Hey, I'm back. As promised, here's chapter two of "I Was a Teenage Abomination."
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Danny Phantom or The Owl House. I only own any minor characters I add to the story.
Luz and Danny were walking through a cave, the former holding a ball of light in her hand for illumination. She was carrying Eda's owl staff in her other hand while Danny was in his demon form.
Suddenly, a deep laugh bellowed through the cave, causing both teens to stop and gasp when they saw a large shadow on the wall before them.
"Foolish children," The shadow mocked them. "Leave this place before you meet your demise."
"Do not underestimate us, Garlog. For we are the good witch, Luz, and the demon knight, Danny, hunters of monsters," Luz stopped as the wind blew through her hair before dropping to one knee, perching the staff on her shoulder like a bazooka. Danny followed her example by posturing defensively behind her.
"Now eat this sucka–what?" Luz began to say before both she and Danny realized something.
Looking closer, they saw that Garlog was actually a tiny creature standing in front of a lantern to cast a shadow that looked bigger and more frightening. He tried to flee once his trick was discovered but was quickly caught by Luz, letting out a squeak as she picked him up.
"You're Garlog?" Luz questioned while he squirmed, trying to escape.
"Better double-check," Danny suggested, standing beside her.
Luz set the staff aside before pulling out the wanted poster for Garlog. It depicted a similar creature to what they found, only much more giant and worth 4,000 snails. Comparing the ad to the real thing they found, it wasn't hard to guess that many people fell for his shadow act.
"This is pathetic," Luz muttered, unamused.
"Story of my life." Danny agreed, sharing her feelings.
"Small I may be, but you will soon know fear when I lay waste to all that you–" Garlog started to threaten before being cut off by King, who ate him whole.
"King, drop it now," Luz said sternly, letting go of Garlog so the little demon was on the ground. "Drop it now!"
King mumbled something before running off like a dog.
"Drop it! No!" Luz chased after them, Danny watching them as they ran around the back of the cave. "We're not gonna play right now! King!"
"Yep. This is my life now." The hybrid teen mumbled, bringing a hand to his face.
(The Next Morning)
The wind was howling as an open window creaked on the Owl House. Inside, Garlog, stuffed in a bottle, squeaked furiously at Luz as she set him on her bedroom side table.
"Boop!" She booped Garlog's nose, cutting off his rant. She then set her phone up against the bottle, turning on the camera to record a video for her mother.
"Hola, Mama! You haven't heard from me in a while. It's been a week and a half since the petrification ceremony. A week and a half since I…" She chuckled nervously before finishing, "Destroyed the portal home…"
Losing her cheerful demeanor, Luz continued, "I had to. Emperor Belos was going to kill Eda if I didn't hand it over. But I couldn't let him use it, so I blew it up with some magic fire…"
Knowing she was making it worse, she sighed as she rubbed her fingers on her forehead.
"She's not gonna understand any of this. That's okay, Luz. Just keep moving forward," She said to herself before focusing on the video. "This world is filled with inexplicable magical wonders, like this portal key!"
She pulled the item in question out of her pocket. "I don't know if it contains magic, but I'm gonna study all I can and find a way back to you."
Luz put the key away, smiling at the camera before continuing.
"A–And look!" She lifted her leg to show King holding onto her. "I have friends to help me."
"I'm never letting you go! You're never returning to the human realm!" King declared, making Luz nervous.
"He doesn't mean that."
"Yes, I do!" King cried as Luz covered the camera.
Out in the hall, Luz resumed filming as Danny left his room. They managed to clear out an extra storage room down the hall from her room for Danny to use while he stayed with them.
"This is Danny," She narrated, catching Danny's attention. "He's also a human trapped on the Boiling Isles. His parents are modern witch hunters, and Danny got sent here when his parent's portal went off. We're working together to figure out a new portal for us to get home."
"Hi, Mrs. Noceda," Danny smiled, lifting his hand to wave, only to gasp when he saw it was demon-looking.
"Oh, yeah, forgot to mention Danny has superpowers," Luz added as Danny focused on returning his hand to normal. "When he passed through the portal, he got hurt and ended up in a different dimension. He met someone there who was able to help him get here, and now he can turn into an unknown type of demon."
After a minute, a burst of blue flames appeared, and Danny's arm became human again. The boy sighed in relief before smiling nervously at the camera.
"He's been practicing, but sometimes parts of him will transform randomly."
Cutting downstairs, Luz started filming Eda in the kitchen.
"This is Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles," Luz narrated as Eda twirled lights around her fingers before bringing them together in focus. Zooming out, she pointed at a bottle on the table, trying to pour a cup of apple blood. "Or at least she was until her curse overpowered her and weakened her magic."
She got the drink to start floating before the magic failed. The bottle exploded, leaving Eda and a good portion of the kitchen covered in apple blood.
"She's doing her best now."
Panning to another part of the house, focus switched to Lilith, wearing a new, more casual outfit.
"Eda was cursed by her own sister, Lilith. And she spent her entire life looking for a way to undo it." Lilith put her old outfit away in a suitcase before staring out of the open window pensively, a small smile appearing as Luz narrated. "It's still hard for everyone to trust each other, but maybe with time, we can all become friends."
Hooty suddenly appeared in the window, causing Lililth to jump. "Hello!"
She screamed in surprise, slamming the window in Hooty's face.
Outside the Owl House, Luz found Eda constructing something.
"Even though Eda gets frustrated, she's found new ways to make up for her lost powers."
When finished, Eda turned around to show off a harpoon with a net tied to it. "Check it, Luz! A new hunting weapon. I will call her the Stab-Catcher."
"Without the portal, Eda has no human garbage to sell. So, we've resorted to working odd jobs to keep food on the table."
"Hey, King, did you know that apple is a hat?" Eda told the little demon as she aimed the Stab-Catcher.
"Really?" King put the apple on his broken horn, not knowing he was standing in front of a target.
"King! No! King!" Dopping her phone, Luz rushed to get King out of harm's way. She pulled him away seconds before the Stab-Catcher hit the bullseye with Eda's detached hands still holding on.
"This week, we're bounty hunters. Next week, we could be anything."
Luz returned to her room, where she started wrapping up the video. "So, Mom, please don't be scared. I'm growing more and more every day, and I'm gonna do my best to become a full-fledged witch and get home to you safe and sound. Te quiero, Mama. Te lo prometo, regresaré a casa pronto."
Turning off the camera, Luz sends the video to her mom. Unfortunately, like the messages before, it didn't go through, causing her to stare at her phone sadly.
"No luck?" Luz turned to see Danny standing in the doorway.
Luz sighed heavily, turning to her fellow human. "No. The video didn't go through. Without the portal, I can't get any messages to my mom."
Danny looked at her sadly, knowing the pain she was feeling. He had tried to send his friends and family texts to let them know he was okay, but none of them went through.
He walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a way."
"Luz! Danny!" Eda called from outside.
Looking outside, the teens saw Eda and Lilith waiting for them. They had all their bounties loaded onto a cart pulled by two ratworms with Lilith at the reigns.
"Time to bring these bad boys to market!"
"Eda," Lilith grunted, patting feathers off herself. "Do you own anything that isn't covered in feathers?"
"I had to deal with a curse for 30 years. I think you can handle a few feathers." Eda retorted.
Luz sighed again before looking at Danny. "Well, we better get going."
"Let's go." Danny agreed as they headed downstairs.
(A short time later)
A short ride later, they were in Bonesborough. However, they noticed some changes to the place since their last visit. A giant statue of whom Danny was told was Emperor Belos was set up in the middle of the marketplace, and there were Emperor's Coven guards everywhere.
Danny stepped closer to Eda and Luz as they walked past the guards, memories of his arrival surfacing in his mind.
"Wow, the Emperor is really taking over," Luz commented.
"I see it too, Luz," Eda said, side-eyeing a demon decked out in Emperor's Coven apparel. "And I'm trying to stay civil."
She then promptly kicked the demon away, startling the teens.
"I don't call that being civil," Danny said, glancing nervously at the coven scouts nearby.
"You okay, Danny?" Luz asked as Eda walked ahead of them.
"Yeah, it's just…" The hybrid tried to reassure her, still looking around nervously.
"The scouts make you uncomfortable?" Luz guessed, remembering how Danny came to them.
The boy responded with a downcast nod.
Smiling sympathetically, Luz held out a hand for Danny to take. He looked at her momentarily before taking it with his own smile before the girl led him after her mentor.
They caught up with her at a booth with a BOUNTY sign. Eda placed their bag of captured demons on a scale out front while the three waited as the shopkeeper read it.
"Tsk. Your payment." He said before holding out a copper snail.
"A single snail? Are you kidding me?" Eda complained.
The shopkeeper laughed sarcastically. "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't done yet."
He snapped the snail in half.
"You can't do this to me," Eda argued with the shopkeeper, drawing attention from passing townspeople. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah, you're Eda the Owl Lady. What are you gonna do? We all know you're powerless now."
Eda growled angrily before drawing a large spell circle, but it disappeared when she tried to cast it. "Ah! What the–"
The people watching started whispering to each other, looking at Eda with pity.
"Ah, this is awkward."
"Uh-oh."
"I don't need your pity." Eda whirled on them, holding up her wanted poster as the human teens watched. "I was the most wanted criminal for years. You should fear me."
Suddenly, a passing garbageman grabbed her wanted poster and put it in the trash cart he was pushing.
"No magic? Not so wanted anymore." Someone commented as the crowd started to disperse.
Lilith laughed smugly as she walked over to them with King. "Don't worry, sister. At least my image still commands respect and fear."
She posed next to a Coven recruitment poster where she was making the same pose. However, the sign was promptly torched by a garbage man holding a flamethrower.
King laughed, pointing at the burning poster. "You're a traitor."
"What's going on?" Lilith demanded, walking up to the man. "This is anarchy. Who told you to do this?"
Instead of getting an answer, the former Coven leader had to duck when three new Coven recruitment posters flew onto the wall. The poster now had a picture of someone in a golden mask and uniform called the Golden Guard. Looking closer, Danny realized the Golden Guard was the same guard he had almost run into while escaping the Conformatorium.
"The Golden Guard?" Luz questioned, grabbing one of the posters. "Did you know him in the Coven, Lilith?"
"Unfortunately, I did." The witch answered, grabbing the poster from Luz. "He always got special treatment because he was the genius teen prodigy. But he's really just a brat."
She crumpled the poster before adding, "If he's in charge… vomit."
Lilith threw the poster to the trash can, but it stopped and hovered above the bin. It then flew back and adhered itself to Lilith's face. She tried to rip it off but gave up and stalked off.
Eda started to do the same in the opposite direction before Luz caught her in a side hug. "Hey, I know! What we need is a confidence boost. Why don't we take on the biggest bounty we can find? It'll be great!"
As Luz ran up to a bulletin board labeled "Greg's List," Danny found himself staring at the poster of the Golden Guard. The hybrid couldn't help his curiosity as he wondered who was behind that mask.
"Hmm. Lost Cerberus, no. Witch cackling lessons?" Luz read the listed posters, chuckling at that last one. "Uh, but maybe not today."
One caught her attention and made her eyes widen in shock.
"What is it, Luz?" Eda asked, seeing her change in demeanor.
"Uh, guys? We have a problem," She said nervously, holding up the poster she found.
To their shock, it showed a picture of Danny's alter ego. The price on his head was huge as well, going up to 1,000,000,000,000,000 snails, and that was probably in gold.
"Oh, boy," Danny muttered, checking himself for transformed limbs.
"Dang. I think that's higher than my old bounty." Eda commented, though her expression looked concerned.
"What does the Emperor want you?" King questioned.
"How should I know?!" The teen responded, stress in his voice.
"Okay, this one is a hard pass," Luz decided, throwing the poster away before looking back over the board. "Aha!"
Finding something else, she took the poster and showed it to them. It showed a serpent-like creature worth 1,000,000 snails. "There's something called a "Selkidomus" ravaging boats up and down the coast. We'll be on a high-seas adventure."
"Hmm… no." Eda quickly shut down the idea. Luz looked down in disappointment as the woman approached her. "We gotta keep a low profile while my powers are weakened, especially now that we know Belos is after Danny."
She glanced at the other teen. "Which means, kid, do something about your feet."
Confused, Danny glanced down and yelped when he saw they had turned. With a quick burst of fire, he had his shoes back.
"Plus, we need fast cash." Eda returned her attention to Luz. Glancing up at the board, the witch gasped when a different poster caught her eye.
"How about this guy?" She suggested, gesturing to a picture of a tiny pink demon worth 600 snails.
"The Abominable Cutie Pie?" Luz questioned, not convinced.
"No, no, no. I hear it's very dangerous." Eda insisted. She then gasped, pointing to their right. "And look, there he is."
Looking over, they do, in fact, see the little demon standing between two Hexside students with a lollipop in his hand. He then ran off, giggling as he climbed the statue of Emperor Belos.
"You'll never catch me!" He cheered from the statue's hand.
Luz climbed up the statue after him, reaching the demon in no time.
"You did it. You caught me." Abominable Cutie Pie deadpanned before falling into Luz's hands.
Luz groaned in displeasure before she heard Eda sigh below them, catching her attention as Danny and King climbed up to her.
"Things aren't looking great, Lily," Eda said sadly as she returned the bounties to the cart. "This bounty-hunting stuff isn't putting food on the table."
Lilith said something in reply, but it was intelligible under the poster.
"Oh, I'm sure Luz and Danny could handle bigger bounties, but if we wanna eat, we don't have the luxury to mess up even once. And with Belos going after Danny, we can't risk him using his powers too often, especially since he's still working on controlling his shifts."
Lilith gave another intelligible response.
"No apple blood," Eda answered as she climbed onto the wagon. "I spent the money on griffin eggs for Luz and Danny. There's not a lot they can digest here, so I make sure to have their favorites around."
The sisters soon head off, not knowing the kids overheard everything.
Abominable Cutie Pie sniffled before saying, "That's rough, buddy."
King responded by snatching his lollipop and shoving him off the statue, the latter screaming as he fell. The boys turned to look at Luz, who watched the sisters leave before she looked at the ground with a sad expression. The group jumped down, Luz stepping on the Abominable Cutie Pie when they landed.
"This is awful. Eda wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me. Maybe it would be better if I never came here." Luz murmured, looking at her hands regretfully.
"Luz. That's not true," Danny said, trying to comfort her. "Look, Eda's curse was gonna get worse whether you showed up or not. She had someone fighting for her with you here when everyone else gave up on her."
Luz looked at him as he continued laying out his argument.
"You saved Eda from getting turned to stone. You also saved Lilith and got the sisters talking to each other again. Their lives are better because you're here."
Touched by his words, Luz smiled before surprising the teen with a hug. "Thank you, Danny."
Danny hugged her back, a smile of his own forming as King watched them happily.
Pulling back, Luz stood tall with determination. "I can't change the past, but I can still change the future. I'm gonna help Eda and prove that I'm more than just a burden."
After some convincing, Luz got Danny to agree to go on the Selkidomus hunt with her. While Danny didn't want to disobey Eda, he didn't want Luz to go alone. Plus, he wanted to get Eda some money to thank her for taking him in when she didn't have to. So, the teens headed to Bonesborough Dock with King riding on Luz's shoulder. They found the ship handling the hunt and tracked down the captain, Luz slamming the Selkidomus's wanted poster onto a barrel.
"The Selkidomus hunt. We want in." Luz demanded.
The ship's horn blew as the captain, a demon called Salty, scrutinized the humans.
"You think you can handle this, squirts?" He questioned.
"We can handle anything," Luz promised.
Deciding to take her word, Salty let them in and gifted them with sailor clothes to change into. When they left to board the ship, the captain nodded to a shadowy figure who had been watching them the whole time. They closed the window of the captain's quarters, which bore the Emperor's sigil.
(Sometime later)
Soon, Salty's ship had set sail across the Boiling Sea. Dressed as sailors, Luz and Danny watched the sea go by on the bow of the boat with King perched on Luz's shoulder.
"Wow…" Danny breathed, taking in the warm sea breeze and purple skies with a child-like wonder.
"When we defeat the Selkidomus and get a boatload of snails, Eda won't have to worry about money for a long time," Luz said, confident in this plan.
"King want a cracker!" King chirped, pretending to be a parrot.
"All hands!" Salty called a meeting, getting their attention.
"Alright, crew. The Selkidomus has been ravaging the coastline." The captain explained as the teens joined the rest of the crew. "It was last seen in the Simmering Shoals. You know the drill, "Snag the quarry…"
He dropped a large sack of snails onto the deck. "Get the money galore-y." We all do the work. We all get a cut."
The other sailors cheered at this.
"I have many debts!" A fish sailor mentioned randomly.
"Till then, keep everything shipshape," Salty ordered, taking back the money before pulling out a broom. "This ain't no pleasure cruise!"
He threw the broom to Luz, leaning close to her and Danny. "Don't be a burden, sea squirts."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about us," Luz said, filled with determination.
The teens got to work with the chores Salty assigned them. Barnacles had started clustering on the front of the ship, snapping their teeth. Salty offered Luz a scraper for the job, but she shared a look with King and Danny. Then, to Salty's surprise, Luz jumped over the side, using a plant glyph to lower herself down. Danny held onto the plant to ensure she didn't fall into the water. The barnacles grunted at Luz, who hissed in return, causing them to quiet down. She then used King's horn to scrape them off the ship.
After that, they went to the bellows of the ship. Salty shoveled some coal into it before offering the shovel to Luz, but she shook her head and pushed it away. She activated three fire glyphs directly into the bellows and closed the door. The ship's horn blew as the boat sped ahead faster than before. Despite his face being covered in soot, Salty nodded in approval.
While Danny refrained from using his powers out of caution, he handled swabbing the deck with some old-fashioned elbow grease. Once he was finished, Salty inspected his work and smirked, impressed.
With the chores done, the crew took a break on the deck. They were clapping in time with Luz doing what they thought was a dance. When she turned around, there was a giant bug on her back that she was trying to get rid of. Getting down on all fours, she was able to buck the bug off her back, launching it over King (who was holding a cracker) and various birds into the sea.
Luz shivered from the feeling as Salty approached her, Danny coming up on her other side.
"Well," He said, startling her with a hard clap on the back. "Ye had me confront my own biases, and I got nothing but respect for ya now, squirts. I mean, sailors."
"Thanks, Captain!" Danny saluted him with a smile.
"You make us feel like a real part of the crew, Salty," Luz added, doing the same.
"Well, that's because you arghhhh," Salty replied, slinging his clawed arm around them.
The rest of the crew cheered as Salty laughed at his pun, Danny chuckling a little as well.
"Boo!" King waved his cracker in displeasure before one of the birds tried to grab it from him. "Hey, that's mine, you feather duster!"
As King and the bird tugged at the cracker, the ship hit a large wave, surprising everyone. The force sent King tumbling into the captain's quarters with the doors closing behind them.
"Oof," King grunted before realizing he was trapped. "Hey, King want a cracker!"
King pounded on the door with his claws before pushing with his back but gave up after a few minutes, knowing no one could hear him. King gasped when he saw a box of crackers on the desk, almost instantly perking up.
"Ooh!" King scrambled over and climbed on top of the table. He grabbed a cracker from the box and promptly ate it. He enjoyed his snack until he noticed a letter under the box.
"Huh?" He questioned before picking up the letter for a closer look, noticing something about the seal. "Is that the Emperor's sigil?"
Getting a bad feeling, King turned up the brightness of the lamp next to him. The brighter light revealed that the room was covered in the Emperor's sigil.
"This ship belongs to the Emperor?!" King gasped as he looked around. "Oh, boy. I gotta tell Luz and Danny."
"Unfortunately," Someone behind them spoke up, causing him to turn around and see the Golden Guard himself. "You won't have the chance."
King watched in fright as he approached. A tarp was thrown over him, cutting off his scream.
(Back on deck)
After some more traveling, Salty's ship soon entered darker waters. The captain lowered his spyglass as he said, "We're here. The Simmering Shoals. Eyes peeled, mates."
(One crewmate literally did that, tying his eyelids behind his head, causing Danny to cringe.)
They sailed past a burning ship with no visible survivors. The sailors took off their hats and paid their respects.
"She's close," Salty predicted, looking at the water.
As he said that, the sea started bubbling right before the creature's tail whacked the ship's side, causing everyone to stumble.
"She's here!" Luz shouted.
The creature swam alongside the ship, looking for another opening to attack. The crew started throwing spears at the beast, but they all missed their mark. The creature then inflated itself and shot spikes at the ship in retaliation. It managed to take off one crew member's head, but it didn't kill him, much to Danny's shock.
After that, Luz took her turn, climbing onto the railing. She activated two ice glyphs, blocking off one of the Selkidomus's escape routes with ice pillars. When it turned around, Luz summoned a third ice pillar to prevent it from fleeing, causing the creature to roar angrily. Once cornered, Luz used plant glyphs to wrap it up in vines, tying it in a plant-like snare before she started pulling it onto the ship.
"Help her, boys!" Salty ordered as Danny and the rest of the crew grabbed the plant rope. "Put your backs into it."
Everyone pulled as hard as possible to keep the creature from escaping. Once it was close enough, Luz tied the vine onto the ship.
"I did it!" She cheered.
However, the celebration was cut short when a sudden explosion rocked the boat, causing Luz and Danny to fall over. The distraction was enough for the Selkidomus to break free and swim away.
As Luz and Danny recovered from the attack, they saw a silhouette of someone carrying a bag of what sounded like money.
"Is that a–a ghost pirate?" Salty asked, sounding fearful.
"The money!" Luz gasped, pushing herself up when she realized what was happening. "We're being robbed."
The thief jumped off the ship onto a makeshift speedboat and sped off, heading to a nearby island. Salty and Danny watched them disappear into the fog before seeing Luz spring into action. She used an ice glyph to summon a boat-shaped block of ice.
"Come on, Danny!" Luz said.
The teens jumped off the ship, landing on the ice. Luz then pulled out a fire glyph, using a fire spell to propel them after the thief.
Salty laughed confidently as he watched them give chase. "Show that specter what for, you two."
When they hit the fog, Danny glanced back at the ship. "Think they'll see it?"
"Not with this fog," Luz answered.
Nodding, Danny jumped into the air as he transformed into his other self. Snapping his wings open, he flew alongside Luz's ice as they pursued the thief.
The teens soon closed in on the shoreline, where the thief had stopped at the bank. However, they encountered another problem when the ice Luz was riding on melted. There was barely enough left to support Luz's feet.
Soon enough, Luz lost her balance when they hit shallow waters, sending her flying. She collided with the thief, causing the money to fly out of their hands. Thinking fast, Danny was able to catch the bag before landing on shore next to Luz, setting it down.
"You got the money!" Luz and the thief cheered in unison, causing the two to glance at each other.
"Wait a minute…" Danny said as they looked closer at the thief, noticing a familiar pair of gold and gray eyes. "I know that voice!"
Luz got up and knocked off her hat, revealing the thief was Eda.
"Eda!" The teens exclaimed together.
The witch chuckled sheepishly. "Hey."
"Why are you robbing our ship?" Luz demanded as Eda put her hat back on.
"And what happened to your legs?" Danny asked when he noticed her limbs below the knee were gone.
Not phased, Eda snapped her fingers, and her legs jumped out of her boat.
"It's called "disguising your tracks." She said as they reattached themselves before she stood up, looking at them sternly. "Now, why were you two on that ship to begin with? You coulda' gotten killed!"
Both teens looked away guiltily, knowing they were in trouble. However, the ground started shaking before either of them could explain themselves.
They looked back at the shore as a giant water fist surrounded by a red glow rose from the sea. It slammed down before it dispersed, revealing the Golden Guard holding a birdcage with steam pouring from his mask.
"That can still be arranged." He stated, looking up at them.
Eda and Luz looked at each other, leaving Danny to glare defensively at the Golden Guard. Just when they thought this couldn't get any worse.
"Hello, criminals. What's about to happen should be relatively painless if you just do what I say." The guard said smugly.
"And why would we do that?" Luz asked as all three of them glared at the guard.
"Because the demon's the only one who can use real magic."
"You don't know that!" Eda countered.
"Maybe not, but I do know you're standing on a plant that eats flesh." The guard said.
The teens and Eda looked down, noticing the plant was steaming. Danny took flight while the girls quickly jumped off it, freaking out, making the Golden Guard laugh.
"Oh, shut up," Danny muttered.
"Okay," He continued, getting back to business. "The human's off the hook because the money was recovered, but the Owl Lady will be arrested again for attacking one of the Emperor's ships, and the demon will be brought to the Emperor."
""Emperor's ship?"" Luz questioned, looking at Eda, confused.
"They're the only ones worth robbing." She explained before focusing back on the Golden Guard. "Why are you guys hunting the Selkidomus? It's a peaceful creature, and you're provoking it!"
"The Emperor ordered me to slay one. I'm just following orders." He answered.
"Well, I'm just gonna smack you around a bit!" An annoyed Eda responded before ripping her arm off.
Using it as a weapon, the Owl Lady jumped at the Golden Guard, swinging her arm as she tried to whack him. However, the guard backstepped each swing, causing her to miss before he spun around and kicked her in the back, tripping her up.
"Leave Eda alone!" Luz demanded, appearing from behind him.
She attempted to use a couple of fire glyphs, but those failed, too, as the Golden Guard ducked and dodged out of the way. He then activated his staff, swinging it around as he blasted Luz with a wave of sand, knocking her over to Eda.
Danny landed in front of the girls, holding out his hand as a glyph appeared. Despite having a different pattern from Luz's glyph, he launched a giant ball of fire at the Golden Guard. The guard summoned a barrier of sand to protect himself, but it didn't stop all of the attack as he was pushed back a few feet. With him distracted, Danny placed his hand on the ground, causing vines to grow under the guard's feet to tie him up.
"Had enough?" Danny questioned.
"Not bad, demon," The Golden Guard grunted.
Suddenly, he disappeared from the vines in a flash of red light, taking Danny by surprise as he reappeared outside his restraints.
"But you have no idea what you're up against…" He continued before going on the attack. With his staff glowing, the Golden Guard teleported closer and prepared to strike Danny with his staff.
Reacting instinctually, the hybrid teen blocked it with his arm, surprising himself when he barely felt a thing. Taking a chance, Danny summoned a light glyph, causing a burst of light that caused the Golden Guard to stumble back with a shocked cry. He then gave the guard a kangaroo kick, knocking him away.
"Funny, I could say the same to you." Danny retorted, smirking as his opponent got up.
The Golden Guard held his stomach momentarily, staring Danny down through his mask, the hybrid teen doing the same. The tension around them was getting so thick that it made the girls nervous for Danny.
"Okay, this is clearly getting us nowhere," The Golden Guard declared, not taking his eyes off Danny. "How about a compromise?"
"Like what?" Danny's eyes narrowed.
"No one will have to get arrested or be brought to the Emperor if one of you follows those Selkidomus tracks and slays the beast," He continued, pointing to some tracks in the sand that lead to a cave. "Here! I'll help!"
The Golden Guard lifted his staff and materialized a sword, dropping it in front of the trio. Luz whined softly, voicing her displeasure.
"Ugh, you're making this difficult…" He mumbled, rubbing the spot on his mask where his nose would be. "Go, or I drown the bird."
He lifted the birdcage and pulled the shade aside with his staff, revealing King.
"Weh?" King gasped.
"King!" Danny gasped.
The Golden Guard then dropped the shade, having made his point.
"Ah, it's dark now." King sighed before snoring was heard from under the blanket.
"Fine." Luz agreed reluctantly before taking the sword. "I'll do it."
"Luz, wait!" Eda tried to stop her as the human girl headed toward the cave. "Luz!"
Unable to stop her, Eda got up and followed her inside. Danny took one last look at the cage, glaring at the guard before chasing after the girls.
"Luz, don't hurt the Selkidomus. We can find another way out of this." Eda tried to reason with her student as the three approached a crevice near the back of the cave.
"You heard what he said, Eda. If you, Danny, and King want to be free…" Luz responded, jumping onto the mass of a crashed ship. "Then I have to do this alone."
"What's this "alone" business?" Eda questioned. "Don't you remember? Us weirdos have to–"
"What? Stick together? Because you stuck with me, you lost your magic. You almost got turned to stone, and now you can't even afford your apple blood because you're worried about what Danny and I need to eat." Luz retorted, sounding more distressed the more she talked.
"Luz…" Danny murmured as Eda instantly realized Luz had overheard what she had said to Lilith earlier.
Suddenly, there was a groan as the cavern started shaking, drawing their attention to the darkness below. As quickly as it began, it stopped.
"It's my fault all this happened. That's why I've got to do this alone," Luz said, looking at her mentor with a sad smile. "I'll make it all up to you, Eda the Owl Lady. I promise."
Holding up the sword, Luz fell backward into the Selkidomus nest.
"Luz!" Eda and Danny called as she dropped out of sight.
"What do we do?" The hybrid turned to the witch, becoming worried when they heard the creature roar again.
"You stay up here! I'll get Luz!" Eda ordered, jumping onto the mast.
Danny watched as the Owl Lady climbed into the cavern before getting to his feet. He wasn't going to let Luz and Eda do this alone. Opening his wings, he fluttered down into the cavern, summoning a ball of light in his hand so he could see.
When he landed, Danny noticed some bushes of seaweed in a corner of the cave. Moving closer, he saw something move in the foliage, instantly making the hybrid tense. However, Danny soon became surprised when what came out was a smaller version of the Selkidomus.
Now it was making sense why the Selkidomus attacked ships that came this way. She was protecting her baby. Which now begged the question of how they were going to get out of this without destroying a family?
Suddenly, Luz and Eda dropped into the seaweed, startling Danny and making the baby retreat. Luz popped back up, followed by Eda, either noticing Danny was there as the Owl Lady rebuffed the human girl's earlier statements.
"You think throwing your life away is gonna help me? Well, it's not," Eda argued. "You helped me find King's crown when you barely knew me. You saved me from turning to stone, and you even got me talking to my sister again. So, unfortunately for you, my life is pretty great because I'm friends with Luz, the human."
Luz's lip trembled as her eyes started to tear up, but stopped when Eda grabbed her cheeks.
"Now, your guilt-ridden brain is clouding your judgment." The witch said before letting go of her. "There's gotta be a way out of this, where no one has to get hurt…"
It was at this moment that Eda realized Danny was there.
"… And didn't I tell you to wait upstairs?" She asked bluntly, causing Luz to look at her fellow human in confusion.
Danny opened his mouth to say something when the baby Selkidomus sounded behind the girls, causing them to turn to it.
Luz gasped, getting an idea as she turned to her companions.
"Eda, Danny," She smirked as she held up a glyph card. "You wanna learn your first glyphs?"
Outside, the Golden Guard started playing with King's birdcage. He lifted the shade, causing King to wake up.
"Weh?" He gasped, spinning around.
The Golden Guard dropped the shade, making King settle down with a sigh of relief. He lifted the shade again, waking King back up.
"Weh?" King gasped again, spinning around.
The Golden Guard dropped the shade again, making King settle down again with relief. He lifted the shade again, waking King up.
"Weh?" King gasped one more time, spinning around.
The Golden Guard dropped the shade again, making King settle down again with relief.
The guard laughed at their behavior. "You're actually weirdly endearing."
"No, we're not," King argued sleepily before snoring again.
The Golden Guard looked up and saw shadows on the wall of Eda, Luz, and Danny fighting the Selkidomus. Eda punched the creature before the Selkidomus inflated itself and knocked her down. Danny unleashed a torrent of fire, forcing the creature back before Luz raised the sword and charged at the beast.
The Golden Guard's posture revealed his shock when he saw Luz manage to slay the beast before she began dragging her severed head into his view. He sniffed the air before recoiling in disgust.
"Oh, that thing smells awful," He groaned, trying to fan the stench away. "Why are you touching it with your hands? Gross."
"You're gross," Luz retorted. "Now give me King."
"Actually, he smells pretty bad too. Take him."
He tossed the birdcage to Luz, who managed to catch it. She removed the blanket, waking King up before she glared at the Golden Guard.
"Thank you for your service. You can find your own way home."
He started walking away before he turned back around, taking out his staff.
"And try to stay out of trouble," He added, looking sinister as he said, "The Emperor is not a merciful man… Bye-eeee!"
Waving with an oddly cheerful farewell, The Golden Guard got on his staff and vanished.
Luz blew a raspberry after he left, really not liking the guy. She smiled as King poked his head out of the cage before they looked back inside the cave. Next to the "Selkidomus corpse," which was actually made entirely out of plant magic, Eda and Danny (Now back in his human form) were drawing light glyphs and casting them.
Luz walked up to them with King out of the cage as Danny activated another light glyph with fascination.
"Our first glyphs. Did we do good?" Eda asked, cupping a ball of light.
"Yeah. You did great." Luz praised them as she set King down.
"Hey, guys," Danny spoke up, getting their attention. "I noticed something about the glyphs. Watch this."
He got up and turned back into his demon form. He held up his palm, and, to the shock of the girls and King, a glyph appeared out of thin air. Moving it next to the glyphs visible on the plant dummy, they saw what he was referring to.
"This is the plant glyph, right?" Eda asked.
"Yeah." Danny nodded, making a rose appear to prove it.
"But the pattern was different," Luz mentioned.
Danny simply nodded again before changing back.
"Come to think of it, when you used the fire glyph, that looked different from the ones I use."
"What does it mean?" King asked.
"I'm not sure," Eda answered, looking quizzical about the revelation.
The group turned around when they heard the Selkidomus and her baby approaching them. The baby squeaked before waddling over to Luz.
"Baby! Awww." She cooed when the baby hugged her, Danny petting his side.
"Wait, what is that?" King questioned wearily.
"Don't worry, King. Once the mother saw we weren't a threat to her baby, she calmed down," Eda assured him before turning to the Selkidomus. "This area is dangerous. You need to move further out into the sea."
The Selkidomus nodded in understanding. She started hacking before regurgitating a pile of a golden substance, grossing Luz and Danny out.
"Hot dang!" Eda cheered, hugging Luz around the shoulder. "It gave you the treasure of the sea."
"Gold? Tuna?" Luz asked.
"It's selkigris," She explained, gathering some in her hands. "Ah, people pay big money for it at the Night Market."
She lathered some on her hands before rubbing it on Luz's cheeks, much to her disgust. "No, Eda!"
"Ah, feel that money, Luz. Luxuriate in it."
"Stop!" She complained, trying to pull away.
"What, you don't like to luxuriate? There's a whole pile of luxury right in here."
"No, no, no, no, no." Luz begged before Eda threw her into the selkigris, Danny looking a little disgusted. Eda then gave Danny a mischievous look.
"Oh, no…" Before he could react, she tossed him into the pile, too.
"Move over!" Eda then jumped in, flattening the pile.
"Eda!" The teens whined before they all started laughing, ignoring the creeped-out look on King's face when he found a skull.
(Sometime later)
After a long day, a tired Eda, Luz, and Danny, with King on Luz's head, walked through the door of the Owl House.
"We're home," Eda announced before tripping over Hooty with a startled cry, surprising the teens.
"Eda, come here," Lilith hurried over to them with a smile. "I have a gift for you."
"What happened to Hooty?" Danny asked, noticing he was covered in bee stings.
"It's not as bad as it looks. Hoot, hoot." Hooty assured them.
Lilith led Eda to the coffee table, where a black cauldron was set up, followed by the humans. "To prove that I'm trustworthy, I'm giving you a peek inside the Emperor's Castle."
"What is this?" Danny asked.
"A scrying potion. It allows you to see anyone, anything, or anywhere you want." Lilith explained.
Everyone looked into the cauldron as a picture formed in the purple liquid. It showed a corridor at the Emperor's Castle that split into two paths. Four distracted guards at each side were doing nothing.
A guard on the left turned to a guard on the right. "'Sup?"
"'Sup?" The other nodded.
"What are we supposed to do with this?" Luz questioned.
"Whatever you want. Don't you see? These troops don't know what to do with themselves. So, go crazy. Pull whatever pranks your heart desires. They're clueless without me." Lilith said as she got comfortable on the loveseat.
"Oh, Lily, you couldn't have been more right. And that Golden Guard… what a chump." Eda smiled before turning Luz and Danny as the former set King down. "Oh, I'm in a good mood. Who wants to get takeout and draw faces on Hooty?"
"Yay! Me, me, me! I do! Yeah! I'm in!" Luz and King said simultaneously as the two followed Eda out of the room.
"No…" Hooty shook his head quietly at the same time, looking worried.
"I'll protect you, Hootsifer," Lilith whispered to him, making the house demon smile in thanks.
"Hootsifer?" Danny questioned.
"It's my new nickname!" Hooty replied happily.
The hybrid didn't ask anything else but smiled slightly as he shook his head.
When he glanced back at the scrying potion, his smile fell. If the potion could show him whatever he wanted, could he see Amity Park and his family and friends?
"Danny?" Lilith spoke, reclaiming his attention. "Is everything all right?"
Varian took a deep breath, nodding his head slightly. "Yeah, it's just… I just miss home. And I'm worried about my family and the guys."
"Lulu? Can the scrying potion let you see things in the human realm?" Hooty asked the former coven head.
"I honestly don't know," She answered truthfully. "No one has ever tried."
"It's okay," Danny smiled reassuringly, but his eyes were still downcast. "We'll figure something else out. Besides, you made this for your sister."
Suddenly, Lilith stepped forward and hugged Danny, Hooty coiling around them as a show of support. The human was frozen for a moment before slowly returning the embrace.
"We'll find a way, Danny," Lilith assured him as they pulled apart. "I promise."
"And until then, you have new friends willing to help you," Hooty added cheerfully.
Danny looked at them before blushing slightly, giving Hooty some pets. "Thank you."
"Now, we should catch up with the others and put our two snails in about dinner," Lilith suggested.
"After that, I'm gonna take a shower. I need one in the worst way after today."
Lilith chuckled as they went to join the rest of the Owl House residents.
"Alright, what do we wanna eat?" Eda asked.
"Anything but seafood," Luz said.
"I personally lost my appetite after today," Danny stated.
"Cracker." King requested.
"We're not ordering crackers," Eda said.
"Bees!" Hooty shouted.
"I'm fine with whatever. Things are starting to feel right again." Lilith stated.
And this chapter is done.
Anyway, with this chapter done, I'm gonna consult the spinner and pick a new batch of stories to work on.