Confronting Philip

We all just couldn't believe it! The Collector was helping us! The child god that turned the Boiling Isles into his personal playground had turned into the good side now, and was trying to help save the Archives from crumbling.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. If Lilith and I can redeem ourselves, then so can he! I then frowned. Unfortunately, I have a feeling the same can't be said about Philip, AKA, Belos. Like Caleb's ghost told me, he's too far gone. Still, it would be nice if he did. He did raise me after all.

As Amity helped the Collector to their feet after they fell to the ground, I was thinking. I walked closer to him.

"Where's Luz?" I asked him. He looked at me.

"Battling Belos." He answered. "And she looks different in an awesome way! You should see! Oh, yeah, and she died for a bit saving me." We all gasped.

"Luz…died?" Amity asked, hardly believing it. I could hardly believe it too. But of course Luz would sacrifice herself to save another. She's a good person.

"Oh, yes!" The Collector told her. "But she's alive now and kicking the Emperor's butt, along with Eda and King, who also changed into their beast forms."

"So, that's what those balls of light we saw!" Gus observed. He looked at me."We saw the same stuff when Flapjack sacrificed himself to save you, Hunter."

"I knew something bad had happened to Luz!" Camila stated. "A mother's instincts are never wrong. Thank Titan, she's alive. Wait, did I say 'thank Titan'?"

"You're becoming one of us!" Gus said with glee.

"I'm going down there." I told my friends. Everyone gasped. "I want to see Belos defeated once and for all." Although relieved that Luz was still alive, I was still furious at Belos. I thought with him injuring Flapjack, he had gone too far, but trying to kill the Collector, an innocent child god, was the last straw! I thought I was going to have another breakdown if Luz stayed dead.

"Are you sure, Hunter?" Amity asked me, seeing me shake in fright. I looked at her. I took a deep inhale and exhaled.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"You don't have to." Camila told me. "If you're scared, don't push yourself." I looked at her.

"I want to." I said. "Despite my fear of him still, I feel like I have to face him one last time and see his downfall."

"Well, okay, if that is what you want."

"Just, please, be careful." Willow begged me. I looked at her and smiled.

"Don't worry, I will." I promised her. I was about to go when Amity spoke up.

"I want to go too." She spoke. We all looked at her. "Please. I want to see my batata, to see if she's okay or needs help. And if she is different now and looks really awesome now, I want to see that." I smiled at her.

"Sure, Amity. I understand. Hop onto my back, and I'll get you there." This time, Amity smiled.

"Thanks, Hunter. I could fly down there myself, but with you, it might make the journey there faster." I nodded with agreement. And with that, I bent down so she could get on my back and hold onto my neck.

"Please, hang on tight." I told her.

"I will." She promised.

"And stay safe." Camila added.

"Good luck!" Gus said. I looked back at Amity and when I saw her nod, I knew she was ready. I looked determined, and I teleported us both down to where the fight was.

We landed near King, Eda, and Raine and before us was Philip, and was that Luz? I helped Amity to the ground.

"Hey, kids!" Raine greeted us. "It feels like forever since we last saw you two. Glad to see that you guys are safe."

"You missed one heck of an epic fight!" King piped up.

"That's Luz?" A shocked Amity asked as we looked at her confronting Philip.

"Yup!" Eda explained. "I think she turned into a Titan." I could tell that Amity was utterly speechless, and I couldn't blame her. My mouth was agape too. Luz did look kinda cool. I was amazed. She now wore gray pants, had a black hat with a gray tip on top and purple on the inside and now sprouted horns. Her cloak also was a furry black covering with rings of bone on the outside and purple on the inside. Also her hands and lower legs were like a skeleton's.

"Wow…just…wow!"

I then went back into reality. Philip was trying to persuade Luz that he was a good guy now, and his actions were due to an illness. Oh, he was sick all right, but that wasn't an excuse. I knew better.

"Don't believe him, Luz." I told her. "He's obviously lying again." Philip saw me and faked a smile.

"Hunter!" He said. "I thought you were dead. Thank Titan, you're not." He ran up to me and tried to embrace me in a hug, but I backed up.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped at him. "Don't you dare touch me or touch me ever again!" He pretended to be hurt and clueless.

"Hunter? It's me, Philip, AKA Belos, your loving uncle. I'm your family. I'm really sorry about your palisman, by the way. Don't you recognize me?"

"Oh, I recognize you all right. You're the one who killed innocent witches just because you didn't like their kind. You're the one that killed their palisman, and tried to do the same to Flapjack. You even killed your own brother and the other Golden Guards and were going to kill me too. How could you?! Caleb was your own flesh and blood! He did nothing to you. I looked up to you because I trusted you and wanted to be like you, but now that's not true. You lied to me my whole life and others in the Boiling Isles. I never want to be like you. I want to be my own person, not a clone of the brother that you murdered because of your hatred."

"Hunter? Didn't you hear my talk with Luz just now? That wasn't me who committed those horrible deeds. You see, I was…"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your stupid excuses! You're nothing but a liar! I don't want to see you or your other form ever again!"

"But, Hunter, we're family."

"Family? Families are supposed to support and care for each other, not manipulate you and lie straight to your face. Luz, her mom, my other friends, Darius and others who care about me treat me more like family than you ever did. You just used me and misguided me to get what you want. Flapjack, despite being hurt, died just to save my life, so I know what true love really is. I know where I belong now, and it's not with you or at the castle! I'm standing up for myself. This isn't the 1600s anymore. Times have changed. Enough is enough!"

"Hunter, I…" But I didn't want to hear his lame excuses anymore. He screamed in pain as it began raining. I just looked away. He began crawling towards Luz in his ugly monster form. I was about to teleport to her to protect her, but Raine grabbed my shoulder.

"No." They told me. "I think you said your peace. Belos is weak now. She has this." I nodded, knowing that they were right and trusting them on this.

"We're human." Belos said to her, hand on her leg. "We're better than this!" Luz backed away from him. Eda, Raine and King went to him.

"Well, we ain't!" Eda spoke to him who was nothing but a skull now. They all three began stomping on him. Eda looked over at me.

"Hey, kid!" She called me. "Want to join in?"

"No, I'm good!" I replied.

"Okay, suit yourself." She resumed stomping on him. They all continued until he was nothing, but slimy, gross goo.

"That was extremely satisfying." Raine said, once Belos was no more.

King complained that he got some of the goo on his claw. I smiled and began to tear up, knowing that Belos was no longer a threat and he can never hurt me again. Eda went over to me.

"You okay?" She asked me. "I know you saw some heavy stuff when you and Luz were in Belos' mind."

"Yes." I told her. "I am. I never felt better. I kind of wished I helped make the final blow. But I'm glad he's gone now and out of my life." She smiled. I then had a thought. Is he out of my life for good? I thought he died when the Collector splattered his guts over the wall. So, I don't know. I chose not to think about it.

"Glad you're safe now, kid, and he can no longer hurt you." This time, I smiled.

"Yeah, me too."

"And it was really brave of you, standing up to Belos the way that you did. That took guts. You must be really proud of yourself right now."

"You have no idea."

As Luz turned back into her human form and she and Amity embraced each other and shared a kiss, with Eda, King and Raine going by them, I heard a familiar chirp. I looked, and there were the ghosts of my beloved palismen, Caleb, Evelyn, and all of the previous Golden Guards. They all smiled at me. I even saw a smile on Flapjack. I felt like crying, but held it in. They didn't talk, and they didn't have to. They were all proud of me. I was too.