Finally, another day had passed. They had now been at the Boiling Islands for five days, and as usual the day had been full of joy and fun and had flown by in an instant. It was really true that the more fun we had, the faster the time passed... well, not that the kids cared about it anymore since they now had all the time they wanted. Many of them now seemed to have convinced themselves that spending their lives there wasn't a bad idea, and they no longer even checked their watches to try to reach the ship in time; Luz and Amity were also no exception, as were their friends.

Of their entire group, only Gus and Matt kept trying to keep track of the hours, but they weren't very successful anyway. "It's half past ten" Gus murmured looking at a clock hanging on a wall, while he sat on a bench with Matt munching cotton candy. Their friends were still playing somewhere, but they had preferred to take a break for a moment. "We've missed the ship again"

"Yes, I understood it even without the watch. Look at the sky, it's already studded with stars" Matt muttered pointing to the vault of heaven.

"Heh heh! Yep, you're right" Gus commented. "Anyway, don't you find it strange that the temperature here is always comfortable?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Matt asked him.

"Oh, come on, don't make me believe that you didn't notice that too. The temperature here is always the right one: at midday even if it's very sunny there is still a pleasant breeze that refreshes the air, while at night the temperature It seems to be going up even though it should be colder" Gus replied.

But Matt shook his head. "No, it's not such a strange phenomenon. It often happens on the islands as far as I know. We are surrounded by the sea, and the water releases the heat accumulated by the sun more slowly, which is why even late in the evening it's hot. In the morning instead it takes takes longer to warm up than the land and this creates a sea breeze"

"Uh, really? I didn't know" Gus admitted. "I didn't think you were an expert in these things"

"I was a crab, remember? I know how the sea works" Matt boasted a little, but then he became serious: "It's here again"

"Huh? Who?" Gus asked him.

"What do you think? That damn helmsman" Matt grumbled as his eyes narrowed. "Look at him, he's right over there"

Gus looked where Matt was pointing without being noticed, using the cotton candy in his hand to hide his finger; and was thus able to see that between two buildings not far away there was Steve, half hidden behind a wall, and was clearly looking towards them. "It's seriously starting to get creepy" he commented.

Since they first noticed him, Gus and Matt had often caught glimpses of Steve following them. He had become a constant presence and showed up at least once a day. They initially tried to blame it on a series of coincidences, but by then it had become clear that he was following them. "At least he could make an effort not to be seen. He's certainly not a good spy" Gus grumbled. "I think we should tell Mr. Philip. Let him handle it"

"No, not at all! Now I'm tired!" Matt exclaimed as he stood up. "I've ignored that weirdo long enough. Now he owes me an explanation!"

And having said this, before Gus could stop him, he ran towards Steve, who, as he approached, tried to run away; Matt didn't give up and chased him, and the helmsman tried to outrun him, and perhaps he would have even succeeded if Gus had not intervened to help his friend by creating an illusion that blocked his way, forcing him to stop and allowing Matt to reach him and slam it against a wall; Steve tried to free himself, but Matt possessed physical strength far superior to a boy his age and had no problem blocking Steve's wrists. "So? What the hell do you want?" he asked aggressively. "Can we know why you continue to follow us?"

Steve swallowed. But strangely, rather than being scared of them, he seemed to fear the arrival of something else, because he kept looking around frantically. "I had no bad intentions" he whispered in a low voice, as if he were afraid of making himself heard from someone.

"Everyone says that" Gus commented, not at all convinced.

"Yeah, and I'm tired of having a stalker and potentially a serial killer after me" Matt growled. "Either you tell me why you keep following us, or I'll break your face"

"Sssssh! I'll tell you everything, but keep your voice down!" Steve exclaimed gesturing for them to be quiet. "I follow you... because you remind me of someone" he said looking at Matt.

The ex-crab's eyes widened, and exchanged a confused look with Gus. "Me? And who would I remind you of?"

"My little brother" Steve answered him.

Matt and Gus stared intently into his eyes, but they both agreed that he didn't look like he was lying. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not your little brother" Matt told him.

"Oh, I think so" Steve replied. "I've been watching you all this time. You have his way of speaking, even though you've matured. You laugh like him, make the same jokes as him..."

"I'm telling you, I'm not him" Matt grumbled in exasperation. "You probably didn't believe us, but the story about the djinn we told you is true. Gus and I are really a crab and a spider, we didn't lie to you..."

"I know! I believed you, guys!" Steve told him breathlessly. "And that's why I think you're my brother!"

Matt and Gus' eyes widened. "What?" they exclaimed in unison.

Steve placed his hands on Matt's shoulders. "Listen to me... you lived on a beach near Bonesborough, right? The one in the east, with the golden sand and shallow water?"

Matt looked like someone who had just been hit over the head with a stick. "Yes... but how do you...?"

"And your full name…" Steve choked out. "…is Mattholomule, right?"

"Yes..." Matt replied.

The helmsman put his hands on his cheeks: "Matt... it's me! It's Steve! Your brother, the one you lived with!"

"What!?" Matt pulled away and pushed him away. "Are you kidding me!?"

"No! Look, I'll show you!" Steve exclaimed. "On your eleventh birthday, I gave you a nautilus shell! You were so happy that you shook it, and accidentally slammed it on my head, which cracked my shell and left me with a bump! Look, you hit me right here!" he said, brushing aside his hair, revealing a small horn underneath it, just on the right side of her forehead.

When he saw it, Matt's mouth dropped open. "It has the same shape as that wound... and no one knows about that event..." he murmured. "Steve... is that really you...?"

"It's really me, Matt! I can list you a thousand more experiences we've shared!" Steve answered him trembling slightly. "That time we caught that shrimp together... that time we went to collect mussels on the rocks and almost got caught by an octopus... or the evenings we spent watching the sunset over the sea, and watching the human ships landing in Bonesborough..."

Matt didn't need further confirmation: he threw himself into Steve's arms and held him tightly. "It's... it's really you..." he murmured, barely holding back his tears. "I waited for you for years on that beach... I thought you were dead... how...?"

"Yes... that time I thought I was dead too" Steve replied. "I met a dogfish that wanted to eat me, and to escape I ended up in an area with a strong current that dragged me out to sea, and there I was hit by a storm. I was dragged by the waves for kilometers until I was thrown here, and I met him..."

"You mean Mr. Philip?" Gus asked; he didn't want to ruin the moment, but that situation was definitely strange. "Is he the one who turned you into a human?"

The sudden mention of the park owner made Steve's skin crawl. "Right... I have to take you away from here right now!" he exclaimed. "Come with me! We have to leave this place immediately, even if we have to swim into the ocean!"

"What!? Have you gone crazy?" Matt exclaimed. "We'll never make it! Steve, we can't..."

"We'll still have a better chance of surviving than staying here!" Steve exclaimed, and from his tone of voice he sounded truly terrified. "You don't understand, this place is not what it seems! We have to leave before he notices, he might already be listening to us...!"

He had no sooner finished speaking than the ground beneath their feet opened up and they fell; all three screamed, expecting to crash to the ground, but when they reached the bottom of the abyss they bounced on it as if it were made of rubber. The opening in the ceiling closed immediately, throwing them into darkness, but a fraction of a second later several blue lights came on in the form of phosphorescent globes that seemed to scrutinize them; they almost looked like... eyes?

"How annoying" Philip said as he appeared before them, and he did so by poking out of the ground as if he were made of slime, and then he raised his hand towards them: "Go back to be what you were!"

Gus was hit by a flash of light that blinded him, and then again he felt himself falling and bouncing on the ground; he reopened his eyes and saw that Philip seemed to have grown bigger in front of him. He tried to raise his hand, but all that moved was the hairy leg of a spider. He just had to look at Matt to understand everything: his friend had in fact returned to being a crab. "Oh, no... not again...!"

The ground beneath them shifted and lifted, and several tentacle-like structures curled around them, forming a cage, bringing them up to Philip's face. The man looked at them boredly, and both Gus and Matt shuddered: suddenly his face was no longer that of a friendly old man, but held an evil light in his eyes, more evil than any they had ever seen. Philip looked at them for a moment longer, and then he turned to Steve, who was still on the floor and had become a large brown crab with a bulky carapace and a small lump on the right side of his head. "Steve… you tried to warn them"

The crab backed away, clearly terrified. "My... my emperor, please! I-I never intended to betray you! I just wanted... that's my brother and...!"

"I thought I made myself clear" Philip told him, walking towards him in a manner that didn't seem at all human. "I wouldn't put up with any more bullshit. You know what awaits you now"

"No!" Steve tried to run away, but Philip's right hand transformed into a tentacle and wrapped around him, dragging him right in front of his face; it transformed back into a hand and the fingers slid over the crab's carapace, until they held it only by one leg.

"What a shame. I'll have to find a new helmsman" Philip muttered. "Oh, well... I'll figure something out"

He began to slowly lift Steve above his head. The crab writhed more and more wildly. "NO! NO, PLEASE! NOT THAT! PLEASE, MY EMPEROR! NO...!"

"Let go of my brother!" Matt screamed as he slammed his claws against the walls of the cage, but they proved to be stronger than iron. "Hey, do you hear me? Don't you dare hurt him, you understand...?"

Both he and Gus nearly pass out from what happens next. Philip brought Steve right over his head, and then his skull split open as if he were a monstrous carnivorous plant; where the man's brain should have been, there turned out to be only a hideous tangle of teeth, tongues and corrosive slime. Steve froze when he saw this sight, and started crying. "No...!"

But Philip let him go, and he fell into the monstrous mouth, which immediately closed upon him; the sound of a breaking carapace was heard like thunder throughout the cave, and then there was silence again. The hideous mouth flapped and reshaped itself into a human face again. "Mh. Maybe it's because I haven't eaten crab in a long time, but this was particularly delicious" Philip commented licking his lips.

Matt slipped on his paws shaking like a leaf; Gus tried to support him, but due to the difference in size it was impossible and he too fell to the ground. His friend appeared to just be fallen in a catatonic state. "Steve… he… he has…"

Philip moved in an almost rubbery manner, as if he were a snake, and moved to the front of the cage again. "I could eat you two too, but it would be a waste of resources" he told them. "You, little crab, can take your brother's place as my helmsman... assuming I still need it after this, but hey, I don't think I'll give up my favorite show even if I'll be successful. As for you, little spider... well, I'll find something fun for you to do. Rejoice; out of everyone, you will probably be the one who will suffer the least"

Gus shook like a leaf; he couldn't remember ever having found so much terror. He felt as if he were facing a monster so terrible that even the other monsters would be afraid of it. Matt, unlike him, didn't even seem to have heard what the man had said and continued to stammer his brother's name.

Suddenly Philip opened his eyes slightly, as if he had seen something very interesting. "Uh, good... it looks like the little fairies have finally arrived. And my other guests are arriving too... perfect timing, exactly as expected" he said in a satisfied voice, and his lips curved into a smile too wide to belong to a human, and he showed the sharp shark-like teeth underneath. "Just in time for dinner!"

And with that he seemed to melt and disappeared between the cracks of the cave as if he were really made of mud, and the strange lights went out... or rather, they closed as if they were effectively eyes. Gus was left alone in the dark, with his friend Matt in complete shock, trembling in terror at the scene he had just witnessed. "What trouble have we gotten ourselves into this time!?"

For those who don't remember, Steve is Matt's brother in the Owl House canon and here too (he mentions him several times throughout the story). The fact that Matt and Gus are locked in a cage is also a reference to what happens in the Disney cartoon