photos, "Oh, come on!"
In the school's cafeteria, Luz arrived at a table to see Gus looking at a conspiracy board.
"Hey there, detective. Are you solving a crime or about to commit one?" Luz asked jokingly.
"This is one problem crime can't solve. My interview for journalism class is due tomorrow! I'm supposed to choose someone "interesting, accomplished, and noteworthy." People aren't meant to be all those things! Curse your need for perfection, Gus!" Gus said.
"Hey, why don't you interview Zeo?" Luz asked, causing the illusionist to perk up.
"I'm sorry, what?" Zeo asked, caught a bit off guard.
"You're interesting, accomplished, and noteworthy" Luz said.
"Thanks, but there's not much for me to talk about" Zeo replied.
"Please?!" Gus begged with big eyes.
Zeo sent Grimrose a psychic message. The plant beast then slapped Gus across the face with one of her vines. Getting the message, Gus slammed his head back on the table. Everyone then noticed Willow sweating profusely.
*Chirp* "Mama?" Grimrose said worriedly.
"Willow, are you ok?" Zeo asked with equal worry.
"Did it just get really hot in here?" Willow asked, drinking a glass of water before pouring the whole pitcher over her, causing steam to erupt.
She took off her glasses and cleaned them, and when she put them back on, her pupils dilated until her eyes are completely black.
"Uhh, hi! I'm Willow! Remind me of your names?" Willow said, extending her hand.
"This is serious journalism, Willow. Clowning around will get you nowhere" Gus said, receiving another slap from Grimrose's vine.
"I'm-I'm serious! Who-who are you?" Willow asked.
"What's with you, Willow? What's with the sudden amnesia? It's almost like your memories—Ohh… crap…" Zeo said in realization.
*Chirp* "Momma?" Grimrose asked even worried then before.
Zeo and the others ran back to photo class, Zeo kicking the door open. They noticed Amity trying up put out the burning photos.
"...Hi" Amity said nervously.
"You destroyed Willow's memories?!" Luz said.
"Oh, you stupid bitch!" Zeo facepalmed.
"I tried to save as many as I could!" Amity said, holding up the photos of Willow's bad hair day, her with Grimrose, and her with her fathers. Only for an ember to jump onto them, burning them to a crisp, "Ugh! Why would they make memories so flammable!?" Amity groaned.
"Have I always had this crazy thing? Blap, blap!" Willow said, smacking her face with her hand. She then walked over to Luz and Amity, putting her arms around their shoulders, "Eeee, heee, heee, I can tell we're gonna be good friends!" she said before falling to the ground.
Amity was then grabbed by the neck with Grimrose's vines.
*Chirp* "You did this to momma! Fix it NOW!" She said angrily, yet slightly adorable at the same time.
Grimrose then bashed Amity's head repeatedly against a nearby desk.
I'm guessing what Grimrose said isn't good." Luz said.
"You'd be right." Zeo said, approaching Grimrose, picking her up and stroking her leaves in a soothing manner. "Willow tells me she loves it when this happens, I figured it'd be a good idea." Zeo explained as Grimrose let Amity go from the vines, "It's ok, Grimrose, Papa here" he whispered to the botanical creature in a voice low enough only for her to hear, "Let's hope Mom can help us" Zeo said.
Grimrose started to whimper.
The Owl House…
"So, this is the Owl House" Amity said, looking around.
"Yep" Luz and Willow replied.
"And you... sleep here?" Amity asked Luz specifically.
"When the night critters allow me to" Luz shrugged.
"So, you set Willow's memories on fire and erased everything. Even minor damage can have huge effects!" Eda told them.
Grimrose, perched on Zeo's head as he sat next to Willow on the couch, glared at Amity and hissed with anger.
"Whoever did this showed total disregard for Willow's safety. Downright despicable" Eda said, "Oh, right, it was you!" she pointed to Amity.
"Yeah, Grimrose is not happy about this" Zeo added.
"Ooh, thick, warm fruit!" Willow had a hand on Zeo's thigh, "I'm gonna taste it" she said while unzipping his fly.
"Grimrose!" Zeo called out to the plant beast frantically as Willow was about to reach into his pants.
Against her better judgment, Grimrose shot a sleep thistle into Willow's neck, causing her to fall over, instantly falling asleep as she rested her head in Zeo's lap. The card wielder sighed with relief.
*Chirp* "Sorry, Momma." Grimrose said.
"Is there anything we could do to fix this?" Luz asked.
"Well, there is one way, but it's dangerous and partially illegal." Eda said.
"So, in other words, we're in the right place?" Zeo asked rhetorically.
"Pretty much. Basically, what's going to happen is I can send three of you into Willow's mind and you can try to fix the memories burnt by the fire." Eda explained.
"Well, I'm going. I'm not gonna sit back and watch my friend become a vegetable. No offense, Grimrose" Zeo said.
*Chirp* "None taken." She said.
"I'll go too." Luz said.
"Then who else?" Zeo asked.
Luz looked to Gus, who was currently going through an existential crisis over his project, and Grimrose, who seemed too concerned about Willow to focus on anything else.
"It has to be Amity." Luz said, surprising her.
"I don't know. Willow might not want me in there" Amity said.
"You set her memories on fire! You have to go" Luz said.
"But I don't think—" Amity was cut off by Grimrose wrapping her vines around her body and repeatedly hitting her head against the ceiling.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Zeo asked as Grimrose repeated her assault.
"Gus is busy and Grimrose is not in a place that's pleasant. Besides Amity knows Willow better than any of us." Luz said.
"Fine, but just in case, I think we should bust out these guys." Zeo said, holding up the cards needed for the Owl Paladin and Dragon Warrior.
Luz squealed in delight, "Have I mentioned how much I love the fact that you made Luzura a real thing?" she said.
"Yes." Zeo said as Luz did the gesture Zeo did earlier to calm Grimrose down, allowing her to set Amity down.
"Just so you know, the way I see it, it's either you come with us, or stay here and hide from Grimrose." Luz said, pointing to the plant.
"Fine, I'll come" Amity said begrudgingly.
"Bold choice picking the girl responsible for causing all this" Eda said.
Zeo lifted Willow's head off his lap as he got up, allowing her to sleep on the couch. He then summoned Knight Owl, Crimson Eyes, and his and Luz's doppelgangers. They then transformed into their respective forms.
"This just feels so...satisfying." Luz said, admiring herself and Zeo's transformed states.
"I know." Zeo said.
"Okay, now listen. Once you're in there, you're going to be looking for photos with signs of fire damage, those are the ones you're going to need to fix. Once you completely fix her mind, or if you run into any troubles, ring this bell and I'll bring you back." Eda said, handing Luz a bell.
"Or Luz could use her shadow shriek" Zeo chimed in.
"My what?" Luz asked.
"It's an ability that Knight Owl has, one that doesn't involve using a command card. Try it out" Zeo insisted, covering his ears.
Luz shrugged. She inhaled deeply, her chest puffing out as she did so. She then screamed at the top of her lungs; purple soundwaves being seen as they came out of her mouth. The sound echoed across the whole house, shattering every single window. After a few seconds, the sound died down.
"Oww!" Eda groaned, digging in her ear to remove the ringing from it.
"Enhanced strength, flight, and a sonic screech?! Can this get any better?!" Luz asked excitedly.
"Grimrose, take care of mama while we're fixing her brain, ok?" Zeo told the plant beast.
*Chirp* "Okay, Papa. I keep watch while you're inside of Mama" Gimrose said, Zeo blushing a bit and clearing his throat at the innuendo that the plant beast had unknowingly made.
"Ok, Mom, let's do this!" Zeo said.
"Great, and one more thing. While you're in there, look out for her Inner Willow. She should provide help while you're there." Eda said before forming a spell circle that allowed them to go into Willow's head.
They landed and were inside a burnt forest.
"Whoa..." Zeo said.
"Where's her Inner Willow? Do you really think it'll help?" Amity asked as they walked around.
"Maybe. And that's if we can even find her" Zeo replied.
"Looks like we'll just have to fix things on our own" Luz said. She then walked up to a nearby portrait and blew away the ash, revealing a photo of a shelter made of sticks on a beach. Luz then stuck her hand inside, "Hey! I found something magical! I'm gonna stick my face in it" she said, sticking her head through. However, she ended up going through completely.
"Luz? Luz, where the hell did you go?" Zeo asked, he and Amity searching for her. Luz then stuck her head out of the portrait.
"I think I found the memories. Let's go!" Luz said, grabbing Amity by the wrist.
"You girls go on ahead. I'll stay out here and stand guard just in case" Zeo said, leaning against the tree with his arms folded.
"Come on, Amity" Luz said, pulling the minty-haired witch through the portrait, leaving the beast summoner on his own.
"It's quiet. Too quiet..." Zeo muttered, looking both ways down each path into the distance as he began to explore the mental forest plain as he eyed each portrait that lined the bark of each tree.
"Wow. Not gonna lie, Willow was cute when she was a kid," Zeo commented with sincere smile as he eyed a picture of Willow with her parents. "And I guess she got cuter as she grew up." After looking at the picture for a few moments, Zeo took in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.
"Why does everyone I know look so adorable when they were younger?" Zeo asked out loud, feeling a bit left out in jealousy to the younger versions of Willow, Amity, and even Luz when she showed him a picture of her when they made that book before King ruined it, "Sometimes, I wish I had a childhood. Just to know what it was like," he muttered.
Seeing Eda making baby faces at him, rocking him back and forth, dressing him, playing with him, teaching him, possibly being introduced to Lilith earlier on...but knowing Eda, she would try to hide him from Lilith as much as possible. But before long, a thought crossed Zeo's mind.
"But then again, I wouldn't be as tall, cool, or experienced at fighting monsters and witches as I am now. Not to mention, my cards would be crappy line drawings before they would eventually get better and turn into these babies," he said, pulling out his deck.
That is until he saw a flicker of magenta light. The flicker got closer, becoming a blazing light.
"What the...," Zeo muttered, seeing a sentient, magenta humanoid blaze come into view.
Then, he sees someone within the blaze. It was Willow, in her casual clothing. Except she looked like a shell of her former positive self.
"Willow?" Zeo asked in shock as the humanoid blaze heard him and looked in his direction. It approached the summoner before stopping a fair distance away. It felt like it didn't want to scare Zeo off if he was real.
"Zeo," it said with Willow's voice, albeit a bit distorted. The humanoid blaze slowly dispersed itself and Zeo sees Willow in its place.
Zeo's sudden appearance here is welcoming, but "Willow" felt uncertain and felt like the mind was being invaded.
"Are you alone?" Willow asked, looking side to side for anyone else.
"Yeah. I'm alone," he answered, faking ignorance to keep her relaxed.
He felt a dark, eerie feeling come from this Willow, but he didn't want to attack it and possibly make things worse for all of them. The only option is to play along and make her feel safe and in control.
"Good. I need to show you something," the Willow before him said as she ran on ahead with Zeo looking back at the memory portrait.
"You guys stay safe. I'll take of this," he said as he went after Willow, trying his best to keep up, "Was she always that fast? Wait, no. Her mind, her rules," he commented as he tried his best to follow, keeping Willow in his sights until she rounded a tall bush corner and came to a stop with Zeo coming behind her seconds later, quickly catching his breath.
When he looked back at Willow, before them stood a door.
"This way," Willow said, gesturing to the door as the door creaked open with the inside, beyond the frame, encased in white.
"This better not be a trick," Zeo said to Willow as he stepped forward.
"It's not," she answered as Zeo looked at her one last time before going through the door, slowly closing behind him. If there were any dangers beyond this door, it was a good thing he was in his current form.
A name slowly forms on the door marked, Willow's Fantasies and Desires.
The Fire Willow doesn't follow after him, but instead, she sports a frown and heads back in the direction of where she first found Zeo, making sure that he did come alone.
Her fire elemental body slowly igniting around her body after each step she took. It was nice for her to see Zeo again...before getting back to her primary objective of destroying the memories of the one person of interest.
The person it was sworn to erase from this mind because of the fire magic that she used for Fire Willow's accidental sudden creation: Amity Blight.
It was time to finish what she started.
Outside, in the Owl House, Gus was still struggling with his project.
"The only person I can get the kind of interview I'm looking for, is myself!" Gus said, summoning an illusion of himself.
"I'd rather die than give up my secrets!" The illusion said.
"Then die you shall!" Gus counted, both of them going into a fighting stance.
Grimrose simply shook her head at this stupidity. Eda cleared her throat.
"You want someone to interview, look no further than me!" Eda said. "Interesting? I'm a bad girl living in a secret fortress" Eda said.
"I'm the secret!" Hooty said.
"Shh!" Eda hushed the bird tube, "Noteworthy?" She pointed to her wanted poster, "I'm public enemy number one. Accomplished? I'm the greatest witch who ever lived!" she said dramatically, "Plus, I'm the mother of hopefully the greatest Beast Keeping witch-warrior the isles will ever know..." she muttered that last part under her breath with pride.
"What do you think?" Gus asked his illusion, only for King to burst out of his chest.
"I think not! If you're handing out attention, I deserve it. Nyeh!" King landed on the floor, Gus' illusion vanishing.
"I will choose one of you, but which one? If you want to get picked, you'll have to impress me" Gus said, Eda and King glaring at each other.
*Chirp* "This should be good." Grimrose said.
The botanical creature looked at her mother and decided to crawl between her arm, snuggling up to her.
Back in Willow's mind, after Zeo walked through the door, he was brought to a garden-like sanctuary with lots of exotic and rare species of plants.
"Talk about a "Garden in the Sky." I think that is what Luz would call this place," he commented until he hears humming nearby.
He walks further through the garden, the humming getting louder as Zeo goes further in with thick leaves and foliage blocking his view of the path he was following until he pushes through a gap between two bushes, bringing him into a clearing until he sees who was making all that humming. All he saw was Willow, but she was...different.
Willow was sitting on an overgrowth vine as if it were a couch for lounging, with Grimrose seated comfortably in her lap as she watched a plant mature from a seed to a full flower within seconds. Zeo slowly approached and could get a better look at her attire. She was dressed in a corset except it was made entirely of leaves… and besides her glasses, this was all she was wearing.
"Willow?" Zeo asked out loud, getting the girl's attention.
"Look, Grimrose! Daddy's back," Willow said, gently petting the plant summon who chirped in happiness.
Zeo couldn't help but chuckle a little nervously at that. He did create Grimrose and gave him to Willow, so, in way, he was kind of like Grimrose's father. Maybe not by bloodline standards, but…
"It's good to see you, Zeo. But if I knew you were coming, I would've prepared some refreshments," Willow said, feeling a bit embarrassed that she would've expected a visitor sooner or later.
"It's fine, because I'm not staying long," Zeo said as he took a seat next to her on the same vine, sporting a look of concern to his friend.
"Zeo, what's wrong?" Willow asked, feeling that look.
"Willow, do you trust me?" Zeo asked.
"Of course," Willow said.
"So, tell me. I have to know… No, I need to know. What happened between you and Amity," Zeo asked as Willow immediately frown and Grimrose chirped out a small sound in sadness, feeling the same emotion that Willow is feeling.
"...Zeo... I... I-I can't...talk about it...," Willow began, but Zeo had to keep pressing.
"Willow, I'm trying to help you, but I can't really help you unless you let me in...," Zeo began, making Willow raise an eyebrow at him. Realizing the pun he just made, he continued talking. "...and open up, so I can see the problem."
Willow stared at him for a moment.
"Talking about your problems is the best way to get it off your chest, because if you keep it bottled up, its gonna come out. One way or the other way. And usual, "the other way" hurts more," Zeo explained, putting a comforting hand on Willow's hand that was on top of Grimrose's back.
"Okay, it all started one day when Amity and I were kids..." Willow began as Zeo took in whatever she had to get out of her system that has been bugging her for so long.
Back at the Owl House, Eda and King sat at a table, preparing to be interviewed.
"Just give up, King, I've got this one" Eda said.
Gus then shined a light in their faces.
"If you want this interview, you're going to have to answer some tough questions. Where were you born?" he shined the light in Gus' face.
"Weh?" King said.
"What'd you eat for breakfast this morning?" he shined the light in Eda's face.
"Wha?" Eda said.
"What's your greatest strength?" he shined the light back into King's face.
"My decisiveness. Wait, wait, I change my mind!" King said.
"This will be the single greatest interview of all time. So, if you want it, you'll have to... dazzle me!" Gus said spreading multiple balls of light everywhere.
"The kid scares me..." Eda muttered.
*Chirp* "This is so stupid." Grimrose muttered before looking back at Willow. *Chirp* "Please be okay, Mama." She said with concern.
"Several down, one more to go" Luz said, she and Amity coming out of the memory that involved Grimrose's evolution, having finished repairing several other memories prior.
"Yeah, but where'd Zeo go? Didn't he say he'd stand guard?" Amity questioned, noticing the summoner was gone after they fixed the first memory.
"You think he went off exploring?" Luz asked.
"Yeah, exploring a girl's mind when she's in a sensitive state. Not the smartest thing to do right now," Amity addressed the weight of their situation to her teammate. "We gottas find him."
"Wait. What's that," Luz said, pointing to a walking magenta creature made of fire, walking behind a tree line.
"Oh, boy…" The girls said in unison as the blazing monster spotted them.
"...And that's what happened between me and Amity," Willow said as she petted Grimrose seated in her lap, who let out a cheerful chirp.
"Jeez. That's messed up. It almost makes me wish I was here with you guys when you were kids to prevent that from happening," Zeo said, as he too had a turn to pet Grimrose, who nuzzled against his hand.
"You see, Zeo, there's a reason why I'm glad to be your friend," Willow said as she started smiling again, "For some odd reason, you don't let the negative thoughts get to you," Willow continued as Zeo just shrugged his shoulders.
"It's all part of life. Luz said she's dealt with it at her previous school before she came to the Boiling Isles. And it's only because she got in trouble that it actually got to her," Zeo explained.
"Sometimes I've wondered what it would've been like if you grew up with me and Gus," Willow said with a small smile as Zeo went wide-eyed at the thought as his head dipped to the floor.
"I don't know," Zeo answered.
"Maybe, you would've kept me and Amity together, even before Luz came," Willow guessed out the scenario with a shake of the head, "But would you have been strong enough to go against her parents?" Willow thought to herself.
A small daydream played in her mind, she imagined the silhouette of a younger Zeo standing in front of Amity's parents while protecting a younger Amity and Willow as they stood behind him, hands clenched together to show their strong support for one another through friendship. Zeo shouted at the adults, who only saw him as a nuisance, which resulted in him getting attacked and injured by one of the Blight's Abominations with Amity and Willow unable to do anything but watch...as the Abomination covered Zeo's body and as he reached out his hand to Willow, uttering her name one last time before his face was encased in Abomination goo...and the hand slowly went limp...
Willow frowned with a look of sadness at what she just imagined.
"Willow, are you okay?" Zeo asked, seeing her get uneasy.
As tears began to come out, she lifted off of her glasses, so she wiped the tears away and set them aside on a nearby plant stand to calm herself down. If a scenario like that ever happened between them, she would never forgive herself.
"If you were in Amity's position, you would've tried to repair what you've broken," Willow commented as her hand became a shaky fist as she turned back to Zeo, her eyes slowly became full green and the garden began to shake as if it were a tremor. Zeo saw this and immediately knew he had to calm her down quickly.
"And you know I would never do that to you," he said as he reached out and gave Willow a tight hug to comfort her.
The interaction was enough for Willow's eyes to slowly return to normal and her fist opened up as the shaking subsided. And now, all was calm like before.
"Huh. Ever since we've first met, I've never seen you without your glasses before. It's a good look for you," he commented with a smile.
"Thank you," Willow said with a shy blush, knowing she may not need her glasses just to see him.
"But look, Willow...I have to be honest with you," Zeo said as he began to think the entire situation over from his perspective of choices. "Even my mother, even if she had that mindset, wouldn't be enough to convince me to break up our friendship just because we're different in status" he told her.
Willow blinked as he continued.
"Hell, I feel like I'm lower than you in status because my house is technically out in the middle of nowhere, outside of town and my mother refuses to join a coven, making her a fugitive of the law. So, yeah...I've got a lot on my plate, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to be a powerful witch, warrior, warlock or whatever and carry on my mother's legacy of being the most infamous magic user on the Boiling Isles," Zeo declared with determination as Willow could only smile and put her face into his chest.
"You, okay?" Zeo asked, feeling confused about what emotions Willow was experiencing as he felt something wet dripping on his shirt.
When she lifted her face back up, Willow was crying yet again, but this time, she was smiling as she cried. She was crying tears of joy.
"And you see, Zeo. This is one of those reasons why...I... I love you..." Willow confessed with bated breath as her cheeks turned as red as a nearby pot of roses, completely surprising Zeo.
"Wha-? Wait... what? Why?" he asked as Willow wrapped her arms behind Zeo's neck and brought him in close.
As the gap between the magic-users slowly closed, Zeo didn't want to fight out of this embrace, because something about it made him sympathize with Willow and for some reason, he just wanted to make her feel happy. To fill in that hole in her heart from her previous friendship that Amity left behind.
As the two set of lips connected, a soft breeze could be felt throughout the garden, blowing leaves and various flower peddles through the garden until it reached the interconnected two, the wind carried the loose foliage around the two, swirling around the couple as the wind carried the flora into the sky above the garden before dispersing everything it gathered overhead into a small light shower of every plant petal to every plant that was gathered within the garden. The petals slowly rained down around the Zeo and Willow as they slowly released their embrace.
"Because...you always think of your friends and family first before yourself and your needs," Willow continued as she laid her head on his chest as he returned the hug. "Even if you have an aggressive or jerkish way of showing it, you do care about Eda and Luz. You care about me. You care about Gus, even if he gets on all of our nerves sometimes."
Zeo only coughed in response to that last sentence.
"But at the end of the day, Zeo. You care about all of us and you want to be strong enough to protect us when we get to a point that we can't protect ourselves. That's the definition of a hero, at least that's what Gus calls someone from the Human World," Willow said as she looked Zeo in the eye, who sported a frown and put a hand to her cheek.
"I'm sorry, Willow, but I'm no hero. I'm just a guy who's just trying to get by," Zeo said as if he was no big thing. Just a witch/warlock warrior with summoning magic and potion skills.
"Tell that to all the times you protected and/or saved me up until now," Willow fired back with a frown of her own.
Zeo didn't answer back. Maybe he was hero, but he didn't want to boast about it.
"Yet another reason why I love you. You're humble about who you are. You don't start fights, you finish them before someone else gets hurts," Willow said as Zeo could only smile in agreement. He couldn't refute that.
"Look, Willow. There is a reason why, as much as I want to make you happy, we can't be together. And no, it's not because I don't like you. I mean, you are cute and all but..." Zeo defended, not trying to sound like the bad guy, "...I may not be an expert at relationships, but Luz and I are together now. We've been together for a while now and the last time a girl confessed her feelings to me...," Zeo began, trying his hardest not to bring up Luzara. "Well... it did not go so well..." Zeo said with a fearful frown, trying his hardest not to put a hand over his crotch.
His expression slightly surprised Willow, but remained steadfast and continued to listen in.
"So, I don't want to end up going behind Luz's back to make you happy then, if she were to find out about us, she would be mad, and then none of us would be happy," Zeo explained, feeling deflated at the newly formed love triangle.
"Then, when we get the chance, let me talk to Luz when she and I get some alone time. And we'll go from there," Willow suggested, making Zeo sigh in relief.
"I'm glad we can come to an understanding," Zeo said as he put his hand on top of hers.
That is until the moment was ruined by a scream. Well, two screams going off at the same time. Apparently, Luz and Amity screamed loud enough for the sound to breach beyond the door to the garden, forcing both of them to look at each other, and then sigh, knowing what came next.
"I guess that's my cue to go and save them," he said as he headed towards the door, but stopped and looked back at the mental representation of his friend.
"Do you think I'll see you on the outside? Maybe not this version of you, but… you know what I mean," Zeo said, trying not to sound confused.
"You just might," she answered with a smile as Zeo walked on, towards the way he came in, "Goodbye. See you on the outside..." she said with a wave as Grimrose chirped out a 'goodbye' before Zeo left through the doorway, "...my little Calandiva," she added in a whisper with a small smile and blush.
Zeo flew through the skies of the burnt forest of Willow's mind. However, he immediately took notice of magenta-colored flames engulfing the forest.
"Oh, what the hell?" Zeo questioned as he floated in the air above the trees. He heard a buzzing sound and raised his arm, allowing a bug to land on his finger, "Tracker Tick!"
[Flashback]
"Good. I need to show you something," the Willow before him said as she ran on ahead with Zeo looking back at the memory portrait.
"You guys stay safe. I'll take of this," he said as he went after Willow, trying his best to keep up. He quickly threw the card for Tracker Tick behind himself, summoning the spy bug, "Fly around and keep track of the number of memories the girls fix" he telepathically told Tracker Tick, the bug nodding in understanding before flying off.
[End of Flashback]
"What the hell happened, little buddy?" Zeo asked the spy bug. Tracker Tick released a few chattering sounds, making the card wielder's eyes widen, "Aw, crap, Willow…" Zeo muttered, knowing it was Willow's fire golem form that did this.
"We can't go in there, I'm in there!" Zeo heard Amity say. Looking down, he saw Luz pushing her towards the portrait of the beach.
"Just trust me!" Luz said while pushing her through the portrait before going through herself, just in time as the fire golem blazed by.
Thinking fast, Zeo quickly fly inside of the portrait after the two girls. Zeo landed on one knee with a fist punching the ground.
"Time for a swimming lesson!" Luz said as she drew a large circle in the sand, and then tapped it, creating the ice glyph without drawing the actual glyph itself. It created an ice pillar.
At that moment, the fire golem flew through the portrait. The creature then ended up sliding along the ice pillar and into the ocean, creating a huge cloud of steam.
"Willow!" Zeo exclaimed as he ran up in between Luz and Amity.
"Zeo?" Luz looked at her boyfriend.
"Where have you been?" Amity asked with a slightly annoyed expression.
"Around, shut up!" Zeo replied.
"Wait… did you just say Willow?" Luz questioned as the steam evaporated.
There appeared the Willow that Zeo met before entering that room, the one wearing her casual clothes. She even had her own Grimrose perched on her head.
"Meet the Inner Willow" Zeo informed them.
"And she even has her own Grimrose? That's so adorable!" Luz beamed.
"I'm not even going to question that" Zeo said.
"Good. Don't question the cuteness!" Luz said.
"Willow, aren't you supposed to be the guardian of this place?" Zeo asked the girl.
I was. Love, sadness, fear. I used to be a being made of all emotions" Inner Willow said as she approached them, "But ever since Amity set Willow's mind on fire, all I can feel is ANGER!" she shouted, shooting out flames from her hands which incinerated nearby trees.
"The plant witch using the main element that destroys plants. Ironic..." Zeo muttered.
"Stop! Can't you see you're hurting Willow?" Amity said.
"Willow, I can understand you being here, being pissed off at Amity, and probably wanting to kill her for burning the memories, but—"
"That's not what this is about!" Inner Willow shouted, cutting Zeo off, "At least, not entirely…" she muttered.
"Wait, what?" Zeo looked at her with surprise.
Inner Grimrose then grabbed an empty picture frame.
"Why don't you see for yourselves!?" Inner Willow said, grabbing Amity and tossing her into the picture frame, she then turned to Luz and Zeo, "You wanted to know everything, right? Then why don't you take a trip down memory lane?" she suggested with a smirk.
"You're saying it all creepy, but I do like the sound of—" Luz was cut off by Inner Grimrose grabbing her and tossing her through the portrait.
Zeo and Inner Willow looked at each other. Zeo sighed and flew through the portrait on his own. He and the girls then found himself in a small bedroom.
"Where are we?" Luz asked as Zeo descended to the floor.
That's when Inner Willow and Inner Grimrose floated through.
"You said I was hurting Willow? I was just finishing what you started!" Inner Willow shouted, unleashing a wave of flames, transforming the room as a young Amity and Willow entered the room.
"You have to get out, Willow. Now!" Young Amity said.
"Wait, why?" Young Willow asked.
"Because... Because..." Young Amity stuttered.
"Is it because I can't do magic? Amity, I'm sorry I got us in trouble at the beach, I just... I can't get the spells right" Young Willow said, a tone of guilt in her voice.
"Well, yes, that... that is why! Because... you're a weakling! You can't do magic, so I don't want to be your friend! Now go!" Young Amity said.
Inner Willow then raised her hand, causing the younger versions of herself and Amity to disintegrate like ash in the wind.
"Then you let your new friends pick on her for years! All because you thought she was weak... Well, now I can erase all that pain. After all, out of sight out of mind" Inner Willow said in a dark tone as she floated upwards.
A ring of fire then surrounded Amity's feet.
"Willow, wait! I know this sounds bad, but what if you don't have the whole story!" Zeo suggested.
The flames then stopped. The door opened and two voices rang out.
"Amity!" Amity's father's voice said.
"What is Willow doing here? She wasn't on the guestlist for a reason" her mother said.
"But she's... she's my best friend" Young Amity said.
"Nonsense. Blights only associate the strongest of witchlings. You may choose a new friend from one of the suitable companions we invited" her father said.
"But they're mean! Just because you work with their parents doesn't mean I have to like them" Young Amity huffed, folding her arms.
"Good children don't squabble, dear. Sever your ties with Willow and, if you don't..." her mother began.
"Then we will" her father finished, causing Young Amity gasp.
"We'll make sure the girl is never admitted into Hexside. Now go, and try not to make a scene" her mother told her.
The door then closed.
"So, Amity never wanted to end her friendship with you, her parents forced her to." Zeo said.
"Now that's just rude!" Luz said.
"Willow, you were never too weak to be my friend... I was too weak to be yours. I can't take back what I've done, but I can promise you this..." Amity pulled out Skara's invitation, "I won't let Boscha and her gang pick on you ever again!" she declared, tugging at the wings a bit, "I'm not actually going to rip it up because it's a real butterfly, but you get the gesture, right?" she asked.
"I do" Inner Willow turned to her, smiling with tears in the corner of her eyes. She then took Amity's hand, "I think Willow should keep her memories of you. The good and the bad" she told Amity.
"Me too..." Amity smiled.
"If you don't mind, there are still memories to fix" Zeo said. Willow looked at him and nodded.
Moments later, the portrait of Amity and Willow at the birthday party had been hung on a large tree, the rest of the forest now completely restored. They then saw young and present Inner Willow run happily into the forest with Inner Grimrose, Amity, and Zeo waving goodbye to them, while Luz was crying with tears of joy.
"Alright, let's get out of this place." Zeo said.
"Can I use my Shadow Shriek? Can I? Can I?" Luz asked excitedly, getting up in her boyfriend's face.
Back in the Owl House, Eda and King were panting in exhaustion after their little audition for Gus.
So? Who got the gig, kid?" Eda asked with her hands on her hips.
"Well, this has been the hardest choice of my entire life. But with the public interest in mind, the interview goes to..." Gus paused for dramatic effect, "Hooty!" he said.
"Hooty?!" Eda repeated.
"Hooty?!" King repeated as well.
"Hoot?" Hooty questioned.
"Who else could give me all the juicy information I need but the Owl House itself!" Gus said as Grimrose used one of her vines to facepalm. Hooty gasped in delight, "Tell me everything, Mr. Hooty!" Gus said.
"I've been waiting to hear those words all my life! Where to begin?" Hooty said as he started talking.
"Grr... I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna bake that bird in a pie!" Eda growled.
"I'm gonna bake that kid into a pie!" King chimed in.
That's when a loud screech filled the room, causing Eda and King to cover their ears in pain.
She looked at Willow. "Oh, right. I put people in there." She said, forming a spell circle that brought everyone back.
"Whoa! What went down here?" Luz looked at the mess, "And where's Gus? What did you do with Gus?" she asked, noticing the lack of the illusionist.
"The kid's fine. He's just dead to us" Eda said as she and King walked off, clearly irritated.
Grimrose then sucked up the thistle that kept Willow asleep, allowing her to slowly wake up.
"Willow! Do you know who I am?" Luz gestured to herself.
"A friendly scarecrow?" Willow asked slowly, and then chuckle, "Just messing. I remember everything!" she said while pointing to her temples.
"She's back, folks. My girl's back!" Luz flew up to Willow and threw her arms around her, "I'm gonna hug you so hard, you'll never forget me again!" she said.
Grimrose joined in on the hug. *Chirp* "Mama!" She said, happy Willow was back to normal.
Willow then noticed Amity.
"I remember what you did too. In there. I can't say that we're friends, but it's a start" Willow told her, the two girls smiling at each other.
"And if your parents do have a problem with you two being friends again, they're going to have to deal with me" Zeo said, pointing to himself.
"Thanks" Amity smiled before heading, Gus still interviewing Hooty.
As Amity was walking through the woods, she looked to make sure no one was watching before pulling a piece of paper, unfolding it, and sighing.
"Oh, Willow. If only I could tell you the whole truth." She said, before folding it back up and placing it back in her pocket.
Unbeknownst to her, on her shoulder was a camouflaged Tracker Tick who flew back to the Owl House as Gus was starting to get annoyed with Hooty.
"Well, Grimrose and I should probably get home." Willow said. "Thanks for fixing my brain, you guys. Sorry my inner me nearly messed it all up." She added.
"Eh, no problem. You want a ride? I could fly you home" Zeo offered.
"Uh, sure" Willow smiled, a faint blush crossing her cheeks.
Willow's House…
Zeo descended onto the porch of Willow's house, having flown while carrying her in his arms, Grimrose perched on top of his head.
"And this is your stop. Thank you for flying Air Zeo" Zeo joked, "I think Luz is starting to rub off on me…" he muttered as he set Willow down.
"Thanks, Zeo. And thanks again for our… little moment in my head" Willow said while looking a way with a shy blush.
"Oh. You remember that too, huh?" Zeo chuckled lightly, a faint blush crossing his face as well.
"Yeah. You really are a good friend" Willow told him.
"You aren't going to mention to Luz what we did in there, are you? You know, about… that tender moment we shared while we were hugging?" Zeo asked, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, no, that'll stay between us. But I am going to have a private talk to her about my feelings like I said" Willow said.
"Ok, cool" Zeo smiled before handing her Grimrose, "So… night" he said as he flew off into the sky.
"Night" Willow replied with a giggle before she and Grimrose headed in, shutting the door seconds later.
"So, what've you got for me, Tracker Tick?" Zeo asked the spy bug as they flew.
Tracker Tick then displayed a video. It showed Amity outside the house, unfolding the paper, revealing a drawing of a heart with an arrow through it, and the words "A.B + W.P" written in it.
"Oh, that's just cute. Maybe Luz and I should give those two a push in the right direction." Zeo smirked deviously.
And that's the end of this chapter. This was fun to write, especially since it's one of my favorite episodes from season 1. Then again, most episodes centering around Willow tend to be pretty good. Willow's probably my favorite supporting character in this show. Plants and animals work well together, which is probably why she and Zeo get along so well. This chapter was co-written with JTWAS1994. However, the scenes involving Zeo talking to Boscha and getting invited to Skara's part, as well as that private moment between him and Willow inside of Willow's mind were thought of by my good friend Clock King 10. I thought they were so good, how could I not put them in?
Also. Grimrose doesn't have anger issues, she's just really protective of Willow, just like Willow's protective of her.
I don't think the scene of Zeo kissing Willow counts as him cheating on Luz since it literally happened in her head and it was a mental version of her. I'll be honest though, if it weren't for Luz, I'd probably ship him with either Willow or Emira… maybe Viney if we ever get more moments with her character. Then again, this has a semi-harem secondary plot, so maybe something will happen there.
I'm excited to post the next chapter, it's going to be so fun!
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