Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“And that's the end!” Luz Noceda cheerfully exclaimed, doll in one hand and a live snake in the other.

“The end of what?” Said Camila Noceda confusedly.

“My book report.” Replied Luz as the snake in her hand bit the doll. “I think I knocked it out of the park.”

“Your book report is why you're in here.” Principal Hal tiredly said while gesturing to the students panicking out in the hall with some being attacked by snakes.

“So that's where the backup snakes went.”

“And what were you going to do with this?” Camila held up a bundle of fireworks.

“That was for the act three closer.” Luz admitted guilty looking down at her lap.

Camila knelt down in front of Luz and took her face into her hands.

“Mija, I love your creativity but it has gotten out of hand. Do you remember why you were in the principle office the last three times?”

“Yes, I do.” Images of sausage links, spiders, and screaming cheerleaders briefly passed through Luz’s mind.

“We love that you express yourself, but if you can’t learn to separate fantasy from reality, you may need to spend the summer here.” Camila pulled a pamphlet from her purse labeled ‘Reality Check Summer Camp’ with a boy in a box on the cover.

Putting her doll down, Luz reached over and took the pamphlet and started to read it silently, the snake still clutched in her hand.

“Well if that is all we have to discuss why don’t we go home and enjoy the wonderful homework Mrs. Drezzle assigned, I’ll meet you in the car.” A voice from the left of Luz spoke.

“Hold on Percy, we still have to talk about why you’re here.” Principle Hal said sternly, his eye trained on the black-haired teen in front of him.

“I told you, I have nothing to do with that water fountain breaking and dousing the football team!” Percy exclaimed loudly his arms in the air for emphasis.

Principal Hal gave him a look of disbelief.

“Really? Then how is it that you are completely dry when the whole football team, even the ones not present during the incident are soaked?”

Percy crossed his arms across his chest and looked down to the side

“Well, maybe they got wet because they’re jerks that deserved it.”

Principle Hal pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Percy I appreciate everything you’ve done for the school swim team in the short time you’ve been with us, but if you keep having incidents like this I’ll have to-”

Percy cut him off before he could finish

“What expel me, go ahead, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been expelled for something that's not my fault.”

“I was going to say remove you from the swim team, why on earth would I expel you?”

Percy looked confused.

“Because that’s how it always goes. Something happens, I get blamed and expelled, then we-I have to find a new school.”

Luz looked up from her pamphlet curiously.

“Percy what are the names of your old schools, they shouldn’t have expelled you like that!” Camila said concernedly.

“It’s fine, it was a while ago. Thank you Principle Hal for being so generous.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Now why don’t you both wait outside for a moment, I need to speak to Camila here for a second. And Luz please release the snake outside, away from the school if possible.”

Both teens gave a quick nod and exited the office leaving Camila and Principle Hal along.

“I’m worried about them Camila, I really am. Luz doesn’t interact with anyone other than Percy, and Percy doesn’t trust any of the teachers. Last week his math teacher told me he was shocked when he asked if anything was okay as if he’d never been asked by a teacher before. And don’t get me started with Luz. Every assignment she turns in is related to those Azura books.”

“I’m worried too. I’m doing my best, but I can’t seem to get through to them. Especially Percy. I finally got him to stop pacing around the backyard with a ballpoint pen in his hand, and that was the smallest of his habit to tackle. I still have no idea what to do about him stressing out whenever the TV turns on, or how he cries anytime the word ‘chase’ is used.” Camila sat down in one of the discarded chairs and put her face in her hands.

“That does sound stressful, have you had any luck in finding out about his past?”

“I was hoping you found something because as far as medical records are concerned, the kid doesn’t exist. Not even a physical examination, nothing.”

Hal grimaced.

“I’ve got nothing either. No report cards, no standardized tests, no detentions, not anything. My friends down at city hall couldn’t find anything either. It's like what you said, the kid doesn’t exist.”

Camila let out a long tired sigh, before putting her hand through her hair.

“Camila you’ve done a lot for Percy, more than anyone else, and I understand that you want to know about his past, but I think its best that we let it be at least for now.”

Camila’s eyes shot to Hal’s face.

“What do you mean? This is important, this is necessary to help him the best we can!”

Hal stared at her.

“All we know is that he showed up under mysterious circumstances and has many problems related to his past, and honestly I think that's all we are going to find out. You’ve spent so much of your time trying to find out about this kid over the last three months that I worry you haven’t spent enough time with him.”

“Hal you know that's not fair, I have work and I have to take care of Luz and-”

Hal cut her off.

“The rest of your time has been spent trying to dig up a past that obviously doesn’t want to be unearthed. Do you know anything about him beyond basic information? What his favorite food is, what he does in his free time, what his favorite color is?”

Camila was silent.

“Exactly. So here’s what we are going to do. You are going to send both Percy and Luz to that ‘Reality Check’ camp, and you are going to spend the next three months doing your best to find out whatever you can about Percy. When they return from camp you will drop it and be the best parent you can for both of them.”

“What do you mean, you just told me to drop it, and I only suggested that camp so Luz would dial back the weirdness.”

“While that may be, both of your kids need friends, and sending them together will at least give them someone they are familiar with. As for the topic of Percy’s past, I’ve known you for years, and I know you won’t drop something like that so easily.” Hal responded calmly.

Camila sat quietly for a few moments before sighing slightly.

“Alright, I’ll do it, not because you told me to, but because it's the best thing to do right now.” She said as she got up from her chair.

“If you insist.” Hal chuckled.

“And Hal,” Camila turned to the principal. “Thanks for helping me with this, it means a lot.”

Hal smiled at her.

“Any time, now go, your kids are waiting for you.”

“Bye, I’ll see you next school year.” Camila replied quickly and left the room.

Principle Hal waited until the door clicked and let out a big sigh. He grabbed a picture frame on his desk and looked at it longingly. In the frame was a picture of him along with a woman and two small boys. They were all smiling brightly as if everything was right in the world.

“Oh Camila, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

----------------------------------------------------

Luz sat on her bed staring intently at the two items in front of her. One of them was the pamphlet her mom had given her about the summer camp she was now going to attend, the other was a purple notebook with the words ‘Who is Percy?’ written hastily in black marker. Looking at them a little longer, she eventually sighed and picked up the notebook. Flipping to the first clean page, Luz began to write down everything new she had learned about the boy as well as his newest weird stunt.

‘Expelled from several schools. How many? Why? What schools?’

Flipping further into the book, Luz came to a list of all the odd things that had happened around Percy.

‘Water fountain broke. Didn’t get wet.’

Closing the book and putting it in the drawer of her bedside table, Luz laid back on her bed and allowed her mind to wander. Unsurprisingly it came right back to the newest member of her household as it had been doing recently when given the chance.

Luz groaned. There was nothing wrong with the boy. He was perfectly pleasant, helped around the house, and she got along with him amazingly. It was just that things didn’t add up about him.
For starters, her mom had found him in a ditch just outside their home covered head to toe in second-degree burns, but he was perfectly healed just a few days later. When she asked him about it he shrugged her off and told her to never doubt the healing capabilities of a good bath.

Next was his weird habits. After he started staying with them, he would walk around the perimeter of their house at night with a ballpoint pen in his hand. Her mom had just gotten him to stop the other day. He would get all quiet and misty-eyed when certain words or names were said, especially Sally, Anna, and chase. He would disappear into his room for a few hours and would come back seemingly perfectly fine except for his red eyes.

Finally was his lack of everything. He had no records of any kind, which didn’t line up with him being expelled several times. The only form of documentation found bearing his name was from the 70s, long before he was born.

It frustrated and excited Luz to no end. Being as big of a fan of fantasy and mystery novels as she was, she jumped on the opportunity to solve a mystery for herself. Unfortunately, information and clues did not show up as easily as they did in her books. All the information she had found only made things more confusing. So far her leading theory was that he was some mythical being sent to take her on a magical journey, but even she knew that that was just wishful thinking.

Deciding to be done thinking about Percy for the time being, Luz sat up and reached for the ‘Reality Check’ pamphlet, but before she could someone knocked on her door.

“Come in.” She said silently hoping it wasn’t her mother.

The door opened to reveal the tall form of Percy.

“How ya doing kiddo?” He said in an over-the-top dad voice.

Luz just looked at him.

“Right sorry, but seriously how are you doing?” Percy asked earnestly this time.

“Fine I guess, I’m still kinda mad at my mom though. Like why do I have to go to that stupid camp? I’m perfect the way I am!” Luz exclaimed flinging her arms into the air before flopping back onto her bed.

Percy smiled at her and sat down on the end of her bed.

“I'm sure the students currently nursing snake bites would beg to differ. Where did you find them anyways?”

“In the backyard.” Luz grumbled. “Took all week to get them.”

“Huh, impressive. Anyways I think that camp will be a good experience for both of us.”

Luz shot up and stared at Percy hard.

“You’re taking her side on this! I thought you’d be my ally, my one true friend to weather the storm of boredom that camp will be!”

Percy put one of his hands in his hair and sighed.

“I’m not taking her side, I don’t want to go any more than you do, but I still think that it will be a good opportunity for both of us to make new friends and learn important life skills, skills neither of us have.”

“Hey, I have lif-”

Percy cut Luz off and gave her a look.

“The ability to write fanfiction is not an important life skill.”

Luz was quiet.

“Look Luz, I love your creativity and how you have your own way of doing things, but eventually, we need to grow up. I am in no way saying you should change who you are, just that you need some real-life skills to go with your spunky attitude.” Percy said gently. “And, don't worry I’ll be with you the entire time, so we’ll have loads of fun, alright.”

“Thanks for giving me a new perspective, I’ll try not to be too bummed about it.”

Percy stood up and walked to the door.

“I’m not telling you to not be bummed, 'cause I know I am. I’m just trying to help make the fact that we’re spending our hard-earned summer learning to balance checkbooks and appreciate public radio a little easier to swallow. Now I must be off, I need to figure out which of my 3 outfits I’m bringing to camp.”

Luz laughed out loud for a second before quieting down drastically.

“Percy?’ She asked tentatively, her voice full of insecurity. “Do you think I’m too weird?”

Percy stood in the doorway for a second thinking about his answer.

“I don’t think there is such thing as ‘too weird. I think everybody is exactly as weird as they need to be.”

With his piece said he walked out the door and back to his room.

When Lux was sure that Percy was gone, she opened her bedside drawer and pulled out her notebook. Flipping back to where she was earlier she added what she had learned.

‘Acts way older than he seems’

----------------------------------------------------

Luz was on the curb waiting for the bus that would take her and Percy to camp. She was dressed in her usual purple and white hoodie shirt combo with a satchel slung across her chest. As she waited, she stood silently looking down at her copy of ‘The Good Witch Azura” sadly.

The door to the house swung open to reveal Percy carrying a duffle bag and wearing a green hoodie very similar to Luz’s cat one. He had gotten it several days ago in an attempt to cheer Luz up, though it seemed to have little effect. He came and set his bag down next to Luz, before taking a ballpoint pen out of his pocket and fiddling with it.

Following behind Percy was Camila preparing to leave for work. She came up behind the pair and pulled them into a hug.

“Oh. Oh, my babies. Hmm. Now, don’t worry summer camp is only going to be for three months. You’ll be so busy filing taxes and learning how to find a good sale, the time will fly by!”

Luz pulled herself out of her mother’s arms and turned to look at her.

“But I don’t like any of that stuff. I like editing anime clips to music and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories.” Luz said desperately.

Camila stared at Luz sternly.

“Mija, your fantasy world is holding back. Do you have any friends? And no, Percy doesn’t count.”

“Hey!” Percy exclaimed.

Camila turned to Percy and walked over to him.

“Hijo, I didn’t mean it like that.” She said sincerely and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know, but still.” Percy mumbled, slightly uncomfortable with the motherly affection being shown.

Camila noticing his discomfort backed off and sighed.

“Summer camp is a chance for you both to make friends, just promise you’ll both try, alright.”

Luz walked slowly over to the trash can and placed her book in it gently, almost reverently.

“We’ll try.” Luz said sadly.

“We’ll make so many friends you’ll need another phone book!.” Percy added.

Camila looked confused and was about to comment before her phone buzzed suddenly.

“Oh, I got to go to work. Your bus will arrive soon, both of you text me when you get there.”

“Bye, mom.’

“Bye Ms. Noceda!” Percyed yelled gleefully.

She hugged them both one more time and got into her car. They waved as she left, and as soon as she was gone Luz rushed over to the trash can to grab her book.

“Where is it? Where’d it go?” Luz Said as she frantically searched.

Suddenly an owl hooted, causing Luz’s head to snap up and see a small owl with a bag of trash containing her book.

“TINY TRASH THIEF!” She exclaimed angrily before chasing after it.

Seeing Luz run off after an animal, Percy began following her into the woods.

“Luz come back! We need to catch our bus!” Desperately yelled after her, but she was too far to hear him.

He eventually saw her run into an old desolate house right before a bright yellow light emanated from inside.
Percy’s blood ran cold. He knew that whatever that light was, it wasn’t of the human world. He sprinted into the house as fast as he could to find a yellow doorway glowing in the middle of the entry room. Steeling his nerves and gripping his pen tight he walked through the portal.

When he exited, Percy found himself in the back of some tent filled with random junk. He only had a second to comprehend what had happened before he saw Luz run in with her book clutched against her chest and a pale white lady wearing a shawl following her in.

“You’re not going anywhere.” The white lady said, a large scowl on her face.

The lady held up a key and clicked it causing the door Percy had just come through to fold up and fly off. Luz panicked and ducked out the back of the tent, leaving Percy to deal with the woman by himself.

“Uhh, nice weather we’re having?” Percy said nervously.

Percy didn’t know what to do. Normally he would pull his sword out on anything resembling a monster, and the woman looked like a monster he had encountered. But things had changed, he had spent several nights pacing outside the Noceda residence trying and failing to attract monsters, leaving him very confused on whether the gods had a presence at all where he was now. He didn’t know if the woman in front of him was an odd-looking human or a monster. After a little more deliberation he settled on odd human and waited for her to say something.

The woman stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and letting her shoulders drop.

“Kid what are you doing here?” She said finally.

“Well you see I was chasing my sister, no not sister, uh companion and I ended up in this tent, and then she abandoned me.” Percy replied quickly, not wanting to upset the woman, especially after she didn’t kill him.

“Alright, just go sit up front while I grab your companion. I’ll be back shortly.”

The lady went through the flap Luz had run out of leaving Percy alone. Deciding to listen to the woman, he walked out of the tent and found a stool in front of a folding table covered in a large variety of mislabeled items. Percy sat down and looked around to see exactly where he was, doing so however put him immediately on edge. Everywhere he looked he saw monsters milling around doing things you would expect normal people to do. This coupled with the fact that not a single one cared or even seemed to notice his presence made him very nervous, He was the son of one of the strongest gods, the monsters should have been swarming him. Instead, they barely gave him a passing glance if anything at all. It was wrong. Everything about his current situation made sense. He thought when he woke up in the woods behind the Noceda’s house he’d be able to live a normal life, yet here he was right back in the middle of the weirdness that made up his life.

Before Percy had a chance to fall deeper into his existential crisis, the pale lady from before walked out of the tent dragging Luz behind her. The woman threw Luz onto a stool next to Percy where she immediately curled up and started rambling.

“I'm so sorry. I just wanted my book. If you’re gonna eat my skin just do it quick. Just do it now!” Luz stuck her arm out and looked away.

Both the pale lady and Percy looked at Luz Incredoulsy.

“Why would I eat potential customers?!” The lady exclaimed excitedly.

Both Percy and Luz sat there confused as the woman dug around under the table before dumping an assortment of items in front of them.

“Can I interest you in a human foot full of holes? A bar of green human candy? Oh, or how about this black shadowbox that reflects only sadness?” The woman shoved a small tv in their face while sporting a massive grin.

Both of the children sat bewildered for a second trying to understand what just happened. Luz, being the first to recover, chuckled slightly and took the tv from the woman.

“That's not all it can do. Here let me see.”

She looked around the table and found a pair of batteries in a dish labeled ‘Human Candy?’. She took the batteries, put them into the tv, and pushed the power button. An old workout video from the 70s started playing on the tv, attracting the attention of shoppers from other stalls.

“What's that?”

“That's way more interesting than feeding my children!”

“The sound is so alluring.”

People started crowding around the table waving money around and making offers for the tv. Percy, still sitting on his stool and feeling uncomfortable surrounded by ‘monsters’, got up to stand beside Luz.

The woman stared transfixed at the clamoring crowd for a moment before turning to look at Luz.

“What did you say your name was?”

“I’m Luz, Luz Noceda. And this is Percy, uh, Johnson?”

“Jackson.” Percy corrected quickly.

“Well, Luz, that was pretty clever. For a human.”

Percy’s eyes widened in realization.

“That’s kinda weird thing for another human to say.” Luz said slightly confused.

“Really weird.” Percy added, putting his arm in front of Luz and gripping his pen.

“Oh, dear children, I’m not like you.” The woman said before ripping off her shawl to reveal her pointed elf-like ears.

Before either of the children could say anything, the woman stood up on her table and began speaking to the crowd.

“I’m Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!”

“Witch?” Luz and Percy said in unison.

“I am a respected, feared-”

“Busted!” Eda was cut off by a hand smashing the small tv and causing the crowd to disperse.

A large man wearing a guard’s uniform and a strange cone-shaped mask stood holding a poster depicting Eda and a small black creature.

“Eda the Owl Lady, you are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors.”

“Woah witch criminal!” Luz said in a voice full of wonder.

Percy narrowed his eyes at the now named Eda and clenched his fist, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

“You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium.” The guard reached over and grabbed Eda”s arm tightly.

Eda ripped her arms from the guard’s grasp.

“Would you guys quit following me around? I haven’t done squat.”

The guard suddenly reached over and picked Luz up by the collar of her shirt.

“And you’re coming too, for fra-”

Before the guard had any chance to say anything else, Percy jumped from his spot and punched the guard on the side of his head knocking him out instantly.

“Are you ok Luz, did he hurt you.” Percy rushed over to Luz.

“Nice punch kid, where’d you learn to do that?” Eda said suddenly.

Behind her, all of her junk floated up and wrapped itself into a neat bundle. She pulled out a key and clicked it twice, causing the door from earlier to fly over to her and vanish.

“Now follow me, humans!” Eda yelled as she ran away.

Luz, being the good child she was immediately began running after her.

“Luz! Wait up, don’t foll-ugh who am I kidding, of course she’s going to follow the crazy witch lady.” Percy grumbled to himself as he ran after Luz for the second time that day.

He caught up to them easily and started yelling at the pair.

“This is insane! If we die here, Mrs. Noceda is going to kill me for letting her daughter run off with strange ladies!”

Eda scoffed.

“I won’t let them hurt you. Humans like you are much more valuable to me alive than dead.”

“What do you mean by that.” Percy asked.

Before he got an answer, Eda threw her staff into the air, grabbed both children, hopped on with them alongside her, and shot off into the air.

----------------------------------------------------

“You can open your eyes now humans.”

They had been flying for several minutes and both Percy and Luz had their eyes squeezed shut. For Luz, it was due to her lack of experience with traveling in the air, while Percy had his shut due to his fear of who owned the skies.

Luz upon seeing how high they were, shut her eyes again and bent down to grip the staff. Percy on the other hand kept his eyes closed and was breathing slowly and shakily trying to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

“Flying staffs, crazy monsters, you’re a witch! What is this place?” Luz shouted suddenly, her voice competing with the wind whipping by.

Eda chuckled and bent down to readjust Luz.

“This is the Boiling Isles. Every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours.” Eda said calmly, her voice carrying a sense of showmanship.

“Every myth? What about the Greek myths, are those from here?” Percy asked curiously.

“Hmm, I don’t know, but I’d probably say yes considering everything else is from here.”

“Like what?” Luz asked, her eyes open and full of wonder.

“Griffins, vampires, giraffes..”

“Giraffes, those aren’t myths I’ve seen them at the zoo!” Percy said indignantly, upset that an animal related to his beloved horses was being dismissed.

“Yeah, why do you think you have them? We banished those long-necked freaks awhile ago.”

“I think they’re cool.” Percy grumbled.

The group eventually made their way to the ground where Eda hopped off the staff gracefully, while the children were dumped on the ground much less gracefully. Luz after picking herself off the ground turned to Eda.

“Well, I think we’ve had enough adventure for today. This is clearly not the PG fantasy world I always dreamed about, so can you help us get back home?”

“Yeah, can you? I’m all dirty now and all my clean clothes are back at home.” Percy added as he stood up and brushed himself off.

Eda swung her staff down in front of Luz and Percy.

“Only if you two help me first, now come along humans.”

Luz started walking without hesitation, leaving Percy behind who after sighing loudly, followed after her for the third time that day. They soon came upon a large house with a castle-like tower in the back. The roof was blue and there was a window in the shape of an eye made of stained glass on the upper level of the house. The pair found Eda waiting for them in front of a door with the face of an owl on it.

“Aren’t you worried about those guards finding us?” Luz asked as she walked up behind Eda.

“Nope! My house has a state-of-the-art defense system.”

Suddenly the owl face on the door started speaking.

“Hoot hoot, password please.”

“What in the world?” Percy said under his breath, his hand instinctively shooting to his pocket.

Eda simply poked the face in the eyes, causing it to yelp in pain.

“We got no time for this Hooty. Let us in.”

“Alright, alright. Geez, you never want to have any fun. Ow, hoot.” Hooty replied sounding offended before opening his mouth as wide as the doorway to let them through.

“So weird.” Percy whispered as the group walked through Hooty’s mouth hole.

As soon as they were in the house Hooty closed his mouth leaving the trio in darkness.

“Welcome to the Owl House!” Eda said as she swept her arm dramatically.

Immediately the room lit up with candles and various objects began moving on their own. Percy and Luz stood in wonder as they looked around, doing their best to take in as much as possible.

“This is my little slice of heaven where I hid away from the pressures of modern life. Also the cops. Also ex-boyfriends.” Eda said with a snort.

Luz broke from her daze and walked to the center of the room, still looking at everything around her.

“This place is beautiful. Do you live here all by yourself?” Luz asked as she set her bag down on a table.

“Actually, I have a roommate. KING, GET YOUR FURRY BUTT IN HERE.” Eda yelled towards a hallway leading elsewhere in the house.

A few seconds later, a small creature with black fur and a skull walked into the room.

“What do you want? I was about to take a bath.” King whined, his voice sounding like it belonged to a child.

Upon seeing King, Luz’s eyes widened dramatically and she ran over to pull him into a hug.

“Ay, que lindo! Eda, he’s so cute!” She exclaimed while rubbing her cheek against King’s face, before staring at him and talking in a baby voice.

Eda and Percy stood off to the side awkwardly watching the scene, though neither moved to stop it.

“Is she always like this?” Eda asked Percy quietly.

“Yeah, you should have seen her at the pet store. She passed out when she saw how many puppies there were.”

“I can relate. I passed out after seeing pupies for the first time, such vile creatures.” Eda said, nodding in agreement.

Percy turned and looked at her confusedly for a moment before a look of understanding came across his face.

“We’re talking about two completely different things, aren’t we.”

“It would seem that we are.” Eda replied before falling silent.

“EDA! Who is this monster?” King eventually yelled as he struggled to free himself from Luz’s grasp.

Eda sighed before stepping forward and pulling Luz off King and setting her to the side.

“Oh this is Luz the human, and this is Percy the also human. They’re here to help us with our little situation.”

“Oh, hooray.” King exclaimed excitedly, his mood doing a complete 180.

“Wair, wait, wait. I don’t like the sound of this ‘situation’.” Luz said, suddenly sounding apprehensive.

“I don’t either, what exactly are you having us do?” Percy asked with narrowed eyes.

Eda put her hands up defensively and walked towards the center of the room.

“Just let me explain.” She said as she used her hands to draw a circle in the air with yellow light.
In the circle, an image of a large beast somewhat resembling King appeared.

“King was once a fearsome creature known as the King of Demons. However, the evil Warden Warth stole his Crown of Power, leaving him looking like this.” Eda gestured to King that was somehow in Luz’s arms again.

“You mean this little guy.” Luz cooed.

“I’m not your little guy.” King cried indignantly, trying to free himself once more.

“Exactly!” Eda said all too cheerfully before continuing her story. “The Warden keeps the crown locked away behind a force field that can only be bypassed by a human. A human like you! If you help us retrieve it we’ll send the two of you back to your realm. So what do you say?”

She reached down suddenly and picked up King, holding him in front of her and wiggling him around.

“Plus, how could you say no to a face like this?”

“NO, don’t encourage her!” King yelled flailing sporadically, causing Eda to put him down.

“I mean we’re kinda your only way home.”

“So we don’t really have a choice, do we?” Luz said sadly.

“Nope. Now we’ve got no time to lose.” Eda exclaimed happily as she marched towards the door.

“This feels an awful lot like extortion.” Percy said bluntly.

“That’s because it is. Let's go!” Eda replied cheerfully.

“Where are we going?” Luz asked nervously as she followed after Eda.

“Somewhere super fun!”

----------------------------------------------------

“Welcome to the Conformitorium. A place for those the Warden deems unsuitable for society.”

Behind Eda, a large castle loomed over the group. Tall stone walls surrounded it and the environment around the structure was cold and desolate. It was the perfect place for a prison.

Luz, who had King balanced on her head for some reason, walked over to a nearby wall and pulled a wanted poster for Eda off it. Her eyes widened dramatically when she saw the bounty for the Owl Lady’s capture.

“Wow, these guys really have the hots for you.”

“Makes you wonder what she did,” Percy said side eyeing Eda.

“Yep, but they never caught us 'cause we’re too slippery.” Eda said as she crouched down in front of Luz, completely ignoring Percy’s comment.

“Try and catch me when I’m covered in grease Ima squirmy little fella!” King exclaimed excitedly before falling off Luz’s head. “You and Percy will sneak up to the top of the tower where they're holding my crown.” King said as if nothing happened.

“And King and I are going to make sure that the warden’s distracted.” Eda finished.

“Will we need a disguise?” Luz asked happily, hopping in place with anticipation.

Eda looked confused, but before she could say anything, Luz pulled the hood of her sweater over her head.

“I’ve been waiting to use this! Meow meow.!” Luz flicked up the ears of her hood with her fingers.

They stood in silence as Eda and King tried to understand what had just happened.

“Percy.” Luz whispered harshly. “Do the thing!”

“No, I’m not doing that!” Percy replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You promised!” Luz pleaded.

“I’ll look like an idiot.”

“Pleeeeaassee.” Luz stared at him trying to look as cute as possible.

Percy stared back at Luz for a few seconds, before relenting.

“Fine, just stop looking at me like that.”

Percy reluctantly pulled his own hood over his head and looked to the rest of the group.

“Woof woof.” He said as flatly as he could as he flicked the ears of his hood up.
“It's hideous,” King said suddenly.

“Oh, you’ll fit right in. Now lets hea-”

Percy cut Eda off before she could finish.

“I think King should go with Luz instead of me.”

“Why would you say that?” Eda asked curiously.

“First of all King has a much better understanding of the world than either me or Luz. Even if he’s never broken into prison before, he has a much better understanding of how to react to the environment.” Percy rattled off immediately, taking a moment to catch his breath before continuing. “Secondly, this is a stealth mission, King and Luz are the smallest of our group so it makes sense that they are the ones to snake around as they can disappear a lot easier than I could. I’m more of a fighter and will be better in a scenario where we need to subdue someone. Finally, Luz and I are easily distracted and are far more likely to lose sight of our goal, therefore slowing down the entire operation.”

Luz, Eda, and King all stared at Percy dumbstruck. After a few seconds, Percy started to get uncomfortable.

“What? You asked and I answered.” He said defensively.

Eda shook her head slightly and looked at Percy.

“Sorry kid, I just wasn’t expecting such an in-depth response. Anyway, you’re right, that does seem like a better plan.”

Eda slammed the butt of her staff onto the ground suddenly, causing a large yellow circle to appear below them. Grabbing Percy by the arm, she stepped off the circle, leaving only King and Luz on it.

“This will take you to the nearest window. From there make your way to the top to meet us. Now don’t have too much fun without us!”

The circle lifted the two up and out of sight, leaving Percy and Eda by themselves.

“Let’s go, it’ll take some time to check for the Warden and I don’t want those two to get to the top before us and have to wait for us and risk being caught.” Eda said as she mounted her staff.

She turned to Percy and gestured for him to join her. He walked over and hopped on somewhat reluctantly, still not comfortable being anywhere near the open sky. As soon as he was on the pair began their ascent towards the looming tower of the Conformitorium.

They flew in uncomfortable silence while peeking through windows to locate the Warden. After a few minutes, Eda decided to break the tension and ask about something that had been bothering her.

“So kid. You gonna tell me what your deal is?” She asked bluntly as she guided the staff into a blind spot between the windows to avoid passing guards.

Percy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you seriously put off by someone not trusting you after you kidnapped and extorted them?”

Eda chuckled lightly and shook her head.

“Not all, you’d be stupid to trust me. Titan, I barely trust me.” She replied jokingly with a slight undertone of sadness.” No, what's bothering me is your nonchalance about everything.”

“What do you mean?” Percy replied confusedly.

“I’ve been around for a while kid. I know how people are supposed to react to new and fantastical situations. The way your friend reacted, with wonder and amazement, was the proper way. But you? You acted like it was a normal Texday, save for when something even we consider weird happened. You took everything in stride, and while that’s usually an admirable quality to have, here it felt less like a flexible personality, and more like you’ve dealt with worse.”

Eda turned to him and frowned slightly.

“I’m not expecting you to tell me your life story or anything like that, I’m just a bit curious about what you’ve experienced in the past to desensitize you to a place like this.”

Percy sat silently staring off into the distance, his face not conveying any emotions. After a few moments, he began speaking quietly.

“This is not my first time interacting with magic and it's far from my first time being thrust into a situation without my consent. After a while, you just kinda become kinda numb to it I guess.”

Neither of them said anything after that, they just continued searching the endless glass panes in silence. After a while, they spotted the hulking form of the Warden through one of the upper-level windows. He looked to be occupied with a small white creature with orange hair.
With the location of the Warden confirmed, the pair quickly made their way to the highest level of the tower. Entering through a window, they found Luz and King standing in front of a large door labeled ‘CONTRABAND’.

Eda guided the staff easily over to them and hopped off.
“We just checked and the Warden is distracted. He tormenting some tiny creature, so he won’t be coming this way anytime soon.” Eda said to a despondent Luz who ignored her and walked closer to the door.

Percy walked over to Eda and looked between her and Luz.

“What was that about?” He asked in a hushed voice.

“I have no clue.”

King, deciding he’s waited long enough, ran to the door and started messing with the handle.

“My crown. It’s close. I can sense its power!” He yelled exuberantly while he struggled to turn the knob.

“He gets so cute when he’s hungry for power.” Eda cooed softly as she watched the small demon’s excited outburst.

“Cute is one word for whatever that is.” Percy mumbled under his breath.

Luz stood silently gazing sadly down at the ground.

“It’s not fair that they’re all in here. They just want to be themselves.” Luz said suddenly, her voice breaking slightly. “Why does everyone think that being a weirdo is so bad?”

Both Eda and Percy turned to the vulnerable girl, frowns set upon both their faces.

Percy felt guilty. He knew that Luz had struggled with feeling like an outsider the entire time he had known her. Now here she was, seeing her worst nightmares come to life, her fear of being ostracized for her quirks put on full display. He wished he had done more to try and make her see that she was fine just the way she was, but obviously, he had failed.

Eda understood Luz better than anyone at that moment. Her entire childhood she had been told that she needed to fit in, that she needed to change. She hadn’t and where did it put her? Living as a wanted criminal peddling human junk just to make a living.

These thoughts swirled around their heads, but before either of them had a chance to say something, they were interrupted by the sound of metal hitting the floor.

Eda, Percy, and Luz looked to the door to see that King had successfully gotten the handle off and was now scampering through the door.

Eda sighed and started following after the small demon.

“Let's go before he hurts himself.” She said before continuing forward.

Percy and Luz followed her into a large room. In the middle was a tall pillar of light that King was currently ramming his head into. Eda stood watching him fondly as he unsuccessfully tried to destroy the barrier. When she saw that Percy and Luz had caught up, she shouted out to the enthusiastic demon.

“Hey dum dum, we have humans, remember?”

“Oh yeah!” King replied happily.

Eda turned to the humans expectantly, gesturing to the pillar of light. Luz began to step forward but was stopped by Percy putting his arm up.

“I’ll do it, we don’t know how this works, so I’d prefer that it was me doing, just in case something happens.” He said seriously, staring directly into Luz’s eyes.

Eda looked at the interaction incredulously.

“Kid, it's just walking through the light, I highly doubt that something bad is going to happen.” Eda said, chuckling lightly.

Percy turned to her with a determined expression.

“That's what they all say before things go wrong. I’m not taking any chances, not when it could harm someone I care about.” Percy replied sternly. “Now tell me how does this thing work?”

Eda stopped laughing immediately.

“Alright, uh, this barrier is set up so that nobody with magic can bypass it. The only people that can pass it are those who are authorized and people without magic.” She pointed at Percy. “That's where you come in. You, being human, don’t have any magic for the barrier to repel, and will be able to pass through without any trouble. You got that kid?”

Percy stared at her for a moment, nodded his head, and then made his way over to the barrier. After a quick second to calm himself, Percy tentatively stuck his arm through to bright blue ‘wall’ before him.

“See kid nothin-” Eda began to say before being cut off by a pained yell.

“AAAUGHH!” Percy exclaimed in anguish as he fell to his knees, his arm still inside the barrier.

His arm, instead of just passing through the wall as expected, began to glow blue, growing brighter the longer it was trapped. The barrier itself began to noticeably shrink and seemed to flow toward Percy.

Eda watched the scene in horror as Percy’s screams tore through the cavernous room before her eyes widened drastically in recognition.

‘Titan, he’s absorbing it! Humans aren’t supposed to do that, witches aren’t supposed to do that! What is going on!’ The Owl Lady thought to herself while she ran over to the boy to try and help him.

She was beaten to the punch by a panicked Luz who knelt beside him.

“Percy. What’s going on? Why is this happening? We need to get you out no here!” Luz said rapidly, her eyes full of tears. She grabbed his arm in a desperate but futile attempt to free him.

“NO!” He shouted suddenly, pushing Luz off of him.

Gritting his teeth, Percy used his free arm to push himself up so he could stand. Recognizing that the energy of the barrier was flowing into him, Percy took a shaky breath and stuck his other arm into the light.

“AAAAAUUGGGHH!” Percy screamed out in agony.

He turned to Luz, his face twisted in pain and his hair matted with sweat.

“I HANDLE THIS, STAY BACK! I CAN’T HAVE YOU GET HURT!” He shouted at the girl, desperately trying to keep her safe.

Luz stepped back with a stunned look on her face, not knowing what to do. She wanted so desperately to do something to reduce the boy, but she couldn’t do anything. All she could do was watch her first real friend cry out in misery. Luz was so lost in her thoughts, that she did notice Eda coming up next to her until she felt the tall woman’s hand on her shoulder. The Owl Lady looked at her with a pained expression.

“It does you no good to watch this, look away, it’ll be easier that way.” Eda said gently as she turned Luz away from the scene. “When this is done, I need you to grab Percy as fast as possible so that we can hightail out of here.”

Luz looked at Eda, her eyes welling with barely contained tears.

“Can’t you do something, anything to make it stop, please!” Luz pleaded to the older woman.

Eda shook her head sadly.

“I’m sorry kid, there’s nothing I can do, I don’t even know what this is.” She said, hanging her head in resignation.

Luz whimpered sorrowfully and turned around so she wouldn’t have to see Percy. After a few minutes, Eda nudged her.

“He’s done, you go grab him while I get King, we have to be fast.”

Luz nodded and ran over to where Percy was. He was standing hunched over and breathing heavily, his arms still glowing a bright blue. In front of him was a large pile of confiscated goods where the barrier used to be. Luz went beside him, slung one of his arms over her shoulders to support him, and began guiding him over to where Eda was with a curled up and shaking King. Along the way, Percy’s condition improved rapidly, and by the time they made it to Eda, he was walking by himself.

“What's going on? We still need to get the crown.” Percy asked his voice full of confusion.

Eda put one of her hands in her hair and took a deep breath.

“Kid we’re getting outta here.’ She said tiredly. “The crown doesn’t really give King powers, it's just made of paper.”

Percy reacted as if he had been slapped.

“Then what was the point of all this?” He questioned, slight anger in his tone.

“Because it’s important to him, so it’s important to me. Weirdos like us need to stick together.” Eda closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “It was supposed to be an easy in and out job, but obviously it wasn’t, so now we have to get out of here and send you two back home. I have no clue what absorbing magic does to a person.”

“I feel perfectly fine now, maybe even stronger than before. Besides that was only like the third most painful thing I’ve experienced.” Percy argued. “We can still grab the crown!”

While Percy was upset they’d been lied to about the importance of the crown, he understood doing things solely for the sake of it being important to someone else, having done it many times himself.

“The crown is easily replaceable, you are not.” Eda shot back sternly. “And the fact you feel fine is exactly the problem, nobody should be able to absorb any amount of magic, and here you just sucked up one of the most powerful repulsion spells I’ve ever seen.” Eda looked at him, her expression one of understanding. “Kid, I get wanting to help, I really do. But this is not worth risking your health over. We have no idea your body is going to react to that amount of magic. You may feel fine now, but what about in an hour? The best thing to do right now is to get the two of you home.”

Percy stared at her for a few moments before conceding.

“Fine, let's go.” He turned to the shaken girl next to him.” You ready to go Luz?”

Luz hesitated for a moment and then nodded

“Alright, if everyone is ready let's get out of here before the Warden finds out we’re here.” Eda said with a clap of her hands.

“Too late.”

From behind Eda the large form of the Warden appeared, his plague doctor mask and hooded white cloak cutting an imposing figure. Before anyone could react, he brought his hand up, morphed it into an axe, and cut Eda’s head off in one smooth motion. The head flew in an arc through the air and landed in a shocked Luz’s arms. It all happened so fast that neither Percy nor Luz registered the fact that there was no blood.

Both teens stared at the head in muted horror. Not even a second later the head started speaking, scaring the pair further.

“Oww, I hate it when that happens.” The head of Eda mumbled in an annoyed fashion.

“How in Hades are you still alive?!” Percy asked frantically, trying his best to stay calm.

“Magic, we can worry about it later, now we need to grab my body and get out of here now. Got it?”

Percy and Luz nodded in confirmation.

“Good, now I need one of you to grab King, and the other to gr-”

“I can hear you” The Warden cut Eda off. “If you’re planning to escape you should try and plan a little quieter.”

In an instant he moved to attack them, his arms twisting and morphing into a mass of tentacles that shot toward them at high speeds. Eda and Luz braced for impact, but for Percy time slowed to crawl. At that moment Percy reached into his pocket, pulled out Riptide, and cut the tentacles down before they could reach them, causing them to fall to the ground in a writhing mess.

Before anyone could fully comprehend what had just happened, Percy threw his sword away, grabbed Eda’s body and King, and ran back to the group. He grabbed the staff from Eda’s hand and pushed her body towards Luz. Mounting the staff he turned back to look at the group.

“We need to go now.” He shouted at the still-stunned Luz and Eda. “Losing his arms won’t distract him for very long.”

Behind him, the Warden had already successfully managed to reattach about a third of the tentacles and was gathering the rest.

Snapping out of her daze, Eda quickly put her head back on her body. She took Luz’s arm, guided her to Percy, picked her up, and put her on the front of the broom. After getting on herself she took control from Percy and commanded the staff forward. They zipped past the Warden, barely dodging his attempt to grab them, and through an open door that lead them to the bottom of the tower. The Warden, not willing to give up, followed them, using his fully recovered arms to move quickly through the corridors and forcing Eda to push to staff to fly faster. Once they had a decent amount of space between them and the Warden. Eda spoke up.

“So kid, you gonna explain what the heck that was back there?” She asked Percy suspiciously.

“I grabbed a sword from the pile and cut off his arm” Percy replied without looking at her.

“But how-”

Eda was suddenly cut off by Luz shouting at Percy.

“Lend me your hand!”

Not knowing what for, but still willing, Percy put his arm out. Luz took it and used it to help her open the cells of prisoners as they flew by.

“Why’d you do that!” Percy asked Luz incredulously.”Those were criminals you just released!”

“They didn’t deserve to be in there, they didn’t do anything wrong!” She shot back heatedly.”They were locked up for being themselves!”

Percy was taken aback. Obviously, Luz felt some sort of connection to the prisoners and he’d completely missed it. She’d been isolated long before he’d met her, and now that she’s met people even somewhat like her, she wanted to protect them even if they were strangers.

They flew in silence for the last few minutes, no one really knowing what to say. Luz clutched an unconscious King tightly against her chest while Eda steered the staff towards their escape. The exit form to the tower appeared abruptly before them, but before they had a chance to pass through, the momentarily forgotten Wardan lashed out and grabbed the end of the staff, causing them to careen towards the ground. As they fell Percy wrapped his arms around Luz and positioned himself so he’d take the brunt of the impact.

They hit the ground hard leaving them all slightly disorientated. The Warden landed in front of the group and began making his way over to them at a slow, almost mocking pace.

“There’s nowhere to run Owl Lady.” He said haughtily. “I will enjoy handing you over to the Emperor personally.”

Eda pulled herself off the ground using her staff before helping Percy and Luz up. Once both were standing, she took the key to the portal door off her next and handed it to Luz along with her staff.

“The two of you take these and get out of here.” She pleaded desperately. “Fly back to the Owl House, drop King off, and go home!”

“I’m staying to help.” Percy said sternly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar pen.

“No, you got-”

Percy cut Eda off.

“I’m not leaving, I’ve made up my mind.”

“I’m staying too, I can help.” Luz added, taking a step towards Eda to give her stuff back.

Percy put his arm out and blocked her.

“You’re taking King and going home.”

“But I-” Luz tried to counter.

“No Buts, go.”

Percy picked her up and put her on the staff.

“I can-”

“GO!” Percy yelled and pushed Luz forward, sending her flying off.

“Are you done yet?” The rough voice of the Warden asked from behind him.

Percy turned back to face him, flicking the cap off his pen in the process, his beloved sword revealing itself to the world for the first time in months.

“Yes, thank you for waiting.” Percy replied sarcastically, his eye sweeping over the hulking form of the Warden trying to find any weakness.

“I have no business with that human girl. Eda the Owl Lady is a wanted criminal.” The Warden said as he pointed at Eda,

“I haven’t broken any of your dumb laws, at least not in front of you!” She cried indignantly.

The Warden ignored her and raised his hand towards Percy.

“And you somehow destroyed a very powerful and expensive magical barrier. By law, you are both fugitives, and by order of the Emperor it's my duty to lock you up.” His voice was deep, almost animalistic.

The warden suddenly rushed towards both of them, his hands taking the form of axes, and attacked with an overhead swing forcing Eda and Percy to jump out of the way. Without giving time for him to recover, the Warden turned his hand into a large spike and thrust it at Percy, who deflected it with the flat of his blade, only to be caught off guard by a heavy punch to the back sending him tumbling to the ground. The Warden began advancing on his fallen form preparing his next attack.

“Kid!” Eda yelled out while drawing a quick spell circle and firing a barrage of icicles at the Warden.

Alerted by her yell, the Warden formed a hasty shield to block Eda’s attack before ripping off his mask, revealing a maw full of teeth, and shooting a stream of fire from his mouth at the old witch.

Eda intercepted the blast with a spell circle, rotated said circle 180 degrees, and sent the blast back at the Warden. The fire hit him in the chest and shot him into the outer wall of the tower causing it to crumble around the point of impact. The Warden, barely affected by the retaliation, stood up and rushed Eda.

From his position on the ground, Percy saw the forms of three people appear in the newly created hole. One of them was a pale blue with many eyes covering his head, another a small white creature with red hair and a large nose, and the final one looked like a normal dark-skinned human save for her pointed ears and sharp teeth. They all looked harmless and scared, nothing like the criminals one would assume occupied a prison. Reaching back to rub the spot he’d been hit, Percy stood up fully intending to help Eda when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Over where the three prisoners were, he saw Luz landing next to them and talking animatedly.

“Seriously Luz, you had one job.” He muttered under his breath, as made his way over to her.

Before he was able to get too far, he heard a yelp of pain from Eda. Percy turned to the source of the noise and watched as the Warden knocked her to the ground and started slowly approaching her.

Percy looked back at Luz, his gaze lingering for a second before sighing and running to help Eda. As he got closer, he heard the distinct sound of a bad guy gloating.

“Nowhere to run Owl Lady.” The Warden growled while bringing an axe hand up and swinging at Eda.

“Could you get any more cliche?” Percy yelled out suddenly putting himself in front of the Warden’s attack and blocking it with his sword. “Not falling for that again!”

Percy ducked out of the way of the Warden’s other hand trying to surprise attack him for the second time, causing the Warden to stumble. Using that opportunity, Percy lashed out and slashed the Warden’s chest, forcing him back. Percy pressed his advantage, delivering swift and precise strikes to the Warden's body. Seeing it was time to finish the fight, Percy leveled his sword in preparation for a thrust through the heart, only to be interrupted by the trio he saw earlier tackling the Warden to the ground.

Percy watched as the three former prisoners beat the mountain of a beast brutally while yelling about writing fanfiction about food and eating eyeballs, before tying his arms behind his back and dragging him back toward the prisoner tower. It all happened so quickly, Percy was left standing there for a moment failing to register what had just happened.

“Ok, then. That happened.” Percy grumbled to himself as he put the cap back on his sword to close it. “Totally took my kill though.”

He walked over to where Eda was laying and helped her up, letting go once she could stand for herself.

“You good? You look a little out of it. How many fingers am I holding up?” He asked rapidly as he checked on her.

Eda waved him off with a chuckle.

“I’m fine kid, are you though? That was a pretty hard hit you took.” She asked, her voice full of worry. “And what was up with that sword? It looked like the same one from earlier, but I didn’t see you have it when we were escaping.”

“I’m fine, I’m built a bit tougher than the average bear.”

Eda looked at him with a confused expression, the reference flying over her head.

“And don’t worry about the sword, it’s unimportant.” Percy replied dismissively.

Eda narrowed her eyes but chose not to push.

‘Alright then! Now wher-”

“I’m here!” Luz, who had apparently snuck up on them, exclaimed excitedly. “You guys were amazing! Eda was like ‘Boom’ ‘Pow’ and then Percy came in with the sword!”

She stopped suddenly and pointed at Percy.

“Where’d you learn to do that anyway?”

Percy opened his mouth to answer but before he could answer, Luz continued talking.

“Doesn’t matter, it was super cool. And then!”

Luz’s expression became one of unadulterated happiness.

“And then I helped! I rallied the prisoners and they totally beat the Warden!”

Luz pointed at Percy with a smile.

“You said I would get in the way.” Luz said smugly.

“Literally never said that.”

“Doesn’t matter. Without me, you guys would have been toast!”

Percy was about to mention he would have won either way but decided against it. In all of his time with the girl, this was the happiest he’d seen Luz, and he refused to take that away from her.

Eda, who had been watching the exchange with a small smile on her face, clapped her hands to get the two teenagers' attention.

“You both did a good job, but now it's time to get you two home.” She said with a small amount of sadness. “But before we do that, we need to find King.”

“Oh, I have him.” Luz said, pointing to her back where the small form of King could be seen sleeping in her hood. “He fell asleep not too long ago, just look at his cute little sleeping face.”

Percy shook his head slightly as he walked over to the girl and took Eda’s staff from her and returned it to the older witch. Eda took the staff and mounted before gesturing for Percy and Luz to join her.

“Alright, let's go.”

----------------------------------------------------

“Well, kids, time to go.”

The group stood in the living room of the Owl House. In front of them, the portal to the human world glowed a bright yellow that cast shadows along the edges of the room.

“Don’t forget this kid.” Eda held up Luz’s book.

Luz grabbed the book and stared down at it. It was the reason she was here. It had caused her a lot of trouble and Percy a lot of pain. But it had also shown her a new world, one she would never have thought could exist and one she wouldn’t soon forget. She knew she had to go home and continue her ‘normal life, but something was making her hesitate.

“Hey Luz come here for a moment.” Percy suddenly called out, breaking Luz from her thoughts.

“Everything ok?” Eda asked. “You guys gotta go.”

“We’ll be just a moment.” Percy replied as he guided Luz to a far corner of the room

Once they were alone Percy put his hands on her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes.

“You want to stay, don’t you.”

There was no accusation, just a simple statement, one that made Luz squirm uncomfortably.

“N-no, I want to go h-home.” Luz said unconvinced while avoiding all eye contact.

Percy gave her a look of disbelief.

“Luz I’ve only known you for three months and even I can tell this is the closest you’ll ever get to your dream.” His expression softened. “Be honest, where do you feel like you’d fit in more? Here with witches and monsters and an obviously evil ruler waiting to be overthrown, or at home with mean cheerleaders and math homework?”

“Here obviously, but what about you! I dragged you into this mess and then you got hurt!”
Luz exclaimed with teary eyes.
“I made the choice to follow you.” Percy said reassuringly. “And look, I’m fine, no lasting injuries. So don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“What about mom? She’ll be worried if only you go home.”

“Well I’m staying with you, I promised myself I’d look after you, and I can’t do that if I’m a dimension away.”

Luz looked down at the book in her hands once again. After a few seconds of contemplation, she looked back to Percy.

“Fine, I’ll stay.”

“Don’t say it like it's some big burden.” Percy said and punched Luz’s shoulder lightly. “You know it's what you wanted.”

Luz chuckled softly and walked back over to the portal.

“So you kids ready to go home now?” Eda asked the pair.

“Not quite. Luz?” Percy replied and gestured towards Luz who took a deep breath before speaking.

“So I know the deal was you’d send us home after we helped you, but that didn’t quite work out, so I propose a new deal. Teach me how to be a witch and I’ll do whatever you want.”

Eda stared at her dumbly for a moment.

“Look that's stupid humans can’t be witches.”

“Maybe because none have tried before.” Luz countered with a wink. “Look, besides the fighting and barrier thing, today was the most fun I’ve ever had. So please won’t you teach me?”

Luz stared at Eda with her best puppy eyes. Eda only lasted a second before relenting.

“Fine, but you have to work for me before you learn any spells. Deal?” Eda stuck her hand for Luz to shake.

Luz ignored the offered hand and wrapped the older witch in a tight hug.

“Geez kid lay off.” Eda grumbled as she pushed Luz off of her. “What about your brother over there, is he staying too? Cause I’d be happy to have another set of hands to put to work.”

“Yes I’m staying, but don’t worry about teaching me magic, I’m not too interested at the moment.” Percy said with a shrug, completely ignoring Luz’s scandalized expression.

Eda laughed and shook her head.

“Now, it's been a long day so let’s find a room for you two for the night. I’ll try and clear out another one tomorrow so you’ll both have your own space.” Eda said aloud while walking towards the hall leading deeper into the house.

Luz went to follow her but was caught by Percy.

“See, aren’t you glad you decided to stay?” He asked smugly.

Luz pulled the older boy into a bone-crushing hug.

“Yeah, I really am.”

Eda stood in front of the mirror in her room getting ready for the evening. While removing her makeup, she found her mind wandering to the two newest members of her house.

Luz was pretty easy to understand. She was a girl that didn’t fit in at home and found comfort in stories about magic and heroes. Eda could sympathize, she was weird as a kid too. She chose to teach her because she saw a bit of herself in her.

Eda picked up her hairbrush and started working the knots out of her hair. She let out a big sigh as her thoughts turned to her other new resident.

Percy was a completely different story. On the surface, he seemed like a normal teenage boy, but when she looked a little deeper, things did add up. His nonchalance about the situation really rubbed her the wrong way. When she had asked him about it earlier, he had mentioned encountering magic before and being used to having no control over his life. As far as she knew, there wasn’t any magic in the human realm for him to have encountered. Her theory was he was some sort of half-witch. This however didn’t explain how he was able to absorb the barrier back at the Conformitorium. There were only three ways she could think of him being able to pull it off. The first was being the Emperor. He had access to magic not known to normal witches. But, the kid obviously wasn’t the Emperor so that option was out. The second was was for him to be a Basilisk, a magic-consuming species of snake that was hunted to near extinction years ago, but considering he was from the human realm it was just as unlikely as the first. The final way was more unlikely than the first two and one she didn’t want to think about.

Eda finished brushing her hair and made her way to her wardrobe to find a nightgown.

Thinking about the mysterious boy was giving her a headache, but she couldn’t stop, she had too many questions. Where did he learn to fight like that? Where did he get his sword? How did he make a plan so quickly? And what had been more painful than absorbing magic?

All these thoughts swirled around her head as Eda finished putting on her nightgown.

Just as she was about to get in bed, she heard a knocking on her door. Sighing, Eda made her way over and opened it to reveal Percy. He stood there nervously looking down at his feet. When he noticed her, he looked up.

“Hey kid, everything alright?” Eda asked worriedly.

“Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to thank you.” He said quietly.

Eda was stunned. This was one of the last things she expected. People didn’t usually thank her, they just cursed at her.

“Thank me? For what?”

“Well you saved me and Luz’s butts back at the prison, and then you let us stay with you. I just wanted to let you know we appreciated it. Luz would have come too, but it seems King decided she’d make a good bed.”

“Yeah, he does that.” Eda said with a chuckle. “So, do you have anything else to say?”

“No, that was it. Goodnight.” Percy said happily before walking off.

Eda stood in the doorway for a moment contemplating the interaction. She eventually closed the door and made her way into bed.

As she fell asleep she decided that while Percy may have many mysteries, he was ultimately a good kid.

And that's all that really mattered.

Chapter Text

Waking up with an arm or foot in his face was something Percy had become very used to. Though he and Luz had separate rooms at the Noceda household, Luz often found her way into his bed, especially after a particularly rough day at school. He didn’t mind it and he always made sure to stay on his side of the bed. Luz on the other hand moved around a lot when she slept, often leading to early mornings due to an elbow to the face or choking on hair.

What Percy was not used to was the ceiling that hung over him when he opened his eyes. Gone was the popcorn ceiling that dropped small pieces of stucco on his face when the house shook. In its place was a tall slanted ceiling made of wood that gave the room a cozy cabin feel.

He knew logically he was safe based on the fact he was sleeping comfortably with a clear exit, but years of trained paranoia wouldn’t go away in a few months, especially when waking up in an unfamiliar environment. Pushing Luz’s hand off his face, Percy sat up to get a better look at the room.

There was a stained glass window behind him and random junk scattered around the room, but nothing to clue him into where he was. It wasn’t until he saw the sleeping form of King curled up on top of Luz’s sleeping bag, did the events of the previous day start coming back to him. Images of monsters, towering spires, and a hulking Warden flashed across his mind.

“Holy crap.” Percy whispered to himself as he put a hand into his hair

It felt surreal to him. A day ago he was packing his few belongings to go to a summer camp to learn how to be normal. Now here he was in a world of magic, demons, and crazy old ladies. It was a world similar to his own, and he didn’t really know how to feel about it. On one hand, he was quite happy with the quiet and ‘normal’ life he had found for himself with the Nocedas. It was vastly different from what he was used to. He had no need to worry about monsters and he was with people that cared for his well-being. It was simple. It was comfortable.

But therein lies the problem. Percy was not meant for a comfortable life.

The majority of his life was spent moving around trying and failing to find a place to fit in. It was chaotic and not healthy for a growing child, but it was what he was used to. Then came the discovery of his true heritage and the mountain-sized mess that came with it. In his first month of being a demigod, he had been sent on a cross-country search for a weapon of mass destruction, squared up with a god, and visited a realm most only dreamed of. It was overwhelming for a twelve-year-old, but yet again he got used to it.

The following years were spent hopping from one life-threatening adventure to the next all the while being told it was his job as a child of the gods. He never questioned it, and while he sometimes protested, deep down he knew he never really had a choice. It was dangerous and unrewarding but it was his life.

When he began his stay with Luz and Camilla, he was not used to how peaceful everything was. How there was no monster waiting just around the corner hoping for a meal. It was confusing for him, but at the end of the day, he did what he did best and got used to it. He got comfortable with the routine that came with a ‘normal’ life and began to enjoy it… for all of one month. While his new life was comfortable, it was also boring.

While he knew that living with the Nocedas was probably the safest he’d ever been or would be, he couldn’t help but wish for something exciting to happen, for something to come in and shake up the routine his life had become. It made him feel guilty like he was spitting on the hospitality the kind family had shown him, but he couldn’t help himself.

He had almost resigned himself to living a safe but boring life with ‘reality check’ camp being the final nail in the coffin when suddenly he was thrust into a world that gave him everything he’d been looking for. While he was cautious at first, he was truly enjoying himself for the first time in months by the end of the day. When he had convinced Luz to stay and achieve her dream, it had been just as much for him as it had been for her. He felt excited to explore the new world he found himself in, but at the same time, he felt selfish, like he’d manipulated the girl into agreeing to something she didn’t want to do so he could fulfill his desire for adventure. He knew hadn’t, but that didn’t stop the gnawing feeling of guilt in his stomach.

“Gods, how do Athena's kids think so much? All this introspection is giving me a headache,” Percy grumbled under his breath.

Deciding he had done more than enough self-reflection for one morning, he stood up and stretched, before starting to get ready for the day. While he hadn’t brought anything with him when he followed Luz, the two of them had been able to sneak back into the human realm before Camilia returned from work to snag their bags off the curb, providing them not only with clothes but also credibility for their cover story of being at camp. Percy winced a little at the thought of lying to Camilia, but he knew there was no way the woman would let either him or Luz stay if they had asked.

Pulling a shirt over his head, Percy deliberated on whether he should wear the matching jacket he had with Luz before deciding to put it on. It was silly, sure, and an ugly shade of green, but it made Luz happy. Stepping out of the room as quietly as possible, Percy made his way down the hall and downstairs to the living room. He looked around it curiously, having not the day before, and was slightly surprised by how normal it felt. Besides the large framed wanted poster hung up behind the couch and the large mirror above the fireplace, the room looked like any other living room. From the random clutter on shelves, the various knick-knacks on the walls, and the unassuming coffee table, the whole setup wouldn’t look out of place in an average human household.

Percy walked over to sit on the couch, and after finding it quite comfortable, turned his body and laid across it. From his position, he could visible to the wanted poster for Eda, the rough depiction of her image seemingly staring into his soul urging him to spill his secrets. Percy chuckled at how similar it felt to the real woman.

While Percy was thankful for the older witch taking them into her home, there was something that bothered him about her. Maybe it was the fact he didn’t know if she was truly a criminal or how easily she had gotten him to open up to her. Percy was sure there was a lot more to her than she presented. It made him uneasy not knowing all the information, but he knew if he wanted to keep Luz safe, he’d have to trust Eda a little bit.

Closing his eyes in an attempt to try and fall back asleep, Percy started doing just that. Unfortunately for him, he was not the only one up. Just before he slipped into the realm of Morpheus, he was woken up by the sounds of movement upstairs.

“Of course.” Percy muttered to himself with a sigh as he pushed himself up.

A minute or so later the tiny form of King made his way into the room. The demon was yawning and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Your weird sister is up.” King said without any emotion while making his way to the kitchen.

“Thanks, I could tell.”

Shortly after King left the room, Luz ran down the stairs and towards the nearest closet.

“Please have witchy stuff, please have witchy stuff.” She chanted under her breath before letting out a triumphant yell.

Percy watched quietly from the couch as the excited girl rushed into the closet and then come out a few moments later dressed in what appeared to be a stereotypical witch’s outfit. She walked over to the base of the stairs to wait for Eda, all the while ignoring Percy’s presence.

Percy shook his head amusedly at her antics. Doing before thinking was the way Luz operated, and here her tendencies were on display. Standing up, Percy walked over to Luz and tapped her on the shoulder, startling the girl and causing her to turn around quickly.

“Percy! I didn’t know you were up.” Luz asked when she saw it was him, her voice full of excitement.

“Yeah, I’ve been up for a while.”

“Cool cool. Are you excited?” She asked suddenly.

“For what exactly? Doing chores?” Percy replied knowing full well what Luz was talking about.

“To learn about magic! Today is our first step towards becoming powerful witches!” Luz exclaimed happily, her eyes full of stars.

“Yeah no, like I said last night, I’m just not that interested in learning magic at the moment.”

Luz looked like someone had just kicked a puppy in front of her.

“How could you not be interested in learning magic?!” Luz demand “It’s the most wonderful thing ever!”

Percy stared at her blankly for a moment before responding.

“I dunno, it just seems like a lot of work. I can guarantee that Eda didn’t become that powerful overnight. Also, it just seems like people will judge you based on how strong you are, saying things like ‘my mom is a strong witch so you’d better watch out!’. It just seems like more trouble than it's worth.”

Luz looked at him with a thoughtful expression before her shoulders dropped and her eyes went to the floor.

Realizing he’d let his own opinions about power ruin Luz’s excitement, Percy tried to salvage the situation.

“But that’s just what I think, so don’t let my cynical view get in the way of your fun. I’m sure you’ll become a powerful witch in no time!” Percy said quickly.

“Really?” Luz asked hopefully.

“Definitely. Now let's sit down while we wait for Eda to wake up and get that dirty traffic cone off your head.” Percy answered gently while guiding Luz to the couch.

“What do you mean cone? This is a witches’ hat.”

Percy reached up and took the ‘witches’ hat’ off her head and ran his finger down the side revealing the orange color beneath the dirt. He held up his hand to show Luz his blacked fingertip.

Luz blushed and turned away causing Percy to chuckle. He sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to him.

“Come on sit down and talk with me. Also, take that bathrobe off.” Percy said, doing his best to sound as non-judgemental as possible.

Luz slid the black bathrobe off hastily and laid down on the couch putting her feet on Percy’s lap.

“Or just do that.” Percy muttered before looking over to Luz. “Alright lígo fos speak to me. Why did you dress up like that?”

Luz stared at the ceiling and after a few seconds, she started speaking.

“I’ve been dreaming of this for my entire life. And now that I’m here, I’m worried that it won’t be everything I’d hoped for.” Luz said softly, her voice sounding fragile.

Percy sat silently formulating his response. After what felt like hours, he spoke up.

“That’s perfectly alright. Nothing ever lives up to the hype we build for it, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be great.”

Luz lifted her head up and looked at Percy curiously.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, the world you imagined was based on the books you read, but this world is obviously different. So while it won’t exactly match what you dreamed of, it can still be amazing.”

Luz laid quietly contemplating Percy’s words. Several moments later she replied with renewed excitement

“Yeah, you’re right! So what if there are no hot princes or cute pixies? I’m going to rock this whole magic thing like a boss!”

“That’s the spirit. Now, how about you read me the last few chapters of Azura five again while we wait for Eda, I forgot what happened.”

Luz’s face lit up as she dug through her bag and pulled out her book.

“But Hecate, you can’t just mix flaming oak with frosty pine……”

Percy watched the girl’s enthusiastic narration with a smile on his face. Luz had read all the Azura books to him so many times he probably knew the story better than most people, but he’d never pass up on an opportunity to make her smile.

About fifteen minutes later Percy noticed the hunched-over form of Eda making her way down the stairs. She was dressed in a stained purple skirt and a dark red sleep shirt.

“Morning Eda, how’d you sleep,” Percy asked once she’d reached the bottom of the stairs, interrupting Luz’s reenactment of a battle and alerting her to the older woman's presence.

Luz ran over to Eda excitedly.

“Good morning Eda the Owl Lady, I am ready for my first day of witch apprenticeship!” She exclaimed while striking a pose.

Eda yawned and blinked at her tiredly.

“Who are you again?” She asked confusedly before walking right past Luz to the kitchen.

Luz stood there stunned, the fact she’d been forgotten not registering in her brain.

Percy buried his face in his hand and laughed humorlessly.

Of course, the woman they chose to stay with forgot about them. Apparently, breaking into prison with someone doesn’t leave much of an impression. He was starting to regret his decision to stay in the strange world he found himself in.

Shaking herself from her shock, Luz went after Eda into the kitchen.

Percy stood up from the couch and followed after her, wanting to be there for whatever conversation was about to occur.

“You mean apple juice?” Percy heard Luz ask Eda as he walked through the kitchen doorway.

“No.” The older witch said plainly before walking over to lean on the table where King was currently trying to eat and taking a sip of whatever was in her mug.

Following Eda’s example, Percy sat down at the table with his back to the window. Looking around, he was again surprised by just how average the kitchen looked.

“Teach me some spells! When do I get a magic staff? Was I supposed to bring my own runes? Do you have a dangerous magic quest for me?!” Luz suddenly asked rapidly while getting up in Eda’s face.

Percy couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. He understood Luz’s enthusiasm and desire to go on a quest, but after going a few himself any excitement he once held for them had faded into resigned acceptance.

Luz turned to him, her head tilted to the side like a confused puppy.

“What’s so funny?” She asked innocently.

Percy cursed himself for his stupidity under his breath.

“Nothing, just trust me when I say quests aren’t fun.”

Eda looked at him with narrow d eyes, clearly suspicious of him, but chose not to comment.

“Your brother’s cryptic words aside, being a witch doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of hard work and practice.” Eda took a long from her mug and continued. “But a magic staff huh? You really want one?”

Luz stared up at her with large starry eyes.

“More than anything.”

“Even more than seeing me dressed up as your favorite anime boy?” Percy asked from his seat, memories of Luz trying to force him into a costume while he sleeping flashing across his mind.

Luz looked at the ground for a moment, her expression one of deep thought before looking back to Eda.

“More than almost anything.”

“Alright then.” Eda said as she brought her hand up beside her. “Magic staff, come to me!”

From the depths of the house, the sounds of objects clattering in the distance filled the room.

“Is something supposed to happen or are we just waiting here?” Percy asked after a few moments of nothing but the sound of the house being wrecked.

Eda gave him a side-eye.

“Yes, just giv-AGH” Eda was cut off by her staff suddenly flying through the kitchen and smacking her in the face.

She recovered quickly and spun the staff around before planting it firmly on the ground.

“It's early.” Eda grumbled. “Now witches are normally awarded their staffs from school, but with me as your teacher, you’ll be taking a much different approach.”

She walked out of the kitchen for a moment and returned with a large brown sack. She dropped it at Luz’s feet revealing the assortment of potion bottles inside.

You’ll have to work for it.” Eda said with a smug smile, before leaving the kitchen. “Now follow me human.”

Luz immediately went after the witch, eager to know what she had to do to obtain a staff of her own. Percy started to get up to follow after her but was stooped by Eda shouting from the other room.

“You stay Percy, I’ve got something else in mind for you.”

Sitting back down with a sigh, Percy’s eyes wandered the room, never stopping on anything long enough to truly observe it. His gaze eventually fell on King who was just finishing up his breakfast.

“So, uh, what’s it like living around here?” Percy asked King awkwardly, cringing slightly at his own words.

King looked up from his plate with a confused expression.

“It’s fine I guess, the house is comfy and there’s food. The only real downside is having to deal with Hooty. That vile monstrosity gives me the creeps.” King whispered the last part as if he was afraid said ‘monster’ would hear him.

Percy laughed at that, finding himself somewhat agreeing with the small demon.

“Yeah, I’ve only dealt with him once, but he weirded me out.”

“Yeah, he’ll do that. You should see when he needs to be cleaned, so many hard-to-reach places.” King said with a slight shudder.

Percy was curious about how what was essentially a magical knocker could be hard to clean but was afraid of the answer.

“What exactly does Eda do? I mean I know she has her ‘Human Treasures” stand, but that seemed pretty unsuccessful.”

Percy wasn’t usually one for questions, but in a new and unknown environment, he wanted to know as much as possible.

“From what I know she sells potions and elixirs, I’m not too involved with it except when she wants to convince a new person to buy from her and they need a little push. Apparently, they think I’m cute, WHICH I AM NOT!” King yelled out before going off on a rant to himself about how he should be feared and praised.

Percy shook his head in amusement. He’d seen it many times before, it was always the smallest ones that had the biggest egos. He was about to ask another question but was prevented by the entrance of Eda. She walked right past him and over to King.

“King I need you to go into town with Luz.” Eda said sternly, her tone leaving no room for argument, though King tried anyways.

“Why do I have to go? I was just about to take a nap! Why not send her nosy brother with her?” King shouted indignantly while stomping like a toddler.

Percy winced, obviously his intentions were much clearer than he had hoped.

Eda stared down at the raging demon with an unimpressed look on her face.

“We both know she’ll get herself killed or eaten if she goes by herself, probably both. As for her brother, I have other things for him to do.”

King gave Eda a heated glare before huffing and stomping out of the room.

“He’s so cute when he’s angry.” Eda cooed as she watch him leave.

“Alright what are we going to be doing?” Percy asked once he had heard the front door slam shut.

He was very comfortable with the idea of Luz going off to do something where he couldn’t see her, but with King with her she’d at the very least not get lost.

“You are going to help me with some prep work for this week’s batch of potions. There are some really difficult ones this time, should be real fun.” Eda said gleefully.

“Where are we going to do it? Here? Doesn’t seem the place to go all ‘toil and trouble.” Percy asked, gesturing to the relatively clean kitchen.

Eda looked offended.

“First of all ‘toil and trouble’ is a very hurtful stereotype that slanders potion brewers everywhere.” Eda snapped before composing herself. “ And second, why would we brew here? This is where we eat. Do you humans practice your kermstre where you make food? No, you don’t.”

Percy gave Eda a weird look.

“Do you mean chemistry?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Eda waved her hand dismissively.

“Titan Tutan, who cares. Now come with me.” Eda said, turning around and walking into an area of the house Percy didn't know existed.

Percy followed after the witch as she guided him through several rooms of various purposes and through a door that led to the backyard. Outside was a fairly sized square-shaped building with a large number of open windows around the upper edge of the walls. On the roof was an array of small columns with steam coming out of them constantly. Attached to the side was a greenhouse with a variety of strange-looking plants visible through the glass walls.

“You coming or are you just gonna keep staring?” The voice of Eda came from the doorway of the building.

Percy hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking. Shaking his head slightly to break from his daze, he continued after her.

“Yeah coming, just a bit surprised I didn’t see this building from the front.”

Eda chuckled softly.

“Yeah of course you didn’t, it kinda defeats the purpose of having a secret potions lab if everyone can see it. Now. enough standing around let's go inside!” Eda exclaimed as she walked through the door.

Percy made his way to the door, and when he entered the building a shock went down his spine, causing his eyes to widen dramatically. It felt similar to the first time he’d swam in the ocean after finding out about his true heritage. It was exhilarating, it made him feel like he could climb mount Olympus. Percy blinked a few times to clear his thoughts and then took a better look at the room he’d entered.

Along the walls were tall shelves full of jars of every possible ingredient and books of every size. On the east wall was a metal door with a small hatch in the bottom that he assumed led to the greenhouse. A large skylight filled the room with natural light that in combination with several lamps in darker areas of the room, made sure that every surface was illuminated. In the center was a rectangle-shaped workstation with a cauldron in the middle.

It looked like a brewer’s heaven, but what stood out the most to Percy was how clean everything was. Not a single speck of dust was to be found in the room. It was the complete opposite of Eda’s house.

“This place is amazing,” Percy said, his voice full of wonder.

Eda, who had made he way over to the workstation, looked at Percy with a smug expression.

“I know, I’ve poured every snail not spent on necessities or Appleblood into this place. It is and forever will be the best potions lab you’ll ever find. The best lab for the best witch.”

Percy nodded in agreement. It was the best, and only, lab he’d ever seen.

“I have one question though. Why isn’t it so clean when your house looks like dump threw up in it?”

Eda smiled and shook her head good-naturedly.

“Potion making is the most precise branch of magic there is. Even the metal your cauldron is made of can have an impact on the quality of your potions. So to reduce the risk of ruining my potions, I keep it spotless.”

Eda traced a spell circle in the air, causing one of the many books on her shelves to rocket toward her before spotting in front of her and opening to a random page.

“What you’re going to be doing today is prepping ingredients for me while I brew.”

Percy walked over to the workstation and stood next to Eda. The witch didn’t even look at him as she summoned various jars to her workstation.

“Prepping how exactly? And are you sure you want me to do that? You just made a whole deal about how the smallest mishap could ruin your brew. Why are you trusting me to help prep when I know nothing about potions?” Percy asked in confusion.

Eda stopped reading her book for a moment to look at Percy.

“Well I am going to have you cut up some ingredients and based on how you handled your sword yesterday, I assume you’re at least familiar with a knife.” Eda answered teasingly. “And while ingredients and environmental factors may affect a potion, the way ingredients are cut, not so much.”

“That's fair I suppose.”

“Yes, it is. Now let's get started!” The old witch reached for her staff and pulled the small Owl on the tip of the staff off, bringing it to life.” Owlbert I need you to get me about two dozen Suc-spuds and six Asorbpples from the greenhouse.”

Owlbert hooted in confirmation before flying through the hatch in the greenhouse door. He returned a few minutes later pulling a large brown sack behind him.

“How can he pull that, it's like three times his size.” Percy commented as he watched the wooden bird.

“He’s a Palisman, I know that doesn’t mean much to you, but it makes him stronger than a normal owl.”

When Owlbert finally got to the table Eda reached down and scratched the back of his head, causing him to hoot in enjoyment before flying back onto the staff and freezing in place. After picking up the bag, Eda dumped the contents on the table revealing the strange plants inside. The Suc-spud was roughly spherical, a deep purple, and covered in what looked like small vortexes. The Asorbpples on the other hand were almost identical to normal apples except for their extremely porous texture.

Picking up one of the Suc-spuds, Percy was surprised by how it felt like an extremely weak vacuum. Putting the weird potato down, he turned to Eda with a confused expression.

“What could you possibly make with an emo potato and sponge apple?” Percy asked incredulously.

Eda chuckled at Percy’s phrasing.

“The Suc-spud and Asorbpple are the main ingredients to an attraction potion.”

Percy was even more confused than before.

“How do these make you more attractive? Do you pull people in and hope they like you?”

“That’s a love potion, this attracts the user’s chosen item to whatever it's poured on. It’s very popular for cleaning and for finding lost objects. We’ve wasted enough time with dumb questions, start cutting these into equally sized pieces.” Eda said as she pulled a knife from her hair.

“Was that just in there?” Percy asked in horror.

“Doesn’t matter, just take it and start cutting already.”

Percy took the knife from Eda’s hand and picked up the potato, cutting down the middle with minimal effort. A minute later he had a small pile of pale purple chunks. He grabbed another and repeated the process, falling into a steady rhythm.

As he cut, Percy’s thoughts returned to the shock he felt when he first entered the room. He could still feel at the base of his spine, though it was far less extreme. It was comforting, it reminded him of laying on the beach as a kid with his mother. He remembered the gentle smile on her face as he told her about his day.

Percy stopped cutting for a moment to wipe away a tear that had involuntarily welled up in his eye. He couldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of Eda.

Resuming cutting, he steered his train of thought away from his mother and focused on feeling in his spine. Deciding to try and control the feeling the way he controlled water, Percy directed his energy towards it, only for his mind to be flooded by a mass of information.

He could feel everything.

From the liquid in the jars on the wall to the small amounts of water in the plants he was cutting. He could sense all of it. It was overwhelming, the usual low hum in his head was replaced with a deafening roar that gave him a headache.

Putting his knife down, Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing him to clear his mind slightly. He continued breathing until he was able to think clearly. Once he could hear his thoughts again, Percy began navigating the plethora of water sources.

They felt off. Water normally felt the same no matter where it was, but here every jar felt unique like they all had a different story to tell. Percy ignored them and turned his attention to the potion Eda was brewing, tuning out everything else.

His mind was once again flooded with information, but this time it was less chaotic, more refined, and focused. He could tell what temperature the liquid was, what ingredients were added and in what quantities, and in what direction it was being stirred. Everything he wanted to know was at his fingertips. It was beyond what he’d been able to do in the past.

It was intoxicating and terrifying at the same time.

Percy had no explanation as to how he was able to do it. He sorted through his memories trying to find anything that had changed recently before stopping on the events of the night before.

The barrier he had somehow absorbed.

Percy felt like facepalming.

How had he forgotten about that? He commented on how he felt stronger once he was done. Of course his senses were stronger.

“Hey kid, you alright? You’ve been staring off for a while now.” Eda commented, breaking Percy from his thoughts

“Yeah, I’m fine just thinking about home,” Percy replied, deciding to ponder his sudden power gain later.

Eda simply nodded before continuing her brewing.

Percy went back to cutting the odd plants but was unable to find his previous rhythm. As he cut he caught Eda glancing over at him from time to time out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious she wanted to ask a question but refused to do so. Finally getting fed up with the witch’s indecision, Percy called her out.

“I can feel your eyes on me, just ask what you want to ask.”

Eda stopped what she was doing and sighed.

“Why did you stay here? I can tell you don’t want to be here nearly as much as Luz does.” She asked hesitantly. “You don’t seem to mind being here, but you're not particularly excited either.”

Percy cursed under his breath. Eda was observant, too much so for his liking.

“I stayed for Luz.” He replied after a moment of thought.

Eda gestured for him to elaborate, causing Percy to huff in annoyance before continuing.

“Back in the human realm she didn’t have many friends, I was her first. She took me in and showed me true kindness. I couldn’t just abandon her in a strange new world.” Percy chuckled softly. “Also I doubt that our lie of being at summer camp would hold up if I returned and she didn’t.”

Eda laughed in agreement.

“I doubt it would.”

She pointed at the now small pile of plants in front of Percy.

“You got through those a bit faster than expected and it’ll be a bit before I’m ready to add them. I can finish up so why don’t you explore the town a bit, get to know the area. You exactly be a good errand boy if you don’t know where you’re going now can you?” Eda said with a toothy smile, before reaching into her hair and pulling out a small sack. “Here’s some money, as payment for your work.”

“Are you gonna pay Luz for whatever she’s doing for you?” Percy asked while taking the bag from her.

“Her payment is me teaching her magic. Now go break a law or something.”

Percy nodded and made his way to the door, but before he went through it, he turned back to face Eda.

“Eda, do you have any siblings?” Percy asked curiously.

“Yeah, a sister.” Eda replied somberly. “We took vastly different paths in life, so I haven’t talked to her in a while, at least not in a meaningful way.”

Percy frowned. He wasn’t expecting such a depressing answer.

“Do you miss her?”

Eda looked at him with a sad smile.

“I do, I really do.”

“What’s stopping you from just finding her and talking to her?”

Eda chuckled humorlessly.

“Nothing really, but is far from that simple.” Eda said before going quiet.

A few seconds later, Eda clapped her hands together breaking the uncomfortable silence that’d fallen over the lab.

“That’s enough about me. You go enjoy the town, find a pretty girl or something.” Eda exclaimed in faux cheerfulness.

“Ok ok, I’m leaving. I’ll be back before it gets dark.” Percy said while walking through the door. “And Eda, I hope you get on good terms with your sister again.”

“Me too kid.”

----------------------------------------------------

The walk to Bonesborough was relatively short and allowed Percy to enjoy the silence that came with the forest. It wasn’t as nice as the woods that surrounded Camp Half-Blood, but it still made him feel somewhat at peace.

The town however was the exact opposite of peaceful. Everywhere he looked he saw people rushing from one place to another. He could see vendors selling their wares and children playing in the streets. It was chaotic in a way that reminded Percy of New York.

He felt a pang in his heart and let out a deep sigh.

Ever since he’d crash-landed in the Noceda’s backyard, Percy had been avoiding thinking about the life he’d lost. He’d always found something to distract him, but it seemed like he couldn’t avoid it any longer. For the first time in months, Percy let his thoughts drift to his home.

It started slowly at first, memories of inconsequential events popping up, but the longer he let his mind wander, the more painful the memories became. Images of his mother’s kind face reassuring him he’d be okay. The good-natured shake of her head Annabeth would give him when he said something particularly stupid. The dumb jokes he’d make with Grover during campfires.

One by one these memories passed through his mind before stopping on his final moments in his world.

The ‘good luck’ kiss Annabeth had given that said everything he had ever wanted to hear. A promise of a future he would never get to be a part of.

Percy wiped away the tears that threatened to spill over.

After he had woken up from his crash and been treated by Camilla, the first thing he did was try and call camp. Nothing. He tried Iris message with a drachma that had survived the eruption. Again nothing. It wasn’t until he’d spent months unsuccessfully pacing the perimeter of the Noceda household with his pen in hand trying to attract monsters did he come to a realization.

He was truly alone in a world with no gods.

It was a revelation that he was still figuring out. It meant that he would never see his loved ones again. He was in a world completely separate from theirs. Even if the multiversal theory he vaguely remembered Annabeth talking about was true, and there were alternate versions of the people he knew, they wouldn’t be anything like the one’s loved.

But despite losing everyone he loved the was a tarnished silver lining. No gods meant no monsters, quests, or evil titans out to kill him. He’d finally got the freedom he’d always wanted and all it cost him was everything.

Taking a break from his depressing thoughts, Percy looked around to see where he had ended up. Based on all the stalls and vendors he assumed he was in some sort of market. He also noticed the smell for the first time. It was an odd mixture of all the food on sale that somehow smelled good, so much so it made him hungry.

“I never actually ate breakfast did I?” Percy mumbled to himself as he searched for a place to get decent food.

He finally settled on a stall with a tall man running it. The sign above it appeared to say ‘Lake Cake’ but with his dyslexia, Percy couldn’t be sure. Walking up to the stall allowed him to get a better look at who was running it. He was tall, much taller than Percy had previously noted, and his skin was a deep blue. Long twisting horns sprouted from all around his head forming a warped crown. His eyes were black with small light blue pupils. His teeth were jagged and sharp. He was intimidating enough to put Percy on edge. As the man opened his mouth to speak, Percy couldn’t help but reach into his pocket and grab his pen.

“Hi, I’m Ted. Welcome to my stall, what can I get for you today?” The now named Ted said in a voice that sounded like it belonged to a child.

Percy was stunned. He was familiar with the idea of ‘Big Man Little Voice’ from many of the shows Luz had forced him to watch, he just wasn’t expecting to encounter it in real life.

“Are you okay? You’ve been staring off into space for a while now.” Ted said, genuine worry lacing his voice.

“Yeah I’m fine I just wasn’t expecting-”

“Such a cute voice from a guy like me.” Ted asked cutting Percy off.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Percy replied sheepishly.

Ted waved off Percy’s embarrassment.

“You’re fine, it’s normal to be surprised when something not normal happens. Now, what can I get for you.”

Percy was relieved he hadn’t offended the man and was surprised by the genuine kindness he displayed. It wasn’t something he was used to, especially from someone so monstrous looking.

“Can you tell me what you sell? I have a bit of trouble reading and I don’t really know what your sign says.”

Percy was used to having to ask what things said. During his time at Luz’s school, he was given extra time on assignments due to something called an IEP. He didn’t really know what it did, just that he wished he had it when he was younger.

“No problem! I sell the most wonderful treat in Bonesborough. LAKE CAKES!” Ted exclaimed passionately, causing passersby to look over momentarily before returning to their lives.

Percy was confused. He had been able to read the sign clearly, something he was usually only able to do with ancient greek. It was something he’d have to ask Eda about later.

“Thanks, I’ll take one cake please.”

“Coming right up!” Ted said flashing a horrifying smile before making himself busy around his stall.

As Percy waited, he noticed a large cauldron in the back corner of the stall. Directing his senses as he did earlier, he was able to feel the potion that was brewing. It provided information that meant nothing to him, but it confirmed that what happened with Eda wasn’t an isolated event. Eventually, the hulking form of Ted made his way over to the cauldron where he dipped a ladle in and poured its contents over what appeared to be a pile of dough. As Ted finished preparing his food, Percy noticed a small bottle symbol on his right wrist.

‘Something else to ask Eda about.’ He thought to himself.

“Here ya go, that’ll be 3 snails.” Ted offered the plate to Percy with a grin.

Percy dug around the bag Eda had given him and put the money on the counter before taking the cake. Taking a small piece, he popped it in his mouth causing his eyes to widen. It tasted exactly like funnel cake that his mother would get him on special occasions.

“Thank you! It's really good. Why is it called ‘Lake Cake’ though.” Percy asked Ted as he continued eating the dessert.

“I'm glad you like it! It gets its name from the fact that lake water is the base for the sauce.” Ted replied happily.

Percy choked a bit on the cake in his mouth. Sure he was immune to most waterborne diseases, but that didn’t mean the water was clean. He had no idea how the locals used the lake. Percy put the piece in his hand back on the plate and gave Ted a strained smile.

“Thank you for the food.” Percy said politely.

“Of course! Have a nice day and come back anytime!” Ted said while waving goodbye.

“You too and I definitely will.” Percy lied through his teeth. He wasn’t coming back, at least not until he knew where the water came from.

Percy waved to Ted and continued walking to wherever he was going, stopping briefly to throw out the rest of his cake once he was sure Ted wouldn’t see him. The guy was nice, he just didn’t trust the cake.

He eventually came to a bench that faced a small park full of kids shrieking joyfully. Taking a seat, Percy watched the children as they ran around without a care in the world. He was almost jealous of them and the childhood innocence they no doubt had. He wished he could go back to when he didn’t have to worry about monsters and gods and could instead just be a kid. He knew it was unfair to be envious of literal children that did nothing wrong, yet here he was, resentfully watching kids enjoy their lives.

Turning away from the bitter reminder of what he had lost, Percy put his head back and closed his eyes basking in the sunlight. It had been a while since he’d had the chance to sit and truly enjoy the sun. The last few months had been hectic with him having to adapt to a whole new environment and routine. On top of that, he had a plethora of new relationships to develop, most importantly with Luz and Camila.

A smile made its way onto Percy's face as his thoughts turned to the Noceda’s.

When he first met Luz, he was stunned by the boundless creativity and energy the girl possessed. Every week she had something new to show him and her mother. Her personality was a bit overwhelming at first, but the more Percy got to know her, the more of himself he saw in her. She was a lonely child, just like him. Her father died when she was young forcing her to grow up with just her mother. He related to her some much that he couldn’t help but feel a connection to her. As they spent more time together, Percy found himself falling into a brotherly role, a role he couldn’t be happier about. In Luz, he found the sister he had always wanted, someone he could get in trouble with and someone he could navigate his teenage years with. It made him happy, happier than he had been in a while.

Percy sat and enjoyed the memories of all the trouble he and Luz had gotten into before his thoughts drifted toward Camila, causing him to frown slightly.

His relationship with Camila was something that had caused Percy a fair few sleepless nights. He was eternally grateful for all the woman had done for him and he found himself enjoying her company, but the way she tried taking a maternal role in his life made him uncomfortable. He knew that it was only natural for her to feel some form of parental affection towards him, especially after taking him into her home, but Percy could get rid of the thought that she was trying to replace his real mom. He had long accepted that he wouldn’t see his mom ever again, but that didn’t mean he was ready to let go of her. She had to give up everything for him and yet she still found a way to be the most wonderful woman in the world. No one in his eyes would ever be able to match her, so while he was thankful for Camila, she would never be able to replace his mother.

Percy groaned. The day was only half over and he was already mentally exhausted. Who knew self-examination was so tiring? Adjusting his position to be more comfortable, Percy began drifting off to sleep. Logically he knew sleeping in unknown territory with monsters surrounding him was a dumb thing to do, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. He had barely gotten any rest the night before and every interaction he had with ‘monsters’ so far showed him they were vastly different from the ones he knew. Also, he was too comfortable at the moment to do anything but sleep.

Unfortunately for him, the universe deemed it a crime for him to sleep. Just as he was about to fully slip into the realm of dreams, a shadow came over him and blocked the sun.

“Excuse me, what are you doing on my bench?” Said a voice that sounded eerily similar to the girls that used to bully Percy.

Percy sighed and opened his eye partially to see who had interrupted his sleep.

Above him stood a girl that looked to be around his age. She was wearing what he assumed was a leather jacket. On the sleeves was a patch depicting a patchy ball with an eye. Her dark pink hair was styled in a bun with two pieces that framed her face. His ears were pointed like Eda’s and her skin was a soft pink. The most surprising feature though was the fact she had three eyes.

Percy responded to the sudden appearance of the girl the only his addled mind could think of.

“Wha?”

----------------------------------------------------
Several Hours Earlier
----------------------------------------------------

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Boscha woke up with a start before slamming her hand down on her alarm clock to shut it off. She hated waking up to the sound of screaming every morning, but it was unfortunately the most effective way to get her out of bed. Sitting up, she looked through the large window behind her bed to see the sun had yet to rise.

Boscha groaned as she remembered what she had to do that day.

Every three weeks her mother would test her potion-making skills, always with the promise she would report her to the Emperor’s Coven if she did well enough, and every time she would barely miss the mark. It was a frustrating cycle of trying and failing, but it helped her improve.

Drawing a small circle in the air Boscha summoned her scroll from where ever it resided when not in use. She had several messages from her ‘friends’ asking if she was still going to attend the rookie grudgby tournament hosted in the town over.

A smile made its way onto Boscha’s face.

The tournament was something she had been looking forward to for weeks. She would get the opportunity to watch all of her favorite upcoming grudgby stars play and may even get the chance to meet them. She had even gotten the approval of her mother to attend, something she very rarely pulled off.

Full of energy, Boscha jumped out of bed and started getting ready for the day, dressing in clothes that she would never wear in public but were perfect for brewing. Walking over to her mirror, Boscha picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her hair removing any knots that formed while she slept. Once satisfied, she pulled her hair into a high bun with a practiced motion leaving two pieces of hair that framed her face.

Done getting ready Boscha made her way out her door, only to run back in and grab a jacket that lay in a heap on the floor. It was a jacket she’d made with her mom a few years ago. The stitching was rough and the leather was discolored in some places, but she loved it nonetheless.

Pulling her jacket on, Boschs looked at the walls that loomed over her as she walked toward the kitchen. Covering the walls were framed pictures of Boscha and her mothers. She saw them every morning, but the photos depicting her when she was younger never failed to catch her eye. She always looked so happy and carefree. Approaching the kitchen, Boscha took a deep breath to ready herself. Dealing with her parents, especially her mother was not something she ever looked forward to.

Entering the room, Boscha found her parents already seated at the table eating. Her mother, Daysha, was a tall witch with bright pink hair. She shared the trait of having three eyes with her daughter and had an air of superiority around her. Boscha’s mom, Isla, on the other hand, was a witch of average height and a quiet demeanor. She had dark red hair and wore of thick pair of glasses. Both looked up when they heard Boscha enter the room.

“Good morning dear. How did you sleep?” Isla asked with a soft smile.

“I slept well, thank you for asking.” Boscha replied stiffly as she sat down. Her mother had drilled into her that when responding to her or any other adult within the household, be direct and only answer the question asked.

Isla frowned slightly before asking another question.

“That's good, what do you have planned for the day?”

Boscha let a smile make its way onto her face.

“I have my scheduled potions test with mother, but afterward I’m going to a grudgby tournament over in Rib Ridge wit-”

The stentorian voice of Daysha cut Boscha off.

“We’ll see about that.”

Boscha’s heart fell.

“What do you mean? Y-you said I could go.” Boscha said desperately losing all composure.

Daysha glared at her.

“Compose yourself.” Daysha said harshly.

Boscha flinched before going still.

“Yes, mother.” She looked at the table and waited for Daysha to continue speaking.

Daysha smiled proudly.

“Good girl. Now to answer your question I did say you could attend the tournament, however, that was before your most recent test.”

Boscha winced. Her last test had been particularly bad. She’d forgotten to add an ingredient and it exploded, ruining an expensive cauldron and damaging the workspace. She spent the entire weekend locked in her room so she could ‘think about her mistakes.

“So here’s what we’re going to do.” Daysha got up from her chair and walked over to Boscha. “I’m going to test you like always, and if you pass, I will let you go to the tournament. If not, I will come up with a suitable punishment based on how badly you fail. Do we have a deal?” Daysha asked as she offered her hand For Boscha to shake.

Boscha sighed in defeat. She knew it wasn’t fair. She’d never passed one of her mother’s tests and they seemed harder each week. But, her mother’s deals were never fair. They were always made so that they were impossible to refuse and that they would benefit her the most.

“Yes, we have a deal.” Boscha took her mother’s hand reluctantly.

“Perfect. Eat your breakfast and meet me in the potions room. You have twenty minutes.” Daysha said with a smile before walking out of the room, her heel clacking against the floor.

Boscha sat silently for a moment contemplating what just happened. She genuinely believed her mother would let her go, that she might finally accept that grudgby was her passion and not a waste of time. It made her angry that her mother would use something she desperately wanted to push her harder. What made her angrier was that it wasn’t the first time she’d done it.

“Honey, I know that you’re upset, but missing the tournament isn’t the collapse.” Isla said gently.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Boscha responded heatedly. “She’s so obviously being unfair! Why didn’t you support me like you always say you will.”

Boscha stood up from her chair and pointed at her mother accusingly.

“You always say you have my back, yet you never do anything to stop her from being unfair!”

Isla looked stunned. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape.

“Say something!” Boscha cried desperately, wanting some explanation for why her mom never seemed to care.

“Yo-you’re mother just w-wants what’s best for you.” Isla said quietly after a minute.

Boscha started at her mom in disbelief. Isla usually sided with Daysha, but never had it felt like such a betrayal.

“No, she wants what's best for her.” Boscha spat venomously while she got ready to go to the potions room. “And it seems you’re the same.”

Her mom looked ashamed but said nothing to dispute it.

Boscha shook her head in disgust as she walked out of the room.

“I love you.” Isla said as Boscha left the kitchen, trying desperately to somehow salvage the situation.

Boscha ignored her.

----------------------------------------------------

The potions room at one point in time had been Boscha’s favorite room in the house. She had many fond memories of brewing useless but colorful potions with her parents. It had sparked a deep love for the craft that lasted until she was about eleven when she discovered the wonders of grudgby. Now the room just brought to mind many failed potions tests and her mother’s disappointment

While she no longer loved the room like she once did, Boscha could still appreciate the beauty that it held. From the towering shelves packed with the highest quality ingredients that lined the walls, to the pristine quartz counters that made up the various workspaces, the room was by all definitions a work of art.

In the front of the room, her mother stood behind an instructional counter reading a thick book. On the wall behind was a large blackboard that stretched the length of the room, with ‘Potions Test #44’ written on it in bold letters. A little to the left was a simple chart with the words ‘Pass’ and ‘Fail” at the top. Below the fail column were forty-three small dashes.

Boscha winced.

She was well aware of how many times she had failed but seeing it written on the board that anyone could see always made her feel worse.

Taking her seat at the direct center of the room, Boscha looked up to her mother with a straight back and fingers laced.

“You are three minutes early. You are permitted to do what you want without leaving your spot.” Daysha said flatly without looking up from her book.

“Thank you, Mother.” Boscha replied emotionlessly. Despite her early arrival being entirely her own doing, she was required to thank her mother for her ‘graciousness.’

Unlacing her fingers, Boscha looked down at her workstation. The counter itself was full of divots and scratched from her many mistakes over the years, painting a picture of a child bumbling through the field of potion making. Her mother had tried to get it replaced several times over the years but was blocked by Isla every time who always cited the sentimental significance of the damaged counter.

Boscha chuckled bitterly.

Of course the one thing her mom stood up for was something that did nothing but remind Boscha of how young and full of wonder she had once been. Nowadays the counter acted more of a hindrance that made the workspace uneven. Boscha could’ve moved to another counter, but for a reason unknown to her, she didn’t. Often she justified her staying with the fact it was the perfect distance between the potions shelves, but even she knew it was flimsy reasoning at best.

The sound of the book slamming shut brought Boscha’s attention back to the front of the room. Seeing her mother look up from the counter caused Boscha to sit up straight and wait for instruction. She hated how stiff she had to be, but she hated what came if she failed to meet her mother’s standards more.

“Today, you will be brewing a dragon tongue healing draught.” Daysha said calmly, a cruel smile on her lips.

Boscha felt like vomiting.

Healing draughts of any form were difficult to brew even for masters. They were far superior to healing potions both in potency and shelf life. A dragon tongue healing draught was particularly hard to brew due to the main ingredient being rare and hard to handle. They were used to treat serious burns and magical injuries. The ability to brew it at any potency was enough to land a brewer a job at a high-level apothecary because any small misstep could lead to the brew becoming inert, wasting expensive ingredients.

With a shaking hand, Boscha started drawing the spell circle to summon a recipe book only for her mother cut her off.

“You’ll have no need for a book.”

“Wh-what?” Boscha asked confusedly. “How am I supposed to brew it if I don’t have a book?”

Daysha gave her a look of mocking pity.

“I suppose you’ll just have to brew it from memory. Now, you have two hours so get to it.”

A large countdown appeared in the front of the room.

Boscha gulped. Two hours was barely enough time.

“Yes, Mother.” She said quietly before rushing to the shelves to get the necessary ingredients.

The potion didn’t require many ingredients, but the ones it did use were difficult to work with. Firebee honey, Iceo Vera, and Pupie Saliva were all key elements to achieving proper healing with the potion, but none worked well together. The honey could melt the Iceo vera and Pupie Saliva became volatile when mixed with undiluted magical ingredients. The worst part however was the dragon tongue. The outer layer of it was useless to the brew. Because of that, it had to be removed very carefully with a knife.

Grabbing her ingredients Boscha made her way back to her workstation. After setting them down, she dug around the cupboard built in under the counter and pulled out a small cauldron. The draught could not be brewed in mass quantities and had to be made in a smaller cauldron than normal. After drawing a small spell circle, the cauldron filled up with water. Once it was full, Boscha moved the cauldron to the built-in stove. Reaching into the cupboard again, she pulled out a mortar and pestle. Grabbing a knife and spoon from a drawer, she put all of her equipment on the counter. Done with the general prep work Boscha turned her attention to the ingredients she had gathered.

Boscha was nervous. She’d brewed potions hundreds of times before but never had she done one so complicated without a book to guide her. Racking her brain for the first step, Boscha hesitantly picked up the Iceo vera and began grinding it into a mush in the mortar. Recalling the proper way to mix opposing ingredients, she began spooning small amounts of the Fire Bee Honey into the mortar causing the mixture to steam slightly. She continued the process of adding a small amount of honey and mixing until they were fully combined.

Boscha was starting to feel better, the recipe was coming back to her the longer she worked allowing her to move faster and more precisely.

Moving over to the cauldron of now boiling water, Boscha dumped the mixture into the water and stirred it vigorously, turning the water a deep red. Wiping away the sweat caused by the heat, Boscha picked up the jar full of her least favorite ingredient to work with.

Pupie Saliva.

Pupies were vile creatures that appeared on the Boiling Isles about sixty years ago. They were small scaly creatures with six legs and segmented tails. They spread like crazy and would have overrun the Boiling Isles if Emperor Belos hadn’t discovered that their saliva had healing properties. Their numbers were quickly reduced with the help of Belos and his coven of elite witches. Now they were bred in limited numbers to harvest their saliva, which was then sent to potion brewing companies like the one Boscha’s parents owned.

Boscha poured the thick yellow saliva into her cauldron and stirred slowly to mix it in properly, taking care to not move it too fast to avoid a violent reaction. Once the saliva fully combined, Boscha turned the heat down on the stove and moved on to the hardest part of the potion.

Preparing the dragon tongue.
Cutting the tongue up wasn’t difficult, just a slow process if done the right way. What made it hard was that the tongue had to be added to the potion exactly forty-five minutes after the saliva was added. This was the point that most brewers failed, but Boscha could not afford to fail.

Picking up the tongue, Boscha began inspecting it to find the best place to begin cutting. Finding it, she grabbed her knife and inserted it just below the outer layer, and started pushing it toward the tip of the tongue. Though her blade met minimal resistance, Boscha kept a slow and steady pace to avoid ruining the delicate meat.

After the first section was done, Boscha looked up to see she had thirty-five minutes left before needing to add the tongue to the potion. Cursing under her breath, she started cutting faster, taking a little less care to avoid damaging the meat. Poorly cut meat was bad, but not adding it at all was worse.

Finishing the rest in twenty-five minutes, Boscha was left with a relatively undamaged piece of the tongue to work with. The last thing to do before adding it to the potion was to cut the tongue into small chunks, one of the easiest parts of the potion as a whole.

Working quickly, Boscha finished cutting just as the forty-five-minute mark came, allowing her to add the tongue to the bubbling cauldron without any problems. The final step was to stir the brew clockwise three times every five minutes for thirty minutes. The step was unnecessarily specific in Boscha’s opinion, but it was how she was taught to do it.

Completing the first set of stirs, Boscha let herself start to feel confident about her work. She’d panicked at first, but once she got into the flow she felt great. It was times like this that made her miss the spark for brewing she had when she was younger and bitter that her mother had turned her passion into something she disliked.

After stirring the potion for the final time, Boscha pulled a vial from the cupboard and carefully transferred her finished potion into it. The liquid itself was a pleasant shade of red that shimmered slightly. It was possibly one of the best potions Boscha had ever brewed.

Walking up to the counter at the front of the room, Boscha placed her potion in front of her waiting mother who stood silently waiting for the countdown to finish. Once the loud ringing that signified the end of her time went off, Daysha pickled up the presented bottle and looked at it with scrutinizing eyes. Pulling her own vial from below the counter, she cast a spell causing the bottles to hover next to each other. A few seconds later, small words reading ‘97% match’ appeared between the bottles.

Boscha let out a deep sigh of relief. Ninety-seven percent had been what she was told was needed to pass since she started the tests and she finally achieved it. Now she could go to the tournament with-

“Fail.” Daysha said suddenly, cutting off Boscha’s train of thought.

Any good feelings Boscha had evaporated and were replaced with anger.

“Wh-what? But ninety-seven percent has always been the cutoff? “ Boscha asked heatedly before her tone turned accusatory. “You only changed it 'cause you didn’t want me to go! That’s why you didn’t let me use a recipe book eith-”

Boscha was silenced by a mud-like liquid summoned by her mother covering her mouth. The bravado Boscha had drained away under Daysha’s piercing glare.

“I will ignore the way you spoke to me purely because you performed adequately today,” Daysha said harshly, her voice barely above a whisper but still filling the room. “As for your comments, you are right, I do not want you to go to that useless tournament. However, you are also wrong. I changed the cutoff because my expectations changed and I didn’t permit the recipe book because you should not need one at this point.”

Daysha walked around the counter to Boscha and cupped her cheek softly.

“I know it seems terribly unfair, but I only do this because I love you and want to succeed,” Daysha said, her voice filled with faux care. “Do you understand?”

The hand on Boscha’s cheek began gripping harder causing her to gasp slightly in discomfort.

Boscha nodded stiffly wanting desperately to be anywhere else. Her mother had made her point and now she just wanted to go to her room.

“Good girl. Now for the matter of your punishment for failing.” Daysha said with a smile as she removed her hand from Boscha’s face. “I’d say missing the tournament and the weight of your failure is sufficient for today.”

Daysha drew a spell circle in the air removing the liquid covering Boscha’s mouth.

“Why don’t you walk through town today, so you can see what you will have to live like if you continue to fail.”

“Yes, Mother.” Boscha said quickly, slightly happy she was given an excuse to leave the house.

“Perfect. You may leave now, I’ll have the help clean up your mess of a workstation.”

Boscha walked over to the entrance of the room. She planned to change her now dirty clothes before leaving. However, before she could leave, her mother had one last thing to say.

“Remember Boscha, you are a part of the Rose family. You are better than everyone in that disgusting town. Don’t let anyone think otherwise.”

Boscha simply nodded and left.

----------------------------------------------------

Walking through Bonesborough was something Boscha did quite often. It allowed her to see just how good her life was and just how much better she was than anyone else. She didn’t usually like agreeing with her mother on anything, but when it came to her family’s superiority, she agreed one hundred percent.

What Boscha didn’t do often, was walk through the town by herself. At the very least she would have someone to talk to and tell her how great and right she was. It was nice and validated her high opinions of herself, but right now she was alone.

“I don’t like this.” Boscha thought to herself after a few minutes of relative silence.

She had been alone before, in fact, she did it all the time, but being alone in your room and being alone in public were two very different things. It made her uncomfortable like she was missing a part of herself. She was paranoid that people noticed how out of place she felt.

“It’s not like a can do anything about it.” She mumbled miserably.

Her mother had confiscated her scroll under the pretense of ‘freeing her from distraction’, leaving her without any way to try and gain some company.

In an attempt to distract herself from her pseudo-isolation, Boscha started looking around at the people going about their everyday lives. Some were buying items from the many stalls that lined the streets. Others were going to and from work using one of the bizarre transportation methods offered by the town. They moved around with purpose and all seemed happy while doing it.

It confused her. She didn’t understand how a person whose life was worse than hers in every way, could be so happy. It was something that bugged her whenever she went out, and she didn’t know why. It shouldn't matter to her, but for some reason it did.

Deciding to be thinking about people she didn’t care about, Boscha looked ahead for the park she knew was there. It was where she and her ‘friends’ spent a good amount of time quietly laughing at the weird children that populated it. She considered it harmless fun even though the parents sometimes scolded them for ‘making their angel cry’.

As she got closer Boscha noticed that something was wrong. From where she stood, she could see someone sitting on her bench. Walking faster, Boscha got to the park and saw that the person, a boy around her age, had their head back and was sleeping.

This was unacceptable.

Moving with purpose, Boscha made her way over to the stranger and stood over them. The stranger had black hair and tan skin. Their clothing was unassuming, making them look like any other witch. They looked almost peaceful as they slept, not that she cared.

“Excuse me, what are you doing on my bench?” Boscha asked bossily, wanting to get the odd man off her bench as quickly as possible. People usually recognized her and her family name and were quick to do as she asked.

The stranger, instead of getting up and apologizing for taking her space, lazily opened one of their eyes to look up at her.

“Wha?” The boy asked in a voice full of sleep and deeper than Boscha expected.

“I said, what are you doing on my bench.” Boscha repeated, her tone slightly harsher.

The boy fully awake now repositioned himself and looked at her like she was crazy.

“I’m sitting on. It’s a bench.” He said dryly.

“I know that, but why are you doing it on my bench?”

Boscha was starting to get frustrated, this wasn’t how these conversations were supposed to go.

The boy made a show of looking over the bench, going as far as to stand up and look where he was sitting.

“I don’t see your name on it, all I see is this plaque thanking the Rose family for their generous donation to the park. So unless you’re a Rose, you have to power to tell me to leave.” The boy said with a smirk.

Boscha let a smile come onto her face, she got him.

“As it turns out, I am a Rose.” Boscha said mockingly.

The boy stared at her blankly for a moment before turning back around and putting his head back.

“Cool.” He said plainly.

Boscha was getting more frustrated. Everything about the interaction so far was contrary to what she was used to.

“I said I’m a Rose, my family owns this bench, so get up.” She hissed.

“No, your family donated the bench, which means it's now a piece of public property and doesn’t belong to you.” The boy replied without looking at her. “You’re welcome to sit on it with me, but I’m not moving.”

Boscha was stunned. Never before had anyone spoken to her with such disregard for her and her family. It felt wrong.

“Don’t even think about finishing that spell.” The boy said, his eyes closed.

Boscha’s eyes went to her hand to see that it was halfway through drawing a spell circle and canceled it. Huffing slightly, Boscha took a seat next to the boy. He said nothing and continued leaning back and relaxing.

Boscha sighed, the last few minutes had left her confused and off-balance. She’d encountered people who had dismissed her before, but all of them had been adults. Everyone her age seemed to understand that she was superior and that they should just do what she wanted. This stranger, however, ignored everything and just did his own thing.

Sighing again, Boscha’s thoughts drifted back to her failed potions test. That was the best she had ever done and had it been any other day, she would have passed. Her mother had decided that because she didn’t want her to go to a grudgby tournament she would change her standards. It made her feel angry and dejected, but more than anything it just made her feel empty.

“So are you gonna say what’s wrong or are just gonna keep sighing?” The boy said suddenly breaking Boscha from her thoughts.

“What?”

“You keep doing that heavy sigh that people do when they want someone to ask about their problems. I don’t know why you’d want to tell it to a stranger, but I’ll listen I guess.” The boy replied, sitting up to look at her.

Boscha wanted to deny his statement but found herself unable to. She always wanted someone to ask her what was wrong so that they’d comfort her and tell her it was alright. She knew most of the time it was empty platitudes to get on her good side, but it always helped. Maybe this boy could make her feel better, he was offering to help after all.

“I guess I’m just sad that I can’t go to the grudgby tournament.” Boscha said slowly, doing her best to sound as pathetic as possible. She wasn’t pathetic, she just knew it got her the best results.

The boy said nothing.

After a few moments of silence, Boscha looked at the boy to see that he had his head back once again.

“Well, are you going to say anything?”

The boy looked at her with a blank face.

“What?” Boscha asked defensively.

“What can I say to that? ‘Oh, that sucks’? That’s a meaningless statement that doesn’t do anything.” The said matter of factly.

Boscha felt slightly offended. She knew he was right, but she wasn’t going to tell him that, so she did what she did best.

She doubled down.

“Yeah, well what if I told you that it was because I failed a hard test.” She shot back.
“That’s unfortunate, maybe you should have studied harder.” He replied, again not looking at her.

Boscha was starting to get upset. For a reason unknown to her, she felt that she needed her feelings validated by this boy in particular. It was as if getting him to give her the sympathy she so desired would prove she was better than him.

“How about the fact that my mom doesn’t support me and instead sides with my mother even when she’s wrong.” Boscha exclaimed heatedly.

The boy suddenly looked at her, his expression showing more interest and concern than before.

It wasn’t enough.

Seeing that she’d gotten some sort of reaction from the boy, Boscha continued.

“Or how about that my mother is manipulative and doesn’t let me do what I want? Or how she constantly tells me that my hobbies are a waste of my time and that I’d be better off brewing potions all day.”

The concern the boy displayed got deeper the more Boscha shared.

“How about when she locked me in my room for a whole weekend without food cause I failed one of her tests, or how she goes through my scroll on a weekly basis, or…..”

Boscha couldn’t stop. The floodgates had opened and now she was sharing every unjust thing her mother had done with a total stranger. At some point, she had stopped caring how the boy was reacting.

“And to top it all off I don’t even know if she loves me. She says she does and that she does everything out of love, yet when I think about how her actions make me feel, I-I just feel empty.”
Boscha finished with a quivering breath.

The boy looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. He sat like that for a moment before speaking.

“I’m so sorry.”

His words shocked Boscha. She had heard them hundreds of times before, but never had they been spoken with such sincerity. She finally got him to react, yet she still felt like she lost.

Feeling something warm hit her hand, Boscha looked down to see a small drop of water. Panicked she brought her hand to her face to find wet trails below her eyes. She’d been crying and she didn’t even realize, even worse was the fact it was in front of a stranger.
Feeling self-conscious, Boscha stood up suddenly, startling the boy beside her. Without a word, she ran away from the bench as fast as she could without looking back.

As she ran Boscha realized despite being off balance the entire time, the interaction she had with the boy left her feeling lighter than she had felt in a long time.

“I should have gotten his name.” She thought to herself with a grumble.

Hopefully, she’d never see him again.

----------------------------------------------------

Luz flopped down on her sleeping bag with a sigh.

The day had been long leaving her exhausted beyond belief. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed and sleep for a week, but her thought wouldn’t let her.

She had been dumb, there was no better way to put it. She had been tricked into going on a dangerous quest despite the warnings she had been given. In the end, she had to be saved by the very woman the quest was designed to trap. Even though Eda had told her not to feel bad about it, she still felt horrible.

The worst part, to her, was that she thoroughly enjoyed the quest.

The hot princes, fairies, and magical items had been everything she had ever hoped for. She finally got to live out her childhood fantasy of questing through a bizarre world with a ragtag group of friends. It had been awesome even if it had all been a lie.

Groaning, Luz rolled over and pulled out her phone, its light illuminating the dark room.

She had a few notifications from various social sites, but the one she cared about the most was the text from her mother. It was a short message asking how her day had been and reminding her to look after Percy. Squashing down the feeling of guilt. Luz sent a text explaining her day had been fine and that she was really tired. Her mom responded with a ‘goodnight’ and an ‘I love you”.

Luz took a deep breath and flipped onto her back.

She was still slightly on the fence about the whole lying to her mother thing, but she knew at this point she couldn’t go back. Even if she did go back, she had no way of getting to the camp she was supposed to go to and that didn’t even account for Percy.

As if summoned by Luz’s thoughts, the door to the room creaked open to reveal the tall form of Percy. He looked just as tired as Luz did.
“How was your day lígo fos?” Percy asked while kneeling down on his own sleeping bag.

“It was fine I guess.” Luz mumbled, not wanting to look at the boy across from her.

“I heard you had a bit of an adventure today.”

Luz groaned of course Eda told him.

“Yeah, some dumb wizard convinced me I was special and sent me on a dumb quest that turned out to be a trap for Eda cause apparently she was stealing customers of something dumb like that” Luz replied in a single breath.

“Dang, sounds like fun. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really, maybe tomorrow, I just don’t want to think about it right now.” Luz replied with a sigh. She knew Percy probably had plenty of wisdom to share, but she didn’t want to hear it.

“That’s fair.” Percy replied with a chuckle. “Want to hear about my day instead?”

Luz perked up at that and rolled over to face Percy.

“Obviously! Spill!” Exclaimed excitedly.

“Ok so first Eda made me cut up these weird vegetables for her potion.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“It wasn’t. After that, I went into town and got this weird funnel cake with sauce.” Percy shuddered slightly. “You don’t want to know where the sauce was from.”

Luz laughed. Her mood had already significantly improved just by being around Percy.

“I’ll take your word for it. What happened next?”

“Calm down, after throwing out the cake I went to a local park and sat down at a bench.”

“This place has parks?” Luz asked, interrupting Percy’s story.

“I know right, so anyway I’m just sitting on this bench when this girl with three eyes comes up to me and starts yelling at me that I couldn’t sit on it cause it was her bench or something.”

“Did you leave?”

“Of course not! No one tells Percy Jackson where he can and can’t sit!” Percy struck a pose despite the fact Luz wouldn’t be able to see it.

Luz reached over and flicked his arm.

“Just finish your story already you doofus.”

“Okay, okay, no need to hurt me. So after this girl yells at me, she sits down and starts doing the annoying sighing thing people do when they want you to ask what's wrong.”

“I hate it when people do that!” Luz exclaimed.

“Same. So I relent and ask her what's wrong and she trauma dumps, cries, then dips.”

“What? That’s weird and kinda sad.”

“I agree, but she ran off before I got her name so there’s not much I can do about it now.” Percy replied with a shrug.

“Yeah, what happened next?”

“Nothing I came back here and now I’m talking to you.”

“Awww, that's it?” Lux asked sadly. She wasn’t ready to go to bed yet.

“Yep.” Percy said plainly before crawling into his sleeping bag. “I’m tired so goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Luz replied.

Deciding to try and sleep herself, Luz got into her own bag and closed her eyes. After a few minutes of failing to fall asleep, she reached over and poked Percy.

“What.” Percy said tiredly.

“I can’t fall asleep, can I sleep next to you tonight?” Luz asked shyly.

She knew he wouldn’t say no, but she still liked asking.

“Get over here.”

Luz quickly unzipped her bag and crawled into Percy’s now open one. Once she was snuggled comfortably against his chest, he reached over and zipped the bag up before wrapping his arm around her.

“Percy.” Luz said quietly.

“Hmm?’

“Thanks for being the older brother I always wanted.

Percy pulled her closer to his chest in response.

“No problem.”

Luz fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Chapter Text

“Well kids, did you ever imagine you’d see something so breathtaking in your lives?” Eda exclaimed with wide arms to a disgusted Luz and enthusiastic Percy.

It had been a week since the two teens had found themselves in the Boiling Isles. They quickly fell into a routine of helping Eda with her potions business, Percy helping with brewing, and Luz delivering the finished potions. Today, with the ‘assistance’ of King, they were helping with her other business venture of selling human junk to unsuspecting demons and witches. The work found them on the beach standing before the massive corpse of something that resembled a slug.

“I don’t like this.” Luz mumbled looking queasy.

“This is the best thing ever!” Percy said excitedly, jumping at the opportunity to do something other than chop plants with odd names.

“It doesn’t get more inspiring than the Trash Slug, kids.” Eda walked over to the rotting corpse and rubbed her hand across it adoringly. “It makes a life of consuming what others have tossed to the wayside, until BLAM.” Eda spun around and slammed her fist into her palm. “It gets hit with a wave and croaks from all the salt, allowing us to dig around its dead body and sell what it ate.”

Eda walked over to the pair and offered a pickaxe she pulled from her hair. Luz looked at the tool and turned away in disgust.

“Please don’t make me.” She said in a low voice.

“I’ll do it!” Percy shouted happily as he yanked the pickaxe from Eda’s hand and ran over to the Trash Slug’s body.

“At least someone is happy to help.” Eda said snidely.

“No, this is disgusting. I’m just happy to be out of the potions lab and next to the water.” Percy responded as he dug through the corpse.

“C’mon Luz, go help your brother. It’s not every day you get to pick apart a garbage carcass.” King commented sarcastically from a beach towel off to the side.

“Nuts to you both.” Eda pulled another pickaxe from her hair and started hitting the Trash Slug.

Luz winced at the sound of every impact.

“So Eda, what if we tried some new lessons for my apprenticeship? Like reading ancient scrolls, or mixing potions together, or…”

“Gross. Sounds like a bunch of magic school stuff.” Eda said without looking back.

Luz’s face lit up and her eyes widened.

“Wait. Is there a magic school here?” Luz walked over to Eda with her hands clasped. “Like winding towers, cute uniforms, and dark plots that threaten your life. That kind of magic school!”

“You forgot to mention the eccentric Headmaster and teachers who don’t care when you investigate the dark plots.” Percy shouted from his position.

Luz sent him a glare, which only served to confuse him.

“Why are you looking at me like that, you complain about those things all the time. It’s like your number one complaint of the genre.” Percy said defensively.

Luz sighed with a slight shake of her head before turning back to Eda.

“Making a little loop-de-loop back to my point. Magic School.” Luz said with a tilted head and raised eyebrows, her hand vaguely gesturing toward the older witch.

“Yes, Luz we have magic schools. What’s worse is that they force you to learn magic the ‘proper way’.” Eda suddenly turned around with wide eyes. “But magic isn’t proper. It’s wild and unpredictable, and that’s what makes it beautiful.” Eda struck a pose with her hands on her hips.”I didn’t finish school and look at me. Who wouldn’t envy where I am now?”

Luz looked at the ground with a troubled look on her face.

Eda seeing the look on Luz’s face, dropped her pickaxe and walked over to the girl.

“Uh, here’s a lesson. A great witch is resourceful.” Eda grabbed Luz’s arm and stuck it in a small pool of green liquid on the ground.

After a few moments, Luz pulled her hand with a small dripping brown ball.

“Hooray, a greasy slimeball.” Luz said sarcastically, looking at her hand with disdain.

Eda knelt down and wrapped her hands around Luz’s.

“Use your slimeball wisely young witch.” She stood and walked away. “Now back at!”

Luz got off the ground and put the ball in her pocket.

“Actually if it's alright, I think I’m going to head back to the house and look at pictures of animals that aren’t dead.” Luz announced to everyone before she walked over to where King was ‘sunbathing’ and rubbed his stomach. “I’ll see you later my little beach peach.”

Before Luz had an opportunity to leave, Percy appeared from around the corner of the slug and stopped in front of her.

“You alright lígo fos?” He asked quietly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Luz smiled gently and pulled Percy into a tight hug.

“I’m fine just frustrated with my lack of progress, that’s all.” She released Percy and looked up at him.

Percy gave her a disbelieving look.

“Seriously, I’m fine. Go help Eda with her Trash Slug or whatever.” Luz said defensively, not meeting Percy’s gaze.

Percy sighed and stepped back.

“Ok, just be careful, alright.” Percy said sternly. “I don’t want you getting into trouble where I can’t help you.”

Luz rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“I’ll be fine stop worrying so much.” She turned toward the forest. “Bye now!”

Luz walked into the trees leaving Percy standing there.

“She is not fine.” The voice of King said.

At some point during Luz and Percy’s interaction, the small demon had made his way from his towel over to where they were.

“Obviously not, but can you blame her? Eda’s been making her do menial labor. I’ve interacted with more magic than she has and I don’t even care about it.” Percy said tiredly.

King patted Percy’s leg in a comforting manner.

“Eda’s going to lose her as a student, and then she can join us and learn all about demons!” King yelled happily. “You’ve been a great student of course, but could you imagine what I could do with two great students? I could conquer the entire Boiling Isles!”

Percy looked down at the excitable demon and smiled fondly.

“I’m sure you could. Let’s get back to Trash Slug and help Eda.”

“That sounds awful!” King exclaimed petulantly before stomping his foot. “I don’t want to do that.”

“I’ll tell you more about human realm demons if you help me.” Percy offered with a smirk.

King immediately stopped his tantrum and looked at Percy, eyes wide and sparkling with excitement.

“What are we waiting for? Let's get to work!” King grabbed onto Percy’s pant leg and tried to pull him toward the slug.

Percy laughed as he bent down and picked King up before placing him on his shoulder.

“Ok, ok. I’m walking.” Percy said calmly, a large smile plastered across his face.

King stuck his arm out, directing Percy toward the slug carcass.

“Onward, noble steed! And while you're at it tell me about the Me-an-o-tar again.”

Percy chuckled and shook his head good-naturedly.

“The Minotaur is a hulking half-man half-cow demon that……”

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Stupid Eda. Stupid slug. Stupid brother that’s too caring to be mad at.” Luz grumbled as she kicked a rock near her foot.

She’d been walking for about ten minutes and was still upset.

Stopping for a moment, she looked down to see an assortment of interesting bugs that she would have normally fawned over, but she just didn’t feel like it.

She knew it was unfair to be upset by the fact she hadn’t learned any magic. Eda had agreed to teach her magic without much hesitation and had given her a place to sleep and food to eat as well. Sure she asked Luz to deliver potions for her, but it was only to pay for the magic lessons, everything else was free.

Still, Luz was unhappy with how little she had actually learned. The only real lesson she had been given was not to trust old dudes in robes, and that was because she went off on her own. Eda herself had taught her very little.

Even Percy had learned more and he didn’t even care. When she asked to swap jobs with her brother for a day, Eda turned her down firmly and told her she wasn’t ready. It was frustrating, but she didn’t hold it against him, as he seemed just as unhappy about it as she was.

Luz sighed and prepared to start walking again when she heard something in the distance.

“Come on! You can do it!” A distinctly female voice said.

“Mysterious voice of encouragement?” Luz mumbled to herself as she walked toward the noise.

Pushing aside the branches of a bush. Luz saw a girl in a black tunic with a hood and an undershirt with long purple sleeves. She had dark blue hair and wore large circular glasses and was standing next to a wooden cart with a large stone vase on it.

“Cute witch girl!” Luz said in hushed excitement.

The attire the girl had looked like a uniform, which might mean she was close to a school, which meant she might be able to attend!

“You can do it! Even if you get a bad grade, it's not a reflection of you as a witch.” She girl said loudly. “And my parents are right, there are better opportunities on this track.”

The girl took a step forward and crushed a small purple flower. She immediately dropped to her knees and cupped the flower in her hands.

“Oh no! Little friend, I’m so sorry!”

The girl drew a small green spell circle above the flower, causing it to perk up.

A large smile came across Luz’s face. This is what she was looking for! pushing the branches apart, Luz prepared to walk over and introduce herself to the girl but was stopped when she heard the sound of something approaching.

From around the corner, a cart with a vase on it, similar to the witch girl’s, came into view. The cart appeared to be moving by itself and on top, a girl sat gracefully with an open book in hand. She wore an outfit almost identical to the other girl, aside from the gold star on her chest. Her light green hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.

“Willow.” The girl said happily. “You’re so unnoticeable I almost ran right over you!”

“Hi, Amity.” Willow replied sadly.

Luz frowned. She was very familiar with this type of person, having dealt with them for most of her life. She learned how to handle them, but they were still unpleasant to interact with. She wanted to step in and say something, but the warning Percy had given her stopped her from acting.

“Shouldn’t you be in class preparing your-” Amity started saying before she was cut off by the sound of grinding stone.

Willow's large vase began rocking violently before it tipped over, spilling dark purple sludge all over the ground.

“Oh Willow, you don't have anything to show do you?” Amity said patronizingly as she put a hand on Willow’s shoulder. “This is why people call you half a witch Willow.”

Luz grimaced, Amity’s words reminding her of the shouts she would receive to be ‘normal’ when she did something most considered odd. She got over them, but it still hurt.

The vase behind Amity began to wobble slightly, causing the green-haired witch to walk over to it.

“Oh, sounds like someone wants to say something to you. Abomination, rise.” She said with a snap of her fingers.

From the vase, a vaguely human-shaped figure the same color and the sludge on the ground rose and moved toward Willow. Bringing its hand up, it drew a small star on her forehead.

“You’re a star.” The Abomination said in garbled english.

“Aww, it's just like mine.” Amity said smugly, pointing at the star-shaped badge on her chest with the words ‘top student’ written across it. “Just smaller and meaningless.”

Luz found herself getting angry for Willow. Sure she didn’t know either of the girls personally, or at all, but she still knew bullying when she saw it.

“As the top student is my job to tell you to keep at it. Even you could get a passing grade someday.” Amity said as she walked back to her cart. “Abomination cower.”

The Abomination shrunk back into its vase, allowing Amity to climb back on top.

“See you around superstar.” She said mockingly, before rolling off, leaving Willow alone.

Willow waited until Amity was out of view to wipe the star off her head.

“See you around superstar.” Willow said in a poor imitation of Amity. “ I hate it when she does that!”

Willow stomped her foot and curled her fingers into fists.

“I hate abomination magic! I hate getting bad grades! I’m so sick of it!” Willow shouted before her eyes started glowing an acidic green.

Vines erupted from the flower the girl had saved earlier and started thrashing around randomly and violently.

Luz watched with a mix of awe and fear. It was the strongest magic she had seen since arriving on the Boiling Isles. It was beautiful.

Before Liz could admire the vines further, one snaked through the bush, wrapped around her ankle, and yanked her toward Willow. Is whipped her around for a moment before depositing her behind the raging witch. Soon after Luz landed, Willow turned around and looked directly at her, causing all the vines to stop immediately.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to lose control.” Willow said apologetically as she drop to her knees to examine Luz’s wound.

“It’s fine, the thorns only broke through a few layers of skin.” Luz said, waving off Willow’s concern.

“Thank goodness.” Willow said before looking at Luz’s ears. “So circlely.”

Luz inhaled sharply. She had never discussed with Eda if she and Percy should hide the fact they were humans. It hadn’t been a problem so far as most didn’t pay much attention to her, but now someone had noticed. She brought her hands up in a desperate attempt to hide her ears, but she knew it was too late.

Willow gasped slightly and her eyes widened in recognition.

“You’re human! This is astounding!” Willow helped Luz off the ground. “A human on the Boiling Isles.”

Willow circled Luz, peppering her with questions as she examined her.

“How did you get here? What are you doing here? Are you alone?”

Before Willow could ask any more questions, a school bell rang in the distance, causing her mood to drop.
“I’m sorry, I can’t stay. I have to go disappoint my teacher.” Willow said sullenly as she walked back to her spilled abomination. “It was nice to meet you human.”

Luz watched as Willow walked away and considered her options. If she went after her, she might have a chance to see what the schools were like in the Boiling Isles and maybe even make a friend. On the other, Percy did tell her not to get into any trouble that he couldn’t help her with.

Seeing that Willow was about to leave, Luz quickly made up her mind and ran after her.

“Wait! You’re Willow right?” Luz asked when she had caught up to the girl. “I saw what you did with those plants, it was just..WOW!”

“Thanks. I’m not really supposed to be doing plant magic though, my parents put me on the abomination track at school.” Willow said glumly, kicking at the puddle of purple sludge in front of her.

“By school do you mean magic school?” Luz asked suddenly, grabbing Willow and pulling her closer to her face.

Willow gave a small nod, causing Luz to let go and bring her hands up to her chest.

‘I’m so jealous of you. I have a teacher, but she’s kind of unconventional. I bet she wouldn’t even let me enroll, but I wish I could go for one day.” Luz said wistfully.

“I wish I could get a good grade for once, then maybe people would stop calling me ‘Half-A-Witch’ Willow.” Willow responded sullenly, her head down.

Luz looked at Willow with a frown. She wanted to help her, she really did, but she had no way of doing so. Looking around Luz’s eyes landed on the abomination goo on the ground and an idea sprung into her mind.

“Willow, I know how we can both get what you want!” Luz stuck her hands in the puddle of goo and smeared some across her chest. “Make me your abomination! I’ll get you a good grade and you’ll get me into magic school.” Luz struck a pose and bounced one of her eyebrows. “It’s fiendishly clever.”

“What-no-that.” Willow tried to say in protest.

“I saw that girl’s thing. It was just chunks of stuff that talk weirdly. I’m chunks of stuff and I talk weird.” Luz said happily

Luz knew she was putting herself into a situation where Percy or Eda might not be able to help her, but at the same time, she couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see what a magic school was like.

“That’s true.” Willow said slowly before giggling and sticking her hand out. “Alright deal.”

Luz gleefully grabbed her hand and shook it, only to realize the purple goop she was covered in made her hand stick to Willow’s. After taking a few moments to unstick themselves, Willow used vines to put her vase back on her cart and used basic magic to gather any salvageable abomination sludge and put it back into its container.

“We’d better get going if we're going to get to school before the door closes its mouth.” Willow said calmly before gesturing toward the vase. “Hop in and we can get going.”

Luz looked at the vase, her eyes widening and her mouth opening slightly as she realized exactly what she’d signed up for.

“Uh, I’ll walk until we get closer to the school.” Luz said with a slight grimace. “ And did you say the door had a mouth?”

“Yeah, you don’t want to be caught in it.” Willow replied before grabbing the handles of her cart and pushing with a surprising lack of effort. “Now come along.”

Luz followed after her with no argument, jogging slightly to catch up. They walked quietly for a few moments, allowing Luz an opportunity to think about what she had learned about the Boiling Isles, only to realize she knew next to nothing. She’d been there for a week and she did know anything meaningful, but she had a chance to reconcile that.

“Hey Willow I’m curious, why is it called the Boiling Isles? From what I’ve seen, everything seems super, uh, not boiling.” Luz asked, cringing slightly at her awkward phrasing.

Willow giggled and turned toward her.

“Well the sea is boiling, but only in specific parts, in most other places the temperature is actually quite pleasant. Most people don’t care to specify, it's easier to say ‘Boiling Sea’ than ‘Mostly Warm but Sometimes Boiling Sea.” Willow replied happily. “You never answered my question about what you are doing here or how you got her in the first place?”

Luz thought about how to answer for a moment before deciding that telling the truth wouldn’t do any harm.

“Well, I saw an adorable little owl stealing my book from the trash and followed it through a weird door, and ended up here with my brother.”

“You have a brother?” Willow asked surprised.
“Yeah, well kinda. We found him in the woods and just kinda took him in. He’s cool though, even if he says weird stuff sometimes.” Luz said happily.

“Where is he now? Why isn’t he with you?”

“He’s back with my teacher. I wonder what they’re up to?”

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Not a bad haul. Those oviducts were loaded.” Eda said proudly while tying a bag of orange eggs to her staff.

“Ah. Lose apprentice, gain garbage eggs. Seems like a fair trade to me.” King shouted from a nearby scrap pile.

Eda turned around and crossed her arms.

“I didn’t lose my apprentice.”

“If you don’t teach her anything soon, you will. You’ve taught more to her brother that doesn’t care than her. And when she finally drops you, I’ll take her as my student.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to teach Percy anything, he just learns by watching, and what would you even teach her, how to get out of the arm of sweater?” Eda said with a smug smile, leaning against her staff.

“That only happened once!” King cried indignantly. “I’d teach her about demons. How to identify them, how to talk to them, how to raise an army and tear apart the world!”

“Will that be before or after you get out the of the arm a sweater?”

King growled and hopped off his scrap pile and started walking toward Eda.

“You think you’re so clever! Why don’t we make a little bet where I can prove I’d make a better teacher? I’ve already done it with Percy and I’ll do it again to wipe that smug grin off your face”

A large smile stretched across her face as she dug through her hair and pulled out a book titled ‘Eda and King’s bets’.

“I’m obligated to remind you that I only use bets to utterly humiliate you and that you haven’t won a single one.” Eda said as she flipped through the book showing off pages of completed bets, all in her favor, and landing on a page for the pair to sign.

“I like those odds.” King said confidently.

“Good, then how’s this.” Eda picked up a trash slug egg and tossed it at King, causing it to hatch on his head, leaving a baby slug in his palms. “ You teach this slug to be a loyal soldier in one day. Prove you can be a better teacher and Luz is all yours. If you don’t, I change your name to mister snuggles.”

King looked at the small slug in his hands and then at Eda, his eyes full of confidence.

“Fine, but when I win you have to wear a shame hat and live in a shack and, uh, never come in the house again. HA!”

“Deal?” Eda signed her section of the page quickly before handing it over to King.

King took the book, but before signing, he stopped suddenly and looked up at Eda.

“Wait, this isn’t fair.” He said flatly.

“What do you mean this isn’t fair? You’re the one that proposed this bet!” Eda exclaimed, gesturing wildly at King.

“It isn’t fair because I’m the only one doing something. How can I prove I am superior to you in everything teaching if you don’t teach!” King shouted at the witch.

“Like you said I taught Percy how to do potion stuff.” Eda replied in frustration. “Just sign the book so we can get on with this stupid bet already.”

“You taught him by accident and you know it. I on the other hand have been instructing him about the wonderful world of demons.”

Eda scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Oh please. We both know he’s taught you just as much as you have taught him, doesn’t count.”

“Just like he taught you about hair nets for brewing.” King countered with his hands on his hips.

Eda opened her mouth to counter him but shut it with an audible click.

“Fine.” Eda said through gritted teeth. “What do you propose I do?”

“How about you teach Percy magic intentionally, and at the end of the day we have them fight to the death!” King thrust his hands in the air triumphantly. “Deal?”

Eda thought for a moment, a mischievous smile coming across her face.

“Deal.”

With a nod, King dipped his hand in a nearby mud puddle and pushed his hand to the signature page of the book, signifying his acceptance of the terms.

After taking the book back and stuffing it in her hair, Eda clapped her hands together.

“Well now that that’s settled, let me find my ‘student’ and I can start humiliating you.” Eda said smugly before bringing her hands up toward her face and shouting. “OH PERCY!”

From the carcass behind the pair, a rusty sword shot out and cut downward, creating an opening from which a filthy Percy stepped through.

“You called?” He asked plainly as he walked toward Eda, dragging a large bag of random objects he’d collected from the corpse.

“Yes, we’re heading home so I can teach you some magic!” Eda replied happily, unfazed by the state of the boy. “And nice haul, we can sell all that for a good amount of snails.”

Percy dropped the rusty sword he was holding and put his hand up to stop Eda from speaking.

“Hold on, why are you teaching me magic? I don’t care about learning. If anything you should be teaching Luz.” Perfect pointed an accusing finger at the Owl Lady. “Something you promised you’d do and haven’t.”

Eda sighed and rubbed her arm nervously.

“You’re right, I haven’t. I-I’ve just been so worried that I’d mess it up.” She brought her hand up and laced her fingers. “ That’s why I want to try and teach you first. You’ve demonstrated a basic understanding of magic. If you let me teach you, I might have the skills to give Luz the education she deserves.”

Percy looked at her for a moment, seemingly thinking over the witch’s words before he took a deep breath and responded.

“You’re lying.”

Eda flinched.

“How could you possibly know that?” She asked incredulously, the innocent facade completely gone.

“You never ask for anything so pitifully and I know for a fact you don’t care about messing up. Also, that stutter you did felt sounded super fake.” Percy said, counting the reasons off on his fingers. “What is the real reason you want to teach me?”

Eda shook her head slightly to focus again.

“King was telling me I’m a bad teacher for Luz and that he’d be better, then he made a bet to try and prove it. He’s teaching a slug to be a loyal soldier and I’m supposed to teach you magic.”

Percy stared at Eda for a moment and then chuckled a bit.

“Dang, King really got the short end of the stick.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah, I don’t think he thought this one through.” Eda laughed along with Percy.

“But, he does have a point.” Percy dropped his smile and frowned at Eda. “You have been a bad teacher.”

Eda stopped laughing and groaned in frustration.

“How have I been a bad teacher?”

Percy gave her a flat stare.

“I’ve learned more about-”

“Magic and you don’t care about it, I know! Why does everyone keep saying that?” Eda exclaimed, cutting Percy off.

“If you know then do something about it.” Percy said plainly.

“Ok, I will or whatever.” Eda replied with a huff. “Are you going to let me teach you or not?”

“I’ll learn from you,” Percy started saying causing Eda to cheer quietly. “Under on condition.”

Eda’s celebration stopped and she stared at Percy.

“What do you want? Money?”

“I’ll let you teach me as long as you start actually teaching Luz, no more of this ‘finding the lesson in mundane activities' thing you’ve been pulling.” Percy stated firmly.

“So no money?” Eda said happily. “Sweet? Let’s go human, we have much to learn!”

Eda tried to grab Percy’s arm, but he stepped back preventing her.

“We’re not going anywhere until you agree to my condition.”

Eda threw her head back and groaned.

“Fine. I promise I’ll teach Luz everything I teach you, deal?” Eda stuck her hand out for Percy to shake before retracting it. “I’m not touching you, you’re filthy.”

Percy shrugged and hoisted his bag of junk onto his shoulder.

“That’s fair. I’ll trust that you’ll keep your word.”

“Great! We’re going back to the house and we’ll start!” Eda said happily, completely forgetting how dirty Percy was and grabbing his arm.

Immediately she dropped his arm and looked at her hand in disgust.

“You’re cleaning yourself off first.”

Percy rolled his eyes.

“I was going to anyways, and you’re just as dirty.”

“It’s my dirty so it’s different.” Eda said, crossing her arms and looking away.

Percy sighed.

“It’s going to be a long day.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Magic manifests itself in three ways, but for our purposes, we’ll only care about the first two.” Eda said loudly while pointing at a board covered in diagrams and pictures.

Both Percy and Eda had cleaned themselves quickly after returning from the beach and made their way to the living room. There Eda had set up a makeshift classroom to teach Percy while King trained his ‘soldier’ outside.

“The first one is what we refer to as ambient magic or free-floating magic. This is what powers our staffs and wards.” Eda summoned her staff to demonstrate. “Ambient magic can be used by anyone and only requires the use of a focus, usually a staff. The power of the spell cast using ambient magic is based purely on the strength of the focus. The stronger the focus, the stronger the spell.”

Percy listened intently from where he was seated taking notes, something he hadn’t done in a long time. It was an odd feeling for him, but since he discovered he could read normally in the Boiling Isles, he was determined to use the skill as much as possible. Additionally, he planned on sharing the notes with Luz when she returned from her walk.

“What determines the power of the focus? Is it the size? The shape?” Percy asked curiously.

Eda sighed and gripped her staff nervously.

“To be honest kid, I don’t really remember. I was never one for paying attention in class, that was more my sister’s thing.”

Percy nodded sadly. Ever since he had learned about Eda’s sister, he noticed that the woman talked about her more often. He hadn’t told Luz about her, not because Eda had told him not to, but because he felt it was too personal to be shared without her permission.

Eda was quiet for a moment or so before she continued talking.

“The second kind of magic is natural magic. This is magic produced from the bile sac attached to a witch’s heart.” Eda pointed to a diagram of a heart with a large green sac attached. “ The strength of natural magic differs from witch to witch. If I remember correctly the things that affect it was something like bile sac size, bile consistency, and flavor.”

“Flavor?” Percy asked, a look of disgust coming across his face.

“Yeah I don’t know about that one either, but apparently it’s a factor.”

Percy shook his head and jotted everything down, putting extra emphasis on the ‘flavor’ part to dissuade Luz from asking about it. He didn’t want her curiosity to turn her off from magic.

“Wait.” Percy said suddenly. “If we don’t have bile sacs, how are Luz and I supposed to perform magic.”

Eda’s expression turned to one of contemplation before she frowned.

“I actually don’t know. I mean you kids could probably use ambient magic, but I don’t feel comfortable giving either of you a staff quite yet.”

Percy looked down at his notes with a grimace.

“Eda, what’s the third form of magic?” Percy asked, desperately hoping there’s be some way Luz could do magic without a focus or bile sac. He didn’t care if he could do it or not, he just hated seeing his sister sad.

Eda sighed and started fidgeting a bit.
“Well, honestly kid, the last form is less of a know fact and more of a theory.”

Percy’s felt his hopes die a little bit.

“The third form is what scholars refer to as ‘divine’ magic.” Eda said plainly. “It’s only a theory because there’s only been a few examples of it throughout history.”

Percy felt his blood run cold and his heartbeat speed up rapidly.

He had checked, there was no gods or monster in this world. He’d put himself on blast for months hoping to get the attention of anything without any success. Yet here he was finding out his freedom from the divine world might be threatened.

“W-what were the e-examples?” Percy asked in a shaky voice.

Eda gave him a weird look but said nothing about his tone.

“I don’t remember very well, we only covered it briefly in school, but the first example was something about a witch that was able to do magic far beyond the capabilities of anyone else. Their name was something like Veilmire or something Other than that I don’t remember.”

Percy nodded stiffly and noted down what Eda has said, his writing becoming visibly worse.

Eda seemed to notice his discomfort and clapped her hands together suddenly, startling Percy slightly.

“Well, now that we got all the boring the boring theory out of the way we can move on to real magic.”

“What about me not having a bile sac?” Percy asked, his heart rate returning to a normal pace.

“You don’t, but like your sister said, maybe the reason there’s never been a human witch is that none have bothered to try. No matter what I think it's worth a shot.” Eda said with a shrug.

‘I guess.” Percy replied slowly.

He was nervous to try. Not because he thought he would fail, but because he knew he wouldn’t.

Eda cleared her throat, bringing Percy’s attention back to her.

“Ok, so the first spell usually taught to young witches is the light spell.” Eda traced a small circle in front of her, causing a small ball of light to appear. “It doesn’t require much power or focus, making it perfect for teaching kids.”

Eda canceled the spell, making the ball fizzle out. Turning toward Percy she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.

“Now, what to do with you? I could let you use my staff, but I don’t know how Owlbert would react. I think I remember hearing ancient witches used carvings, but I don’t think anyone knows how to do that. Maybe…” Eda started rambling to herself, getting lost in her own head.

Percy smiled gently. Working with Eda allowed him to see a side of her hidden from others, one that loved experimenting and solving problems. As much as she tried to deny it, Eda had a hunger for knowledge that rivaled Luz’s.

He watched the older witch for a few more moments before trying the light spell for himself. Eda hadn’t said anything about how she did the spell, but he had a feeling it would be similar to controlling water. Taking a deep breath, Percy closed his eyes and focused on the ever-present feeling in the pit of his stomach. Similar to how he did it a week ago, Percy gently guided the feeling toward the tips of his fingers. After a few seconds, it felt like he was holding an active lightbulb. Opening his eyes slowly, Percy saw that his fingers now glowed slightly.

Percy stared and his hands, enamored by the light they gave off. Taking a deep breath, focused on his right index finger, and after a moment, only that finger glowed. Smiling to himself, Percy began tracing a circle in the air just like he’d seen Eda do, a light trail of crackling energy following his finger. Once he completed the circle, an orb of light significantly larger and brighter than Eda’s came into existence.

“Percy, how did you do that?” Eda asked suddenly, her tone serious.

Percy looked at her in slight shock. In trying to cast magic, he’d completely forgotten the older witch was there.

“I just, drew the circle, just like you did.” Percy replied nervously.

Eda shook her head and sighed.

“I know how you cast the spell, I watched you do it. What I want to know is how you used magic.”

Percy was in trouble. He couldn’t tell Eda that he was a demigod and therefore had magic running through his veins, so he took the only available option.

“I don’t know.”

Eda gave him a look of disbelief.

“What do you mean you don’t know? I watched you! You seemed pretty confident while doing it.” Eda exclaimed loudly.

“I was just mimicking what you did! I didn’t think anything would happen!” Percy replied heatedly. “Why are you getting so worked up?”

Percy felt bad about lying to Eda, but he couldn’t tell her the truth.

“That makes no sense. You’re a human, and humans can’t….” Eda trailed off before a look of deep thought came across her face. After a moment she turned around and pointed at Percy. “Tell me about your parents.”

Percy was slightly stunned by the question but answered anyway.

“Well, my mom raised me, up until about three months ago.”

“What about the other one?” Eda asked, her eyes wide and brow furrowed.

Percy was confused for a moment, before realizing where Eda’s mind was heading.

“I never knew my dad, my mom said he was lost at sea.” Percy said quietly, doing his best to sound honest. While he was sure that Eda wouldn’t challenge him on his own past, the older witch had proved to be more perceptive than most.

Eda was silent for a moment, her hand over her mouth as she thought about Percy’s past. Eventually, she looked at Percy apprehensively.

“Percy, I believe it might be possible that your father was a witch.” She said slowly and hesitantly.

“No, that can’t be. How could he have been a witch? Isn’t your door the only way to the human realm” Percy asked, trying to sound distressed.

Eda shook her head.

“While rare, naturally occurring rifts between the two realms do occur. It’s how so much of your junk ends up here. Either mother or father probably went through one of these rifts by accident. It would explain how you can do magic while still appearing distinctly human.”

Percy suppressed a smile. Eda came up with an explanation of his ability to do magic for him, something he could use to explain why he could do magic and Luz couldn’t. His happiness quickly soured though. He felt terrible that he was living out the girl’s dream without her, a dream he hadn’t shared until he found out he could do magic just a few moments prior.

“Hey kid you ok? I imagine it’s a lot to take in.” Eda said as she sat next to him on the couch, apparently walking over while Percy was lost in thought. “He may be somewhere in the demon realm, and that him being lost at sea was something your mother said to explain his absence. You could look for him.”

Percy let out a humorless laugh. He had accepted that his dad could not be a part of his life, but he couldn’t stop the resentment from bubbling to the surface. The whole conversation reminded him too much of the one he had with his mother years ago.

“Yeah? And say what? ‘Hi, I’m the son you didn’t care to stay around for.’ I’m sure he’d be thrilled.” Percy said bitterly. “I was fine without him for my whole life, and I’ll be fine without him for the rest of it.”

The pair fell into an uncomfortable silence, neither knowing what to say. After a few minutes, Percy sighed and looked at Eda.

“I’m sorry for getting emotional and dumping all that on you.” He said quietly.

Percy thought he’d gotten over his anger toward his father, but apparently pretending to learn the ‘truth’ of his absence brought deeply buried emotion back to the surface.

Eda gave him an odd look.

“I just completely destroyed your worldview, I think it's ok if you get a little upset. In fact, I should be apologizing for getting so heated.” Eda said with a light chuckle.

“Why are saying sorry? To you, it looked like I just proved centuries of fact wrong, I’d be a little concerned if you hadn’t questioned me doing magic.” Percy shot back.

“Fine, let’s agree that neither one of us should apologize so we can get on with our lesson. I want to see what you can do.” Eda said as she stood up. “And don’t think I didn’t notice how strong that light spell was.”

Percy smiled. He was glad Eda was fine with just moving on from the whole situation. The last thing he wanted to do was have her ask too many questions.

“You’re just jealous that mine was stronger.” Percy said, sticking his tongue out.

Eda crossed her arms and gave him a glare that lacked any heat.

“I toned down my spell to demonstrate. Don’t forget that I am the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles and that I’m using my very valuable time to teach you, so tell me what you want to learn.”

Percy rolled his eyes, deciding not to mention the fact that she begged to teach him. Focusing on her question, Percy thought about what he wanted to learn first. After a few moments, a large smile made its way onto his face.

Teach me how to summon water.”

Eda looked at him with a grin.

“That’s super lame but ok.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Luz was oddly comfortable.

When it was time for her to get into the large pot of abomination goo, she was prepared for the sludge to be cold and slimy but was surprised when it was the exact opposite. The purple goo was pleasantly warm and felt more like mud. Additionally, the vase had plenty of room for her to have her head above the liquid and she was able to hear what was happening outside the container. Overall, she found herself liking pretending to be an abomination.

“You can pop your head out for a second.” Came the voice of Willow from outside the vase.

Eager to see where they were, Luz quickly pushed the lid up just enough for her to see the schools and was left in awe.

The school was shaped like a castle made out of white brick and with turquoise tiled roofs. It had a large spire sitting in front of a dome in the center, with a smaller spire on either side. There were square towers on the far right and left. At the top of the middle spire was a large eye.

“Welcome to Hexside.” Willow said happily. “Make sure to stay hidden okay.”

Luz obliged and ducked back into the vase, leaving her in darkness once more and giving her time to think about her newest ‘friend’.

Willow was relatively cheerful, except when talking about her abomination class, which made the witch‘s mood drop significantly.

This confused and upset Luz. She’d seen what Willow was capable of with what looked like little effort, but she knew it wasn’t her place to say anything, at least not yet.

Luz frowned. She wanted to help, but she didn’t know how, not without getting to know the girl better, something she was more than happy to do.

Their walk toward the school had been quite informative with Willow filling her in on all the basic knowledge of the Boiling Isles. Information about which trees to avoid and what demons to steer clear of, all things Eda had neglected to tell her.

Luz was eventually broken from her thoughts when the cart suddenly stopped. After a few moments of silence, Luz heard the voice of a young boy.

“Willow, you would not believe humans.” The boy said happily.

“Humans? Pfft, I haven’t seen any humans. What?” Willow responded in a slight panic.

Luz smiled to herself at her friend’s poor attempt at acting inconspicuously.

“Did you know humans nail barbed wire to their kid’s teeth? But why? Maybe it's to make themselves magnetic.”

Luz giggled to herself. She knew she was supposed to be keeping a low profile, but she couldn’t stop herself from responding.

“Actually, it’s for storing treats.” Luz said, her voice slightly muffled by the vase.

After a moment of silence, she heard Willow sigh.

“Ok Augustus, I’m going to show you something, but you have to be cool.”

“I can be spool, I mean cool.” The now named Augustus said quickly.

From her vase, Luz watched as the lid to the container was lifted away by magic, providing her with a view of pink lockers that appeared to have mouths.

“Abomination, rise!” Willow exclaimed with authority, giving Luz the cue to do her part.

“I’m an abomination!” She said proudly as she stood up, her hands on her hips.

“Luz, that's not how abominations act.” Willow said chastising.

Before Luz had a chance to respond, she heard the sound of something hitting the floor, bringing her attention to Agustus.

“No, no, I can’t be!” The boy muttered to himself as he messed with his ears.

“He’s the president of the ‘Human Appreciation Society’,” Willow said happily, a large smile on her face. “Most witches wouldn’t be able to recognize a human right away, but Augustus is an expert!”

“Where are your gills?” Augustus exclaimed frantically.

Luz looked at the boy. He looked young, really young, especially compared to the only other students she had seen. His apparent fascination with humans was slightly odd, but who was she to judge.

“Humans don’t have gills, except for maybe Percy, but that’s a different story.” Luz replied, her mind briefly going back to her notebook of Pecry’s oddities. “And I knew an Augustus back home, we called him Gus.”

Gus’s eyes widened dramatically.

“Gus? A nickname? A human nickname. Gus, wow, call me it.” The boy brought his hands to his face. “This is the best day of my life.”

Luz was mildly amused by the reverence the boy treated the nickname with.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” A hoarse scream echoed through the halls and caused any stationary students to start moving.

“I gotta get to spelling class, see you guys later.” Gus said suddenly as he pulled what looked like a wand out before running off to class.

“Alright into the darkness you go.” Willow said to Luz with a smile.

Luz responded the only way she thought was appropriate.

She hissed at Willow as she sunk back into the sludge

After a moment to cart started moving again, once more leaving Luz alone with her thoughts.
Meeting Willow’s friend had been an enlightening experience, to say the least. She didn’t know how to feel about there being a whole club dedicated to ‘appreciating’ humans, but she figured it was no different than her many failed attempts to start a witch club at her school. Gus himself was pretty nice, if a little awkward, but again she was also a little awkward. Luz felt that she could be good friends with him, and along with Willow, she could have the close-knit trio of magical friends she’d always desired.

“Alright, settle down in your seats, I don’t know why I have to tell you every day you ingrates.” A male voice said, letting Luz know they’d arrived at the class.
Willow pushed her cart over to her desk and moved the cover on the vase slightly so Luz could get some fresh air.

“Today you all will present your finished abomination in front of the class so we can laugh at your failure.” The teacher said loudly. “First up we have Zomora.”

Not being able to see, Luz listened intently, doing her best to soak up as much information as possible. Though the only thing she learned as the student presented their work was what was wrong with them through the teacher’s harsh criticism.

“Too many toes in unexpected places. Fail! Pathetic!” The teacher yelled angrily. “The real abominations are all you! If the next abomination is a failure, extra homework for a month.”

Luz grimaced. The abomination teacher reminded her of her math teacher, both were necessarily harsh. Based on the distraught murmuring of the students, she knew this was far from the first time they’d been threatened.

“The next student to embarrass themselves is-”

“Excuse me, sir, but I’m ready to present my abomination.” Amity said, cutting the teacher off. “Abomination, rise.”

Luz rolled her eyes, the superiority in the girl's voice reminding her of the girls from her school. She took some solace in knowing that Amity was probably stressed out of her mind.

“I’ve always saved the best for last Amity. You’ll have to wait your turn.” The teacher said with a chuckle. “How about, Willow.”

Immediately after the teacher finished speaking, the room filled with whispered complaints about Willow and how they were going to get the extra homework.

Pushing the cover out of the way, Luz gave Willow a reassuring smile.

“Don’t listen to them Willow, we got this.”

Willow nodded shyly in response and began pushing the cart toward the front of the room.

“Abomination, r-rise.” Willow said shakily.

Luz punched the lid off the vase and jumped out with a spin, landing with flourish.

“Ta-da!” She exclaimed happily, doing her best to ignore the pain in her hand.

Around the classroom, all the students gasped in surprise, drawing Luz’s attention toward them. There were very few students overall, with the most interesting being the boy with a large spikey head and the girl with blue hair and massive horns. Glancing back to the front, Luz got to see the abomination teacher for the first time. He was a small man with green hair and oddly draconic features, however, the weirdest part to her was the fact he was being carried around by an abomination.

“Abomination, bow.” Willow commanded once the other students quieted down.

Remembering a documentary about fancy people she forced Percy to watch with her, Luz bent at the waist and bowed toward the class, much to their delight.

“Impressive, but does it speak?” The abominations teacher asked.

Luz looked toward Willow briefly to see what she wanted her to do, before just deciding to wing it.

“I may be your abomination, but you're my a-mom-ination.” As she spoke, Luz walked over to Willow and pulled her into a hug.

“A-mom-ination! Splendid wordplay. A plus!” The abomination teacher exclaimed happily as he painted the given grade on Luz’s forehead. “I dare say we have a new top student!”

The teacher traced a small circle in the air that pulled the top student badge of Amity’s uniform, completely ignoring the green-haired girl’s frantic grabs for it. With the badge in hand, he placed it on Willow’s uniform, causing scattered applause across the classroom.

Luz watched the whole interaction nervously. She just wanted to help Willow get a good grade on her project, but based on the look Amity was giving Willow, she might have just made things worse. However, when she looked at Willow’s shining smile, Luz figured that things couldn’t be so bad after all.

Besides, it was just a little badge, how badly could Amity possibly react?

--------------------------------------------------------------

“And then the half-witch showed up-Boscha are you even listening?”

Boscha looked up from her lunch to see the face of an angry Amity.

“What?” Boscha replied.

Amity shook her head and scowled.

“Are you seriously still thinking about that guy? He was just some upstart that didn’t know his place, get over it already.” Amity said with a scoff.

Boscha resisted the urge to flinch.

“Yeah, you’re right. Finish telling your story about the failed witch.” Boscha said weakly, her insult toward Willow lacking its usual bite.

Amity gave her a weird look, but took her up on her offer and continued her rant.

It had been a week since she encountered the boy who refused to get off her bench, yet he still occupied her thoughts when she let her mind wander. The way she broke down was a continued source of shame.

She didn’t know what it was about him that shook her so deeply. Maybe it was his casual dismissal of her or the way he didn’t care about her problems, but whatever it was it-

Boscha shook her head. She knew what it was, she just refused to accept it.

It was the look on his face when she started crying.

It was different from the looks she received when she pretended to be upset, the looks of faux sympathy and understanding. His reaction made her truly believe he cared like he really understood the pain and sadness she was feeling.

She hated it. His stupid face ruined everything for her.

Before when her ‘friends’ were comforting her, she was able to delude herself into thinking they cared, but after that stupid boy, she couldn’t pretend any longer.

She saw the way their eyes twitched, waiting for her to finish talking, The way their comforting words sounded hollow in her ears. The way they never stuck around to make sure she was really okay.

That random boy shattered the illusion, and she hated him for it. What she hated more, however, was what she admitted to herself that day.

Her mother didn’t love her.

It was something she suspected for a long time, but never had the courage or desire to think about it too critically.

The way her mother spoke and acted indicated she did love her, but Boscha knew better. Her words were measured, her actions were calculated, and everything she did was to ensure Boscha strived to do her best to make her mother proud. Even as a kid, she felt there was a distance between her and her mother.

The worst thing in Boscha's mind though was the fact she still loved her mother and wanted to make her proud.

Even after everything she had done, Boscha still desperately wanted her mother to be proud of her. Every test she took, every potion she brewed, every grudgby game she played, she did it in the hopes her mother would finally be proud, would finally give her the love she so desired. She knew it was unhealthy, but she did it anyway.

“Boscha!” Amity said suddenly, breaking Boscha for her thoughts. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Boscha replied tiredly.

“Willow’s abomination just ate half a sandwich! Abominations don’t eat!” Amity exclaimed before leaping up from their table and running over to where Willow was seated with her weird illusion-boy friend.

Boscha watched as the green-haired witch jumped on the table, yelled at the pair, and yanked something out of Willow’s stone vase.

Sighing, Boscha looked away and started picking at her lunch, her appetite gone.

She usually would happily join Amity in her teasing of the half-witch, but today she didn’t have the energy to, a choice that was validated when she saw Amity getting dragged away toward the principal's office.

“That’s not going to end up well.” She mumbled to herself as she poked a weird looking piece of meat on her tray.

Sighing, Boscha pushed her ‘meal away’ and let her gaze wander around the room, stopping on the smiling form of Willow.

“Ugh, I don’t get how that stupid half-witch is always so happy.” Boscha said under her breath.

Willow was another person that bothered her. She sucked at magic, always getting the lowest marks in class according to Amity, yet somehow she was always happy. She was the epitome of what confused Boscha the most.

She was objectively worse than her, both in terms of magic and status. Her parents weren’t rich and she wasn’t popular, but no matter how many times Boscha teased her or reminded her of her place, she still kept smiling. It made no sense how someone so worthless could be so happy.
Deciding to spend the rest of her lunch in her next class, Boscha looked at the clock only to see she only had five minutes left in her lunch.

“I really gotta stop wasting my time thinking about people I don’t like.” Boscha said with a groan. “Titan I can’t wait for the grudgby season to start.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Eda watched as Percy cast spells with a frown.

The boy was talented. He picked up spells quickly and the power behind each spell was impressive for his age. She’d only taught him the basic water, fire, and lightning spells so far, but he would be ready for more very soon. He was far more invested in learning than he had been a few days prior, and while Eda was usually all for the love of magic something about how he cast the spells and his backstory bothered her.

On the matter of his spells, he cast them as if there was an invisible enemy after him. Every time he cast, it was with the intent to harm. His fire was concentrated streams and his lighting bolts large, and while neither was powerful enough to truly hurt an experienced witch, both would do some serious damage to kids his age. It was impressive, but it was what he did with water that really scared her.

The way he manipulated water spoke of familiarity and comfort. With the other spells, there was a stiffness there, like someone walking for the first time. He knew the motions but didn’t have the experience to do them without thinking. With water though, he moved and shaped it as if he’d been doing so his whole life. And while he was destructive with the other spells, they had nothing on the damage he could do with water. Spikes, shields, tendrils. Any construct Eda could have thought of Percy was making flawlessly and effortlessly. It was awe-inspiring to see someone so young performing so well but at the same time it made her suspicious of his past.

Eda didn’t want to be distrustful of the boy, but she didn’t survive so long as a fugitive by taking everything she heard at face value. His story, while possible, was also convenient. That wasn’t even accounting for the fact that he contradicted himself. The first day she met him, he said he’d encountered magic before, yet seemed to have no knowledge of it. And while his anger toward his father felt real, the rest of his reactions felt artificial. It painted a picture of something much bigger going on, something Eda felt she wouldn’t like in the slightest

Eda looked over to where Percy was standing and watched as he drew a spell circle with both his hands. From the circles a large stream of water and a lightning bolt shot out, combining and destroying one of the many trees that filled her backyard. The boy then turned around and looked at her with a large smile.

“Did you see that!” Percy shouted giddily.

Eda smiled slightly and shook her head. Percy's backstory may be suspicious, but he was still just a kid. She liked him, he was witty and able to keep up with her, she didn’t want to push him away because she was too curious about his past. Plus, it wasn’t like she didn’t have secrets of her own. She gestured for Percy to come over to her.

“Yes, very impressive. You destroyed one of my favorite trees.” Eda said dryly as Percy ran up.

“Oh please, you’ve said that about every tree I've blown up.” He said with an eye roll.” And don’t act like you don’t have the ability to regrow them.”

Eda scoffed.

“It’s the principle of the matter. If I just let every rando kid destroy my stuff, I’d have to steal more stuff.”

”As if you wouldn’t enjoy it.” Percy shot back with a smirk.

“You’re not wrong.” Eda replied with a chuckle. “ I didn’t call you over to trade barbs.”

“But love trading barbs.” Percy said with an exaggerated pout.

“Me too, but it's time to show King how I am a much better teacher than him! HA!”

Percy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t get why you can’t just admit you’ve been a bad teacher. Why’d you have to make this dumb bet.”

Eda frowned and turned her head away. While she was teaching Percy spells, he had thoroughly chastised her for being a bad mentor to Luz using the fact she could teach him just fine as evidence of her failures. And while the kid was right, Eda was not one to back down from a bet.

“King was the one who started it, plus we already recorded it in the ‘book of bets’ so it’s not like I can just back down.” Eda replied plainly, before looking back at Percy with a guilty expression. “But you’re right. I have been a bad teacher. I promise I’ll do better

Percy looked at the older witch appraisingly for a few moments before nodding his head.

“I’ll hold you to that.” He said seriously before letting a smile come across his face. “Alright let's go check how King is-”

Percy was interrupted by said demon running into the backyard and wrapping his arms around Eda’s legs. From behind him, a loud roar echoed.
Eda looked down at her companion with a knowing look.

“Having trouble with your student?” She asked smugly.

King looked up at her with large watery eyes.

“Yes! I ran out of snacks and he started rampaging!” The little demon said frantically. “You gotta do something! He’s trying to eat me!”

From around the corner the massive form of the trash slug came into view, towering over Eda, Percy, and King.

“Hades! How much did you feed it?” Percy asked as he pulled out something.

“I just gave it a few boxes of treats! I don’t know how it got so big!” King replied desperately.

“Trash has very little nutritional value, so trash slugs’ bodies know how to maximize every little bit of nutrients it can get.” Eda said as she summoned her staff to her. “So when King gave it all those treats-”

“It was like he was giving it a buttload of steroids.” Percy finished while drawing a spell circle and launching a stream of fire at the slug that bounced off its hide harmlessly.

“I don’t know exactly what steroids are but sure, we’ll go with that.” Eda replied as she fired her own spell, which also did no harm to the beast.

“Why didn’t you mention this thing has magic-resistant hide?” Percy yelled as he ducked out of the path of the slug’s mouth.

Eda growled and picked King up to get him out of danger, placing him behind a nearby rock so he could hide.

“Sorry for not knowing, it's not like I fight these things regularly! All the ones I’ve seen are dead.”

Eda used her staff to shoot a flurry of stone spikes at the beast, only for them to shatter on impact.

“Eda!” Percy called out, getting the witch’s attention. “Distract it! I have an idea!”

Eda nodded in confirmation, before launching a series of flashy spells that succeeded in getting the slug to focus on her, all the while keeping an eye on Percy. Luz would murder her if she got her brother killed.

After a moment, she lost track of Percy, causing her to lose focus for a second, allowing the slug to leap at her, and forcing her to hit the ground to avoid getting hit. Rolling to the side, Eda narrowly dodged another strike. Seeing the slug rearing to attack again and with nowhere else to go, Eda shut her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her hoping to block the hit. But the strike never came, instead, she was met with the sound of the slug screeching in pain loudly before going silent.

Opening her eyes slowly, Eda saw the form of Percy standing on top of the now dead slug with a sword planted firmly in its head. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the same sword he’d used back at the Conformitorium.

“Thanks for the assist, Eda!” Percy yelled from his position before looking down at his sludge soaked shirt. “Darnit, Luz made this for me. I hope this stuff comes out.”

Eda watched the scene incredulously. This boy had just killed a massive beast and his biggest concern was his shirt. Shaking her head to focus herself, Eda walked over to where she stashed King to find the small demon peering over the edge of the rock with wide eyes.

“Did you see that?” King asked excitedly as he ran over to Eda. “Did you see how easily he took that thing down? I’m so glad he’s a part of my army.”

Eda chuckled and picked King up.

“Yes. He took down your student very quickly.” Eda said before a big smile appeared on her face. “Which means I win the bet!”

Eda dropped King and started to do a victory dance, but was interrupted by Percy yelling across the yard.

“Nope. I didn’t use anything you taught me, so neither of you won the bet.”

“But you’re my student and you beat King’s student! Therefore I won” Eda argued.

Percy just shook his head.

“The bet was to see who was a better teacher and since King’s slug is dead and I beat it with my own skills, no one. End of discussion.” Percy countered. “Now that we’re done fighting over silly things, I’m going to the front to see if there’s any damage to the house, and if there is damage, I’ll need your help to shut Hooty up before he starts screeching.”

Percy walked away, leaving Eda and King alone.

“We’ll just call it a tie.” King said before running after Percy.

Eda sighed and followed him to the front, where she found that, while the house had no damage, Hooty was still screeching about something.

“Will you shut up already? The house is fine!” She heard Percy yell at the owl tube.

“Why don’t you make me? AAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!”

It took several minutes of various bribes and threats to get Hooty to finally stop yelling, leaving all three residents of the house tired.

“I’m going to take another shower, don’t bother me.” Percy announced suddenly while walking toward the front door.

Eda went to follow after him, dealing with Hooty always left her feeling gross, but before either of them could get very far, a familiar face ran out of the woods.

“EEDDDAAAA!” Luz yelled as she ran up to Eda and pulled her into a hug.

“What is this? I never understand when you do this!” Eda complained as she tried pushing Luz off.

Luz let go and stared at her intensely.

“You’re lesson worked! Keeping junk in my pocket saved my life!” Luz said quickly, before becoming frantic. “Oh no! My new friends! We have to-”

Luz was cut off by two more people bursting out of the trees. One was a girl with blue hair and glasses, while the other was a short dark-skinned boy with spiky hair

“LLUUZZ!” The girl yelled before both she and the boy pulled Luz into a hug.

Eda watched the scene with a slight scowl. She’d never been one for affection, but since Luz had come to live with her, she’d been hugged more times than she liked, but she hated to admit that the action was growing on her.

“Not to break up this touching moment, but someone better explain what is going on right now,” Percy said suddenly, his tone harsh and serious. “Who are you two and why are you hugging my sister?”

Eda suppressed a slight shiver. Percy’s words had a certain power behind them that she was unable to explain.

Luz separated herself from the group hug and walked over to Percy.

“It’s ok Perc, they’re cool. They helped me get out of some trouble I got into at the magic school.” Luz said calmly.

Percy stared at the boy and girl intensely for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.

“Ok, if you say so, but you will tell me what happened later. Do you understand?”

Luz simply smiled and nodded.

“Good. Now I’m going to take a shower. I’m filthy.” Percy said as he opened the door and went inside.

Eda watched the interaction with a gentle smile. The boy was harsh sometimes, but he really did care about Luz. She was jealous of the sibling bond, but she knew better than to project her envy on children.

“That was Percy huh? He’s kinda intense.” The blue-haired girl said after a moment.

“Yeah, but he’s only like that cause he cares.” Luz said with a grin. “Now, Gus, Willow, tell me everything that happened after I left.”

Eda rolled her eyes at Luz’s excitement toward magic school, yet she understood her desire to learn. All it meant was that she had to teach the girl so well she wouldn’t even want to think about going to school.

It shouldn’t be too hard.

Right?

--------------------------------------------------------------

Amity stared at the large wooden door in front of her and took a shaky breath.

The day had been a disaster. She’d been sent to the principal's office for the first time in her entire life and she almost lost her ‘top student’ badge. At least she was to admit Principal Bump to count the whole ordeal as extra credit.

“Come in.” A female voice said from inside the room.

Taking one final breath to try and calm herself, Amity opened the door and entered her mother’s office. In the middle of the room, her mother was seated looking at some papers. When she heard the door open, Amity’s mother looked up at her daughter.

“Amity.” Odalia said with barely contained disappointment. “I just had a very interesting conversation with Principal Bump. He says you were sent to his office during school today. Is this true?”

Amity swallowed and clenched her fists.

Her mother already knew it was true, the question was just a ploy to make her admit to being guilty. It was one of her mother’s favorite tactics, but also one Amity had learned to counter.

“While it is true I was sent to his office, I feel my reason for being sent was justified.”

Odalia quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh? Do tell.”

Amity took a moment to formulate her response. Her outburst at lunch was embarrassing, to say the least, but she didn’t need her mother to know about it.

“A fellow student cheated during class and received the honor of ‘top student’. I was able to see through their lies and attempted to call them out, but was accused of being jealous by the teacher and was sent to the principal's office.”

Odalia stared at her for several moments before sighing and leaning back in her chair.

“Very well, I suppose I can excuse your visit this time.”

“Thank you, mother,” Amity said quickly, wanting to leave the office as soon as possible.

“Before you go, dear.” Odalia said in a saccharine tone. “Did anything else interesting happen today?”

Amity’s mind flashed to Willow’s display of magical prowess with plants but quickly dismissed the thought.

“No mother I don’t believe so.”

“Really?” Odalia asked. “Because Principal Bump mentioned that a student impressed him so much that he was willing to let them switch their track? Does that ring any bells?”

Amity felt her palms get sweaty.

“No, mother it does not. I believe that Principal Bump was exaggerating the student’s abilities.” Amity said stiffly.

Odalia looked at her with narrow eyes and pursed lips. After a moment relented and sighed.

“That’s a shame to hear. I was hoping I’d have another bright student that I could help flourish, but I suppose not.” Odalia gestured toward the door. “You are dismissed Amity.”

“Thank you, mother.” Amity said with a bow before leaving the room quickly.

Once she was outside the room, Amity took several deep breaths. She didn’t like lying to her mother, but she also didn’t want her to know about Willow’s talent with plant magic. She may not have been friends with the girl anymore, but that didn’t mean she wanted her to end up under her mother’s thumb. She knew better than anyone what her mother’s help entailed.

Amity shivered.

Nobody deserved that, especially not Willow.

Chapter Text

“Kid, I’m telling you that adding another clockwise stir will do nothing but make the potion unstable!” Eda yelled as she bent down to pick up another mushroom. “I don’t know why you’re so hung up on this.”

Percy sighed out of frustration, he’d been having this argument with the older witch the entire time they’d been ingredient hunting

“Because I know it’ll work!” Percy yelled back. “Another stir should increase the potency!”

Eda gave him a flat stare.

“How do you know?” She asked flatly, her expression hard to read. “Potions are all about innovation, but that innovation is backed up by an understanding of the ingredients and how they interact. So tell me, how do you know?”

Percy clenched his fists, crushing the mushroom in his hand. He knew he was right because the potion told him would.

Ever since he started casting spells, the information he received from the potions had gotten more advanced. Instead of just telling him what was happening, he was told how it was happening as well. It allowed him to gain an intimate understanding of how each potion he interacted with worked and showed him how to improve the potion. He had shared the suggestions for improvement with Eda but was shot down every time due to his ‘lack’ of knowledge. He wanted to tell her how he knew, but all that would do is make the already skeptical woman more suspicious of him

“I just do ok,” Percy said through gritted teeth. “Why can’t you just trust me on this?”

Eda’s expression softened as she walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Look, I get it. I love experimenting with magic more than anything, but this is different. Potions are different,” She said, her tone reminding Percy of his mother.

Percy shrugged her hand off his shoulder and looked away.

“Why can’t you be as uncaring with this as you are with everything else?” Percy mumbled quietly, missing the sad expression on Eda’s face. “Luz and I do dangerous stuff all the time and you say nothing, but when I want to stir a stupid liquid an extra time you get all uppity.”

“Potions are dangerous,” Eda replied softly after a moment. “They can be used to do wonderful things, but if they’re not handled with care, they can do terrible things. I’m not rejecting your idea because I don’t think it’ll work, I just don’t want you to jump into something you don’t understand fully and suffer the consequences,” She finished her tone melancholy.

Percy turned back to face Eda and saw her face, causing his brows to furrow slightly and make him feel ashamed. Obviously, he’d unknowingly hit a nerve with the older woman. He was mentally kicking himself for being careless. He had reasons for not doing certain things, yet he seemed to forget the same applied to other people as well.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get upset, I just want to help,” Percy said nervously.

Eda waved off his apology and gave him a gentle smile.

“You’re fine kid, don’t sweat it,” Eda said kindly. “I respect that you’re standing your ground, even if the ground you’re standing on is baseless and might blow up in our faces.”

Percy chuckled and shook his head.

“That barely made sense.”

“I’m a brewer, not a worder. Cut me some slack,” Eda replied with a shrug. “Now let's finish picking these mushrooms before they-OW!”

Eda was cut off by a water droplet hitting her arm. The drop was soon followed by hundreds more. Causing Eda to drop the mushrooms and grab Percy’s arm and run, dragging him along.

“What the heck!” Percy exclaimed indignantly. “It’s just some rain, you afraid you’re going to wicked witch it?”

“What does that even mean,” Eda shot back. “No, I’m trying to get us out of the boiling rain before it melts your flesh off.”

“What do you mean boiling?” Percy asked in confusion. “It just feels like normal rain!”

Eda looked over her shoulder with a look of slight shock before pointing at a flower ahead of them that was being destroyed by the apparently boiling rain.

“Oh, ok,” Percy said lamely in response, causing Eda to shake her head and keep running.

Percy had forgotten about the fact he was heat-resistant. He hadn’t needed it for a while, so the knowledge of one of the more minor aspects of his godly heritage had slipped to the back of his mind.

Eda eventually let go of his arm and soon the house came into sight. Crouching down in front of a wilted flower was Luz, who was wearing a look of shock and betrayal, as if the rain personally kicked her puppy.

Percy understood her confusion. While he couldn’t feel it, the idea of rain being hot enough to burn skin felt wrong.

“Boiling rain!” Eda yelled at the girl before running to her and scooping her up. “Everybody inside!”

Percy watched as the Owl Lady pulled Luz inside the house before the sound of two things crashing shot out from the front door. Picking up the pace slightly, Percy ran into the house to find Luz, King, and Eda tangled in a pile on the floor with a variety of objects strewn around them.

“What happened here?” Percy asked, his voice full of amusement.

Luz groaned from her spot in the dogpile.

“Eda bulldozed me into a pile of books,” She said weakly. “It really hurt.”

“I was getting you out of the rain,” Eda snapped back as she untangled herself from the mess of bodies. “Now that you’re safe and inside, I can set up the force field around the house, Hooty gets real annoying when his stucco is damaged.”

Luz perked up.

“Ooo, can I watch?” Luz said happily. “Maybe you can even teach me? You owe me remember.”

Percy smiled and shook his head.

When Luz found out Eda taught him magic and not her, she was justifiably upset. Luckily, her anger was not directed at him and was fully focused on Eda. Even better was that she bought his story of being a half-witch. When he’d told her, she got very excited and questioned him for a bit. He happily answered her flood questions, but her asking if his blood tasted different left him weirded out.

“Sure, whatever,” Eda said dismissively before pointing at Percy. “You’re helping me with this.”

Percy clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Why don’t you have Luz help you?” Percy said as he crossed his arms. “You promised to teach her anything you taught me.”

It’d been a few days since his lesson with Eda and yet she hadn’t upheld her end of the deal yet. He understood Eda was busy, but it was still frustrating.

Eda shook her head and waved off his argument.

“I need someone who can do magic for this.”

Percy scowled and was about to say something but was stopped by Luz walking over and putting her hand on his shoulder.

“Percy it’s ok. I’m good to just watch this time,” She said gently, a small smile on her face.

Percy looked at Luz for a moment to make sure she really meant what she said. After finding nothing but sincerity in her eyes, Percy’s shoulder’s slumped in defeat.

“Fine, I’ll help you with the spell,” Percy said with a huff before pointing an accusatory finger at Eda. “But you owe her twice as much now.”

Eda rolled her eyes at his statement.

“Oh please, don’t act like this is some burden. You love magic and want to learn it just as much as your sister does,” Eda said with a chuckle.

Percy winced slightly.

Eda was right, he did love magic. Ever since the first lesson he had found himself enamored with the endless possibilities that magic provided. It allowed him to do things he never was able to before and helped him discover parts of himself that were hidden. Magic enabled him to read clearly for the first time in years which helped him discover his love for knowledge. It also allowed him to interact with potions in a way that fascinated him to no end.

“That may be true, but you still need to keep up your end of the deal,” Percy said firmly. “Teach her a spell after we finish this force field thing.”

Eda stared at him for a moment before sighing in defeat.

“Fine, let's just get this over with.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Percy and Eda stood a dozen or so yards away from the house underneath a translucent yellow dome that was shielding them from the rain. On the porch of the house, Luz sat with King where they were watching.

“Alright kid, when doing magic, how do you get it to do what you want?” Eda asked as she manipulated a ball of white energy in her hands.

Percy tried to remember the endless amount of fantasy books Luz had ‘forced’ him to read with her.

“Uhhh, magic is guided by intent?” He said hesitantly.

Eda looked at him and snorted.

“That’s dumb,” She said with a laugh. “Why would it be controlled by intent?”

“Because that’s what all the books say,” Percy exclaimed. “When you do magic, you intend to do something, therefore magic is controlled by intent!”

Eda shook her head and gave him a weird look.

“I didn’t even know you knew the word ‘therefore’ much less know how to use it,” Eda teased gently. “But you’re not wrong, when we do magic we are trying to do something with it, but that’s not what controls it. Emotion is what controls it.”

Percy blinked in confusion.

“I don’t understand,” Percy said quietly as he did his best to wrap his head around what Eda was saying.

“Ok think of it like a bow and arrow, Eda glanced over to Percy. “Humans still use bows and arrows right?”

Percy’s mind flashed to the many children of Apollo he’d met and nodded.

“Ok, good. So the spell in the arrow, your intent is the limbs and riser of the bow, and the string is your emotions,” Eda said wisely. “Now you can point the arrow where ever you want with the limbs and riser, but without the string, your arrow isn’t going anywhere. Your intent may control the direction of the spell, but it’s your emotions that control and guide the shape and power of the spell.

Percy’s eyes widened in understanding before he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“Wait, why do you know so much about bows? They don’t seem like the thing you’d use.”

Eda laughed and shook her head in amusement.

“You’re not wrong kid, I hate them, but it’s an analogy that was drilled into my head when I was a kid,” Eda said with a grin. “Now one last thing before I show you how to actually do this spell,” Eda nodded her head to the pulsing ball of energy in her hands. “Emotions are split into two categories, ‘Constructive’ and ‘Destructive’. Any questions?”
“So ‘Constructive” spells are good and ‘Destructive’ spells are bad?” Percy asked, trying to see if anything from the books he read with Luz was accurate.

“There’s no such thing as good or bad spells, there are just spells,” Eda said. “Who put that idiotic idea in your head.”

Percy turned away and looked at his feet in slight embarrassment.

“It’s just something I read.”

Eda gave a smug smile and nodded her head.

“Sure it was. Now pay attention. This spell is powered by protective emotions, which are ‘Constructive’,” Eda said and lifted the yellow ball in her hand up toward Percy. “For this spell, you need to draw the spell circle like normal while focusing on who or what you want to protect”

Eda gave Percy a knowing look and motioned for him to try.

Percy took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began tracing a small circle in the air, silver light trailing his fingertip. While he drew the circle, he focused on memories of Luz and the experiences he shared with her, his desire to keep her safe growing stronger with every passing moment.

“Woah kid. I think you’re good,” Eda said suddenly.

Percy opened his eyes to see a bright silver orb, slightly larger than Eda’s where his spell circle used to be.

“Jeez kid, what were you thinking about? That thing is way stronger than I expected,” Eda said with a smile. “You sure you’re half human?”

Percy clenched his jaw.

While he had originally thought Eda bought his story, he was starting to question his lying skills.
Since he had told her about his past, she’d been making weird comments and asking questions that indicated she knew more than she let on. She hadn’t pushed anything and was respectful, but it still left Percy on edge.

“Positive,” Percy said with gritted teeth. “What do we do with the spell once we're done?”

Eda gave him a weird look but said nothing about his reaction.

“Well the way I do it requires a staff, so hand me what you got.”

Percy obliged and gave his finished spell to Eda who reacted as if she was shocked when she touched it.

“Titan kid, what were you thinking about when you made this?” Eda asked as she looked at the ball of magic in her hand. “It’s almost painful to hold.”

Percy looked away from Eda and began tapping his foot.

After he had learned about ‘divine’ magic, he’d asked Eda to tell him more about the Veilmire person she mentioned. They apparently used stronger elemental magic and their spells were far stronger than anyone else. It made Percy afraid that his life free from Gods and monsters was threatened and that Eda would begin to be more suspicious than she already was.

“I focused on wanting to protect my sister,” Percy said quietly.

A look of sadness briefly crossed over Eda’s face.

“Okay then,” Eda said after a moment of silence. “Let me show you how to finish the spell.”

Eda summoned her staff and put the balls of magic where Owlbert sat, after which she spun the staff around in a complicated pattern before slamming it on the ground causing a large dome to form around the pair and the house in the distance. After a moment the dome shrunk to match the shape of the house.

“And that’s how it's done,” Eda said proudly. “Any questions?”

“Yeah, what was the point of spinning your staff that much?” Percy asked.”Was it really necessary?”

Eda shot him a glare.

“Yes, it was, now let's get back to the house so we can sleep!” Eda said as she started making her way back to the house.

“Don’t you mean so you can teach Luz a spell?” Percy shot back. “You know, as you promised.”

Eda threw her head back and sighed.

“Fine! Yes, I will teach her a spell,” Eda exclaimed. “Why are you being so annoying about this?”

Percy was silent for a moment as he tried to think of a good answer.

Why was he being so pushy? Technically Luz wasn’t even related to him, but he still considered her his sister, she was the closest thing he had to a sibling at the moment.
He looked over to where she was sitting and the guilt he felt about talking her into saying began gnawing at his gut again. He’d convinced her it was her one chance to live out her dream and here he was living it instead of her.

“I didn’t have much control over my life for most of my childhood or the chance to have a dream for my future,” Percy replied slowly. “I want her to be able to do whatever it is she wants to do, and I’ll do anything and everything to help her achieve her dream of becoming a witch. So if that means I’m a little annoying or pushy, I don’t care,” Percy stopped walking and looked at Eda intently. “I know you don’t care as much, but could you at least make an effort too? She may not say anything, but Luz is very aware of your reluctance to teach her.”

Eda stopped and looked at Percy.

“Ok. I’ll try and care more,” She said softly.

Percy nodded and started walking back toward the house, but before he had the chance to go very Eda spoke up.

“Kid, say Luz does reach her goal. What are you going to do after?”

“I help her with whatever she needs then,” Percy replied quickly.

“And when she’s out of things that require your help?”

Percy’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s eventually going to have to live her own life, one that doesn’t require you to be there for her constantly,” Eda put her hand on Percy’s shoulder. “When that happens, what are you going to do?”

Percy felt his arm get slightly itchy, something that only happened when he thought too hard about unpleasant things.

He hated the feeling.

“I’ll worry about it when I get there,” Percy muttered while shrugging off Eda’s hand. “Can we just go back to the house now, Luz is waiting for her lesson.”

Percy ignored Eda and continued walking back to the house. He saw Luz’s face light up as he approached the porch, improving his mood greatly.

“Percy!” Luz exclaimed when he was close enough, abandoning King who was sitting on the steps.

King made an indignant noise before opening the door and walking inside.

“How was your lesson? Did you learn how to make the shield thingy? Did Eda teach you any forbidden magic?” Luz asked, chaining questions together with practiced ease.

Percy waited for her to stop her rapid-fire questions with a large smile. He was always impressed by how quickly interacting with her could turn his mood around.

“All done Lígo fos?” He asked with a chuckle once Luz had run out of breath.

Luz shot him a glare and weakly punched him.

“Just answer the questions,” She said pleadingly. “I want to know everything.”

“I could answer your questions, or…” Percy trailed off with a mischievous grin.

“Or what!” Luz exclaimed desperately. “Just tell me!”

“You could ask Eda yourself during your lesson with her,”

Luz’s eyes widened and her face split into a large smile.

“She’s going to teach me magic!” Luz rushed over to Percy and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Percy ruffled Luz’s hair affectionately.

“Alright kiddo, go over and talk to your teacher,” Percy said as he nodded his head in the direction of an approaching Eda, a look of contemplation on her face.

Luz looked up at him and stuck her tongue out.

“I’m only like a year younger than you.”

“Physically yes, but mentally I’m basically an old man.”

Luz gave him a weird look before shaking her head in amusement.

“You’re strange sometimes.”

“I’ve been called worse,” Percy replied with a smile. “Now enough dillydallying you whippersnapper, go learn some magic.”

Luz beamed at him one last time before running over to Eda, startling the witch from her thoughts.

Percy watched the scene with a small smile.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Percy sat on his sleeping bag in his and Luz’s shared room with a large potions book in his lap.

Eda had originally promised to clear out another room for him to use, but after seeing how often Luz would end up in Percy’s sleeping bag, she deemed it pointless. The room was somewhat cramped for two people, but they made it work.

The walls were decorated with lights that hung on the walls and a large ‘The Good Witch Azure’ poster Luz had found somewhere. Percy's contribution to the decor was minimal, resulting in nothing more than a picture of him at the closest aquarium to Gravesfield.

The rest of the space was filled with junk, or ‘human treasures’ as Eda called them, that Luz found interesting. It made the room feel small and hard to navigate.

Percy loved it.

Looking down at the book in his lap and reread the same passage for the fifth time, doing his best to commit the information to memory. He was determined to learn everything he could so Eda would let him modify potions.

In the short time he’d been learning magic, he had fallen in love with potions. His ability to see their composition definitely assisted with his fascination, but it was the endless possibilities and control that interested him the most. Just changing the way he mixed the brew or the amount of a specific ingredient, he had complete control over the effects and potency of the potion. It was a concept that was endlessly attractive to him.

“Dragon stomach mucus adds resistance to flame but nullifies the effects of any other animal-based ingredients.” Percy mumbled under his breath as he copied the information down in his notebook, wincing slightly when he felt his hand cramp.

Dropping his pen, Percy massaged the muscles between his thumb and index finger. His hunger for knowledge was greater than his tolerance for writing. He never understood how people could write for hours without stopping.

Percy looked out the window and watched the rain bounce off the magic field surrounding the house, its patchwork pattern of yellow and silver shining brightly. It was beautiful in an interesting way.

Percy sighed and closed his books and put them to the side, his motivation to study suddenly gone. He laid back on his sleeping bag and closed his eyes and let his mind wander for a moment, his thoughts landing on his impromptu magic lesson and his teacher.

He liked Eda, he really did, but sometimes she didn’t make any sense. He was confused by the point she was trying to make. When Luz became a witch, he would just keep helping her with whatever she needed, he didn’t understand why it was such a problem for her.

Percy nestled his head into his pillow with the intent to take a nap. He hadn’t adjusted to the new environment yet and still found himself waking up abruptly with his pen in hand. It had startled Luz a few times, something that was unforgivable.

Percy pushed his stray thoughts aside and focused on his breathing and eventually fell asleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Percy found himself floating in a dark void full of rocky structures.

Normally he would be delighted to be floating, but he recognized what it meant at the moment.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Percy mumbled tiredly.

Though it had been months since he’d experienced one, Percy was still very familiar with Demigod dreams.

Sighing, Percy went through the mental checklist he’d come to develop for Demigod dreams.

He could talk and move freely so he wasn’t a silent observer. Looking around he wasn’t in a place he recognized, but then again he rarely was. Weirdly, there wasn’t anyone trying to talk to him, he was alone.

“What in Hades is going on?” Percy whispered to himself as he floated toward a rock wall.

Peeking around the corner, Percy saw a large blue orb with bronze rings around it. On the surface was someone vaguely human-shaped milling around, their body wrapping around the orb like a blanket.

Percy clicked his tongue and exhaled. He was stuck in a place with no visible exit and the only other living this was some two-dimensional person on an orb. He didn’t have a lot of options, so he took the only one he could think of.
“WHAT UP FLAT BOY!” Percy yelled as he came out from behind the rock wall.

Immediately the person whipped around to look at him, an expression of anger coming across their face.

“Who are you? What are you do-” The figure stopped and narrowed its eyes. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

Percy was caught off guard by how young to figure sounded and by how blunt their tone was. There was something else, a feeling of power Percy hadn’t felt since he was twelve. It put him on edge.

“Yeah. I just woke up here, I didn’t choose to be here,” Percy said nervously.

If this thing was anything like what was in The Pit, he didn’t want to upset it.

“People dream of this place often, it's annoying, but you’re different,” The figure said, their voice full of suspicion. “You’re fro-”

The figure was cut off by a much louder voice.

“That's enough of that Collector,” Percy heard the voice in his head and around him at the same time. “Why don’t you mope somewhere else.”

“No no no! Don’t do thi-” The now named Collector screamed out before his floating ball folded in on itself and popped out of existence.

Percy watched the scene in horror. The Collector was already scary, but whatever this voice was made the Collector look like a joke. Percy instinctively reached for his pen but found nothing there.

“Now that they’re dealt with, time to handle you,” The voice said menacingly.

Percy started shaking. He’d fought Gods and Titans, but none of them made him as afraid as the voice did.

The space in front of Percy began to twist and fold before a person appeared out of nowhere causing all of the fear coursing through his body to vanish in an instant.

The figure was about the size of a child. They had on a large pink hoodie that went down to their knees and sleeves far longer than their arms. They had cat ear headphones sitting on top of their short dark purple hair. Finally, they had eyes like the night sky that popped against their light brown skin.

“I must say I’m surprised to see you here so early Perseus,” They said mischievously, their voice sounding like a child. “Then again you never were one for the rules.”

Percy stood there shocked, unable to deal with the mental whiplash he was experiencing. After a moment he was able to regain his senses.

“Who are you?” Percyasked tentatively.

The figure shook its head and laughed.

“Who I am is unimportant. What is important though, is what you’ve been up to,” The figure replied happily. “But first, let's move somewhere more comfortable.”

The figure snapped their fingers and suddenly Percy found himself in a room straight out of every nerd’s dreams,

On one side of the room was the largest TV Percy had ever seen. Beneath it were thousands of consoles, only a few Percy recognized. On the other side of the room was a large window that took up the entire wall. Outside the window was an unimaginable amount of small circular lights collecting in the form of a giant tree with branches that stretched beyond view. The other walls of the room were littered with posters from every form of media, one even advertising the Big Bang.

“What is this place?” Percy asked in wonder, his fear momentarily forgotten.

“We’re not here to talk about that, we’re here to talk about you,” The figure said as two chairs appeared. “Take a seat.”

Percy sat down in the chair to find it surprisingly comfortable.

“First things first, I love that you took the ‘found family’ route. Camila and Luz are just such sweethearts,” The figure said giddily. “Though you’re still missing a father and brother, I doubt that’ll be a problem.”

“Found fa- What are you talking about.”

“Potions is an interesting choice but it seems to work for you,” The figure continued, completely ignoring Percy. “And finally you’re already making ripples, so good job on that. Any questions?”

“Yeah, what are you saying?” Percy asked desperately. “You’re not making any sense.”

The figure just smiled at him.

“I’m making perfect sense, you’re just too early to understand.”
The figure looked at their sleeve-covered wrist as if they were checking a watch.

“It’s about time you wake up now, and don’t worry, we won’t be seeing each other for a while.”

“You can’t just pull me here and give me no answers,” Percy protested. “What is going on?”`

“Unimportant,” The figure replied smugly. “I’ll be watching you.”

Before Percy could respond, the figure snapped their fingers and everything faded to black.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Percy shot up in his sleeping soaked in sweat and breathing rapidly. His eyes darted around the room, looking to see if the entity he just met was still there. After confirming he was alone, Percy took a shaky breath and gripped his hair.

“Idiot,” He whispered under his breath.

He thought he’d been safe, he thought he was finally free. He’d deluded himself into thinking because they didn’t come after him, they weren’t there. They were going to come after him and put Luz in danger.

Realizing he was starting to spiral Percy started taking deep breaths and counting down from ten. Once he felt himself calm down, he tried to think through what just happened.

The first being he talked to was one he didn’t recognize. He’d been lectured extensively about all the gods, goddesses, and any other deities by Chiron and Annabeth so he’d recognize someone as powerful as they were. They seemed to be trapped or at least confined which eased Percy’s nerves slightly.

It was the second entity, however, that made Percy nervous. He decided not to tell the Nocedas his full name, meaning the only way for the entity to know it was if they knew about his past. Even worse was the fact that the strange figure seemed to watch his life as if it were a show, something purely for entertainment. Percy was used to being watched, the god did it all the time, but for someone to admit it so brazenly made him feel uncomfortable

At the same time though, the fact they were so invested in his life meant they probably wouldn’t interfere too much. It granted him relative safety, at least as long as he kept his life interesting.

Having successfully talked himself off the ledge, Percy let out a sigh of relief. Taking the opportunity to stretch, he looked around the room, allowing him to notice something he’d been too panicked to notice when he first woke up.

The lights were off.

By itself, the darkness of the room was nothing to worry about. It happened whenever everyone in the house went to sleep at night. No, what was worrying was all the other things Percy noticed in addition.

The first was that Luz wasn’t in the room. If it was night time she would either be in his sleeping bag or at least attempting to sleep on her own, yet she was nowhere to be found.

Second, the door was closed. Whenever He and Luz had settled down for the night they always made sure to leave the door open a bit in case King wanted to sleep at the foot of their sleeping bag,

The final thing was the silence. Even after everyone had gone to bed, the house was always making noise. Whether it be the random sounds Hooty would make or the breathing of the walls, the house was never quiet. But now, it was silent, as if it knew something was wrong.

Percy stood up out of his sleeping bag and grabbed his pen. He held it for a moment before flicking the cap off for the first time since the prison incident. Then he’d been barely able to explain its existence, now he had no explanation, but he had the sinking feeling he’d need it.

Using the faint glow of his sword, Percy made his out of the room and into the hall carefully, making sure to check behind him every few seconds.

Eventually, Percy found Eda’s room with its door open. Peaking inside Percy was shocked to find the room trashed. Eda’s weird nest was a mess and the window was shattered. Stepping into the room fully, Percy went over to investigate the window and found shards of glass all over the floor.

“Someone broke in,” Percy muttered under his breath, his grip on Riptide tightening.

Brewing potions with Eda gave Percy a unique opportunity to talk to the witch. They’d sped through the usual small talk questions and went straight to more personal conversations. Percy found they had a lot in common and through their talks, he learned about Eda’s history with the Emperor’s Coven. She’d talked about their non-stop pestering and attempts to capture her. Percy figured the broken window was a sign of their most recent attempt.

“Fun,” Percy grumbled sarcastically. “This’ll be annoying to deal with.”

He was too worried about Eda. She was capable of defending herself and based on his limited interaction with them, the Emperor’s Coven witches weren’t much of a threat. Still, the fact remained they broke into the house while it was raining boiling water.

After poking the broken glass with his sword for a moment, Percy walked back toward the hall, noticing the destroyed pillows in Eda's nest and he passed.

‘Seems like she put up a fight,’ He thought idly.

Stepping out of the room, Percy continued down the hall looking for anything that appeared to be weirder than normal. Nothing stood out until he came across a wooden door with large gouge marks around the handle and hinges. Looking closer at the marks, he saw metal reflecting the little light his sword gave off.

“Someone really wanted to get in here,” Percy mumbled as he tried the handle, unsuprisely finding it locked.

Percy frowned. In his first few days in the house, he explored every hallway to get an idea of the general layout. From his exploration, he discovered all the doors were made of some sort of wood and flimsy. This door was neither wood nor flimsy, meaning it was hiding something.

Momentarily forgetting about the intruder, Percy drew a small spell circle, summoned water, and pushed it into the lock. Once the water spread to every crevice of the lock, he commanded the water to rotate, acting like a key and unlocking the door.

“Thank you Stolls.” He muttered

Upon entering the dark room, Percy was hit by a sudden feeling of wrongness. Casting a small light spell, Percy quickly found the source of the feeling.

Along the walls of the room were ceiling-high shelves packed with bottles. The bottles were full of orange liquid of various shades. Spreading his senses, Percy discovered they all contained the same ingredients, just in different amounts.

On the floor was a box overflowing with papers covered in disorganized writing. Walking over, Percy picked up a stack and started flipping through them.

The first dozen or so pages were covered in what Percy recognized as Eda’s neat handwriting. Each page seemed to be a failed attempt to modify a potion Percy didn’t recognize as most of the ingredients were foreign to him. After a while, the writing on the pages became more organized and easy to follow, additionally, a different person’s handwriting started appearing.
The new person started with small notes and edits to Eda’s work, but over time started having pages of their own.

Eventually, Percy flipped through all the pages in the stack he picked up and he was left with several questions.

Why did Eda spend so much time trying to modify a single potion? She wouldn’t have tried seemingly hundreds of times if she didn’t have a good reason to do so. Also, who was the other person she’d been working with and why hadn't she mentioned her?
‘I can worry about this later,’ Percy thought as he set the stack of papers down and made his way to the door.

As he started the pass through the doorframe, something caught his eye. It was a folded sheet of paper sandwiched between the shelf and the wall. Pulling it out quickly and unfolding it Percy found it was another page of potion modifications, only this time the notes on the page were much more optimistic.

Percy folded the page back up and stuck it in his pocket, deciding to bring it to Eda after she freed herself from custody. He stepped back out into the hall and continued his journey down it. He peeked into a few more rooms, none catching his interest before finding himself at a crossroads.

“I could either go downstairs or continue down another long and boring hallway,” Percy mumbled to himself. “Both choices are equall-”

Percy was interrupted by a deep growl coming from behind him, causing him to whip around and raise his blade.

In front of him was a large grey monster with wings. It had a light grey mane running down its back and white legs. Its appearance seemed standard for a monster, but what threw Percy off was that its face was fairly humanoid and vaguely familiar.

Before Percy had a chance to ponder the familiarity, the monster lunged at him, forcing him to step back and dodge the strike. He continued to avoid hits until he saw an opening and took the opportunity to swing his sword up.

It was at this moment, however, he realized he messed up.

Instead of hitting the monster like Percy had expected, his sword passed right through allowing the beast to strike him and send him down the hall.

Percy groaned in pain as his back slammed into a door, one of the hinges digging into his lower back. Standing up he instinctively raised his sword again before a look of horror crossed his face.

His sword passed through the monster, which meant that the monster was mortal. Its face came to the front of his mind as did its mane that looked like hair.

“Oh my gods the monster is Eda,” Percy said in a panicked whisper before his face turned to one of horror. “I have to find Luz!”

In the excitement of waking up from his dream and exploring the house, Percy had mostly forgotten about Luz. It wasn’t a pleasant realization and it left him feeling empty and angry at himself. He needed to find and protect her.

He couldn’t hurt the ‘beast’ without hurting Eda which meant the only thing he could do was run. Unfortunately, the only what he could go was the way he just came.

Dropping his sword, Percy sprinted at ‘Eda’ and when he was close enough, he dropped to the floor and slid under her. Getting up as fast as he could, Percy bolted down the stairs and took a hard left through the living room and into another area of the house. Down the hall, a door suddenly opened and Luz popped out.

Increasing his speed, Percy ran up and pushed Luz back into the room, closing the door behind him. Taking a quick look at the room, Percy saw that King was also present and that he and Luz were covered in an odd assortment of items.

“Percy, what are you doing?” Luz exclaimed indignantly pulling herself away from Percy.

“I’m protecting you from the monster out there!” Percy responded, neglecting to mention the monster was Eda.

He knew how much Luz looked up to Eda, and he didn’t want her to fear her.

“You mean Eda?” King chimed in.

Percy was stunned for a moment.

“You know it’s Eda?” Percy asked in confusion. “How?”

Luz looked at the ground guiltily.

“King told me that Eda drinks a potion every morning and how she always perks up afterward. We figured it was what gave her a magic boost and that if I drank it, I could do magic.” Luz looked at Percy with wide eyes. “It wasn’t till after we took the potion and got chased a bit that we realized that the monster was Eda and the potion keeps her from turning into it.”

Percy was silent for a moment.

“So she knew, she’d turn into this if she didn’t take her potion and neglected to tell us?” Percy asked, slight anger lacing his voice.

“It seems that way, but we have to focus on saving her right now,” King said suddenly, his tone surprisingly serious. “We figured out she’s weak to bright light and we made a plan.”

Luz perked up.

“And I figured out how to cast the light spell!” She exclaimed happily. “It's the main part of our plan.’

Momentarily forgetting his anger, Percy gave Luz a big smile.

“That’s awesome lígo fos! You can tell me all about it later,” Percy said cheerfully, pulling Luz in for a quick hug. “And before you tell me your plan, know that if it goes bad I will be taking over.”

He wanted to keep Luz safe, but he always wanted to see her grow, and it seemed she found a way to grow.

“Alright so here’s the deats.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

The last twenty minutes had been rough for Eda Clawthorne.

Waking up with a straw in her mouth had been a weird experience, and discovering she had turned into her beast form and chased the kids around had been unpleasant. However, finding out her pupil taught herself a way to do magic was a pleasant surprise. She’d always known that there were other ways to do magic, she just never expected one of them to be discovered by a human.

After she talked about her curse and let the kids know she was going to be more proactive about treating it in the future, King and Luz left the room, leaving her alone with Percy.

“Before you say anything, I have something I need to say,” Percy said as soon as the two were alone. “ First, I can’t believe you didn’t say anything about your curse. That should have been the first thing you mention.”

Eda nodded solemnly.

“You’re right, I should have.” She replied sadly. “I’ve just gotten so used to keeping it a secret, that it didn’t even cross my mind to tell you guys. I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Percy said after a moment. “You’re lucky Luz is so excited by her light spell that she probably won’t even think about how traumatizing this experience could be for her.”

“I know.”

“One more thing,” Percy said as Eda watched him pull a piece of paper out of his pocket, her heart rate increasing when to realized what it was. “Were these modifications for the ‘Anti-Curse’ potion?”

Eda snatched the paper out of his hand, her stomach sinking when she saw which one it was.

“This was behind a locked door, how did you get it?” Eda asked, her voice tinged with anger.

“I picked the lock,” Percy said casually “It seemed like you wanted in too based on the scratches on the door.”

Eda swallowed and stared at the page in her hands, her eyes running over the words over and over.

“This was for the potion, we were trying to find a way to cure it permanently.”

“Did you ever succeed?” Percy asked gently.

Eda shook her head.

“Why’d you stop?”

Eda looked at him and gave a watery smile.

“That’s enough secrets for today, why don't you go celebrate with your sister.”

Percy nodded and left the room without saying another word.

Once she heard the door click, Eda let out a shaky sigh. She set the page down next to her and laid her head back, exhausted from the day.

In no time at all she fell asleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Eda found herself standing in an empty expanse. The ground was made up of a black liquid and in front of her were two doors. One of them was a standard brown door with a gold handle, the other was identical to the one on her potion’s lab.

“Oh I know how this works, I’m not opening you,” Eda said angrily as the pointed at the lab door.

She reached for the handle on the wooden door, only for it to sink into the black liquid.

“No no no no no no!” Eda screamed into the void. “I hate this memory, I refuse to watch it.”
The door opened and Eda turned her back to it. From inside she heard two voices.

“C’mon Eda it won't be so bad.” A happy female voice said.

“I know, but I’m still nervous to try Irene,” A young Eda said. “This is what attempt, One hundred and seventeen?”

“One hundred and eighteen,” Irene said playfully. “If it’ll make you feel better I’ll even add the ingredients for you.”

“I hate this part, please make it stop,” Eda said desperately as she choked back a sob. “Make it stop.”

“Go ahead, be my guest,” Young Eda replied. “Here’s the Moon sap. Remember one drop at a time.”

“Thank you very much,” Irene said, her smile clear in her voice. “And I know what I’m doing. It’s as simple as one drop, two drops, the-”

Irene was cut off by the sound of a large explosion.

The door shut, and Young Eda’s horrified screams were the last sound to escape.

Eda fell to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Chapter Text

Eda liked to believe she was a mildly decent person.

While she had broken almost every law written and even had some laws written because of her, there were some lines even she wouldn’t cross. One of those lines being to not physically hurt children.

She would gladly laugh at them and steal from them, but she would never intentionally physically harm a child. It was a simple rule Eda had followed her entire life.

It was also a rule she was about the break if she had to listen to Luz read from her book for another minute.

“Hear me Hecatate, your actions will not stand!” Luz read dramatically, her hand gesturing randomly. “I shall defeat you!”

Eda threw her head back and groaned.

She, along with Luz, Percy, and King, were seated at her ‘Human Treasures’ booth. The day had been slow, allowing Luz the chance to read her book and Percy the opportunity to recline in a chair with King in his lap.

“Do you have to read that right now?” Eda asked with a whine. “The language is so flowery and offensive to witches.”

Luz paused her dramatic recreation and gave Eda an incredulous look.

“Of course I do!” Luz brought her free hand to her heart. “It’s my solemn duty to expose King to the literary masterpiece that is ‘The Good Witch Azura’.”

Eda rolled her eyes at the girl’s theatrics. She liked Luz, but her antics were too much sometimes.

“Can’t you do that on your own time?”

Percy chuckled from his seat, not even bothering the open his eyes.

“Let her be Eda, she’s just trying to share her favorite book with our resident snuggle bud,” Percy punctuated his statement grabbing King and pulling him close to his chest.

“I AM NOBODY’S SNUGGLE BUDDY!” King screeched as he struggled against Percy’s ‘attack’.

Percy let go of King and turned to look at Eda.

“Besides what does it matter, there’s nobody else here.”
Luz put her book down and perked up.

“Yeah, he’s right! There aren’t even any other stands around,” Luz looked up at Eda. “ What’s going on?”

Eda looked around to street and noticed for the first time that her stand was the only one set up.

Eda was worried. The market ran every day, only ever shutting down for holidays or disasters. There weren’t any upcoming holidays and she’d know if there was a disaster. I had to be something else.

“This is bad news,” Eda said grimly. “Something horrible is happening.”

She saw Percy bristle and reach for his pocket, but before he was able to do anything else, the voices of Luz’s friends came from around the corner.

“Luz! Percy! Something amazing is happening today!”

Eda watched as Gus and Willow ran up to the stand holding a poster. As they got closer, she was able to read the poster and internally groaned when she recognized what it was advertising.

She had mixed feelings about the two young witches Luz had befriended. On one hand, they provided Luz and to a lesser extent Percy, with social interaction from people close to their age, something they desperately needed. On the other hand, though, they were still very much caught up in the idealism of the coven system, evidenced by the reason they were visiting her stand.

“The annual ‘Covention’ is today!” Willow exclaimed cheerfully as she pointed at the poster. “It's a chance for student witches to see all the different covens before they choose one. There’s even a mystery guest this year!”

“A job fair for witches!” Luz turned to Eda with puppy eyes. “Eda, can we please go?”

“Absolutely not,” Eda snapped. “Sure it’s like a fun club for witched\s, but you’re also giving up your magical independence to be a part of a crooked system.” Eda slammed her hand on the table and glanced quickly at the kids.

Gus, Willow, and Luz all had looks of disappointment while Percy just shook his head.

“But, uh, no offense,” Eda amended quickly. “In any case, I haven’t been to one since we were girls.”

Eda realized her slip-up as soon as she said it.

She’d been debating when she wanted to Luz about her sister, several talks with Percy convinced her she should, but she was never able to find a good time.

“Who’s we?” Luz pointed an accusing finger at Eda. “You have a mysterious past! Now we gotta go.”

Eda sighed. Seems like the time was now.

“The we is me and my older sister Lilith,” Eda frowned slightly. “We had a falling out a long time ago and haven’t really talked since. If I remember correctly she’s in the Emperor’s Coven.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as the kids thought about what Eda had said. After a few moments, Percy cleared his throat getting everyone’s attention.

“How about this,” Percy said in a placating manner. “We go to the Covention so Luz can see for herself how bad covens are. Does that sound fair?

Eda took a moment to think. She didn’t want to go at all, but she also wasn’t in the mood to argue. Plus going meant she didn’t have to listen to Luz read her book anymore.

“Fine, we’ll do that,” Eda said tiredly. “Beats standing here doing nothing.”

Luz squealed happily, gave Eda a quick hug, and ran off to join her friends.

Eda watched the interaction with a wistful smile.

“You doing okay?”

Eda glanced at Percy having not noticed him walking over.

“I’m doing fine, I just, I, I wish-”

Percy placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

“I know,” Percy said quietly. “I feel the same way.”

Eda just nodded.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The convention hall was just as crowded and ugly as Eda remembered it being. People flowed in and out of the building and a constant pace, forcing her to put her cowl up in a poor attempt to hide her identity.

“Is the hood really gonna conceal your identity?” Percy asked lazily as he watched Luz struggle to stuff Eda's mass of hair into her hood.

Eda shot him a weak glare.

“Considering I’m currently on the run for not being a part of the system that's being paraded around today, I’d say it is.”

Willow walked over with a wide smile.

“Maybe this informative event will finally convince you to join a coven.”

Eda raised her hand to draw a spell circle but was stopped by a harsh glare from Percy.

She hated it when he did that.

“Whatever, let's just go inside already,” Eda said with a huff. “We’re drawing more attention to ourselves by just standing out here.”

Walking into the convention center gave Eda a feeling of nostalgia she wasn’t prepared for. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of some small event that shaped her past. It was something that wasn’t welcome at the moment. In an attempt to ignore the feeling, Eda tuned into the conversation the kids were having.

“-are the main nine covens,” Gus said as he gestured to the banners hanging from the rafters. “But there are hundreds of other ones you can join.”

As they walked down the aisle Willow listed off other covens witched could join.

“All of those sound entirely pointless,” Percy remarked after Willow mentioned the Tiny Cat coven.

“W-what?” Willow had a confused expression.

“I mean what do you do in the Tiny Cat coven? Do you just look at cats and determine if they’re tiny or not?”

Eda couldn’t help but laugh. The kid was making a good point.

“Let's move on,” Luz said, before pointing over to where a man stood surrounded by stacks of wood and bricks. “What’s that coven?”

“That’s the construction coven,” Willow said as the man threw several pallets of materials in the air. “They use power glyphs to increase their strength.”

Eda watched in amusement as a small-nose creature used one of the power glyphs to destroy stuff around the convention.

‘Yowza wowza,” Luz said in response to the destruction.

A second later her words were echoed back by an illusion that appeared behind her.

“Ah, I see you’ve been drawn in by the allure of the Illusion coven,” Gus exclaimed cheerfully as he ran over to the illusion booth. “We like to magic with a touch-” Gus disappeared and reappeared several feet to the left. “-of showmanship.”

Eda rolled her eyes at the performance. It was nothing compared to what she’d seen others do.

“Eda what’s happening,” Percy asked suddenly, confusion lacing his voice. “They’re just running around, Why is everyone getting all excited about it.”

“What are you talking about:? They’re casting illusions.” Eda replied, her eyebrows furrowing.

“I don’t see anything,” Percy said with a huff. “Am I supposed to be seeing something?”

Eda frowned, something wasn’t right. Casting a small illusion of a ball and presenting it to Percy.

“What do you see in my hand?”

Percy looked at her incredulously.

“Nothing, your hand is empty.”

Eda had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wasn’t good, but it wasn’t the time or place to do anything.

“Okay,” She lowered her hand and turned back to the kids who were still enamored with illusions. “We’ll talk later.”

Percy gave her a weird look but nodded anyway.

“Eda covens sound awesome!” Luz cried happily. “Why don’t you like them?”

Eda groaned quietly. Dealing with Percy and the chaos that surrounded him was tiring enough, Luz’s exuberance was just another level she wasn’t ready to deal with at the moment.

Turning her attention to Luz, Eda pointed to a kid who was being marked with an illusionist sigil.

“Watch closely Luz, Joining a coven seals away all your other magic, from now on that kid will only be able to cast illusions,” Eda summoned water and fire. “Because I never joined a coven, I can do all types of magic which is why I’m the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles.”

Eda dispelled her magic and started walking away, trying to avoid staying in one location for too long.

“Wait, does that mean the Tiny Cat coven can only do tiny cat magic?” Percy asked suddenly. “What in Hades even is tiny cat magic?”

“I was wondering that too actually,” Luz added.

Eda stopped walking and smiled. It was a valid question, one that wasn’t asked very often.

“Think of it like a massive tree,” Eda explained. “The Emperor’s coven is the trunk with the main nine branching out from it. From those nine is where all the other covens branch out. The Tiny Cat coven falls under the Beast Keeping coven the same way the Horoscope coven falls under the Oracle coven.”

Percy nodded in understanding before freezing suddenly and tensing up.

“There’s an Oracle coven?” He asked, his voice sounding slightly panicked. “What exactly do they do?”

Eda looked at Percy with a confused expression. She’d never seen the kid get stressed to the degree he was now.

“They just, like say vague things about the future and control weird ghost things,” Eda replied casually. “They’re more annoying than anything, Divination is a bigger scam than anything I’ve ever pulled.”

Percy looked at the ground, his index finger scratching his thumb. After a few seconds, he looked up and asked another question.

“Do they do anything related to prophecies?”

The question had a certain weight behind it as if the answer could shatter him.

“No, prophecies aren’t a thing,” Eda said slowly, her eyes focusing on Percy. “Oracles can barely predict what you’ll eat for dinner, they sure as can’t lock anything down definitively.”

The relief that came across Percy's face was one Eda would never forget. For a moment he looked more relaxed than Eda had ever felt.

“What was all that about?” Luz asked, reminding the older witch of her presence.

Percy chuckled, walked over to Luz, and pulled her into a side hug.

“Nothing you need to worry about lígo fos,” He said with a smile.

Luz stayed in the embrace for a few seconds before shaking Percy off and turning back to her friends.

“Let’s keep going, there’s so much still to see!”

“We can go check out the Emperor’s coven panel,” Gus suggested. “I bet I can get them to sign my forehead!”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Eda said with a large smile. “You guys go do that while I don’t.”

“Actually Eda I’d like to explore a bit more,” Percy replied. “ Why don’t you go in with them, it’ll be easier for you to expose their lies if you know what they’re saying. Plus it’s easier to hide in a dark room.”

Eda groaned. The kid had a point, she just didn’t want to admit it.

“Fine,” She conceded with a pout. “But you better not get into any trouble.”

Percy gave her a mischievous grin.

“No promises.”

“Fair,” Eda said with a shrug. “Now get out of here before I change my mind.”

Percy gave her a thumbs-up before disappearing into the crowd.

“Alright children, prepare to be disappointed.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Lilith sat at the mirror in her changing room brushing her hair. It was an activity Lilith had come to enjoy immensely. It was mundane and overall unnecessary, spells to maintain hair existed and were common, but she found the action soothing. Inspecting her appearance, she discovered her roots were beginning to return to their natural dark orange color.

“I should be fine for at least another few days,” She muttered to herself as she worked a particularly persistent knot out of her hair. “I’ll have to get more dye though.”

After working diligently for a few more minutes, Lilith set her brush down and looked around the room.

It was small, but still larger than her sleeping quarters at the barracks. There was a simple vanity and a few decorations on the walls. It was nothing special, but better than she had initially been expecting.

Eventually, Lilith’s eyes settled on her bird-shaped coven mask, reminding her of the performance she had to put on soon.

The mask was a garish and unnecessary thing that Lilith hated wearing, but, in a way, it was perfectly representative of her position within the Emperor’s Coven.

When she first joined as a scout, Lilith found some joy in being able to explore the world. Sure she was tasked with menial labor and forced to stand around for long hours, but she was still at least experiencing and learning new things.

“I almost miss it,” Lilith whispered wistfully as she gripped the mask, her hands shaking.

As she moved up the ranks she explored less and less and spent more time in coven buildings managing scouts and filling out paperwork. When she finally reached the coveted rank of Coven Head, Lilith hoped she’d finally be able to do something interesting again, only to be met with the harsh truth.

She had no true purpose.

Despite how powerful she seemed to a normal citizen, she had no real influence or power. All important coven matters were handled by the Emperor himself, leaving her to run errands for him. Her personal students were the smartest witches on the Boiling Isles, leaving with very little to teach them. She was the face of recruitment, forcing her to put on ridiculous performances in every town.

She hated all of it.

Turning suddenly, Lilith hurled the mask at the nearest wall, off of which it bounced harmlessly, perfectly intact.

The most egregious thing in her eyes, however, was the fact she had yet to find a way to cure her sister.

For decades she’d held on to hope that once she reached the top, she would miraculously find a way to save her sister and rid herself of guilt. Yet she didn’t find the answer or salvation she desperately needed, only the promise that if she got her sister to join a coven, the Emperor would heal her.

“Truly a simple task,” Lilith grumbled sarcastically.

Her sister, despite her best efforts, refused to join a coven. No matter how often she explained that it would help her, Eda stubbornly refused, prolonging Lilith’s suffering. It made her resent her sister, a feeling she ultimately knew was unfair.

Looking over at the mask once more, Lilith was disgusted by the hollowness of the eyes and the way they seemed to taunt her, reminding her that she was worthless.

“Ms. Lilith,” A voice called from outside the room. “You’re on in two minutes.”

“Thank you,” Lilith replied quickly before walking over and picking up the mask.

She despised the thing and everything it stood for, but at the end of the day, it was necessary.

Taking a deep breath, Lilith put the thing on and pushed away all of her errant thoughts.

It was showtime.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Boscha hated the Covention.

Every year her mother forced her to attend the stupid event for her to socialize and get close to anyone with influence, and every year she did the same thing. She’d arrive, talk to a few people, hang out for a few hours, and go home and tell her mother it was a waste of time. It was a small act of rebellion, but one Boscha reveled in.

This year was no different. She’d already conversed with enough people to tell a believable lie and was now hanging by the Suspicious Plant coven. She leaned against one of the booth’s posts flipping through a grudgby magazine mindlessly.

Boscha sighed and shut the magazine, having read all of the interesting articles, and took some time to look around the convention center. She watched the people milling around with slight interest, briefly analyzing anyone that caught her attention before moving on.

To Boscha, people-watching was a useful pastime. She’d long grown out of being amazed by every demon that crossed her path, but she found that watching how people interacted with the world around them allowed her to better understand what decisions they might make. It was a skill that allowed her to dominate the field in grudgby matches and remain at the top of the food chain.

As she observed the attendants of the convention, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head slightly and she felt her stomach drop.

It was a person, one that was terrifyingly familiar. One Boscha hoped she’d never see again.

“Calm down. Plenty of people are tall and have shaggy black hair,” She whispered to herself unconvincingly.

Boscha continued to watch the person, hoping they’d turn around so she could see it wasn’t who she thought it was.

Finally, the person turned around, revealing his face and confirming Boscha’s worst fears.

It was him.

It was the boy who managed to flip her worldview on its head with just a few words. The boy that had occupied her every waking thought up until a few days ago and still lurked in the recesses of her mind. The boy she loathed and wanted to see again in the same thought.

She stared at him, trying to comprehend the fact he was there as countless questions swirled around her head.

“You’re that bench girl right?” Someone said suddenly, snapping Boscha out of her thoughts.

Turning to see who spoke, Boscha’s blood ran cold.

Somehow the boy had made his way over to her without her noticing.

She felt sick.

The boy looked at her for a moment before a look of recognition came across his face.

“It is you! I remember your three eyes,” the boy’s expression fell slightly. “I never got the chance to ask if you were okay, you ran off.”

Boscha wanted to deny it, tell him he was crazy, and leave her presence, but she knew it wouldn’t work, and she wanted answers.

Realizing she’d been looking at him for too long without speaking, Boscha said the first thing that came to mind.

“Why were you different?”

Her question came out far more desperate than she intended.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” He responded, his brows furrowed. “That question barely makes sense.”

Boscha growled in frustration.

She’d made peace with the fact that he was more genuine than any of her ‘friends’, but she still needed a reason as to why. She had been able to convince herself it was just a way to gain something from her, but seeing him again left her unsure.

“When I had my-” she hated admitting weakness, but she needed answers. “My meltdown, you seemed so genuine,” Boscha’s voice quivered. “Why? You didn’t know who I was, what did you have to gain!?”

The boy stared at her for a second before he snorted and started laughing.

Boscha’s eyes widen dramatically. Of all the ways she expected him to react, laughing was not one of them.

“Stop laughing!” She demanded before noticing that people were watching them. “You’re making a scene!”

“Ok ok, I’ll stop,” The boy said breathlessly as he attempted to stifle his laughter.

After a moment the boy finally stopped and looked at her, a large smile still on his face.

“Wow, I really needed that, thank you.”

Boscha glared at him.

“You’re not welcome,” She snapped. “What was so funny about my question?”

The boy gave her a weird look.

“Oh! You were being serious,” He said as he rubbed the back of his head. “Do you seriously think I was being ‘so genuine’ because I wanted something from you?” He gestured toward her with his hand. “I don’t even know who you are for gods sake!”

Not being known was a mistake Boscha was always happy to fix, especially if it meant she’d gain something. However, the boy not knowing who she was felt more like an insult rather than just ignorance.

“My name is Boscha Rose, My family owns a very large and successful potions business,” She said smugly. “We’re the number one supplier in Bonesborough, Latissa, and Wristberg.”

Boscha glanced over to the boy to see his reaction only to be shocked by the pure joy on his face.

“Your family owns a potions business! That is awesome!” He said gleefully, before launching into a storm of questions, his hands gesturing wildly.n “Do you guys experiment a lot? What kind of ingredients do you guys have access to? How many customers do you have? What is the most…..”

The boy continued to ask questions at a rapid pace, annoying Boscha greatly.

“Stop it !” She exclaimed suddenly, once again drawing the eyes of strangers onto the pair.

The boy froze and stared at her, his hands falling to his sides.

“Sorry ‘bout that, I’ve never done that before,” He said bashfully. “Probably spending too much time around Luz.”

Boscha’s impatience had reached a boiling point. Everything about the boy confused and infuriated her.

“Just shut up!” She snapped. “Answer my question already! Why did you try to comfort me?” She pointed at him accusingly. “You don’t know me, you want nothing from me, and you don’t fear me. So why were you being so nice!?”

Boscha knew she sounded crazy, but she didn’t care. The single interaction they had on the bench shook the foundation of all her beliefs.

The boy stared at her with his mouth hanging open in shock. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally saying something.

“Because I felt sorry for you,” He said gently, his eyes conveying how genuine he was being.

It was that look again.

The look that had ruined her life.

“DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!” Boscha shouted.
“Like what?”

“LIKE YOU CARE!” She yelled angrily. “LIKE YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I’VE GONE THROUGH! LIKE YOU-” Boscha’s voice cracked as her eyes started to water. “Like you understand.”

Boscha stood looking at the boy as she took shaky breaths. She recognized that she was crying again, but she didn’t care, she needed to hear the boy’s response.

“I do understand,” He said quietly after a moment.

“How?” Boscha asked weakly.

“I-”

The boy suddenly stopped talking and looked over his shoulder

Turning to see what he was looking at, Boscha saw a girl with light brown skin and brown hair pointing at Amity.

“I challenge you to a witch’s duel!” The girl declared loudly, causing some onlookers to whisper amongst themselves.

The boy whispered something that sounded like a curse before turning back to look at her.

“Look I’m sorry but I gotta go,” The boy said quickly. “It was certainly, uh, interesting running into you again. Have a good day.”

Before Boscha had a chance to say anything, the boy ran off to wear the short-haired girl was standing.

Though she looked like a mess, Boscha, just like the last time they interacted, felt lighter and calmer than she had in weeks.

She also, once again, did not get the boy’s name.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dealing with children was one of Lilith’s least favorite things to do. The way they clung to her and refused to let go bothered her greatly. Unfortunately for her, dealing with children was part of her role as Coven Head. She had to give the impression of a benevolent mentor to the ignorant.

It was exhausting.
Sighing, Lilith grabbed the piece of paper a young witch offered her and signed it. As she did, Lilith noticed someone out of the corner of her eye.

“Sister?” She asked out loud.

The person turned their head suddenly, confirming their Identity as her sister Eda.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you last,” Lilith said with a smile as she walked over to Eda, her posse of kids following. “What are you wearing? You look like a trash collector. Oh right, you are.”

Lilith knew her words were cruel and unnecessary, but her sister caused her enough grief that she felt they were warranted

“Oh Lily, I just had to see the leader of the Emperor’s Coven in action,” Eda replied happily before crouching down to talk to the kids. “When Lilith was little she got so excited to see the Emperor’s coven, she peed a little.”

Lilith felt her cheeks heat up as the kids around her started to giggle.

“That’s all for today,” Lilith dismissed the kids quickly before whipping around toward her sister. “You shouldn’t even be here! You’re a wanted criminal!”

Her sister’s stubborn refusal to use anything resembling common sense was endlessly frustrating to Lilith. Putting herself in a place crawling with coven guards was a surefire way for her sister to get captured. There was only one reason Lilith could think of for her sister to endanger herself.

“Unless,” Lilith grabbed Eda’s hands suddenly, a large smile on her face. “You’re here to join the Emperor’s Coven!”

Lilith couldn’t believe it. Her suffering was finally over. She’d finally be able to live her life without her crippling guilt breathing down her neck.

Eda gazed at her for a moment before beginning to chuckle.

“In your dreams,” She managed to say as she laughed.

Lilith’s face twisted into a scowl.

“You think being coven-less makes you so much smarter than everyone else,” Lilith snapped. “But while you run from the law like a degenerate, I’m mentoring the next generation of witch students.”

Eda glared at her.

“Well, Lily, I have students as well,” Eda replied hotly. “And I bet either of them could wipe the floor with any of your stuck-up brats.”

Lilith scoffed and walked right up to Eda’s face.

“Is that a challenge?”

Eda got closer and poked her chest.

“It’s a promise.”

“Eda,” A voice shouted suddenly. “Luz challenged some girl to a duel and I doubt she’ll win.”

Lilith turned to the source of the voice to find a young boy with black hair and bright bright green eyes.

The boy made his way over to them, doing his best to weave through the crowd while still moving fast. When he reached them he paused and looked back and forth between her and Eda for a moment before a look of realization came across his face.

“You’re Eda’s sister, aren’t you?” He said as he stuck his hand out. “I’m Percy, nice to meet you.”

Lilith was stunned, she wasn’t expecting anyone associated with Eda to be polite.

“Lilith,” She said quickly as she shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

Lilith was surprised by the roughness of the boy’s hand and the tightness of his grip.

“How do you know Eda if you don’t mind me asking?” She asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“She took me and my sister in when we didn’t have anywhere to go,” Percy replied with a smile. “She’s been looking after us and teaching as magic for a few weeks.”

Lilith was surprised to find out that. Taking in kids was something she considered too selfless for her sister.

“Eda, that’s surprisingly, benevolent of you.”

Eda turned her head and huffed in annoyance.

“Yeah yeah,” She said dismissively. “Kid, where is Luz anyway?”
“Was right behind me, I don’t-”

Percy was cut off by Luz appearing beside him.

“Eda I need your help!” The girl cried desperately. “I accidentally challenged Amity to a witch's duel and I think she’d going to kill me!”

The girl collapsed to her knees with a whimper.

“Isn’t she that girl that tried to dissect you?” Percy asked as he bent down to help Luz up.

Lilith smiled.

“It seems both your students have met my strangest protege,” She said smugly.

Looking at the kids again, Lilith noticed something she missed the first time.

“Look at those ears. Are they human? Where did you even find them?”

Lilith reached her hand out to poke Luz’s ears, only to be stopped by Percy glaring at her and stepping in front of Luz.

Lilith recoiled slightly but said nothing.

Standing up straight, Lilith drew a spell circle in the air causing all of Eda’s wanted posters to disintegrate.

“Okay, Edalyn, for today you won’t have to hide,” She said condescendingly while she turned to walk away. “I want to see how good of a teacher you really are.”

Before she was able to get far Percy called after her.

“What are the rules for the duel?”

“We’ll use standard rules just so your sister has a fighting chance,” Lilith replied without looking back. “Eda should be able to explain them.”

As she walked away, Lilith smiled

She would enjoy winning.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright kid, we’ve got about thirty minutes to prepare for the duel so let's get to it,” Eda said to a nervous Luz.

Eda, Luz, and Percy were preparing for the fight in a dimly lit hallway near the arena entrance.

“I come at you with a fireball, How do you respond?” Eda asked as she lunged toward Luz.

In response to the question, Luz pulled on her drawstrings and curled up into a ball on the ground.

Eda grimaced.

“That’s right, I haven’t taught you any useful spells have I?”

Luz shook her head with a small smile.

“You haven’t taught her much of anything really,” Percy said from his position on the wall.

“I’ve been trying, normal magic doesn’t work for her,” Eda replied tiredly.

After relentless nagging from Percy, Eda finally started teaching Luz the basics of magic. Unfortunately, her lack of bile sack made it impossible for her to learn anything beyond theory. Using her staff had produced some results, though not consistent enough to be used reliably.

“Maybe she could borrow Olwbert, so she at least has some chance,” Percy suggested.

Eda shook her head.

“Even if she could use it perfectly she couldn’t for the duel,” She said with a sigh. “Standard rules only allow for the use of spell circles.”

Percy frowned but said nothing else.

“At least you didn’t make an everlasting oath to quit magic right?” Eda asked suddenly.

“Is there a glowing hand thing?”

Wincing, Eda nodded. Her student was truly screwed.

“Eda, what are the rules of a duel?” Percy asked, his expression serious.

“Basic stuff really. No staffs, not enhancement glyphs, no outside help,” Eda listed on her fingers. “I think that's it.”

“Is substitution allowed?”

“Yes actually it is, as long as the substitute agrees to accept the term for themselves,” Eda replied, her eyes widened slightly. “Wait are you-”

“Percy no!” Luz cut Eda off as she jumped to her feet. “I challenged her, I should be the one to face her!”

“I don’t care about magic as much as you do,” Percy exclaimed passionately. “This way if I lose you can still learn magic.”

Eda held back a scoff.

She knew he was lying through his teeth. She’d seen the pure joy on his face when he figured something out for the first time. Learning magic was the only time Eda had seen him focus for more than a few minutes.

“Percy, it’s not fair for you to pay for my mistake,” Luz pleaded softly.

“I need to keep you safe,” Percy replied gently. “I can’t stand to see you hurt.”

Eda turned away from the two, wanting to give them some privacy and to try and quell the jealousy that was building.

“Okay,” Percy said after a moment. “How do we do this?”

Eda smirked.

“I have some ideas.”

“No cheating.” Percy gave her a steely look. “We’re doing this the right way.”

Eda clicked her tongue in annoyance. Percy’s stubbornness was admirable most of the time, but not at the moment.

“I didn’t even tell you what I had planned yet.”

“I don’t care.”

“Fine, we won’t cheat,” Eda groaned. “Now get over here so I can teach you some last-minute spells.”

Percy gave her a smile, that she could only describe as feral.

“Don’t smile like that, you look scary,” Luz chastised, flicking Percy on the arm.

“Ow.”

“That didn’t hurt, you baby,” Luz said plainly.

Eda shook her head with a chuckle.

She was really starting to like these kids.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Amity tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the duel to start.

She stood on a platform with her teacher, who had taken a sudden interest in the duel only about forty minutes prior.

Her help was appreciated, but it still confused Amity. Up until now, the only interaction she’d had with her teacher was weekly progress checks and the occasional extra assignment. She wasn’t going to complain though.

“Amity are you ready for the duel?” Lilith asked calmly.

“I believe so, I doubt the human girl will be much trouble, if any,” Amity replied honestly.

She didn’t like Luz. She’d made her look bad at school and gotten her in trouble with her mother. She was able to get Principal Bump to disregard the incident, but it still soured his opinion of her. She was happy to have the chance to redeem herself in the eyes of her mother and principal.

“I'm glad you’re confident, show them that you’re the best.”

As she spoke, Lilith put her hand on Amity’s neck before sliding it down to her shoulder and squeezing it slightly.

It was odd. The action felt supportive and Amity enjoyed it more than she cared to admit, but it was something she wasn’t used to. Her parents weren’t typically affectionate. Her siblings often hugged her, but it usually meant they wanted something.

Amity nodded determinedly.

“I will.”

Looking to the entrance of the arena Amity watched as three people entered. One was the ‘Luz’ girl she was about to duel, another was a tall witch with grey hair and a red dress. It was the final person, however, that caught her interest. It was the boy Boscha had been complaining about.

As she observed him, Amity found herself unimpressed. Nothing about his appearance indicated he was worth any attention. The way Boscha spoke of him made him seem like an upstart who didn’t know his place, yet from where she was standing, he looked like a normal kid.

All three of them walked over to and stopped at the other side of the arena.

Normally only the people dueling and one other person per dueler were permitted on the field, but if Luz needed the extra support to not forfeit immediately, Amity wouldn’t make a fuse.

“Now that all necessary parties are present we can begin,” Lilith said to the arena. “Beloved citizens, the Emperor’s coven would like to present an impromptu demonstration of the kind of witch we look for every year.”

Lilith gestured to Amity, prompting her to take a step forward.

“Introducing Amity Blight, versus some human girl.”

Around the arena, Amity heard people murmuring about the match-up, causing a smile to come across her face.

“Now without further ado, let-” Lilith started to say before being cut off by the boy standing near Luz.

“I, Percy Jackson, formally offer to take the place of Luz Noceda in this duel.” The boy shouted as he looked down at his arm.

Amity took a step back in shock. Turning around she saw that Ms. Lilith’s face was twisted into a scowl.

“I don’t believe I understand,” She yelled back at the boy, her frustration barely concealed.

“You said that this was a standard duel, and one of the rules allows for a substitute to take the place of one of the duelers if said dueler feels that the match-up is unfair or that they are not adequately prepared for the duel, “ Percy replied while still looking at his arm. “Luz Noceda has expressed to me that she feels unprepared for the ensuing-” He stopped mid-sentence and looked up at Lilith while pointing at his bicep. “I can’t read what it says right here, but I think you get the point. Luz said she said she felt unprepared and I offered to take her place.”

Lilith sneered at the boy and looked toward Luz.
“Do you accept his offer?”

“I do,” Luz said timidly.

“I would also like to transfer the contents of the oath she made with Amity to me,” Percy added with a smile.

Amity couldn’t believe what had just happened. One second she was about to show the human girl her place and now she was dealing with an even more annoying boy instead.

“Very well,” Lilith said with gritted teeth. “Amity please follow me.”

Amity reluctantly followed her teacher to the middle of the arena where Percy and Luz waited for them.

“Lilith, good to see you again,” Percy exclaimed cheekily once they arrived.

“Amity undo the oath with Luz and redo it with Percy, We’ve wasted enough time already,” Lilith said coldly, ignoring Percy’s greeting.

Amity nodded and quickly drew the spell circle to break the oath with Luz before grabbing Percy’s hand and making a new oath.

“Tingely,” Percy muttered before turning around to face Luz. “Alright lígo fos head back over to the stands, I’ve got this.”

Luz nodded quickly and ran off.

Amity scoffed. The boy was too confident for his own good.

“Are you ready to start?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Percy replied calmly.

“Splendid, let's start,” Lilith said impatiently as she walked off.

Amity took a step back and prepared to cast her first spell, her face one of concentration.

She’d been confident about dealing with Luz, but something about the boy put her on edge.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA,” The starting bell screamed, signifying the start of the match.

Immediately drawing her spell circle, Amity summoned an abomination far larger than anything she’d ever created.
“Woah,” She mumbled to herself, ignoring that her neck suddenly felt itchy. “Show me what you got!”

Instead of the shock or horror Amity was hoping to see on Percy’s face, she was met with unadulterated awe and fascination.

“What is that thing?” He asked with a large smile on his face. “And what is it made of?”

“It’s an abomination and what it's made of is unimportant,” Amity yelled back in response. “Abomination attack!”

The abomination twisted its head off and threw it at Percy, forcing the boy to roll out of the way.

“That was so cool!” Percy yelled happily as he started to draw his own spell circles.

From his spell circles, a light blue ball of water and a heavy ice block shot out, heading toward Amity. To protect herself, Amity ordered the abomination to stand between her and the spells. The ball of water hit the abomination on the shoulder, freezing it before the ice block knocked the arm completely off.

Amity huffed in annoyance. Percy seemed to know at least a little magic. Not enough to beat her, but enough to make the duel a chore.

The missing arm of the abomination grew back just as its head had, but Amity noticed it was notably slower, and based on Percy’s expression, he did too.

Refusing to give her opponent another chance to attack, Amity ordered her abomination to advance. The monster lumbered toward Percy faster than something of its size should move, but still slower than she needed.

Percy, seeing the abomination coming, started drawing as many spell circles as he could, each one launching a water spike at the goo monster. None of the spikes did much damage, but they were still chipping away at its body, each small injury regenerating slower than the last.

The fight continued in a similar fashion for the next several minutes. Amity would order the abomination to attack and Percy would find some way to avoid it and damage the monster even further. Even when she tried throwing other spells, the boy found a way to dodge every time

Amity growled in frustration. She’d participated in witches duels in the past, but none ever lasted this long. Percy seemed to have an endless supply of creative ways to avoid and counterattack. Whether it be whips, lightning, or spears, he always retaliated in a new way. Amity would be impressed by it if she wasn’t on the receiving end.

Another thing that angered her was that she could feel herself slowing down. In the beginning, she felt like she had the upper hand, but now it was getting harder to cast spells or even order her abomination around. At this rate, she’d pass out before she had the chance to subdue her opponent.

Acting quickly, Amity discreetly pulled some goo away from her rapidly deteriorating abomination and pooled it at Percy’s feet. Ordering her monster to attack, she waited for him to retaliate, and once she saw him let his guard down, she quickly wrapped the collected sludge around him.

The effects were instantaneous.

Percy, once dancing around the arena, now stood trapped and unable to move.

“Do you surrender,” Amity asked, out of breath and too tired to be smug.

Percy struggled against his bindings for a moment before a feral grin stretched across his face.

Amity knew she was screwed.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Watching Percy duel was something Eda would remember for a long time.

Eda knew of his talent, she’d taught him after all, but seeing it in action was a different experience entirely.

When the duel first started, she’d been slightly nervous. Eda knew Percy was strong, but so was the Blight Family. They along with the Roses, were some of the most influential people in Bonesborough.

Her worry vanished as soon as the duel began.

From the get-go, it was obvious Percy didn’t need to try very hard to win. He moved around the arena and dodged attacks as if it was second nature to him, all the while grinning ear to ear.
It was awe-inspiring to watch, and based on the comments from the stands, most agreed.

Eda continued to watch the match with a smile, it was nice to see the kid enjoying himself.

However, halfway through the duel, something started to bother her.

While he dodged and counterattacked, Percy seemed to continuously speed up while his opponent slowed down considerably faster than she should have.

Eda had practiced abomination magic and while it was hard to use with finesse, it was easy to maintain. A child Percy’s age, especially a Blight child, should have no trouble powering an abomination for the duration of the match. Yet Eda saw the beast nearly lose cohesion several times during the match.

“It’s almost like they’re tradi-” Eda’s eyes widened dramatically as a memory popped into the front of her mind.

The first day she met him, she watched Percy absorb an entire magical barrier, She’d pushed it out of her mind as she didn't want to think of the implications at the time, but now-

Eda’s train of thought was cut off by a sudden flurry of motion.

Looking she saw Percy restrained by the purple goo of Amity’s abomination.

“Do you surrender?” The girl asked as she took deep shuddering breaths.

Eda didn’t even need to see his face to know Percy was grinning.

“Not a chance,” He exclaimed as the goo that entrapped him shot off his body and started circling him.

In an instant, the dynamic of the fight changed. Before, the two duelers could be considered equals, but now?

A one-sided slaughter would be a better descriptor.

Percy was a whirlwind of destruction, instantly tearing apart anything Amity sent his way. The girl was doing her best to try and keep up, but was failing. After a minute, Percy finally cornered Amity and trapped her the same way she trapped him.

“Do you surrender?” He asked, his voice loud but surprisingly gentle.

Amity looked at the ground and nodded.

Percy had won.

Immediately Eda’s eyes sought out her sister, finding her shaking with anger.

“The winner is Percy Jackson!” Lilith announced through gritted teeth.

There was no applause. Besides the cheering of Luz’s friends and King, the audience was silent.

Eda clicked her tongue in annoyance. Of course, there was no fanfare for her student.
Seeing that Lilith was making her way toward Percy and Amity, Eda followed suit. As she walked, she watched Percy help Amity stand up and check her over for any injuries. After a moment he patted her shoulder and walked her to the exit of the arena. It was a nice gesture, but one Eda didn’t understand.

“So Lily,” Eda said smugly as soon as she was in range. “How does it feel to lose?”

Lilith barely suppressed a growl.

“I only lost because you changed your dueler last minute!”

Eda shrugged and stuck her tongue out.

“Not my problem. I won, you lost.”

Lilith summoned her staff, causing Eda to do the same.

“You planned this from the start you-”

“ENOUGH!” Percy shouted suddenly, cutting Lilith off. “You’re both acting like children!”

Percy looked at both of them in disgust.

“What is wrong with you two?” He asked angrily.

“What are you talkin-” Eda started to say before being interrupted

“Zip it.”

Eda's mouth closed instantly.

She’d never seen Percy so angry. It was unnerving.

“I’ll start with you,” Percy pointed at Lilith.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t?” Percy threw something at her feet. “Clear anything up for you?”

From where she was standing she was able to that the thing Percy threw was a power glyph. She wanted to comment but thought it’d be better if she didn’t.

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

“What are you implying?” She asked her tone a mixture of condescension and panic.

“I found this on Amity’s neck,” Percy replied pointedly. “We both know that she was barely keeping up. How do you think she would have done without it?”

Eda's eyebrows shot up.

“She would have been crushed,” She said quietly.

“Bingo,” Percy said. “She’s probably in a corner crying right now because you made her unsure of her capabilities by cheating.”

“I only cheated because I thought Eda was going too!” Lilith shouted angrily.

“But she didn’t!” Percy shouted back, “You destroyed a young girl’s confidence trying to one-up your sister!”

Lilith balked and fell quiet, her eyes trained on the ground.

“Welcome to my level Lily,” Eda said before she could stop herself.

She knew immediately she messed up.

Percy whipped around and glared at her.

“You’re no better!” He snapped. “If I hadn’t volunteered how do you think Luz would have performed, hm? She could have gotten seriously injured because you didn’t have the forethought to try and cancel a duel between two children!”

“Kids duel all the time,” Eda defended. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it!’

“Witch kids have magic, humans do not!” Percy snapped, before taking a deep breath. “Luz doesn’t have magic, you can’t keep treating her like she does.” Percy turned toward the exit and started walking. “Now excuse me, I have to go find King and Luz.”

Eda was stunned. She wanted to say something in response but couldn’t find the words.

“He’s right you know,” Lilith said after a moment. “We put children in danger over a petty grudge.”

Eda sighed. As much as she wanted to deny her sister’s words, she couldn’t.

“I know, doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

A silence fell between the two, neither knew what to say.

“He seems like a good kid,” Lilith said awkwardly.

Eda chuckled.

“He is, and so is his sister.”

“He’s powerful too,” Lilith commented idly.

Eda’s expression darkened.

“I know it's your job, but don’t mention Percy to him ok? The kid has been through enough already, he doesn’t need his attention on him.”

Lilith was quiet for a few seconds before nodding.

“I won’t go out of my way to talk about him.”

Eda scowled and shot a glare her sister’s way.

“You know that’s not what I asked.”

“And you know it's the best I can offer,” Lilith replied cooly. “I think it’s best you go home now Eda, the Covention and your immunity from the law are almost over.”

Eda sighed. She loved her sister but hated what the Emperor’s coven had done to her. Eda missed the nerdy sweet girl she used to be.

“Love you too Lily.”

Shaking her head, Eda started to leave, but before she got halfway, her sister called out to her.

“You know you can’t run forever.”

Eda smiled.

“Watch me.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Amity couldn’t remember the last time she cried.

Her mother had drilled it into her head that crying was only for the weak, and the Blights were anything but weak. Anytime she felt like crying she reminded herself that she was strong and everyone wanted to be her.

Yet here she was, sobbing on a dirty floor in a dark corner.

She’d lost to a nobody. A nobody who associated with humans and criminals. A nobody who wiped the floor with her without breaking a sweat.

Even worse was that the only reason she lasted as long as she did was because her teacher had put a power glyph on her neck. She didn’t want to think about how she would have faired without it.

Amity sniffled as more tears escaped her eyes.

How was she supposed to go home after this? The duel was most definitely recorded, meaning it had probably already made its way back to her mother.

Amity shook her head. Thinking about what waited for her at home would do her any good.

Taking a shaky breath, Amity looked around her surroundings only to notice something lurking around the corner.

“I know you’re there Luz,” Amity said in annoyance. “You might as well stop hiding.”

Luz obeyed and made her way over, taking a seat next to her.

“What do you want?” Amity asked, too tired to be angry.

“I wanted to see if you were ok,” Luz said timidly

Amity let out a humorless laugh.

“Seriously? You’re gonna ask if I’m ok?”

Frustration started to bubble up in Amity.

“You challenge me to a duel, then get someone else to fight your battle for you,” Amity said heatedly. “And after I lose and am embarrassed, you seek me out to make yourself feel better.”

“I’m sorry,” Luz’s voice was soft and fragile

Amity didn’t care.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it!” She snapped.” I have been training my entire life to reach the top, and your stupid duel may have cost me my future!” Amity stood up and pointed at Luz angrily. “I don’t get to mess up! I don’t get to have others fill in for me! You think it’s so easy to be a witch, but it's not! Say you’re not a witch!”

Luz stared up at her with wide eyes, a scared expression on her face.

Amity suddenly felt bad. She was angry with the girl but didn’t mean to scare her.

“I didn’t mean to yell like that,” Amity said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

The look on Luz’s face shifted to one of sadness.

“It’s ok,” She said softly. “You are right after all, I’m not a witch.”

Amity’s eyes widened slightly. She wasn’t expecting her to actually admit it.

Luz continued to surprise her by taking out a small notepad and drawing a weird symbol on it.

“Magic doesn’t come naturally to me,” Luz said as she finished drawing. “I’ve had to find workarounds.”

Luz tapped the drawn symbol, causing the paper to crumble and form a small ball of light.

Amity was stunned. The light spell was basic magic taught to children, but she’d never seen anyone cast it the way Luz had.

“That’s mildly impressive,” Amity admitted hesitantly. “One spell doesn’t make you a witch though.”

Luz gave her a small smile.

“I know, but it’s a start.”

`Amity simply nodded and looked at the ground, not knowing what to say.

Luz was a lot different than she imagined. She still thought she was reckless and only caused trouble, but didn’t seem as careless as Amity originally thought.

“Can I ask you something?” Amity said suddenly.

Luz looked at her curiously.

“Sure.”
“What’s the deal with Percy?” Amity asked quickly. “Like who is he?”

Luz was quiet for a moment, seemingly trying to formulate a response.

“He someone that just kinda showed up a few months ago,” She said after a moment. “He’s weird but he’s also like a brother to me. Why do you ask?”

“He was nice to me after he won,” Amity replied. “He walked me out and made sure I was ok. I just wanted to know why.”

A large grin came onto Luz’s face.

“He’s a really nice guy, that’s all there is to it. Any more questions?”

“Just one. How does he do magic?”

It was what Amity was most curious about. Percy had round ears like a human but used spells better than most people their age.

Luz shrugged.

“His dad was apparently a witch or something like that, he didn’t really go into specifics.”

Amity frowned. The answer didn’t explain why he was so strong. If anything being only half a witch would make him weaker.

Checking the time quickly, Amity realized how late it had gotten.

“Thank you,” Amity said. “I have to get home. This has been, interesting.”

Luz nodded.

“It was nice talking to you Amity, Have a good evening.”

“Likewise,” Amity replied before walking away, leaving Luz on the wall.

The whole day had been confusing for Amity, but it would make an interesting diary entry. All she had to do was face her mother.

The idea filled Amity with dread.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“I hear you had an eventful day at the Covention,” A female voice said from the crystal ball on Lilith’s mirror stand.

Lilith growled. She was already exhausted from dealing with her sister and now she had to suffer through listening to Kikimora’s voice,

“That is correct,” She responded with as much politeness as she could muster.

She hated being micromanaged, but Kikimora insisted on checking in on her after every recruiting event.

“According to the report you submitted, we managed to collect twenty-three signatures for Coven Scout training camp,” Kikimora said lazily, her eyes scanning the paper in her hand. “Good, but worse than previous events.”

Lilith clenched her teeth. She had always disliked how the Coven claimed ownership of her successes, The Coven didn’t recruit those applicants, she had.

“I’m aware, but there were other circumstances that impacted recruitment,” Lilith replied plainly, doing her best to mask her frustration. “I will be better next time.”

“Are you referring to the duel where the witch supported by the Coven was handily beaten by a nobody?” Kikimora asked innocently.

Lilith winced. She had hoped she would have more time to explain that mess.

“I didn’t realize the events of the duel had reached you yet.”

Despite her collar covering her mouth, Lilith could tell Kikimora was smiling.

“Oh yes, the recording of the clip has become quite popular. Even the Emperor found it interesting.”

Lilith froze. If the Emperor had seen the duel, it meant he’d seen Percy.

“He was especially impressed by the boy,” Kikimora continued. “So much so that he wants to meet him.”

Fear filled Lilith’s mind. She knew exactly what happened to powerful witches in the Emperor’s Coven. She didn’t want to subject a child to it.

“Are you certain that’s a good idea?” LIlitha asked nervously. “The boy is affiliated with Eda, he surely practices wild magic.”

She knew it was desperate, but it was all she could think of.

“Are you questioning the word of the Emperor?”

Lilith suddenly found herself devoid of the ability to speak, forcing herself to shake her head.

“Good,” Kikimora said smugly. “If the boy is truly working with the Owl Lady, then I suppose you’ll have to kill two bats with one spell and capture them both.”

“I understand.”

“Remember what the Emperor has promised you. Don’t fail him,” Kikimora hung up, leaving Lilith alone in a quiet room.

Lilith sat taking a shuddering breath, trying to come to terms with her new mission.

She was fine with bringing her sister in, it was for her own good. But the idea of subjecting a child to the Emperor’s Coven left her feeling hollow. No matter how strong Percy appeared to be, he was still young.

But no matter how conflicted she felt, Lilith knew she couldn’t refuse. She needed to cure her sister and rid herself of guilt.

“I’m sorry Eda, but I have to.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Amity took a sip of her tea nervously.

She had been sitting across from her mother in silence for several minutes now. Normally their meetings would start with her mother expressing how Amity had disappointed her. It always made her feel bad, but it was better than the lack of words she was treated to now.

Lifting her cup to her lips, Amity took another sip, something her mother had apparently been waiting for.

“You know Amity I must say I’m very impressed with you.”

Amity choked on her tea.

After coughing a few times, Amity looked at her mother, shock written all over her face.

“What?”

Amity had been expecting many things, but a compliment from her mother was not one of them.

“Don’t get it wrong dear, you should be ashamed of your poor performance,” Odalia said, her voice sickly sweet. “But who you found is worthy of some praise.”

Odalia opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a large crystal ball, a recording of Amity’s duel already queued up.

“You have been trained by the best money can buy,” Odalia said as she pressed play on the ball. “Yet this boy still made you look like an amturer.”

Amity felt sick.

The recording showed her being defeated from every angle, making her seem even more pathetic than she already felt. Her mother made her feel even worse when she fast-forwarded to when Percy had taken control of her abomination.

“He not only freed himself from your bindings, he also turned them against you!” Odalia exclaimed excitedly. “Imagine what he could do with my guidance?”

Amity wanted to be surprised, but she wasn’t. Her mother was always looking for more people to mold and influence, and Percy was a perfect candidate.

“I’m you know what I want you to do.”

She did. Amity didn’t want to, but she knew she didn’t have a choice.

“You have that Moonlight Conjuring party coming up, don’t you?” Odalia asked sweetly.

Amity nodded. Her mother knew she did, Amity had to get it approved by her to have it.

“I want you to invite him, get on his good side. After all, it is harder to teach someone who doesn’t want to be taught.”

Amity winced. She knew her mother was talking about her.

“Yes mother,” Amity said weakly.

“Excellent!” Odalia clapped her hands together. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed, failure does tend to tire one out.”

Amity set her tea down and stood up.

“Goodnight Mother.”
Odalia didn’t even acknowledge her.

As she walked to her room, Amity felt numb.

She liked Percy. He was nice and surprisingly caring. She didn’t want to expose him to her mother’s manipulations, but it was out of her control.

“I hope he rejects the invitation,” Amity mumbled under her breath as she crawled into bed.

But she knew even if he did, her mother would stop at nothing to get him under her control.

Chapter Text

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT TO GET YOUR POTIONS!”

“It slipped my mind,” Eda defended weakly. “I’ll go to the market and get more today.”

Percy pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh.

“How could it slip your mind? Those potions are literally the only thing that keeps you from turning into a monster.” Percy shot back heatedly. “How could you possibly forget to restock?”

Eda’s eyes quickly darted to the side.

“I honestly don’t know.”

Percy followed Eda’s eyes, his mouth forming into a snarl when he saw what she’d looked at.

A deck of Hexas Holdem cards.

He wasn’t a fan of the game based purely on the name, reminding him too much of a game his stepfather played. He knew the game was completely different and thus had no problem with Eda playing it.

That was until he learned she neglected to do the one thing she promised him she would.

“You’re telling me you were so busy playing cards, you forgot to get the potion that, I don’t know, KEEPS MY SISTER SAFE!” Percy yelled as he took a step forward, his eyes glowing slightly.

Eda winced and brought her hand up in a placating manner.

“I’m sorry, I messed up. We can go to the market in a few minutes.”

Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He didn’t like yelling, especially not at people who had helped him as much as Eda had.

“I’m sorry for yelling, I just,” Percy sighed and gestured toward Eda in exasperation. “I mean come on Eda. Really?”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Eda said tiredly. “I guess I was so engrossed with the cards it didn’t cross my mind.”

“I remind you about it daily,” Percy replied, laughing dryly. “It’s almost impressive how much you had to ignore me.”

“I guess it is,” Eda said with a chuckle. “So are we good now, can we go get the potions and put this whole thing behind us?”

“I’m still angry with you and we'll definitely talk about this later,” Percy said sternly. “But yeah we can go, I’ll grab Luz.”

“Okay.”

Percy nodded and made his way to the stairs.

He hated being angry with Eda. He enjoyed her company immensely and felt as if she understood him. Yet her actions made him feel as if he didn’t have a choice.

Turning into a beast unless a specific potion was drunk every day is something that she should have told them before they started living with her. The fact that her beast form was unaffected by his sword only made the matter worse. After the ordeal, Percy had made Eda swear that she would stay on top of her potion intake.

The fact she’d fallen behind, therefore putting Luz in danger, was unjustifiable.

It didn’t help that he was still frustrated with how she handled the duel at Covention. He knew the vow Luz made with Amity was out of Eda’s control, but she could have at least tried to get her out of it.

Percy stopped climbing the stairs for a second and frowned.

He realized that even though Eda and Lilith were in the wrong, he was too. He wasn’t exactly proud of how he yelled at Eda and Lilith, but something about the whole situation hit a little too close to home for him.

Percy’s frown deepened. He didn't like where his mind was going, but he also knew he’d been avoiding it for too long.

Between living with the Noceda’s for three months and his time on the Boiling Isles, Percy had been given ample time to reflect on the events of his life before he blew up a volcano, especially the few years leading up to it. And with all this reflecting he had come to one conclusion.

He had missed out on most of his childhood.

Even before discovering he was a demigod, he never had the opportunity to really be a kid. Moving schools often meant any friendships he formed were doomed to fail and living with Gabe forced him to mature faster than he should have.

Entering the mythological world made matters worse.
From day one, his life was no longer his. At any moment he could be summoned to go on a potentially fatal quest because some prophecy said he had to. How could he possibly make friends and hang out like a normal kid when at the end of the school year he knew he might not come back?

Having the opportunity to live like a normal kid with the Noceda’s made him resentful of the world he was raised in.

He would always think of Camp Half-Blood as his second home, but it was also the place where chunks of his innocence were stripped away from him.

What kid associates canned soda with betrayal?

What kid thinks of death and broken promises when looking at small figurines?

What kid feels grief when stargazing?

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Percy noticed that his face felt warm and wet.

Percy let out a humorless laugh.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried. It felt odd

“You doing okay up there?” Eda called making Percy realize he had only made it halfway up the stairs.

“Yeah, I’m good.” He responded. “Just taking a second to appreciate the shape of the stairs. Top-tier craftsmanship.”

“Whatever you say. Just grab your sister already.”

“On it,” Percy yelled back before continuing up the stairs, taking a moment to wipe away his tears.

The room he shared with Luz was currently a mess. Papers and large books covered the floor with only a narrow sliver of uncovered ground to act as a path. In the middle of the mess sat Luz reading from papers she held in either hand.

“How’s it going?” Percy asked with a smile as he entered the room.

“Not great,” Luz replied with a frustrated sigh. “None of these books have any information about the light glyph I found and your handwriting is so bad that I’m not getting much from your potions notes.”
“To be fair I’ve only been able to read and write properly for like three weeks, so cut me some slack,” Percy said as he walked over to Luz and knelt down next to her. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with your nose in old books, you should take a break for a little.”

After witnessing Percy’s duel with Amity, Luz’s drive to learn magic shot through the roof, she spent most of her free time digging through old books and reviewing the notes Percy took when he worked with Eda. Her studying had gotten intense enough that Percy regularly had to force her to take breaks.

“You’re right,” Luz said as she put down the papers she was holding. “The words are starting to swirl together.”

Percy laughed as he helped her stand up.

“Now you know how I felt most of my life. And speaking of taking a break. Eda wants to head to the market to get some more potions.”

“Sounds fun. Maybe we’ll-” Luz stopped mid-sentence and started at Percy’s face. “Were you crying?”

“It’s just allergies,” Percy said quickly. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s fine.” Percy got up and walked to the door. “Eda is waiting for us, so I’ll meet you downstairs

“Percy,” Luz called out before he left. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“I know,” Percy said without turning around. “I know.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Bonesborough market was, in Percy’s opinion, one of the most interesting places to ever exist. The variety of people and stalls made every visit a unique experience for Percy. He learned more about the world he found himself in from interactions with locals than Eda or King would ever be able to teach him.

It also happened to be Percy’s least favorite place on the Boiling Isles.

“Eda, I swear if one more person tries to cozy up to me I’m going to punch someone,” Percy growled.

Percy’s duel at the Covention had apparently been recorded and shared across the isles. Every time he went to the market, he was accosted by teens trying to be his friend or adults asking him to join their coven, the Abomination coven being the worst.

“Oh hush, this is nothing compared to what I had to deal with when I was the King of Demons,” King said from Luz’s shoulder.

“I think it’s cool,” Luz exclaimed. “It’s like you’re the main character of an anime and you just won the tournament.”

“All I did was win a stupid duel!”

“A duel against the daughter of arguably the most influential family in Bonesborough,” Eda said. “Which you trounced her in. Not to mention you took control of her spell and used it against her.”

“So! I was just trying to protect Luz!”

“Stop whining,” Eda said as she walked up to the window of the potion’s shop. “Your fans won’t like you as much if you whine. Speaking of which, here they come now.”

Percy whipped around to look behind him, only to be met with the sight of people pulling a cart with a large red demon on it and the sound of Eda’s laughter.

“Very funny Eda,” Percy said with a frustrated sigh.

“Hey Eda,” Luz asked suddenly. “What's up with the spooky parade?”

“Those are Demon Hunter,” Eda said gravely. “A group of dangerous nomads that hunt and sell the largest beasts,” Eda turned around and started banging in the shutter of the potion’s shop. “Which I’m about to become if you don’t open up Morton!”

Percy turned and looked at the hunters through squinted eyes, ignoring Luz running off to greet her friends.

The fact that there were big enough monsters roaming around for people to make a living off selling them was concerning. He still wasn’t sure about how every creature interacted with his sword which made it risky to use. It worked against the Warden and trash slug but failed against Eda when she was clearly a beast. Having his primary way of defending Luz and himself be unreliable didn’t sit right with him in the slightest.

“Percy Jackson, may I have a moment of your time,” A voice said politely, breaking Percy from his thoughts.

Standing beside him was the person indirectly responsible for his sudden popularity.
Amity Blight.

“I guess,” Percy said unsurely. “What’s up?”

Percy had mixed feelings about Amity.

On one hand, she tried to have Luz dissected and seemed somewhat unpleasant overall. But on the other hand, the look of pure devastation on her face when she lost and discovered she’d been forced to cheat had stuck with him.

“You have been invited to meet with Odalia Blight and join my Moonlight Conjuring.”

Percy’s eyebrows shot up.

“Um, I need a moment to think,” he said quickly.

Amity simply nodded, her expression one Percy couldn’t identify.

Turning around, Percy quickly made his way to where Eda was talking with Morton.

“Eda I need your help.”

“What is it kid,” Eda said as she looked at him, her tone flat.

“I was just invited to meet with Odalia Blight and attend a Moonlight Conjuring,” Percy said quickly. “I’m not worried about the Conjuring, but the meeting sounds important.”

Eda's expression suddenly became serious.

“Yeah, it is important. Odalia is pretty well known for finding talented witches and turning them into some of the best Emperor’s Coven scouts.”

“Do you think I should meet with her?”

Eda brought her hand to her chin and looked to the ground.

“It depends,” She said after a moment. “She has a good track record of producing powerful witches and she’d probably be a much better teacher than me. Plus it never hurts to cozy up to someone that rich,” Eda gave Percy a wink and a smile before becoming much more serious. “But at the same time, everything she does is for her own benefit. I haven’t interacted with her much since I was in school, but even then every action she took was calculated.”

“So if I accept, I’m making a deal with the devil?”

“Bit dramatic but accurate.”

Percy looked back to where Amity stood with a frown.

Becoming more powerful meant he could protect Luz better, something he desperately wanted to do. She was all he had left and he would do almost anything to keep her safe. How long would it take before something came along that he couldn’t protect her from in his current state? He inevitably would need to get stronger.

But was it worth it?

Getting mixed up with this Odalia lady would mean drawing more attention to himself, attention from people that could put the small group of people he cared for in danger. He would get stronger yes, but at what price? At what point would the trade-off no longer be worth it?

“Thanks for your help,” Percy said suddenly.

“No problem, kid. Does this mean you’re not angry at me anymore?”

“Of course not,” Percy replied.

“Worth a shot.”

Percy chuckled dryly before walking over to Amity.

“Have you come to a decision?” She asked as soon as he got to her.

“Yes. I’m sorry but-”

Percy stopped talking when he saw her eyes.

They seemed to plead for him to help her.

Percy suddenly found himself back at Camp Halfblood.

A young Nico stood before him, pleading for Percy to protect his sister. To keep the one person he could call family safe.

Percy felt his throat go dry.

He failed Nico.

He promised to keep his sister safe and he failed.

Bianca’s death was on his hands and he would never

How could he possibly fail another crying for help the same way Nico did?

How could he live with himself knowing he refused to assist someone in need?

“I will be accepting your invitation,” Percy said, the words leaving his mouth before he could process them.

But he knew that even if he had the opportunity to think, his reply would be the same.

“Why did you word it like that?” Amity asked in confusion, the desperation in her eyes gone.

“I-um, uh,” Percy sputtered before taking a breath to compose himself. “Sometimes my brain and mouth fist fight each other and make me say weird stuff.”

“Okay…” Amity replied before handing Percy a slip of paper. “Here is the address, please arrive exactly at four, my mother is not one for tardiness.”

Percy took the paper and looked at the address, recognizing it as being located in the rich part of Bonesborough.

“Exactly on time?” Percy said with a smile. “Your mom sure sounds a lot like my sixth-grade math teacher.”

A look of sadness came across Amity’s face and Percy’s smile fell.

“My mother is a very busy woman and does not waste time on things that don’t interest her,”
Amity turned to where a group of people were standing in the distance. “You have my mother’s interest, arrive late if you want to lose it.”

Amity walked back to her group, leaving Percy with a frown on his face.

The situation had just gotten a lot more complicated and it would probably be better if he left it alone.

But at the same time, he had already decided to help Amity with a level of conviction that surprised even himself.

Taking a deep breath, Percy walked back to the potion’s stand to tell Eda about his sudden decision. As he approached the stand, Percy noticed Luz excitedly telling Eda something.

“Moonlight Conjuring and stick it to Amity, so can-”

“Not tonight I’m going out, and I need someone to,watch the house,” Eda said, cutting Luz off.

“What was that Eda?” Percy asked as he came up to the stand.

“Willow, Gus, and I want to do a Moonlight Conjuring but Eda said no,” Luz replied before the Owl Lady had a chance.

Percy looked at Luz who was giving him puppy dog eyes and sighed. He never could say no when she made a face like that.

“Come on Eda, let her do the Conjuring,” Percy said with crossed arms. “ There’s almost nothing of value in the house.”

“I have tons of valuable stuff!” Eda exclaimed indignantly. “Plus Conjurings are dumb. A good witch can animate a doll any day without using Moon Magic.”

The mention of Moon Magic piqued Percy’s interest. Maybe the Moonlight Conjuring could be interesting.

“Luz is still learning magic, this could be beneficial for her,” Percy countered. “And since I’m going to one, it’s only fair she gets to do one.”

“Wait,” Luz said. “Since when are you going to a Moonlight Conjuring?”

“Since like five minutes ago, I’ll explain in a moment,” Percy said quickly before turning back to the older witch. “What do you say, Eda, you gonna let your favorite student experience the wonders of Moon Magic?”

Eda stared at him for a moment before throwing her head back and groaning.

“Fine!” She exclaimed as she kicked the ground. “But if anything gets broken, you’ll both be cleaning Hooty for a month!” Eda grabbed King, ignoring his protests, and put him under her arm. “We have to prepare for the evening King, let's go.”

As Eda sulked off Percy looked to Luz with a look of confusion.

“What was that about?” He asked.

Luz had always been very adamant about fighting her own battles. She was still giving Percy grief about taking her spot in the duel against Amity.

Luz looked away.

“Willow and Gus were so excited about the conjuring, I couldn’t let them down.”

Percy pulled Luz into a hug.

“I get it,” He said softly before smiling. “Plus we both know you’d invite them over even if you didn’t get her permission.”

Luz responded by burying her face in his shirt.

Percy laughed and patted her back gently.

“Alright lígo fos let's get back to the house before Eda gets too ‘worried’ about us,” Percy let go of Luz. “We also don’t want to give her time to change her mind.”

Luz nodded and started to walk away before stopping and spinning around dramatically.

“You didn’t tell me how you’re going to Moonlight Conjuring,” She exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Percy.

Percy sighed. He had honestly hoped she’d forgotten about it.

“Amity invited me to hers,” He replied hesitantly.

Luz’s face morphed into a scowl.

“Tried to dissect me and Willow’s bully Amity?”

Percy winced.

He had heard from Luz how Amity tended to treat Willow. He hated bullies with a burning passion and the last thing he wanted to do was give Luz the impression he didn’t care about her friend’s suffering.

“Why are you going to hang out with her?” Luz asked heatedly. “She’s a jerk!”

Percy put his hands up in a placating manner.

“I know that, but she invited me and-”

“Then why didn’t you just reject it then? You said yourself that you hate people trying to suck up to you. This is just her trying to get on your good side!”

Percy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to consider his words.

“Luz,” Percy said softly, his voice cracking slightly. “When she asked, she-she had this look in her eyes, like she needed help.”

He knew it was low to go after Luz’s tender heart and desire to help others, but he needed her to understand

Luz’s expression softened and her shoulders fell.

“Okay,” She said, her voice stiff. “Just don’t become a jerk.”

Percy smiled weakly.

“Of course.”

He could tell Luz was still wary, but he knew it was the best he was going to get.

“But seriously let's get back to the house before King starts going through our stuff.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Anxiety was an emotion that Amity was very familiar with.

She felt it at school whenever she took a test or turned in an assignment. She knew her work was good, but it had to be Blight good.

She felt around her friends. They were pleasant enough to be around, but she was well aware that while they were fond of her presence, they wouldn’t be around her if she wasn’t a Blight.

The worst was when she had to meet with her mother about her most recent failures as a daughter and member of the Blight family.

However, nothing compared to how she was feeling as she waited for Percy in the foyer.

For the past hour, Amity had been sitting on a couch facing the front door, her hands trembling and stomach-churning.

“Why couldn’t he have rejected the invitation,” She mumbled miserably. “Why’d he have to change his mind?”

Amity knew he was going to reject. His demeanor and the way he started his response clearly indicated that. She was ready to accept his rejection and report back to her mother.

But something stopped him. Something made him change his mind mid-sentence, and no matter how hard she thought about it, Amity couldn’t figure out what.

Amity glanced toward the clock that hung on the wall to her right.

Three fifty-eight.

Amity’s breath hitched as she prayed desperately for him not to show up.

She knew what happened to those her mother taught. She’d watched time and time again as talented witches were warped into copies of her mother perfect for the Emperor’s Coven. They were arrogant and overconfident in their skills, shadows of who they once were.

She hated the idea of having a hand in the creation of yet another fodder scout.

Checking the clock again, Amity felt her heartbeat in her throat.

Three fifty-nine.

For almost a minute, she sat unmoving staring at the clock.

She knew even if he didn’t arrive exactly at four, her mother would meet with him. But she clung desperately to the idea that if he wasn’t exactly on time, he wouldn’t come at all.

Five seconds left.

Amity’s attention was pulled from the clock by the sound of knocking on the door, and immediately her stomach dropped.

The clock struck four.

He was right on time.

Standing up, Amity made her way to the door, her body seeming to resist the action the entire way.

She wanted to give in and just ignore his presence, but she knew doing so would be the worst possible decision.

Finally making it to the door, Amity took a few shaky breaths before gripping the handle and opening the door.

He stood there casually, his eyes flitting across the front of the house while spinning a small metal rod in his right hand. Over his left shoulder was a semi-full bag. He wore a plain shirt and a pair of slightly worn jeans. His hair looked as if someone tried to style it before giving up completely.

“Hi,” He said when he saw her. “Hope I’m still on time.”

“You are,” Amity replied quickly. “Come in, my mother is waiting.”

Percy nodded and stepped into the door, his eyes darting around the room as soon as he crossed the threshold.

Amity watched him warily.

Her fear of providing her mother with another student was ever present, a part of her life she’d learned to deal with.

Percy Jackson made her nervous for a completely different reason.

He was unknown.

She’d been raised with an understanding of who sat at the top of the social hierarchy, an understanding that came with a decent knowledge of who the most powerful witches were.

Percy was not on that list.

And if Luz was to be believed about his origins, he wouldn’t even be worth a passing thought.

Amity was not ignorant of her place in the hierarchy. She knew she was strong for her age and if she continued to improve, might even be able to become a Coven Head.

Yet he’d beaten her.

Easily.

She’d been forced to watch the recordings of the duel countless times as part of her punishment for ‘besmirching’ the Blight name. Doing so had given her an understanding of how outclassed she was.

He’d be handled easily by any adult with experience, but for his age, he was in a league of his own.

“Follow me,” Amity said stiffly before turning and walking away.

“Oh, okay,” He replied awkwardly, his heavy steps echoing in the empty room.

The two walked through the house in silence. Amity didn’t mind, it allowed her to pretend he wasn’t there. It was a weak illusion, but one that helped calm her nerves.

“Can I ask a question?” He said, breaking her illusion of peace.

“What makes you think you can’t?” Amity replied with a slightly annoyed tone.

“Well you’re giving off major ‘don’t talk if you want to live’ vibes,” Amity didn’t need to see him to know what he was doing with his hands. “Which is cool and all, but I’ve got a question I desperately need to ask.”

“What is your question?”

“Do you have any other clothes besides your school uniform?”

Amity stopped walking suddenly and looked at Percy in confusion.

“What?”

Percy awkwardly gestured to her outfit and looked at the ground bashfully.

“Well, uh, Luz told me that what you’re wearing is the Hexside uniform and,” Percy looked at her and tapped his fingers against his leg. “Every time I’ve seen you or any other student outside of school, you’re still wearing the uniform.”

Amity stared at him for a moment before beginning to chuckle, which quickly became hysterical laughter.

She was stressed out about her mother twisting another individual into the worst version of themselves and how Percy shook her understanding of how society worked, yet his biggest concern was the fact she wore her uniform outside of school hours.

It was absurd.

“Why are you laughing?” Percy exclaimed. “It’s a genuine question!”

Amity laughed harder.

After a few moments, she stopped, feeling slightly less anxious about the situation overall.

Schooling her features Amity looked at a confused Percy.

“Let’s go, we don’t want to be late for meeting my mother.”

Percy crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance.

“Are you going to answer my question?”

Despite the still looming meeting with her mother, Amity found herself smiling. The bizarreness of the boy standing across from her momentarily cut through her anxiety.

“I’ll think about it.”

Percy threw his head back and groaned.

“That’s barely an answer!”

“It’s the only answer you’re going to get.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Thank you for joining me today,” Odalia said with a wide smile. “I promise this meeting will be worth your time.”

Amity clutched her teacup with shaky hands.

Any relief she’d felt during the walk to her mother’s office had evaporated the moment they had stepped inside.

Amity glanced to her left to see the calm and collected face of Percy, a far cry from his expressiveness in the hall.

“Of course Mrs. Blight,” Percy replied coolly. “It’s an honor to have a chance to sit down and talk with someone as prestigious as yourself.”

Amity watched as a satisfied expression came across her mother’s face.

“Oh please,” Odalia waved her hand in faux bashfullness. “Mrs. Blight is for my employees, you may call me Odalia.”

Amity suppressed a scoff. She’d seen her mother do the same thing dozens of times over, this time was no different.

“Well then, what did you want to discuss with me Odalia?” Percy said her mother’s name as if it were something particularly unpleasant.

Amity’s brows furrowed. What did Percy have against her mother? There were many reasons to dislike her, but none that he would know at the moment.

If her mother noticed, she didn’t say anything.

“Footage of your duel with my daughter last week has been making its way around,” Odalia reached into a drawer in her desk and pulled out a familiar crystal ball, once again displaying their duel. “And I must say, I am very impressed.”

Amity noticed Percy’s eyes narrow for a brief moment.

“Her less than steller performance aside,” Amity shrank into her chair. “Your control over your magic and ability to manipulate abominations is something that should be nurtured.”

Percy said nothing for a moment, but Amity saw his jaw clench and unclench several times as he seemed to think.

“Thank you for your kind words, but me manipulating Amity’s abomination was out of desperation. I would have lost If it didn’t work, but luckily, it did.”

Amity resisted the urge to stare at him.

She knew he was well aware he didn’t win due to luck. Why was he saying otherwise?

Odalia’s ever-present smile tightened for a second before returning to normal.

“Be that as it may, you have talent and it would be a waste to not develop that talent,” Odalia reached into her desk again and pulled out a piece of paper that she slid across the desk to Percy.

Amity recognized the paper. It was an ad highlighting the various ‘benefits’ of being tutored by the Blight Family. If half of the things on the list applied to her, she might not be as scared of her mother as she was.

Percy picked up the paper and read over it for a few seconds before setting it down and looking up at her mother.

“What’s in it for you?”

Amity inhaled suddenly.

She’d been forced to sit on similar meetings several times and not once had she heard someone ask her mother that question.

Amity glanced over to Percy and was surprised by how serious he looked. She felt, for absolutely no reason at all, he might reject her mother's offer. It was a thought that made her feel lighter.

Odalia made a show of shrugging and looking as if she hadn’t considered the question.

“I suppose it would look good for my company if I were to mentor one of the most promising witches in a long time,” Odalia said. “But I assure you that you will get far more out of this opportunity than I will.”

Percy stared at her mother, his expression one Amity couldn’t decipher. After a few moments of tense silence, a wide smile spread across his face.

“In that case, I would be a fool to reject such a generous offer.” He said happily, causing Amity’s stomach to drop.

She thought he’d refuse, thought he’d be the first to avoid her mother’s claws.

Now she had to watch another person lose themself.

Gripping her cup hard enough that she feared it would crack, Amity was forced to watch a predatory grin come across her mother’s face.

“Perfect!” Odalia exclaimed, making no effort to hide her excitement. “We can work out the details later and we’ll need to figure out a way for us to contact each other. I assume you don’t have a scroll.”

“Oh don’t worry about that, I’m at the market most days,” Percy said, waving off her concern. “Just send Amity when you two are available.”

Amity recoiled slightly at the same time her mother’s smile dropped.

“Why would you need us both to be available?” Odalia asked. “She doesn’t need to be present for your instruction.”

Percy developed an expression of innocent confusion.

“Well, I assumed she’d be training with me. The pamphlet does say I was being offered the opportunity to learn from the Blight Family. Is she not part of the family?”

Amity had to prevent herself from voicing her confusion. What was he doing?

“Well, uh,” Odalia sputtered before quickly regaining her composure, “You have already beat her and proved you are superior, I don’t see why you’d want to work with her.”
“Like I said previously, I got lucky,” Percy countered. “I’m sure she still has loads she could teach me.”

Amity had no idea what Percy was trying to accomplish, but seeing her mother off balance brought her immense joy.

“Anything she could teach you my husband knows and he could-”

‘I’d prefer to work with someone my age and I don’t take up any more of your family’s precious time than absolutely necessary,” Percy cut Odalia off with a smile. “Plus Amity working with ‘one of the most promising witches’ is sure to help her get stronger. That might make this opportunity a bit more beneficial for you.”

Odalia said nothing for several moments, her face twitching the entire time. Eventually, she composed herself and smiled, a smile that Amity could tell was forced.

“Very well then,” Her voice sounded strained. “Amity why don’t you take him to your room, I have some work to do.”

Amity was barely able to contain her smile.

“Yes mother,” For the first time in forever, she was glad to say those words. “Let’s go Percy.”

Percy nodded and stood up.

“Thank you very much Odalia, I can’t wait to start working with your family.”

Percy stuck his hand out toward her mother.

Odalia took his hand and shook it, failing to hide her grimace as she did.

“I promise you won’t regret giving me this chance,” Percy said with a victorious smile. “I have some much to learn from all of you.”

Amity had noticed that her mother stood a few inches taller than Percy but as she watched them shake hands, her mother had never seemed smaller.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“So are you going to answer my question?” Percy asked as soon as they’d made it to her room.

Amity rolled her eyes.

“After that whole encounter, that’s what’s at the front of your mind?”
Percy set his bag down and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You said you'd tell me after the meeting.”

“I said I would think about it.”

“And?”

“I’m still thinking.”

Percy threw his arms up and groaned.

“Come on!”

Amity watched him act like a child, shaking her head the entire time.

How had this boy, who was currently kicking her carpet, outmaneuvered her mother?

Sure he still agreed to be taught by her, but Amity knew that the conversation hadn’t gone her mother's way.

“I’ll tell you,” Amity said suddenly, causing Percy’s face to light up. “As long as you answer some of my questions first.”

“That is hardly fair!” Percy countered. “I only have one and you want to ask me several.”

Amity shrugged.

“That’s the deal.”

Percy kicked her carpet one last time before sighing in defeat.

“Fine, ask away.”

Amity smiled to herself. Finally, a chance to get some answers.

“What was that in the meeting?”

Percy gave her a weird look and tilted his head to the side.

“What do you mean?”

“How did you play her like that?” Amity gestured to the door. “I have sat in on meetings just like that countless times, and every time the person took the offer without any questions. And that's not counting everything else,” Amity started counting on her fingers. “Your obvious dislike of my mother, your insistence on chalking your win up to luck, your adamance on having me be a part of your training,” Amity brought her shoulders up and pointed toward Percy with open hands. “Nothing you did made any sense.”

Percy stared at her blankly for a moment before chuckling softly.

“Gods that was a lot, but I guess I’ll start from the top,” Percy dropped to the ground, crossed his legs, and leaned back on his hands. “First off, I knew what she wanted before I went into the meeting.”

“How?” Amity asked as he joined him in sitting on the ground.

“Did you seriously think I wouldn’t ask around about your mother after you invited me?” Percy asked. “I’ve been here for three weeks and I don’t really know who anybody is. Not asking around would be dumb.”

“That makes some sense,” Amity said. “But that doesn’t explain how you played her.”

“I’ve been dealing with people like her for years,” Percy replied, his head back and pointed toward the ceiling.”Compared to them, your mother is a horrible manipulator. Anybody with a grain of common sense could see she obviously wanted something from me. Getting what I wanted was as easy as telling her what she wanted to hear.”

“But you didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear,” Amity argued. “She didn’t want me there, but you kept pushing.”

“I already accepted her offer at that point,” He countered. “How bad would it look for her to retract an offer because she didn’t want her daughter involved? Who would want to work with a company that has an owner that doesn’t like their own kid?”

Amity opened her mouth to say something but closed it after a second. He had a point.

“Fine, but why did you want to train with me? You beat me easily and we both know it would have been even quicker if I wasn’t forced to cheat.” Amity said, wincing slightly at the memory of her unwilling deception.

“I still feel like there is a lot I could learn from you and like I said, you could also get a lot out of it,” Percy pushed himself off his hands and looked at her directly. “And I wouldn’t say I beat you easily. Sure I was getting plenty of hits off, but you only had to hit me once with that weird goo monster, which you did.”

“Abomination,” Amity corrected instinctively before refocusing. “Even when I trapped you, you got out almost instantly!”

Percy shrugged.

“Like I said in the meeting with your mother, I got lucky. I didn’t know I could do that.”

Amity looked to the ground with a thoughtful expression.

She knew that he knew his win wasn’t luck. His demeanor before and during the duel didn’t belong to some desperately trying to win, but to some who knew what they were doing.

Everything he said helped paint a picture of who he was. Unfortunately for Amity, it was a confusing picture she couldn’t decipher.

“Three more questions,” She said after a few moments.

“Come on,” He said under his breath before sighing in defeat. “Fire away.”

“Why don’t you like my mother and why did you accept my invitation? I know you were about to refuse so what changed?”

“What’s the third question?”

“I’ll ask after you answer the first two,” Amity said quickly. “It’s not as important.”

“Fine then, be that way,” Percy grumbled. “I thought it was pretty obvious why I don’t like Odalia.”

“It was not.”

“She’s greedy and she put you down for no reason,” Percy said, his tone venomous. “Parents are supposed to support you, not make you feel bad for things out of your control!” Percy slammed his fist on the ground. “Any parent who does that is bad.”

Amity was slightly shocked by his outburst. Of all the emotions she’d seen him express, anger was not one of them.

“Sorry about that, I just, uh,” He stopped and took a deep breath. “I’ve dealt with a lot of bad parents and your mother reminded me of them.”

“It’s fine,” Amity said quickly. “I don’t hate the fact that you don’t like her.

“That makes me feel better,” Percy replied with a smile. “What was your other question? I want to keep this interview rolling.”

“It has become an interview hasn’t it,” Amity chuckled lightly. “My other question was why you changed your mind about coming.”

Percy suddenly started looking around the room nervously.

“What do you mean? I didn’t change my mind at all.”

Amity stared at him with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t believe you,” She said bluntly. “Spill.”

Percy’s shoulders dropped.

“I accepted because it looked like you were asking for help.”

Amity recoiled as a look of confusion came across her face.

“What?” She exclaimed. “Why would you think that?”

Percy shifted uncomfortably.

“You had this look of desperation in your eye-”

“I was desperate for you to reject my invitation,” Amity cut him off. “I’m not some damsel in distress that needs saving.” Amity looked at the ground. “Blights solve their own problems.”

“I don’t think you can’t solve your own problems,” Percy said hesitantly after a few moments of silence. “When you looked at me you just, you reminded me of someone I failed to-”

Percy stopped talking and took a deep breath.

“Everyone needs help Amity,” Percy’s voice was full of conviction. “Nobody can do everything by themselves.”

Amity looked at Percy trying to piece together exactly who he was.

He seemed to care about her situation far more than he should, especially since he’d barely interacted with her. And his justification for caring was flimsy at best.

Nothing about him made much sense, but she figured she would learn more when they trained together, a prospect she was becoming excited about.

“Agree to disagree,” Amity replied quickly, a faint smile on her lips. “I’m still not happy you chose to accept, but if your reasoning makes sense to you, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“But I’m guessing you don’t accept my reasoning?”

Amity shook her head.

“No, it barely makes sense to me. I still think I don’t need your help, but like I said, there is nothing I can do about it now.”

“Fair enough,” Percy said with a huff. “What was your final question?”

Amity gestured to the bag he’d brought.

“What’s with the bag?”

Percy picked it up and pointed to it with a look of confusion.

“This?” Amity nodded. “It’s just a change of clothes and like a toothbrush. I figured we're probably gonna finish the ritual pretty late and I’ve learned it’s not the best idea to wander around the woods at night,” Percy set the bag down and gave Amity a serious look. “Are you finally going to answer my question?”

Amity smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Yes I own different clothes, it's just more convenient for me to wear my uniform most of the time.”

“How?”

“Street vendors won’t harass you as much if they know you’re a student,” Amity said with a shrug.

“That makes sense I guess,” Percy replied simply. “Can I ask one more question?”

“What?”

“Who else is coming, like am I going to be the only dude?”

Amity smiled smugly.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Amity watched with no small amount of amusement as Percy dramatically threw himself back so he was lying down completely, before flinging his arms in the air in what she could only assume was a display of frustration.

“COME ON!”

--------------------------------------------------------------

“And if I find a single thing broken, I’ll-”

“Make me clean the house top to bottom, I know,” Luz said tiredly, cutting Eda off. “You’ve repeated the rules to us like eighty times already. We understand.”

Eda huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“You better,” Eda replied, making an effort to meet the eyes of all three of the teens in the room. “I shouldn’t be more than a few hours. When you’re done animating your doll or whatever, make sure you tidy up.”

Luz threw her head back and groaned.

“We know. Go to the market, we’ll be fine.”

“Fine,” Eda said as she walked to the front door. “Hooty, you’re on security.”

“Anything that comes close will fear my wrath!”

“Good.”

“Bye Eda! Hope you find your potions!” Luz called out as the door shut.

Finally, out of the house, Eda let out a sigh.

Letting Luz host the conjuring at her house was one of the last things she wanted to do. Her reasoning went beyond not wanting her stuff broken, though admittedly that was a large part.

Her house was on the edge of town for a reason, the same reason she rarely had visitors and did the majority of her work out of her backyard.

It provided safety for her, and more recently, Percy and Luz.

Safety that was compromised when she had strangers in her house and she wasn’t there to watch over them.

“Why’d I let him talk me into it,” Eda muttered under her breath as she summoned and mounted her staff.

Pushing off, Eda made her way to a comfortable flight altitude before opening her cloak and poking at the limp body hanging from her chest.

“We’re away from the house, you can stop pretending now,” Eda said to the ‘asleep’ King fastened to her torso.

“Thank Titan,” King responded after a moment as he stretched the best he could. “I thought you’d never stop going over your rules.”

Eda clicked her tongue in annoyance and lightly swatted King’s forehead, ignoring his cry of indignation.

“If you had such a problem with it, why didn’t you speak up,” Eda snarked. “Your input would have been much appreciated.”

“And deal with Luz making weird baby faces at me because I’m in my royal harness, no thank you.”

Eda rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Good, The King of Demons is not meant to be in the air,” King said with his usual tone of superiority before becoming more serious. “Eda, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What’s up?”

“Have you noticed anything weird about Percy?”

“What do you mean?” Eda replied with furrowed brows

“There are just some things that feel kinda off about him,” King said, his voice quiet. “I can’t really explain what though.”

“Could you give some examples?”

Eda looked down at King with an expression of worry. He’d always seemed excited to hang out with Percy and Luz, never indicating that anything was wrong.

“Well he told me all about the demons of the human realm,” King said quickly. “But when I asked Luz about them, she said they were mostly made up.”

“A lot of human realm myths come from here so that kinda makes sense.”

King shook his head.

“Most of the ones he talks about are nothing like our demons, and as a demon expert, I should now,” King shot back. “Plus the way Percy talks about them is personal, like he’s met them.”

“That’s kinda odd, but then again, have you met Percy?”
‘“It’s not just that,” King looked up at Eda the best he could. “During his duel with that girl, it felt almost,” King stopped for a moment, seemingly considering his next words. “It felt almost like his magic was grabbing me.”

“How does it normally feel?”

“With you feels like standing next to a fire,” King replied. “I can feel it, but that's about it.”

Eda frowned.

Every demon that resided in the Demon Realm was able to sense magic in some shape or form. Many believed it was developed for safety or a way for demons to determine the strength of those around them. It was typically stronger in bestial demons, but bipedal demons still had it to an extent.

The way King described Percy’s magic brought a thought she’d banished to the back of her mind to the front.

In all of the few confirmed accounts of Veilmire’s actions, witnesses described watching their opponents seem to get weaker while Veilmire seemed to grow stronger. Most scholars simply chalked it up to the ancient witch being considerably stronger than their enemies, but a few believed it was a hidden aspect of their so-called ‘Divine Magic’.

Unfortunately, for both sides of the debate, no one else in the three hundred or so years since Veilmire’s disappearance had displayed anything close to what was described. Leaving them to bicker about it endlessly.

A pit formed in Eda’s stomach as she replayed the duel in her head again and again.

“You ok Eda?” King asked suddenly, shaking Eda from her thoughts. “You went silent for a moment.”

Eda took a deep breath and looked down at King. Her thoughts of rediscovered ancient magic could wait until she was alone.

“Yeah, just thinking about something.”

“Bet it was Hexas Holdem.”

Eda swatted King’s head again.

“Shut up,” Eda grumbled. “Besides those two things, anything else weird?”

“No, other than what I said, he’s nice and a very good student,” King said. “Though that might be because I’m such a good teacher.”

Eda shook her head with a smile.

Even with everything on her mind, she never would find King; 's unearned confidence not endearing.

“I’m sure you are.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Yes Mom I’m going to a Moonlight Conjuring, no Mom I’m not getting into any trouble, and yes I am annoyed you keep calling.”

Boscha released the crow phone with a frustrated sigh, ending the conversation before her Mom could respond.

“I don’t know why she feels the need to check up on me every five minutes,” Boscha mumbled under her breath. “I’ve made this trip dozens of times.”

Her Mom’s tendency to fret over her whenever she ventured far enough from the house was something that bothered Boscha to no end, it was also something made worse by the fact her Mom’s worry for her safety never seemed to manifest concerning her Mother’s actions.

“It’s too early in the evening to be emotionally drained,” Boscha said to herself. “Especially in he’s going to be there.”

The news that Percy, she’d finally got his name, would be attending Amity’s Moonlight Conjuring party had initially filled Boscha with dread. He was the cause of the majority of her most recent emotional turmoil, and he did it without giving up his name or saying much. The reveal he was actually a capable witch able to beat the likes of Amity had eased her shame of appearing vulnerable in front of an inferior, but it still didn’t sit right with her.

Boscha shook her head before she could start spiraling. In an effort to distract herself, she stopped walking and opened her duffel back to take stock of everything in it. She’d been in a rush to get out of the house and hadn’t taken the time to double-check if she’d packed everything.

Her change of clothes and toothbrush were where she remembered putting them, but the things she was most worried about were the several vials of liquid and the small stuffed animal.

The vials were filled with a highly potent, nearly illegal, healing potion she was tasked with bringing to Amity’s mother. She didn’t really understand the deal her mother had with Amity’s mother, but she knew not to ask questions.

The stuffed animal was something else entirely. It was about the size of her forearm and shaped like one of the many demons that roamed the wilderness of the Boiling Isles.

It had been a birthday gift from her mother, given to her when she turned four, and for a long time, it had also been one of her most prized possessions.

Whenever Boscha felt her Mother was overly harsh or after a particularly intense ‘lecture’, she would hold on to the toy and remind herself that everything her Mother did was to help her reach her full potential.

Looking at it now, Boscha felt empty.

After her initial conversation with Percy had turned her view of her relationships on its head, the stuffed animal lost all of the comfort it provided her. She could now see what it really was.

A children’s toy she’d held on to for far too long.

Its fur had long lost its softness and the standard protective spell put on toys had become diluted allowing for a tear in its chest that would leak stuffing from time to time. One of its eyes was gone and the entire body was smushed weirdly, a result of being squashed and pulled every which way over the years.

It was ugly and the perfect thing to animate for a few short minutes using Moon Magic.

“I really need to stop thinking about sad stuff,” Boscha grumbled as she zipped her bag up, preparing to finish walking to Amity’s.

However, before she could start moving, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Just over a hill was a house, one she hadn’t seen before during the numerous other times she’d walked to Amity’s house. Magic could make the process of building a house go by faster, but not fast enough for her to not have noticed it.

As she stared at the house in confusion, Boscha heard shuffling and what sounded like hushed voices.

“Hey, h-hey you, you should uh, stop being so mean to people,” A voice originating from the house said. “You’re kinda a jerk.”

“What the-” Boscha muttered.

She didn’t recognize the voice and was hardly in the mood to deal with it.

“I don’t have the time for this right now,” Boscha said in response. “I’ll just TP you like I did with the rest of the neighborhood.”

“But don’t you see, I am no mere house!” The voice shouted in response before the entire house rose into the air, its weight supported by what appeared to be chicken legs. “Raough!”

Boscha, having just seen a house come to life, did the only reasonable thing and ran away screaming, her mind not registering the sound of laughter as she fled.

She didn’t stop running until she found herself at Amity’s doorstep.

As Boscha stood there, attempting to catch her breath, only one thought was on her mind.

“It’s going to be a long night.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Luz laughed with Willow and Gus as they watched Boscha run away screaming.

At first, they thought she wouldn’t notice them, but once she did, Luz knew they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to prank her.

“I’ve never pranked anyone before,” Gus said excitedly from next to her. “And now I have a taste for it.

“We should follow her to Amity’s house to show off our conjuring,” Willow added with just as much excitement. “That’ll show her who’s got no talent.”

Luz glanced toward the sky, noticing its slow but steady descent.

“Actually, I’m starting to think we should head back,” Luz replied gently. “We don’t want to make Eda made.”

Eda had given her permission to host the conjuring, not animate the house and take it for a joyride.

“Amity just updated her Penstagram!” Gus exclaimed suddenly as he showed Luz his scroll.

It was a picture of Amity surrounded by her friends and beneath was a caption telling humans to ‘bite it’.

It was rude and uncalled for, but what stood out to Luz the most was that in the corner of the picture was Percy looking thoroughly miserable.

“That’s mean sure, but I still think we should go back,” Luz said hesitantly. “Plus Percy looks unhappy and I don’t want to make his night worse.”

“All the more reason to show off!” Willow snapped back heatedly. “Let’s show him he chose the wrong people to spend his time with.”

Luz winced slightly.

When she’d told her friends that Percy was attending Amity’s Conjuring party, Willow didn’t take the news well. Luz understood, and she reacted in a similar way, but she also trusted that Percy knew what he was doing, even if she didn’t like it.

“I’m not happy about it either, but I trust Percy,” Luz said in a placating manner. “So let’s just go back before the moon sets fully.”

Willow glared at the ground for a moment, before sighing and visibly deflating.

“Fine.”

“Thank you,” Luz said before smiling widely. “The night’s still young. Maybe we can find Gus a bucket to mess around with.”

“Ooooh, I am liking where this fun wagon is going,” Gus replied happily. “After that, we can hide in the bushes again.”

Willow chuckled lightly, brightening up a bit.

“We didn’t have to hide in the bushes in the first place, you did that by yourself.”

Luz watched her two friends banter, happy her first sleepover was turning out to be a success.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“I regret my life decisions,” Percy muttered as he watched Amity’s friends talk loudly about something that didn’t interest him.

He had enjoyed talking with Amity before her friends arrived, her snark a surprisingly pleasant break from Luz’s optimism. He loved his sister, but no one could be that happy. Working with her in the future would definitely be interesting.

Her friends, however, were a different story.

Kat and Amelia were pleasant enough, if a little bland. They didn’t say much and seemed happy to hang out around the edges of the room. Percy wanted to get to know them better, but he also knew that unless they initiated it, he probably wouldn’t

Skara was someone he could see himself becoming friends with. She was friendly and the fact she was an upcoming bard reminded him of the children of Apollo. Within the first few moments of her entering the room, she’d greeted him with a smile and asked him about all his favorite things. She was a follower from what Percy could tell, looking toward Amity or Boscha to tell her what to do, though she still seemed to hold herself with confidence.

“Can you guys stop babbling about whatever it is you’re talking about,” Boscha said loudly opposite where Percy was situated. “I have a Grudgby clip I want you three to see.”

Percy shook his head at the three-eyed girl’s tone.

Boscha was the one he knew the most about, and what he did know painted a picture he wasn’t too happy to be looking at.

He learned by asking Willow and Gus that she was a bully who threw her athletic prowess and family’s status around to get away with whatever she wanted. And from his own interactions with her, he knew her ego was fragile and her home situation was complicated.

A frown made its way onto Percy’s face.

He understood having an unpleasant home situation. His Mom, while doing everything in her power to make sure he was happy, was unable to fully shield him from the effects of living with Gabe. The conversations he had with the man when his Mom had to work late still hung in the back of his mind.

Percy could sympathize with Boscha and her situation to some extent, but he couldn’t excuse her actions in any way. Her situation may have been an explanation, but it by no means justified her actions.

“Hey, Percy!” A voice called, prompting him to look up and see Skara waving at him. “You’re not gonna spend the whole night in the corner are you?”

Despite the negative nature of his thoughts, Percy couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s affability.

“So what we talking about?” He asked as he came up on the group. “I was having a grand ‘ole time in my corner so I hope it’s interesting.”

Skara smiled up at him as Amity huffed in what he hoped was amusement.

“Boscha is showing us clips from her latest Grudgby tournament,” Skara said happily as she shoved her scroll in his face. Don’t you think she looks cool?”

Percy pulled his head back to see a video of Boscha playing on the scroll. He didn’t recognize the sport she was playing, but he could see the confidence and technique in the way she moved. It was impressive, and he was sure it would be even more impressive if he had any idea what was happening.

“I have no clue what she is doing, but I do agree she looks cool,” Percy replied, causing eyes of the Skara, Kat, and Amelia to widen.

“How do you not know what Grudgby is?!” Kat exclaimed suddenly, making Percy flinch at the noise. “It’s the most popular sport on the Boiling Isles!”

“I grew up in the Human Realm, we had different sports.”

“WHAT!” Everyone but Amity shouted, making Percy flinch again.

“You’re human?” Boscha said, her voice tinged with panic.

Percy’s eyebrows rose slightly. Boscha had so far been ignoring his presence and he assumed she would do so for the entire evening.

“Half human, my dad was a witch,” Percy replied. “I don’t know why you’re all surprised, I assumed Amity would have told you by now.”

Percy looked over to where Amity stood and noticed the smug look on her face.

“Must’ve slipped my mind,” She said with a smirk.

“You jerk,” Percy muttered as he felt a hand grab his shoulder and force him to turn.

“You’re half human?!” Boscha exclaimed, her voice shaly and face close to his.

“I already said I was,” He said as he removed Boscha’s hand from his shoulder. “I don’t know why that's so surprising.”

Percy knew that was a lie. He was fully aware of why they were surprised, but it was easier to keep his cover if he played dumb.

“Because you beat Amity,” Amelia said, causing Amity to curl into herself. “And she’s one of the strongest witches our age.”

Percy winced at Amity’s reaction. He had, foolishly apparently, hoped nobody would mention the results of the duel. He hated how everyone seemed insistent on reminding her of her loss. Even if Odalia was perfect in every other way, he would dislike her for putting Amity down.

“I got lucky in that duel.”

“But-”

“Can we just stop talking about it?” Percy said firmly. “Don’t we have a ritual to do or something?”

An awkward silence filled the room as everyone shifted uncomfortably in their places.

Percy sighed as his shoulders dropped. Leave it to him to ruin the mood.

After a few moments, somebody broke the silence by coughing.

“I got the book outlining the steps,” Skara said, her bag hanging from her hands. “It’s not hard at all.”

Percy nodded at the girl, receiving a smile in return. He definitely wanted to be friends with her.

Over the next few minutes everyone but Percy went about setting up for the ritual, each person seemingly having brought a different necessary item. Eventually, Percy found himself seated between Amity, and oddly enough, Boscha in a circle holding hands. In the center of the circle were several candles and a small, rough-looking stuffed animal.

“Now time for the chant,” Amity said. “Hopefully, you all remember it.”

Percy nodded. He remembered about half of it. Hopefully, it would be enough.

“Moonlight, we call, we sing. Moonlight, take this chance,” The group chanted, their bodies beginning to glow a pale blue. “Moonlight, come tie the string. Moonlight, start the dance!”

As soon as the chant ended, the stuffed animal started glowing brightly before flashing and forcing Percy to close his eyes.

“Are you kidding me,” Percy mumbled under his breath as he let go of Boscha and Amity’s hands to rub his eyes. “That felt like the moon just being a jerk.”

Looking around Percy saw the other participants of the ritual reacting similarly. He felt a brief pang of sympathy as he saw Boscha cover her third eye with a grimace.

“I guess we failed yet again,” The voice of Amelia said, drawing Percy’s attention to the stuffed animal.
It sat there unmoving, but for some reason, Percy felt he needed to watch it.

“It doesn’t matter,” Boscha replied, her voice laced with discomfort. “It’s just a dumb doll. Did we even want to see it move?”

The conversation between the girls faded to static as Percy continued to watch the toy.

It sat there unmoving, but Percy knew he needed to watch it.

“Why are you just staring at the toy?

Percy turned to the voice, but as soon as he looked away from the toy, his stomach dropped.

Before he could think, he jumped up and tackled the person who spoke to him to the ground just as something flew over his head.

Grabbing his pen out of his pocket and flicking the cap off as fast as he could, Percy instinctively brought Riptide up just in time to block a clawed paw.

“RUN!” Percy yelled out as he pushed himself off whoever he had tackled. “GET HELP!”

In response most of the girls started screaming and whoever was under scrambled to their feet to get away.

Ignoring the noise, Percy turned his attention to the creature, it having leaped back after its attack failed. It was one of the most ugly things he’d ever seen.

The creature had a head that seemed cat-like with rabbit ears. Its size was comparable to a Hellhound. It should have been menacing, but the creature looked wrong.

It was missing an eye, with the remaining one glowing blue. There was a small hole in its chest that dripped black liquid and the muscles on its body were unevenly distributed, making it appear crooked. The worst part to Percy though, was the way its breaths sounded, as if it were on the brink of death but refused to die.

It was pathetic, but it was still a threat.

Drawing a spell circle with his free hand, Percy shot a bolt of lightning at the creature before growling in frustration when it seemed to do nothing but push it back.
“Of course that did nothing,” Percy grumbled. “That would be too easy.”

Without wasting another moment, Percy ran toward the creature, noticing something worrying along the way. Despite being the one who attacked it, the creature’s attention wasn’t on Percy. Following its gaze, he saw that it was watching Boscha who stood by the door with the other girls struggling to open it.

Seeing the creature’s muscles tense, Percy covered the last bit of distance with a lunge as he swung his sword at its side.

Unfortunately for Percy, the universe hated him.

Instead of cutting through the creature's body like he’d expected, his blade bounced off harmlessly attracting the creature’s attention just long enough for it to backhand Percy, launching him toward a wall and knocking the wind out of him.

“GAH!” Percy exclaimed as he hit the wall, his sword slipping out of his hand with the impact.

Percy coughed violently as he looked up, his vision swimming and blurry. He could barely make out the form of the creature stalking towards the girls who were desperately throwing spells.

He had to move.

The creature was moving slowly, seemingly enjoying the hunt, but Percy knew he didn’t have much time.

Taking a deep breath, Percy pushed himself off the ground, ignoring the way his body screamed in protest, and grabbed Riptide.

He had to think of something. It was immune to magic and Riptide did nothing. Racking his brain, Percy recalled his fight with the Nemean Lion, and how while its skin was impervious, its insides were not.

“The hole,” Percy said ran to the creature, his stomach painfully flaring with each step.

Ten feet from the girls, he saw the creature’s muscles tense once again as it prepared to strike, its eyes locked on the shaking form of Boscha.

He was out of time.

‘Come on!’ Percy yelled, making one last push. ‘You can’t not make it!’

Arriving just as the creature’s paw fell, Percy drove his sword toward the creature’s chest, the feeling of Riptide sinking through flesh telling him his aim was true.

He’d made it!

Half a second later searing pain exploded across his chest.

Through rapidly darkening vision, Percy looked down to see three large tears in his shirt, the edges of the fabric quickly turning red.

‘That hurts,’ He thought, his brain tuning out the panicked shouts of the girls behind him.

Percy had often made fun of the characters in Luz’s books and the way they passed out instantly after receiving an injury. He would say it was unrealistic before dodging her questions about how he knew. It was amusing at the time, but all he could think at the moment was that her books may have had some merit.

As his vision darkened completely and the distant voice became too far to hear at all, Percy wished he could apologize to his sister.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Boscha wanted to vomit.

One moment she’d asked Percy why he was staring at a toy and the next he was lying in front of her with a sword in his hand and bleeding profusely.

She was about to die.

She was very aware of that fact.

But Percy, the same infuriating boy who’d turned her world on its head, saved her.

She needed to act.

“A-Amelia,” Boscha said suddenly, her voice shaky. “I have some healing potions in my bag, grab them as fast as you can. “Amity, go get your parents. Skara go with her.” The girls nodded and ran off to do as they were told. “Cat, help me open his shirt and cast a diagnostic spell.”

Boscha knew she was moments from breaking down, and she knew her friends were too, but that wasn’t an option.

Cat shakily drew a spell circle causing Percy's shirt to disappear and reveal his chest.

Boscha nearly threw up.

The middle was a mixture of dark red and an ugly purple. Starting at his left shoulder and ending just above the right side of his stomach were three large gashes, blood seeping out of them at a slow but steady pace. They weren’t life-threatening at the moment, but if not treated, would lead to him bleeding out. Already Boscha could see the paleness of his skin.

“Cat, status.”

“H-he has several broken ribs,” Cat said, nearly choking on her words. “The cuts aren’t v-very deep, but should be treated as soon as possible.”

Boscha nodded, a small amount of relief flooding her body.

“Amelia, hurry up with those potions!”

The green-haired girl came running with the glass bottles in her arms, nearly tripping in her panic.

“Here,” Amelia said as she shoved a potion into Boscha's outstretched hand.

Boscha uncorked the bottle, lifted Percy’s head, and shoved it in his mouth. She grabbed another bottle from Amelia and started pouring the dark red liquid on his open wounds, wincing at the hissing noise made as the potion flooded his cuts.

Her mother warned her to only use healing potions antiseptically when absolutely necessary, and at the moment she felt it was necessary.

Boscha watched intently as the potions took effect. The bruises faded slowly as the gashes started to close.

He would need more medical attention, but for the moment he was safe.

The rest of the night was a blur.

Amity’s parents arrived with a healer who, after chastizing Boscha for pouring the potion directly on his skin, moved Percy out of Amity’s room and finished healing his wounds. In the end, all that was left were three long, pink scars.

Skara, Amelia, and Cat all went home, summoned by panicked parents. When Boscha called her Mother, she was told it would be more convenient if she remained at Amity’s house for the evening.

She hung up as soon as her Mother started complaining about the potions she’d ‘wasted’.

After all the commotion had died down, Boscha found herself sitting against the wall staring at the sleeping form of Percy, the only light coming from the crack under the door.

The night started fine. She got to see her friends and did her best to ignore Percy’s presence. It had been successful for the most part, but the entire time she felt him watching her. When she dared to look at him out of the side of her eye, she saw him frowning as if she’d personally disappointed him.

It felt bad. She wasn’t sure why.

Things started going downhill as soon as Skara called him over.

She knew beforehand that her friend was somewhat interested in befriending Percy, but she was still caught off guard by the warmness she displayed in his presence. She knew Skara was a generally happy person, but she seemed more so when she talked with Percy.

It felt bad. She wasn’t sure why.

The final straw, at least before the creature, was the reveal Percy was half-human.

He’d caused her countless nights of lost sleep, made her cry in his presence, forced her to admit something to herself that she’d been avoiding for years, beat Amity without trying, and the entire time he’d been half-human.

Unlike Willow, he was a true ‘Half-a-Witch’, yet he made her feel powerless.

Boscha looked over to where her old stuffed animal lay, her eyes latching on to the new hole in its back.

During the frenzy of healing Percy and her friends going home, they’d managed to piece together where the creature had come from. In exceedingly rare scenarios, Moonlight Conjurings could become Moonlight Manifestations if the witches performing the ritual were strong enough.

Boscha knew that neither she nor her friends were responsible for the Manifestation. The responsibility fell to the one sleeping across from her.

“You doing okay?” A voice said suddenly, causing Boscha to break from her stupor and look up.

Amity stood in front of her, but her eyes were fixed on Percy, worry written across her face.

“Hm,” Boscha found her voice failing her at the moment.

Amity moved to sit next to her, before scooting to the side a bit, leaving a significant amount of space between them.
“The healer said he should be mostly healed by the morning,” Amity said before pausing for a moment. “I know you’re worried about him.”

Boscha could hear the hesitancy in Amity’s voice, as if her being worried for someone was a foreign concept.

“I am,” Boscha said quietly. “Thank you”

Surprise flashed across Amity's face before she schooled her features and nodded.

It felt bad. Boscha knew why

As the creature’s paw descended to strike her, Boscha’s life flashed before her eyes. Every interaction, good and bad, she’d ever had with another person raced across her mind in an instant.

The ones with those she deemed below her meant nothing, but the ones with the people she claimed to be her closest friends, the ones she truly wanted to interact with, left her with the now familiar feeling of emptiness.

“Amity,” Boscha said weakly. “Can I ask you a question?”

Amity didn’t say anything, but Boscha saw her nod.

“Am I a bad pers-” Boscha swallowed hard and took a shaky breath. “Am I a bad friend?”

The silence that followed her question was deafening and the space between her and Amity suddenly felt unbearably wide.

“Do you want me to answer honestly?”

Boscha felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes.

“If our parents didn’t want us to be friends, would we?”

Amity didn’t respond.

Boscha brought he legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees.

She heard Amity get up and leave without saying a word, leaving her in the darkness.

The tears flowed freely. There was no audience to witness her.

Nobody but him.
“What a surprise,” Boscha muttered spitefully. “Every time I see you, I end up crying.”

Pushing herself off the wall and standing up, Boscha made her way to where Percy lay, glaring at his motionless body the entire way.

“Who gave you the right to ruin my life,” Boscha whispered venomously. “My life was perfect! I hate y-”

Boscha’s words died in her throat.

She wanted so desperately to hate Percy, but she couldn’t.

He’d done nothing wrong, and despite how rude she’d been, he saved her life.

How could she hate him?

Boscha dropped to the floor and lay beside him, the mental and emotional toll of the day finally catching up to her.

As she drifted to sleep, Boscha gazed at the boy you’d saved her, her attention fully on the look of peace on his face as he slept.

It made her feel good. She wasn’t sure why.

--------------------------------------------------------------

When Percy woke up, the first thing he noticed was how sore he was.

The second was that Boscha was asleep on the ground next to him.

The first thing was easily explainable. The events of the night before were still fresh in his mind. Looking down at his chest revealed he was fully healed, the pinkness of his new scars popping against his tanned skin.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Luz would not be happy.

The second thing, his surprise roommate was not as easily explained. He knew he technically saved her life, but falling asleep next to him was, as far as he could tell, wildly out of character for Boscha.

What also seemed out of character for the bossy girl was how peaceful she looked as she slept. It almost made her look like a normal and happy kid.

Percy found he preferred it when she looked like that.
Deciding he’d rather not be labeled a creep for staring in case she woke up, Percy got up from the sleeping pad and looked for his bag. He found it a moment later, sitting on the sill of a large window facing the backyard.

“Looks like they moved me,” He muttered to himself as he pulled a shirt from his bag and put it on.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Percy walked toward the door, intent on getting back to Luz as soon as possible.

As he left, he took one last look at Boscha, briefly deliberating whether to wake her or not, before deciding against it. He would have loved to find out what happened after he passed out, but he figured she needed as much sleep as she could get.

He quickly made his way to the front door of the mansion, somehow only managing to get lost once. But just as he moved to leave, a voice called out to him.

“Percy, I was just about to send someone to wake you,” He recognized the sickly sweet voice of Odalia. “I would like to speak with you briefly before you leave.”

Sighing deeply, Percy turned around and was greeted by Odalia and another woman he did not recognize. She was a tall woman with bright pink hair and three eyes, a trait that immediately gave him a good idea of who she might be.

“Hello, Percy. My name is Daysha Rose,” The tall woman said with a smile. “I am Boscha’s mother and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving our little flower.”

Percy stared at the woman through narrowed eyes. He instantly recognized her tone, it was the same one Odalia had used the day before.

“Our?”

“Yes,” Daysha replied quickly, a look of sadness coming onto her face. “Unfortunately my wife Isla was too distraught over what happened yesterday to join us. I spent the whole night consoling her. I would’ve come last night to retrieve Boscha, but I couldn’t leave my wife alone in such a state”

Percy’s gut told him she was lying. Her response seemed too perfect, too rehearsed.

Taking a moment to swallow his disgust, Percy gave Daysha a closed-lip smile.

“I completely understand,” The words burned his tongue. “It’s important to take care of our loved ones.”

“Of course,” Daysha responded, her plastic smile present once more. “Which is why it is important that you are rewarded for protecting our beloved daughter. My wife and I would love to have you over for dinner, it is truly the least we can do.”

Percy’s jaw tensed.

He didn’t like Boscha in the slightest, but the way her mother talked was setting alarm bells off in his head. The same alarm bells that went off when he met with Odalia. If her situation was similar the Amity’s, he knew he couldn’t not do something.

“It would be an honor.”

“Excellent. I’ll give you a few days to fully heal before sending out the invite. It was a pleasure to meet you.” Daysha bowed her head in his direction before turning to Odalia. “We can finish our conversation about your incomplete shipment when you return.”

Odalia waited until Daysha had fully left before looking toward Percy.

“My, you sure are making friends in high places.”

“Lucky me,” He was running out of energy to make his response sound sincere.

Percy saw the corner of Odalia’s mouth twitch downward. Apparently, he was running out faster than he thought.

“I too wanted to thank you for saving Daysha’s daughter yesterday. It would have been a PR nightmare and tragedy if a death were to occur on our property.”

Percy had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from cursing her out.

“It was nothing,” He was afraid his teeth would shatter if he clenched his jaw any harder. “I must be going, my sister is bound to be worried about me.”

“I’m sure she is,” Odaila replied, her tone indicating how little she cared. “I look forward to our first lesson.”

“As do I.”

As soon as Percy stepped out the front door and shut it behind him, he let out an exhausted sigh.

“Hopefully Luz won’t freak out too much.”

He was well aware his thinking was wishful.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Eda was in a good mood.

Morton had called in a few favors, allowing her to stock up on her potions. She had enough to last her at least a few weeks.

To make things even better, her student had managed to animate her entire house. Cleaning well into the early morning hadn’t been ideal, but the fact Luz had found good friends and enjoyed herself left her smiling.

The only way her mood could get better was if her other student-

“I’M HOME!”

Came back.

“How was your conjuring kid?” Eda asked. “Was it as lame as I predicted?”

The wide smile Percy had had since entering the house faltered for a brief moment.

“There was nothing lame about it. I got to rub elbows with the elites of Bonesborough. What could possibly be more fun.” Percy said sarcastically as he set his bag down. “How was your evening, find any good deals?”

Eda frowned slightly. Percy rarely passed up on an opportunity to rant about something he didn’t like. It was one of her favorite things about him.

“It was fine, I stocked up on potions and shouldn’t need to buy more for a while.”

“That's good,” He said before yawning in an overly dramatic manner. “I’m beat from last night, so I’m going to lie down for a few hours. I’ll see you later.”

Eda’s eyes narrowed. Something was up.

“Percy, are you alright?”

“I’m fine Eda, just a little tir-”

“PERCY!” A suddenly appearing Luz yelled gleefully. “I missed you!”

Luz ran up to Percy, and before he could stop her, hugged him tightly, causing Percy to inhale sharply and grimace

Immediately Luz let go and looked up at him.

“Are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine,” Percy replied through gritted teeth. “I just slept weirdly.”

Eda knew instantly he was lying. He slept on the floor every night, sleeping weirdly once wouldn’t elicit such a reaction.

“Percy lift your shirt.”

She knew there was a better way to go about it, but she needed to know.

“Eda, I’m fine. I-”

“Lift your shirt now, Percy.”

He stared at her as if trying to get her to back down. She matched his gaze, and eventually, he looked away.

“Can we do this later,” He sounded tired, far more so than she’d ever heard him sound. “Please?”

Eda shook her head.

“I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Percy looked to Luz and was met by her pleading face.

“Percy. Let us help.”

He stared at the ground for a moment, before sighing and finally pulling up his shirt.

Eda flinched when she saw his chest. The faded bruising indicated previously broken ribs and the three scars running diagonally from his shoulder to just above his stomach meant worse.

“W-what happened,” Luz asked, her voice breaking as she started crying.

“The conjuring went wrong and the toy turned into a monster. Someone was about to get hurt so I stepped in to protect them.”

“Manifestation,” Eda muttered in shocked recognition.

She knew Manfesting was dangerous to attempt, and even more dangerous if successful. There was a reason most adult witches didn’t participate in Moonlight Conjurings.

She knew Percy was strong, but even this seemed like too much.

“A healer fixed me up,” Percy said quietly. “Can I just go rest now?”

“Luz, take your brother to your room. Make sure he doesn’t move for the rest of the night,” Eda replied immediately, earning a determined nod from Luz.

Waiting until Luz and Percy were upstairs, Eda made her way into the kitchen and toward the cupboard where she kept her extra strong Apple Blood. Without grabbing a glass, she popped the cork and drank directly from the bottle.

She knew the boost from the moon probably helped overcharge the spell, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried about Percy’s future.

Witches naturally learned restraint as they developed magic, they were forced to.

One of the first lessons taught was that all foci had a limit, and if that limit was surpassed, the focus would destroy itself. Since most witches acted as the focus for their own magic, their limit was as much as their body could produce.

But If the theory that had been residing in the back of Eda’s mind with correct, Percy might be able to surpass his body’s natural limit.

Eda took one last swig from her bottle of Apple Blood before corking and putting it away.

She had research to do, research she needed to be mostly sober for.

“I won’t let you kill yourself, Percy. I promise.”

Chapter Text

“You know,” Eda said as she set her book down on the kitchen table, her hand detaching to keep her page. “I thought she would have gotten tired of reading those books by now.”

Percy looked up from his notebook, the pages filled with messy writing.

“You’d think that,” He replied with a bored expression. “I’ve only been living with her for about three months, but I’ve heard the entirety of that book like four times already,” Percy looked back down at his notes. “It’s even worse now that she has a new person to read to.”

Eda leaned to the side to look into the living room, finding King lying on his stomach, his focus entirely on Luz’s expressive live reading.

A small smile came on her face. She’d noticed that King seemed much happier in recent times, the small demon enjoying having more people in the house.

“King doesn’t seem too bothered.”

“Trust me, he’ll get tired of hearing about Hecate and Azura’s ‘obvious romantic’ chemistry eventually,” Percy replied, his tone indicating how tired of it he’d already become.

Eda looked to Percy suddenly with a look of mild surprise.

“Hecate? Like the ancient witch?”

“I was referring to a character in Luz’s book, but I was not expecting you to know that name.”

Eda turned to face Percy and nodded.

“Every kid learns about her in history class, though very little is known about her,”

“Why’s that?” Percy asked, his expression suddenly intense.

“The only thing she is known for is being Veilmire’s teacher, at least according to them.”

“And Veilmire is that witch who used divine magic a long time ago right?” Percy’s face seemed paler than Eda remembered.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Eda’s brow furrowed in concern. “You alright kid? You seem a little off.”

Eda liked to think she knew Percy pretty well. She’d spent a considerable amount of time with him prepping and brewing potions. During that time, Eda had gotten a pretty good handle on how he expressed himself. He was happy and easygoing most of the time with the few arguments they’d had being the only times she’d seen him angry. Beyond that, Percy expressed the rest of the emotional spectrum in small ways, but there were a few exceptions. He rarely showed any form of fear or distress, even in situations where Eda felt they would have been warranted. The only time she recalled seeing him express distress was when she first brought up Veilmire…

Eda’s train of thought was cut off by Luz entering the kitchen with a large basket in her hands.

“Eda you have a package!” The girl exclaimed in excitement as she set the basket on the counter.

Setting her thoughts aside, Eda peeked into the basket and was met by a small creature wrapped in a blanket.

“What is that?” Luz asked happily, ever excited about new experiences.

“Whatever it is, it’s ugly,” Percy replied, earning him a swat from Luz.

“There’s a note!” King said as he handed a piece of paper to Eda.

Reading through it quickly, Eda’s face fell before brightening again once she got to the end.

“Long story short, Bat Queen wants us to watch her kid for a while,” She said quickly. “If we do, she’ll pay us.”

“Who’s the Bat Queen?”

“And since when do bats have a monarchy?” Percy asked after Luz’s question.

“She’s the wealthiest demon on the isles, get in good with her and you’re set for life!”

Eda watched as Luz’s face lit up and as Percy threw his head back and groaned.

“We’re watching a kid?!” The two said in unison, though their tones were vastly different.

“No,” Eda said immediately. “You two are going to the library to return these books.”

Eda drew a spell circle causing a large stack of books to appear and land in Luz’s arms. After a moment of consideration, she stuck her hand into her hair and pulled out a small coin pouch.

“These books are overdue and you guys might need to pay late fees,” Eda said as she tossed the coin pouch to Percy.

Percy caught the pouch with ease, nodded at her, and pulled Luz toward the door.

Eda watched the pair leave before looking down at the baby.
“You don’t seem like you’ll be too much trouble,” Eda said softly as she moved to play with the baby’s hair.

Unfortunately, as soon as her hand touched the baby, it woke up and started screaming.

“Why did I have to say that!” Eda thought as she chased after the baby that was now flying around the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m surprised that you of all people like to go to the library,” Luz said loudly as she and Percy walked.

“Neither can I,” Percy replied dryly, “But you didn’t have to say it like that.”

Growing up the library was, unsurprisingly, one of Percy’s least favorite places. A child with ADHD and dyslexia being told to shut up, sit still, and read did not make for a fun time. However, since discovering his dyslexia didn’t affect him in the Demon Realm, the library became a place he visited quite frequently.

The place had been a boon in his journey to learn as much about magic in general, but especially about potions. In the few weeks since discovering his love and talent for brewing, he’d devoured any book about the subject he could get his hands on. He hoped once he’d learned enough, Eda would finally let him experiment.

“I wasn’t trying to be rude, I was just surprised since you can’t really read,” Luz responded quickly, seemingly having enough shame to look bashful. “How are you able to read by the way? You never explained.”

“Apparently Belos made it mandatory for every piece of text in the Boiling Isles to be enchanted so anybody can read it,” Percy said with a shrug. “Makes it easier to spread your message if you don’t have to deal with language barriers I guess.”

“Wow, I can't believe the evil emperor is who we have to thank for your sudden studiousness,” Luz said with a look of shock.

“Don’t remind me. The idea of thanking him for anything makes me want to throw up.”

“If you do, make sure you don’t get any on me.”

Percy flicked Luz’s arm causing the girl to laugh and run ahead.

“And she left me with all the books,” Percy mumbled with an affectionate smile as he sped up to catch up with Luz.

The Bonesborough library was very different from any library that Percy had ever seen.

It was a several-story building mostly constructed out of reddish-brown brick. It had ornate windows, green spires, and a large dome that sat above the stained-glass clock. The most impressive feature, however, was the grand staircase leading up to giant wooden double doors below a large marble arch.

“This place is much better than the library at Gravesfield High,” Luz said happily once Percy caught up with her.

“I know, it somehow still surprises me every time I come here, “ Percy replied, nodding in agreement. “Let's get inside, I know you 're dying to explore.”

Luz squealed excitedly before running up the stairs and once again leaving Percy behind.

The inside of the library was just as interesting as the exterior with several floors full of shelves stuffed with books. Throughout the library were streams of books floating in the air and attendants helping people find books.

“You can gawk after we return Eda’s books,” Percy said with a smile as he walked toward the front desk.

As they got closer to the desk, the books in Percy’s arms started floating one by one to the desk at the center of the library, a man behind the desk checked the books off as they came.

“Coffee, grass, and bloodstains?” The man asked tiredly. “These are Eda’s aren’t they.”

“That was a crazy night,” Luz said nervously.

“I’ll add these to her tab,” The man said tiredly.

“Speaking of which,” Percy said as he pulled the pouch of coins from his pocket and offered it to the man. “Eda gave us these to help cover her debt.”

The man took the pouch, a look of utter shock on his face, and carefully counted the contents of the bag. After a moment, he summoned a large scroll and spent a few moments scribbling on the paper.

“So is her tab clear?” Luz asked after a minute of silence.

The man chuckled and shook his head.

“This pouch just barely covers the interest for this month, but the gesture is appreciated.” He put the pouch under the counter. “Run along now I have other people to tend to, and as a warning, we’re closing early today for the Wailing Star so keep an eye on the time.”

Before Percy or Luz could ask any more questions, the man walked off somewhere, leaving the siblings alone.

“I have some research I want to do, will you be okay by yourself?” Percy asked Luz. “I can stay with you if you want.”

Since he learned he could do magic and Luz found friends to hang out with, Percy found that he spent far less time with Luz. She’d assured him it was fine whenever he brought it up, but he still felt guilty leaving her to do his own thing.

“Percy I’ll be fine,” Luz replied with an easy smile. “I want to go off and explore anyways, have fun doing research like a nerd.”

“You sure?”

“Yes!” Luz exclaimed before starting to walk off. “Bye now!”

Percy watched Luz walk away with a slight frown. No matter how often she said it was fine, he still felt bad.

“I can worry about that later, I have some work to do.”

The topic of Veilmire had been something Percy had been actively avoiding for a while. The idea that the same divinity that had stained his childhood could be present in the world he currently resided in left a bad taste in his mouth.

But the conversation he’d had with Eda earlier made the subject something he couldn’t avoid anymore.

After asking for guidance from an attendant and wandering a bit, Percy found himself in the history section. He was given a specific book to look for and was scanning the titles along the shelf.

As he looked, Percy muttered the titles under his breath before his eyes finally landed on the one he was looking for.

“‘The Wicked City’, yes!” He exclaimed, causing other librarygoers to shush him.

Quickly apologizing, Percy pulled the book off the shelf and took some time to examine it.

The book was small and thin, no more than a hundred pages in length. The outside of the book was made of what felt like polished hardened leather, but the pages were fragile and almost translucent. The title of the book was seemingly branded on, the black of the lettering contrasting against the sheen of the leather.

“Odd book, but ok,” Percy muttered as he carefully flipped through the pages, skipping around until he found something interesting.

‘The Wicked City, despite its name, is not a city at all. It is actually a small town far off the coast of the tip of the Titan’s left foot. The name of the town is derived from the fact the town is populated by nothing but Wild Witches.’

Percy stopped reading for a moment, a mix of mild shock and confusion on his face.

During the entirety of his time in the Boiling Isles, he’d heard about the Emperor’s ‘valiant’ crusade against Wild Witches. Aside from her other crimes, Belos’s decree was the main reason Eda lived so far from the rest of society. The idea that a place existed that seemed untouched by the Emperor’s influence was amazing.

‘The location of The Wicked City is what has allowed it to avoid the enlightenment of the Titan’s Will for so long. The treacherous waters surrounding the isolated island are impossible to navigate without the assistance of a town local.’

The next few pages seemed to be speculation about the ‘City’s’ economic and government structure, information that made Percy’s mind go blank.

Flipping through the pages again, he eventually landed on a page that made him stop.

It was a highly detailed hand-drawn image of a person with very few eye-catching features, with only the headgear and left hand standing out.

Though the perspective of the drawing obscured most of the left hand, there were noticeable differences to the right. The fingers come to sharp points and the rest of the hand was lumping jagged in odd places.

Percy had heard Luz’s angry rants enough times to know the difficulty of decent-looking hands, but for some reason, the odd details felt deliberate.

It was the headgear, however, that made Percy nervous.

On the figure’s head was a helmet resembling ones he’d seen and wore during his time at Camp Halfblood. It was missing the plumed top, but the similarities were evident.
The fears Percy had previously about potential divine presence in the Boiing Isles crept back into the back of his mind. Beyond brief mentions or historical figures, he’d yet to find any evidence of gods or monsters existing in the Demon Realm, but his worries still remained.

Taking a deep breath and pushing his growing fears aside, Percy looked at the text on the adjacent page.

‘Ignoring the blatant disregard of the Titan’s Will and Emperor Belos’s efforts, the main offense contributing to the name of the ‘city’ is its claiming and defacement of the ancient witch Veilmire. Though it has been proven by many accounts that Veilmire was helping spread the truth about the evils of Wild Magic, The Wicked City has positioned Veilmire as their patron. Even worse, citizens have gone as far as to claim that Veilmire fought against Belos (Pictured right is how Veilmire is commonly depicted by The Wicked City).’

Percy shut the book and sighed.

He had barely learned anything new about the person who started his emotional distress and instead found himself with even more questions. He was inclined to not believe the book’s account of Veilmire, but he didn’t have any way to disprove it.

“Of course, the one person I need to know about is hard to learn about,” Percy muttered frustratedly. “Why wouldn’t they be.”

Sighing again, Percy started making his way back to the front desk, hoping one of the librarians would be able to point him toward more helpful books.

As he walked, however, familiar voices caught his attention.

Heading to the sources of the voices, Percy found himself in what seemed to be the children’s area of the library, and in the middle stood Amity and Luz having a heated discussion.

“I know you’re trying to help, but every time you come near me, I get in trouble,” Amity said firmly. “So please, leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry, I was-I’m sorry,” Luz said quickly, causing Amity to frown.

Percy watched Luz walk off with a slight grimace.

After the Moonlight Conjuring, he’d run into and shared conversations with the youngest Blight several times. They mostly discussed when he’d be available to start training under her mother, but the topic of Luz and her past actions came up once or twice, allowing him to understand why she disliked his sister.

Percy frowned as he remembered the description of Odalia's reaction to Amity’s loss. He was grateful she seemed willing to open up to him slightly after he actions.

Taking one last glance at Luz, Percy made his way toward Amity.

He wanted to comfort Luz and it hurt him not to, but at the same time, it felt more important in the moment to talk to Amity. Especially since it seemed he and Luz had the same goal in mind regarding the young witch.

“And here I thought you were improving,” Percy said in faux disappointment.

“I said please didn’t I?” Amity replied without turning to look at him. “That’s a lot considering I don’t really like her.”

“She has just as many reasons to not like you and she’s still trying to be nice.”

Percy noticed her eyes drop to the floor as she stood silently, causing him to smile slightly.

“Why is she being nice?” Amity asked after a moment. “Seems kinda odd.”

Percy chuckled, causing Amity to look at him funny.

“She was reading the fifth ‘Good Witch Azura’ book this morning. I’d say the lesson of friendship rubbed off on her.”

“There’s a fifth book?” Amity muttered under her breath just loud enough for him to hear.

Before Percy could process what Amity had said a voice yelled from across the room.

“Hey, Mittens!” Amity's face went completely red as she immediately turned around and marched toward the voice.

Curious, Percy followed after her and found two people, a male and a female, who looked very similar to Amity standing next to a sheepish Luz.

“Mom said stop forgetting your lunch,” The male, now identified as Amity’s brother, said harshly before gesturing to Luz. “And stop being such a jerk to your friend.”

“She’s not my-” Amity started to say before stopping herself. “I don’t know her very well.”

“Makes sense, she seems too cool for you,” The female sibling said as she stepped forward, her gaze sweeping up and down Percy. “And I don’t think that we’ve been acquainted, handsome.”

Percy shifted uncomfortably. Growing up around the children of Aphrodite had surprisingly done little to prepare him for advances.

“I’m Percy, Luz’s older brother,” Percy said quickly, shifting away from the girl slightly.

He noticed that when he said he was her brother, Luz beamed at him.

“I’m Emira and this is Edric,” The now named girl said while gesturing to her brother. “We’re Amity’s older siblings.”

“Now that I have my lunch and we’ve all introduced ourselves, can you two please leave!” Amity exclaimed suddenly, pointing at the doors of the library.

“Fine fine, don’t get so whiny,” Edric replied with an easy smile, one Percy had seen many times on the face of Apollo’s kids. “You coming, Luz?”

Luz looked back at him as if asking for permission.

Percy just smiled and nodded. As much as he wanted to go with her, he knew she needed time to herself. He just wished she chose better company.

“I’m surprised you let her go with them,” Amity said as they watched the trio leave. “I thought your whole schtick was that you are overprotective over her.”

“She needs to be able to make her own choices,” Percy replied. “By the way, let me know when you want help finding it.”

“Finding what?”

“Your sanity,” Percy shot back with a smug smile. “I imagine you lost a long time ago having to grow up with those two.”

Amity rolled her eyes and groaned.

“That was bad, even for you.”

Percy chuckled in response.

“That was comedy gold and you know it.”

Amity ignored him and started walking back to the children’s nook.

“Don’t ignore me!” Percy exclaimed as he followed after her with a grin.

For the next thirty minutes or so, Percy chatted with Amity while he watched what Luz and the twins did out of the corner of his eye. Eventually, Amity excused herself with a mumbled excuse of having to take care of something.

Wanting to take advantage of the fact no one was around to bother him, Percy looked over the titles of the children’s books.

Having gone toe to toe with many beings most of the world considered myths, he had developed an appreciation for the knowledge that supposed children’s stories contained. Especially since he still knew very little about his new home despite being there for about four weeks.

“Maybe I even learn why the Emperor sucks so much,” Percy muttered under his breath as he picked a random book off the shelf.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” A familiar voice said. “Most of those books have to be approved by the Emperor’s Coven.”

Percy sighed and put the book back before turning to face the person speaking to him.

“What is with you rich kids making surprise appearances? How hard would it be for one of you to warn me ahead of time.”

Boscha rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in response.

“I wish I could have, it was a pain in the butt trying to find you,” The three-eyed girl said with a huff. “I looked like an idiot asking people if they’d seen you..”

Percy took a moment to take in her appearance, having not seen her since the morning after he saved her. Her hair was down and styled in a way that hid a good amount of her face. Rather than wearing her school uniform or leather jacket she usually wore, she’d opted for a simple t-shirt and pants that resembled jeans.

If he didn’t know anything about her, Percy might have said she looked cute.

“Why were you looking for me?” Percy asked. “And what’s with your hair?’

“My mother wanted to invite you to dinner tonight as a thank you for saving my life,” Boscha replied, her tone becoming noticeably softer. “And I didn’t want to be noticed by the librarians, but I don’t see why that's important.”

“Do you not like them or something?”

“I have a book overdue and I don’t want to deal with it,” Boscha said quickly. “Again it doesn’t matter. Are you coming to the dinner or not?”
Percy tilted his head and looked at the ceiling.

He had thought about what his stance on Boscha was over the last week but was unable to come up with a satisfying conclusion. Her mother was bad, his initial meeting with her told him that much, and what Boscha had told him that day on the bench pointed to her being even worse.

The few times he’d talked with Boscha, she seemed desperate and scared, like she was moments away from falling apart completely. It made him feel bad for her and want to help her. Just like he was trying to do with Amity.

But at the same time, the girl was a bully and there was no denying it. The way he saw her act toward her friends at the conjuring and the way Willow and Gus talked about her pointed to her being a particularly nasty one. No amount of sad backstory made bullying ok.

“Are you gonna answer or just keep staring at the ceiling like a crazy person?” Boscha snapped.
“I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”

Percy looked at her again and sighed.

He could spend eternity debating with himself, but at the end of the day, he knew what his answer would always be.

“Yeah, I’ll come,” Percy replied casually. “I assume you live in the rich part of town.”

Boscha scoffed in response.

“You assumed correctly,” She dug around in her pants pocket for a moment before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. “Here’s the address, don’t lose it.”

Percy out to grab the paper, but found that Boscha wasn’t letting go. Looking toward her, he saw her eyes locked on his shoulder, specifically the small part of his scars that weren’t covered by his shirt.

“How are your in-have they fully,” Boscha fumbled out, her voice suddenly fragile.

“I’m doing a lot better now,” Percy said gently. “Thank you for asking.”

Amity had told him how much Boscha had done to heal him and how worried she was afterward, but something told him not to mention it.

“You 're welcome.” She replied, her grip on the paper loosening enough for him to take it.

Percy took the paper and put it in his pocket, finding himself unsure of what to do or say next. The things he knew about Boscha weren’t things that would make for very good small talk. Asking if her mother still sucked was not the move.

Fortunately, Percy was saved from the horrors of uncomfortable conversation when he noticed Amity coming around the corner.

“Percy your sister got thrown out with my siblings,” She said quickly. “You might want to take care- oh hello Boscha.”

“Hello Amity,” Boscha replied awkwardly, the air suddenly filling with tension.

Percy looked back and forth at the girls, trying to figure out what had happened to make them act weirdly. The last time he saw the two together, they were getting along just fine.

“Amity where is Luz?” Percy asked, hoping to get out of there.

“She should be out front with Edric and Emira.”

“Thanks, I’m gonna go take her home,” He said quickly before turning to Boscha. “What time should I be there?”

“Seven,” She replied just as fast. “I should go get ready. I’ll see you later.”

Boscha immediately left, leaving Percy alone with Amity again.

“Spending your evening with Boscha?” Amity asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Shut it. Her parents just invited me over as thanks for saving her. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Amity frowned and looked at the ground for a moment.

“Be careful, her mother is a lot like mine,” Amity locked eyes with him. “You’re getting a lot of attention from powerful people.”

“I will be,” Percy replied seriously, understanding what was left unsaid. “Have a good day.”

Amity nodded and quickly left.

“I thought I left this stuff behind at home,” Percy mumbled to himself with a sigh as he started making his way out of the library.

He found Luz leaning against one of the pillars out front with a large smile on her face, the twins nowhere to be found.
“Have a good time?” Percy asked with a smile once he came up next to her.

Luz, in response, pushed herself off the pillar and pulled him into a tight hug, giggling happily as she hugged him.

“I had a great time! Cool teens like me!” She exclaimed before letting go. “And they invited me to come back to the library tonight to see the Wailing Star!”

Percy’s smile dropped as he processed the information. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her being all alone in a closed-off space with people he didn’t know well.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He asked nervously, causing Luz’s excitement to die immediately.

“What do you mean?” Luz looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Well I just, uh-you know, they-”

“I’m able to make my own decisions,” Luz said suddenly, cutting off Percy's stuttering. “I don’t need you hovering over me.”

Percy stared a Luz for a moment before dropping his head and sighing.

“You’re right, you don’t need your big brother anymore,” Percy said, using his powers to cause a single tear to run down his face.

“I never said that just let me live a little,” Luz replied. “And besides, they invited you along, so it’s not like I’ll be alone.”

Percy winced. He was happy the twins thought to invite him, but their timing could have been slightly better.

“I can’t go, Boscha’s parents invited me to dinner.”

Luz grimaced, matching exactly how Percy felt.

After he recovered from his injuries, he told Luz all of what happened at Amity’s party. Needless to say, she was less upset with him for going and more upset he’d put himself in danger to protect Boscha of all people.

“Do you have to go?”

“I think it would look bad if I didn’t,” Percy stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. “Plus I already told her I’d be there.”
Luz kicked the ground in annoyance before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“It seems we both have big nights, so we should probably go get ready for them.”

Percy chuckled and started walking back toward the Owl House.

“By the way, how do you think Eda’s handling the kid?” Luz asked as she caught up with him.

“Horribly,” Percy said without hesitation. “She can barely handle us, and we are at least able to dress and feed ourselves.”

“I feel like you’re giving yourself too much credit,” Luz replied with a cheeky smile, causing Percy to glare at her.

“Oh, shut up.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Percy pulled at his collar as he shifted uncomfortably, his clothes much stiffer than he would have liked.

When he had told Eda what his evening plans were she paled slightly, handed him a bag of coins, and demanded he buy himself some better clothes. Apparently, Boscha’s parents were people even she wanted to impress.

This led to Percy’s current situation, waiting in front of a gate dressed in clothes he would most likely never wear again.

“Of all the things that had to come over, why were ties one of them,” Percy grumbled as he adjusted the piece of fabric hanging from his neck. “And why are they even more uncomfortable here?”

Looking up and past the obnoxiously ornate gate in front of him, Percy gazed at the manor, mentally cringing at some of the design choices.

The entire building was a soft pink, a shade of pink that would have been nice on its own, but felt garish when combined with the bright magenta tiling of the roof. The structure of the house was oddly rectangular and jarring, something that clashed with the softness and delicacy the house was seemingly trying to achieve with the flower imagery plastered everywhere.

Percy did have an eye for architecture like Annabeth did, but he could tell the house was a mess.

The looming emotional breakdown that was creeping along the edges of his mind was luckily sidetracked by the sudden appearance of a person beside him.

“Hello, Mr. Jackson, my name is Amber,” The person said quickly. “Please allow me to lead you to where the Rose family is waiting.”

Percy took a step back in surprise but nodded and followed Amber through the now-open gate.

The walk to the manor was short but uncomfortable. Percy had tried several times to start a conversation with Amber but was met with either silence or one-word answers.

Eventually, they reached the front door of the manor, which Amber promptly opened before gesturing slightly impatiently for Percy to enter. He hurried to walk through the door, which once he was fully through, shut quite loudly behind him.

“Rude,” Percy muttered under his breath as he took in the room for the first time.

The first thing he noticed was how much pink there was. Everything from the floor to ceiling was some shade of pink, a seeming literal representation of the phrase ‘Rose Tinted Glasses’.

The next thing that stood out to him was how modern the room felt. It was still decades behind anything he’d seen in the human realm, but compared to the rest of the Boiling Isles, it was almost futuristic.

“Percy I’m glad you were able to join us!” A loud voice said, causing Percy to focus on the people in the room.

Standing about ten feet from the door were Boscha, Daysha, and a woman Percy could only assume was her wife.

“Mrs. Rose, thank you for inviting me,” Percy replied easily, his tone switching to one he saved specifically for dealing with people he was forced to play nice with. “You have a truly beautiful home.”

“You flatter me,” Mrs. Rose replied with faux bashfulness. “And please call me Daysha. You saved my darling daughter after all.”

Percy glanced over to where Boscha stood and was immediately struck by how different she seemed. Aside from her purple dress that felt more suited for a dance than it a dinner, she looked like she always did.

But the difference came in how she held herself. Whether she was yelling at him for answers or breaking down in tears, she expressed her emotions loudly. Yet standing next to he parents, she was quiet and still, almost as if she was trying to disappear.
Percy hated it.

While her emotional outbursts tended to draw unwanted attention and her arrogance made him seriously consider dousing her with water every time she spoke, seeing her so subdued felt wrong.

Suppressing a frown and doing his best to smile sincerely, Percy moved his attention away from Boscha and back to her mother.

“I only did what anybody in my situation would’ve done.”

“Even so, we are thankful,” Daysha replied. “Speaking of, I’d like to introduce you to my beautiful wife, Isla.”

The woman Percy correctly identified as Boscha; 's other parent stepped forward and stood next to Daysha.

Looking at her, Percy had a hard time finding any similarities between her and her daughter. She had short dark pink hair and two eyes that sat behind a thick pair of glasses. The only similarity he could see at the moment was that she too was quiet and unassuming.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Percy,” Isla said, her voice quiet and gentle. “Thank you for protecting Boscha.”

Percy nodded, Isla's gratitude feeling far more genuine than her wife’s.

“Now that we have introductions out of the way, let's get on with it,” Daysha said loudly. “Would you like to start with the tour or with dinner?”

Percy resisted the urge to groan. He hadn’t expected a tour, but he probably should have. One of the only things he knew about rich people was that they liked to flaunt their wealth, which was one of the last things he wanted to experience. Additionally, he’d hardly eaten anything all day and the emptiness of his stomach was starting to become uncomfortable.

Then again, being a demigod had taught him that it was often better to just bite the bullet.

“Let's do the tour first,” Percy said after a moment. “I want to see more of your beautiful home.”

Daysha smiled widely as she stepped away from Isla, her arms sweeping through the air like a game show host excited to show off the evening’s prize.

“We’ll start with the main hall!” She exclaimed before turning around and walking deeper into the house.

Percy winced as he followed after her, Isla and Boscha right behind him.

The tour was, for the most part, exactly what he’d expected. Boring story after boring story about obscure objects that Daysha had convinced herself were valuable. After the third over-the-top explanation about how she heroically haggled a price down, he started mostly tuning her out and giving generic responses only when prompted. It didn’t help that some of the treasures she showed off were things Percy was sure he could find at any discount store back home.

However, there were two things that stuck out to him during the tour. First was a large painting that hung on the landing of the grand staircase. It was a group portrait of the Rose family similar to ones he’d seen depicting royal families. The quality of the portrait was high, causing him to mistake it for a photo at first.

But it wasn’t the quality of the portrait that interested him, it was the fake smiles that every person in the painting had plastered on the face. It was funny and sad to him that even in the idealized world of the portrait, the Rose family seemed unhappy.

The other thing that stood out to him was a small table tucked away in a random corner of the house. On the table was an ornate vase containing a dead flower that, thanks to spending a considerable amount of time around nature spirits over the last three years, Percy recognized as an azalea.

Daysha’s comment about how she couldn’t get it to stay alive did very little to explain why they kept it in the first place.

Eventually, the tour led the group to a well-lit hall located in the far back of the property.

The layout was identical the to dozens of other hallways Percy had been led down, but instead of random expressions of wealth hanging on the wall, there were framed photos running the entire length of the hall.

Taking a moment to examine each one as they walked caused a frown to work its way onto Percy’s face, one that deepened with every new photo.

The ones at the beginning of the hall were very similar to the large portrait from earlier. Pictures of the family in stiff poses and fancy clothes, expressions seemingly forced on their faces.

After the first few, photos of the family seemed to get happier the further down the hall they were, with the picture at the end being one of Daysha and Isla holding baby while staring lovingly at each other.

“This is our last stop before going to the potions lab,” Daysha said gesturing to a door that Percy hadn’t noticed. “Boscha if you would.”

Boscha, who had been standing near the entrance of the hallway, made her way to the door.

“This is my room,” She said as she pushed open the door, allowing Percy to look inside.

The room was much bigger than any bedroom he’d lived in. Covering the walls were trophies, medals, and large posters of what he assumed were Grudgby stars. The wall adjacent to the door had a vanity and chair pushed up against it with a framed picture of Boscha beside it. In the far back corner was a bed and side table that appeared relatively normal.

“That's a lot of trophies,” Percy said to Boscha after examining the room. “I’m impressed.”

He was glad that he caught the slight smile she gave in response.

“I didn’t realize you were a Grudgby fan Percy,” Daysha said, her disgust barely hidden.

“I wouldn’t say I am,” Percy replied calmly. “I'm just in awe of how talented Boscha is.”

Daysha stared at him for a moment before huffing and turning away.

“She truly is,” She said as if it were painful. “Let's continue to the lab.”

The walk to the potions lab was relatively quiet compared to the rest of the tour, Daysha seemingly no longer eager to show off her possessions. Another difference was that Boscha walked closer to him rather than staying in the back with Isla.

Percy could sense the lab far sooner than they arrived, the feeling reminding him of his first time in Eda’s workshop. The feeling only got stronger as they got closer, capping out once they stopped in front of a large metal door.

“Welcome to the Rose Potion Lab,” Daysha said proudly before opening the door and ushering everyone in.

Stepping into the lab for the first time, Percy instinctively brought his hand up to shield his eyes, the various light sources reflecting off the white counter made the room blinding. Only after rubbing his eyes gently and allowing them to adjust to the light level, was Percy able to fully appraise the room.

There were a dozen or so counters arranged in rows of two facing the front of the room, the white quartz of their countertops responsible for his previous blindness. Along the walls tall shelves packed with ingredients reached the ceiling, and small inscribed plaques under each jar acted as an organization system. At the front of the room was a large workstation facing the counters with a blackboard stretching the width of the room behind it.

Percy thought it was impressive. The lab had all the amenities professional potion brewers needed to be successful and also seemed to be set up so students could learn in a clean environment. However, it was also sterile, missing the homey and comfortable feeling Percy enjoyed every time he brewed in Eda’s lab.

“What do you think?” Daysha asked suddenly. “I’ve spent years and countless snails to make this place the best possible lab.”

Percy nodded silently, his eyes scanning over the ingredients on the walls.

“It is definitely one of the best labs I’ve seen,” Percy replied casually.

“One of?” Percy saw Daysha’s eye twitch slightly. “What could I do to make it better?”

Confused as to why she was asking him, Percy opened his mouth to brush off her question before closing it when he noticed something in the upper corner of the blackboard. It was a simple chart with two columns labeled ‘Pass’ and ‘Fail’. Under the ‘Fail’ column was a collection of tally marks. Under ‘Pass’ there was nothing.

Percy’s eyes narrowed in confusion before widening in recognition, the first conversation he had with Boscha popping into his mind.

“For starters, I would erase that tally on your blackboard,” Percy’s mouth moved before he could think. “It’s a bad look.”

“How so?” Daysha’s tone told Percy he had to tread carefully.

Gods he hated his mouth sometimes.

“Publicly displaying how many times you’ve failed doesn’t make people feel confident, no matter how good of a brewer you are,” Percy replied after a moment, the urge to itch his arms suddenly settling into his mind.

“Sometimes people need reminders of what not to do,” Daysha stared at him, her third eye seemingly increasing the intensity.

“I find that sometimes reminders act more as hindrances,” Percy met her gaze with equal intensity.

After a few moments of uncomfortable eye contact and silence, Daysha sighed and closed her eyes.

“Anything else?”

Percy walked over to the ingredient wall left of the blackboard and pulled a jar containing leaves floating in brown water off the shelf.

“Many people think Mandrake leaf is bad once the stem splits,” he said as he pointed to the curled edges of the leaves. “But once the leaves start wilting, the leaf is almost entirely useless, leading to far less potent brews.”

Daysha drew a spell circle, causing the jar to leap from Percy’s hands and speed toward her before stopping just in front of her face.

“You’re right,” Daysha muttered, a snap of her fingers causing the contents of the jar to vanish. “Sorry about that mistake.”

“No need to apologize,” Percy smiled. “With a collection of ingredients as impressive as yours, amateurish mistakes are bound to happen.”

“Of course,” Daysha's smile was tight-lipped. “Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Splendid,” Daysha said with a clap of her hands. “Let’s head to the dining room, dinner will be ready soon. Boscha, lock up.”

The group filed out of the room, Daysha leading the pack with Isla trailing behind her and Boscha hanging back.

As he was about to exit, Percy felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back and see a nervous Boscha.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

Percy smiled genuinely at her.

“Of course.”

He was still unsure how he felt about her, but nobody deserved bad parents.

“I hope dinner is better than your mother’s attitude.”

That earned him a slight chuckle.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Amity Blight was angry.

Despite doing nothing particularly demanding the whole day, Amity was very tired by the time she got to the library to watch her siblings. Staying up late was something she wasn’t used to and tended to make her cranky.

Staying out of sight of her siblings while still being able to watch them was frustrating and harder than she expected. Cleaning up the messes her siblings in their wake only furthered her frustration.

The worst thing though, was when she noticed her siblings starting to drift toward an area of the library she’d hoped they would avoid. Things only got worse when they entered her private room, bringing Luz along with them.

Any desire for stealth left her body as soon as she saw what Luz had pulled off her shelf.

“Seriously!” Amity exclaimed angrily as she stared at Luz, who was currently huddled on the ground with pages of her diary falling from her arms.

“Amity it’s not what it looks like I swear,” Luz said, her voice.

“You two are the worst!” Amity pointed at her siblings, not failing to notice that they were laughing. “But you..”

Amity snatched the gathered pages of her diary from Luz’s hands.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what you are. Are you a poser, a nerd?” Amity said as she glared at Luz. “I know what you are, you’re a bu-”

Amity stopped talking for a moment.

Luz had humiliated her in front of her teachers and peers, made her get in trouble with her mother, and now gone through her personal belongings. If not a bully, she was at the very least an unpleasant and mean person.

But had she been any better?

Sure Luz had helped Willow cheat on an assignment, making her look like an idiot, but her response was to try and get her dissected. Temporary embarrassment versus lifelong injuries.

Luz challenged her to a duel before having her brother do it for her, but Amity had been the one to stomp on her pet’s cupcake and refuse to apologize. Was not being a witch a severe enough crime for her to demand Luz stop learning magic?

And now, Luz along with her siblings, had broken into her private space and gone through her diary.

Amity stared at Luz’s face, trying to find any amount of malice, but found none. Instead, she was struck by a deep sense of shame that stained every part of Luz’s expression.

Without saying another word, Amity clutched her dairy tight against her chest and walked away.

She was well aware that Luz would come after her to try and explain her actions and that her siblings had walked off without a second thought.

Amity was also aware she would at least listen to what Luz had to say before berating her.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Percy poked the bright pink piece of meat on his plate with his fork, finding himself equal parts disgusted and impressed by the Rose family’s commitment to their chosen color scheme.

“How are you enjoying your Demon steak, Percy?” Daysha asked from across the dining room table, her fork held up near her mouth. “It’s considered a delicacy in most parts of the Boiling Isles.”

Percy nudged the steak again before cutting off a small piece and putting it in his mouth quickly, forcing himself to endure the overwhelming taste of iron coating his tongue.

“It’s certainly a unique flavor,” he replied after swallowing the piece he’d eaten. “I see why it’s saved for special occasions.”

Daysha nodded in agreement, causing Percy to quietly sigh in relief.

When they were touring the house and Daysha was doing most of the talking, it was easy for him to ‘play nice’ and tune her out.

The dinner so far had been deeply uncomfortable. Without her overpriced decorations to flaunt, Daysha’s attention was focused entirely on asking him personal questions.

“So Percy,” Daysha said slowly, her expression telling him it was intentional. “Boscha tells me you have an interest in potions.”

Percy glanced over to where Boscha sat briefly who seemed to suddenly find her plate extremely interesting.

“I find the subject fascinating.”

“You seem to have a talent for it if your display in the lab earlier was anything to go by.”

Percy winced.

Challenging Daysha on her decision was, while justified in his opinion, not smart. His dig about her competency was just rubbing salt in a wound he shouldn’t have opened in the first place.

“I wouldn’t say that, I’ve just a bunch of books about ingredients,” Percy replied. “Have to know the basics before starting after all.”

“I appreciate your modesty, but I know talent when I see it,” Daysha smiled. “Your teacher must be very proud.”

“I hope she is.”

“What’s their name?”

While it was phrased like a question Percy knew it wasn’t. He also knew couldn’t tell her about Eda.

“I’m sorry but my teacher is a very private person,” Percy said quickly. “They wouldn’t like me revealing their identity.”

The fact that Daysha was still smiling disturbed him.

“That’s a shame, I would have like to thank them for their hard work up until now.”

“What do you mean?”

Daysha picked up her glass full of dark red liquid and took a drawn-out sip without breaking eye contact.

“I imagine a teacher who won’t let their student share their identity is inadequate, ashamed of themselves, or both,” Daysha put her glass down and laced her fingers on the table. “I would like to offer you the opportunity to study under me. I don’t normally take students as the ones I typically have end up being disappointments, but you intrigue me,” Dayshe leaned forward slightly. “You will have full access to my facilities and I will guide you every step of the way.”

Percy swallowed nervously.

It was his conversation with Odalia all over again, but something was different.

“I have to ask,” he said, his voice far shakier than he wanted. “What do you gain from this?”

Daysha shrugged.

“Besides the ability to help nurture talent, nothing.”

He knew she was lying, but he couldn’t call her out on it, not in her own home.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

Daysha sighed and leaned back in her chair.

“I understand, I just know both you and Boscha would greatly benefit from having a collaborative partner.”

Percy froze and glanced over to Boscha again, this time being met by her doing the same. He held her gaze for a moment before looking away when she seemed to get embarrassed.

“I suppose lessons with you would be beneficial,” Percy said hesitantly.

Daysha had his number. She waited to mention he would be working with Boscha until he seemed unsure. She knew he wouldn’t say no.

“Perfect,” Daysha exclaimed happily as the door dining room opened. “Now seems like a good time for dessert.”

People dressed identically to the woman who escorted Percy earlier filed into the room carrying covered plates. The staff set the plates down on the table and removed the covers, revealing desserts that closely reassembled things Percy would often see at bakeries.

“Please enjoy!”

Despite his lingering uncertainties about Daysha and his decision to study under her, Percy quickly loaded his plate. Dinner was revolting and he was still starving.

The table ate quietly for a while, everyone seemingly more focused on their food than on forced conversation. Percy found it pleasant, even if it was awkward.

“Boscha dear, I didn’t know you had a tournament tomorrow,” Daysha said suddenly, breaking the silence.

“I don’t,” Boscha replied meekly, causing Percy to frown.

“Then why do you need a second serving? You don’t need the energy.”

“I just wanted a little more,” Boscha’s voice quivered.

“Did you think that maybe our guest might have wanted some more?” Daysha looked over at him, her expression one of an apologetic host.

“I’m all good, I don’t want anymore,” he did, but he also refused to give Daysha anything to work with.

“She still should have asked before greedily taking more.”

“It’s fine, I don’t want her to feel like she can’t eat in her own home, especially because of my presence,” Percy insisted.

“Fine then,” Daysha waved her hand dismissively. “Go ahead Boscha.”

“It’s okay Mother, I don’t want it anymore,” Boscha replied stiffly. “May I be excused to go study?”

“If you must.”

Boscha stood up and left without another word, leaving Percy alone with her parents.

“I am very sorry for my daughter’s actions,” Daysha said as soon as Boscha was out of the room. “I’ll be sure to remind her of her manners.”

Percy balked as ideas of what that meant entered his mind.

“It’s okay,” he said immediately. “Eating and studying are both good in my book. No need to be corrected.”

“I suppose,” Daysha replied, her tone bordering on disappointment. “Shall we continue enjoying our food?”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could step out to find the bathroom.”

“I’ll have someone show you.”

“I rather find it myself,” Percy shot back. “If I’m going to be spending a lot of time here, I should know where everything is.”

“If you insist,” Daysha said after a few moments, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Thank you.”

Percy quickly left the room and headed for the stairs.

He was under no illusions that Daysha didn’t know what he was up to.

He just needed to find Boscha.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Boscha stared at her workstation resentfully, her eyes locked on one specific spot. It was a shallow divot no more than a few centimeters wide that sat in the middle of the counter, making it one of the first things to be seen when looking at it.

She had her first potions test when she was twelve. She’d been having her lessons for a few years at that point and her mother decided to start assessing her skills. She’d been instructed to brew a simple potion used in cleaning, and while she was ladling the completed potion into a bottle to be graded, a drop fell onto the counter and ate away a bit of the quartz. It was far from the first bit of damage done to the counter, but it was the first bit of damage that had gotten her punished. Her mother had immediately failed her, refusing to even grade the potion that caused the damage, and locked her in her room until she learned to ‘respect the equipment’.

Boscha spent the weekend in her room sobbing and begging her mother to let her out, her blubbered apologies falling on deaf ears. By the time her other let her out on the Monday after her test, she was starving and thirsty.

Her mother made it a point to admonish her for not eating like a proper lady.

After that, Boscha took extra care to damage her work counter as little as possible, and when she did damage the counter, she also made sure to have a secret stash of food and water under her bed.

Looking up from her workstation, Boscha’s gaze drifted up to the blackboard on the back wall of the lab. In the upper corner of the board was a set of tallies, the words describing what they were for were gone, leaving the marks by themselves.

A small smile made its way onto Boscha’s face as she remembered the way a certain boy had advocated for the removal of tallies. He wasn’t completely successful, but at least Boscha could pretend to not know what they meant.

Thinking of Percy, Boscha glanced over her shoulder at the door, waiting for him to make his appearance. She knew he would come looking for her eventually, his protectiveness toward her throughout the evening wouldn't make sense if he didn’t. Not that it did anyway.

Looking back toward the back of the room, Boscha’s eyes fell on the empty spot on the ingredient shelf.

How had he known? Knowledge of the shelf life of ingredients was a bare minimum requirement for brewers, but the ability to notice an ingredient had expired from across the room wasn’t. Something like that took years of experience, experience that innate talent didn’t give.

Something else was at play, and for the life of her, Boscha couldn’t figure out what.

The sound of a door opening caused Boscha's head to snap up. He was here.

“Your house is like a maze,” Percy said as he entered the room, his tone light. “How do navigate this place every day.”

“You get used to it.”

“I’d hope so,” he replied as he walked over, hopping up to sit on the counter once he reached her. “How you feeling?”

Boscha sighed before turning so she could lean on her workstation.

“Empty.”

“Your mother is kinda harsh,” Percy said awkwardly. “Is she always like that?”

“Tonight was pretty mild, she was on her best behavior,” Boscha glanced at Percy, taking note of the extreme look of concern on his face.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with her,” his words were unsurprisingly genuine.

A bitter chuckle escaped Boscha’s lips.

“I don’t deal with her, I endure her.”

Boscha saw Percy’s mouth open slightly before closing again.

The two sat in silence for a while, neither seeming to know what to say. Boscha thought about speaking several times but ultimately thought against it.

What could she say? The boy sitting next to her had confused her more than anything in her entire life and at the same time done more for her than anyone else.

Her thoughts turned to the events of Amity’s conjuring and how close she’d been to dying. How someone that she barely knew risked his life to make sure she could live hers.

“Why did you save me?”

The question slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it.

It also lifted a weight off her shoulders she hadn’t noticed until it was gone.

“What?” he asked, his attention fully focused on her.

“At Amity’s conjuring, you could have left me to die,” Boscha shifted to face Percy, her eyes meeting his. “Why didn’t you?”

She held his gaze and refused to break it. The question had been eating at her and she needed an answer.

“Why would I? You looked like you needed help.”

Boscha stared at him for a few more seconds before looking away and smiling sadly.

Of course, his only motivation to save her was that she needed help! Why would it be any other reason? Nothing else about him made sense, why would this? She had spent the whole week trying to figure out what he had to gain from helping her and in the end, it was the same reason he comforted her that first time they met. He wanted to.

“Are you ok?” The question was soft and genuine and made Boscha's stomach feel odd.

“You’re a much better person than me.”

“Huh?”

“You saved someone you don’t like just because they needed help. I can't honestly say I would do the same.”

It was a revelation about herself she had a few days after the conjuring while she was lying awake at night. She had tried to deny it, but she found herself unable to.

It disgusted her. She hated it.

“Why do you think I don’t like you?”

Boscha scoffed, she thought he was smart.

“I know you’ve talked to Luz and her friends about me, you’d be dumb not to,” she replied. “I don’t get along with them and you are protective of your sister.”

“That’s fair, I guess,” Percy said sheepishly.

“And you’re not nearly as subtle as you think you are.”

Percy’s cheeks colored in a way Boscha quite liked.

“Okay, fine, you’re not my favorite person.”

“I know.”

“Don’t need to rub it in.”

“But I want to.”

Percy shook his head and chuckled lightly.

“If you’re going to act like this I’m leaving.”

“Nooo, don’t do that!” Boscha replied sarcastically, the banter putting a smile on her face. “That would be the worst.”

“Sure it would,” Percy shot back before sliding off the counter. “Are you feeling any better or do you want me to stay?”

Boscha scoffed.

“That was the least subtle ‘I need to leave’ I’ve ever heard.”

“Wasn’t trying to be, I gotta go.”

“Do you have a curfew or something?”

“Yep, Luz likes me home before eleven,” Percy said with a grin before his expression became serious. “But seriously are you feeling better.”

The odd feeling in Boscha’s stomach came back.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Well, then I’m off. Tell your mom I looked forward to having an actual conversation with her and your mother that she got scammed on half her decorations.”

Boscha laughed, a familiar feeling of lightness settling over her.

“I will,” she replied.

Percy nodded and made his way to the door.

As she watched him leave, a question she’d been debating asking suddenly felt dire.

“Percy,” She called out with a trembling voice, causing him to turn and look at her. “Will you help me be better?”

Percy gave her a gentle smile.

“Of course.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Amity sighed in relief as she stepped out of the library into the morning sun. She was beyond tired and the unsteadyness of her steps told her she didn’t have long before crashing.

“I’m so glad that’s over,” Luz’s equally tired voice came from behind her.

“Agreed.”

The night had been long and terrifying, including several moments that Amity thought were her last, but the pair made it through.

“Thanks for helping me clean up,” Luz said happily.

“You’re welcome,” The response came out far more stilted than Amity would have preferred. “It wasn’t terrible.

After dealing with the corrupted Otabin, Amity found herself, reluctantly, enjoying Luz’s presence. Her explanation of why she had Amity’s dairy made more sense than she cared to admit and her sense of humor was something Amity surprisingly liked. Her resentment toward the human girl had lessened considerably and even bordered on amicability.

“I guess it wasn’t,” Luz replied before digging around her bag for a moment and pulling out a book. “It doesn’t make up for reading your diary, sorry again,” Luz blushed slightly. “But I noticed you only had up to book four.”

Amity took the book at examined the cover. It depicted the two main, who throughout the other four books were bitter rivals, seemingly teaming up to fend off an unseen threat.

‘Fitting,’ Amity thought.

“Thanks,” she said she took the book and turned to continue walking down the steps, her exhaustion catching up with her quickly.

“Of course.”

Before reaching the bottom of the staircase, Amity stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“I’m sorry for trying to dissect you and for stomping on your pet’s cupcake.”

The apology felt foreign on her tongue, but it also felt right.

“Don’t worry about it, King gets more than enough sweets at home.”

Nodding again, Amity continued her journey home.

Once she was far enough away from the library, she opened the book and began reading.

She’d read the first four countless times, something new would be nice.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“How was your time at the library?”

It wasn’t a hard question, not in the slightest, but the fact it was being asked just after she woke up made it seem difficult.

Slapping her cheeks gently and taking a moment to get used to the taste in her mouth, Luz looked at Percy with bleary eyes.

“It was pretty fun. Edric and Emira left, but I had a good time with Amity.”

She conveniently left out that she almost died. She loved Percy, but having him fawn over her wasn’t something she wanted at the moment.

Percy’s eyes widened in mild shock.

“Amity was there?”

“Yeah, she was suspicious of the twins so she followed them,” Luz replied as she stretched to help her wake up. “The twins made a mess before they dipped and she helped me clean it up,” Luz brought her hand to her chin and scrunched her eyes. “I think we’re good now. But I’m not sure.”

“That’s good.”

“How was your dinner with Boscha? Was it as horrible as I think it was?”
Percy winced.

“It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful,” he said quickly. “And I’m gonna learn how to properly potions from her mother.”

“Again?” Luz asked in disbelief.

Luz was pretty surprised when Percy told her he’d be tutored by Amity’s mother, and if she was being honest with herself, a little jealous. Fortunately, that jealousy faded quickly once she understood what that tutoring would entail. Hearing he had found himself the student of another stuck up witch was almost funny.

“If I had a nickel-” Luz started to say before getting cut off by Percy flicking her forehead. “OW!”

“That’s what you get.”

“Jerk,” Luz mumbled as she rubbed her forehead, a small smile on her lips. “Anything else interesting happen?”

Percy huffed and stared at the ceiling.

“I had a conversation with Boscha, an actual one this time and she asked me if I would help her be better.”

Luz’s eyes widened.

“What does that mean?”

“I have no clue, but I said yes.”

“Why?” Luz asked. “She’s a massive jerk.”

“I’m not saying she’s not, but compared to her mother, Boscha is a saint.”

“How bad is her mother?” Luz’s brows furrowed in worry.

“I won’t go into detail, but it’s bad Luz.”

Luz frowned. She didn’t like Boscha at all, the way Willow talked about her ensured that. But she didn’t dislike her so much that she thought she deserved to have bad parents.

At the same time, Luz also didn’t want her brother to get involved with something that could hurt him. He was smart enough to take care of himself, but she still worried.

“Are you sure she can change?”

“I don’t know, but I want to try.”

Luz stared at him for a few moments before looking away and groaning.

“Fine, but if you get yourself hurt I will tie you up and read Azura books to you until the sixth one comes out.”

“Didn’t the author say she was done?”

“Exactly.”

A brief look of fear flashed across Percy’s face.

“Understood.”

“Good, now get out, I wanna get ready for the day.”

Percy stood up and gave her a mock salute.

“Yes ma’am!”

Luz smiled as he left before frowning once he was gone.

“Titan I want there to be a sixth book.”

Chapter Text

“Sometimes I impress even myself,” Luz whispered excitedly as she gazed upon her creation.

It was a wide wooden sign with the words ‘EDA the OWL LADYS’ engraved on the surface. Running along the edges of the sign were several small light glyphs that would (hopefully) cause the sign to shine brightly.

“I got to get this to the stand before we lose too many customers.” Standing up quickly, Luz brushed herself clean of any wood shavings, picked up her finished sign, and walked out the door.

Ignoring Hooty’s odd commentary as she left, Luz quickly began making her way to the Bonesborough market, the path almost second nature to her at this point.

Weaving through the crowds, Luz found her way to Eda’s stand in time to see King trying and failing to grab a flag strung on a string hanging above the stand.

“Stupid flag,” the demon yelled as he fell.

“It’s been a little slow around here,” Luz commented as she walked up, grabbing a wooden ladder Eda kept around the stand. “But I have a way to fix that!”

Quickly propping up and climbing the ladder, Luz secured her sign and activated the sigils on the sign.

“Percy, come out here, I wanna show you something!” she yelled as she slid down the ladder to appraise her work. “Did I make it too subtle?”

“Does subtle mean ugly?” an annoyingly familiar voice said from behind her.

Quickly turning around, Luz was met by Boscha and her cronies: a boy with blonde hair and a beanie and a girl who matched the description Percy had given of one of Amity’s friends. All three were looking at her with smug expressions.

She had talked extensively with Percy about Boscha after he announced he’d be helping her ‘be better’ and had come to a decision. Yes, she was entitled, vindictive, and petty, but if Percy was right about her, she didn’t know how to act any other way and had been encouraged to. So, Luz decided to do what she did best.

Kill her with kindness

“Hi Boscha, Hexsidians!” Luz replied happily, with as big a smile as she could manage on her face. “I hope you are having a great day! Do you see anything you like?” reaching toward a nearby shelf, she grabbed a necklace with a sea-green gem and offered it to the three-eyed girl. “I think this would complement your eyes, Boscha!”

“Thanks?” Boscha said as she took the necklace with a confused expression before seemingly coming to her senses. “I actually came to take an ironic-” Boscha stopped talking suddenly, her cheeks reddening slightly.

“What was it you wanted to show me?” Percy said as he walked up next to Luz. “Boscha, Skara, what brings you two here?”

Luz eyed Boscha suspiciously for a moment before looking at Percy.

“Check out this bad boy!” she said happily as she pointed at her sign, Percy’s eyes following her finger.

“Dang! That looks great!” he exclaimed happily, a large grin on his face. “You’ve gotten good with those sigils. How long did it take you?”

Luz beamed.

“An hour or so. Carving the words took the longest,” Luz replied. “But luckily, my cosplay skills came in handy.”

Percy nodded along, his hand grabbing his chin.

“I have absolutely no idea how those two things are related, but the sign should attract new customers,” Percy said before turning to face the oddly quiet trio of Hexside students. “And speaking of customers, is that what brought you guys here?”

“No, I just-” Boscha put down the necklace and took a deep breath. “I just wanted to see if we could get lunch and talk.”

The silence that followed Boscha’s statement was deafening, a silence made worse by everyone’s shocked expressions.

“To talk about our potion lessons!” Boscha stammered, the redness of her cheeks deepening.

“Sure,” Percy replied softly. “What time and where?”

“Gutbusters in two hours,” Boscha said after taking a moment to calm down.

“Is it a comedy club?”

“No?” Boscha asked confusedly. “It’s a restaurant on the edge of town.”
Luz watched the two interact silently, not wanting to interrupt whatever it was that was happening in front of her. A quick meeting of eyes and nodding of heads told her Skara had similar thoughts on the matter.

The sound of rustling fabric pulled Luz’s attention away from the pair's awkward banter, and towards a familiar white nose poking out of the tent and sniffing the air.

“Do I smell an easy mark?” Eda said before suddenly jumping out of the tent and over the display table, landing in front of the Hexsidians. “Can I interest you kids in the latest fashion trends of the human realm?”

Eda drew a quick spell circle, covering her in a strange assortment of human clothes.

“Uhh, no thank you,” Boscha answered for the group, her tone kinder than Luz had been expecting. “See you later, Percy.”

“Don’t forget your necklace,” Percy said as he handed her said piece of jewelry. “Luz was right, it does well with your eyes.”

Boscha accepted the necklace with red cheeks before quickly turning around and leaving, her friends seemingly hounding her with questions as they walked.

“Boscha just asked you out!” Luz exclaimed as soon as the girl was out of earshot. “And you accepted!”

Despite her reservations about the girl, Luz’s inner romantic was squealing.

“It’s not a date, we’re just getting lunch to talk about our lessons.”

“You gave her a necklace!”

“I was being nice,” Percy replied quickly, his eyes suddenly refusing to meet Luz’s.

“It was sweet!”

“It was gross,” King added as he jumped onto the table.

“All teens are gross,” Eda said as she took off her ‘human’ clothes. “And did that girl pay for that necklace?”

“Take it from my pay,” Percy replied.

“And not all teens are gross! Some of us, like me and Percy, are little sweeties!” Luz exclaimed, pulling Percy into an awkward side-hug before excitedly pointing at her homemade sign. “Look what I made for you!”

Eda looked to where Luz was pointing before jumping up on the table to mess with the sign.

“Luz!” Eda exclaimed as she pulled the sign down. “Did you forget I’m on the run!”

“You sure don’t act like it,” Percy muttered, earning him a harsh glare from Eda.

“There’s no one here right now,” Luz shot back. “Plus, you’re a strong witch! Any problem you have can be poofed away with magic!”

“Eh, I wouldn’t say any problem,” Percy said seriously. “Some require solutions beyond your individual capabilities.”

“What do either of you know about problems?” King said after a moment of awkward silence, hopping up on the table as he talked. “All you two have is weird, blushy teen drama. You don’t know how hard some of us-” King gestured at himself and Eda as he leaned on her. “-actually have it.”

Eda pushed King off her and crossed her arms.

“You’re pampered all day like a dang baby. How hard is that life?”

King whipped around and pointed at Eda angrily.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’M NOT A DANG BABY!”

“Then why are you screaming like one?” Luz said with a smug smile, earning her a chuckle from Percy.

“She’s got you there.”

“MY LIFE IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE!” King shrieked.

“When friends can’t see eye to eye, there is only one option,” Eda said slyly as she rubbed her hands together.

“Hug each other till we pass out?” Luz said happily as she pulled King into a tight hug.

“Fight to the death!”

“A very deep and emotionally revealing conversation,” Percy added, causing everyone to look at him weirdly.

“No, no,” Eda gestured dismissively. “I’m talking Body Swap!”

“I’m out,” Percy said as he hopped over the table and walked away. “Have fun!”

“Boo to him,” Eda said. “Now, who’s ready to Body Swap?”

Luz looked at Percy retreating from and then at King.

This would be fine.

Right?

------------------------------------

Camila stared at her glass of champagne tiredly, the fizz having dispersed long ago.

She usually looked forward to veterinary conventions. They were usually hosted at nice venues, like the New York Aquarium, like the current one, and were catered. They also allowed her to engage with her career without the stress of dealing with poorly trained pets and entitled pet owners.

But despite that, Camila was having a miserable time. Traffic on the way up was bad, the speakers so far had been boring, and most of the food available was unappetizing.

However, the thing that was making her most miserable was her failure to find anything about Percy.

In the month since Luz and Percy had gone off to camp, Camila had searched high and low for any information related to her ward, and in that time, Camila had found nothing relevant. Even her requests for Hal to check school records had been fruitless. It was like he didn’t exist.

Sensing movement around her, Camila looked up from her drink to see her group moving in one direction, the advertised tour of the aquarium seemingly starting.

Well, she had nothing better to do.

Moving with the crowd, Camila found herself immediately bored with the tour guide's practiced script. She was normally very interested in learning about animals and their habitats, but her current mood left her uninterested.

Eventually, the crowd came to a stop in front of a tank with a large plaque.

‘And here is our final stop! A tank with the only…” Camila tuned out the guide and took a sip of her drink. “Of course, this exhibit is only possible due hard work of the late Perseus Jackson!”

Camila’s drink caught in her throat, causing her to start violently coughing. Quickly regaining her bearings and thanking the people around her for their concern, Camila looked back toward the guide, her eyes locked on the plaque next to the tank.

“This exhibit is dedicated to Dr. Jackson and his research into deep ocean sea life. His work has given the world a better understanding of our oceans and the amazing ecosystems that exist within them.”

After the guide finished the speech, a generic one outlining Dr. Jackson's career, the crowd around the tank quickly dispersed, allowing Camila to get a closer look. The animals in the tank were a pair of seahorses with skin that shimmered like a rainbow. The plaque next to next to the tank had text inscribed into it and seemed to be made of bronze.

‘Perseus 'Percy’ Jackson was born on August 18th, 1973, to Sally and P…’

The rest of the plaque documented Percy’s education and career before ending with-

‘After a long battle with cancer, Percy was finally able to rest on July 26th. 2017. He was buried in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery.’

Camila wiped away a tear she hadn’t noticed dripping down her face. It wasn’t ‘her’ Percy, she was well aware, but she couldn’t help but imagine it was. Pulling out her phone and searching the listed cemetery told Camila it was less than twenty minutes away.

She quickly maneuvered through the crowd and out of the aquarium, putting the address in her GPS as soon as she was in her car.

Camila didn’t feel bad about leaving the convention at all. She had better things to do.

-------------------------------------

As a member of one of the higher social circles in the Boiling Isles, Skara was taught to recognize the signs of a body swap. The slight alterations the spell made to a swapped individual’s appearance and the change in personality were the biggest indicators, but they both could be compensated for, making it hard to catch a swapper.

Luckily for her, whoever swapped with Luz failed to take any steps to cover themselves, leaving Skara to watch in amusement as ‘Luz’ tried to boss her and her friends around after barging into their clubhouse.

“Beanie! Bring me a chair! Green hair! Get me a drink!”

The two who were called upon immediately complied, causing Skara to chuckle lightly. Those two always seemed lost, perpetually looking for someone to guide them. That role usually fell to Boscha, but without her…

Skara frowned slightly as memories of her three-eyed friend’s recent behavior came to the front of her mind.

Over the last few weeks, Skara had noticed a small but distinct change in the way Boscha interacted not only with her but with people in general.

Her barbs carried slightly less heat, and she chose to ignore strangers or events she normally would have commented on. Several times, she’d caught Boscha staring off into space with an unreadable expression on her face.

She wasn’t particularly disturbed by the change; she actually quite enjoyed not being as mean to those around them. She was just intrigued by the fact that it could be traced to one person.

“You there!” ‘Luz’, said suddenly, pointing at Skara. “You shall be my second in command!”

“Sure, on one condition,” Skara replied with a smile. “You bring that pet of yours over. He’s cute.”

“I’M NOT A PET!”

Skara chuckled to herself. Luz’s furry friend was in her body, meaning she was in his or someone else’s if the spell was used on more people.

‘Hopefully, Percy wasn’t roped into this,’ Skara mumbled to herself.

Another thing she had noticed was how much Boscha talked about Percy. It had started as her loudly complaining about him disrespecting her, but had slowly morphed into her just thinking out loud about him. Keeping herself from teasing Boscha about her ‘interest’ in the boy had been a challenge, a challenge made significantly harder after she asked him out on a ‘not date’ and received a necklace from him.

“Hey, Skara,” Amelia called out. “This new kid said she’ll show us how to cause some ‘real’ chaos. Wanna come?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Skara stood up and joined her friends outside.

She had nothing better to do anyway.

-------------------------------------

Boscha stared at the necklace in her hand, turning it over slowly as she studied it for the fifth time in the last hour. It was a simple necklace, a silver chain with a small gem attached, nothing compared to the opulent jewelry her mother wore, but it was still the prettiest thing she’d ever received.

Her opinion had almost everything to do with who gave it to her.

Sure, Luz had picked it out originally, but it was Percy who gave it to her! He even said her eyes were pretty!

Boscha buried her face in her hands and groaned as a redness quickly spread across her cheeks.

He hadn’t said that; he was just agreeing with his sister. The sister she was about to mock before he came out, which he also heard.

“Here is your fireberry lemonade,” a waitress said gently as she set the glass down next to several empty ones. “Let me know if there is anything else I can get for you.”

“Thank you,” Boscha replied without looking at the woman.

Boscha grabbed the drink and took a sip, suddenly deeply regretting her decision to come to the meeting place an hour early. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but the way people kept sending her sympathetic glances made her uncomfortable.

She especially didn’t like the whispered comments about her being stood up.

Finishing her drink quickly, Boscha glanced at the clock on the restaurant wall, displaying that there were only a few minutes left until the agreed-upon meeting time. In an instant, all of her discomfort and annoyance toward the other guests morphed into anxiety.

She had asked Percy to help her in a moment of weakness and invited him to lunch during another. His presence seemed to make any common sense she had fly out the window, and now they were about to have the conversation she wasn’t prepared for.

“I have got to be the dumbest witch on the Isles,” Boscha muttered as she banged her head on the table.

“Doesn’t that hurt your eye?” Percy's voice said, his appearance causing Boscha to sit up suddenly.

“No-it does-kinda,” Her tongue felt like it was made of lead as she failed to respond.

Percy lightly chuckled, pulling out and sitting in the chair across from her. He briefly glanced at the collection of glasses next to her.

“Sorry for being late, I had a hard time finding the place.”

“I guess ‘edge of town’ is pretty vague.”

A silence fell over the pair, neither teen knowing what to say. Boscha opened her mouth to speak several times, but always failed to find the right words.

“What made you want to be better?” he asked suddenly, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Sure, the meeting was set up to discuss his upcoming potions lessons, but both he and Boscha knew what it was really for.

“After you saved me at Amity’s conjuring party, I had a conversation with her,” Boscha said after a moment. “I asked if I was a good friend. She didn’t answer,” Boscha looked down at the table with a frown. “I hate that she thinks about me that way.”

Percy reached across the table and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. Boscha liked how it made her feel.

“You told me you saved me just because I needed help. You didn’t like me, yet you risked your life to help me. I honestly can’t say I would do the same thing, not even to myself.” Boscha met Percy’s gaze, her eyes watering. “I know most people don’t like me, and for a while, I didn’t care. But I do care now, because I don’t I don’t like me.”

“Alright,” Percy said after a moment, an easy-going smile on his face. “Let's get started.”

Boscha matched his smile with a relief-filled one of her own.

“How do we go about this?”

“Well, first off, ground rules,” Percy held up a finger. “Leave Luz and her friends alone. I know you might slip up, and that's ok, but you need to try as hard as you can. Also, apologize to them and everyone else you’ve been mean to,” Percy put up another. “Second, and this is the most important part, just be nice to people.”

The confidence Boscha had in Percy took a major blow.

“What do you mean ‘just be nice’?” Boscha asked incredulously.

Percy leaned back and, to her dismay, removed his hand from hers and crossed his arms on the table.

“I mean, just be nice. There is no grand scheme or detailed plan to suddenly become ‘better’. You just need to make the conscious choice until it becomes natural,” Percy said pointedly. “It won’t happen overnight, but if you keep at it, you won’t need to try to be better anymore, you just will be.”

Boscha stared at him, an expression of wonder set on her face,

Why had she thought there would be something extraordinary she’d have to? Apologising and being nice to Willow would be a pain, sure, but they were doable. Everything else was just small, consistent steps forward-

A small giggle escaped her lips, one that quickly turned to full laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Percy asked, a relaxed grin spreading across his face.

“Everything you said about small steps is exactly what my Grudgby coach has said about training, you basically just ripped them off.”

It was Percy’s turn to laugh, his low chuckle joining her own higher-pitched ones.

Boscha found she liked his laugh, especially the way it sounded with hers.

“Well, if that's how you need to envision it, don’t let me stop you.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Boscha shot back.

“Good. Since we’re here, should we get some food?” Percy asked as he scanned the restaurant for a waiter. “I’ll pay.”

Boscha’s blush returned with a renewed intensity.

“I-I invited you, I should be the one paying.”

Percy shrugged in response, seemingly successful in flagging down a waiter.

“It's fine, I don’t spend much so I have more cash than I know what to do with.”

Any rebuttal Boscha might have posed was interrupted by the arrival of a waiter.

After ordering and receiving their food, the pair fell into a comfortable rhythm of trading stories between bites, causing the lunch to extend far longer than Boscha ever intended.
“...and then I threw it from midfield and scored the winning point, netting us the tournament,” Boscha exclaimed, excitedly telling one of her many Grudgby stories.

“After which you thanked your team and coach for their help, right?” Percy replied with a smirk as he leaned back in his chair.

“Oh, hush, I wasn’t trying to be better yet,” Boscha was able to avoid flinching at the accuracy of his comment.

“Fine, fine,” he waved her off. “Despite knowing nothing about Grub-ball, I think that's pretty impressive.”

“Grudgby, and you’ve been here what, like six weeks-”

“Five,”

“How do you still not know anything about Grudgby? It’s the biggest sport here!”

“I’ve had other things to worry about.”

“Like what?”

“Learning magic, duels, dealing with rich moms, fighting monsters,” Percy shrugged. “Keeping up with Luz’s antics also takes up a lot of time.”

Boscha’s shoulders slumped. Percy, seemingly sensing her sadness, reached across the table and took her hand again.

“Don’t worry about it, that night was far from the first time I’ve almost died.”

Boscha’s head snapped up.

“WHAT!” The people in the restaurant gave her weird looks, causing her to blush.

She hated how little control she seemed to have around him.

“Moving on,” Percy said quickly. “You invited me here to talk about potions lessons, so let's do that.”

Boscha decided not to comment on his obvious deflection. He was entitled to keep his secrets, as was she.

“We do lessons four times a week and have tests every three weeks,” Boscha explained, finding amusement in Percy’s sinking expression. “The tests are usually about what we’ve covered, but sometimes she changes it up just to screw with me.”

“That doesn’t seem very nice.”

Boscha shrugged.

“Not very nice describes my mother perfectly. I’m used to it at this point.”

“You shouldn’t be.”

The fluttering in her stomach that’d been present since he sat down intensified. Something about him caring just made her feel good.

“A-anyways, she’s a harsh grader, so be prepared to fail tests.”

“I can’t believe that I have to worry about my grades again,” Percy said with a groan.

“How did you expect learning magic to go?”

“I don’t know, maybe a ritual that forces the knowledge in my head or something.”

Boscha laughed.

“Sorry to disappoint.”

Percy smiled and leaned forward.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just take it out on your mother.”

The pair again fell into comfortable conversation, enjoying each other's presence too much to notice how much time had passed. When they did notice and parted ways, Boscha found herself wishing they’d spent more time together.

And for the first time since she’d started them, Boscha found herself looking forward to a potions lesson.

-------------------------------------

Lilith watched her sister through the one-sided mirror with a look of disdain, the circumstances around her capture souring her mood.

Eda was careful, a fact drilled into Lilith's head after dozens of failed attempts to bring her in; she didn’t run her store when it was likely she would be caught, she didn’t advertise her wares, she didn’t pay her taxes under her own name.

She most definitely didn’t put her name in lights.

Even though she should have been thrilled to have finally, every part of her was screaming that something was wrong.

“Madam,” a coven scout left of her said, “The prisoner is ready for questioning.”

“My sister, you mean,” Lilith muttered under her breath.

Prisoner or not, Eda deserved more than being a petty criminal.

Walking into the interrogation room allowed Lilith to get a better look at her sister, causing to pit in her stomach to grow heavier.

She wore oven mitts with holes in them, leaving one finger uncovered on each, a similar tactic used for babies learning to control their magic. Eda had no problem controlling her magic.

Her demeanor was wild and restless, far from the collected facade Eda always wore.

Finally, she looked odd, her features slightly different from how Lilith remembered. The lack of makeup adding to the offness of her appearance.

“When is my birthday, and what did we want to be when we grew up?” Lilith asked before ‘Eda’ had a chance to speak.

“Uhhh,” The voice was younger and higher than Eda’s. “Some day this year?”

Lilith sighed. She should have known, it was one of Eda’s favorite spells after all.

“Are you the human girl, the pet, or Percy? Who swapped bodies with Eda?”

A mixture of panic and relief washed over ‘Eda’s’ face.

“Luz, the human girl!”

Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply.

“Did she do this to have you shoulder her crimes?”

Luz shook her head frantically.
“No, no, it was just a classic Freaky-Fraturday-swap-bodies-to-understand-that-other-people-have-struggles-too situation.”

Lilith nearly laughed at the absurdity of the scenario. She’d done the same thing with Eda when she was young, but hearing her sister still used the method was silly.

Drawing a spell circle, Lilith dispelled the restraints on Luz’s arm. She wasn’t desperate enough yet to hold children for ransom.

“I’ll tell the guards to escort you out,” Lilith said as she turned to leave the room. “I won’t hold you accountable for her crimes, but let her know her time is almost up.”

Luz nodded and got up to leave.

“And one more thing,” Lilith looked over her shoulder and met Luz’s eyes. “Tell Eda, Emperor Belos is aware of Percy.”

Fear flashed on Luz’s face before she quickly left the room.

The Emperor was coming for him thanks to her; the least she could do was let him know.

-------------------------------------

She found herself hovering above a cliff, a sea of clouds hiding the surface far below.

At the edge of the cliff was a withered and mangled tree, bent over the edge, pulled down by an unseen weight attached to the sea-green string tied to its branch.

Halfway between the edge of the cliff and the expanse below were three vultures, furiously picking at a spot on the string that was frayed nearly to the point of breaking.

No matter how hard the vulture pecked, the string refused to break, causing them to peck harder and harder.

"My, my, Miss Chase,” a voice echoed from all around her. “You aren’t supposed to be here, but that's not surprising."

The whole world seemed to shake when the voice spoke, making her blood run cold.

"I apologize, it seems you've been caught up in the consequences of my little game," the voice chuckled. "But you must admit it's fun to see them squabble."

The voice sighed as if it were disappointed.

"Even then, I've kept you here long enough." The world suddenly began to darken. “I think it's time for you to wake up.”

-------------------------------------

Annabeth shot up in bed, drenched in sweat, her dream leaving her with more questions than she was able to process.

The weeks following the burning of Percy's burial shroud had been equally sad and confusing. After the camp was allowed to mourn for about a week, things started happening suddenly.

Rachel, the mortal friend of Percy that Annabeth did not hate, showed up at the edge of camp asking to see her, spouting off about leading her through the Labyrinth. Annabeth thought she was crazy, and still did after she led her to the center of the maze to discover the truth about Deadulus and Luke's plan.

After she returned to the surface, Nico Di Angelo appeared in the Big House looking as confused as Annabeth felt hours before monsters spilled out of Zeus's Fist to invade camp. The camp was protected with Nico leading the charge and suffering moderate casualties. A few campers claimed to have seen Kampe, but none were able to confirm the fearsome beast's presence.

Since then, her and the other cabin heads' time at camp had been spent planning for the inevitable conflict with Kronos's army. With Percy gone and the strangeness of recent events, Annabeth had opted to stay in New York over the school year, living with Sally and attending Goode High School with Rachel.

She had come to like the girl, her previous jealousy melting away as she got to know her. She fell into a relatively comfortable routine of school, planning, and helping Sally around the apartment, mourning with the older woman in the late hours of the night.

However, despite her newfound peace, something kept her from fully adjusting.

Throughout everything, her demigod dreams made their regular and periodic appearances. But something was wrong. They were far less cryptic and felt far less intentional. They played out like a show losing its main actor, forcing the writers to improvise and abandon previous plot threads.

The dreams also always seemed to focus on Percy in some way or another, despite his apparent death, making Annabeth less sure of what really happened to him. Her most recent dream only added to her confusion.

She didn't even want to think about the other voice.

"Annabeth," Sally's muffled voice came through the door. "It's time to get up for school."

Annabeth groaned slightly while thanking Sally in her head.

She never had a caring mother growing up, so getting used to one took some time. But once she did, she never wanted to go without one again.

Getting up out of bed, Annabeth took a moment to look around the room, her eyes lingering on the piles of Percy's stuff scattered about. The fact that it was his room was something that would never sit right with her, no matter how much time she spent in it.

Quickly tossing on the first shirt she found, Annabeth made her way to the kitchen, the inviting smell of food gently guided her to the table, where a stack of blue pancakes awaited her.

"I hope these are fine," Sally said, her back facing Annabeth. "I didn't have the ingredients for anything else, plus they're his favorite."

A second plate of pancakes sat across from her, prepared for someone who wouldn't ever eat them.

Percy's passing had affected Sally in a strange way. She never seemed to acknowledge that he was gone, mourning the fact that it had been so long since he'd been home, patiently waiting for the day he'd finally return to her.

Annabeth would have been worried if she didn't have her own suspicions.

"What do you have going on today?" Sally asked as she took a seat adjacent to her.

Annabeth poked at her food for a moment before taking a quick bite and swallowing quickly.

"I got a test in English and a meeting for the student council after school," she set her fork down and rested her face on her fist. "I got a project for chem I need-"

A sudden and frantic banging on the front door cut her off.

Jumping up quickly, Annabeth grabbed her knife from its spot on the counter and dashed to the door. Gripping her blade tightly, she looked through the peephole, only to relax once she saw who it was.

Pulling the door open, Annabeth was met with the disheveled form of Nico, his hair longer and more tangled than when she last saw him.

"Nico, what's up?" The frantic look in his eyes told her something was wrong.

After the battle at camp, Nico had almost completely dropped off the map again, only showing up for the occasional meeting or to stand silently on the beach. She had never been able to figure out what he was doing, but Annabeth knew better than to ask.

"He's not there," Nico said breathlessly. "Percy's not in the Underworld."

Annabeth's stomach dropped as Sally gasped behind her.

"Maybe he already chose rebirth?"

Her voice was shaky. She so desperately hoped he was somewhere, but she knew better than to feed false hope.

Nico shook his head.

"He never entered the Underworld. We have no idea where he is."

Nico looked up at her with wide eyes.

"It's like he never existed."

-------------------------------------

The trip to Dr. Jackson's final resting place was longer than Camila had initially thought, but at least she got her steps in for the day.

Perseus Jackson's tomb was actually a memorial situated far south of Green-Wood's entrance, right across from Crescent Water. The memorial was a fairly tall stone pillar on a small plot of land. On top of the pillar was a small statue of a seahorse, similar to the one Camila saw at the aquarium. On the side of the pillar was an inscribed plaque, listing the details found on most tombstones.

Camila stood staring at the pillar for a long time, wrestling with the striking resemblance between the man laid to rest before her and the boy she cared for like a son. She looked him up on her way over, he looked identical to her Percy, but they couldn't possibly be the same person.

"He was a bit of a jerk, you know," a gentle voice said from beside her. "But he was my jerk to the very end."

Camila looked to her right and was met by the most beautiful woman she'd ever met. She was tall with curly blonde hair that cascaded down her back, just starting to silver with age. Her skin was tanned as if she lived at the beach, and her eyes were a stormy gray that seemed to shine with frightening intelligence. She looked as if she were no older than her late thirties, but she held herself as if she were older.

"Was he your-"

"He was my husband," The woman said. "I had to deal with him for thirty-two years. I don't regret a single moment of it."

The woman spoke with a soft smile, as if she was remembering fond memories.

"What brings you here?" The Woman asked after a few moments of silence. "Are you coming from the aquarium?"

"Yes," Camila replied quickly. "Do a lot of people come from there?"

The Woman chuckled lightly.

"Some do, but they always have a reason. Do you mind if I ask yours?"

"Your husband reminds me of someone I met recently," Camila said, deciding not to elaborate.

The Woman nodded.

"I appreciate you taking the time to come by, not many do," The Woman smirked slightly. "Even if you aren't being completely honest."

Camila felt her cheeks darken.

"It's personal."

"I imagine it is," The Woman chuckled again. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Camila, yours?"

The Woman stared at the pillar once more, the same soft smile gracing her lips.

"He used to call me his Wise Girl," She said gently. "But I prefer Annabeth."