All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy the fic.
Chapter 107: Resolutions
Back in the Demon Realm, in the Owl House, Julia Traveler sat on the couch while receiving tea from Hooty.
"Here's some earl gray, Ms. Traveler!" Hooty said while pouring some tea.
"Thank you, Hooty," Julia responded. Sitting beside her was Camila while on the floor was the tied up Yui, who was being guarded by Ghost, Acorn, and Brucy. "Are you feeling alright, Camila?"
"Yes, I am," Camila responded before a portal suddenly appeared before them. Dropping out of the portal were Boscha, Gus, Willow, Cups, Mugs, Edric, Eda, Lilith, Hunter, King, Luz, Amity, Cross, Lindsay, and Emily, who all fell through while Kitsuni simply stepped out. Camila was quite shocked by this, while Julia looked completely unfazed.
"Ow…" Boscha groaned as everyone got up.
"We're back in the Owl House!" King declared before he saw the demon squirrel coming to him. "Maurice! You're alright!" he declared while hugging the squirrel.
"At least leaving the Underworld was easier than getting there." Luz said while helping Amity up.
"Luz!" Camila shouted, getting up. "You're back!" She rushed over to her daughter, hugging her.
Luz immediately hugged her back. "Mom… I'm… I'm so sorry for leaving like I did. I should've personally let you know before we left where we're going-"
"Luz, I'm just glad that you're back safe and sound," Camila responded while seeing Amity, King, and the others. "All of you," she said as Amity went to hug Camila.
"We're glad to be back too, Camila," Amity replied while King hugged Camila as well.
Kitsuni looked down at the tied up Yui, shocked to see her here. "Yui… of course."
"Sister…" Yui groaned weakly, looking up with dried tears on her face.
Eda and Lilith then noticed Julia. "Ms. Traveler?! You're here?"
"That's right," Ms. Traveler responded while drinking her tea. "I decided to pay a visit, wanting to check in on everyone following the Bonesborough Brawl. However, I learned that none of you were here so I decided to wait until you returned. Though I will warn you that there are scouts still camped outside waiting for your return, Amity," she told Amity. "And I can assure you that Kay is safe and sound."
"Kay?" Amity realized. "I need to check up on her!" she said while rushing through the house, heading upstairs to check up on Kay.
Boscha looked around the house. "This is… my first time coming to Luz's place."
"I've been around but not inside before," Lindsay replied.
"So this is the Owl Lady's home?" Cross asked while seeing the living objects that stared at him.
Emily also looked around. "This… place… someone actually lives here?" she questioned.
"Hello!" Hooty popped up in front of her. "I'm Hooty and…" Hooty got a good look at Emily, his eyes widening. "You're the bad witch girl from the news!" He hissed and tried to attack Emily, but was prevented by Eda, Willow, Cross, and Lilith as they all told him to stop.
Emily backed away, feeling overwhelmed in a place like this. Needing a moment, she ran down the hall, found the bathroom, and rushed in.
Lindsay saw where Emily went and she sighed. "I'm going to go check up on her," she said while going to check on Emily.
Cups looked outside the window, spotting the scouts camping outside. "She's right, there are some scouts outside."
"So what we need is to find a way around them," Mugs replied.
"Don't worry, guys," Edric reassured them. "We have some master illusionists in this house."
"Yeah, we'll be extra sneaky," Gus said.
"Well as soon as we can figure out a plan to get us out of here, I plan to head out once Lindsay has calmed Emily down," Cross said while Eda looked at him.
"Before you do," Eda spoke up, walking over. to him. "I do want to take time to talk to you about your… situation, Cross. Especially about your, um, dragon heritage."
"I want to talk to you as well," Hunter said while walking up to Cross.
Cross looked at the two and nodded. "Follow me to the other room," he said, leads the two to another room to discuss while the others try to calm down Hooty.
Once they were out of hearing range, Eda spoke up. "Now then… you're not the first lycan witch I've met. But a were-dragon is new."
"What do you know about… the dragons in the Isles?" Cross asked her.
"Well, I do know that there were once tribes and clans of them that used to roam around the Boiling Isles and the rest of the Demon Realm. But when Belos rose into power and during the height of were-fever, he declared the dragons practitioners of wild magic and had them hunted down in 'accordance with the Titan's will' and so on." Eda said. "Or at least that's what I know from the history books."
"My grandfather, Drayden, knows more about our kind's true nature," Cross explained. "Calling us lycans is actually a misconception, we're actually dragons born with witch-forms. We were never born from were-fever, in fact the dragons first appeared the Demon Realm way before it. My ancestor, Talon Drakescale, disguised himself as a witch to continue his lineage even after Belos had my kind wiped out. The Drakescale Clan are the only surviving members left. I only gained my dragon form when I reached puberty, my sister has one as well."
Eda gave him a nod. "You know kid, I've actually met dragons from the Human Realm that have abilities similar to yours."
Cross's eyes widened with interest. "R-Really? There are others like me in the Human Realm? You think there's a way I could meet them?"
"Perhaps, I can mention you to them when I get in contact with them again," Eda said.
Cross smiled, but then realized something. "Although, it'd be nice to meet other fellow dragons, I don't think I can escape from the Emperor's Coven's watch. Thanks to Adrian, there's no way they can let me go."
"Then I'll settle things with them," Hunter said. "I have been thinking this over, and… I'm thinking of going back to the castle."
Eda looked surprised. "You… you are?!" she exclaimed and Hunter nodded. "But… have you talked to Lilith about this? Does she know, Hunter?"
Hunter gave an awkward look. "I haven't… but if I do go back, I can help get Cross out of Adrian's arrangement, along with freeing Boscha's family."
Eda gave Hunter a concerned look. "Hunter, are you sure that this is a really good idea?"
"I… do have doubts about returning to my uncle," Hunter said while looking at Flapjack. "But… this is something I feel like I need to do, especially as a way to help out Boscha and Cross, since it's really unfair for Cross to be in this position right now. I'm sure that Belos will listen to me if I ask him."
Hearing Hunter mention his uncle caused Cross to connect the dots.
"Belos… is your uncle?" Cross asked him.
Realizing he let it slip, Hunter turned to Cross and sighed. "In a way, he kinda is."
"That would explain a lot," Cross replied. "But if you do really end up going back and helping me out, I would be grateful."
"It's no problem," Hunter responded. "I guess… it's about time that I face the music."
In the bathroom, Emily was kneeling down in the corner while Lindsay comforted her. Lindsay had helped Emily calm down after she felt overwhelmed.
"Are you feeling better right now?" Lindsay asked her.
"Y-Y-Yeah," Emily nodded, despite her stammering. She wiped her face. "It's just… this place kinda reminds me of my old childhood home…"
"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Lindsay apologized.
"No, it's okay," Emily said while processing everything. "I… I really shouldn't be here. I know Luz doesn't want me to be here in her own home…"
"Well, we can leave when you're ready," Lindsay suggested. "I promise that you don't have to stay here in a place where nobody likes you. Is that alright?"
"Y-Yeah, just… give me a little time," Emily said with a sniff. "I'm... having a little hard time standing up."
"Do you want a piggyback out of the bathroom?" Lindsay offered.
Emily blushed at the thought before changing subjects. "Maybe we can keep talking. Like… back in the Underworld, when you became this… Madstream."
Lindsay's eye widened. "Oh… you want to know about… that side of me."
"Is it… something hard to talk about?" Emily asked her.
"Well, it's just… since I was a little girl, I've always loved animals," Lindsay explained. "Raised at a farm, I've come to care and nurture the beasts around me, which is why I got into Beast-Keeping. But I was bullied a lot for it," she admitted. "But then one day, this mean boy smacked a little, innocent pixie in front of me as a joke… and something snapped in me and I ended up hurting him to the point of him losing teeth."
Emily blinked. "Dear Titan… is he alright?"
"He's fine," Lindsay replied. "But my anger issues got worse and worse anytime I saw an innocent creature get hurt by someone. So my parents decided to have me placed in a behavior therapy at this Oracle Institute to help manage my anger issues. It took a while, and some traumatized parents, but I've learned how to deal with my anger issues… mostly. Madstream is the result of all the anger I've contained over the years, it grows and grows until I've come to the point where I couldn't keep it in anymore, which was when I learned what Mel did to her own pets."
Emily looked surprised. "You must've been through a lot in that institute."
"Yeah, but it was the previous Oracle Head, Delara Saltstar, who helped me manage my anger," Lindsay explained. "I owe a great deal from her sessions with me. Her kindness didn't just help me… it saved me."
Emily looked at Lindsay, who brushed her hair from her face. As she stared at Lindsay, it really sunk in how much she owed to Lindsay. "It's like… how you saved me." She leaned over and to Lindsay's surprise, Emily… kissed her on the lips.
The kiss shocked Lindsay. At first, it seemed like she was going along with it. But then, she started to feel confused. The kissing wasn't bad, but something about it made her feel… afraid and confused by the action.
Muffled through the kiss, Emily opened her eyes and noticed the fearful look in Lindsay's. She stopped, pulling away lips from hers. "Oh my… Lindsay, I didn't… I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I-I didn't think… I didn't ask for your consent."
After Lindsay caught her breath and got over her shock, she looked at Emily in concern. "Emily, it's okay," Lindsay reassured her, patting Emily's shoulders. "I know that you've been through a lot today, and you're still recovering. Emotions get high sometimes, I understand."
"I… of course," Emily said while the two looked away from each other, blushing.
"Though… there is something I wish to admit," Lindsay reluctantly said while Emily turned to her. "I… did have a bit of a crush on you back when you were the Golden Guard. Back when you saved me from the drop that time."
"Oh… do you… still have those feelings?" Emily asked her awkwardly.
"I… honestly don't know," Lindsay responded, just as awkward. "Right now, I'm just… confused."
Emily understood and the two looked at the bathroom wall. They never thought that they would end up like this… in the bathroom of the Owl House.
After Coming out of the bathroom, Emily and Lindsay spotted Cross talking to Hunter. Emily tried to avoid making eye contact with Hunter while Cross spotted them and came over.
"Hey, are you alright?" Cross asked.
"Yeah, I think I'll be good," Emily responded. "And I think… I've outstayed my welcome here. We should leave, get around the scouts."
"Were you just talking with Hunter?" Lindsay asked Cross.
"Yeah," Cross said with a nod. "He said that he's going back to the Emperor's Castle to get me out of my deal with Graye. Which shouldn't be too hard for him, considering that he's the Golden Guard."
Emily's eyes widened. "Wait… he's the Golden Guard?" she asked while Hunter walked over.
"Yeah, though pretty much everyone here knows who I am," Hunter responded. "You may be the last one to know."
"We learned who he was back when we were traveling through Hell," Lindsay said.
Emily looked baffled as she stared at Hunter. "I… had no idea… I thought you were just some scout?!"
"I was put out on the field at the time," Hunter replied. "Once I head back, Cross will be off the hook and Emily… I promise to not tell them that I saw you. As far as the Emperor's Coven knows, you're still in the Underworld."
"Really? Thank you," Emily said in amazement, shocked that Hunter would do that to her. She looked down, remembering something. "I appreciate that, and… maybe if you could do one more favor, a simple favor."
"What kind of favor?" Hunter asked.
"I want you to help my friend, Tito Jackwitch, who's in the Conformatorium," Emily told him. "I… sorta lied to him about freeing him but, I think he at least deserves to be pardoned. His own family won't bail him out… so please, help him." She sighed, knowing that it would mean Tito would go straight to Nina and learn what she did to him. She then awkwardly looked up at Hunter. "And, um, I'm really sorry for trying to kill you during the Palisman raid."
"Hey, it's no sweat," Hunter replied. "In fact, you're not the only one here who has tried to kill me… so we're fine."
Emily nodded as she, Lindsay and Cross began to head out. Everyone watched them go and Emily briefly made eye contact with Eda. The two looked at each other, Emily giving her a blank look while Eda gave a saddened look. Emily then turned away and conjured an illusion around herself, Lindsay, and Cross as they went outside.
Outside, Hooty was chatting with Hugh and Gidget. "And then, there was that one time where I played a lot of weird games at this party!" he rambled while the two scouts just looked tired from listening. They didn't notice the trio of Emily, Lindsay, and Cross leaving.
Back in the Owl House, King handed the Holder brothers some invisibility glyphs. "Here you two go, some invisibility glyphs should get you far from here where the scouts won't see you," he told them. "Just remember to hold your breath, can you do that?"
"No sweat! I can hold my breath for twenty minutes!" Cups declared while slapping the invisi-glyph on himself.
"Yeah, and we're likely being missed! See ya laters, Ed!" Mugs replied, doing the same.
"Yeah, see you guys later," Edric responded as he watched them leave.
"So… what's the deal with those two brothers?" Boscha asked Edric.
"Um… I have no idea myself," Edric admitted.
Amity came back to the living room with Kay. "I'm back," she said while Acorn followed.
"Great, so now with everyone that is still here, we can start discussing some stuff," Willow said.
"Yeah, for starters… what's with this… deal you have with that Baron, Luz?" Boscha asked as all turned to Luz.
"Yeah, the one that involves Lilith's soul on the line," Eda said, crossing her arms.
"I wish to know as well, Luz," Kitsuni said. "What kind of deal did you make with the Baron?"
"Luz, I think we should tell them," Amity encouraged, turning to Luz.
Luz looked around at the others, knowing that she was going to have to tell them about this sooner or later. She sighed. "It happened while Amity, Willow, and Gus were trapped in the Human Realm, right before I learned that Puck was the one who had stranded them there. I was approached by the Baron, who owns Lilith's soul. Long story short, in order to free Lilith from his debt, I agreed to give him a soul that he specifically wanted. A soul for a soul. And that soul… is the Inner Demon."
Everyone in the room looked surprised by this, except for Amity who already knew. "The Inner Demon? You plan to face off against that monster again?!" Boscha exclaimed in shock.
"Luz, the Inner Demon is a centuries old dream demon that resides in the Forest of Fear, how could you claim his soul to bring it to the Baron?" Willow asked.
"Which is why I'm working on it," Luz said. "I have until the Day of Unity to give that freak what's coming to him. But after everything in the Human Realm, I thought we needed a break… but now I'm going to do whatever I can and find the resources I need in order to try to get rid of the Inner Demon once and for all."
Lilith stepped forward. "Then you'll need the help we ca give, Luz. I recommend Professor Snope. I've learned that he has experience with the Inner Demon for years and has some insight into fighting and chasing him."
"Professor Snope chases after the Inner Demon?" Amity asked in surprise. "That does explain his sleep deprivation."
"I can also help out," Eda mentioned. "I know a few contacts. If you're determined to take down the Inner Demon, there's bound to be some resources to use against him"
"Thanks," Luz said while hearing Kitsuni clear her throat, causing her to turn to her.
"Luz, making a deal with the Baron is not something you should do carelessly," she warned her.
"I'm aware of that… but it's the only way I can save Lilith's soul from him," Luz told her.
"Very well," Kitsuni said, nodding. "While I don't agree with it, I can still help you through my own contacts. I know a yokai that can deal with sleep-related issues."
Luz smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate that… and there's also something… Maya, you feel comfortable with telling them?"
"I think it's time we should," Maya replied.
"Tell us what?" Willow asked.
"While in Hell, me, Amity, and Loona encountered this guy named Alastor," Luz explained, not noticing Julia give a small smile. "And he showed me and Maya a vision… about the demonic being we saw before in the woods right after Amity disappeared," Luz explained. "But Alastor gave this being a name… the Horned King. Apparently, this Horned King, whoever he is, 'inspired' Alastor, who was a serial killer in life."
"Seriously?" Eda asked and Luz nodded.
"I… saw the Horned King as well," Amity admitted, causing everyone to her. "When Mel dropped Donna's keyblade, I touched it and it gave me a vision. I saw the Horned King, a rift opening in a red sky, the winged creatures from Hunter's vision laying waste to the Isles, and throughout it all someone was talking to me, telling me to 'stop him'… though, I don't know whether I can trust the vision or not, or why the keyblade was what triggered it."
"Those flying creatures… were they the Exorcists?" Hunter asked. "Apparently they are a type of angel from Heaven that annually purges Hell."
"I think so, cause they look like the ones me and Willow saw and fought before in separate locations," Amity responded. "One of them had a glowing yellow eye in the vision."
This caused Willow's eyes to widen, remembering Sara's warning.
"Kitsuni, do you have any knowledge about the Horned King?" Luz asked her.
"I've… never heard of this Horned King before," she admitted. "But if his influence has reached beyond the Demon Realm, I'll look into it. Though, can I see the keyblade?"
Amity held it up and Kitsuni took a look at the key. "Acorn said that it's a powerful weapon."
"Indeed it is," Kitsuni confirmed while looking at the key. "Hmm, I don't know who the original owner of the blade is, but I do know someone who is a former keyblade weirder."
"Wait, Donna has been carrying some kind of powerful object all this time?" Boscha asked in shock.
"Apparently so…" Willow responded.
"Regardless, may I have this keyblade? I think it should be analyzed more…" Kitsuni requested.
But Eda cut in. "No, that's not going to happen. The keyblade belongs to Donna and it goes rightfully back to her."
"That's right," Luz agreed. "Sorry Kitsuni, but it rightfully belongs to Donna."
"Might as well let them keep the key, Kitsuni," Julia said while drinking her tea. "After all, it was with Ms. Masterskull for a reason."
Kitsuni looked at Julia before turning to the Clawthornes. She sighed. "Very well."
Edric then spoke up. "So… I know that it's suddenly another thing to bring up, but…" He turned to Luz. "What exactly happened to Trini?"
Luz just looked down, her hands starting to shake before Amity held her left hand, squeezing it. Luz looked up to Amity, who gave her a reassuring look. But Luz just shifted her eyes down again and shook her head.
"I don't like to talk about it," Luz said, dodging the question.
"And you don't have to, Luz," Julia said to reassure her. "Not until you're ready."
"Well, I do need to get back to my colleagues," Kitsuni said while carrying her sister on her shoulder. "I have to take my sister and D-Josh to them. However, before I go, we need to talk about what is to be done about Amity."
Everyone fell silent, a silence that was ended by Gus. "Right… from last night…"
"Amity is now exposed as being part-Fae, and considering the laws here in the Boiling Isles, along with the propaganda… she should probably leave the Isles," Kitsuni said while Amity lowered her head, her fears partially coming true.
"I know," Amity responded while sitting down with Kay on her lap. Luz and Camila joined her.
"But… we just got back!" Edric shouted, looking at his sister in concern. "Are you saying… you're not going to be living in the Isles anymore, sis?"
"Just for the time being," Eda said while turning to the others. "If she stays, she could easily become a target. At least until the heat dies out, I think it is for the best that Amity leaves and keeps her head down for a while."
"I don't like this," Boscha said while lowering her head. "But I know for Amity's sake, she can't stay here."
"Are you really okay with this, Amity?" Willow asked in concern.
Amity shook her head. "No, I am not okay with this. I don't want to leave the Isles… but I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" she asked, her eyes leaked while she tried to keep herself together.
"Pardon my interruption," Julia spoke up, getting everyone to turn up. "But since you've all returned and have clearly gone through a lot over the weekend, might I suggest having sessions with each of you? Because you all look like you need a good talk about your experience."
Boscha nodded in agreement. "That's a capital idea,"
Gus and Willow turned to each other, giving each other nods.
"I think… I need that," Gus said.
"Yeah, I do as well," Willow responded.
Edric joined in. "Yeah, I do think I need a session."
"Yeah, I could have one before I leave," Amity said as she and Luz looked at each other, knowing that they would need this.
"I'll get some snacks from the cabinet for each of you," Camila suggested.
"And I would suggest letting your families and friends know that you've returned safe and sound," Julia suggested. "They are quite worried for you, especially during this lockdown."
"Yeah/That's a good suggestion/We should do," the teens nodded in agreement as Willow, Boscha, and Edric decided to contact their relatives to let them know they were safe.
Back in the Underworld, Mel was in her room. She couldn't leave due to the seal marks that prevented her from exiting out of her room or out of this realm. She was just sitting on her bed, having no one to talk to. She was… trapped.
"Perfect," she muttered while laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. She heard the door open and she sat up to see Hades and Persephone. She gave them a blank look. "Great… here to pass judgment upon me, right?"
"Melinoe, there's something we need to discuss," Persephone started.
"Yeah, we've come to an agreement on what to do with you," Hades said.
"Let me guess… I'm going to be made an example of for trying to overthrow your rule?" Mel asked sarcastically. "Banished me to Tartarus, have my godhood stripped?"
"Actually, me and your father have decided… that we're going to leave the Underworld," Persephone declared.
Mel's eyes widened in shock "What?!
"Basically, we're going to be taking some time off from work to focus on you, kid," Hades said.
"We thought that it would be best to leave the Underworld and take you somewhere that is removed from any distractions," Persephone said while sitting on Mel's bed and placing her hand on hers. "We want to give you the help you need rather than just have you locked away somewhere, but we also want to be as involved in the process as possible and I know just the place to get therapy."
Mel looked horrified as she turned to her dad. "Have… you agreed with this?"
Hades looked unenthusiastic. "I'm not a fan of retreats, but I do agree with Persy on this. But hey, maybe it's for the best, kiddo. Not just for you, but all three of us should get ourselves a little overdue sabbatical."
"Wait, what about mom?" Mal asked. "What does she think of this?"
"We've already contacted Maleficent, who has her hands full right now," Hades said. "When I told her what we'll be doing with you, she didn't mind."
This caused Mel to fall silent before she looked up at her parents. "Can't I just be locked in Tartarus?"
"I'm very reluctant to tell the others about killing Trini," Luz admitted to Julia while fidgeting with her own fingers. She was in her own room while talking with the counselor. "I don't want them to think that I'm some kind of monster, as if I'm not already disgusted with myself. I know I already killed Maya by mistake, but this feels even worse. This isn't like when you see those action movies, the hero kills the villains and they just brush it off… I can't brush this off. I will never get over this."
"I'm so sorry that this happened to you, Luz," Julia said, sympathetic. "But it's okay for you to tell the others, they'll understand, especially since you yourself are disgusted with the action. You didn't enjoy it, which is evidence that you aren't a monster, and the others will see that."
Luz sniffed. "And you know, I had accepted that I was a cambion… only to now learn that I'm not a cambion at all. Which is now yet another thing I have to unfortunately deal with." She looked down at her own hands. "One thing I do know… is that I'm a killer. Just like my mom and my aunt, we've killed someone by accident… now I wonder if how I felt after killing Trini was how Lilith felt about killing my birth mom… the disgust… the shame… the guilt… Titan, now I'm reminded of the nightmares…"
"Nightmares?" Julia asked.
"When we went to the Underworld, Mel caught us by surprise and trapped us in our own personal nightmares," Luz described. "I ended up facing my mom Camila, my godmom Abigail, and Gus… calling me selfish. They called me selfish for how I continued to associate with Lilith despite her killing Camila, how I ignored how uncomfortable Abigail felt about Eda, and how I've neglected to look for Gus's dad. I got Kitsuni to check up at his home, but there's still no signs of Perry… and I've come to realize that I was being selfish. Selfish for wanting to have both a human and witch family when both my human mom and godmom hate my witch mom and aunt. And I've been so focused on my own problems that I have been ignoring the feelings of everyone else except for Amity." She looked up to Julia. "I am selfish… I even wanted to leave Emily behind… how does that make me any better than her?"
"Well, on being selfish, I would agree," Julia admitted. "But it's perfectly understandable. You are, after all, fourteen years old."
"But… isn't being selfish bad? I've been unintentionally hurting Camila and Abby-"
"Luz, listen to what I'm about to say," Julia said to her. "You're just a kid who has recently gotten both your birth mother back and learned that you have a godmother. The issue isn't you, Luz. The issue is the adults, because it sounds like they have issues that they need to work out with each other instead of you blaming yourself for wanting the people you care about in your lives. You should never have to be pressured into something that makes you feel uncomfortable."
Luz thought of what Julia told her and she sighed. "I do realize that I have still spent very little time with my godfamily… which I do regret." She intertwined her hands while looking down at the floor. "When I first learned about Abigail, I was ready to take Eda's side when she told me that Abby was a witch-hunter, despite Camila saying otherwise. Because of course I would take Eda's side, I was biased toward her." She paused for a moment before continuing. "But then I actually met Abby, who wasn't the evil witch hunter I was ready to make her out to be. She was… a good person that accepted me and cares about me. While Abby is uncomfortable around Eda, I have to accept… that it's understandable and even justified. My mother… hurt Abigail. Probably more than I will ever really know. I know I should probably talk to mom about this, but it's not a conversation I've been looking forward to having." She brushed the orange highlight of her bang. "Because Eda is a hero to me. I don't want to see her as anything less than that…"
"It's understandable to feel that way, Luz," Julia said. "However, you should still remember that Eda always tried to do what she thought was right for you. I'll admit, I do think that she can be short-sighted at times and it's okay for you to acknowledge that Eda has hurt people. She's not perfect, but she also wouldn't get upset if you talked about this with her." She saw the self-doubt on Luz. "You shouldn't be too hard on yourself… but you shouldn't be too hard on your family either, including Lilith. You've continued to choose to be around and associate with her because you care about her, and you need her, just as you need the rest of your family. So obviously, the solution isn't to cut anyone out of your life, the solution is to talk to the women in your life and work things out with them."
"Work things out? Like… figure out a compromise?" Luz asked.
"Of course," Julia said, nodding. "Though tell me, have you ever had any second thoughts about forgiving Lilith?"
Luz thought about it before realizing something. "No… I still believe that I've made the right decision in forgiving her."
"Then you should try to make Camila understand that," Julia suggested. "The problem right now is less that you're being selfish and more that you aren't communicating with your family. Which results in all of you suffering in silence. While you do want to be more considerate of your family's feelings, the way to do that is by them being open with each other."
"Yeah, that… that would be a good idea," Luz agreed.
"I would also like to suggest that if there's ever a time when you aren't placing as much pressure on yourself… you take a break," Julia said.
Luz looked confused. "Um… what do you mean taking a break?"
"Well, after you save Lilith's soul and find Gus's dad… what comes after that?" Julia questioned. "Cause really, you deserve to have some rest and relaxation after."
This gave Luz some thought about what to do after she helped out both Lilith and Gus…
At the harbor of the River Styx, Charon's cruise ship popped up as all Pain, Panic, Minthe, Spot, Macaria, Thanatos, and Hecate saw Hades, Persephone, and Melinoe off.
"Good luck on your trip, sir!" Pain said.
"We'll keep the Underworld running while you're gone!" Panic added.
"Yeah, thank you, boys," Hades told them. "Oh, and be sure to not lose Spot this time."
The two imps gulped. "We will," Panic replied.
"And uh… keep an eye on Hecate, Persy may have agreed to let her be in charge around here but I don't completely trust her," Hades told the two.
"Don't worry, we'll keep a close eye on her for you, sir," Pain said as he and Panic nodded.
Persephone petted Spot while giving instructions to Hecate. "Minthe will help you, since a lot has changed since you've been incarcerated. Anything you need to know, just ask Minthe."
Hecate nodded. "Thank you, my queen. I hope you and your family have a good time at the retreat."
"And I'll be sure to give her the rundown in running things in the Underworld, ma'am," Minthe said.
"I know, and thank you, Hecate," Persephone said while Spot's three heads licked her. "Oh, I know that I'll be gone, but it'll be just a while, boy!" she said while hugging the large three-headed dog.
Mel just grumbled as she noticed her sister walking up to her. "Mac."
"Mel," Macaria responded. "I just want to wish you well. I will try to visit while you are at the retreat and I will try to bring along our brothers. I'm sure that you'll love to see them again."
Mel just looked at her sister, a grumble following. "Yeah, I'm sure that I will…" she said in a sarcastic manner.
And so, Hades, Persephone, and Melinoe boarded the ship, with Charon greeting them. "Lord Hades, Lady Persephone, and Melinoe, it is an honor to have you on board!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've gone through this before Charon," Hades told him.
"It'd be nice to be away from work for a while," Persephone said. "At the very least, Zeus agreed to have someone else take my place for the next cycle gathering of the Order. Some time with the family is just what I need."
"Yeah, babe," Hades said. "Though since we are going up, maybe we should all change into something for our little trip…"
The two nodded while they transformed into their human disguises. Hades changed into a Caucasian man with combed over brown hair, his toga changing into a black suit with a blue tie, fold collar, black pants and shoes.
Persephone was disguised as a beautiful woman with fair skin, long wavy blond hair with a blue flower sticking out. She wore a green drop-waist dress with a pink waist belt, green heels, and a sun hat.
"You look good with that hat, Persy," Hades complimented with a smile.
"Thanks, though why are you wearing a suit?" she asked.
"What? I hear these are in style for the summer!" Hades quipped. "Besides, I don't really get hot in it anyway. And I wouldn't pass off in a dress like you always do."
Persephone smirked. "Are you trying to butter me up with your compliments?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
"Well, if you wish to be covered with them…" Hades flirted while Persephone laughed as the two joked around.
Mel, who had changed into her human disguise, rolled her eyes as she stared down at the River Styx. She saw everyone waving while hearing Charon's on the intercom.
"Next stop: the island of Idra!" Charon declared.
Amity sat across the table with Julia facing her.
"Reading Luz's comics about Spider-Man, where Peter Parker feels responsible for the death of his uncle… I do feel something similar," Amity admitted. "I find myself feeling responsible for the current state of my family, they are now broken because of me."
"You know that it's not fair for you to hold yourself responsible," Julia pointed out.
"But I can't just ignore how my actions have negatively affected the rest of my family either!" Amity argued, looking upset. "Because I did intentionally distance myself from my family, including my siblings, I've accepted the Clawthornes as my surrogate family with Eda being a surrogate mother to me… I was still unfair to my siblings and I was even unfair to my biological parents." It was then the realization hit Amity. "My gods… if I had just… talked to mom instead of straight-up disowning my family… mom and dad wouldn't have been divorced, and Gibson, Arthur and Destiny would still be far away from dad!" She lowered her head, looking down in shame. "All of this could have been avoided if I hadn't avoided my problems…"
She looked down at her own hands on the table as she continued. "And now thanks to Mel exposing me, it's too late for me to fix things. I have to leave the Isles for now… I just wish that I could have left on a better note." She thought of Odalia. "Now I won't have a chance to tell mom that I know that she was drugged."
"What about your brother? At the very least, you have a chance to make up with him now," Julia pointed out.
"Yeah but, I just feel petty in hindsight," Amity admitted.
"Amity, you need to know that while the damage is done, you can at least learn from the experience," Julia said. "So instead of you focusing on what you could have done, you can focus on what you can do."
"But… what can I do? I can't go near my own father now with the Emperor's Coven having a hold on him," Amity pointed out.
"What you can do now is stay safe," Julia suggested. "That's what your family would really want right now more than anything else. You can make amends with your brother right now and with Lilith as well. But the others will take time, and that's okay."
"Time…" Amity said while thinking it over. She then thought about the vision she had. "I would also like to talk about my vision… and how there was this creature at the end of my vision… it spoke to me, telling me to 'stop him' over and over. I don't want to take the vision at face value, especially after knowing what seeing a vision of the future drove Belos and Hunter to do. But the creature I saw… he kinda looked like King." She had a look of confusion. "I have no idea what to make of it."
"Why didn't you mention the creature before?" Julia asked her.
"Because I wasn't sure," Amity admitted. "The others worry about me enough… especially since Mel exposed me twice. The first time about me being part-Fae, and the other… about my atheism."
"Your atheism?" Julia asked.
"Long story short, I've stopped believing in the Titan after the petrification ceremony," Amity revealed. "I don't know if the Titan is alive and even if he is, he shouldn't have told Belos to do these terrible things, which makes me question a lot of things…" She looked up to Julia. "And what do you think about me being part-Fae?"
"Well, you're still Amity, are you?" Julia asked her. "You're still a good kid who just needs help figuring out stuff."
"So you don't think I'm dangerous?" Amity asked her.
"No, I don't believe that you're dangerous, Amity," Julia reassured her. "And if you gave the rest of the Isles time, they would remember that you're not dangerous either. I also don't think of you any less of you because of your atheism, it's only natural for a girl of your age to question the world around her and her place in it. And the others won't think any less of you either for it."
Amity gave a small smile. "I haven't really talked about it to them yet, my atheism I mean."
"Well then, maybe you should do just that," Julia suggested.
"Eventually, yeah," Amity said before she thought of something else to ask Julia. "Do you… believe in the Titan?"
Julia gave a pause. "Well, I don't think the Titan is dead, I think there is still some part of the Titan still around… but I do think that the real Titan is different from the one you were raised to worship, the one that Belos uses to justify his actions. Belos is a despot that uses religion as an excuse for what he has done and he's not the first to have done it either."
"That… does make sense," Amity admitted before realizing something. "You know, I… don't think I know much about you, Ms. Traveler."
"Well… I travel a lot, like my name implies," Julia joked, which surprised Amity. "I have been to many places and have seen so many weird things. Too many weird things to really rule out anything, don't you know?"
Amity gave her a nod. "Yeah, I know…"
Charon's ship had arrived at its destination, Idra. Mel took a good look at the place, seeing that it is a large island with green fauna with some buildings and camps. She saw some nymphs and some gods on the island. Not just gods from Greek myth, but also Norse, Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, American, and so on. She also noticed that the island was filled with a lot of outdoor activities, including a training course.
"This place looks like a summer camp," Mel commented.
"Yeah, not my first pick for a retreat," Hades responded while they stepped off the ship.
"Greetings, new gods!" spoke up a muscular centaur man with black hair tied to a bun, glasses, and a green shirt with a brown pocket vest. He was holding a clipboard. "We've been expecting you. I am Chiron, co-founder of the Idra Pantheon Retreat for gods, demigods, deities, and other immortals."
"Chiron, nice to meet you, big fan of you getting all these creature features down there to Tartarus," Hades said as he shook Chiron's hand.
"Likewise, and this must be your lovely wife and kid," Chiron responded.
"Chiron… weren't you a hero trainer?" Melinoe asked.
"Hehe, this kid sure knows her mythology," Chiron replied. "I was actually a hero myself. Then I became a trainer of heroes along with being a healer, an astronomer, and a philosopher. Then the Age of Heroes ended and the Olympians fell out of fashion. I was at a loss until I managed to partner with my former rival and transform his home Idra into a resort where we could help gods and immortals with the mental issues they've been dealing with, especially in this day of age where the older and no longer popular gods are struggling to find purpose in this modern age."
The centaur gave the Underworld family a tour. "We've had a lot of success stories around. Like Thor, god of Thunder is now the God of Heavy Metal!" He showed a picture of the god, Thor, with 80s hair as he wielded a guitar.
"Least he wasn't the god of punk rock," Mel muttered.
"Then there was Ishtar, who now runs a brand of all-natural beauty care," Chiron explained, showing an image of Ishtar holding up a brand bottle of lotion. "Bast, who finds a purpose in sheltering abandoned felines and granting them new homes. I'm sure you'll be seeing some familiar faces around here…"
They spotted one man in a red military uniform having an outdoor therapy session. "I have led armies and been victorious in every war… but one thing I can never have… is Aphrodite's heart!" Ares cried while a nymph gave him a tissue box.
"I don't get why no one knows about me," said a muscular demigod with a bunch of tattoos, large black hair, a necklace full of seashells, and a leafy Hawaiian skirt. "Thor has got like a comic book movie deal and I heard they are getting The Rock to play the great Hercules! I have a magic giant fish hook! Where's my comic book?! And don't get me started on the Monkey King always being used as a basis for anime heroes!" he complained to the water nymph who listened to him.
Then they saw a group therapy session as one of its gods stood up. "Hello, my name is Xipe Totec, I am an Aztec god known to have… flayed mortals."
"Hi, Xipe," the other gods repeated.
Chiron continued. "We are staffed with the finest therapists and mental health experts from all the realms. But the resort doesn't just offer that, it also provides plenty of therapeutic and fun activities! I suggest the old heroes' training grounds to keep in shape."
Hades saw some of the gods partaking in sports activities. "Wonder if you can shoot plates around here…"
"Alright, get in a single file order!" spoke up a familiar voice that Hades knew. He turned to see a satyr man with a red nose and four-o'clock shadow wearing the same shirt and vest as Chiron while surrounded by all kinds of creatures. "Let's see, we got the elves who came here for a retreat, followed by the sugar plum fairies for their coffee addiction, and followed by-" He took notice of Hades along with his family. "Oh… Hades," he said with contempt in his tone.
"Phil," Hades replied while his eyes rolled.
"Hello there, Phil," Persephone greeted. "I just want to say thank you for letting us come here to get help for our daughter."
"Yeah, I heard all of that from Herc," Phil said as he handed her some papers. "Here you go, we got choices of the best therapists from across the realms, some family group sessions, and activities you can partake in, and a good buffet to eat."
She looked at the schedule. "Oh wow, this is great. A good choice of activities we can do! Doesn't this look great, Mel?"
Mel just shrugged in silence as Phil continued. "Alright, I'll have one of the employees to show you your room."
And so on, the trio were shown to one of the facilities on the island and their room with two beds, a couch with a TV, a welcome gift basket, and doors to the bathroom and closet.
"This is where you'll be staying, we have room service and call if you need anything," spoke the sprite worker.
"Huh, the view is nice," Hades said while looking out the balcony.
"Yeah," Persephone agreed while noticing Mel just sitting on the couch with a sour look. "Mel, what do you think of this place? Isn't it nice to be out of the Underworld with your family?"
Mel just looked down. "I still don't get why we're doing this."
Hades and Persephone looked at each other before they went to sit beside Mel. "Mel, this is for the best for all of us," Persephone started. "We've realized that we needed to keep a closer eye on you and you really do need help. And while it is true that just punishing you would've been easier… it wouldn't have done you any good, since we can't guarantee that you would have learned a lesson from it… or that we would learn from it either, since we're both responsible for what happened as well."
"She's right, kid, and admittedly that I'm especially at fault for all of this," Hades said, which surprised Mel. Hades sighed. "So if we don't want this kind of incident to happen ever again, we will actually need to confront this as a family rather than just expect you to learn your lesson on your own. And… I'm sorry for not being the best father."
"You're apologizing…?" Mel asked with a shocked look on her face.
"Me being a not so great father isn't an excuse for what you did, let's make that perfectly clear," he said. "You are still in trouble and you're not off the hook. But we're here because we do care about you in spite of everything. Hell, overthrowing me is something I can't be too mad at you for, cause believe me, I know full well where you got it from."
Mel looked at her father. "Yeah, I know I am my mother's daughter-"
"Actually, you get me from me. Because back before you were born, I was a lot like you," Hades explained. "I used to want to overthrow my brother… but it wasn't just a power grab. It… stemmed from a deep resentment I had for your uncle Zeus. And now I see you going down that same path…"
Thousands of years ago…
In the Underworld, Persephone got Hades in a meeting room. They heard thunder and lightning, despite being in the Underworld. Hades just sighed.
"Are you okay?" Persephone asked him.
"I'm fine, I'm just… ready to get this over with," he said while Hades came in.
"Um… Hades, sir… your brother's here," Panic said.
"Let him in," Hades said while Panic opened the door, Zeus stepping inside the room.
Zeus just stared down at Hades with a not so jovial look. Persephone got in between them. "Hey, Zeus, it's been a while. Thank you for deciding to come here to meet up with us!"
"You're welcome, Persephone," Zeus said while shaking her hand.
"Why don't you have a seat?" she asked while pulling out a chair for Zeus to sit in. Once Persephone sat in the middle, the two male gods looked at each other in silence with their arms crossed. She sighed. "Mother warned me about the stubbornness of men… look, you two have a lot of issues going on and this needs to be settled. Why don't you two start opening up with each other, like how do you really feel for each other?"
"How I feel? Betrayed by my older brother who tried to have me overthrown and tried to off my son so that he could rule the cosmos!" Zeus pointed out. "I can't wait to hear what you want to open up about."
Hades gave his brother a glare. He shared a look with Persephone, who gave him an encouraging nod. He cleared his throat. "Oh, you want to talk about betrayal, hmm? You know what, I get it, I'm not the nicest god around. I'm a dark lord of the dead for Gaia's sake! Fitting for someone who had been trapped inside dad's stomach for years along with the other gods he had eaten! But along came Zeus, my younger brother, who rescued his elder brother and the others from that eternal hell!" He gave Zeus a look of disdain. "Back then, you were my savior… only for you to then assign me to the Underworld, which I thought was an honor at first. But then I came to believe that you did it to spite me..."
Zeus's eyes widened at the realization. "Hades, I-"
"You were the one who saved me from the dark and gloomy stomach, and then you were the one to send me to another dark and gloomy place in order to make sure that dad never escaped Tartarus. You made sure that I would be reminded of what my father did to me every. Single. Day. And you never visited!" Hades hissed at Zeus. "And when I did show up at Olympus, I was given the cold shoulder while you were the golden boy that everyone loved. So yeah, I grew to resent the Underworld and I grew to resent you."
Zeus was shocked to hear all of this. "I… I didn't know you felt that way… how come you never told me about this?"
"Sharing feelings isn't one of my best qualities," Hades said.
"Hades…" Zeus said, regret flashing on his face. "If only… if only mother was still around. Then maybe we wouldn't have…" he said while lowering his head.
At the mention of their mother, Hades suddenly looked saddened. "Yeah, I miss mom too…"
"I didn't know about that…" Mel said after hearing this.
"There's a lot that's hard to talk about, but I'm telling you this now just to put things in perspective," Hades said. "I know that I haven't always done right by you… but now, I'm willing to make this right for all of us," he said genuinely.
Mel gave in some thought. "I… I think I'll give this a chance," she said.
Hades nodded with a smile. "We're going to work this out together, kiddo. I… I love you too much to accept anything else," he said, which made Persephone smile.
"Maybe we can have Uncle Zeus come by and visit while we're here," Persephone suggested.
As her parents talked, Mel thought about what her father had said. 'Despite the riots, the kidnapping of mortals, the hostile takeover… despite everything I did… my father does love me,' she thought while looking up at her dad and her step-mom.
And she began to feel something. A feeling that she absolutely hated.
Regret.
Edric sat in a chair while talking to Julia.
"How are you coping with this experience, Edric?" Julia asked him.
Edric sighed. "For one, I feel like an idiot… and a huge jerk for how I treated my own family. I know now that Mel was manipulating me with her powers, but I am not sure how much of it was Mel and how much of it was my own deep-seated resentment towards my family. For example, like when I didn't react to seeing Luz getting beaten, was it me or was it Mel? Titan, I'm horrible…"
"You're not horrible, Edric," Julia reassured him.
Edric paused for a moment, looking more upset. "But now my little sister has to be forced to leave the Isles… and it is all my fault. All of this happened because I was so afraid of being alone, afraid of being left behind by my family. I wanted attention and Mel gave it to me… only for me to realize too late what she and her so-called friends were really like."
"She tricked all of you kids," Julia said. "Edric, it is good that you're trying to take responsibility for your actions, but I do want to remind you to not be too hard on yourself. You fell victim to a manipulator who messed around with your feelings and took advantage of your insecurities. What Mel did, which includes exposing Amity, is not your fault."
Edric thought of what she said. "I don't think I can ever forgive Mel for what she did. She had Trini drug my mom and Lilith so that they would have an affair, and Mel then sent out the pictures for all the Isles to see," he said while lowering his head. "I hate them for doing that, just to alienate me from my family even further. I mean, I already knew that my parents were probably going to split up anyway, even without Trini's interference. But there was still a chance that they could have worked things out if Mel hadn't escalated things and made them worse. But she destroyed my family… because of me." He looked down. "I did secretly resent my family… but I still love them. And I hate what this whole thing has done to us, Amity especially. She doesn't deserve any of this."
"I agree," Julia acknowledged. "But Ed, you don't deserve to hate yourself or beat yourself up for this. The divorce is not your fault. None of this is your fault."
"What… do you think I should do?" Edric asked her.
"Well, to put it quite simply… talk to your family," Julia suggested. "Let them know how you feel, but also hear them out. And don't let this experience discourage you from making new friends. You weren't wrong to try looking for new people to hang out with, but next time… probably do a more thorough background check."
At Satorius Acres, Lindsay had finally made it home along with Cross and Emily. She told them to let her go in first and as she did, she was greeted by her family.
"Lindsay!" her mom shouted as she and her husband rushed over to hug her daughter. "Oh my sweet, baby witchling, you're alright!"
"We're glad that you're safe, Lindsay!" Aunt Dorothy said while hugging her grandniece.
"I'm glad to be home as well!" Lindsay replied while in tears.
"Just… where have you been?" her dad demanded to know.
"Yeah, we've been worried sick for you!" her mom shouted, just as angry, which made Lindsay flinch. "With the lock down going on we had to ask the Courtlands to help look for you!"
"Where have you been, sis?" Jojo asked her.
"I'm so sorry for worrying you guys, really," Lindsay apologized.
"Lindsay, just explain to us why you went missing for almost a day," Aunt Dorothy said, crossing her arms.
"Um… it's a little hard to explain, but… I went to save someone who needed my help," Lindsay said as she turned to the door. "Come on, they won't bite," she said reassuringly as she brought in someone that her family didn't expect to see with their daughter…
"Um… hi," Emily said nervously as she came in, Cross entering the house next.
"W-W-Wait, ain't she that… Tricks girl from Glandus?" Uncle George asked in shock while Lindsay's mom covered her mouth and everyone else was just as shocked.
"I thought she was killed by that goddess?" Jojo asked.
Lindsay's dad marched up to pull Lindsay away. "I don't know what you're up to, but you're not hurting my Lindsay!"
"Aunt Dorothy, everyone, it's alright," Lindsay reassured them, pulling away from her father's grip and going to stand by Emily. "Look, I know and I'm aware of what Emily has done, but she also saved me when she was the Golden Guard. After she was sent to the Underworld, me and Cross went there to save her with help from Luz Clawthorne and her friends and family."
"You went to the Underworld?!" Lindsay's mom exclaimed in concern. "Are you alright?"
"It's alright, Mrs. Shystream," Cross spoke up. "My name is Cross, a classmate of hers, and I can assure you that me and the others made sure Lindsay is alright. As for Emily… she went through a lot while trapped in the Underworld."
Lindsey's family turned to Emily, not sure what to make of her.
Emily started to speak, her voice nervous. "I… I was put through my own personal hell in a limbo state where I was forced to relive my worst memories and be punished for my choices over and over again. It was like being placed in a torture chamber…" She looked up at Lindsay's family. "I know that you are all suspicious of me and I understand that. But I have no ill intentions toward your daughter. As you know by now I-I'm, or was, the Golden Guard, from yesterday. I was pardoned by Head Witch Graye to be his apprentice and I took the role, but… I think everyone else believes I'm dead at this point. I can't go back to the Emperor's Coven and I have nowhere else to go, so Lindsay offered me to stay here… if you allow me, that is."
"She needs help," Lindsay said as she patted Emily's shoulder. "Please."
Her mom looked at Aunt Dorothy, who thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Alright, she can stay."
Emily looked up. "R-Really?" she asked.
"Look, we know your reputation, but at the end of the day, you're still a kid and you need help," Aunt Dorothy replied while walking towards her. "And if you really are the one who saved our daughter from that Grim Goblin terrorist, this is the least we can do." She turned to Lindsay's parents. "Bloom, Colt, get the guest room set up for her."
"We will Aunt Dorothy," Lindsay's mom, Bloom, said as she and her husband went to set up a room for their guest.
"Lindsay, you can help me prepare something for your friend to eat. You're probably hungry as well," Aunt Dorothy instructed her as Lindsay nodded.
Emily was shocked that these people were willing to help her, despite knowing who she was. Cross cleared his throat, earning her attention. "Well, since now I see you're in good hands, I should be on my way, I need to check up on my family," he told her as he was about to head out, but Emily stopped him.
"Cross, wait," Emily said, causing him to turn to her. Then much to his surprise, Emily walked up to him… and hugged him. "Thank you… for coming for me."
Cross managed to hug her back. "Of course."
As she released him from the hug, Emily looked at Cross. "Can you stay in touch? Because… well, we are in this together."
Cross nodded. "Yeah, I'll keep in touch," he said while turning to Lindsay. "See you at school, Lindsay."
"You too, Cross," Lindsay said, waving to him as Cross set off.
"Is that the Cross boy that you've told us about?" Uncle George asked, which caused Lindsay to be flustered.
"Yeah, so that's what he looks like!" Jojo said while Lindsay turned to the two.
"U-Uncle George, Jojo!" Lindsay exclaimed while feeling embarrassed.
Boscha was looking down on her own tea, her fingers fidgeting while her Palisman calmed her down.
"It's… a lot to process," she said. "I guess… this must be what having an adventure with Luz is like. Like… I've literally traveled to the afterlives and met gods! The Titan is not the only god we have… and while the Titan is just a corpse that only Belos claims to talk to, Melinoe and the others are beings that we can physically interact with…"
"How does that make you feel?" Julia asked her.
"One word: small. This whole experience made me realize how small I am compared to the world I lived in. I have lived on the Isles for my entire life and never once have I desired to even visit any of the other Titans. But now I've been through both Hell and the Underworld. Not only are we just one of many islands in the Boiling Seas, but we are also just one of many realms. I already knew about the other realms, but to travel through two of them really puts things into perspective…" She gave it some thought. "And I think I understand now why Amity doesn't believe in the will of the Titan anymore."
Boscha petted Hogarth while she continued. "I don't judge Amity for her crisis of faith. After everything she went through, I get it. And honestly, I have never really thought about it myself… but maybe Amity has a point. Like… is all the awful stuff that has happened to me been a part of the Titan's will? Being targeted, my family being branded as criminals and… what is even the Emperor doing? For Titan's sake… or whatever deity's sake, Belos and the Titan seem less impressive to me now…. and I think I'm starting to question my own faith right now." She turned to Julia. "Do you think I sound crazy?"
"I can assure you that you don't, cause it makes perfect sense," Julia said. "The world has been opened up to you and it has made you start to question things. It is perfectly understandable."
Boscha nodded while looking down. "I also… saw this… Fae, Puck, who I… still haven't forgiven him." She felt her own scar. "I get that he's Amity's friend or whatever, but he still scarred and paralyzed me. That's something I can never forget."
"Of course, you should not be expected to forget that and you are not obligated to forgive someone that hurt you," Julia said.
"It's not just that he hurt me," Boscha said. "If he hadn't scarred me, I wouldn't have exposed Amity's deal with Lilith to Luz and then they might have not broken up, and then the whole petrification ceremony wouldn't have happened and all of the fallout from that wouldn't have happened… every bad thing that has happened to me, Luz, and Amity can be traced back to him." She sipped her tea before putting it down. "I do still feel guilty for my role in breaking up Luz and Amity, but because they forgave me, I can't be mad at them for forgiving him because that would be hypocritical of me. But I hope they'll understand why I'm not okay with Puck."
"Have you talked to Luz and Amity about this?" Julia asked.
Boscha shook her head. "No, but I don't think I want to and I don't need to. As long as Puck doesn't come near me again, then… we won't have a problem."
The Holder brothers had made it back home, reuniting with their Grandpa Kettle.
"Grandpa Kettle!" the two boys shouted as they went to hug their grandpa.
"Boys, you two are okay!" Kettle replied, hugging his grandsons. "Where have you been?" he asked as the boys begin to explain.
"We were at the Brawl last night!" Mug shouted.
"And we got our keisters kicked," Cups added.
"Then our friend, Mel, turned out to be a goddess!" Mugs mentioned.
"And it turns out she's Mr. Hades's daughter!" Cups revealed.
"Mr. Hades's kid?!" Kettle exclaimed.
"Yeah, she had us knocked out and kidnapped so she could give us to her dad and he had his minions shoot us with bb pellets!" Cups exclaimed.
"They hurt a lot," Mugs added. "But luckily, Edric and his friends came to our rescue!"
"Mr. Hades said we're free for now, so we don't have to worry about him again!" Cups said.
"Well, I'm just glad that you two are back home," Kettle replied. "Now why don't you head to your rooms while I make supper."
"Yeah, I'm beat. Come on, Mugs," Cups said while the two headed upstairs to their room.
"I can't wait to get back to my own bed again," Mugs said as the two made it to the door to their rooms. Once Cups opened the door, the two saw someone waiting for them… and their jaws dropped.
"Oh, I was wondering when you two would show up," the spirit of Scooter Crane said.
Cups and Mugs were shaking as Cups spoke up. "Y-Y-You're not really… t-t-t-the ghost of Scooter Crane… right?"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK, YOU ROTTEN LITTLE PUNKS?!" Scooter's ghost grew larger and more frightening as he bared fangs and his eyes flared up.
"WAAAAAAH!" the brothers screamed.
It was Gus's turn to talk with Julia. "How have you been feeling since our last talk, Augustus?" Julia asked him.
Gus's face fell. "Honestly, since the last time we've talked, I think I've gotten a bit worse…"
"Worse? What do you mean?" she asked in concern.
"I've… created an illusion projection of Vaggie," Gus revealed. "I didn't know how to cope with how she died and… when I killed Michael… so I made an illusion of her to talk to as if she was real but I know that she's not… does… does that make me a creep?"
"You're not a creep, Augustus," Julia pointed out. "You're just trying to cope with your grief and find closure."
"Yeah… Willow found out about the Vaggie illusion, along with what I did with Michael," he said. "I... do think that I should tell Luz and Amity. Amity knows about the Michael part, but not Luz."
"Do you think there could be some other way you can find closure?" Julia asked him.
"Well…" Gus thought about it before remembering something. "I do remember the séance we had when Luz summoned Camila's spirit. Maybe I can do the same thing," he suggested. "I just need something that belonged to Vaggie… maybe I could get it from Fazio and then I could ask either Barcus or Eve or both to summon Vaggie's spirit and talk to her."
"That is a good idea," Julia said. "I would encourage you to look into that."
Gus nodded before a thought occurred to him. "But… I do wonder why some people come back and some don't. Camila was brought back, and Puck was brought back… but not Vaggie? But then again… it might be for the best that some people don't come back, like Michael…"
Purgatory was like a waiting room full of souls waiting to move on. One of them was Smee, who had a hole in the chest.
He turned to the person he was seated next to. "So um… do you feel like talking, miss?" he asked her. "Cause even though they assigned me a place to go to, I'm still waiting for my captain first. Are you waiting for someone as well? I-I assumed."
"No, but… I am worried about this kid," said a woman with a hole in her right eye… Vaggie. "A kid that I was trying to protect…"
Some time ago…
Electricity jolted him awake.
"AAAAAHHH!" a man screamed as he found himself strapped onto a table in a lab. He struggled against his straps while trying to figure out where he was now, still screaming.
"Agent Michael, stop screaming!" shouted the man known as both Victor Frankenstein and Herbert West. Michael ignored him.
Victor told but Michael kept screaming.
"AAAAAH! Hell… I've been to Hell!" Michael declared, his eyes widened in shock. "Hell is real!"
Victor turned to Director Gates, who stood nearby watching.
"Dr. West, please give Michael something to calm him down," Angel ordered. "We still have more agents to bring out of retirement…"
Victor gave a nod. "As you wish, Director…"
"I'm worried about my friends," Willow admitted. "They went through a lot this weekend, with Mel putting us all through our worst nightmares. I am especially worried about Amity. Luz has gone silent about what happened to Trini, but I don't want to fear the worst. And Gus… dear Titan, I'm afraid this whole experience may scar him. He'd probably think I'm treating him like a baby but he's twelve for Titan's sake!" She pressed her hands on her head. "Just… I don't know what to do right now for them."
"It's good that you worry about your friends, Willow," Julia commented. "But… how are you doing?"
Willow looked up to Julia. "How am I doing? This isn't about me, Ms. Traveler, what my friends are going through is far more important than how I'm doing."
"I know that the problems with your friends are immediate, but your problems are important as well," Julia pointed out.
Willow rubbed her braided hair. "I… I don't think my problems are that important right now."
"You mentioned that your friends were put through their nightmares… did you go through that as well?" Julia asked her.
"I…" Willow looked at Julia, knowing that she couldn't dodge the question. "I did… it was about… my experience in Gatesfield."
"Gatesfield?" Julia asked her.
"A human town where Luz's god family and Mrs. Noceda used to live," Willow explained. "It's where Puck stranded me, but when I woke up I was in a cell. I was drugged by this creepy Hopkins guy and I would never have gotten away from him without some help," she mentioned while looking down. "But… that place, Gatesfield, it did affect me. I've been trying to stay strong, but that experience of being separated from my friends and family… it made me scared and I was helpless."
Willow looked down. "I was really shook up so much because I had no control over that situation… which is crazy, considering how powerful I know that I am. I only got out there because I got lucky enough when those sympathetic teens saved me. Otherwise… I don't want to think about what would have happened to me otherwise."
"Have you talked to your friends about this?" Julia asked her.
"No, I haven't," Willow admitted. "Because I feel like I have to be there for them. I am the reliable one… the strong, supportive witch." She looked up to Julia. "What didn't help was that I was alone when I ended up in Gatesfield. While we may have lost control of the situation in the Underworld, we had each other. But in Gatesfield, it was just me. I didn't have anyone to support… and there was no one to support me…"
"Willow, it's okay to be scared," Julia reassured her. "Maybe you have gotten used to being the heart of the group, the one that the others rely on, but you don't have to be like that all the time. It's okay to acknowledge how your experiences affected you instead of keeping it bottled up. Otherwise, you may lose yourself."
Willow was still feeling uneasy. "Tomorrow's my birthday, and I don't know if I'm going to have a party or not because of everything that's going on right now. Especially with Amity having to leave, which is really unfair." She wiped her face. "It's unfair that any of us have to worry about this. It's unfair that we can't just be kids and focus on being kids."
"I know and I agree, Willow," Julia said while handing Willow a tissue box. "But… I think you should still try to have a happy birthday tomorrow."
Willow sighed in agreement. "Yeah… you only turn fifteen once."
It had been over a week since he had been stranded in the Boiling Isles.
Over a week since he had been chosen to go through that portal door and step into a whole new world before losing all contact with the other side.
So far he had managed to survive in a world completely unfamiliar to him, but this was really out of his expertise.
But he had set up a campfire, cooking whatever meat he had managed to get his hands on. He had no idea what to call the creature he had killed, he just hoped it was edible. The hazmat suited man had no choice but to survive on his own, clinging to his hopes that Director Gates would still save him…
"I've come this far," he said. Once his food was finished cooking, he removed his helmet, revealing his unkempt brown hair, cracked glasses, and stubble five-o'clock shadow.
"I have to stop these witches," Jacob Hopkins said as he took a bite out of the slab of meat. But once he heard a nearby snarling sound, Jacob cried in a whimper before hiding himself in a log.
During Hunter's session, all the blonde teen could do was stare at Julia in suspicion. He couldn't help but notice how… similar she was to someone else.
"Is there… anything you like to talk about?" she asked him. "I know that we just met, but I can assure you that anything we talk about doesn't leave this room."
"… Just… who are you, really?" he asked, pointing at her umbrella. "And what is with that umbrella of yours?"
"You mean Tiki?" she asked. "You can form your Palismen into other things besides a staff. They are good with disguises as ornaments."
"That I didn't realized…" he admitted. "But… what are you really? I don't even know where you came… do you know Abel?"
"The Emperor's assistant?" she asked. "Hunter, you don't need to worry. I do not work for the Emperor's Coven. I understand that you are a bit paranoid, Hunter, especially with the way you were raised, you feel like you can't be too sure who to trust, including someone you've just met. You don't have to tell me everything, but I am open to listen. Whatever you say, nothing leaves the room."
Hunter looked at her before getting up from his seat. "I-I think I'm going to sit this one out," he said as he was about to leave, only for Flapjack to chirp and pull his shirt. "Ah-hey! Flapjack!" He heard his Palisman chirping at him. "Give her a chance? But she's a complete stranger to me, I don't know much about her!" Flapjack argued. "The others may trust her, but I don't!" While Hunter looked away, Flapjack kept chirping.
Eventually, Hunter just sat down, facing Julia.
"Okay," Hunter said with a sigh. "I've made this… plan that Eda and Boscha already know about… basically, I'm going to return to the castle to help settle things for Boscha, Cross, a kid named Tito Jackwitch, and possibly Amity as well. Though, I don't know how to tell Lilith. After all the things she's done for me, I don't want her to think that I'm ungrateful or anything. Especially after what happened to her at the trial…"
Julia looked at Hunter. "Do you think it's a good idea? Returning to the castle, I mean."
Hunter lowered his head. "No, I don't think it's a good idea," he admitted. "But it's what I have to do."
"Then if you're really committed to this and you believe that is the case… Lilith would understand," she told him.
After she finished with her sessions with the kids, Julia made her way to the door.
"I would like to say goodbye and thank you for letting me have your sessions with you kids," she said.
"Thank you for your time, Julia," Eda said while shaking her hand.
"It's no problem, Eda," Julia responded. "Perhaps if you have time this week, we could have a private session as well. You look like you have some time you want to talk about."
Eda looked down. "I… do," she admitted.
"Then I look forward to seeing you," Julia said before looking at the others. "I wish you all luck." she said while heading out. As she left, Eda found herself staring at the parrot at the end of the umbrella and she remembered something…
She would have to question Julia about it later.
Once Julia was gone, Hunter looked at everyone. He knew he had to tell all of them now, so he cleared his throat.
"Ahem," he said, getting everyone's attention. "I would like to make an announcement. Because of recent events… I believe that I must return to the Emperor's Castle."
All except for Boscha and Eda were shocked by the news.
"What?!" Gus exclaimed.
"Hunter, what… why would you go back?" Lilith asked in shock.
"Let me explain," Hunter told them. "It's not because I want to go back to being the Golden Guard, but this is something I feel like I have to. By returning to Belos, I can convince him to pardon Boscha's family, pardon Amity, help Cross, free Tito Jackwitch, and even look into what happened to Perry Porter. And don't worry, I won't tell him anything you don't want him to know about. But I have thought this through and I think the best way to help out you guys… is by being your spy."
"Our spy?" Luz asked.
"Your man on the inside," Hunter explained. "Like if I could see if I could gather more info about the Horned King and look into the corruption in the coven system, maybe weed out members of the Tarot Guild."
"Hunter, I…" Lilith got up and walked over to him. "You… I promised that I would help you…"
"And you have, Lilith," Hunter reassured her. "It is not like I don't want to leave you… but I have to help my friends." He then hugged Lilith. "Thank you for everything, Lilith. For saving me. For giving me a place to stay. For being there for me. I wish I could be here for you… but at least I know you're not alone." He glanced at Eda and Luz.
Lilith was concerned, but she hugged Hunter back. "I… I understand where you're coming from," she told him, recognizing that his heart was in the right place. "I don't want you to go," she admitted softly. "I don't want you near Belos again. But… I already knew this was a possibility and I doubt I can talk you out of this." She sighed. "Please promise me to stay in touch."
Hunter nodded. "I will."
"And if you ever feel like you're in danger, promise me you will leave immediately," she told him.
"I will," Hunter repeated with a nod.
"Um, before you go," Boscha interrupted. "Maybe you should settle things with Luz first."
Luz looked at Boscha. "What do you mean-"
"Luz, I know that you two have had some beef with each other and you two look like you need to get your shit together," Boscha said. "Because according to Hunter, you haven't talked at all about you-know-what since it happened and I think that is long overdue."
Luz looked at Hunter's robotic arm, while Hunter lowered his head. They both knew that Boscha was right.
"She's right. Luz we… we need to talk about this," Hunter said.
Luz looked anxious as she turned to Eda and Amity, who gave her a nod. Luz turned to him and sighed. "Alright, we'll talk," she said as she and Hunter headed to another room to talk alone.
"Wait, what happened?" Edric asked King.
"I think it has something to do with Hunter's robot arm," King replied.
Edric realized this. "How did I not notice that before now?!"
"I think you need new prescriptions," Willow noted.
Once they were alone, Luz and Hunter looked at each other, an atmosphere of awkward tension hanging over them.
"Luz/Hunter, I-" they spoke at the same time. "No, you go-/I should let you-" they insisted, but they stopped.
Hunter managed to speak first. "I should be the one to apologize for hurting you first. I shouldn't have lied to you and your friends for years and I shouldn't have stabbed you in the back either or have helped Belos spy on you and your family…"
"No, I should be the one to apologize, Hunter," Luz responded. "What we did to you… I was so angry and wanted to hurt you, I didn't take the time to hear you out." Her eyes turned red as Maya spoke. "I influenced Luz into maiming you… we were not proud of what we did. You have every right to be mad at us."
"I… I am, but at the same time I understand…" Hunter said but Luz stopped him.
"You should be mad," Luz told him. "You didn't deserve to lose an arm for something you didn't do. We could have killed you…"
"I-I know," Hunter admitted, looking down. He rubbed his arm. "So… where do we stand with each other right now?"
"I… honestly don't know," Luz admitted with an unsure look. "And I don't know if we could ever be friends again after what we've been through and what we did to each other. At the very least, things can never go back to how they were."
"That's true…" he responded and they both looked down. "I am sorry, Luz. Really, I am."
"I know you are," Luz said, unable to look him in the eye. "And I'm sorry too."
"We both are."
The two teens were quiet for a moment.
"Can we just agree to… tolerate each other from now on?" Hunter asked. "Like we may not be friends, but we can be allies, right?"
"Allies, right… that is something we can be," Luz said, nodding.
"I agree," Maya said.
"There's just… one more thing I need to ask before I leave," Hunter said. "How much do you know about Julia Traveler?"
Luz looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you may think it's just my paranoia but I can't help but have some suspicions about that woman," he said. "Like, she kinda reminds me of Abel, who as a reminder Lilith saw in the past and was apparently expecting her, so clearly there is something up with him. I think I may be more worried about him than I am about Belos…"
Luz thought about this. "Well, I can assure you that I can trust Julia, she's been really great at helping out everyone, including when we got Amity, Gus, and Willow back… but I do admit that there is something off about her." Luz recalled how she used to see Julia hanging out with Jack back when he was at Hexside and Kitsuni after she joined the staff. "Just… be careful in the castle, Hunter. Especially with Abel around."
Hunter nodded. "I will, and I wish you and Amity luck."
Once Luz and Hunter returned to the living room, Hunter spotted Edric walking over to him.
"Hey… Hunter," Edric said to him awkwardly.
"Edric, hey…" Hunter responded, just as awkward.
"I just… wanted to say… thank you for coming to save me from Mel." Edric told him, "I'm grateful that you did."
"Yeah, it's no problem," Hunter replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I um… Ed, I'm so sorry for my past actions. You honestly had every right to break up with me."
"Yeah, though I… think I'm going to take a break from dating for a while," Edric admitted. "Focus on myself for a while before I reconsider dating again."
"Yeah, that does sound good. Maybe work on finding a friend group that isn't made up of psychos," Hunter encouraged.
"Yeah, I think I will," Edric said while looking at Hunter's arm. "So… about the robot arm you have… what's it all about?"
"Oh, this?" Hunter asked, looking at his arm. "This is… when your sister disappeared, Luz went a little… mad. But then Lilith found me and took me to someone who gave me a new arm, and I've been staying with Lilith and her parents since then."
"Oh, I didn't know you were living with Lilith… what's it like living there?" Edric asked him.
"Her folks are pretty cool, and she's pretty cool," Hunter said. "I… like living there, honestly."
"That's great," Edric responded. "Despite everything people have been saying about her, Lilith is honestly great. I'm glad that she helped you."
"Thanks," Hunter responded while extending his hand. "Well, I'll… see you around, Ed."
Edric looked at his hand and then shook it back. "Yeah, see you around, Hunter."
After that, Hunter said his goodbyes to Willow and Gus.
"It was nice to have another adventure with you guys, just like old times," he told them.
"Just don't be a stranger, Hunter," Willow said. "Keep in touch with our Penstagrams… and stay safe, please. I don't like you going back there."
Hunter nodded and then turned to Gus, who was looking down. "Will you… really find my dad?" the illusionist asked him.
"I'll try, Gus," he said while turning to Boscha. "And I'll try to see to it that your family's bailed out, Boscha."
Boscha smiled and went to hug him. "Thanks, man. You are a good friend."
While Lilith waited for Hunter to finish with his goodbyes, she heard Amity speak to her.
"Lilith," Amity said, getting the elder Clawthorne sister to turn to her. "Is… what the Baron said about you giving up… is it true?"
Lilith looked down, hesitating to answer. She sighed. "Yes, it is… I feel like after what happened last week, my continued presence in you and Luz's lives have only made things worse for you two. I… don't deserve to be part of your lives and-" Before she could finish, Amity interrupted her with a response that caught her by surprise: a hug.
Amity hugged Lilith tightly. "Please, don't say that, Lilith. Don't give up. Because I do want you to be a part of my life, Lilith. I know that our relationship has hit more than a few bumps… but I don't want you to think I'm better off without you."
Lilith teared up, sniffing as she hugged Amity back. "I… I'm so sorry, for everything, Amity," she apologized.
"I know and I forgive you," Amity said, shedding a few tears as well. "But we will fix this. I don't know when and I don't know how… but we will fix this together."
After that, both Lilith and Hunter made it to the door and headed out of the Owl House using the invisible glyphs, sneaking out while Hooty kept the scouts busy.
"And I've learned a lot of different languages from my good friend Duo!" Hooty declared while the scouts looked tired and bored. "I've learned Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Swahili, Italian-"
"We get it!" Meg interrupted.
"Wait, did y'all hear something?" Clé asked after he thought he heard something rustling in the bushes.
"Do wanna know what I hear sometimes?" Hooty asked while the other scouts groaned.
Back inside, Luz walked over to Gus, who turned to her.
"Gus," she spoke to him. "I just want to let you know that… I'm sorry for not looking into your dad's disappearance more. I've been so focused on finding you guys and worrying about my own thing with my family that I didn't use my time to find you dad sooner. I feel like a jerk for not looking for him, even if I had Kitsuni to check up on your home every now and then."
"Honestly, I'm not mad about that, Luz. I get it, you had a lot going on," he reassured her.
"No, it isn't… your dad disappeared because he was trying to protect me. I should've done more for him and… while I'm glad that Hunter's looking into Perry's disappearance, I wish I could've done a lot more sooner," Luz said while lowering her head in guilt.
Gus saw this and he looked at Willow, who gave him an encouraging nod. He took a deep breath. "Luz… there's something you should know, about what happened back at Purgatory."
Luz looked up at him. "Yeah?"
Gus struggles to speak, but he knew he had to get it off of his chest. "When we split up and me, Amity, and Eve went to get back the key, we… encountered Michael. The guy who killed Vaggie. I ended up having to draw him away, and… I… ended up killing him."
This shocked Luz. "What…but how?"
"It was an accident," Gus told her. "I… used my spell to make him see his past victims… I wanted to make him pay, but then I ended up giving him a heart attack. I… I was so angry at him for killing Vaggie, that I wanted him to suffer… I'm disgusted with myself."
"Gus, I…" Luz glanced at a mirror and saw her reflection with Maya's eyes giving her a nod. Luz took a deep breath. "I know what you're going through right now."
"You… do?" Gus asked her. "Oh wait, the Maya thing."
"Not just the Maya thing," Luz corrected while looking at everyone. "Trini died… because of me. I killed her."
Everyone was shocked by this except for Eda and King.
"What… Luz, what do you mean?" Camila asked.
"It just happened suddenly!" Luz explained while sitting on the couch. "When Mel and Trini were fighting me and Amity, Trini and I ended up knocking ourselves away from Mel and Amity. We fought and she was beating me around, and then I ended up screaming… like, a sonic scream, like King's scream… and it literally shredded her to pieces." She grasped her head. "I… I don't know what the hell I am right now and though I hated Trini for the mess she caused, killing her wasn't right."
Everyone was still in shock and were even confused, but there was no fear towards Luz on their faces. Instead, there was… sympathy.
Gus sat by Luz's side. "I'm sorry, Luz. It must've been… painful," he said.
Luz wiped her eyes. "It is… guess we're in the same boat?"
Gus nodded. "We'll just… have to handle this together."
"Luz," Amity spoke up as she walked over. "I don't blame you for what happened. What happened to Trini, you had no control over it, especially since you had no idea you could do this."
"She's right, Luz," Camila said. "You shouldn't have had to experience that, but we won't think of you differently because of it."
"Honestly, I would've done the same thing," Boscha admitted. "If she was beating me around like that, I would've liquefied that bitch if it meant that she wouldn't be messing around with you guys ever again."
Willow just looked confused. "I'm… not sure what to think, like what do you mean you screamed at her to death? Like, screaming like King?"
They all looked at each other before Luz answered. "I don't know. All I did was go 'weh' and then screamed like a banshee. It doesn't make any sense how I have King's power."
"In fact, we don't know much about King," Edric pointed out. "Like, he's never in any of the demon books I've read. He's practically a biped, but doesn't do magic for all we know."
"Even I don't know what I am," King admitted. "Eda just found me in a temple one day."
"We should probably look into that more, but that can come later," Eda said. "Right now, there's a lot to do. Like getting you kids home and dropping off Amity in the Human Realm."
"I'm going to stay in the Isles, since there are a few things that I need to do here like saving Lilith and finding Perry," Luz said while holding up Donna's key. "I also need to return this. I would love to just stay with you in Gravity Falls, Amity. But right now… I can't."
"I understand," Amity said as she began to head to her and Luz's room. "I'm going to go start packing."
"And I'll contact Dipper to let him know what's up," Luz said while pulling up her cellphone to text Dipper.
In their room, Amity got a gym bag ready, placing the stuff that she needed in it. She stopped to look at Kay, who looked at her.
"I'm sorry, Kay. I can't let you come with me," she told her while placing her hand on the tank. "We don't have a tank ready for you back in Gravity Falls and I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I will come back for you. I promise."
Kay blinked at Amity while the witch-Fae girl continued to pack up until she heard a knock. Amity turned and saw Edric coming in.
"Amity…" Edric said to her.
"Oh, Ed," Amity responded. "Um… you want something?"
"I… I think we need to talk about some things before you go," he said.
"I know," Amity said, pausing. "And I just want to tell you that you're right… what happened to our family was my fault."
This horrified Ed. "W-What? Amity-"
"Don't deny that it isn't true, Ed," Amity told him while packing up. "If I had just talked things out with mom, then we wouldn't be in this mess. But I was so angry that I ended up cutting not just our parents from my life, but you and Emira… all of this could've been prevented if I had just talked things through…" She wiped away her tears. "I am so sorry for tearing this family apart…"
"No, no Amity, I should be the one who needs to apologize," Edric responded. "I was the one for being an idiot and a jerk."
"No, you had every right to be mad at me for my decisions," Amity argued.
"Amity, I get why you did it," Edric told her. "Just let me take the blame-"
"No, no you've been put through a lot, I pulled the trigger-"
"I should've been a better brother to you and supported you-"
"-You needed the attention and I didn't give you any-"
"-You went missing, Mel was the one who tricked me-"
"Why can't you just blame me?!" the two shouted at each other.
After a moment of silence, Ed spoke. "Ams… we have to agree that all of this happened because Mel manipulated and alienated me from my family."
"I know," Amity responded. "But we should acknowledge that I could've done better rather than run away from my problems to live with my girlfriend and her family."
"I'm not innocent either," Edric responded while looking down. "We both tried to run away from our problems. I could have talked to any one of you guys as well, but instead I vented to Mel and she got into my head as a result. And you were happy here, but now you have to leave because of the mess that I got you in."
"I guess that we both could have done some things differently," Amity admitted. "We can't do anything about it now… but what we can do is just… forgive each other."
Ed nodded and the two hugged it out. "Yeah, I like that," he said while holding onto Amity. "Thank you for coming for me, Mittens."
Amity sniffed. "No matter what, we're still siblings," she said. "I love you, Edric."
"I love you too, Amity," Edric said, fighting back tears.
Amity then remembered something. "Emira wanted me to give you a message… but I think she can tell you herself."
Edric nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure she can."
"And I promise that we will see each other again, Ed," Amity said as she held up her bag.
"I know," Edric replied as they headed out together.
When she went back downstairs, Amity said her goodbyes to the others.
"I promise that this isn't goodbye forever," Amity said while hugging Willow and Gus.
"I think… I'll visit you for my birthday," Willow replied. "You missed the last few, after all. It would be a shame if you missed this one as well."
Amity smiled slightly. "Yes, I think I would like that."
"And I could visit as well," Gus said. "I probably need to make a few visits to the Human Realm anyway."
Amity turned to hug Boscha, who was looking down at the ground. "It's not fair that you have to go…"
"I know," Amity said as she hugged Boscha, patting her back. "But when you see your family again, tell your mother I said hey, and to your brother, say thanks for the tattoo."
Boscha nodded. "I will."
Amity then turned to Camila and King, hugging them. "Please take care of Kay for me when I'm gone."
"We will, mija," Camila said while hugging her. "But we will see you again."
"Yeah, it isn't like we can't visit you," King pointed out. "We have a working portal door."
Amity nodded and looked down at Ghost, who walked up to her. "You ready, Ghost?"
"I am your Palisman, wherever you go, I follow," Ghost replied.
Amity then looked at Acorn. "How about you, Acorn? Would you like to come with me?"
"Um…" Acorn briefly hesitated before gathering up her courage. "Yeah, you could use a friend."
Luz walked up to her. "I may have decided to stay in the Isles, but I can still help Eda drop you off."
Amity smiled. "Thank you, Luz."
In the Human Realm, a flash of light appeared as the three witches stepped out along with Acorn and Ghost. They traveled through the woods and got to town, eventually finding Soo's house. Luz knocked on the door and Dipper answered it.
"Luz!" Dipper shouted as he and Luz hugged. "Man, I'm glad to see you again."
"I'm… I'm so glad to see you too, Mason," Luz replied.
Dipper paused, noticing how upset she looked. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I'm… just been through a lot," Luz responded.
Once they get in, Dipper and Soos helped Amity set up a place for herself. Luz and Amity were offered hot cocoa by Abuelita who handed it to Eda.
"Thank you for letting Amity stay here, Ms. Abuelita," Eda said to the elderly woman.
"It is no problem, and please it is just Abuelita," she corrected Eda.
"Sorry, but I get it. I don't like being called Miss either, but I don't mind," Eda replied.
"Mom, Abuelita means 'grandmother' in Spanish," Luz corrected her. "Just call her Mrs. Ramirez or Dolores."
"Oh… sorry, guess I should get some Spanish lessons," Eda commented. "Though… what happened to Mr. Ramirez?"
"He's in Hell," Abuelita said nonchalantly. This made Luz, Eda, and Amity pause for a moment. "Oh, the pizza bagels must be done," she then said while walking away.
"Well… this has been a long weekend for us," Luz said while turning to Amity. "Hey, I promise to stop by and visit. Maybe we can check up on Jackie and Janna later."
"That would be nice," Amity said as they hugged each other. "I just wish you could stay."
"I do too, but you know why I have to go back, right?" Luz asked her.
"Yeah, I know," Amity said. "Just… do what needs to be done."
"I'll keep you up to date on what goes on in the Isles. But until then," Luz said as she leaned towards Amity, the two kissing each other as they held hands. Once they released each other from the kiss, Luz pressed her forehead to Amity's. "I'll be seeing you."
Amity smiled. "I know you will."
"I love you, Amity Goodfellow," Luz said.
"I love you too, Luz Clawthorne," Amity responded as they tried to make this moment last for as long as possible.
At the Clawthorne home, after explaining things to Dell and Gwen, Hunter gave them his goodbyes.
"I just want to say thank you for taking care of me all this time," he told them. "You all have been so good to me, a kid who you didn't know but still let into your home. I… I wish I can stay here a little longer, but I have to do this."
"We understand, Hunter," Dell responded as he patted the boy's shoulder. "It was good having you. I wish we could have talked more about Palisman carving."
Hunter nodded. "I'll be sure to tip you guys about any more Palisman raids," he told them.
"But will you be alright, dear?" Gwendolyn asked him. "Going back to that awful castle… it must be difficult for you."
"I know… but it's something that I need to do," Hunter said.
He gave them hugs and they hugged him back. Flapjack chirped to Waffles, Hawksley and Edgar, giving each their own goodbyes. Once they were finished, Hunter was left facing Lilith.
"I… guess this is… goodbye," Hunter said.
"Yeah, but… before you go, have this," Lilith said as she handed him a box. "For you and Flapjack."
Hunter opened the box and he and Flapjack saw matching red scarves.
"I thought you could use these, even got one for Flapjack," Lilith said. "I know how cold it gets in the castle sometimes, believe me."
"I… I love it, Lilith," Hunter said as he hugged Lilith, who hugged him back.
Knock-knock
They froze when they heard the knocking on the door. After a moment, Lilith went to the window to see who it was. "It's… them," she confirmed to Hunter, who gave her a nod. She sighed and opened the door, revealing Captain Leonte.
"Lilith," Leonte spoke.
"Captain," Lilith acknowledged.
"Thank you for coming here, Captain Leonte," Hunter said as he grabbed his bag and walked towards the captain.
"Of course, young prince," Leonte said as he turned to Lilith and the family. "The Emperor wishes to thank you all for taking care of his nephew."
"I'm sure he does," Lilith responded to him while turning to Hunter. "Good luck, Hunter."
Hunter gave her a nod. "Thank you, Lilith," he said one last time before he was escorted outside, where a bunch of coven scouts had surrounded the house, and towards a blimp, which he stepped onto. As the blimp rose up into the sky, Hunter and Flapjack looked down and saw Lilith hanging in the doorway. And as Lilith became smaller and smaller, Hunter started having second thoughts about this, though he still tried to hide his tears.
Lilith watched the blimp until she could no longer see it. Only then did she close the door. And only then did she fall on her knees while her parents rushed to her aid.
Inside the Owl House, Luz was on her bed, staring at the ceiling while holding her pillow. She sighed, already missing Amity. It was then that Eda popped in.
"Want me to come in?" Eda asked her.
"Yeah," Luz said as Eda walked over to her.
"So… are you okay?" Eda asked her. "Sorry, dumb question. I know that it's not easy seeing Amity leave and being separated from her, but we can pull this through together, alright? We've dealt with her absence once already, but now that we know and can visit her now and then, we can still be there for her."
Luz turned to look at Eda. "Mom… we need to talk… about us."
"What… what do you mean?" Eda asked nervously.
"There's just… something that we need to finally have a discussion about," Luz said while getting up. "And we need Mami here as well."
Once Camila was called over to Luz's room, Luz began to speak.
"I have been thinking… and I know there are some things that we've been avoiding talking about, things that we really do need to talk about," Luz said while taking a deep breath and sigh. "I have felt… selfish for wanting to have both my human family and my witch family while not acknowledging how they feel." She looked at them. "I know that you two along with Aunt Abby and Aunt Lily have to play nice to each other for my sake, but I also know that there is some tension and that it's been building up for a while."
"Tension?" Camila asked.
"I know that you two have some tension going on," Luz said. "But you two have ignored it because you don't want me to see it or you don't want it to get in the way of being with me. But it still exists and it isn't going to go away. So whatever issues you have with each other, you need to work on your issues together. Mami, I know that there are some things that you're mad at Mom about," she told Camila while turning to Eda. "And mom, I know that there are some things that you need to confront Mami about. Can you two do that for me?"
Eda and Camila turned to each other and Camila gave Eda a nod before they turned to Luz
"Alright, we can do that," Eda agreed.
"Yes, I think it's the only way to do so in order to move forward as a family," Camila said.
"And you two may have to settle things with Lilith and Abigail," Luz said. "Camila, I know what Lilith did to you was wrong, but it was an accident and I think you two need to talk about it. And Eda… you need to deal with the issues you and Abby have. Also… after some consideration, I feel like after the Inner Demon is taken care of and Perry is found… I want to spend some time in the Human Realm with Camila and Abby," she said while looking at Camila in specific. "You've had me for fourteen years while those two have barely had any time with me at all. I think… that's hardly fair. I need a break from the Boiling Isles, while they need a chance to actually get to know me… while I get to know them."
Eda was surprised by this, but she gave Luz a nod. "I think that's a good idea."
"Yeah," Luz said. "And besides, you have other kids that need to be taken care of anyway… though, what exactly happens to the orphanage now? With Amity's Fae-status exposed, you're probably under suspicion now."
"I don't know exactly either, but to be honest… I'm not sure if I'm the right fit to run the orphanage," Eda admitted with a doubtful look.
"I'm sure that you can settle things, Eda, and maybe with Hunter's help," Camila reassured her. "Those kids rely on you and you can't let them down right now."
Eda gave Camila a smile. "I can try… though I may have to face the music on this."
Luz gave them a nod. "And you know, I just want you two to know that I am grateful to have both of you in my life," she said while she embraced Eda and Camila in a hug. "I love you, moms."
And as Luz felt both of her mothers hugging her back, she felt a little more positive about the future, whatever it may be.
Willow and Gus had made it home, finding Gilbert and Sully waiting for them as they came inside.
"Willow! Gus!" Sully shouted as Willow ran up to hug her dads.
"We're so glad that you two are alright!" Gilbert told them. "And your trip was successful?"
"Yeah, we got Edric and King back," Willow responded while Gus joined her in receiving the hug.
"We're just glad to be back," Gus said, relief flooding through him and Willow.
Boscha sighed, knowing that she had to face her family. She knocked on the front door and Beck was the one to answer it, seeing Boscha.
"I… I know that I shouldn't have run off, but it was important!" Boscha claimed. "I had to help my friends and I know that I should've called first, and-" She was stopped when all she received was a hug from Beck.
"Welcome home, Boscha," Beck declared, embarrassing her cousin. Coming out was Samwitch and Simon.
"Boscha!" they both shouted.
"Are you alright?" Samwitch asked.
"I'm fine, just glad to be back," Boscha said, giving then each a hug while going inside. "I have a lot to tell you guys…"
At the Pore-Ta-Geist, Geist and Emira sat by the counter when they heard knocking.
"We're closed!" Geist shouted while the knocking continued.
"I'll handle this," Emira said as she walked over and opened the door. "Look, we're closed-" But she found no one outside, at least until Edric turned himself visible again. This made Emira and Geist gasp.
"H-Hey, guys," Edric said while he earned an embrace from Emira.
"Ed!" Emira cried while in tears. "I'm so glad that you're back!" she said while Edric hugged her back.
Geist joined in on hugging his nephew. "We were so worried, we're glad that you're back, Ed!"
Edric smiled, but his face fell when he was released from his hug. "Guys… even though I'm back, Amity isn't. She's… going to be gone for a while."
"What?" Emira asked. "Is Amity alright?"
"She is, Luz and Eda knows where to keep her safe from Belos," Edric said while looking towards his sister. "And I just want to say that I'm sorry for being a jerk to you, Em. You were right about Mel and her friends, they… they are trouble. Mel and Trini were even responsible for what happened with mom and Lilith, I should've realized they were bad news sooner." He looked down. "I let Mel into our lives and now the family's even more in shambles."
Emira gave a reassuring look to Ed. "Hey, it's going to be okay. What's more important is that you're here now. We have each other again, and we know that our sister's going to be safe."
"Yeah, Ed, we're just glad that you're both safe," Geist said while in tears.
Edric smiled, glad to be with his family again. His true family. "Oh, Amity mentioned that you had something to tell me, sis."
"Right…" Emira said while looking down. "For a long time, my greatest fear has been being stuck with you forever… and that's not because I don't love you. Ed, you are one of the most important people in my life. But I have already spent so much of my life having to watch over you and Amity, having to take care of you. And I don't want that to always be my life… or your life either. I don't want you to be dependent on me."
"I get that," Edric said.
"I'm not done. You deserve to be independent, Edric. You deserve to be your own person. I don't want you out of my life Ed. We may be twins but we can still have our own lives separate from one another. I just… don't want to be defined as your twin and have to take care of you my entire life."
Edric nodded and gave it some thought. "I don't want to be alone… but I do want to be happy for you, Em. And for our sister. I want to be happy that you both have girlfriends and friend groups. And I still want to have that. I want friends… the right friends that is. Though after this disaster with Mel, I don't know if I have good taste in friends."
"Well, maybe I can help you out and we try looking for some new friends for you together," Emira suggested. "Like, get you into some clubs or meet new people in coffee shops."
"Yeah, and I should probably take a break from the dating game," he added. "I think I'm just gonna focus on myself for a while. Take things slow."
"Then I'll help you find your people," Emira suggested as Ed nodded in agreement. The siblings hugged again, embracing each other tightly.
It was good to be home.
In the Emperor's Castle, Emperor Belos sat on his throne while Eclipsa stood next to him. Before him were Pain and Panic.
"On behalf of the Underworld, we wish to apologize about Melinoe's actions toward you mortal witches," Panic said while shivering in Belos's presence. "But don't worry, Melinoe is being taken care of by her parents."
"Here is a complimentary gift basket and tote bags for your citizens," Pain said while placing down the gift baskets and boxes of tote bags.
"…So the goddess is dealt with?" Belos asked, the eyes of his mask glowing.
"Yes! Yes, she is!" Panic stammered while turning to Pain. "Let's get out of here, this guy gives me the creeps!"
"Enjoy your gifts!" Pain declared as the two pulled their tails and teleported out of there.
Belos was silent for a moment before he let out a groan. "This is a disaster… the Fae were one thing, but now gods have come trespassing my realm? And now I have a new damned Fae to worry about…"
"You mean that Amity girl?" Eclipsa asked.
"She is a Fae!" Belos snapped. "And the Fae are nothing but trouble…"
"What about my daughter?" Eclipsa asked, causing him to pause. "Meteora is still out there. And she is a Fae. Not by choice."
Belos sighed. "Yes, I'm sorry, it's just… I wish I had been able to protect your daughter back then."
"I know, and I don't blame you for it," Eclipsa reassured him. "It is not your fault that Oberon took Meteora from her home. And while I do hope to find my daughter… please try to go easy on the Amity girl. I doubt she asked for this."
Belos considered this. "Yes, I will… think on what to do about her," Belos said as he heard the scouts enter.
"My lord! He has returned!" the scout declared as they led someone in.
Behind his mask, Belos's eyes widened. "Leave us!" he ordered.
The other scouts quickly left, the room empty except for Belos, Eclipsa… and Hunter, who stood before the Emperor's throne.
"Uncle," Hunter said as Belos stood up from his throne, removing his mask. He stared at Hunter for a moment before rushing over and embracing his nephew.
"I… I didn't know if you'd ever come back," Belos admitted. "I'm so sorry, my dear boy, I…I promise that we can talk. About whatever you want."
Hunter nodded and after a moment… he hugged his uncle back, tears in his eyes. "Thank you, uncle." He noticed Eclipsa. "Who's that?" he asked while Eclipsa smiled at him. Both already knew each other, but they kept it to themselves.
"Hunter, I want you to meet Eclipsa Butterfly," Belos said as he let Hunter go. "She is an old friend of mine. Eclipsa, this is my nephew, Hunter."
"Oh, nice to meet you, Hunter," Eclipsa responded as she walked over to shake Hunter's hand.
"Likewise," Hunter responded, knowing that he had at least one person he could trust in this castle. He turned back to Belos. "Now, I will admit that I came back… to ask you for a favor. Several, actually. First, I want you to pardon Athena Hieron and her son Boris, along with a boy named Tom Lucitor who was arrested along with Athena. They deserve to be reunited with my friend, Boscha, who misses her family and… has been through a lot."
Belos paused, looking almost disappointed that Hunter had seemingly come back because he wanted something other than to see him again. However, he still considered Hunter's request. "Very well, Athena Hieron and Tom Lucitor will be pardoned… their crimes are minor anyway, but Boris is out of the question, considering that he is a traitor and was part of a rebel terrorist group."
Hunter looked down. "Very well, I… can accept that. However, what about Amity? I heard what happened to her…"
Belos placed his hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Don't worry, Hunter. Tomorrow I intend to end the lockdown and put out a statement about her. But I can reassure you that I have no intention to harm her."
"Really?" Hunter asked in surprise.
"Of course, I… know that she's just a victim in all of this," Belos said.
Hunter nodded. "Also… I came across someone named Cross Drakescale…"
Cross took a deep breath as he opened the door to his house. He found his family waiting for him.
"Cross!" Zee shouted as she stood up while Clair ran up to hug her son.
"Cross, oh Titan, you're alright!" Clair said while hugging her son. "Are you alright? Where have you been?"
"I… know I have a lot to explain for myself," Cross said. "When I ran out with Lindsay, I said we were going to help someone. Since then I've… been through Hell and the Underworld. I'm sorry that I was gone for so long."
"To be honest, I thought you and Lindsay went somewhere to make out," Zee said while Cross looked at her in a deadpan manner. "But we're glad that you're home."
"Indeed," Damien spoke up. With him was an elderly man with gray hair, a brown coat with dark blue pants, and black boots. He had a beard while his eyes are more reptilian. "Your grandfather came out of bed when he realized you were gone."
"Are you alright, Cross?" Drayden asked him.
"I'm fine, but… did anyone from the Emperor's Coven come by while I was gone?" he asked them.
"No, just a few blimps that flew overhead," Clair said.
"What about the friend you went to save?" Damien asked.
"I succeeded in helping her," Cross said. "She's safe now and… I think she will be okay."
Zee smiled proudly. "Atta boy, Cross!"
"Yes, we are proud of you, my little fireball," Clair said while hugging Cross again as Damien patted his back with a proud smile.
"You did good, my son," Damien said.
"Yes, you did this family proud," Drayden mentioned while Cross smiled.
"I know," Cross said as he hugged his parents back.
Meanwhile, in the Human Realm, Jack the Genie returned to the home of his current master.
"I'm back!" Jack announced.
"Finally," spoke a Irish-Thai-American boy of a round shape with medium-length brown hair that went slightly upwards and soft almond shaped eyes with large black pupils. He wore a khaki sweater over his large orange hoodie, a white shirt, blue and gray shorts, and white socks in his blue slides. "It's about time you came back. I've already used my first wish for an idea of a side business to raise enough money for a game system. Gotta admit, the lemonade business was booming while you were gone… wish I can just wish for money."
"And I've said before, that we can't grant you all the money and gold in the world, cause they would lose value," Jack told him. "Now you have a third wish, Darryl."
"Yeah, I know," Darryl replied. "So my sister had to convince me to have you help out your friends, and I can't ask you for money… but can I wish for a way to find treasure?"
Jack hummed. "Well… technically it's not giving you treasure, but a way to show you where to find it."
"Great, than I-"
"Jack! Glad you're here!" spoke up a light-blue ghost with a big blue nose, green teeth, yellow-green eyes with black pupils and dark eye shadow. "That lemonade business is booming! Especially when eating the lemons after squeezing them!"
"Glad you like them, Scratch, and welcome back, Jack!" said an Irish-Thai-American teenage girl two years older than Darryl. She had medium-length hair with a short ponytail, soft almond-shaped eyes, and was wearing a ripped jean vest with a teal pin, a white and black ringer shirt, pink and purple skirt, and black biker shorts, with pink and yellow sneakers with green and white socks with a purple spiral bracelet. "How's helping out with your friends? Are they alright?"
"They're all fine, Molly," Jack reassured her. "I've settled my business and humanity has been spared from the wrath of Cronus."
"Wait, what?" Scratch asked.
"Um, hello? What about my wish?" Darryl pointed out.
"Oh, right. What is your final wish, Darryl McGee?" Jack asked him.
"I wish for a treasure map!" Darryl declared.
"Done." Jack snapped his fingers and a map popped up in Darryl's hands. "With this treasure map, you can find the lost Brighton treasure that's hidden somewhere around town. Just follow the path the map will take you."
"Sweet! Thank you, Jack!" Darryl declared, looking at the map as he walked away. "I'm so going to rope in Libby with this…"
Molly looked up at Jack. "Well, it was nice knowing you, Jack. I especially enjoyed the song and dance numbers!"
"It was also nice to meet you and your brother, Molly McGee," Jack replied. "And now I must be off to find a new master," he declared while disappearing into his lamp.
Molly and Scratch looked at the lamp, Molly grabbing it. "So uh… does he leave, or…?" She rubbed the lamp, causing Jack to show up again.
"Hello, new master! I am…" He noticed Molly and Scratch as they waved to him. "Huh… well, I guess I'll be seeing more of you guys then."
In Neverland, Puck had returned and was now hanging out on the beach with the Lost Boys, having made a campfire.
"So everything's settled?" Tinker Bell asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Puck replied. "Oberon is no longer a problem, I got to see Amity again, and I got to reconcile with her friends… well, some of them at least."
"Well, we're just glad that you're back, Pan," Ruff said while Tiger Lily sat beside him.
"Yes, and you will be staying, right?" Tiger Lily asked.
"Of course," Puck said. "Now that I have taken care of my other business, I can focus on-" He paused when he noticed how close the two of them were to each other. "Wait, are you two… dating?"
Ruff and Tiger Lily looked at each other, then at Puck.
"Well, you caught us," Ruff said.
"Yeah, things have changed since you've been gone," Tiger Lily said while the Lost Boys made 'oohs' at them.
"Alright, knock it off!" Ruff told them as they laughed.
"Wow… I guess, I've… missed out on a lot," Puck said.
"Yes, a lot has changed," Tinker Bell told him. "But… not everything."
Puck nodded before he noticed a ship on the horizon. He got up. "Wait… is that…?"
"By Davy Jones's Locker…" Jack Sparrow stood up and pulled out a telescope, directing at the wooden ship as it approached. "I see… three kids and a parrot."
"That's… Captain Jake's ship!" Puck shouted, seeing three kids and a green parrot on the ship. "They survived!"
"Like I said," Tinker Bell told him as she flew up. "Not everything has changed."
"Yo! Peter Pan!" Captain Jake called out. He was a young boy with hazel eyes, spiky black hair, rosy cheeks, light olive skin, and thick black banana-shaped eyebrows. He wore a red bandanna around his head, a blue waistcoat with a collar and gold trims and buttons, a white ripped V-neck T-shirt with a black crossed lace on his neckline, a gray waistband, indigo trousers, and brown bucket-top boots with gold buckles and 'J' insignias on the bucket tops. "Is that you, you sea dog?"
Puck smiled and flew up into the air, letting out his first crow in years.
"Aw-aw-AW!" Puck declared as everyone cheered for him.
Puck was home at last.
After she was dropped off by the Order, Laura found herself in front of her home. She took a deep breath as she walked over to the door. She knocked and the door was opened by an older female otter wearing clothes. She gasped upon seeing Laura.
"Mom…?" Laura said before her mother rushed to hug her daughter.
"LAURA!" her mom shouted, which earned the attention from a male otter in glasses and a young otter girl. All in clothes. "Oh my Laura, we're so glad that you're alright!"
"Laura, you're okay!" Laura's dad said as he rushed over to hug his daughter.
"Big sister!" Laura's young sister said as she hugged her.
"It's good to be back home, you guys," Laura said, embracing her family.
"Where have you been?" her dad asked her. "They couldn't find you after the riots. We all assumed the worst…"
"I was kidnapped and held captive," Laura told them. "There was no way anyone could have found out where I was… but I managed to escape thanks to some very nice people."
"Well, we owe them a debt of gratitude," her mom said.
"We're so glad that you're back," her little sister said while hugging Laura.
Laura smiled, though she was not ready to tell them about her experience. Including what she had to do to survive… right now, she was glad to be reunited with them in her home realm.
"It's so good… to be back in Zootopia," she said while hugging her family.
In Olympus, the goddess of youth was waiting for her family. She had glowing large brown hair tied with a red headband, purple eyes, glowing violet light emanating from her, red lips, and a purple long lavender dress with golden straps, long skirt with the hem ending above her orange-sandal feet, and two purple was with a white winged horse with a blue mane, both of them setting up a table together. Appearing in their home was Hercules and his sons.
"We're home!" Hercules declared.
"Hey Pegs, the boys are back in town," spoke the woman as Alex rushed over to the winged horse.
"Pegasus! How's watching over mom?" Alex asked while he and Pegasus head-butted each other.
"Meg!" Herc said as he hugged his wife. "It's so good to see you again…"
"You and the boys didn't leave that long ago," Meg pointed out. "So how are things with your cousin?"
"Well, Uncle Hades has finally decided to deal with her," Ani said while receiving his head butt to Pegasus.
"Also… I saw Mac," Hercules said, which surprised Meg.
"Mac… how is she?" Meg asked him.
"She's… doing well," Hercules replied, guilt flashing across his face.
Meg recognized this and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you got to stop blaming yourself for what happened thousands of years ago, Herc."
"I… know, it's just… Mel tried to force me to relieve it," he mentioned while lowering his head, remembering the dead little girl that Mel had forced him to see. "Sometimes I wonder… why you forgave me," he admitted by looking up to her.
"Oh Herc, it's because I love you," Meg replied as she gave him a hug and hugged her back.
Pegasus licked Hercules's face and Herc patted his companion on the head. "I know, buddy. It's good to be home."
Meanwhile in Avalon, Maleficent sat on her throne as Meteora stood before her.
"Oberon's remaining subjects are ready to accept you as their queen," Meteora reported. "But… what about the Order?"
"Oh, I'll deal with them," Maleficent said. "I should be able to appease them by offering them peace. They won't trust me, but I never expected them to and it isn't like they'll miss Oberon." She waved her hand. "You are dismissed."
Meteroa nodded and filed out of the throne room, leaving Maleficent alone. Or at least she thought she was leaving Maleficent alone. Maleficent knew better, not needing to look at the shadows to know who was in them.
"You can come out now… Eris," Maleficent said as the torches of the throne room blew out and its smoke started to take shape. The Queen of Darkness watched as the room darkened and the goddess of discord made her presence known.
"Hello, Queen Maleficent," spoke Eris, whose current form had long black animated hair with yellow eyes, red pupils, pale skin, and a purple dress. "I thought I would drop by and congratulate you on your new position."
"Thank you, Eris," Maleficent said while looking around her court. "I think I will need to do some remodeling. Perhaps even rename Avalon. Make this place feel less like Oberon and feel more like, well, me."
"And what of your daughter?" Eris asked her. "I heard about the chaos she caused in the Demon Realm…"
Thousands of years ago…
While visiting Maleficent's castle, Eris looked down at the cradle, seeing the newborn dark-half faced baby looking back up at her.
"Oh, what a beautiful child," Eris cooed while looking up at the Mistress of Darkness. "But she is not one of mine… who is the other parent?"
"I had her with Hades," Maleficent replied.
"Hmm, I can see it," Eris said while looking at the baby Mel. The eyes of the goddess of discord glowed red. "She may not be one of mine, but I can still give her a gift. I can already foresee a future where she will cause much strife and discord. She will be… a bringer of nightmares and madness," she said as the baby Mel's eyes glowed as well.
"Yes," Maleficent acknowledged. "Her father is dealing with her right now."
"Oh, that's a shame," Eris said. "I would have loved to have congratulated my goddaughter myself. I knew her powers would serve her well. So… is you claiming the throne just the first part of a larger plan?"
"Perhaps," Maleficent mused. "What about you? Have you been working on anything recently?"
"You could say that," Eris said as she noticed a portrait on the nearby wall. "Oh, hello Queen Mab… surprised to see your no-good son overthrown?" she asked the portrait. "Want me to get rid of this for you?"
"No, I think I would like to keep it up," Maleficent said. "As a reminder of the Tragedy of Mab."
The two stared up at the painting, which showed a beautiful woman dressed in a crimson gown. She had butterfly-like wings, long blue hair, glowing pink eyes, and a crown. In one hand was a sword that she wielded… a keyblade.
Back at the Owl House, Luz held onto Donna's key while talking to Donna on the crystal ball.
"And after Mel was brought down, we managed to retrieve this," Luz said as she held up the key, which Donna recognized.
"My key! Oh thank you, Luz!" Donna replied. "And I'm glad that everyone made it out alright."
"Same to you, too," Luz said. "When I heard that a guy named Morpheus returned you and the others home, we were relieved."
"Yeah, the Morpheus guy was strange… and so was Wonderland," Donna admitted.
"Anyway, I promise to give you back your key at the first opportunity," Luz reassured her.
"That's great! But, what about Amity? Is she okay?" Donna asked her.
"Don't worry, she's safe somewhere where Belos can't hurt her," Luz assured her.
"That's good news," Donna said, looking relieved. But then her expression fell. "I do have some bad news though… Eustace and Serpentina have escaped along with Blazer."
Luz's eyes widened in shock. "Ah dammit…"
After escaping from a burning safehouse that they had wrecked, three criminals made their escape through the sewers of the Isles.
"Come on, this way!" Serpentina shouted as she led the way.
Eustace was in his were-croc form carrying the wounded Blazer as they found an exit. Once they were out, he placed Blazer down.
"Okay, so now what?" Blazer before he felt bandages wrapping around him. "AAH! What… what's going on?!"
The two pirates just watched as the Hellhound weakly struggled against his bonds. They then heard a voice and they turned to it.
"Thank you for bringing me this fine specimen," said the person who had been waiting for them here: Sonya.
"You can have the sea-dog," Serpentina told her. "We just want our payment."
"What?!" Blazer exclaimed in shock before he was electrocuted. "AAAH! You… bastards."
Sonya took a good look at Blazer. "Hmm, I never experimented on a Hellhound before," she said as she threw a bag of snails to the two pirates. "Here's your payment, now go."
Blazer looked at the two, tears flooding from his eyes before Sonya started to drag him away. "You guys… I'll get you for this!"
Once Sonya and Blazer were gone, the two pirates began to walk away together.
"Still feels like my jaw is a little broken… at least we got something out of hanging out with your cousin, right love?" Eustace asked.
Serpentina just snarled. "We are never going to waste time with Mel again," she said while touching the claw marks Nina gave her.
She would remember this.
Meanwhile at SCORN, Gibson Oscorne was having an Abomaton show him the footage of what went down last Splatterday night.
"They just came out of nowhere," spoke one of his employees, a short-haired vampire man with pale skin, yellow red eyes, an eyepatch, and a black mustache. He had the Abomaton show him the footage of Blitz and Moxxie killing the scouts. "They managed to take out a whole unit of scouts with these… mysterious weapons."
"These… strange demons are not from this realm, Mr. Blood," Gibson said as he looked at them and their artillery. "I don't know where they came from… but their weapons, they do give me some ideas…"
Meanwhile, in Adrian Graye's office, Adrian was seated behind his desk… with bottles of alcohol on the floor. He kept drinking as he heard the door open.
"Um, sir," spoke the scout, Severine.
"What?" Adrian asked her. "Have you found her yet?"
"Um… no sir, there are no signs of Emily Tricks yet…" she said, which only makes Adrian angry.
"No signs of her… of course!" Adrian gulped from his bottle.
"Um, sir-YAH!" Severine ducked once Adrian threw the bottle near her, causing it to shatter against the wall.
"GET OUT!" he shouted at her. "GET OUT AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU FIND HER!" he shouted as Severine fled from the room. "Fuck!" he shouted while looking at the petrified forms of Margo and Hamilskin.
He just stared at them, Margo specifically. "What…? What do you want?" he asked, but the statue didn't say anything. "Shut up, woman! This is not my fault!" he growled as he tried to walk, but instead he tripped over his own tail. "OOF!"
As Adrian groaned in pain on the floor, he noticed a picture that had fallen from his person. He snatched the picture up and looked at the baby girl on it. The baby girl had green skin like her mother… and a tail like her father.
A tail like his.
"Dear Titan…" Adrian winced as he grabbed a nearby bottle with some alcoholic apple blood left. He drank it up, trying to ease his stress.
Elsewhere in the Boiling Isles, footage of the incident of the Bonesborough Brawl was being replayed over and over again until someone hit pause.
"My, this Melinoe has really caused a bit of chaos in the Isles… hopefully, this will keep Belos distracted while the Tarot Guild carries out their agenda," Terra Snapdragon spoke as she turned to the others. "The Day of Unity is almost here and it is in our best interests that it does not happen…"
"The pieces are finally in place. It's time to come out of the shadows and take control…" Terra continued. Stepping out of the shadows were Lupe, Sonya, Quakus, the ninja that Nina had spoken to during a Brawl, and a large figure that accompanied him. This large figure had a blue face mask, a golden bodysuit with red shoulder and chest plates, hooves, and long straight black hair. He sported a blue loincloth and cape. Also stepping out of the shadows were the Grim Goblin, Nicole Hieron, and Arthur and Destiny Blight. "We shall claim our paradise that Belos lied to us about… and no one is going to stop us."
Terra turned to look at the archive footage, spotting Luz running with Amity. "Not even the Clawthornes…"
Back in the Underworld, Hecate was in her new office talking to Pain and Panic.
"So are all the prisoners of Tartarus accounted for?" she asked them.
"Yes, Madame Hecate," Panic replied. "Everyone is back where they should be."
"Including pieces of Cronus!" Pain declared.
"What about the sea-witch?" Hecate asked them.
"We checked and she's still imprisoned," Panic said.
"Yup! Still chained up!" Pain declared, causing Hecate to sigh in relief.
"That's good, because who knows what damage a descendant of Poseidon could do if she got out," Hecate mentioned. "You two are dismissed, check the souls counter and if you see anything that needs tidying, do so."
Pain and Panic nodded. "Will do!" they said as they walked away.
"Man, Hecate sure did mellow out over the years," Pain said.
"Yup, guess prison time does work wonders!" Panic replied.
Once Hecate was alone in the office, she sighed. "Now then," she said as she walked over to look at herself in the mirror. However, the reflection she was looking at was not hers, rather, it was someone else's…
She was looking at a white haired obese woman with purple skin with aqua blue eyeshadow, deep red lips, gray eyes and a mole near the right side of her mouth. She appeared to be wearing purple coral shell earrings and a gold nautilus shell necklace. Her body from the waist down was black with six tentacles dotted by violet suckers. She was looking back at her and they both gave grins in sync.
"I may not be ruling the ocean… but it'll do for now," said 'Hecate'.
Or rather, Ursula the sea witch disguised as Hecate.
At the Shystream farmhouse, Emily found herself in the guest room while wearing new clothes to sleep in, a black t-shirt with red shorts. She sat on the bed as she heard the door open. "Come in."
Opening up the door was Lindsay in her white shirt and green pajama pants. "Hey, um… I was just wondering how you're doing?"
"I'm… adjusting, but I think I'm going to be okay," Emily replied. "Thank you again for everything you and your family has done for me, Lindsay."
"Oh, it's no problem, Emily," Lindsay said with a wave. "Just think of it as repaying you for saving me from the Grim Goblin attack, along with how you saved our friends from the Scarfish at the beach…"
"Yeah, it's-" Emily realized the last part. "Wait, Scarfish? That one wasn't me."
Lindsay blinked. "It wasn't…? Then who-"
"That was Cross that day," Emily confirmed, shocking Lindsay. "Wait, he didn't tell you that he was also the Golden Guard?"
"No, he didn't," Lindsay said while in shock. "Wait, you mean that you two were the Golden Guard at the same time?"
"To maintain appearances, yes," Emily said. "I have no idea that Cross didn't tell you that while you were coming to save me."
"Cross only told me that he was working with the Emperor's Coven," Lindsay admitted. "I guess there was a lot that he didn't tell me…"
"Well… don't be too hard on him, Lindsay," Emily told her. "He's the kind of guy who tends to keep a lot of things to himself, like him being a weredragon."
"That is true," Lindsay replied. "So… do you need anything else?"
Emily shook her head. "No, I think you already did enough, Lindsay," she said.
Lindsay nodded. "Okay then. Goodnight and see you in the morning," she said while walking out of the room.
"Goodnight," Emily replied as the door shut. Emily then turned to look out the window, thinking to herself.
At the Saltstar home, Boscha was telling her family all about her trip to the Underworld.
"Hold up, hold up, this is… a lot," Beck said while drinking her hot cocoa. "Lindsay… beat down that goddess?"
"Yeah, and it was pretty awesome," Boscha responded. "Let me tell you, I never really thought about what existed beyond the Boiling Isles, but it turns out there are other gods! Like, deities that exist, it was like… a rush. Like, there are other realms-" They heard a knock on the door.
"I got it," Beck said, getting up and walking to the door.
"I must say, I am surprised that you have been through so much," Samwitch said.
"And this Hercules, you said he's strong?" Simon asked.
"Strong as you guys, but might be stronger," Boscha admitted, causing Samwitch to raise an eyebrow.
"OH MY TITAN!" Beck screamed.
Hearing Beck's scream, the trio of Boscha, Simon, and Samwitch ran to see who was at the door. When they saw who was there, they all froze in shock. Boscha gasped.
"Hey Pink-Eyes," Athena Saltstar said while Tom stood next to her.
Boscha immediately ran up to embrace them. "Mom! Tom! You two are-!" Boscha cried as tears flooded from her eyes. As she held onto them, the two hugged her back.
"Hey, we're here now," Athena said as she comforted her daughter.
"We're so glad that you're okay, Boscha," Tom said while in tears as well. After all, Boscha had still been paralyzed when they were arrested, so to see her up and moving now… it was a relief.
And Boscha just continued to cry out of happiness, not wanting to let her mother and boyfriend go anytime soon while Beck, Samwitch, and Simon watched the reunion, all of them smiling in relief.
Walking through the halls of the castle, Hunter headed for his room. However, he stopped when he saw Abel, who was waiting for him in front of the door.
"I'm glad that you've decided to come back, Hunter," Abel said to him. "If you would like to, you can stop by my office to talk at some point."
Hunter tried to hide his nervousness. "I'll… think about it."
Abel nodded. "I hope that the time you were away did you some good," he said as he started to walk away. But right before he walked past Hunter, he paused. "Welcome home," he said before he continued walking.
Hunter watched Abel leave and shared a look with Flapjack before they entered his old room. He looked around and set his bag down with a sigh. "Guess we're finally back here," he said while looking around his room. "But… it feels different to me now."
Flapjack chirped in agreement, though Hunter knew that it couldn't have been the room that changed. So was the thing that changed… him?
As Lilith went up to her room, she gave a tired sigh. And once she entered her room, she slumped on her bed, looking more miserable than ever…
"Oh pull yourself together, Lilith."
Lilith's eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice. She sat up and saw the spirit of Vina Charmspell hovering over her. "GAH!" she shrieked in shock, falling off her bed. "V-Vina?! H-How-?!"
"I'm a ghost, apprentice," Vina said with an annoyed look.
"What are you doing here?" Lilith asked her while standing up.
"Well for starters, I wanted to say that you have really outdid yourself," Vina criticized. "Letting yourself get worked up because a teenager who was under your watch is gone. I thought I taught you better…"
Lilith narrowed her eyes at her. "If you're just here to criticize me, then forget it," Lilith said as she turned around. "I'm done trying to be like you, Vina. Go off to the spirit realm or whatever."
"I… can't," Vina admitted. "I'm a bound spirit, and since you can see me, I need your help."
Lilith turned to her. "My help? With what?"
Vina gave her a serious look. "To find out who killed me…"
"Here's your room, mija," Abuelita said while showing Amity a room they had set up for her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Ramirez," Amity responded while entering the room. She dropped her gym bag while sitting on the bed mat.
Ghost laid on her lap while Acorn landed on her shoulder. Amity sighed and started to pet Ghost. "I already miss my family," she admitted.
Luz held up a copy of the Great Witch Azura while finding herself alone in bed. She sighed, missing Amity's presence. She then looked at Kay's fish tank and decided to get out of bed, walking over to Kay as the child noticed Luz.
"Don't worry, Amity will be back once things are settled," Luz said while pressing her hand on Kay's tank. "And until then, I'm going to protect you with my life, Kay." She looked at the Azura book. "Wanna hear a bedtime story?"
At Hexside, Julia Traveler sat behind her desk in her office.
"I just want to say… thank you, old friend," Julia spoke to the person in front of the desk. "I knew I could trust you to oversee Luz and Amity getting through Hell safely."
"It was a pleasure, Rosie," said Alastor, who had taken on a more human appearance. His skin was white, his hair short and brown, and he was wearing glasses for his hazel eyes. He wore a red button vest with a white button shirt, crimson bowtie, and pants with shoes. "I was more than happy to do a favor for a friend… and I found it quite fun."
"I knew you would," Julia commented.
"That Luz girl, she has quite the moxie, despite her crass nature," Alastor commented. "And the girl, Amity… she reminds me more of you, Rosie."
"Oh, you flatter me," Julia said with a smile.
"Anyway, I should be off back to Hell now," Alastor declared while turning to Julia. "I do look forward to seeing you again, Rosie, since it's always a pleasure."
She nodded. "Always," she said before Alastor disappeared from her office.
Julia sighed, finding herself alone. She looked down and opened the drawer of her desks, pulling out her case files. There were names on them: Luz, Amity, Boscha, Gus, Willow…
"There were some resolutions today," she states while looking through the files. "But their struggles are far from over…"
A/N:
Okay, let's clear things up around. This arc is still the "Back to the Isles" arc, or saga if you want to call it, as this is just the second part of it. After the Human Realm arc was the first part of the Back to the Isles saga/arc, then there was the Underworld arc which is the second part where the characters have returned to the Isles after their adventures in the other realms.
We're not even closed to "Hollow Mind" yet, oh no. The part with Hollow Mind is supposed to take place later on, like a "week" before the Day of Unity(which makes no sense in the timeline in canon, felt less then a week). So you'll just have to read more before we hit that point.
Now for everyone who have guessed which soul the Baron wants from Luz, you've finally got your answer… the Inner Demons. Cause think about it, the guy has been around the longest than the villains in the series, so he's pretty much overdue to go to Hell. The Inner Demon is still a spirit who resides himself in the dream realm, and that he does terrorize the children of the Isles, and the Baron protects children. He's already got Nicole's soul, and that Faust while being just a mean principal, he's not really abusive. A bit of a fear-monger, but Faust isn't shown to abuse or hit his students, not even in canon. The Inner Demon just makes the most sense because it's to give Luz a challenge in order to save Lilith's soul. I'm… pretty much kinda disappointed that no one guessed that theory…
Idna is the name of where Phil lives to train Hercules, which we got from a Hercules Storybook adaptation. And yes, Melinoe will still be facing punishment for her actions so she's not really getting off scott-free, just that she's fortunate enough to have people that wants to help her rather than punish her for her actions and make her resentful. The retreat is not just for her, but for all of them as her parents feel responsible as well. Her powers being taken away is still a possibility, but for now this will be the last we see of Mel for the rest of Book Two.
Hecate being Ursula was something we've thought out on a whim. Especially when we realized that Ursula may have a connection to Poseidon, like one of his descendants. Basically the old switcheroo and no one will realized it. The longer Hades and his family are gone from the Underworld, the more Ursula can set her plans into motion, in time.
And we know that most of you are upset that Eustace and Serpentina got away from captivity, along with selling out Blazer to Sonya… we apologize for upsetting you guys, but the thing is, it is too much of a risk to turn them in to the Emperor's Coven right now. They'll still be around, making them recurring antagonists.
Emily requesting Hunter to bail out Tito is pretty much the best option to free Tito. I know that some, or one of you, are concerned about him being the main suspect of Bria's disappearance. But quite honestly, the Emperor's Coven seems to not be doing about him, cause if that were the case, they could've done something to him a long time ago. Also the fact that he's still a minor, along with other Glandus students that were re-located to different schools rather than be arrested, or still in the Conformatorium due to due process and waiting trial. Not to mentioned that there are still possible Tarot Guild members within the Emperor's Coven. As Terra said, they're too occupied in dealing with Melinoe's mess.
It wasn't our original plan for Athena and Tom to be freed at the end of the Underworld Arc, but while writing Boscha and Hunter's interactions, we've realized that it would make sense for Hunter to go back to the castle to try to get Boscha's family freed despite the risks, since he knows he could do something to help his friend.
We hope you like all the cameos from Molly McGee, to the characters of Disney's Hercules, Jake and the Neverland Pirates were an addition we've considered. And we hope that you like that Zootopia exists among the realms. We also decided on having Eris to appear, knowing that she did in Book One in her proto-appearance, and now she's here having the look similar to her look in the Dreamwork's Sinbad movie.
Now as for Alastor and Julia's relationship at the end, Alastor and Rosie's relationship in Hazbin Hotel has been compared to Mary Poppins and Bert by the creators, which is what gave us the idea to connect Julia Traveler to Rosie.
And another to clean room, we're going to take a short break from LC. We'll be opening a Q&A for both FF and AO3 so if you have a lot of questions, we'll be free to answer for you. But there are some ground rules:
1- No spoiler-related questions: If questions about certain parts of the story is asked, we may or may not determined to count as spoilers. If you do, they will be ignored.
2- Do not suggests us a plot thread or story arc. We're almost at the milestone end of this fic, we've already got down what plots will happened and the resolutions. Please don't insert story suggestions cause there's already a lot going on for Book 2 and we're still developing for Book 3. Meaning don't suggests anything non-Disney canon related, especially if it's from Marvel, Fox, Blue Sky, etc. Anything bought by Disney. Especially Miraculous Ladybug which I got a suggestion from once and I don't think it really fits cause that show is weird on it's own universe.
3- Try to be fair and don't spam. If the questions are the same as the others, don't feel bad that they're not answered or already answered. Just be fair that there are some answers, if the same as anyone elses, have been answered.
4- If you asks through PMs, they'd be answered in the PMs. But if we feel like they should be answered in public, then we'll answer them in public.
Let's answer some reviews:
BlueKnight-X2: It's what is part of the Hazbin/Helluva lore according to the creators. Hellborn demons when they die, becomes the environment of where they're die. Their situation is a "And I Must Scream".
Crosshot: Well, if the actual canon can tell you, Belos is… well, don't say that he's becoming a Titan. Cause in all that's sense, he's becoming something else. If he were, do you think he'd have the scream as well? And we're glad that you're satisfied in what we've done for Cross.
Krypton Joy Writes: Luz's whole species thing may be a lot more linear than whatever Ichigo Kurosaki is… which is funny given what her Titan form in canon was. The reason why we chose the Disney version was because why not? We never meant or had Percy Jackson in mind, since personally I never read the books but Buck did, and I only saw the first movie. Plus we're going for the Disney canon crossover. Amity confiscated the keyblade if you paid attention after Mel's defeat.
OMAC001: What do you think?
Matteso585: 1) We did it to scare y'all. 2) Intentional. 3) It'll be worked out soon.
Franco Almiron: 1) I don't know. 2) Maybe. 3) You'll see.
RJWritingInk: The Baron already has Nicole's soul, and he wants a soul that may be impossible to obtain, which is why he wants Luz to get the Inner Demon's soul. Cups died in… outside of the story. Yeah, we know we didn't use the Typhon from the myth, but we can't make this as a multi-chapter event. So we just settled for the animated series version. Macaria is Herc's daughter and Hade's adopted daughter. And once again, Mel would scoff at Gods of War as a mortal's power fantasy. And yeah, Cross is a bit like Natsu if he was more like Peter Parker. Also, a mind-wipe spell would be non-existent and unethical, plus if there is a mind-wipe spell, do you think that it would've been used by any of the characters a long time ago?
Shuffollower: Zee takes after her father, so yeah she would have a dragon form like Cross. Her appearance will be seen soon.
61394: Thanks.
Next time, the second Q&A…
