Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

                If anyone were watching the night sky, they might have noticed a star seeming to crash towards the forest near Bonesborough. As it was, nobody seemed to notice, and if they did, they paid no mind. Perhaps if they had looked closer, they might have seen a figure atop this star, wearing clothing patterned like the night sky itself, with a cloth cap to match.

                The star gently lowered into the forest without so much as a sound. The figure climbed off their mount, cautious not to disturb the wildlife as they snapped their fingers sharply. The star was whisked off into the sky and the figure let out a quiet sigh.

                “Our brother likes playing with Titans.” He scoffed in a mocking tone. “Let’s show him what happens when we play with Titans. Uggh. A war that ends in genocide is what happens.”

                The figure kicked a rock that bounced into a tree and suddenly turned into a beautiful butterfly upon impact. “Now brother’s missing and nobody cares. Why am I the only one that’s trying to do something here? None of this would have been a problem if we’d just left him alone like I told them.”

                They looked upwards towards the sky and stared forlornly at the looming shadows of a Titan’s ribcage. They shook their head and sighed.

                “I don’t understand why they find this so funny. This used to be a living thing, and now it’s just a stinky pile of bones.” The moping figure shoved their hands in their pockets as they meandered through the trees.

                They stopped as they came across a dirt path.

                “Oh.” They said in surprise. “Didn’t expect to see this here.”

                They shrugged. “Well, I guess this makes the search a little easier.”

                “Although,” They said, stepping onto the path and walking to the left. “There’s so many places he could be. I suppose I could just tear this place apart to make it easier…”

                “No…” They finally said after a moment of deliberation. “That would be irresponsible of me. I’m sure its what the others would do, but I’m gonna be different. I’ll do this the hard way – it’ll be more satisfying and Little Bro will appreciate the extra effort. Well… Hmm, he’s probably not gonna care all that much actually.”

                As the figure mused, walking along the path, they heard something that surprised them. Voices, chatting earnestly up ahead. They quickly dashed into the trees and hid themselves in a small bush.

                Two figures came walking up the path. One of them was a tall, grey-haired woman with a gold fang and a wooden staff with a wooden owl on the top. The other was a much smaller girl, with tan skin and a bag slung over one shoulder.

                “Thanks for taking me to the night market Eda!” The short girl said with a spring in her step. “This stuff we found is definitely gonna help us with the portal.”

                “It’s the least I can do Luz.” The older woman chuckled. “You saved me from certain death and got me reconnected with my estranged sister. Although, it is a little weird to have Lillith around these days and not trying to conscript me into the Emperor’s Coven.”

                The girl giggled and then frowned. “Yeah, Lillith can be a bit of a killjoy. What was her reasoning for staying back at the owl house?”

                While the two were talking, the figure watched them cautiously. Once they passed their bush, they silently got behind a tree and began to follow them. The figure wasn’t exactly sure what drove them to do it, but there was something about that shorter girl that caught their attention. They couldn’t quite put their finger on it but… Ok, to put it bluntly, this girl gave off serious protagonist energy.

                “Oh, you don’t remember?” The woman said with a smirk.

                She threw her arm up against her forehead and let out a dramatic groan. “Eda! This curse is killing me! I can’t use witch magic, oh woe is me!”

                The girl laughed. “That impression was pretty good Eda! Where’d you learn to act so well?”

                The witch smirked. “You don’t become the greatest witch in the boiling isles without a bit of dramatic flair!”

                 Luz lit up as she turned to the witch excitedly. “Oh, I can do dramatic! I was in the school play once! I don’t think the audience was too  happy about my own ‘dramatic flair’ though.”

                Eda threw her arm over the shorter girl’s shoulder. “Oh really? A school play huh? Well I’d like to see what you got! Can you do an impression of me?”

                The girl squeaked in excitement. “Oh I would love to! Can I borrow Owlbert?”

                The witch handed the girl the staff with a chuckle. “Oh, this should be good.”

                Luz took the staff and jogged a little bit ahead of the older woman. She raised her arms high above her head dramatically, waving the staff in the air while walking backwards. “I’m Eda the Owl Lady! Strongest witch in the boil – Oh!”

                She tripped over her own feet and fell hard on her butt. The Owl Lady’s boisterous laughter could be heard throughout the entire forest, startling even the bravest of beasts into hiding.

                “Not bad, kid.” Eda said, trying to contain her laughter. “Might have been better if you didn’t fall on your-”

                “Oh whatever!” Luz groaned, cutting her off and accepting the extended hand. “I’d like to see you try walking backwards.”

                While the girl got back up on her feet, the figure hiding in the shadows caught sight of her ears. They frowned. “A human in the boiling isles?”

                The Owl Lady stiffened and turned around suspiciously. “Luz, did you hear something?”

                The figure slapped their hand over their mouth with wide eyes. They hadn’t meant to say that out loud. If they were caught, then… Well it wouldn’t really be a huge problem per se, but it would certainly be embarrassing.

                “Yeah.” Luz replied, with a serious look. “It sounds like someone’s following us.”

                “Hah!” The Owl Lady chuckled. “I thought I was going crazy. Well, more crazy than usual anyway.” She pointed directly towards the tree line where the star-spangled figure was hiding. “It sounded like it came from over there.”

                “What do you think we should do?” The Latina said, pulling small paper squares out of her bag nervously. “Do you think it’s coven guards?”

                 The Owl Lady chuckled. “Well if it is then we’ll show ‘em what for. But I’ve got an idea. Hand me my staff.”

                 The girl gingerly placed the staff in her outstretched hand. “What are you gonna do?”

                 Eda winked at her. “Show ‘em a little bit of that dramatic flair.”

                 The woman slammed the bottom of her staff into the ground menacingly. “I don’t know who’s following us, but you better show yourself!”

                 She pointed the top of her staff towards the tree line. “I’m Eda the Owl Lady! Strongest witch in the Boiling Isles! If you think you can mess with me, you’ve got another thing coming! So you can either come out on your own, or we’ll come to you! Your choice.”

                 The figure in hiding contemplated their choices for a moment. The woman was obviously bluffing, and it likely wouldn’t be much of an even fight if it came to that. But even if they did come to find them, it would be a fruitless search. So, the choice was either stay and hide like nothing happened, or just walk out and introduce themselves.

                 After a moment the figure seemed to come to a conclusion. These two appeared to be nice enough, and if they were honest, they were at least a little curious about the human. And who knows? Maybe they’ll be able to help them with their little dilemma. So, without further deliberation, they turned to step out onto the path. And promptly tripped over a root and landed flat on their face in front of the two.

                “Well that’s not what I expected at all.” Luz said with a frown.

                “You’re telling me.” Eda said, lowering her staff awkwardly. “You alright there kid?”

                 Embarrassed and humiliated, the figure got up slowly and dusted themselves off. When they turned to them, the two paused, taking in the odd stranger. The figure was a young boy, probably about the same age as Luz, maybe a little older. His outfit stood out to them as strange, but Luz would be lying if she said she hadn’t seen weirder.

               “I’m alright.” The boy said, dusting themselves off and scratching the back of their head sheepishly. “Sorry I scared you.”

               “Uhh… Not to be rude or anything,” Eda began slowly. “But who the heck are you and why were you following us?”

               The boy chuckled. “Well, I just heard you guys coming up the path and… well to be honest I was just curious is all. As for who I am… well my parents told me not to tell strangers my name so… You can just call me The Collector.”

Chapter Text

                “The Collector huh?” Eda said with a frown. “Why does that sound so familiar?” She paused momentarily, as if in thought, before quickly returning to the conversation.

                “Well Collector,” She quipped. “It’s nice to meet you, my name is-”

                “Eda the Owl Lady?” The Collector asked, cutting her off.

                She froze. “How did you – oh actually nevermind.” She slumped her shoulders with an annoyed expression.

                “Yeah, you kinda broadcasted that to the whole forest.” Luz deadpanned. She turned to The Collector with a smile and walked right up to him.

                “Pleasure to meet you Collector!” She held out a friendly hand for him to shake which once he took it, she began to shake it vigorously. “You can call me Luz. Or The Human. Or Luz the Human. Or-”

                “I think he gets it Luz.” Eda rolled her eyes. “Anyway, what’s a kid your age doing out in this dark forest at night? Didn’t your parents tell you it’s dangerous?”

                “I’m looking for my brother.” He said simply. “My siblings ran him out of the house and now I can’t find him. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen him.”

                “How long would you say?” Eda asked casually.

                The Collector shifted around uncomfortably. “Well… Let’s just say its been a few years.”

                “Oh.” Eda said with a straight face. “He’s probably dead then.”

                “Eda!” Luz said, glaring at her and wrapping her arms around the boy protectively. “That’s not very nice!”

                “What?” She shrugged. “I’m just pointing it out. Besides, how is he supposed to find him if he’s been missing for years anyway?”

                “Who are you? Eda the pessimist?” Luz scolded. “Just because he’s missing doesn’t mean we can’t find him!” Her facial expression switched to an excited grin. “Oh, it’ll be just like hide and seek! And everyone knows I’m a pro seeker.”

                The Collector scoffed and smiled softly. “Yeah, he’d probably enjoy that comparison.”

                “See?” Luz said proudly. “His little bro would love hide and seek! We gotta try Eda! I mean, it’s not like we have anything to do until we figure out how to fix the portal.”

                “Fix the portal?” The Collector asked curiously. “What portal?”

                Luz paused and gave him a weak smile. “The portal to the human realm. I had to destroy it to stop Emperor Belos from getting his hands on it. But now I have no way to get back home, to let my mom know I’m ok.”

                “Emperor Belos?” The Collector frowned. He shook his head, shoving that question aside without further thought. “Whatever. Look, I can help you get your portal to the human realm, if you help me find my brother.”

                Eda raised a skeptical eyebrow, while Luz jumped up into the air, shouting for joy. “You hear that Eda? We gotta help him now!”

                “He’s just a kid.” Eda said in monotone. “How is he supposed to help us with the portal?”

                “Magic.” The boy shrugged nonchalantly.

                “Yeah!” Luz cheered. “Magic! See Eda, he knows stuff.”

                She gave her a blank stare. “Ok sure, whatever. Can we go home now?”

                Luz composed herself and nodded with a serious expression. She turned to the boy in the odd star pajamas. “Come with us Collector! We’ll find your brother before you can even say ‘Grudgby’!”

                “Grudgby.” Eda said with a satisfied smirk.

                “Eda!” Luz whined. “I didn’t mean literally.”

                “Oh, that’s too bad.” Eda chuckled. “I was really thinking that would get me out of it.”

                The Collector watched the two banter back and forth. There was something unique about the relationship those two had. If Luz had pointed ears, The Collector might have even assumed Eda was her mother. Ok, maybe if the skin tone matched a little better, then he would consider it a possibility. But that didn’t detract from the fact that they had a very clear bond that was like a mother-daughter relationship.

                It reminded him of his siblings in a way. Sure they were rough around the edges and loved to tease, but he knew they loved him. Or at least he hoped they did. Although, after what they did to his younger brother, he couldn’t be so sure anymore. They had abandoned him. It wasn’t even like he did anything wrong either. They just… kicked him out.

                Was what his brother did really that bad? Sure his brother liked playing with Titans, but that was no reason to banish him and murder his Titan friends. Actually, when he put it that way, it did seem rather extreme. Did normal siblings just do stuff like that? The Collector wasn’t so sure. But he’d worry about that later. They were his family – he couldn’t not love them. Besides, right now wasn’t the time for introspection. He had a job to do and now he had help.

                They finally made it out into a clearing, where a quaint little home sat near a cliffside. It wasn’t very large or extravagant – especially when compared to what The Collector was used to. Still, there was something warm and pleasant about the structure. And had it been any larger, he wasn’t sure it would still feel that way.

                Luz turned around and faced the Collector with a huge grin. “Collector, welcome to The Owl house!”

Chapter Text

                The introduction by Luz fell a little short of extravagant. Sure it was dramatic, but The Collector expected something like fireworks or confetti to match the girl’s enthusiasm. To her credit, Luz did pull a handful of confetti from her pocket and tossed it into the air. It was only mildly disappointing, but The Collector wasn’t going to let that show.

                “The Owl House, huh?” The Collector followed them as they went to the door. “So we’ve got ‘The Owl Lady’ who has a staff with an owl on it, and now the owl house? What’s next? The house is actually an owl?”

                The owl Lady chuckled. “Something like that.”

                They walked up to the door for The Collector to come face to face with a door knocker that resembled a sleeping owl. He smirked at the absurdity of such a design, but was startled when the owl’s eyes snapped open.

                “Who goes there?” The owl said in a high-pitched voice. Once he noticed the owl lady he smiled. “Oh hi Eda! What brings you here on this fine evening?”

                Eda glared at him. “Hooty, open the door. I’m too tired for this right now.”

                The owl sighed dejectedly. “Fine, I get it. Nobody wants to talk to Hooty.” The door swung open and the three of them filed in as the owl continued complaining, which everyone automatically tuned out. This was the first time The Collector met the bird tube, but that obnoxious voice was enough to make him want to commit a murder. It was definitely better if he just ignored him.

                As they entered the house, The Collector noticed a tall dark haired woman, lounging on the couch in the middle of the room. There were stacks of small squares with various symbols and shapes strewn about the surrounding area, and the witch looked absolutely beat. She gave them a vague acknowledgement before suddenly realizing there was a new person with Luz and Eda.

                “Who’s the kid?” The witch asked, with newfound energy.

                “Lillith,” Eda said. “Meet The Collector. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go run our apple blood supply dry.”

                “Pleasure to meet you Collector.” Lillith said, eyeing Eda as she trudged past her.

                “He’s gonna be staying with us while he looks for his brother.” Luz said with a chipper tone and hands on her hips.

                There was a loud crash that came from the kitchen as Eda stumbled back into the room, rubbing her head. “What did you just say? Because there’s no way that you just said he’s staying here. I mean, you’re kidding right?”

                The Collector blushed as Luz stood her ground. “Nope! He’s staying here! Where else is he gonna stay?”

                Eda’s eyes turned to land on The Collector. “Didn’t you say you had parents, kid? Why don’t you head home for the night and come back in the morning?”

                The Collector shifted their feet awkwardly. “Well uh… the thing is…” He closed his eyes and turned to the side as he mumbled something inaudible.

                “Speak up kid,” Eda demanded. “I didn’t hear a word you just said.”

                The Collector sighed and turned back to her. “I kind of ran away from home.”

                “Hey me too!” Luz beamed at him, then brought her hand to her chin with a frown. “Although it wasn’t actually intentional.”

                “Eh, we’ve all ran away from home at one point or another.” Eda said waving a dismissive hand. “I’m not going to ask you to explain now, but if you’re staying then we’ll need to find a place for you to sleep.”

                “Uh, thanks.” The boy said shyly.

                Eda stroked her chin thoughtfully as she leaned on the doorframe.

                “Your house is becoming a little crowded.” Lillith noted. “Are you sure you can accept another runaway into your home Edalynn?”

                Eda turned to her with a droll look. “I’ve taken in at least two so far and I’m sure I’ll have Luz’s little girlfriend Amity begging me to take her in soon too. I’ll improvise.”

                “She’s not my girlfriend!” Luz blushed and then muttered under her breath, “But it would be cool if she was.”

                “Luz’s girlfriend is running away from home?” A squeaky voice asked from the stairway. “If she’s coming here then that means I get another minion!”

                The Collector looked towards the direction the voice had come from, but didn’t see anything. Either they were really small, or hadn’t come down the stairs yet. Maybe both.

                “King, I already established that Amity’s not my girlfriend.” Luz groaned.

                “She’s not?” The voice said, this time coming from the couch. “Could have fooled me.”

                There was a light grunting sound and The Collector frowned as he saw small imprints on one of the couch cushions, then a small indent as the grunting subsided. What?

                “Uh, who’s that squeaky voice?” The Collector asked nervously. Did they have a pet ghost or something?

                “Squeaky?” The voice protested.

                “Oh!” Luz said giddily, bolting over to the couch and scooping up an invisible something, holding it in front of her. “Collector, meet King!”

                “Unhand me you fiend!” The voice cried, clearly struggling to break free from the girl’s grasp.

                The Collector stared at the empty air, feeling perplexed. “Uh, where is he? I don’t see anything.”

                “Huh?”

                “What?”

                “Pardon?”

                “What?”

                Everyone said simultaneously, making The Collector unsure of who had said what. He looked around at everyone, when another voice startled him. “Hoot?”

                “Hooty!” Eda sighed. “Now is not the time!”

                “Aw…” The owl demon sighed dejectedly.

                After collecting himself (no pun intended) The Collector looked back to the empty air Luz was holding. “Is he a ghost?”

                “Ghost?” King asked incredulously. “I’m not a ghost, I’m the King of demons! Let me go Luz, I’m gonna go fight moon boy!”

                “King no!” Luz said, pulling the invisible thing to her chest. “You can’t fight moon boy!”

                Moon boy? The collector mouthed in confusion. He shook himself from his momentary stupor. “Uh, yeah please don’t fight moon boy.”

                “Aw.” King complained. Then his mood seemed to shift to a different, but very similar energy. “Well if I can’t fight him, then he shall be my minion!”

                Luz sighed. “Don’t worry about King, he’s harmless. The most dangerous thing he can do is bap your nose.” She smirked down at the demon, who had began to protest. “It’s a real shame you can’t see him though cause he’s an adorable wittle guy.”

                She appeared to be scratching the invisible creature, who - if The Collector could see him – was trying to wriggle out of her grip to no avail.

                “NO! I’M NOT ADORABLE! I’M THE KING OF DEMONS!” The very adorable sounding demon wailed.

                Eda chuckled. “Well this is fun and all, but I’m tired so we really need to figure out where you’ll be sleeping.”

                Luz appeared to have tuned her out as she cooed to the invisible demon that was struggling to break free. The Collector turned to Eda with a sheepish expression. “Yes please.”

                Eda stroked her chin for a moment before snapping her fingers with a grin. “Aha! I got it! We can set up something for you in the basement!”

                “WE HAVE A BASEMENT?!” Luz, Lillith and King exclaimed in unison.

                Eda looked at them with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, you didn’t know that?”

                This was apparently news to the entire group, aside from The Collector who really didn’t have any knowledge of the house to start with. Eda just rolled her eyes as the other three stared at her with shocked expressions.

                “Seriously?” Eda pinched the bridge of her nose. “How did you not know this? King, you’ve lived here your whole life! Luz, you’ve been here for what? Three months?”

                “What about me?” Lillith said, sounding offended. Nobody paid any attention to her disappointment, nor did they seem to acknowledge her presence. Lillith was about to protest this indignity, but upon another moment’s thought, she realized that she also was pretty new to the owl house and her lack of knowledge in this regard was understandable. That doesn’t mean that being ignored didn’t hurt, but she supposed she deserved it.

                “Hey,” Luz griped. “In my defense, I was a little busy trying not to die for the last three months.”

                “Yeah!” King added. “In my defense I… ok yeah I got nothin’.”

                Eda shrugged. “Whatever, let’s just go down there and figure something out.”

                Eda led The Collector to the basement, Luz and King in tow. Lillith figured she would stay behind and finish her reading. Not that she didn’t want to see the basement, but if she could learn more about the old magic, she might be able to figure out how to make better glyphs – and that would benefit everyone and maybe that would help repair her relationship with Eda to some degree.

                As the four made it down the stairs, it was apparent that this was not a very inviting place to stay. There were shelves of random garbage on one wall and the whole place smelled musty. Pretty much everything was covered with dust, and if not dust, cobwebs. Clearly this place hadn’t been touched in a very long time.

                “It ain’t much.” Eda said with a neutral expression. “But this is pretty much the only place that hasn’t been touched by… well anyone really.”

                “That’s ok!” The Collector smiled. “I can make this work.”

                He snapped his fingers and in the blink of an eye, the entire room changed. The shelves along the wall had vanished, replaced with an ornate abstract painting. The walls themselves were painted with shifting colors that didn’t seem to be able to decide on a final state. The only thing left of the dust and cobwebs was the short memory of their existence a moment ago. The floor appeared to have become an expansive void, save for the rug in the middle and simple twin bed on top. The room seemed to have its own light coming from… everywhere.

                He turned around to face his hosts with a grin, but paused when he saw their stunned expressions. Luz and Eda had wide eyes and their mouths hung open in awe. Luz’s eyes shined with wonder, while Eda’s… Eda looked downright envious. He didn’t understand why, it wasn’t all that impressive.

                The Collector cleared his throat. The two turned to him (and presumably King, though he couldn’t see his expression - or King for that matter).

                “Thanks for helping me.” He said meekly. “I’m glad there are people out there as nice as you guys.”

                “Aww.” Luz smiled softly. “He’s so sweet.”

                “And unexpectedly powerful.” Eda stated blankly. She blinked and tried for her signature grin, but really just looked nervous. “Uhh… no problem. You can stay here as long as you need to. But could you uh… could you teach me how to do this?” She gestured to the room lamely. “Cause this house could really use a makeover.”

                The Collector floated to his bed with a sheepish expression on his face as he scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I’m not sure you guys can do what I just did. Uh, sorry?” He gave them an apologetic smile, while they just stared at him.

                Luz gulped. “Well ok uh… we’re gonna go back upstairs so you can do your thing. See you tomorrow?”

                The Collector nodded, oblivious to why they were so confused. What did he do that was so odd? They use magic here too, don’t they? So why act like they’d never seen magic before? Oh well, that’s not important.

                “Let’s maybe talk about finding your brother in the morning.” Eda said nervously. “Cause I get the feeling that I want to stay on your good side.”

                The Collector nodded enthusiastically, jumping under the covers and snapping his fingers. The light in the room dimmed and in the darkness, the room looked like the boy had brought the night sky right into the owl house basement. “Sounds good! Goodnight!”

                Eda, Luz and King shook from their ever increasing awe and turned back up the stairs.

                “Eda.” Luz said in a daze. “Do you think we’ve just befriended a god?”

                “Ya know,” Eda replied in similar fashion. “I’m not sure. But if we did, then we better be careful not to offend him, because I’m not in the mood to get turned onto a puppet or something weird like that.”

                King sighed dreamily. “I have a very powerful minion. We will conquer so many *yawn* peasants.”

                Luz giggled, picking him up. “Slow your roll there, little tyrant. I think The Collector is more likely to make you his minion than the other way around.”

                “Pfft.” King scoffed. “I’d like to see him try! The guy can’t even see me! I’ll have a god under my command in no time at all!”

                By this time, Eda had already wandered into the kitchen and poured herself a mug of apple blood, while Luz carried King up to her room.

                “Sure you will King.” Luz smiled tiredly, setting him down at the foot of her sleeping bag. “I just hope that he knows how to get me home.”

                Luz sighed and turned on her phone, looking at all of the unsent messages to her mother. “I’m sorry Mami. But hey, maybe this Collector guy will get me a way back to you.”

                Luz typed into her phone a simple text: I love you Mami and I miss you. I promise I’ll be home soon. She pressed send and pretended not to notice the little error message that appeared underneath her text. It was hard, but Luz was a Noceda. And a Noceda doesn’t give up so easily. She flopped onto her back and closed her eyes. She would find a way to get home, but for now, she had a brother to find.

Chapter Text

                Luz woke up early the next morning, delirious but strangely well rested. Luz Noceda considers herself a morning person, but that didn’t mean that she always felt one hundred percent. Especially recently, Luz has had trouble sleeping at night as her many worries demanded attention that she really didn’t have the energy or desire to give to those thoughts.

                Luz Noceda considers herself a morning person. Eda and King consider her insane. After all, nobody in their right mind actually liked waking up at the crack of dawn. Luz’s spontaneous energy, though infectious, was a little obnoxious in the mornings.

                “Good morning Eda!”

                Scratch that. It was very obnoxious. Eda had yet to get her morning cup of apple blood and she was not even remotely ready to be dealing with the explosive personality that is Luz Noceda. And what was worse, it was a Sunday, which meant no school. As much as Eda loved Luz, she didn’t exactly love the morning headaches.

                “Boy did I have a wacky dream!” Luz said with a chuckle. “There was this weird boy with a moon face wearing star pajamas that we brought to our house and we let him stay in our basement – like what basement? Anyway, he like, transformed it into this weird void bedroom and it was like, super weird.”

                Eda really loved Luz, but she could be painfully dense sometimes. “That actually happened Luz.”

                Luz blinked. “Wait really?”

                “Yes.” Eda rolled her eyes irritably. “Unless we somehow had the same weird dream, moon boy is sleeping soundly downstairs in his little void.”

                “Oh.” Luz frowned. “Wait, so we actually do have a basement? Weird.”

                Eda groaned and King shuffled into the room with a yawn. “Oh boy did I have a weird dream last night. There was this weird kid in star pajamas that said I was invisible.”

                Eda banged her head against the table.

                In that moment, Lilith walked into the kitchen holding her head and groaning weakly. “I had such a strange dream last night.”

                Eda’s head snapped up. “If you say one thing about moon boy I swear to Titan-”

                “What?” Lillith said with a confused frown. “No, it was actually about Hooty. He was-”

                “Nope!” Eda said abruptly. “Stopping you right there, please and thank you! I don’t need my gray hairs getting grayer.”

                “I would love to hear about your dream Lulu!” Hooty said slithering into the kitchen.

                “Ok sure Hootsifer.” She smiled at the owl demon.

                “Please take it outside.” Eda sighed. “I don’t think I have enough apple blood to deal with this right now.”

                Lillith shrugged and walked out of the kitchen talking to hooty. “So anyway, as I was saying….” Her voice faded out as she walked out the front door.

                “Oh thank Titan.” Eda breathed, taking a sip of her apple blood.

                “Good morning everyone!” A cheery voice said, causing Eda to spit out her apple blood in surprise.

                The Collector strolled in with a large smile and conjured a chair out of thin air and sat on it backwards. “Have you guys had breakfast yet?”

                “Not yet, but I’m really hungry.” Luz replied, trying not to think too hard about the fact that this strange kid just materialized a random object as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

                “Oh good!” The Collector grinned. “Do you guys like waffles?”

                Eda shook her head with a sigh and sipped her apple blood. King was contemplating how he could take advantage of the moon boy’s inability to see him. Luz was still computing the existence of The Collector’s chair.

                Taking a moment to compose herself, Luz turned to The Collector. “I love Waffles! But Boiling Isles waffles don’t seem to agree with my stomach.”

                “Cool!” The Collector said, not missing a beat. He waved his hand and a plate of waffles appeared, the leaning tower of fluffy goodness teetering dangerously to one side. Beside the waffle stack, was a bottle of maple syrup, a tray of butter and an assortment of toppings. Eda, king and Luz stared at the ominous behemoth that looked like it might topple over at any moment.

                “Are those…” Luz gulped. “Real?”

                “Yep!” The boy chirped happily. “As real as you or me! Now are you just gonna stare at it or you going to enjoy some delicious waffles?”

                You didn’t have to ask Luz twice. She grabbed as many waffles as she could handle and drenched them in maple syrup. She then piled on as many fruity toppings that she could, out of the ones she recognized. Then, she took a bite and moaned in satisfaction. “Oh these are so good. I haven’t had a breakfast like this in so long!”

                King, seeing that the waffles were safe for consumption, no longer hesitated to gorge himself. Eda set down her mug of apple blood and cautiously took a waffle from the top of the stack. She took a hesitant bite, but then her eyes lit up as she scarfed down the rest of it.

                After he was satisfied that everyone was eating (albeit disturbed by the waffles mysteriously disappearing to the - as of yet - unseen King), floated a stack of waffles to himself on a newly conjured plate. The group ate in silence for a few minutes, while just outside the door, Lillith and Hooty were unaware of the feast going on in the kitchen as they laughed about some inside joke.

                “So Collector,” Luz said after emptying her plate, completely stuffed. “Do you normally make food appear out of thin air like that? Cause I can get used to this.”

                The Collector shrugged. “Not usually. I just thought I’d show you some gratitude for taking me in and helping me find my brother.”

                “You’ve almost convinced me to be more hospitable.” Eda smirked. “But it takes a bit more than some fancy magic waffles to sway me.”

                The Collector laughed softly. “I’m serious! It’s nice of you guys to offer your help and making you breakfast is the least I could do.”

                “A worthy minion!” King said proudly, before releasing a tiny belch. “These waffles are sure to have thousands bowing before my awesome power!”

                “Right.” Luz said, turning away from King to look at the very concerned Collector. “Anyway, since I don’t have school today, I can help you look for your brother.”

                The Collector leaned forward in his chair, causing it to balance precariously on two legs. “Really?”

                “Sure!” Luz grinned. “But before we go out looking for him, we gotta know what he looks like.”

                The Collector nodded in understanding. “Ok, yeah. He looks pretty much exactly like me, but a lot shorter. He’ll be wearing the same kind of robes as me. You really couldn’t miss him.”

                “Haven’t seen anyone like that besides you.” Eda said, stroking her chin. “It’s also possible he doesn’t want to be found.”

                The Collector slumped his shoulders and sighed. “Yeah you might be right about that.”

                “Hey, don’t worry.” Luz said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to find him no matter what, ok?”

                The Collector nodded with a small smile.

                “Good.” Luz said. “Do you think you could tell us his name? It would help a lot.”

                The Collector froze. “I – well um… you see…” He sighed. “You can just call him The Collector. Or like, little Collector or something.”

                “Yeah.” Luz said, like a deflating balloon. “That isn’t gonna work. Do you think you could maybe give us his real name? We can’t call both of you The Collector.”

                The boy met her eyes with a glare. “Well that’s too bad, cause that’s what we are. Is that a problem?”

                Luz looked to Eda and King for help but both of them just shrugged. Those two really were no help at all. Luz sighed.

                “Look Collector,” Luz said softly. “I didn’t mean to offend you, but we really do want to help. And we can’t do that if you don’t work with us here. You don’t have to give us his name – or yours – if you don’t want to. But it really would be helpful.”

                The Collector looked away for a moment, refusing to meet Luz’s kind gaze. “I’m sorry… it’s just that I don’t want people to know our names, or really know us at all actually. Even telling you to call me The Collector was more than I should have said. Collectors don’t usually interact with witches or humans too often.”

                “Hold on,” Eda said with a frown. “What do you mean by that? Aren’t you a witch? I thought Collector was just a weird family name.”

                The Collector snorted. “I suppose it kind of is. But I’m not a witch, I’m a Collector – which is very different. I’d be just as much of an outcast as my brother if they found out I accepted help from witches and humans.”

                “Who’s they?” Luz asked nervously.

                “My older siblings.” He answered simply. “They’re complete jerks and act like we’re gods or something… which I guess, compared to you guys, we kind of are. Our only equals would be Titans, but my family made sure to change that. They’re all extinct because of us.”

                “Yikes.” Luz said, sucking in a breath.

                “Yeah.” The Collector sighed. “Yikes. Vir – I mean, my little brother, played with Titans all the time – especially the Titan kids that were his age. But once my older brothers found out about that, things kind of escalated and here we are now. There’s obviously a lot more to it, but that’s the simple version.”

                Luz whistled. “Wow, that’s no bueno.”

                “I have no idea what that means, but yes.” The Collector replied. “I’m probably the only one in my family, aside from my brother, who actually liked the Titans. It wasn’t fair to them, and it wasn’t fair to Virgo. But Collectors can’t be friendly with anyone who could potentially oppose them and I guess that was a crime worthy of banishment. We’re literally standing on top of one of the biggest mistakes in Collector history – I mean the killing thing, not the befriending Titans thing. I’m already ashamed to say that I – a Collector – am currently standing on top of the corpse of an innocent being that my family is responsible for killing. I am fully aware of the fact that the Titan’s spirit lives on in the magic used by witches and I can only imagine how upset they are by the knowledge that not just one, but two Collectors are basically desecrating their grave by our presence alone. To be completely honest, it’s not my siblings I’m worried about. If they want to banish me from home forever, that’s fine.”

                “So why don’t you tell us your name then?” Luz asked softly.

                “Because the Titan is not completely dead.” The Collector admitted softly. He knew he had started crying somewhere amidst his explanation, and fortunately it wasn’t a full-on ugly cry cause that would be extra embarrassing. “I don’t know how much power he still has, but I’m scared of what he’ll do. If he knew our names, he might be able to get revenge on us from beyond the grave even after we leave.”

                “If he were that petty then he would have already done something by now.” Eda snorted. “Like you said, this is literally his body. So either his spirit isn’t strong enough to hurt you, or he’s already willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. And I don’t know about you, but if I were the Titan, I would be a lot less irritated by your actual name. To me, Collector would be so much more annoying if you really think about it.”

                Well, when she put it that way… it made sense. If they kept constantly referring to him as The Collector, he would probably be more likely to get struck by lightning than if they referred to him as his name.

                “If you ask me,” King said in a matter-of-fact tone. “If the Titan was as mad as you think, then it doesn’t matter anyway. Giving us your name wouldn’t make much of a difference in the long run.”

                “Huh. The invisible demon makes a good point.” The Collector noted.

                “Always trust invisible demons!” King declared.

                “I don’t think that advice applies beyond this specific circumstance.” Luz said awkwardly. “But, forgetting all that, I’m pretty sure you already told us your brother’s name anyway.”

                “What?!” The Collector said, clearly startled by this revelation. “When? I don’t remember ever-”

                He stopped mid-sentence and paled. He actually did remember now. He’d let it slip when he was explaining how it was unfair to the Titans as well as… oops. Maybe they don’t remember what his name was. Humans tended to be forgetful, and witches were the same in that regard.

                “I’m pretty sure you said his name was Virgo?” Luz asked more than said. “But that can’t be right, cause that’s like the star sign thing you find on horoscopes and stuff.”

                Curse this human and her weirdly accurate memory. “No, you’re right.” He said with a blush. “Let’s just leave it at that though, ok? Now you can tell us apart, so there’s no need to know mine. We can just move on now and look for Virgo.”

                Luz raised a confused eyebrow, but then suddenly smirked. The Collector may be like a god to her, but he almost swore that smirk could kill Titans.

                “Wait, you aren’t embarrassed are you?” She said knowingly.

                The Collector noticeably blushed. “Me? Embarrassed? That’s crazy. I’m definitely not too embarrassed to tell you my name because that would be weird. I mean, who would be embarrassed about a name?”

                “Have you ever heard the song A Boy Named Sue, by Johnny Cash?” Luz inquired with a grin.

                “No, I haven’t.” The totally not embarrassed Collector replied. “But that does sound pretty embarrassing. But I don’t think my name is embarrassing. Not at all. Nope. Just a normal name that you totally don’t need to know cause of how very not embarrassing it is.”

                “C’mon, you can tell us!” Luz pressed.

                He sighed. “Alright fine, I’ll tell you my name. Because I’m definitely not embarrassed by it. Not at all. It would be stupid to-”

                “Just tell us!” Eda groaned in exasperation.

                He blushed furiously and turned away. “Ok… My name is uh…” He cleared his throat, his red face reminiscent of Amity’s that one time she got hurt playing Grudgby. Ok, Luz would definitely be going back over that thought later.

                “My name is Aquarius.” The ceiling and walls suddenly became very interesting to him.

                “Oh. My. TITAN!” Luz squealed. “That’s adorable! You guys are named after star signs! That is sooo cute!”

                “Yeah, yeah.” Aquarius grumbled. “The guy that lives in the stars is named after stars.”

                “I’m not following.” Eda said, “Sure the name is a little weird, but I don’t see what all of this excitement is about.”

                Luz turned to her with a big grin and glassy eyes. “Oh my goodness! Remind me to tell you about zodiac signs.”

                “Or don’t that’s ok too.” Aquarius mumbled.

                Luz turned back to face him. “Oh, does this mean all of your siblings are named after star signs? Please say yes!”

                Aquarius sighed. “Yeah, they are. You happy now?”

                Luz paused, lost in her own thoughts. “Wait, so do you have a sibling named Cancer, then?”

                “Yeah.” Aquarius rolled his eyes, really wishing he could just leave this conversation. Well, he technically could, but that would be rude. “He’s a bit of a prick though.”

                Luz narrowed her eyes menacingly. “He would be.”

                “I’m pretty sure there’s a double meaning in that response and it’s concerning.” King noted.

                Aquarius stood up. “Ok, I’m gonna go for a walk.”

                “Ok have fun!” Luz smiled. “I have so many questions for when you get back!”

                Eda chuckled as she walked past the collector. “Take advantage of that alone time, kid. In fact, if I were you, I’d take up the rest of the day.”

                Aquarius felt a calming warmth flow through him at her knowing, but gentle smile. He’d unloaded quite a lot today and while it felt good to get all of it off his chest, it was still not easy. Having some time alone to clear his head would be great. He could tell that Eda’s smile was one of understanding. She knew at least a little bit of what he was going through. Reliving a difficult past could be painful and that was something she understood better than most.

                But, unbeknowest to Eda, she would soon be getting a very unwelcome reminder of her own in the form of a very unwanted visitor. But after her own experience later that day, she would learn how relieving it is to let things go. If only she knew how to impart that wisdom to the young boy from the stars.

Chapter Text

                Emira and Edric Blight considered themselves to be very skilled witches. Not many witches could make illusions better than them, aside from that one weird kid the human was friends with – uh, Gus. In fact, the twins had no need to even go to class, such was their talent. So Emira felt strange actually attending school for once.

                That isn’t to say that Emira didn’t like school. She just didn’t see the need to go when she already knew more than the majority of students in the illusions track. But here she was, at school an hour before classes even started. Mitten’s goody-goody attitude must be rubbing off on her. It did balance out though. Amity was already proving to be much less of a snitch ever since she met Luz. Who knew that a single human could change so much?

                For example, the multi-track students. Strictly speaking, students should only be sticking to a single track, but Luz came along and changed all of that. This sparked a new interest in other opportunities for learning that Emira had never even considered as an option until now.

                Like, what if she decided to add on say, healing or beastkeeping? Not for any particular reason. It’s all hypothetical. Anyway, she may learn some cool new things. Like the name of that cute dual track girl with the fishhook earring. Ok, maybe she had ulterior motives for considering multi-tracking, but hey, that would just be a bonus of the new and improved education system that may or may not be illegal at the moment.

                But what would mother say? Something really stupid probably. Emira really didn’t care at all about what Odalia thought. If she wanted to do dual tracking for a pretty girl, then who was she to judge? But at the same time, if her mother found out that students were taking more classes than they should be allowed to, things might get a little tricky for Hexside. Not to mention the trouble Principal Bump would be in if Emperor Belos found out – he’d end up in the conformatorium for sure. Good thing Emira Blight is a skilled witch who just so happens to have a talent for illusions.

                So naturally, Emira found herself separated from her dear twin brother, standing outside Principal Bump’s office with the intent to add a few other classes to her schedule. Who could blame her really? It was cool to be simultaneously rebellious and studious. If Mittens could manage to do it, then so could Emira. Well, being rebellious and studious that is.

                Emira rocked back and forth on her feet nervously. She probably shouldn’t be worried about Bump rejecting her request. After all, she was at the top of the illusions track – tied with Edric of course. Her grades were exceptional, but she was aware of one thing that could be a potential problem.

                “Emira Blight!” Principal Bump said in surprise as he opened the door to his office. “What an unexpected surprise! This might be the first time you’ve actually shown up for school in months – unless this is one of your illusions, in which case, I am not remotely surprised at all.”

                “Well actually-” Emira began before getting cut off by another voice behind the principal – a voice that was both irritating and surprising.

                “Catch you later Princey B!” A green haired witch said, strolling to the door with a satisfied smirk, which was immediately wiped off of his face when he noticed who was outside the door. “Em?”

                “Ed?” Emira echoed. “What are you doing here?”

                “We were just discussing his schedule for his new multi-track courses.” Principal Bump supplied casually. “If I had known mixing magic would have gotten more witches interested in learning I would have implemented the multi-track system ages ago.”

                “What?” Emira asked, completely flabbergasted that her troublemaking twin had already beat her to the punch. She didn’t even know he was considering multi-tracking. “You’re multi-tracking? Why?”

                Ed shrugged. “I guess I just got a sudden thirst for knowledge.”

                Emira took note of his new uniform colors. She obviously recognized the illusion colors, but the other two were… Oh, this is interesting. “Plants and abominations huh? It looks to me like you’re thirsting for something else. Or should I say, someo-”

                Edric slapped a hand over her mouth with a nervous chuckle. “No idea what you’re talking about Em! I just love knowledge, you know me! Can’t get enough of it!”

                Emira licked his hand and he pulled it back with a yelp. “Did you just lick my hand? That’s so gross!”

                She rolled her eyes. “We’re twins Ed, you’re fine. Maybe you should have thought of that before you covered my mouth. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have something to talk about with Principal Bump.”

                “Ugh, whatever.” Edric said, wiping his hand on his shirt. “We’ll talk about this later. See you around Bump!”

                “I really hope I don’t.” Principal Bump replied with a sigh. “Teenagers.”

                Emira watched Edric round the corner and then turned to the aged principal. “Ok, Principal Bump, I really need to talk to you about something really, really important!”

                Principal Bump stared at her with an unreadable expression. “Is it life or death?”

                Emira paused. “Uh, not really, but I-”

                “Come on in then.” He cut her off with a heavy sigh.

                “Oh, alright.” She blinked.

                They entered the small office and Emira swiftly took a seat nervously. Principal Bump, however, meandered over to the other side of his desk quite casually, with his hands tucked comfortably into the sleeves of his flowing robes.

                “Which classes will you be taking?” Bump said, without hesitation.

                Emira froze in her seat. “How did you-”

                Bump held up a hand to silence her. “Emira, you and your brother have been avoiding my office like the uncommon mold. Every time I have invited you here, I have been met by your illusions with prerecorded messages. While I must say that’s impressive, it does raise concerns. However, since you’re here and you and your brother think alike, I can only assume that you are in the genuine pursuit of knowledge instead of begging for my forgiveness – which if you did, I would place in front of you a stack of papers with your many trespasses against hexside, which, I might add, has started to reach an alarming height.”

                Emira cringed. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

                “A bad thing.” He replied bluntly. “To be honest, the only one who seems to be a legitimate contender for most property damage dealt to the school premises is Luz the Human. That girl will single-handedly drain our school funds on repairs alone.”

                “Fortunately for you,” Principal Bump said, clasping his hands behind his back. “The three of you combined will probably never surpass Edalynn Clawthorne, so I suppose I can grant you some leniency.”

                Emira remained silent.

                “Having said that, I am not one to deny such a talented witch as yourself the opportunity for growth.” He gave her a stern look. “So I ask you again: Which classes will you be taking? And keep in mind that if you do this, you must keep it a secret from your mother – not that you would find that difficult considering your track record and your affinity for illusions. But I think we both know the type of woman that she is, and if she ever learned about what we’ve been doing here, we might run into some trouble.”

                “I understand sir.” Emira said with a nod. “Now about those classes…”

                 “Aquarius,” Luz said with a bright smile. “You are gonna love Hexside!”

                Aquarius groaned. He really hated his name. Hearing it said out loud was physically painful. There were many reasons why he hated it, but mainly he just hated the way it sounded. It just didn’t roll off the tongue or sound cool, like Virgo. But if there’s any consolation, at least he wasn’t named Sagittarius – now that was a mouthful.

                “Can’t you just give me one of your human nicknames or something?” Aquarius asked with a huff, slumping his shoulders.

                “Do you really hate it that much?” Luz raised an eyebrow.

                “Yes.” He replied.

                “But why?” Luz asked.

                “Cause it just sounds so stupid!” He explained. “It sounds like I’m some sort of horse!”

                “Oh my gosh he knows what horses are!” Luz whispered. She cleared her throat. “Well, believe it or not, I think it’s a wonderful name! It sounds like a cool roman gladiator or something.”

                “That doesn’t make it better Luz.” He deadpanned.

                “Alrighty then,” Luz said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “I guess I can give you a nickname… ok, how about Aqua! It’s Spanish for water. Pretty cool right?”

                “Eh…” Aquarius shrugged apologetically. “I think I’ll pass on that one.”

                “Ok’, then…” Luz seemed to be thinking hard about this. Probably harder than she should when thinking about a nickname. “Well I’m not just gonna call you moon boy. How about Ari?”

                “Ari?” Aquarius said skeptically.

                “It’s in your name, so it makes sense.” Luz explained. “Like calling my friend Gus instead of Augustus.”

                “I’m pretty sure Aqua would be a better fit for that comparison.” Aquarius sighed. “Any other ideas? Maybe one that has nothing to do with my name?”

                “I’m not giving up on using your name for this just yet!” Luz exclaimed. “Just give me a minute to think.”

                Aquarius just rolled his eyes as they walked along the dirt path that supposedly led to Luz’s school. He would have preferred flying over walking, But Eda decided that she needed some time to think and took Owlbert with her to who knows where. Luz had said something about it having to do with Eda’s mother, but that was none of his business. That left King and Hooty alone at the owl house. That was probably fine.

                Anyway, since riding Eda’s staff to the school wasn’t an option, Aquarius had considered taking the star. But that was a little too noticeable for his tastes.

                Luz snapped her fingers. “I got it! We can just call you Q.”

                “Q?” Aquarius frowned. “Where did that come from?”

                “It’s just a single letter from your name.” She elaborated. “Plus, it’s the same name as the tech guy in those James Bond movies.”

                “I guess that isn’t too bad.” He nodded. “I think I can live with that. Alright, from now on, you can call me Q!”

                “Yes!” Luz pumped her fists. “Nailed it!”

                Aquarius chuckled and rolled his eyes. As loud as Luz was, she definitely had a good heart. He suspected that she was very good at making friends – even if they didn’t want to be friends at first. Of all of the people in the Boiling Isles, he’d somehow managed to find the sweetest soul imaginable.  

                They finally began to see the top of the school above the trees, and eventually they came to the entrance where there was a crowd of students making their way inside. Since the bell hadn’t screamed yet, there were still some students milling about at the entrance, talking in groups.

                Luz turned to Aquarius. “Q! Welcome to Hexside! School of Magic and Demonics!” She punctuated her declaration with a handful of confetti from her pocket.

                “Do you always have confetti in your pockets?” He inquired.

                Luz shrugged. “Ya never know when you’re gonna need it.”

                She looked around the school grounds for a moment before locking her eyes on two young witches chatting near the steps. She grinned and grabbed Aquarius’ hand, much to his surprise, dragging him over to the two.

                “Willow! Gus!” She yelled with a wave as she sprinted towards them. They smiled at her and waved back as she approached.

                “Hi Luz!” Willow said with a friendly smile. “Who’s your friend here?”

                “Willow, Gus.” She stepped to the side and let go of his hand. “Meet my friend Q!”

                He waved awkwardly. “Hi.”

                Aquarius wasn’t exactly the social type. As it would turn out, spending your whole life living in the stars with little social interaction wasn’t conducive to making extroverted individuals. Unless of course you were Virgo, who would talk to anyone and everyone. Aquarius wouldn’t be surprised if he’d gotten kidnapped honestly.

                Willow held out a hand. “Nice to meet ya Q! I’m Willow!”

                Aquarius took her hand hesitantly and shook it. It was oddly formal for a first interaction, yet very welcome for the nervous collector. Willow’s subdued personality was quite a contrast to Luz’s bubbly and vibrant personality.

                “I’m Gus!” The other witch said with a wave. “You seem cool! Could I interest you in some human artifacts?”

                “I think he’s good Gus.” Luz said with an awkward grin. He leaned in to whisper into Aquarius’ ear.

                “He means well, but his knowledge on humans isn’t too accurate.” She whispered to him.

                Aquarius nodded in understanding. The other boy seemed excitable and enthusiastic. It wasn’t a surprise he had become close friends with the human.

                “That’s too bad!” Gus frowned. “But maybe he can stop by the human appreciation club if he changes his mind!”

                “Maybe I can.” Aquarius forced a smile. “I’ll think about it.”

                “Where are you from Q?” Willow asked politely.

                Aquarius gave Luz a pleading look. She seemed to pick up on it as she replied for him. “Sorry he’s a little shy, which is kind of why I’m only introducing him to a few people. He’s from uh… a neighboring Titan.”

                Luz mentally slapped herself. Real smooth Luz. Fortunately, the two witches seemed to accept that answer without question.

                “A neighboring Titan?” Gus asked, starstruck by the new information. “That’s so cool! What’s it like?”

                Aquarius wracked his brain for a suitable answer, but was saved by the arrival of a tired looking, green haired girl, who seemed to be trying to avoid Luz’s detection. Unfortunately for her – and fortunately for the anxious collector – Luz spotted the girl.

                “Amity!” She practically shouted, despite her relatively close proximity. “Come meet my new friend Q!”

                Amity responded enthusiastically to the invitation. For a girl who seemed to be trying to avoid confrontation she seemed strangely relieved that Luz noticed her. Although, she still looked a lot more nervous than Aquarius felt. He raised his eyebrows as she walked over.

                “Hi Luz!” Amity said with a blush. “What’s up?”

                “Amity, meet Q!” She gestured to the boy in question. “Q, meet my best friend Amity!”

                At luz’s declaration Amity tensed up and her face went bright red. “Yes! Friends! We are the best of friends! Great in fact!”

                “Isn’t she adorable?” Luz said, turning to Aquarius with a sappy smile.

                “Me?” Amity seemed to defy all odds by managing to blush even harder than before. “Adorable? She thinks I’m… oh. Wow. NicetomeetyouQIgottago!”

                As Amity darted off into the school, luz frowned. “Well that was weird. Do you think she’s ok? She looked a little red.”

                Gus and Willow gave Aquarius a look that said, “This is a regular occurrence and its driving us crazy.”

                Luz, ever oblivious to those knowing looks, continued talking. “Oh no, do you think it’s a fever?” She gasped. “What if it’s contagious? Am I gonna get sick?”

                “Oh she’s got a fever alright.” Willow said dryly. “But I don’t think it’s contagious.”

                “Hey Luz, didn’t you want to introduce me to someone else before school started?” Aquarius asked, eager to keep moving before Luz’s obliviousness became too painful to watch.

                “You’re right!” luz’s eyes widened in alarm. “Principal Bump! We gotta hurry!”

                She grabbed his arm and dragged him through the school hallways. As they left, Gus turned to Willow. “Who do you think is going to tell who first? Luz or Amity?”

                Willow shrugged. “Well since Amity becomes a flustered mess whenever she’s around Luz and Luz is dense as a rock, I’d say neither. At this point they just need some kind of divine intervention.”

                Of course, Luz would miss that little interaction as she had just arrived at Principal Bump’s office. But even if she had, it would have zipped straight over her head like a poorly aimed fireball.

                She lifted her hand to knock on the door, but before she could, it swung open on its own and a tall dark-green haired witch was walking out, facing the other way.

                “Thanks Principal Bump!” Emira Blight said with a wave. “I owe you one!”

                “You owe me a lot more than one.” A tired voice responded from inside the room.

                Emira turned around to leave and nearly jumped out of her skin. “Luz!?”

                “Oh!” Luz smiled. “Hi Em! What are you up to?”

                But before Emira could answer, Luz noticed her new uniform colors. “You’re multi-tracking?”

                Emira nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! Ed too! We thought it would be fun to try out some new things, ya know? Illusions can be so boring.”

                “I guess-” She paused, narrowing her eyes. “Hold on. Beastkeeping? Healing? Those are some interesting choices.”

                Emira blushed softly and waved nonchalantly. “Oh, they just seemed like fun is all.”

                Luz stroked her chin. “I guess I could see you enjoying the healing track. But you don’t strike me as the kinda gal who likes to look after wild beasts.”

                “Oh, well. Looks can be deceiving.” Emira laughed nervously. “I’m gonna go to class now.”

                Unfortunately for Emira, Luz seemed to have connected the dots just before she could escape. “Hold on a second there, Blight. I’ve read enough fanfiction to know what’s going on here.”

                Emira’s eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t know what you mean.”

                Luz smirked at her. “You sly dog! There’s only one other student that I know of who’s dual tracking in beastkeeping and healing. You’re crushing on Viney aren’t you?”

                Emira blushed hard. In this way, it wasn’t difficult to tell that Emira and Amity were related.

                “What? No! That would be so weird!” Emira said, before pausing briefly. “Wait is Viney the girl with the fishhook earing?”

                Luz’s smirk turned into a full-on grin. “Yep! That’s her!”

                “Oh.” Emira said with a blank expression. “Then yes. WAIT! I MEAN NO!”

                Luz giggled. “Well good luck with that hermosa. I gotta go talk to Principal Bump!”

                What the Titan is a hermosa? Emira thought as Luz and the weird kid in the star pajamas walked into Bump’s office. Well whatever it is, I hope it’s something good.

                Aquarius was just as confused about that interaction and was at a loss for words. He was glad he had remained unnoticed by the girl and wasn’t at all upset that Luz didn’t directly introduce them. However, he didn’t know what just happened, but he was pretty sure that Luz just guessed that girl’s crush with complete accuracy. How ironic.

                “Hey Bump!” Luz said cheekily. “How’s it hangin’?”

                Principal Bump sighed. “Titan help me.”

                He stood up from his desk. “Hello Luz, what brings you to my office?”

                “Well Bump, I’m glad you asked.” She smiled. “Allow me to introduce you to my friend Q.”

                Principal Bump turned to Aquarius with a practiced smile. “Pleasure to meet you Q.” Then his smile faded into a frown. “I do hope you realize what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

                “Oh, don’t worry sir.” Aquarius smiled. “I’m aware.”

                “Good!” The old man grinned pleasantly. “Now what is this about Luz?”

                “Well,” Luz said. “Q is visiting Bonesborough for a little while and I was thinking it would be nice if he got to have a little tour of Hexside.”

                Principal Bump beamed at Aquarius. His smile was a little unsettling and Aquarius began to wonder what this ‘tour’ would entail.

                “It would be my pleasure!” He said with a professional tone.

                As soon as he finished speaking, a bloodcurdling scream sounded around the school, announcing the start of class. It made Aquarius jump in surprise. It was such an unexpected sound - not to mention disturbing.

                “Oops, I gotta get to class!” Luz exclaimed. “Don’t want to be late! See you back at the owl house Q!”

                “Are you sure you don’t want to join the tour?” Principal Bump asked with a smile.

                “I’m sure!” She said hastily. “I’ve got potions today and they’re going over love potions! I don’t want to miss something with so much fanfiction potential!”

                As she ran off, Bump turned to Aquarius. “Do you know what she’s talking about?”

                He shook his head in response. “Not a clue.”

Chapter Text

                The tour turned out to be less traumatic as Aquarius had thought it would be. However, that didn’t mean it wasn’t eventful. As it would turn out, mixing magic was quite a new experience for everyone. And some courses really would be better if they weren’t mixed.

                Construction and Illusions for example. One of the dual track students had decided it would be funny to construct a wall in front of Principal Bump as they were leaving the Construction homeroom. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem for Bump, but unfortunately, the boy had covered it up with a very convincing illusion that made it appear invisible. While it had been quite funny, Principal Bump was not amused.

                Another interesting incident occurred with a student taking the plant and bard tracks. They had wanted to demonstrate how music could be used to assist the growth of a healthy plant. The demonstration had gone well for the most part, but the poor student had failed to recognize that the seed she was using belonged to a species of carnivorous flower. Needless to say, that student was given a lot of extra homework in the plant track.

                Luckily, the tour had concluded a little bit before lunch. He was very glad too. If he had to hear any more about the benefits of a detention pit, he was going to lose his mind. Like, seriously, what kind of school threw misbehaving children in a pit?

                He had just been looking for the exit – it was very generous of Principal Bump to neglect that important piece of information – when the bell screamed to signal lunch was starting. He sighed as students flooded out of their classrooms, trying to get ahead of each other so they could be first in line for lunch. This was not going to make finding the exit any easier. He supposed his only hope would be to find Luz and have her show him where to go.

                “Hey there!” A cheery voice said, startling him. “You’re Luz’s friend, right?”

                He turned to see who had spoken and was surprised to see the green haired girl from earlier. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes reflected a hint of mischief. This was the girl Luz had called “Em” if he remembered correctly.

                “Uh yeah.” Aquarius responded nervously. “My name’s Q.”

                “Nice to meet you Q!” The girl responded. “My name’s Emira, but you can just call me Em. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier.”

                “Uh, it’s ok.” Aquarius assured her. Man, he really needed to find a way out of here.

                “Nonsense!” The girl said with a smile. “Any friend of Luz’s is a friend of mine!”

                “That’s very kind of you, but-” He started to say, before another voice cut him off.

                “There you are Em!” A boy, also with green hair said, catching his breath. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

                “It really shouldn’t have been too hard, Ed.” She replied with a smirk. “The green hair is kinda hard to miss.”

                He grinned at her. “That’s true I guess. Anyway, are you ready?”

                “Ready for what?” Q asked, suddenly curious. He normally would try to stay out of other people’s business, but there was something about the way he’d said it that intrigued him.

                “Oh!” Em said with a smile. “Ed, meet Q! They’re a friend of Luz’s.”

                “A friend of Luz’s huh?” He said, stroking his chin with a devious smirk. “Well Q, how do you feel about harmless pranks?”

                He raised a curious eyebrow. “Define harmless.”

                “Oh, just a little something to get back at someone for hurting Mittens.” Em replied with an innocent smirk.

                “Mittens?” Aquarius asked with a frown.

                “Our little sister.” Ed explained.

                “Go on…” He had to admit, these two had really piqued his interest.

                “Well,” Emira began. “It all started a while ago when this girl, Boscha, was bullying one of Luz’s friends.”

                “And of course, Luz being Luz, decided she’d had enough.” Ed continued.

                “So, in true Luz fashion, she challenged Boscha to a game of grudgby.” Em added.

                “But Boscha’s the grudgby team captain.” Ed jumped in. “So Mittens decided she’d give Luz a little help.”

                “You see,” Emira explained. “Mittens has a bit of a crush on Luz, so naturally, she couldn’t resist such a perfect opportunity to show off her grudgby skills.”

                “Mittens used to be team captain.” Ed added offhandedly. “She was pretty good too. I’m not to sure why she quit honestly.”

                “Anyway.” Em glared at Ed. “Dear little Mittens just couldn’t resist a chance to see luz in a cute uniform. I mean, who could?”

                “Unfortunately,” Ed continued. “Boscha tackled Mittens during the game and hurt her leg.”

                “She had to wear a cast for weeks.” Emira said, her smile faltering. “She missed a field trip to the emperor’s palace too – something she was really excited for.”

                “In the past, we might have let something like this go.” Ed frowned. “But ever since meeting Luz, Mittens actually became kinda cool. She’s even smiling now, which was something she rarely did around her other friends.”

                By this time, they had made it to the cafeteria. Aquarius hadn’t even realized that they had been guiding them there until they were at the doors. However, it didn’t seem like the twins were going to enter as Edric pointed to a table near the center of the room.

                Aquarius followed his finger to where the witches he had met earlier were sitting. Luz had her back to them, but the other girl with the green hair is what caught his attention. She was smiling at Luz’s animated gestures and even giggled at one point, which also triggered a furious blush. That had to be Mittens. Luz had introduced her as Amity, but he assumed Mittens was just a nickname.

                “Just look at her smile.” Emira said with a gentle sigh. “She’s so happy. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who could make Amity light up like that – and I mean more than just the blushing.”

                “We haven’t always been the nicest to Amity,” Edric said quietly. “So I guess this is our way of making it up to her. So if anyone hurts our little sister, then they better be ready to pay the price.”

                That struck a chord in the young collector. His little brother Virgo had always been picked on growing up. It wasn’t his fault. He just liked to do things differently. Aquarius hadn’t been the best brother to start out with either. He wasn’t sure exactly when it had happened, but at a certain point, he was willing to do anything to protect Virgo – even if that meant standing up to his older brothers. And when it came to getting back at bullies, pranks were his favorite choice of payback.

                “Alright, I’m in.” Aquarius said determinedly. “Show me the other girl.”

                The twins seemed surprised.

                “Oh, I was expecting it would take a bit more convincing.” Edric blinked.

                “Yeah,” Emira added. “Most people are a lot more hesitant to join us in our shenanigans.”

                “Well I’m not most people.” Aquarius said, folding his arms. “So what’s the plan?”

                “Oh, well you see that girl over there? The one with the three eyes?” Ed said, pointing to a table on the other side of the cafeteria. “That’s Boscha.”

                He spotted the girl in question and immediately frowned. She looked like your typical mean girl, with a letterman jacket and that disgustingly vain smile. He didn’t have to be told she was a bully to see what kind of girl she was. His dislike was reinforced when she summoned her scroll and took a selfie, which she immediately showed her friends. He could practically hear her now. “Look at this, girls, aren’t I just so beautiful? I bet I’m the prettiest girl at Hexside!”

                “Wow, I already hate her.” Aquarius said with an unimpressed frown. His dislike grew even more when she appeared to be taking a video of Luz, who was displaying a bottle of pink liquid with pride. Her optimistic enthusiasm was unfortunately drawing some unwelcome attention.

                “We were thinking that while she was at lunch, we would leave something in her locker.” Emira whispered. “She keeps a bottle of really expensive perfume and we were thinking about replacing it with some abomination goo or some other really sticky thing. She puts it on twice every day. Once in the morning and once after lunch.”

                Aquarius turned back to Luz’s table and his eyes seemed to be drawn to the little bottle of pink liquid. Something about that bottle seemed important. What was it Luz said she was making in potions today? Oh.

                Aquarius smiled. “You know, that’s a good idea. But I just thought of something much better.”

                “Don’t you think you’re taking this Amity thing a little too far Boscha?” Skara said as she followed her friend to her locker.

                Boscha snorted. “I don’t think I’ve taken it far enough. If she’s going to spend time with half-a-witch Willow and that stupid human, then she needs to be taught a lesson.”

                “I don’t know Boscha,” The other girl frowned. “It sounds like you’re jealous that she doesn’t want to be your friend anymore. This seems a little bit more personal than you’re letting on.”

                “I’m not jealous!” Boscha said defensively. “I just think that Amity should know better than to hang out with a bunch of losers.” She snapped her fingers. “Luz-er! Yeah I like that one, I should use that some time!”

                The two girls stopped at their lockers. Before the semester started, their little group decided to convince Principal Bump to have all of their lockers next to each other. This was back when Amity had been part of the group, so she’d managed to get Odalia Blight to pull a few strings to make it happen. But they kind of regretted that now since Amity had left the group and they had started to tease her. Unfortunately, Amity was very familiar with their scathing verbal abuse and was always ready with a cutting comment of her own. Boscha had tried lots of things to try to get under the girl’s skin, but each rude remark only backfired horrendously.

                Skara tickled her locker and its jaws opened to let her grab her books for the next class. “If you want my opinion, I think you should just let it go. Luz really isn’t all that bad you know, and Willow seems to have gotten much better after switching to the plant track.”

                “Good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Boscha snapped, retrieving her own books and her little bottle of perfume. “If you think they’re so great, why don’t you go join them?”

                “Come on Boscha!” The other girl whined as Boscha sprayed the perfume onto herself. “You know it isn’t like that. I'm just saying that maybe if you got to know them a little better, you might actually like them is all.”

                “Pfft, yeah right.” Boscha scoffed. Then she sniffed the air and frowned. Something seemed a little off…

                “Hey Skara, does this smell a little too sweet to you?” She asked, handing her the bottle.

                Skara knew better than to actually spray any perfume on herself. She knew how expensive the stuff was and boscha would be livid if she even considered using it herself. So, instead of spraying it, she took a whiff of the nozzle, knowing that the residue would be potent enough.

                “No more than usual I guess.” Skara replied with a shrug. “Why? Does it smell too sweet to you?”

                Boscha took back the bottle and returned it to her locker with a confused expression. “I guess not. I was just thinking that it kind of smelled like… no it couldn’t be. Those stupid Blight twins have been messing with me ever since the whole grudgby incident, so I guess I’m just a little paranoid.”

                She turned back to Skara and she seemed momentarily stunned. “Oh wow. Have you always been this beautiful?”

                Skara paused. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

                Boscha leaned forward as if in a daze. “Oh, nothing really. I was just saying that I never noticed how pretty your eyes were.”

                “Are you ok Boscha? You're acting a little different all of a sudden.” Skara said nervously. “This isn’t like you.”

                “You’re so right.” She said in a sultry tone. “How unlike me to not notice someone as gorgeous as you.”

                Skara gave a nervous chuckle and blushed. “Oh, um. Thanks? You’re acting kind of weird right now and I’m a little worried.”

                Skara stepped back, but had somehow failed to notice how they had shifted positions as she backed into a locker, essentially cornering herself as Boscha placed a hand beside her head and leaned forward flirtatiously.

                Boscha seemed to have ignored the entirety of Skara’s previous sentence. “Is it also unlike me to want to kiss a pretty girl? What do you think Skara?”

                “Meep.” Was all Skara felt capable of saying. But as Boscha leaned in, she caught a whiff of her perfume, which was much stronger than the residue on the bottle. It smelled very sweet indeed, and Skara immediately recognized the scent. She had smelled it walking past the potions classroom earlier in the day and since Boscha had told her what that day's project had been, her friend’s sudden attitude change made perfect sense. How had she missed it earlier?

                Skara quickly ducked under Boscha’s arm. “Do you really want to know what I think?” She said, slowly taking a few steps back. This was bad. Certainly a little bit awkward for Skara, but definitely a lot worse for her friend.

                Boscha turned to Skara with a dopey smile. “Absolutely! You don’t think it’s weird do you?”

                Skara gulped. “Well, not exactly, but you really aren’t acting like yourself right now. I really don’t think you want to kiss me, because I can guarantee you’ll regret it later.”

                “Hmm.” Boscha smirked. “I don’t think I’d regret it at all. How about we go somewhere alone and I can show some other things I won’t regret?”

                Skara’s face turned bright red. “Ok, wow. Um, I think I’m gonna take you to the healing ward because this is pretty serious.”

                “Oh, I’m very serious.” Boscha replied. “I don’t need any healer to tell me I’m in love.”

                “Ok, um. Boscha?” Skara said awkwardly.

                Boscha smiled at her. “Yes, beautiful?”

                “Why don’t you um… come with me?” She replied, blushing at what she was going to say next. “And I can take you somewhere we can talk be alone. Please?”

                “Oh, I would love to!” The three-eyed witch replied giddily.

                Taking advantage of the girl’s willingness, Skara grabbed her hand and began to drag Boscha towards the healing ward. Hopefully someone there would know what to do. But as she went, she made sure to cover her nose, just in case she breathed in the perfume and made the situation worse. She was already feeling the effects of that brief moment from earlier, however, she still maintained control of her inhibitions. But any more of the stuff and they’d both end up a lot more embarrassed than they already had been.

                Boscha’s reputation was going to take a pretty huge hit once word of this got around. And it wasn’t helping her case that she kept making kissy faces at Skara as they stumbled their way to the healers. Skara really hoped that Boscha would be ok after this was fixed. Yeah, love potions weren’t fatal, but it was the other witch’s ego she was worried about. Skara could laugh this whole thing off – because this was honestly kind of funny – but Boscha? Titan help her.

                Aquarius and the twins laughed as the two girls ran off. It was quite a spectacle and they weren’t the only ones who had witnessed the grudgby captain’s embarrassing moment. Anyone could see that this was the product of a love potion. The lovesick smile and half-lidded eyes were a dead giveaway.

                However, there was a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Aquarius wasn’t too certain that the two Illusions track students understood the full gravity of the girl’s embarrassment. Collectors were called collectors for good reason. Knowledge was one of the many things they collected and they rarely, if ever, forgot what they learned.

                “Oh, that was so good!” Ed giggled, wiping a tear from his eye.

                “Oh, it gets so much better.” Aquarius laughed.

                “How so?” Em asked, also coming down from her hysteria.

                “Do you two know how love potions work?” He smirked.

                The twins looked at each other and Ed replied for both. “They make you fall madly in love with the first person you see, right?”

                Aquarius shook his head. “That’s what most people think. But that isn’t the case. They’re actually much worse.”

                “What do you mean?” The twins said in unison.

                He chuckled. “Love potions can’t make something out of nothing. There has to be some kind of romantic attraction present, even at the smallest level, for it to take effect. In other words, you don’t get all lovey-dovey with just anyone.”

                The twin’s eyes widened in understanding.

                “Oh, that is worse.” Emira said with a growing smirk.

                “Yep.” Aquarius smiled. “And you two just confirmed something for me that makes this so much more entertaining. Since you two don’t know the true nature of love potions, I doubt that the bard girl does either. And since Boscha is in the potions track, she knows exactly how they work. And she will remember everything.”

                “So, if she didn’t already know about her own crush on Skara…” Emira began.

                “She does now.” Ed finished.

                Aquarius gave a nod of confirmation, but then bit his lip anxiously. “Although, since that’s the case… we may have gone a little too far. I don’t really know the girl that well, but it seems a little mean.”

                “Nah,” Edric waved away the notion with a smile. “If you knew Boscha like we do, you’d think this wasn’t enough. The girl is a shining example of what it means to be a school bully.”

                “If you say so…” Aquarius said, still not quite convinced. Even if she was a bully, she still had feelings too. He didn’t know what he would do if his crush was outed like that. If he had one that is.

                “On a related note,” Emira said with a grin. “How did you manage to switch the perfume bottle with the potion, Q?”

                “Oh, I didn’t.” He replied simply. “I just changed the contents of the bottle itself.”

                The twins stared at him in admiration. “Teach us your ways, oh wise one.”

                Aquarius laughed nervously. “I would love to, but it’s a super complex transfiguration spell. I don’t think I know exactly how to explain it to you. Sorry.”

                The twins deflated at that. He wasn’t technically lying, but collector magic is very different from witch magic and he didn’t know if what he did was even possible for witches. Even if it was, it was way too advanced for them anyway.

                “Oh.” Edric said sadly. “That’s ok. Maybe another time then.” He perked up slightly. “But if you aren’t busy later, Emira and I were going to go to the library today to mess with Mittens if you want to join us.”

                “I think I’m ok.” Aquarius replied. “I have some things to take care of at the owl house. This was pretty fun though. Maybe we can do something like this another time?”

                “Absolutely.” Edric said quickly. “You must teach us your wisdom!”

                “Yeah!” Em added. “We never would have been able to pull off that love potion thing without you. I mean maybe we could have found another way to do it, but your way was clearly better.”

                “Oh, thank you.” Aquarius rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh, anyway, I’ll see you guys around.”

                He waved as he stepped away from them and once he found the exit, he bolted for the owl house. He wouldn’t forget his way around the school next time – if there was a next time.

                But he wasn’t running out of fear or urgency. No. He was running because of the memories. Today’s events had caused certain things to come flooding back to him, that he wished could just be forgotten. But a collector rarely forgets anything, even if they wanted to. And so he ran. Not because he wanted to get away, you can't run from your own thoughts. He knew of only one way to get rid of these thoughts. And that meant that he had to get back to the owl house and into his room. The sooner, the better.

Chapter Text

                Aquarius’ method of forgetting was the simple contradiction of remembering. Indeed, one would think that replaying an unpleasant past would cause more harm than good. But the very act of remembering aspects of his difficult past, was enough to remind him of what was important. And it also reminded him of why he’d come to the Boiling Isles in the first place. And once that was set firmly back into the forefront of his mind, then nothing else would matter.

                He stood in the center of his room in the owl house basement, but it was not the same dark void he had created before. Instead, the room seemed to stretch into infinity as the dark stone hallways of a painful memory projected itself before him. He did not know how long he had been replaying this memory, but it still remained a nuisance. He felt like there was something that he needed to learn from it, but he wasn’t sure what. As he stood there, his memory began to play again.

                A figure walked through him and began to walk down the long hallway. It seemed to curve as the memory followed the boy in front of him. Aquarius knew who this was. It was himself. He had just returned from a collection his father had sent him on. He still never knew why they called him father. He never had been much of a father figure, nor was he technically their father. They simply collected, and he provided. What exactly it was that he provided was anyone’s guess. Aquarius just did as he was told.

                He wasn’t exactly sure why this had entered his mind earlier. It had very little to do with harmless pranks, so why bring it up now?

                His image continued to walk down the seemingly endless halls until it came across three other individuals by the left wall. One sat, huddled on the ground, while the other two leered over the figure that was curling into themselves. They all wore the same patterned robes that marked them as collectors. Aquarius could hear the laughter coming from the two collectors standing next to the cowering figure.

                But it was the voice of the cowering figure that made this memory hurt so much. They were crying, and their body shook from the quiet sobs that echoed softly through the stone halls. It was a haunting sound when paired with the malicious laughter of the other two.

                “Capricorn!” His projection called out. “Cancer! What are you doing?”

                The one nearest him, Capricorn turned to him with a sneer. “Well if it isn’t little Aquarius. Daddy’s little puppet.”

                “Shut up.” Aquarius said, rolling his eyes. “I only do what I’m asked.”

                “Oh yeah?” The other Collector, Cancer, snapped. “Does that include ratting on us when we collect a little extra for ourselves?”

                “If by a little extra, you mean literally anything you want, then yes.” Aquarius replied. “There are some things that should be left alone. You know the rules just as well as I do.”

                “We’re Collectors.” Capricorn snorted. “We collect. Who’s gonna stop us anyway?”

                “Whatever.” Aquarius sighed. “Look, I don’t really care what you do, but just leave Virgo alone, ok?”

                The collector huddled at the wall let out a little sniffle and peeked up at him.

                The two older collectors looked at each other with devious smiles and then back to Aquarius.

                “We would love to.” Cancer crooned. “But only when little Virgo learns his place.”

                “He ought to be out collecting things for father like the rest of us, not playing with Titans.” Capricorn said with a wicked grin. “Maybe if he learned a little responsibility, we might cut him some slack. But he just does whatever he wants, doesn’t he?”

                Capricorn turned to Virgo with a snarl. “I wouldn’t be so bothered though, if he were spending his time elsewhere. But of course, he chose to spend his time with those loathsome beasts. Maybe Virgo is a little beast himself?”

                “Leave him alone.” Aquarius warned. “It’s none of your business who he spends his time with. And father hasn’t asked him to collect for him yet. He’s still just a kid.”

                “Just a kid who’s old enough to have a little bit of responsibility.” Cancer snorted.

                “Yeah, Cancer’s right.” Capricorn smirked. “Why don’t we send him to go do some collecting for us instead? If father won’t make him, then why don’t we?”

                “No.” Aquarius said flatly. “You know that’s against the rules. We aren’t meant to be selfish. We only collect things that have been neglected or forgotten. Everything in existence has a soul of its own, it’s our job to make sure they have somewhere they won’t be forgotten. Taking anything for ourselves completely negates our purpose. But you already knew that.”

                “Oh, but it won’t be for him will it?” Cancer chuckled. “He’ll be collecting things for us. That doesn’t sound selfish to me.”

                “Like I’d do anything for you.” Virgo finally snapped. “I’m not gonna go break the rules just because you said so.”

                “That isn’t your choice.” Capricorn barked back. “You’re going to have to learn someday and running around with Titans won’t teach you anything useful.”

                Virgo blew a raspberry at him and Capricorn’s eyes flared. He raised his hand to strike him, but Aquarius quickly moved to stand between Virgo and his assailant.

                “That’s enough.” Aquarius said with a glare. “Leave. Him. Alone.”

                Capricorn lowered his arm and matched his glare. “Fine then. Why don’t we settle this with a little sparring match? If you win, we’ll leave him alone. But if I win, then Virgo has to become our little errand boy for the next thousand years.”

                Aquarius folded his arms with a smirk. “Sure, why not? It won’t be much of a fight though.”

                Capricorn took a step forward with a snarl. “Why you little-”

                He was cut off by a hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned around to see Cancer shaking their head. Capricorn took a deep breath.

                “No, you’re right.” They said, composing themselves. “It won’t be much of a fight. Because you’re always holding back.”

                Aquarius was unfazed and frankly unimpressed. “Is that so? What do you think Cancer? Do I really hold back that much?”

                Cancer smiled. “Yes, quite a bit actually. You’re just a big softie, so I think it’s pretty obvious who’s going to win this fight.”

                “Hmm.” Aquarius said, stroking his chin. “You are correct of course. But I wouldn’t call it holding back, as much as I would call it restraint. It’s not a concept either of you would be familiar with.”

                Something about Aquarius’ demeanor seemed to change, and the torches along the wall that were offering minimal light, blew out and the darkness in the hallways grew thicker.

                “But I wonder what would happen if someone were to remove those restraints?” He said coldly, a fire burning brightly in his glare. “Why don’t we find out? Meet at the usual place and time and I’ll show you what happens when the shackles of kindness come off.”

                The fire in his eyes dimmed and the torches relit themselves and the heavy darkness retreated into the previous dimness that was common throughout the archives. The other two collectors were unimpressed by the display, but the look in Virgo’s eyes told a different story.

                “I hope you keep that energy Aquarius.” Capricorn smirked. “Otherwise, Virgo here is going to be collecting whatever we want him to for the next thousand years.”

                “Don’t push it.” Aquarius hissed.

                “Alright fine.” Capricorn laughed. “Let’s give them what they want, Cancer. See you later Aquarius. I am quite excited to see your so called ‘shackles’ come off.”

                They both laughed as they walked back down the hall. Once they disappeared around the corner, Aquarius took a seat next to Virgo.

                “Don’t listen to those jerks.” Aquarius said, bumping his shoulder with a soft smile. “I won’t let them make you do anything.”

                “But they’re right, aren’t they?” Virgo asked with a frown. “I’m just being lazy.”

                “You aren’t being lazy.” Aquarius snorted. “You’re still a kid, Virgo. If dad wanted you to start collecting, he would have told you by now.”

                “Yeah, but…” Virgo sniffed, looking away. “I could still try to do something.”

                “Like what?” Aquarius asked with a smile. “There’s not a whole lot to do around here as far as work is concerned.”

                Virgo sighed and flopped his head on his brother’s shoulder. “I suppose you’re right. I just don’t want them to be mad at me.”

                “I know Virgo.” Aquarius said, patting his knee. “I know.”

                They sat like that for a moment, before Virgo sat up and looked at Aquarius with a worried frown.

                “But what about the Titans?” Virgo whispered.

                “What about them?” Aquarius asked calmly.

                “Is it really so bad that I like to play with them?” Virgo pouted. “I mean, they’re so fun and they know so many cool games. But they’re also really nice to me. Am I really doing something wrong?”

                Aquarius shifted around to face him and took off his cap, uncovering his unruly mop of white hair. “Virgo, you aren’t doing anything wrong, ok? Don’t let those jerks get to you. If you’re having fun with Titans, that’s not their problem. And hey, you know what? Maybe you can take me to the boiling ocean and introduce me sometime.”

                Virgo nodded and smiled, wiping away the snot on his sleeve. “That sounds like fun! I think you’d really like them!”

                Aquarius chuckled. “I’m sure I would.” He stood up and offered his hand to help him up. “But in the meantime, do you want to come help me flip Capricorn’s room upside down?”

                Virgo’s eyes lit up as he was pulled to his feet. “Yeah! That’ll show them!”

                The real Aquarius watched the two illusory figures walk down the hallway, chatting and laughing freely. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to defend his brother, nor was it the worst. But now, Aquarius was certain he knew why this memory had stuck with him for so long.

                When the twins had expressed how much they cared for their little sister and the things they were willing to do for her… “If anyone hurts our little sister, they better expect to pay the price.” That was exactly how Aquarius felt about Virgo. If anyone messed with him, they would wish they’d never been born. Perhaps this was the reason why this particular memory had come back. Because this was the first time he had given into the darkness inside of himself to protect his little brother.

                He wiped the tears from his eyes and dismissed the illusion. He was certainly feeling better now that he’d learned what it was that was bothering him. When he turned around to make his way back upstairs, he was met by someone he wasn’t expecting.

                “Luz?” He said softly.

                She stood just inside the room and was looking right at where the two illusory collectors had just walked. Her face was streaked with tears as she turned to face him.

                She cleared her throat. “Q… I knew you were a good brother… but that was… wow.”

                Aquarius sighed. “How much did you see?”

                She looked away with a guilty expression. “Probably more than I should have. I didn’t mean to, but I was so caught up with your awesome illusion that I just… I don’t know, I guess I couldn’t help myself. Sorry.”

                “It’s alright Luz.” Aquarius smiled gently. “I’m not mad. You just surprised me is all. Did you need something?”

                “Oh, nothing really.” Luz blushed. “I just needed someone to talk to I guess, after what happened today. But before I vent about my crazy day, can I ask you a question?”

                “Yeah, go ahead.” Aquarius replied with a chuckle.

                “Well, if it isn’t too personal,” Luz started. “Who won the fight?”

                Aquarius laughed. “Who do you think? I did of course!”

                Luz stared at him. “Wait, seriously? You beat your older brother?”

                “Yep!” Aquarius said with a smirk. “And just like I said it would be, it wasn’t much of a fight.”

                “Wow.” Luz replied. “Are you really that powerful? I mean, I don’t really know the whole power scale between Collectors and Titans, but if your brother is a Collector and you beat him, then I can only imagine.”

                Aquarius laughed dryly. “Well, I can do more than just make magic waffles. If I really wanted to, I could tear apart the entire Boiling Isles with just a snap of my fingers, just to find my brother.”

                “So why don’t you?” Luz asked softly.

                He snorted derisively. “Because that’s what my brothers would do. Not for Virgo, but for pretty much whatever they wanted, regardless of the consequences. Don’t get me wrong, I love Virgo, but I never want to be like them.”

                Luz nodded in understanding. She didn’t grow up with siblings, but she did understand what it was like to want to rip the world apart just to get to someone you love. Likewise, Luz knew that even if she had the power to do so, she still never would. It hurt to think about.

                “Well, that’s enough about me.” Aquarius said, bumping her shoulder and making her giggle. “Tell me about your day.”

                He led her to his bed and they sat down.

                Luz snorted. “There’s a lot to tell. I mean, you kind of already know what my school day was like, but things really got interesting after school was out.”

                She sighed. “I went to the library to um… well please don’t be mad, but I wanted to figure out how to make a door on my own. You’ve already got a lot on your plate as it is, looking for your brother and all, and I thought I’d try and make things easier for you, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Of course you did. Honestly Luz, it really isn’t that big of a deal. It’s the least I can do for you, but I appreciate the help. I’m not mad at all.”

                Luz let out a nervous breath. “Oh thank Titan. Well, as I was saying, I was looking for ways on how to make a door and I thought that maybe I could see if there had been any humans in the boiling isles aside from myself.”

                “And if they figured out a way to get here, then you figured they would know a way to get back.” Aquarius surmised.

                “Yes! Exactly!” Luz said with a huge grin. “And you might not believe it, but a human did come to the boiling isles before me! Sure it was hundreds of years ago, but he donated his journal to the library and I just had to find it! I didn’t know where it would be, so I asked Amity since she works there.”

                Aquarius raised an eyebrow at that. “Amity huh? Did she help you find it?”

                Luz blushed. “Yeah, she did. It was in the forbidden stacks and Amity told me that we had to be really quiet, so we didn’t get caught – if we did then Amity could lose her job. But when we found it, an echo mouse had eaten through all the pages. And well… I kinda, sorta yelled at it and called it a rat.”

                “You lost Amity her job at the library?” Aquarius asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

                “Yeah, I did.” She confirmed. “Amity said she always does stupid stuff around me and it gets her in trouble. And, you see, the thing is, I do stupid stuff around her too. I know it’s dumb, but I just don’t know how to act around her.”

                “And why is that?” Aquarius said, careful to hide his smile.

                “Well, its just that…” Luz blushed. “Amity is really smart, and classy and so, so pretty. I don’t know how the Blights did it, but somehow their children are all super hot. But that’s not important. The truth is, I have a huge crush on her and I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

                Aquarius stayed silent and let her continue speaking.

                Luz sighed. “After Amity walked away from the library, I just felt so guilty. She lost her job and it was all my fault. So, I did what anyone else in my position would do and tried to convince her boss to give Amity her job back. I did eventually convince them, but I had to go through a bunch of crazy trials.”

                She shivered. “Eugh. I’m going to have bookworms in my nightmares for weeks. But moving on, I brought her card back to her maybe an hour ago and – oh my gosh, get this: Amity dyed her hair purple! It’s so cute.”

                “Stay on track Luz.” Aquarius prodded her.

                “Right.” She shook herself and tried to picture anything but Amity’s pretty face. She failed miserably.

                “Yeah, anyway, the echo mouse that ate the journal kind of followed me there and showed me a little clip of the journal and it was so cool!” She bounced up and down. “If I can figure out how to get the little guy to show me more stuff from the journal, then who knows what we could find!”

                After she settled down, she gave a dreamy sigh. “I don’t remember much after that, because Amity kissed me on the cheek and I kinda shut down.”

                Aquarius laughed. “So are going to ask her out then?”

                Luz froze. “No. No way. That kiss obviously didn’t mean anything, it was purely platonic. I don’t want to read too much into it.”

                He sighed. “Alright Luz, stand up. I want to show you something.”

                Luz gave him a confused look and let him help her stand. “What are you going to show me?”

                “Remember when you came in here and I was watching that memory?” Aquarius asked.

                “Uh, yeah. I don’t think that’s something I’m gonna forget any time soon.” Luz laughed awkwardly.

                “Well I can do that same thing for you.” Aquarius said with a smile. “We can go over some of the times you were around Amity and maybe we might be able to find out how she feels about you.”

                “I don’t know.” She said skeptically. “My memory isn’t very detailed when it comes to that stuff.”

                He shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be. What I was just looking at, wasn’t an exact copy of how I remember things myself. Some things I remembered slightly different than how it actually played out. If you were paying attention, then you might have seen two versions of me. One was my real self, and the other was part of the memory.”

                “But how does that work?” Luz said with a frown. “If it’s different than how you remembered it, then how do you know how accurate it is?”

                Aquarius shook his head. “You’re thinking about it like it’s a memory spell. But it isn’t that at all. It’s a time spell; the memory is just the connection. You can view moments in your past as an outside observer. Nobody can see you or hear you. Think of it like watching a movie.”

                “That sounds complicated.” She replied. “If it’s a time spell, then how are you not there in person?”

                “Because you are simply watching a moment in time. It’s not an active experience.” Aquarius explained. “You can watch a scene play out in front of you, but you can’t affect any of the things around you.”

                “So can we look at, oh I don’t know, Eda’s memories of Hexside?” Luz asked with a hopeful smile.

                “Not without Eda.” He answered, shaking his head. “Keep in mind that the individual’s own memory is the connection. You can’t view a moment you didn’t experience yourself.”

                “Ok, I think I get it.” Luz answered. “So if we looked at my memories, everything would be exactly as it was back when it actually happened?”

                “Yep,” Aquarius replied. “Not a thing would be different. Do you want to give it a try?”

                Luz bit her lip, running through all of the possible things that could go wrong. There were a lot of things actually, but all she could think about was this: what if she does like me that way? Luz may not have another opportunity like this and if this answered her questions, then… what? She had no idea what she would do if Amity actually returned her feelings. Did she even want to know? Was this an invasion of Amity’s privacy?

                She really did want to know. That curiosity was eating away at her, and every other thought was drowned out by her need to know. Besides, these were Luz’s memories, not Amity’s. If she was invading anyone’s privacy it was her own.

                Luz met his eyes. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter Text

                “Glad to have you on board!” Aquarius cheered. “And don’t worry, you won’t be alone. I’ll be here no matter what you find out, ok?”

                “Alright.” Luz nodded. “How does this work, Q?”

                “Well Luz,” Aquarius smiled. “All you’ve got to do is think about a memory and I’ll work the magic to connect us to that time and cast the illusion for us to see. I’ll be doing most of the heavy lifting, so you’ll be alright.”

                “So where do we start?” Luz asked.

                He frowned and stroked his chin in thought. “That’s a very good question. Maybe we can start from when you two first met and go from there?”

                Luz cringed. “Let’s… not do that. It could take a while, you know?”

                Aquarius cocked his head to one side. “Not really. The memory sequences are generally pretty short. The only reason mine was so long was because I wanted it to be.”

                Luz grabbed her arms in a reclusive gesture and looked away. “Well, that isn’t the only reason. The truth is, Amity and I didn’t always get along. I’d feel a lot better if you didn’t see all of that.”

                “Oh.” Aquarius nodded in understanding. “That’s alright, we can start wherever you feel comfortable. But when I saw you earlier, it looked like you and Amity had been best friends for years.”

                “When did you see me with Amity?” Luz frowned. “The only time you ever saw me with her was this morning.”

                “And lunch.” Aquarius corrected, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I wasn’t stalking you guys or anything. I was just looking for the exit when Ed and Em came up to me and one thing led to another… and we sort of pulled a prank on Boscha during lunch.”

                Luz blinked. “Dang, I really should have predicted that. Although, I didn’t pin you as the pranking type of guy.” She narrowed her eyes. “It’s always the ones you least expect.”

                “Right.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Anyway, as I was saying, you and Amity seem to get along so well. What changed?”

                “I really don’t know exactly.” She said, holding her chin with one hand, studying the void at her feet. “I suppose there were some moments here and there that got us to grow closer, but I think that there were some that affected our relationship more than others.”

                She popped her head up. “You know I think there is one time I can show you that might give you a bit of an idea. I just have one question before I show you.”

                “Sure.” Aquarius shrugged.

                “Can you pause the whole memory thing?” Luz asked. “Or is there some kind of timey-wimey thing that makes it so you can’t?”

                Aquarius laughed. “Of course, I can Luz. I don’t see many times where that could be useful, but if you needed me to, I could.”

                Luz nodded. “Alright, I’m ready!”

                “Ok then.” Aquarius said with a smile. “This won’t hurt at all – ok, maybe not physically but there is a small chance of unearthing repressed emotional trauma; Just a little side effect, but it’s no big deal.”

                He tapped her forehead with his pointer finger and when he pulled back, there was a tiny ball of blue light attached to his fingertip. He snapped his fingers and the ball exploded outwards to fill the room. They were standing in the entrance of a library and Luz spun around to look at the scene in awe.

                “Wowza!” She breathed. “This is so lifelike.”

                “That’s because we really are in a library Luz.” Aquarius smirked at her. He remembered the first time he had experienced this, and he wondered if he had looked anything like Luz back then. But, he was much more curious about what her relationship with Amity had to do with this Library.

                Luz was shaken from her reverie, as a stack of books popped out of her and another Luz walked through her, holding them in her arms. She was looking around the library in a similar way to how the real one had been at the start of the illusion. The stack of books was suddenly whisked away as a bored librarian checked each one in.

                “Late. Late.” He said after each one and he stopped to look at one with an unamused expression. “Coffee, grass and bloodstains? These are Eda’s aren’t they?”

                Luz walked up to the desk with a sheepish expression. “Heh. That was kind of a crazy night.”

                He sighed. “Ugh. I’ll put them on her tab.” He summoned a long scroll and added to Eda’s steadily increasing debt. “By the way, we’re closing early for the wailing star meteor shower.”

                Luz grabbed onto the desk with childlike curiosity. “Ooh, what’s that?”

                The librarian’s face did not seem to do more than frown as he stared at her. “You’re in a library. Read a book.”

                It seemed as though she was discovering this information for the first time as she turned around to face the entire collection of knowledge all around her. “I am in a library! I will read a book!”

                She was shushed as she ran off to find some books about the aforementioned star. The memory shifted, skipping through brief moments in time, showing Luz’s antics around the library. As he watched it play out, he turned to Luz with a cheeky smirk. Luz was blushing the whole time and was trying to look anywhere but at the amused collector.

                Finally, the memory seemed to find where it wanted to be as it landed on a different scene in the library. Luz was peeking around a shelf, watching some witches that were sucked into watching their crystal balls.

                “This place is amazing!” Luz said to herself as she went back behind the shelf.

                As if on cue, a stern voice called out. “What do you think you’re doing?”

                Luz panicked. “Ah, I’ve been caught! Pretend to be a book!” And Luz proceeded to very cleverly disguise herself… well it was more like pantomiming what was apparently supposed to be a book.

                Aquarius turned to the real Luz and laughed. “Seriously? You think you’ve been caught, so your first instinct is to hide as an inanimate object?”

                “I panicked, ok?” Luz said defensively. “Books are everywhere! It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

                Aquarius shook his head and turned back to the memory, only to find that the memory Luz had disappeared. “Where did she…”

                Luz caught on to his confusion. “Oh, right! I went over here!”

                She led him to a nearby room, where Memory Luz was hiding behind a shorter bookshelf. She appeared to be watching Amity as she finished reading a book to a group of school children. The memory Luz looked surprised.

                “Amity seems so… Nice. And smiley!” She said. She suddenly gasped as if she had a brilliant new idea. “Maybe I can befriend Amity like Azura befriended her rival!”

                She quickly ducked behind the shelf as Amity and the school children walked towards her. Aquarius smiled as a little demon named Braxus thanked Amity in a deep voice. Amity of course, was pleasantly sweet as she sent him off to return home.

                Amity smiled as the kids walked away and glanced to the side. She did a double take as she realized that Luz was hiding in the corner, trying to hide under an open book. She made a disgusted kind of sound. “Ugh, you.”

                “Amity!” Luz said, standing up and placing her elbow on a book, which promptly fell to the floor. “Whoop!” She exclaimed as it dropped. She quickly regained her composure as she turned back to the green-haired girl. “Reading to kids! Wow. Looks like this sour lemon drop has a hidden, sweet center.”

                Amity ignored her little smirk, picking up the book on the ground. “It’s for extra credit. Don’t get your leggings in a bunch.”

                As she walked away, Luz poked around the bookshelf to follow her. “Hey, I could help with the kids. We could take turns reading! And do voices! I do the best monster voice.”

                Luz proceeded to move her arms around like a robot as her impression also sounded like a robot. It was a little awkward, but Aquarius giggled. This was definitely the Luz he had become acquainted with.

                Amity slammed her books on the desk and snapped at her. “Human! Do you see me going to the owl shack and bugging you while you… fry up owls?”

                She paused for a moment realizing how dumb that sounded. “Ugh, ok I don’t really know what you do there, but every time you come near me, I get in trouble. Just leave me alone!”

                “I’m sorry!” Luz said.

                “I’m sorry.” She said even quieter as she turned around and closed her eyes with a sad look on her face. Amity’s face fell slightly as she began to reach out but closed her fist instead.

                Luz wasn’t kidding when she said they hadn’t started out very well. Aquarius frowned and glanced at the real Luz as she held her arm and refused to meet his gaze.

                Memory Luz walked out and slammed her fist against her forehead. “Ugh, so much for befriending rivals.”

                She was cut off as the Blight twins appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. But Aquarius didn’t pay attention to what was happening in front of him as he watched Luz’s sad expression. She was no longer watching it play out and was staring at the ground as she appeared to shrink into herself further.

                “Pause it here.” She said quietly. “Please.”

                Aquarius obliged. “Are you alright?”

                She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m not proud of what happens next.”

                “We don’t have to watch it, but maybe you can summarize for me?” Aquarius suggested softly.

                She nodded with a sigh. “Well, those are Amity’s siblings.”

                Aquarius nodded. “Yeah, I think I already mentioned meeting them.”

                “Oh, right.” She mumbled. “Well, you know how they are. They like to cause trouble. They wanted me to hang out with them, so I did. My thinking was that…” She gave a small laugh. “Well, first I would befriend the twins, then I befriend the Amity. I’m pretty sure I actually said those words out loud at some point.”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Of course you did. And it sounds like a pretty good plan.”

                Luz sighed. “Well, I certainly thought so. But the twins weren’t as nice to Amity then as they are now. They had some kind of personal vendetta against her or whatever. Had I known that, then I wouldn’t have hurt her like I did.”

                “What happened?” Aquarius asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

                “Well… how about I show you?” She said with a hesitant smile. “Can you like, skip ahead?”

                “Sure.” Aquarius nodded. “Since you still have the connection for this particular memory, I can skip right to the exact moment you’re thinking about.”

                She gave him a nod that he interpreted as permission to move ahead with the plan. He snapped his fingers and they appeared in another part of the library, only this time it was night and the books had a faint, green glow. The twins were walking into the center of the room with devious smiles.

                “Mittens has gotten too… full of herself.” Edric was explaining. “She keeps tattling on us when we cut class.”

                “She needs to learn not to mess with people like that.” Emira continued. “So, we’re going to find her diary.”

                “And then post the pages all around the school for everyone to see!” Edric finished and the two did some kind of obnoxious cheer.

                “What? Isn’t that taking it a bit too far?” Memory Luz asked. Aquarius agreed. This was a bit much, even for the twins.

                “No.” Emira assured her. “See, we’re her family. It’s tough love! She needs to learn to lighten up.”

                Aquarius knew that mindset very well. He’d shared it once upon a time. But he had moved past that mentality a long time ago. He knew the twins had changed a lot since this moment too, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t going to bother him.

                “Well,” Memory Luz said casually. “I don’t see any diaries in here. Nope, nothing. Let’s just leave.”

                But even in that moment, Luz’s curiosity got the better of her as her attention was drawn to Amity’s collection of Azura books. Aquarius already knew where this was headed as she pulled a book off the shelf, admiring the hand drawn cover of what was – at least to him – obviously Amity’s diary.

                They both cringed as she opened the book and a mini-Amity rose from the pages and began to speak. Once Luz understood what was happening, she slammed it shut. But the damage was already done. She tried to cover it up, but the twins were too clever, levitating it out of her hands and inspecting the book themselves.

                Once they confirmed what it was, Emira looked up to Luz with a hurt expression. “Luz. Were you hiding this from us?”

                Edric frowned and closed the book, walking towards her. “You see how she treats people. How she treats you.”

                “I know Amity can be kind of cold,” Luz held up her hands defensively. “But no one deserves this. These are private thoughts. Let’s just put it back.”

                She tried to take it from Edric, but he held onto it. They began an impromptu game of tug of war, while the twins pulled together and attempted to explain that it was for Amity’s own good. Unfortunately, some of the pages fell out and began to expose Amity’s private thoughts. While the twins were distracted by the little Amitys, Luz took advantage and got possession of the book and began to quickly pick up the pages before anything else could be exposed.

                But someone else came to the open doorway at the exact wrong moment. Aquarius couldn’t help noting how important context could be at a time like this.

                “Really?” Amity said with a red face. From anger or embarrassment, he couldn’t tell. It was likely a mix of both.

                “Uh.” Luz tried to explain herself. “It’s not what it looks like.”

                The twins tried to hide their laughter, but it was pretty poorly masked.

                Amity looked up at them. “You two are the worst!”

                Her gaze turned to Luz and Aquarius’ heart sank. He knew the hurt that could come from a misunderstanding. That was why he was there after all, wasn’t it?

                “But you…” Amity said, taking back the pages. She turned away from her and the look on her face sent daggers into his heart. “I’ve been trying to figure out what your deal is.”

                She turned to her, eyes beginning to glisten with tears. “Are you a poser? A nerd?”

                “I know.” She stated with a glare. “You’re a bully, Luz.”

                With that, she turned and walked out. Luz called out and started to follow her, but she ran away.

                “Stop it.” Luz whispered. “Now. I don’t want to watch anymore.”

                Aquarius snapped his head to her as he banished the memory. She was looking at the ground with tears in her eyes and refused to look at him. “I hurt her a lot, Q. Not intentionally, but somehow, I kept hurting her without meaning to.”

                “Luz.” Aquarius sighed. “This was obviously a misunderstanding. You clearly sorted things out since then.”

                “Yeah, maybe.” She sniffled. “I mean things kind of went off the rails after that and I’m not going to go into too much detail, but I may have made another mistake that night that almost got us both trapped in a book forever. Whenever she’s around me, bad things happen. We made it out ok, and I thought that maybe I could fix things, so as a show of good-will, I loaned her one of my Azura books.”

                Aquarius’ eyes softened. “That’s very sweet of you. But you really need to tell me about that book thing sometime though, because you can’t just mention something like that and expect me to not be interested.”

                Luz chuckled. “Yeah, maybe another time.” She curled further into herself. “After that we had so many great memories together. But after what I did tonight? … I don’t know anymore.”

                “Well, she did kiss your cheek, so I’d say you’ve patched things up quite well.” Aquarius chuckled softly. “How about we look at some of your happier memories with her. Maybe that will cheer you up? Maybe something more recent?”

                Luz wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded. “Yeah ok. I think I’ve got one.”

                He nodded and tapped her forehead again, dragging out a light that glowed a light gold color. It was a huge contrast to the somber blue from earlier. He snapped his fingers and the light exploded around them.

Chapter Text

                They were standing outside of Hexside, by the front steps. This time however, Memory Luz was right there, sitting between her friends Willow and Gus. They were both covered in garbage and various nicknames and insults were scribbled over their faces in (literal) magic marker.

                “She followed us around all day.” Luz mumbled and repeated, slightly louder grabbing Willow by the shoulder and shaking her. “She literally followed us around all day!”

                The real Luz turned to him with a smile. “This is the day I challenged Boscha to a grudgby match. I know it looks a little bleak right now, but it gets better, trust me.”

                “Amity!” The Memory Luz gasped, drawing them back in.

                “Luz!” Amity said, blushing. “You’re here! I mean, obviously you’re here, this is school, and you go here now with uh, me.”

                She blushed even harder, and her eyes widened considerably. “I’ve been talking for too long.”

                “Amity, we need your help.” Luz began, painfully oblivious.

                Before Luz could explain further, Amity slammed her fist into her book and leaned forward with a blush. “Yes! I can help!” She stopped for a moment. “With, what exactly?”

                Luz explained the Willow situation to Amity, who agreed that Boscha was extra unbearable during grudgby season. After Luz begged her to help, Amity only stepped back, telling her that there was no reasoning with Boscha because she only spoke in grudgby terms. Luz seemed to get an idea from this new information and used some kind of human saying that only served to confuse Amity more than anything.

                Aaand cue the falling garbage. Aquarius was stunned that Boscha would go as far as she already had. And not only did she dump garbage on Willow, she proceeded to insult her by calling her trash. Aquarius already knew the rest of the story but still watched as Luz challenged Boscha to a grudgby match to defend Willow’s honor.

                They followed the group back to the steps as they worriedly discussed Luz’s impulsive decision. But Luz would have none of it, declaring that they were the underdogs, which practically guaranteed victory – that is, if life was like a feel-good sports story. Everyone finally agreed to give it a try except…

                “What about you Amity?” Luz asked, giving her a hopeful smile.

                “Me?” Amity asked with a surprised laugh. “On a team? With you? Running around in cute uniforms? Sweating?”

                Her face glowed a bright crimson. “I gotta go!” And Amity ran off.

                “Huh.” Luz said with a blank expression. “Well, I guess she’s out.”

                Aquarius paused the memory there. How could he not when he’d burst out laughing? Luz glared at him. “What’s so funny?”

                He caught his breath. “Luz, you heard what she said right?”

                Luz blushed. “It doesn’t mean anything. She could have been talking about Willow, or heck, maybe even Gus.”

                Aquarius stared at her. It was very clear with the given context, that Amity was talking about Luz and nobody else. Maybe there was more to this than he had originally thought. He was going to get to the bottom of this and figure out exactly why Luz kept deflecting or outright ignoring obvious tells. But he could only do that if she was willing to continue.

                “Well, I don’t know about that.” Aquarius said slowly. “So, why don’t we move on then?”

                Luz nodded.

                “I take it that you don’t see Amity for a while after this.” Aquarius guessed. “Because from what the twins told me, Amity did end up playing with you guys against Boscha.”

                Luz chuckled. “Yeah, she kinda disappeared for a minute.”

                “Well, what happened between now and then? What changed?” Aquarius inquired.

                “I trained with Willow and Gus.” Luz said with a smile. “We did a little training montage and everything! It was amazing!”

                Aquarius couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity. Luz was a little weird, but it was a good weird. She even referred to their time training as a montage, which he found endearing.

                But that little burst of energy turned into a pout. “But I got too excited and caught up in that whole movie biz. And I ended up hurting my friends.”

                “Well hey, we all make mistakes.” Aquarius said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I can tell you still feel guilty about that, but I think your friends have already forgiven you by now.”

                “Yeah.” Luz said, scratching the back of her neck. “They are pretty great.”

                She forced herself to put on a confident smile. “But I wasn’t going to give up! While I was sitting on the bleachers, Amity found me and told me that she used to be the grudgby captain before Boscha. But she quit because she’d done the exact same thing I did and she blamed herself, even though they won. It built up my confidence and so I did the only thing I thought would fix things.”

                “And what was that?” Aquarius asked, not sure what to expect.

                “I forfeit!” She said simply. “Boscha said that if we won, she would leave Willow alone, but if her team won, we would basically be their personal punching bags. So, I decided that the responsible thing for a team captain to do was to just give up and take the punishment for the whole team.”

                “Please tell me somebody stopped you.” Aquarius frowned.

                Luz blushed. “Yeah, it turns out Amity is a pretty levelheaded gal and she went to talk to Willow for me. I don’t even know how hard that must have been for her. She kind of bullied Willow when they were kids, but she’s trying to make up for it. I guess it’s part of why I like her so much. She’s trying so hard to be a better person.”

                Aquarius smiled softly. Luz was so sweet and pure. Amity had clearly been a bully – probably to Luz if he was understanding things correctly. And yet she had tried so hard to be her friend despite that. And Amity was affected so much by it, that she went out of her way to go talk to somebody she already had a rocky relationship with, just to save her from Boscha.

                But he didn’t want to point that out to her just yet. “Amity sounds like a great friend and I’m sure you had a lot to do with that. But you know, if you don’t mind, I would love to watch your game against Boscha.”

                Luz’s eyes lit up, seeming to forget any of her previous worries. “Oh yes! I want to see how cool I looked! It was already cool to play it, but I bet it’s just as cool to watch!”

                Aquarius laughed and waved his hand, skipping forward to the match. It was amusing to see Amity enter dramatically from the side, as if it was a shock to anyone. Well ok, it was a shock to pretty much everyone, but from an outsider’s perspective it seemed pretty obvious.

                He couldn’t help but notice the way Amity looked at Luz. She clearly admired her, but there was so much more that Luz wasn’t seeing. When Amity wasn’t a complete blushing mess around Luz, she had complete focus on her task. Her task, as far as Aquarius could tell, was making sure Luz was safe. Every time Luz was preoccupied with another player, Amity was there to protect her. Sure, she did the same for Willow too, as any good teammate would. But for Luz? She hit harder, her abomination magic was more precise, and she had a different light in her eyes whenever Luz was in potential danger.

                All in all, they did really well. Willow was a natural and Luz, as always, proved that she could do anything if she put her mind to it. They worked very well together, but the other team had experience and it showed. Besides Amity, their team lacked that extra something that made a good grudgby team great. That something was, as mentioned before: experience. And despite their efforts and great chemistry, it would be experience that would ultimately win out.

                Aquarius was genuinely impressed with their teamwork and especially their sportsmanship. Even when the other player scored, they were quick to congratulate the one responsible for the goal. It seemed to surprise the other team, but they soon joined in – except for Boscha who was getting increasingly irritated. And he watched in complete wonder as Luz and her team finished off with the thorn vault. It looked risky, but it was hard to beat when it was executed properly. If Aquarius had to guess, it was this exact move that had gotten Luz into trouble with her friends and had caused Amity to quit being team captain. It was bold, and if they had won the game with it, he would have been absolutely stunned.

                But, he knew grudgby well. He used to watch games from his room in the archives. Boscha’s experience meant that she learned to pay attention to more than what was in front of her. Knowing that, he predicted the outcome of the game before it even happened. Luz couldn’t have known about it, and Willow and Amity were both distracted by other things. For Amity, Luz happened to be those other things. So, it was no surprise to him, when Boscha found the Rusty Smidge and won the game.

                He had to agree with Luz as she ranted about what a dumb rule it was. What kind of game had a single object that won the game no matter what? There was no point in doing anything else, because the smidge was clearly worth more in the long run. In every game he’d watched in the past, the ones where the winner had found the smidge were his least favorite. It took virtually no effort and talent really had nothing to do with it whatsoever.

                Stupid magic sports and their arbitrary rules.

                But Amity had gotten hurt. He had missed exactly what happened, but he knew that Boscha was responsible. Of course, Amity reassured her friends that she was fine, even though it was clearly not fine.

                “Are you sure?” Luz asked. “I could help carry you if it really hurts.”

                And the Lesbian Disaster Amity Blight, was back.

                “I’m fine!” She said, moving to a kneeling position and tapping her thighs frantically. “Who’s Amity?”

                “Aaand Scoop!” Luz said, picking her up with ease.

                “Oh wow!” Amity blushed. “Sports!”

                “You know, Amity was actually surprisingly light.” Luz said, as the memory ended unceremoniously. A real shame too, since Gus was just coming up to ask about montages.

                “Well, it sure looked like it.” Aquarius chuckled. “But you know what I thought was more interesting?”

                “The grudgby game?” Luz asked with a giddy smile.

                “Nope.” He replied and said in a mocking tone, “Oh wow! Sports!”

                Luz’s smile faded. “That isn’t funny Q. Amity was really hurt! She wasn’t thinking straight.”

                Aquarius snorted. “You got that right.”

                “What are you trying to say Q?” Luz asked with a frown.

                “I’m trying to say that Amity obviously likes you.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “And before you try and deflect, I should clarify that I mean that she like likes you.”

                Luz’s frown deepened and her eyes began to water. “You shouldn’t joke around like that, Q. It isn’t funny.” She looked away from him, hugging her arms.

                “What?” He replied softly. “Luz, this isn’t a joke. You’ve seen it firsthand, without the rose-colored lenses. Why is that so difficult to accept?”

                Luz turned back, tears streaming down her face as she snapped at him. “Because it’s just not true!” She fell to her knees, holding her stomach.

               “It can’t be. No one could ever like a weirdo like me. At least not like that.” She said in a quiet voice. “Not Luz the loser, who brings snakes to school for a stupid book report.”

               To say Aquarius was shocked by this strong display of emotion is an understatement. This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky girl he had come to know these last couple of days.

               “It’s nice of you to try and help me.” Luz continued. “But please don’t try to tell me things that’ll get my hopes up. Because even if she did like me like that – which she doesn’t – she would realize how much of a screw up I am and break up with me. Why don’t you show me a different memory? Something that has nothing to do with Amity… T-to get my mind off of her.”

              Aquarius stared at her in wonder. How could she think that about herself? In the short time he’d gotten to know her, she had committed herself to helping him find his brother and tried to research how to make a door on her own so he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Every one of the people he had met so far had undergone so many positive changes because of who she was as a person. She even managed to turn one of her enemies into a friend – a friend who was now head-over-heels for her.

             “Alright Luz.” Aquarius said softly. “I’ll show you another memory. A happy one. Would you like to see one of mine, or…”

             “I think I have something in mind.” She replied, turning to face Aquarius from her spot on the ground. “I think it’ll distract me enough…”

             Aquarius nodded, bending down to tap her forehead. He wasn’t going to force her to stand right now. He drew his finger back and a dim, red ball of light stuck to his fingertip.  He stood up and snapped his fingers, beginning the new illusion.

            The room transformed into a school hallway. But the lockers weren’t red demons with spiky teeth. These were ordinary lockers. This place… was not Hexside.

           “Nonono.” Luz curled into a ball and tried to hide in her cat hoodie. “This isn’t what I wanted at all. This can’t be happening.”

           Aquarius hadn’t heard her shaking in fear, nor had he heard her crying, because a loud bell rang out, just as she recognized where she was. And he would continue to be unable to hear her as students began to crowd the hallway.

           It was a little difficult to spot Luz in the crowd, because she wasn’t her usual joyful self. She looked a little younger than she was now, but maybe by only a few years. Her head was hung low and she clutched her schoolbag to her chest as she walked down the crowded hallway. People bumped and jostled her. Some of the rough contact was undoubtedly intentional.

          He heard a few of them call her some very unpleasant names as they brushed past. Was this how Luz was treated back at her human school? It’s no wonder she liked the Boiling Isles better.

          “Hey Luz!” A voice called out from behind her. The person who called her grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. She made no attempt to resist.

          “Luz,” The boy said with a frown. “Are you ok?”

          Luz shrugged. “I’m alright.”

          “Ok.” The boy said, slightly uneasily. “Well if you’ve got a minute, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

          “Sure, whatever.” She shrugged, letting the boy pull her aside into an empty classroom. “What is this about?”

          The boy closed the door and turned to Luz. “Listen Luz,” He said, gently grabbing her hands. “I know some people call you weird and a loser and whatever else people like to throw at you. I just wanted to tell you that they’re wrong.”

          Luz’s eyes widened as she looked up to meet his eyes. “Do you really think so?”

          “Absolutely!” The boy said confidently. “You’re so cool and funny! Those guys don’t know what they’re talking about.”

          “Oh wow.” Luz blushed. “Thanks Jake.”

          “But, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.” The boy said, wringing his hands nervously.

          “What did you want to talk about?” Luz asked, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear shyly.

          “Well it’s just that I…” He looked away and took a deep breath. “You got this Jake. Just like you practiced.”

          He turned back and said with a shy smile. “Luz, will you go out with me?”

          Luz’s eyes widened and Aquarius’ jaw dropped. Luz was just saying how nobody would ever want to go out with a girl like her. But why did she think that way when this boy was clearly into her? Wasn’t this supposed to be a happy memory? So why did something feel so off.

         “No, Luz.” The real Luz groaned behind her. “Don’t fall for it. He doesn’t mean it.”

         Aquarius frowned. Did something go wrong? He was pretty sure Luz said she wanted to see a happy memory. He turned back around to see the Memory Luz flounder for a response.

        “You?” She croaked out, pointing to him and then back to herself. “Want to go out with me?”

        The boy grabbed her hand again and pulled her closer. “Yes, Luz. You’re just so cool, and smart.” He pulled her even closer and leaned forward, causing Luz’s face to burn bright red. “And so… so… Gullible.”

         Luz froze as the boy’s face completely changed from lovestruck to a sadistic smirk. He started to laugh and dropped her hands. Suddenly, another laugh was heard behind Aquarius and he turned around to see another boy sitting at a desk with a phone in his hands. The boys had, at this point, devolved into hysterics.

         Luz stared at them with a look of hurt and confusion as she watched them laugh.

         “What… what’s going on here?” Luz asked in a weak voice.

         The two boys calmed down and the one with the phone slipped something into Jake’s hand. Aquarius didn’t want to assume, but… he was pretty sure he’d handed him a twenty.

         Jake finally turned to the poor girl with a wicked grin. “You really thought I would ask you out? Seriously?”

        Luz’s eyes welled up with tears. “That was all a joke?”

        “Of course!” The boy laughed. “I mean, really. Who would want to go out with someone like-”

        The boy froze, and Aquarius held up his hand with a glare. Some things he could forgive. He could forgive the twins for reading Amity’s diary. Maybe he could forgive Boscha for getting too physical in grudgby. But this? This was low.

        “The boy with the phone was recording it.” Luz rasped. “The video went viral at school. And it couldn’t have been on a worse day…”

        Aquarius turned around and slowly went down to her level, wrapping his arms gently around her. “I’m so sorry Luz. I should have stopped it earlier. I-I didn’t realize what it was until it was too late. I should have paid more attention. Please forgive me.”

        Luz wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He held her there for a moment before she pulled away. “It’s ok Q. It wasn’t your fault really. I didn’t mean for this to come up, but it just came out of nowhere and…”

        Aquarius nodded. “I understand Luz. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have stopped it at any point.”

        “Don’t worry about it.” Luz sniffled. “This wasn’t the first time something like this happened.”

        Aquarius’ pupils dilated. “What?”

        “Yeah, it’s really not a big deal. That’s just how it is. Like I said, I’m just Luz the weirdo.” She said, tugging at her sleeves. “This one was just the worst one because… My dad passed away from cancer when I was young. This particular day was also the anniversary of his death.”

       Aquarius sucked in a sharp breath. That was why she had been so sad in the hallway. Those little…

       He stood up stiffly, his eyes closed. The air in the room dropped several degrees as he opened his eyes and turned to face the two boys frozen in laughter. He was very glad he hadn’t completely dismissed the memory. He released his breath and steam puffed out from between his lips. The room wasn’t cold enough for that. No. The steam had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

       Aquarius raised one hand and snapped his fingers, and the sound seemed to echo in Luz’s mind. The memory did not disappear, but instead, a silver coin appeared in his fingers. She could not see his face, but he made it clear that he was not happy with his body language alone.

       “Listen carefully Luz.” He said in a level tone. “These kids don’t know you at all. I’ve only known you for a little over a day, but it wasn’t hard to see the type of person you are. You’re kind, selfless and you would rather drop dead in a gutter than make anyone feel the way these jerks made you feel. I can see that every time I look into your eyes.”

       He turned his head to the side slightly and flipped one side of the silver coin to face her. The coin depicted a collector. It was smiling playfully and a little sun shimmered behind it. Luz couldn’t read Aquarius’ expression from where she was sitting, but it looked almost contemplative.

       “You can learn quite a lot after a couple thousand years.” He mused. “One of the many unique abilities a collector acquires after some time, is the ability to judge a person’s character. This can work on anyone except for Titans and Archivists. The only one of my siblings who never learned this ability is Virgo. So I can say, with absolute certainty, that you are an honest person through and through. I knew you were the moment I saw you.”

       He flipped the coin to the other side and the image was a stark contrast to the previous side. This side also depicted a collector, but their face dominated the entire side. They had a wide and wicked smile and the eyes were squinting in mischievous glee. Aquarius’ eyes had very clearly hardened as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

       “These boys are the opposite.” He said simply. “They find joy in the misery of others. It is strange to me, as I’ve watched humans interact with each other, that people like this seem to succeed where kind and wonderful people like yourself are put down and beaten until they hit their lowest.”

       He turned to face the boys and lowered the coin. “The ability I described to you is only used when one’s character is put into question. As I watched this, I had no reason to believe that the boy who had hurt you had any ill intent. After he showed his true colors, I didn’t think it was necessary to delve deep into his inner character since it seemed clear. But once you told me the truth about this memory, I had to change my mind. And now as I look at this boy I can only wonder…”

       He lifted the coin for her to see once more. “Is he worthy of this? The answer is yes. The voices of the individuals Jake has affected with his actions have delivered a final verdict.”

       Luz gulped, feeling scared for the first time in the presence of the young collector. “What does that mean?”

       “This is a Collector’s coin.” He answered, flicking it into the air and catching it. “It’s a curse I made myself. It feeds on the intent of an individual. If a person is cruel, they are punished. If they are kind, they are rewarded. Both are applied equally to the intent behind the action. For example, if you had this coin in the library with Amity, you would not have been punished, because it was never your intent to hurt her. But if Boscha had it when she injured Amity, then she would have received a punishment equal to the damage she dealt.”

       “That’s…” Luz trailed off nervously.

       “Cruel?” He asked with a dark chuckle. “It depends. The cursed individual simply collects the consequences of their actions. I’m not stupid, and I don’t give these out lightly. My brother, Cancer, hands out curses to mortals like candy. He gives them in scrolls for people to use to curse their enemies.”

       He walked quietly over to the boy and stood in front of him. “This boy is responsible for why you can’t accept Amity’s true feelings for you. He did it for a mere twenty dollars. A lifetime of suffering, for something so meaningless. In the future he is willing to do a lot more for a lot less. The coin exists as a means to teach a person how to be better – otherwise this coin is just a tool for revenge. If or when he does change, I will remove it.”

       “I thought you couldn’t interact with these memories.” Luz said nervously.

       The air around Aquarius’ hand warped as he slipped the coin into the boy’s pocket. “I said that you couldn’t. I never said anything about me.”

       He turned around and waved his hand, banishing the memory. There was no going back on his choice. As he looked at Luz, he saw the fear in her eyes. She was terrified of him. He deflated as he realized his mistake.

       “I-I’m sorry Luz.” He said turning away. “I went too far. I didn’t mean to scare you it’s just that… When I see someone being treated like that, it reminds me of my brother… Maybe that kid didn’t deserve that curse.”

       Luz stood up on her feet shakily. “I.. I understand. I mean, you’re a god, right? You know what you’re doing…”

       “I may be powerful and immortal,” Aquarius said softly. “But I’m no god. I make mistakes.”

      “That’s crazy talk!” Luz said, trying to sound more upbeat and less scared than she felt. “I mean, Q, you beat your powerful and immortal brother and protected Virgo. I couldn’t even defeat Boscha in a game of grudgby to protect Willow. You’ve done pretty good as far as I’m concerned.”

       Aquarius scoffed. “No offense to you Luz, but if I had really managed to protect Virgo, I wouldn’t be here right now. And I’ve made plenty of mistakes even just tonight. I tried to force you to believe that Amity has a crush on you, I made you relive multiple traumatizing experiences, and now, even though I meant well, you’re completely terrified of me. I screwed up Luz.”

      “Hey, I know you were only trying to help.” Luz said cautiously. “And, for what it’s worth, I’m not scared of you.”

      “Can you really look me in the eyes and tell me you aren’t scared?” He asked bitterly, daring her to meet his gaze.

      Luz looked up at him, prepared to tell him that, no, she was not. But once their eyes met, they both knew that was more than enough of an answer. She was scared. Very scared.

      She took a shaky breath. “You’re right Q. You do scare me. But I don’t want to be scared of you.”

      He sighed. “You really are a good person, Luz. And you deserve good things. I just wish you could see that for yourself.” He turned to his bed. “Goodnight Luz. I hope that I can make things up to you somehow.”

      Luz reached out a hand, but slowly pulled it back, turning her eyes to the endless void beneath her feet. “Goodnight… Q.”

      And with her final words, she walked back up the stairs, feet feeling heavy. Maybe this was all just a bad dream and she’d wake up tomorrow and everything would be normal again. If only that were true.

Chapter Text

         Waking up, for Aquarius, was usually very easy. He would jump right out of bed, ready to face a new day with a smile. He would have sprinted up the stairs and greeted Luz, Eda and whatever that invisible demon was and summoned a stack of delicious waffles, just like yesterday morning.

        But this morning was different. He couldn’t bring himself to jump out of bed and smile at the sweet and kind Latina girl. He could barely swing his legs over to the side of his bed, feeling tired, despite sleeping well into the afternoon. Memories of the prior night kept replaying in his mind, but he was not in the mood to live through it again.

       Way to go, Aquarius. He could almost hear his brother Capricorn sneering at him. Your first friend in the Boiling Isles and you’ve already ruined it with your overbearing personality. What do you have to say for yourself?

       Honestly? Nothing. Luz had admitted that he had scared her and as nice as she was, he wouldn’t fault her if she hated him now. He messed up. Big Time. If there ever was a time for all of his personal guilt to come crashing down on him, now would not have been the time.

      But he was guilty. Guilty for pushing Luz too far. Guilty for betraying her trust. But that wasn’t all he was guilty of. Oh no. He was guilty of causing the death of the Titans. He was guilty of losing Virgo. And most of all, he was guilty for not being able to stand up to his brothers.  The only one to blame for everything that had gone wrong in his life, was Aquarius. Nobody else could take responsibility.

       He sighed and stood up, changing into a clean outfit and walking up the stairs. Each step felt like he had lead in his shoes. He shuffled to the front door without a word to anyone, and walked out into the forest.

       Eda had watched him leave from the kitchen, out of the corner of her eye, sipping her afternoon apple-blood. Something was going on between Luz and Q. She briefly considered confronting them about it, but decided that Luz is a smart girl and can handle herself – after all, she was a part of the Bad Witch Coven (even if she never accepted the quitting badge).

      She just hoped that whatever it was, was resolved within the next few days. She didn’t like the thought that there was an upset god-child moping around the Isles. Who knows what could happen? That being said… The kid seemed to have a good heart, so she doubted they would cause too much trouble. Probably.

       Do you even know how to stay out of other people’s business? His brother’s voice echoed in his mind. I mean, seriously Aquarius, you’re such a nuisance.

       Aquarius sighed. He couldn’t agree more.

       He walked through the trees, hands in his pockets and shoulders slumped. He had been so drained this morning, that he had forgotten to put on his cloth cap to cover his white hair – not that he needed it, but it just fit a certain aesthetic that Collectors just kind of started following for some reason.

       He didn’t really even feel like a true Collector anymore.

       Aquarius, his father’s voice echoed in his mind. I want you to understand that as a Collector it is your duty to find things that are broken or lost. Neglected and forgotten. There is much more to these objects than you can see, and one day you might understand. But for now, remember this: A Collector should not collect anything for themselves, for in doing so, you would do much more harm to it than whoever had last betrayed it. There is far more value in fixing something that has been broken than taking something that doesn’t belong to you. I cannot stop you from doing as you please, any more than a tree can stop the wind from blowing. But I trust that you will keep this knowledge close to your heart and do what you know to be right.

      Well Aquarius was a far cry from fixing something broken. He had acted selfishly. Cursing the boy had more to do with his personal grudge against his brothers, than it had to do with Luz’s hurt feelings. He’d let his emotions get the better of him, and had acted rashly. It was little wonder Luz had been afraid of him. He had made little effort to suppress the angry aura resonating from within himself, and that had pierced straight into the heart of an innocent and broken girl.

      Yes, Aquarius was selfish. He knew in his heart that the only reason he was looking for Virgo in the first place, was to ease his guilty conscience. Maybe his brother really was gone and it was just wishful thinking. Maybe he should just make the portal for Luz and leave the Boiling Isles for good. It would probably be better for everyone.

     He stooped down and picked up a small stone. At this point, he was just angry. Angry with himself. Angry with his brothers. Angry at the bullies at Luz’s human school. Everything was so unfair. How could he have so much power, but be unable to stop hurting the people closest to him?

     He closed his fist around the rock, and threw it as hard as he could into the sky, towards the boiling ocean. The rock sailed up, and up, and up, until it faded off into the distance. Aquarius didn’t need to follow it to know that it had sailed far beyond the Boiling Isles. That was probably fine.

     But off on a far distant Island, was a tower of stone, that had a path wrapping around the outside. In the center of the tower, was a glyph with a little hole, that looked like it was meant to fit a makeshift key. Aquarius’ stone flew across the boiling ocean with so much force, that as it came down to complete its full trajectory, it hit the tower square in the center of the glyph, lodging itself inside of it and sending large cracks to spread throughout the tower, ultimately destroying whatever mechanism that was inside.

     Somebody whistled appreciatively behind him. “That was quite a throw.”

     Aquarius turned around to face the twins, who were leaning up against two separate trees. They were still wearing their school uniforms and they had their arms folded across their chests with little smirks.

     “Something got you down, Q?” Emira asked politely.

     Aquarius turned away from them and continued his path through the forest. “Shouldn’t you two be at school?”

     “Woah, why the cold shoulder?” Edric frowned. “We just saw you walking alone out here looking all sad and thought we could help.”

     “And our crushes both weren’t at school today, so there was no reason to go to our new classes anyway.” Emira added as they both began to follow him. “We’ve got our illusions taking notes.”

      Aquarius snorted. “And how are you going to help? Get me to steal someone’s diary so you can post the pages all over school? Yeah, maybe that will make me feel better.”

      He stopped as he realized how harsh that sounded. He really needed to do a better job of controlling his emotions.

      “You… heard about that?” Edric said, stopping in his tracks as well. “Who told you?”

      “Luz.” He said with a sigh. “Who else?”

      Emira made no attempt to mask the guilt in her voice. “That was a mistake. We were just getting so fed up with Mittens and… we hurt her more than we realized.”

      “We’ve tried to make it up to her.” Edric said earnestly. “I mean, we still aren’t perfect. We know that better than anyone.”

      “You don’t have to explain yourselves to me.” Aquarius sighed. “I get it. Your pranks on Boscha are just your way of trying to make it up to her. I understand better than you think.”

       The twins shared a look as he continued, turning back to face them. “I have a younger brother. When were were growing up, I was jealous of the way our father spoiled him. So, I took that frustration out on him. But I wasn’t the only one. My older brothers picked on him too. But once I saw the look on his face when we teased him, I realized how unfair it was. He was just a kid. It wasn’t his fault father liked him. And for years I had been the one responsible for the nights he spent crying in his room. So, I worked hard to fix things with him.”

       “I was pretty proud of how things were going.” He said, voice cracking and tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. “We became really close and I soon realized I would do anything to protect him – even if it meant standing up to my older brothers. But…”

       He was no longer able to hold back the tears as he broke down into a painful sob. He wasn’t sure how long he had been holding himself together, but this was a long time coming. His failure with Luz had been the breaking point, and so, right in front of the Blight twins, he broke apart like shattered glass.

      The twins surged forward to pull him into a hug and slowly helped him lower to the ground, holding him until he cried himself out. Out of the two twins, Emira was the one who was better with emotions. When they had gone to apologize to Amity, it was Emira who had spoken for them. Amity had been very surprised when Emira had began to cry during said apology. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it had been a start.

      So when Aquarius calmed down, it was Emira who gently let him go and pulled Edric back as well to give the Collector some breathing room. Aquarius wiped his nose on his sleeve and took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry I’ve just been bottling this up for a while. I mean, you guys barely even know me, so it isn’t fair of me to lay all of this on you. And I really shouldn’t have snapped at you either.”

     “No, its ok.” Emira said gently. “It sounds like this has been weighing you down for a while.”

      Aquarius nodded. “Yeah… thank you.”

     “Don’t mention it.” Edric smiled. “We understand where you’re coming from – well maybe not exactly, but you know what I mean.”

      Aquarius chuckled. “No, I get it.”

      After a moment of peaceful silence, he sighed and looked up at the twins. “I’m glad you guys are trying to patch things up with your sister. I know how hard that can be. I’m sure you’ll do much better than I did.”

      Ed gave a half smile. “Maybe Em will. She’s much better with people than I am.”

     “No, you really can’t do worse than me.” He replied seriously. “I thought I’d done everything right, but when he really needed my protection the most, I wasn’t there for him. Now he’s gone.”

      He furrowed his eyebrows. “The only reason I came to the Boiling Isles was because I wanted to find him. I have to believe he’s out there somewhere. So when I say you can’t do any worse than me, I really mean that.”

      Ed and Em shared an awkward look.

     “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Em said dryly. Then, as gently as she could, she placed her hand on his knee. “Is there anything else that’s bothering you?”

      Aquarius contemplated that for a moment. There was definitely something else bothering him, but was it a good idea to go to them? He pondered it for a second longer before making his decision and he met their eyes, switching between them.

     “There is one other thing, but first I need to know if you can keep a secret.” He said, slightly stern.

     The twins looked at each other with concerned expressions and turned back to face Aquarius.

     “Q, you have our word, that whatever you say won’t leave this spot.” Edric confirmed. “You can count on us.”

      He chuckled. “Alright then.”

      After repositioning himself on the ground, he said. “It’s about Luz.”

     “Luz?” Ed and Em said together.

     “Yes.” He replied. “I messed up. I tried convincing her that Amity definitely has a crush on her and she didn’t take it so well.”

     “Wait, come again?” Edric blinked. “You told her Amity has a crush on her? How did you even know that?”

     Aquarius laughed. “When Luz introduced me to your sister, it was pretty easy to tell. Luz casually called her adorable and she became a flustered mess and ran off.”

     “Told her it was obvious.” Emira said with a smirk. “Even the guy from out of town could tell.”

     “Exactly!” Aquarius exclaimed exasperatedly. “But Luz straight up told me she liked Amity too, but when I suggested that Amity might like her back, she just couldn’t accept it. She had some bad experiences with crushes in the past, so the very idea that Amity might actually like her seems impossible. I even did this whole memory spell thing to prove it, but she refused to accept it. I mean, it isn’t her fault – its those bullies at her human school. Luz is clearly a good person and you probably know her way better than I do. I thought I was being helpful, but in the end I just ended up making things worse. So now, not only is she unable to see herself dating Amity, she also hates me.”

     The twins stared at him for a moment before Emira began to speak slowly. “That’s a lot more personal than I was expecting. But I really don’t think Luz is even capable of hating anyone, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

     His shoulders slumped. “Well maybe I’m the first.”

    “No!” Edric exclaimed. “We want to help! We may not know Luz very well, but we do know Mittens. She was a very different person before Luz came along.”

     Em nodded. “Yeah, she was really stuck up and treated people horribly.”

    “But then Luz showed up.” Edric said.

    “And you wouldn’t even recognize her now!” Em smiled. “She was even brave enough to kiss Luz on the cheek – which she totally never would have done before and not because of Luz either.”

    “Yeah, she’s all like, rebellious and stuff.” Edric beamed. “She even dyed her hair purple!”

    Emira’s smile turned serious. “If it weren’t for Luz, Amity wouldn’t be nearly as happy as she is now. Honestly, if it weren’t for Luz, we might have posted her diary all over the school. Looking back on that now, we probably would have ruined her life. She’s changed more people than just Amity. We owe her one.”

    Edric nodded with matching seriousness. “If we can do something for Luz and do something for Mittens that would make both of them happy, I might be able to forgive Emira for putting pink hair dye in my shampoo four years ago.”

    “What does that have to do with this?” Emira frowned. “It was literally years ago. I already said I was sorry – I mean, I would do it again in a heartbeat, but that’s not the point.”

    “Let’s stay on track guys.” Aquarius said with a soft chuckle. “Luz really needs a boost of self esteem and from what I can tell, Mitt – I mean, Amity, is the only one who can do that right now. We both have a common goal here. I want to fix things with Luz, and you want to be better siblings to Amity. Not to mention the fact that Luz has made the entire Boiling Isles a better place and she deserves all the happiness.”

    “I agree.” The twins said in unison.

    “Alright, so how do we go about this?” Aquarius said.

    The three of them began to brainstorm, before Edric snapped his fingers. “Q, didn’t you say you could do a memory spell? How exactly does it work?”

    Aquarius frowned. “Well, I can extract the memories of whatever event the person is thinking about and play it as an illusion. It’s really more of a time spell, but that’s not important. The important part is that it’s as accurate as the day it happened.”

    “I was hoping you’d say that.” Edric smirked and looked at Emira, who had a smirk to match. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking Em?”

    “Yeah.” She said with a grin.

    And in true Blight twin fashion, they spoke in perfect unison. “Grom.”

Chapter Text

                It was finally Friday. Four days had passed since that night with Q. And a lot has happened since then. Luz had tried to forget about everything by sinking into her schoolwork, but fortunately, there were some very good natural distractions.

                Wednesday had been Palisman Day. She had been looking forward to getting her own palisman ever since she’d gotten to the Boiling Isles, and she had finally been given the opportunity. Buuut, things hadn’t exactly gone to plan. If they had, she’d be sitting in her room holding her new palisman instead of the cage with the darn Echo Mouse.

                She hadn’t been able to make a connection with any of them. And, to make matters worse, she ended up getting kidnapped by the Golden Guard… well not intentionally. He was originally going after the palisman, but since she was hiding in their little nest, she got dragged along with them. But everything had turned out ok. She still wished she could have gotten her own palisman, but she was less put out since Eda had stolen her a block of palistrom wood. But that had given her an entirely new set of problems: What the Titan was she supposed to carve?

                But another thing that had been on her mind, was the Golden Guard himself. He was just a teenager. She’d thought they had become friends somewhere along the way, but then… well she didn’t want to think much about his predictable betrayal. One of Luz’s many flaws was that she was too trusting. She was always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt, even if they had already broken her trust before. It had worked with Amity, so why not Hunter? I mean, the Golden Guard.

                And speaking of Amity… Well, she was starting to think a lot about what happened that night. She really wanted to know Amity’s true feelings, but it was just that… she was pretty sure she already knew. She’d read plenty of fanfiction and knew all the signs of a crush, and Amity was checking all the boxes. Luz had been watching Amity very closely during her grudgby memory and she couldn’t deny it.

“Oh Wow! Sports!” That line alone was pretty damning.

                But when Q had pointed it out, she just… couldn’t accept it. Like, really? Amity was cool, smart, and classy. There was no way that she could ever reciprocate her feelings. But it appeared that she really did. So, if that was the case, what was she going to do about it?

                “Ok little echo mouse,” Luz said, looking at the little animal. “If you aren’t going to show me more of Phillip’s diary, can you at least tell me how I can ask out a cotton candy haired goddess?”

                She was startled by a knock on her bedroom door, and she quickly stood up and put the cage in its spot by the window. She ran to her door and swung it open.

                “Hey…” Her words were caught in her throat. “Q?”

                The boy stood outside the door, wearing a black hoodie and a pair of jeans. It was kind of surreal seeing him in anything other than his star pajamas – uh, robes. Star robes. With moons on them. Yep.

                “Hey Luz,” Q said with a shy wave. “I really wanted to apologize about the other night, and I thought that, well, since it’s the weekend and all and you’re out of school for the day… Maybe we could talk about it?”

                Luz sighed. “That’s probably a good idea. Come on in Q.”

                He took a nervous step into the room and closed the door gently. He took a deep breath. “Ok, Luz-”

                “Hold on there Q.” Luz said, holding up a hand. “There’s gonna be no apologizing or anything until you explain the whole… This.” She pointed at his outfit, making a little circle with her pointer finger.

                He looked down at his hoodie nervously. “Does it look bad? I was just trying to go for something a little more casual.”

                “It’s not bad.” Luz said carefully. “It’s just weird seeing you wearing something that isn’t your star pajamas.”

                Q relaxed his shoulders. “Oh, I’m so glad I’m not the only one that thinks they look like pajamas. Everyone back home thought I was crazy. But is this outfit weird or…”

                “Oh, no not at all!” Luz reassured him. “It just makes you look more… Androgynous?”

                Luz realized what she just said and immediately tried to backtrack. “I’m sorry that’s not what I meant! I didn’t mean to imply that – oh what am I even implying?”

                Q laughed. “It’s fine Luz. I honestly would have thought the pajamas would have that effect, what with the whole cap and everything. But I’m not offended at all, don’t worry.”

                “You aren’t?” Luz said, still looking mortified. “I mean I basically just said that I couldn’t tell what your gender was because of what you were wearing and that’s kind of insensitive because there are people who would be really offended by that and-”

                “Luz.” Q said, cutting her off before she continued in her spiral. “It’s ok. Other people would be offended by that but I’m not. I mean, after all, I kind of am.”

                “Kind of are… what?” Luz said awkwardly.

                Q suddenly realized what he was admitting and blushed. “Oh. Um. A-Androgynous. I am uh… yeah, Collectors are nonbinary so… I mean we’re also literally um - Ok no that’s weird. What I mean to say is that it’s ok that you couldn’t tell my gender was because I – I technically don’t have one? I’ve said too much haven’t I?”

                Q looked just like Amity did when Luz had asked her for help with Boscha, but their face was tomato red. Luz’s face was redder than Q’s. There was a very long, awkward silence.

                Luz finally opened her mouth to speak, but it was very rushed. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were a boy this whole time and now I feel like an awful person.”

                Q gulped. “That’s fine, I actually prefer masculine pronouns.”

                Luz cringed. “Wow this got really awkward.”

                “Yeah.” Q agreed, clearing his throat. “Let’s just forget about the whole gender thing and move on, shall we?”

                Luz quickly nodded. “Yes. Please.”

                After a moment, Q took a deep breath. “So, um I know I just made this whole thing way more awkward than it needed to be, but I just… Look, I want to apologize for pushing things too far the other night. And I know that the whole curse thing was scary, and I really don’t know what came over me, but I’m so, so, sorry.”

                “It’s ok Q.” Luz smiled awkwardly. “I thought the curse thing was kind of sweet actually once I really thought about it. Well pretty cold, but still sweet.”

                “And about Amity…” Luz looked away. “I’m not mad at you Q. You were only trying to help, and I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that.”

                Q shook his head. “No, you don’t need to apologize for that. After what you went through, I’m surprised you didn’t lash out at me sooner. I was out of line.”

                “Well, honestly Q…” Luz turned to him with a weak smile. “I think I already knew Amity had – or has – feelings for me. I mean, I still can’t be too sure, and I’m not entirely convinced that she does, but I’m not stupid. I know what it looks like to have a crush. It’s just that… it doesn’t feel real. I mean, why would she… I’m just… me.”

                She ended it with a shrug, holding her arms and looking at the ground.

                “Luz,” Q said with a soft smile. “I think you already know what I think about that. You’re you. That’s not a bad thing. But, um… I’m pretty sure I said I would try to make things up to you…”

                She looked up at him with glassy eyes and a small smile. “Go on.”

                Q sighed and looked to the ceiling, trying to suppress a grin. “Well, I may have a little surprise for you and if you’ll let me, I’d like to show it to you.”

                Luz nodded, wiping away a tear with a smile. “Yeah, I love surprises.”

                “Good.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “There is one other thing.”

                Luz frowned. “What’s that?”

                “I’m gonna have to blindfold you.” He grimaced.

                “Oh, that’s fine.” Luz said casually. “That just makes it more interesting.”

                He chuckled. “Alright then, we should probably go now before it gets too dark.”

                “That’s probably smart.” Luz smiled. “We don’t need both of us going in blind.”

                Q laughed and began to walk towards the door before pausing and looking back at her. “Uh, one more thing…”

                “What?” Luz asked.

                He blushed. “Don’t mention the whole gender thing to anyone… I mean, I don’t really mind. It’s just really awkward.”

                Luz blushed back. “Oh, yeah. You don’t have to worry about that.”

                He nodded. “Uh, good. Thanks. Let’s uh… Let’s go.”

                “Are we there yet?” Luz groaned, catching her foot on a root.

                “Almost.” Q said with a chuckle. “Just a little further.”

                Luz sighed. “Couldn’t you have taken me somewhere nearby and then blindfolded me? I’ve been walking with a blindfold on since we left the owl house.”

                “That would have spoiled the surprise.” He said, probably smirking, but it wasn’t like Luz could see it to confirm anything. “I promise it’ll be worth it.”

                “Ohh, is it big?” Luz asked, rubbing her hands together greedily.

                Q couldn’t help chuckling at her enthusiasm. “Oh, it’s big alright. But not in the way you’re thinking.”

                Luz wracked her brain trying to think about what that could mean. Q did say he had a power that could judge a person’s character, so perhaps it was like a Santa Claus situation. Was it big as in, cool, or big as in important? Hmm… Maybe it’s a cool power Collectors have and he’s taking her somewhere else to show it to her. That would be pretty big. Oh, maybe it’s-

                “Here we are!” Q proclaimed. “You can take off the blindfold now.”

                Luz reached behind her head and pulled off the cloth, dropping it as her eyes widened at the sight before her. Those pink petals. The soft breeze over the cliffside. But what really drew her attention, was the cotton candy haired goddess looking up at the large pink tree, unaware of Luz’s eyes on her. And she was as stunning as ever.

                “A- Amity?” Luz stuttered in confusion. Was this the surprise?

                “Luz?” Amity said, turning to her with wide eyes.

                Luz turned around. “Q, I don’t…” He was gone…

                She turned back to Amity, walking towards her nervously. “Amity, what…”

                Amity slowly walked to meet her in the middle. “Luz, are you alright?”

                Luz shrugged awkwardly. “Yeah, I’m fine its just… What are you doing here?”

                They stopped about three feet away from each other. A healthy distance. A safe, friendly distance. For friends. The friendliest of friends.

                “Ed and Em blindfolded me and brought me over here.” Amity scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “They said they had a surprise for me…”

                “Wait, they did?” Luz frowned. “Q did that to me too.”

                Amity’s eyes widened. “You don’t think that they’re…”

                Luz narrowed her eyes. “No, they definitely are. Those three are in cahoots.”

                “I don’t know what that word means, but I think I get what you’re saying.” Amity responded. “But how? And why?”

                Luz was pretty sure she knew why. It was a nice gesture, but it wouldn’t do any good. Luz already knew that Amity probably wouldn’t want to be with her anyway, so trying to set them up was pointless.

                “No idea.” Luz lied.

                Amity nodded. “Ok, well since we’re already here… can we talk?”

                “Sure!” Luz said earnestly. “What do you want to talk about?”

                Amity blushed. “Well, I um… About the other night at my house… can we just forget about the whole thing? You know… At the end?”

                Luz blushed. Was she talking about the kiss?

                “What if I don’t want to forget?” The words were out of Luz’s mouth before she had the chance to process what she was saying. But once she did, she blushed furiously.

                “What?” Amity said with a blush of her own.

                Before either of them could speak, they were distracted by a strip of paper fluttering down between them. Luz snatched it out of the air and read it aloud.

                “Look to the cliffs and enjoy the show. Signed, Well Wishers on a Mission.”

                Amity frowned. “What does that mean?”

                As soon as Amity finished speaking, they heard a loud snap. Light washed over them and spread across the surrounding area. Luz understood what was happening immediately.

                “Leave her alone!” A voice shouted near the cliffs, causing Amity to snap her head in that direction and Luz to cringe as she slowly turned her head. This was not how she had imagined things going at all.

                They saw Amity – one with green hair instead of the current purple – standing between Luz and a large angry beast. It snarled and grabbed her, launching a slimy tentacle to her forehead, discovering her deepest fear.

                “Luz…” The real Amity whispered. “What is this?”

                “Q.” Luz responded; her eyes locked on to the scene playing out before her. “It’s a combination of time and illusion magic. What we’re looking at is exactly how it happened at Grom.”

                As Luz spoke, she watched as Grom turned into a dark shadow of Amity’s mystery crush. The figure reached into her pocket and pulled out a pink paper and ripped it in front of her eyes, dropping the pieces and walking away.

                “Are we back there now?” Amity asked nervously, probably worried that Grom would turn on them any moment now.

                “No,” Luz replied softly. “It’s just a memory of the past. This is just a projection.”

                The Memory Amity was clutching one half of the paper as Memory Luz picked up the other half. “You were afraid of rejection…”

                As the Memory Luz offered to go to Grom with Amity, the real Luz mentally scolded herself. That’s what friends do? What if Amity really did have a crush on me? I basically friend zoned her!

                But Amity seemed unbothered by that and offered her hand for a dance, which Luz gladly accepted.

                The real Luz and Amity turned beet red at the sudden close proximity of their memory counterparts. And it only got worse as they danced with perfect synchrony, as if they knew what the other was thinking. And oh boy, Luz did not realize how seductive she looked when she flashed her glyphs. Luz really didn’t realize how flirty she had been, and boy was it embarrassing.

                But Luz couldn’t help noticing the look in Amity’s eyes as they danced. What could that mean? Did Amity really… No, she was just dancing with a good friend… Right?

                Finally, the dance concluded with Grom exploding and turning into what was now referred to as ‘The Grom Tree’. And then Luz caught Amity in her self-proclaimed, weak nerd arms – she really needed to revise that, because either Amity was really light, or Luz had gotten much stronger since coming to the Isles. But something clicked in Luz’s mind as she looked at her and Amity, holding each other so closely and looking into each other’s eyes with so much more passion than was reasonable for two friends.

                But Luz shook herself out of that thought as Amity cleared her throat awkwardly and looked at the ground sheepishly. “You know, that looked a lot more… intimate than I remember. I mean for just two friends dancing, it really looked like we were a couple. But that’s weird right?”

                “Yeah,” Luz rasped. “Weird.”

                She should have known better, really. Of course Amity found the idea of them dating to be weird. Of course, she was just seeing what she had wanted to see, and Amity never really thought about her like that. Nobody did. She’d obviously read the signs all wrong.

                “Sooo, who did you want to ask out?” The Memory Luz said behind them. They both spun around to face the Grom Tree and saw their memory selves standing side by side with matching tiaras. They both must have missed them walk over there, lost in their own thoughts.

                But neither girl registered Memory Amity’s response as they watched the wad of paper sail over her shoulder, almost as if in slow motion. It bounced once, and then rolled right at the feet of the real Luz and opened up, revealing…

                “Me?” Luz whispered. This had to be a joke, right? Maybe Q had just changed the memory. He’d proven he could before, so why not this? It just… couldn’t be real.

                Amity knelt down next to the paper, hanging her head as she tried to pick it up. But she never got the chance as it faded out of existence, the memory ended. She clutched her hand to her chest and looked away from Luz.

                “Luz…” Amity began softly. “I… I just… I understand if you don’t feel the same way…”

                Luz looked at her with watery eyes. “What?”

                Amity sighed. “I’ve had a huge crush on you for a while. I really wanted to ask you to Grom, but I was just so scared. You… you mean the world to me Luz, and I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we already had. And it worked out in the end anyway. I got to go to Grom with you just like I wanted, but I know now that you would never want to go as more than friends.”

                “Amity…” Luz barely choked out, a tear rolling down her cheek. “You like me?”

                The purple haired girl sighed and hugged herself. “Yes, Luz. As more than a friend. And I know that sounds weird and I mean, you probably don’t even like girls. But… now you know.”

                Luz stared at her, trying to comprehend what amity was telling her. She didn’t really like her like that, did she? This had to be some kind of prank. Q should know better… and after he’d just apologized too.

                “Did… did the twins put you up to this?” Luz asked sounding hurt. “Because this isn’t funny.”

                Amity’s head snapped up. Luz… didn’t believe her? “What? No!”

                Amity got to her feet and placed her hands on Luz’s shoulders. “I would never joke about something like this! Do you really think I would?”

                Luz was so confused. Why did Amity look so hurt by that?

                “If… if you’re really serious then… why?” Luz shied away from her, folding her arms against her chest tightly. “Why me?”

                Amity was shocked. “What? What do you mean?”

                Luz stared at the ground, eyes flitting up to meet hers occasionally. “It’s just that you’re so… cool and smart. You’re a top student and literally perfect in every way. But I’m just… Luz. How could someone like you ever like someone lame like me?”

                Amity couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her heart shattered at Luz’s every word. Did she really see herself like that? That wouldn’t do. That wouldn’t do at all.

                “Oh Luz.” Amity sighed, wrapping her arms around her, pulling her into as tight a hug as she could manage. “I’m not as cool as you think.”

                She pulled back, keeping her hands on her shoulders as if she might try to run away at any moment. “You saw how I was before. I mean, I was a real jerk. I pushed Willow away, I went out of my way to prove how imperfect my siblings are, and I also almost got you dissected – sorry about that by the way. But then I got to know you and you were so… amazing. You tried to be my friend no matter how hard I tried to push you away. And you stayed by me even after you found out about how I treated Willow. And you even love my favorite book series – I mean, what are the odds of that?”

                Luz giggled. “That’s a good point I guess.”

                Luz took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. Amity’s soft smile radiated so much warmth that it was almost blinding. “I… I like you too, Amity. I’ve been hurt so many times in the past, so it’s just hard for me to process the possibility that you could return my feelings. But, if you really mean that, then… well, I don’t know what the future holds, but it would be so cool if you were a part of it… so…”

                Luz looked away. Why couldn’t she just ask?

                “Luz?” Amity asked softly.

                “Yes Amity?” Luz turned back to her shyly.

                Amity blushed but didn’t turn away. “Will you go out with me?”

                Luz’s eyes widened. Was she dreaming? The wind blowing through Amity’s hair in just the right way. The pink leaves drifting gently behind her, and the moon casting its soft light, giving her an almost ethereal glow. If she was dreaming, it was a very good dream.

                “Y-yes.” She whispered. “Nothing would make me happier.”

                Amity pulled her into another embrace, but this time, Luz reciprocated the gesture with the same enthusiasm. They held on to each other for a few moments before Luz broke the peaceful silence.

                “Soo…” Luz said, pulling out of the hug, but leaving her hands on Amity’s waist. “If this were a fanfiction, this would probably be the part where we kiss.”

                Amity blushed. “I think it’s a little too early for that. Besides…” She peeked behind Luz’s head. “I’m pretty sure we’ve got an audience.”

                Luz turned around and saw Q and the twins standing just outside of the tree line. Q had a soft smile and waved at her, his other hand in the pocket of his hoodie. The twins gave her two enthusiastic thumbs up. She giggled and faced Amity again.

                “I’ll be right back.” She said, letting her go and walking over to the three troublemakers.

                As she approached, she looked over to the twins. “Can you two give us a minute?”

                Ed and Em nodded, walking past her to go tease Amity. After all, what are sibling for?

                After they left, Luz met Q’s eyes. “I should have known you’d cause trouble. Did you really do all of this for me?”

                Q shrugged. “Well not just for you. Ed and Em were getting tired of Amity going on about how amazing and pretty you are. Everyone could see how crazy she is for you. And it was this or let Hooty try to do something and that would probably be incredibly traumatizing, even if it was sweet.”

                They both gave a silent shiver.

                His eyes softened again. “But I meant what I said the other night too. You deserve to be happy and if there was anyone who could convince you of that, it was Amity. I’d like to think I’m a pretty good judge of character, and if it’s any consolation, I can tell you with absolute confidence that Amity is as honest as they come. She’s a good match for you.”

                “Did you, like… check?” Luz asked, wiping away a few tears and smiling awkwardly.

                He laughed. “I had no doubts she was a good person. But for you? Of course I did.”

                Luz held out her arms with a sappy smile. “Come here you crazy god-child.”

                He walked forward and they hugged for a few moments. He tried to put everything he wanted to say into that hug. He may not have been able to put it into words, but he hoped that maybe he’d finally done something right.

                “Thank you.” Luz whispered. “I mean it.”

                They broke their embrace and he smiled at her. “Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do. Now go back to your girlfriend before Ed and Em can cause any more damage.”

                She laughed. “Ok. See you at The Owl House?”

                “See you at The Owl House.” He confirmed, turning to walk back into the forest with a wave.

                Maybe Q had a few things to work on and maybe Luz didn’t know him as well as she would like. But as she turned back to look at her new girlfriend and her giggling siblings at her expense, she could only be grateful he’d stumbled (literally) into her life. He was a good guy. But good people still needed help every now and then. And she really owed him one.

                She didn’t know how to pay him back, but she’d figure it out. The only thing that she could think of was what she’d promised him from the very beginning. And that was the impossible task of finding Virgo.

Chapter Text

                Amity strolled up to the door of the owl house with a smile on her face. Today was a new day. School was going well, her overbearing mother had stopped speaking to her (courtesy of her new and dare she say, improved hair style), and she had a brand-new girlfriend. Why shouldn’t she have a spring in her step?

                Sure, the confession to Luz had gone very differently than she would have normally expected, but she couldn’t be happier about the outcome. Her whole life she had done everything for her parents. Ditch Willow. You are only allowed to have these friends. Take the Abomination Track. She was finally free and living for herself.

                She wasn’t going to lie though. Dating Luz was going to be tough. After everything she’d learned about her last night, she was going to make absolutely certain that Luz knew how she felt about her every day. It was probably going to be very embarrassing at first. But for Luz? She’d do anything. Amity was going to prove to Luz that she was an awesome girlfriend.

                She even brought with her some flowers from town before heading over. She’d learned her lesson with the fairy pie: demon realm food was not kind to Luz’s stomach (Amity figured that it had something to do with her not having a bile sack). But that was just another way for Amity to show that she really does care. By remembering important information about her favorite human and finding ways to adapt to their differing backgrounds.

                Walking up to the door always gave Amity anxiety. She had nightmares of the owl demon singing out of date witch pop songs while she was forced to read a book titled “The History of Hooty”. But fortunately, the owl appeared to be sleeping at the moment and she prayed that he would stay that way. But there must be some cruel god who got enjoyment from the suffering of others.

                Hooty’s eyes snapped open. “Good morning, Amity!”

                Amity groaned. “Morning Hooty. Can I come in?”

                Hooty narrowed his eyes. “Why should I?”

                Alright, Amity would admit that things hadn’t started out very well with Hooty. She had gotten rather violent with the bird worm the first time they met, so she couldn’t be too offended by his hesitation. But she had a mission and she was going to complete it.

                “I’m here to bring flowers to my girlfriend Luz.” Amity said confidently. It didn’t matter who it was, Amity was going to make sure they knew that Luz Noceda was her girlfriend, and she was proud of it. She’d shout it from the rooftops if she could, but she also wouldn’t because no, that’s terrifying.

                Hooty’s face contorted into the picture of pure glee, with his eyes wide and shining and a light pink dusting his cheeks. “Girlfriend? Well why didn’t you say so?”

                Amity was confused. “I just did.”

                But Hooty completely ignored her as he swung open and screeched into the house. “Luuz! Your girlfriend’s here! And she has flowers!”

                “She’s in the shower.” Q said from the kitchen in a tired voice. “And she probably doesn’t hear you because she blasts her music so loud that I’m surprised she hasn’t gone deaf. Come on in Amity.”

                Hooty pouted dramatically as Amity walked in, but then perked up. “Oh, I can just pop through the bathroom window and-”

                “No don’t!” Amity practically shouted. “I can wait!”

                If Hooty smashed through Amity’s bathroom window for literally any reason, she would be scarred for life. Luz would definitely be horrified no matter how great the message was.

                Hooty was unfazed by her abruptly cutting him off as he smiled at nothing in particular. “Well in that case, do you wanna hear about the time I-”

                Hooty was cut off as Q flicked two fingers, slamming the door shut with a sigh. “Hooty means well but my Titan is he a headache in the mornings.”

                Amity could hear Hooty still chatting up a storm outside as if she was still listening to his ramblings. Honestly, she didn’t know if Hooty was even trying to talk to her anymore. For all she knew, he could be talking the ear off a butterfly. Do butterfly’s even have ears?

                She turned to look at the moon-faced boy and was surprised to see bags under his eyes. He was back to wearing his usual star pajamas and he was holding a mug of an unknown liquid with both hands. To be short – he basically looked dead.

                “Wow Q,” Amity said in surprise. “You look awful. Did that memory spell take that much out of you?”

                “What?” Q asked. “Oh, no. That was easy. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

                Amity walked past the sleeping King on the couch to Q, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m probably gonna be here for a while so… You want to talk about it?”

                He shrugged. “Probably wouldn’t hurt.”

                They walked over to the counter and sat down.

                Q took a deep breath. “Ok, so remember how I left before Luz?”

                Amity nodded.

                “Well when I got back, Hooty was basically having a mental breakdown.” He sighed. “Something about how he’s worthless and shouldn’t try helping anyone ever again. I guess he wanted to do something for everyone and things sort of… yeah. Luz might have dodged a fireball yesterday.”

                Amity shivered. “I don’t even know what he would have tried if you and my siblings hadn’t set something up – thanks by the way. But what did he do?”

                “Well, I guess Eda’s been overworking herself.” Q began, taking a sip from his mug. “So, since Eda wasn’t going to rest on her own, Hooty basically drugged her. I didn’t know this, but apparently Eda has some kind of curse that turns her into an owl beast – which is such a weird coincidence considering the whole owl theme going on here. But when Eda woke up, she was like, a harpy or something. It was actually pretty cool, not gonna lie.”

                Amity blinked. Was this an everyday occurrence at the owl house? Oh Titan, what has she gotten herself into?

                “Anyway,” Q continued. “I guess King is going through some kind of demon puberty and Hooty decided to try and help him find out what kind of demon he is. Which I’m actually quite curious about myself, because I seem to be the only person who can’t see him.”

                “You can’t see King?” Amity balked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

                Q shrugged. “Yeah, welcome to The Owl House. Anyway, they ended up not being able to prove anything at all. However…”

                He had a haunted look on his face. “King unlocked some strange new power. And… well I’m pretty sure I recognize it, but I can’t be certain. I mean, there’s no way that’s what that is, because it’s actually impossible.”

                Amity didn’t know what he was talking about, but she figured it was something important. But also probably none of her concern. On an unrelated note, she realized that she could hear Luz’s upbeat pop music coming faintly from the ceiling above her. Which, wow, that’s adorable, but also, Q wasn’t kidding. How was Luz not deaf already?

                “But anyway…” Q huffed, wiping his hand over his face. “I had to do some damage control so Hooty would finally calm down. It was… a lesson on patience.”

                “Wow,” Amity said simply. “No wonder you’re tired. Where’s Eda by the way?”

                “In the attic looking for some old movies.” Q sighed. “Something about learning how to activate her harpy powers or whatever.”

                “Oh, cool…” Amity tapped her legs awkwardly. Now what? There was so much she wanted to ask him, and since Luz was still in the shower, they still had plenty of time to chat.

                “So,” Q said with a tired smirk, gesturing to the flowers she had laid on the counter. “Flowers huh? Feeling romantic today?”

                Amity blushed and smiled. “Yeah. I thought I would try to start my relationship with Luz on a good note. She’s amazing and I want to show her that as much as I can. Flowers just seemed like the best way to do that.”

                “Aww.” He smiled. “That’s so sweet. I’m sure Luz will appreciate it.”

                “You really think so?” Amity asked hopefully.

                Q chuckled. “I know so. You could probably give her actual trash and she’d love it. As long as it comes from you, she’ll accept anything.”

                Amity blushed shyly. “I don’t know about anything.”

                “Right.” Q smirked. “Just know that she’s absolutely crazy for you.”

                The purple haired girl sighed. “That’s very nice of you to say Q. And I actually wanted to say thank you. For last night I mean. I don’t know why it was so important to you, but I really do appreciate it.”

                Q looked away guiltily. “Well I kind of messed up with her at first. A few days ago, I tried to use that memory spell to convince Luz that you had feelings for her. I didn’t know that she had so much anxiety and self-doubt. In the end, I kind of just made things worse. So, I wanted to make things up to her and the only person who has the power to heal her emotional wounds… is you.”

                Amity stared at her in shock. “Ok, first of all, was I really that obvious? And also, why are you trying so hard to help someone you barely even know? I mean, Titan! You barely even know me too, and you still trusted me to connect with Luz.”

                “To answer the first question,” Q smiled tiredly. “Yes, it actually kind of hurt to watch. And as for helping luz… She’s helping me just as much as I’m helping her. And it didn’t take much for me to see how good of a person you really are.”

                “Q is an excellent judge of character.” A voice said from the kitchen entryway.

                Amity turned around to face Luz with a smile. “Hey Luz, I didn’t know you’d gotten out of the shower.”

                “Well now you do!” Luz beamed, walking over to Amity, her hair still damp. “Good morning hermosa.”

                Amity raised her eyebrows and blushed as Luz kissed her cheek. “What does that mean?”

                “Hermosa?” Luz asked with a cheeky smirk. “It means beautiful.”

                “O-oh.” Amity stuttered, face flushed. “Well uh, good morning to you too, uh, hermosa?”

                Luz hummed. “That sounded uncertain. Were you not sure the morning is good or were you unsure of my stunning beauty?”

                Amity blushed. “I um…” She quickly snatched the flowers off the counter and offered them to Luz. “I brought you flowers!”

                Luz and Q laughed.

                “That’s very sweet of you Amity.” Luz said, accepting the flowers. “And I accept this offering in lieu of answering such a self-incriminating question.”

                “I’m not sure what’s funnier,” Q smirked. “Amity still being a flustered mess now that you’re dating, or Luz actually flirting.”

                They both faced him with a flustered blush. “Hey!”

                “You literally asked for this moon-boy!” Luz said matter-of-factly, still red-faced. “Besides, I will not be mocked by a guy who isn’t dating a cotton candy haired goddess.”

                Q chuckled. “I guess those are both fair points.”

                Amity blushed at the unexpected pet name. She assumed that cotton candy was the human equivalent of rotten candy, which she definitely wasn’t opposed to. Furthermore…

                “You think I’m a goddess?” Amity asked in fond surprise.

                Luz turned to her with a smile and a soft blush. “Is that too much?”

                Amity giggled. “Not at all! I think its sweet.”

                “No, you’re the sweet one.” Luz said, wrapping her arms around Amity’s shoulders. “Why don’t we go up to my room Ams, and maybe I can find something I can put these flowers in?”

                Amity figured that her invitation had less to do with the flowers, and more to do with Q, who was resting his chin on his hand and watching them with a fond expression. He was such a dork. No wonder he and Luz got along so well. They barely knew each other for a week, and they acted like they were practically siblings.

                “Yeah, why not?” She said, hopping off her stool and taking Luz’s hand. But before they left, she remembered what she’d wanted to ask him.

                “Hold on a second Luz.” Amity said, tuning to Q. “Hey um, quick question before we head upstairs. How did you um, do the memory thing last night? Like, how did you make it so life-like?”

                He downed the rest of his drink and set the mug down, wiping his face on his sleeve. “I’ll leave that up to Luz to tell you.” He hopped off the stool and started to walk past them towards the basement door. “I’m gonna go take a nap.”

                Before he could go too far, Luz placed a fist over his chest (she would have grabbed his wrist or arm – something a little more practical – but she was still holding the flowers – and Luz’s hand). “Q, are you sure you can trust me with that? What if I…”

                Q gently grabbed her arm and lowered it with a kind smile. “It’s fine Luz. You can honestly tell her everything, I don’t mind. She’s your girlfriend now. Besides, I trust her. Having said that, I want your bedroom door staying open or I’ll send Hooty in to check on you.”

                He winked at Amity and continued on his way, leaving behind an uncertain and slightly blushing Latina. But then he paused and sucked in a breath, turning around. “On second thought, maybe not everything. You can leave out yesterday’s conversation. I mean, if you uh, say something about it on accident, that’s ok. But um… yeah.”

                Luz blushed. “Oh. Yeah. I’ll uh… keep that in mind.”

                Q blushed and waved awkwardly. “Cool. Um. See ya!”

                Amity wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but whatever it was, it had something to do with something they talked about yesterday. Did Q have a secret crush? Even if he did, he odds of him having a crush on someone Luz knew personally was pretty slim. Unless… Did he have a crush on one of the twins? She certainly hoped not.

                Once they finally got to Luz’s room, Amity began shutting the door. But then she wasn’t sure if Q was kidding or not about sending Hooty after them, so she left it open a crack. She didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea after all.

                “So, what is this thing Q was talking about?” Amity asked casually.

                Luz let go of her hand to see if she had a vase or something floating around in her room somewhere. Amity would be lying if she said she didn’t miss the contact.

                “Well, I just told Q I wouldn’t say anything about it,” Luz said awkwardly. “I don’t want to embarrass him like that.”

                Amity giggled. “No, not that! The other thing! What did he mean by tell me everything?”

                Luz paused and then smiled sheepishly at her. “Oh yeah. That.”

                She thrust the flowers into Amity’s hands. “Hold these for a second.”

                The girl then knelt in front of the chest full of random things and started to rifle through it. “Q doesn’t do magic like witches do – or even like I do.” Luz began, pulling out an old lunchbox with a confused expression before continuing. “He’s in a league of his own.”

                Amity frowned. “He doesn’t do Titan magic?”

                Luz chuckled. “Yeah, it’s a bit complicated. He’s not from the Boiling Isles and where he’s from, they do magic very differently.”

                “Where’s he from?” Amity asked sitting down on Luz’s makeshift bed (if you could even call it a bed). She had her legs crossed over each other like a pretzel, and placed the flowers on her lap long-ways, careful not to break them.

                “I don’t know what it’s called,” Luz said, pulling another object out of the chest. The object was a glass vase that was covered in grime and the top was broken and jagged. “That’s a safety hazard.” She noted, taking it over to where Amity was sitting.

                “Q is from the stars.” Luz said dramatically.

                Amity giggled as she handed Luz the flowers. Luz took them and brought them close to her nose and smelled them. “Wow, these actually smell nice, where’d you get them?”

                “Oh,” Amity replied, surprised at the change of topic. “I bought them at a demon monastery. They’re a bunch of Titan fanatics, but their prices are unbeatable. The town florists hate them, but it’s hard to compete with the quality considering the price.”

                Luz nodded appreciatively, placing them in the broken vase. “Well they’re perfect, thank you Amity.” She set the vase on the floor beside her as she sat down across from her girlfriend.

                “Of course!” Amity smiled, taking her hands gently. “After what you told me last night, I thought I would prove to you how much I like you. I don’t want there to be any question at all about my feelings for you. You deserve the most awesome girlfriend ever. And I’m going to prove to you, that I,” She placed a hand on her chest, closing her eyes with a confident smile. “Amity Blight! Am an awesome girlfriend.”

                Luz giggled and gave her a grateful smile. “Well, you’re doing pretty good so far, Ams.”

                Amity smiled at her. “I hope so. Now tell me more about Q.”

                “Alright.” Luz said, absentmindedly picking at the loose strings in her sleeping bag. “Well, it wasn’t actually a joke when I said that Q comes from the stars. His real name is Aquarius and he’s looking for his brother Virgo.” She unexpectedly sneezed, but fortunately managed to turn away and cover her nose with her sleeve.

                “Sorry,” Luz sniffled, “That came out of nowhere. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right! We met him after we went to the night market to find stuff to make a door and he kind of tripped on his face in front of Eda and I.”

                Amity covered her mouth as she giggled. “Really?”

                Luz gave a little giggle of her own. “Yes, really. But uh, after he dusted himself off and stuff, he told us he’s looking for his brother and we promised to help.”

                “Aww, Luz.” Amity smiled softly. “You’re so sweet.”

                Luz started to respond but sneezed again. “Oh jeez! Sorry, one sec!”

                She stood up and ran out of the room, coming back with a box of tissues. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s going on, but my nose is feeling a little stuffy. It’s probably fine though.”

                Amity nodded, but she didn’t hide the worry on her face.

                “Ugh, anyway.” Luz sitting down again. “As I was saying, we promised to help him find his brother and he promised to help me make a door to the human realm. It seemed like a fair trade to me, so we brought him back here to stay at the owl house.”

                She blew her nose into a tissue. Amity couldn’t help noticing that her nose was starting to look a little red and her eyes seemed strangely watery. Was Luz ok?

                “Sorry,” Luz said, setting down her tissue. “So we brought him here and things got kinda weird. First he told us King was invisible, and then when we led him to the basement since there isn’t really anywhere else for him to stay, and he just kind of… snapped his fingers and suddenly the whole room was changed into a mystical, magic bedroom.”

                Amity raised her eyebrows. Ok, that was certainly a little strange.

                “And the next morning, he just made a chair appear out of thin air and made us magic waffles.” Luz said, wiping her nose with another tissue. “And by magic waffles, I mean he just snapped his fingers and a stack of delicious waffles appeared out of nowhere.”

                “But that’s not all.” Luz continued, sounding a little congested. “When we met him, he told us to call him ‘The Collector’, but it turns out that that’s what he is. A collector. He’s some kind of god or whatever and that’s just what they’re called.”

                The story was intriguing, but Amity was starting to get worried about Luz. She was getting bags under her eyes and she kept grabbing tissues for her nose. She was looking kind of sick.

                But Luz soldiered on. “The memory spell thing is a thing Collectors can do. It’s a kind of time spell that makes it so they can watch memories as they actually happened. It’s pretty neat actually.”

                Luz wiped her forehead. “Oh wow, is it a little hot in here or is it just me?

                Alright, something was definitely wrong. Amity leaned forward and placed the back of her hand on Luz’s forehead. And wow, Luz was burning up.

                “Luz, I think you have a fever.” Amity said with a worried frown. “Why don’t you climb into bed and I’ll go get Q.”

                “But-” Luz started to protest, but Amity cut her off, holding up a hand.

                “No buts Luz.” Amity said sternly. “If you’re sick you need to lay down.”

                Luz nodded glumly and Amity stood up to go find Q. “I’ll be right back ok?”

                Her girlfriend nodded, pulling her box of tissues closer. Amity quickly ran down the stairs, calling for Q. She didn’t know exactly where the basement was, but she knew the general direction.

                “Q!” Amity shouted, walking the way she’d seen him go earlier.

                A second later, Q appeared in front of her, rubbing his eyes. “What’s up Amity? Where’s Luz?”

                “I think Luz is sick.” Amity said nervously. That seemed to wake up the tired Collector as he followed Amity to the bedroom. Once they got there, he seemed to know what was going on immediately.

                “Ah.” He said. “I think she’s got the common mold.”

                “The common mold?” Amity and Luz repeated in unison.

                “Yep,” Q concluded. “She’s got all the symptoms. I’m not sure how it will affect a human, but my guess is she’ll probably start getting delirious after a few hours. We’ll need to keep an eye on it.”

                “But you’re like, a god, aren’t you?” Amity protested. “Can’t you just like, snap your fingers and make her better?”

                Q shook his head. “If this was a curse it would be different. But it’s just a mold. I could maybe summon some mold medicine, but I don’t know how her human body will react. We’ll just have to let it run its course. If it’s any consolation, now you have a chance to prove how awesome of a girlfriend you are.”

                Amity groaned. “Seriously? Ugh, how did she even get the mold?”

                Q paused for a moment before pointing towards the broken vase with the flowers. “It might have been the pollen from the flowers.”

                Amity’s eyes widened and she blushed. She made a quick spell circle, burning the flowers, vase and all. “Ugh, I’m not an awesome girlfriend, I’m a terrible girlfriend. I just gave Luz the common mold!”

                “Its ok Amity, it wasn’t your fault.” Luz sniffled, burying herself deeper into the cocoon that was her sleeping bag.

                “But it is!” Amity grumbled. “I never should have trusted those florist friars.”

                Q nearly choked as he burst out laughing and Luz started to giggle hysterically.

                “What’s so funny?” Amity said, slightly upset that they were laughing at her mistake.

                “Oh, it’s nothing.” Q said, stifling another giggle. “It’s just um – I can take care of those florists if you want me to.”

                Amity blushed. “Oh, you don’t need to do that, Q.”

                “Aww, why not?” Luz giggled and gave her a strangely knowing smile. “I mean, after all: only Q can stop florist friars.”

                Amity looked between the two in confusion as they burst out laughing. She didn’t get it. Was there some sort of inside joke that she wasn’t a part of?

                “Did I miss something here?” Amity asked with a frown.

                Q finally regained his composure. “I’ll explain later. Right now, let’s just take care of your girlfriend.”

                Amity sighed. She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew Q was right. She had to make it up to Luz somehow. If Luz was sick, then Amity was going to try even harder to prove that she was indeed an awesome girlfriend.

Chapter Text

                Luz’s mold ended up bleeding into the next day and Amity had shown up early the next morning to help take care of her. This house was getting a little too crowded for Aquarius’ tastes. He wouldn’t lie, he loved everyone there to death, but there was something to be said about having too much of a good thing. So, he decided that he would leave shortly after Amity arrived.

                He was sure they would be fine. Amity was there to take care of her and the girl’s resolve to prove herself had somehow gotten stronger overnight. And not to mention that Eda and King were there to take care of her too, plus the house demon, Hooty, would be sure to try to lend a… a hand? A beak? Er, well, lend his support. With that kind of support system in place, what could go wrong?

                And there was no question about where he wanted to go. He had no clue how to find Virgo, but since he arrived here, he’s been able to make more friends than he had expected. While Luz had Willow, Gus and Amity, Aquarius had found friends in Edric and Emira. Sure, they were troublemakers, but they had a lot more in common than he had expected. And besides, he was the king of making trouble. Ok, some of his siblings probably deserved that crown actually, but as far as the Boiling Isles go, Aquarius was king. King and queen; The best of both things.

                He’d considered telling them the truth about who he was, but there was a nagging sense of worry. After what had happened with Luz, he wondered whether they would end up being scared of him too. Luz had certainly warmed back up to him, but he wondered if her kindness to him was simply because she was afraid to offend him. He was afraid that Luz was scared he would hurt her if she upset him or something. That fear in her eyes the other night… It scared him just as much.

                He’d play it by ear. If there was anything to be learned from Luz, it was to be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. The twins were actually very pleasant to be around with on their own and they’d had a lot of fun planning the set up for what the aptly named “Operation Lumity”. And since he hadn’t seen them since that night, he figured he’d stop by Blight Manor. He also felt kind of bad for not saying goodbye to them properly.

                As he approached the gate of the house and then walked up the long, winding path, he had a sudden feeling of foreboding. It wasn’t incredibly strong. It was more like a slight nagging feeling at the back of his mind that something was going to go wrong today. It wasn’t oppressive, it just prickled at the back of his mind like a feather in a nose – not enough to cause you to sneeze, but just enough to tickle. He ignored that feeling of course. He knew he was just paranoid and worried about Luz and her friends and all, and he’d made sure everything was fine before he left.

                He’d decided not to wear his casual hoodie and jeans today, in favor of his regular star pajamas (sans cap) – what can he say, they’re comfy and much less restrictive. But he did feel a little bit self-conscious as he knocked on the door. The Blight parents had been gone during the days planning for Operation Lumity, but Edric and Emira had said they would be back for the weekend – a fact that Amity had confirmed before he left.

                The door swung open and an abomination with a comically cartoonish cat face opened the door. Ah, Luz’s affinity for art was a gift to the Isles.

                “Mornin’ Abomacat, I’m here to see Edra and Emiric.” He said, before quickly correcting himself. “I mean Emira and Edric.” That stupid paranoia was really distracting him in the most annoying ways.

                The abomination butler stepped to the side to let him in, with a low groan. It was kind of cute in a very unsettling way.

                He knew where the twin’s rooms were. He had the layout of the house completely memorized by now and he sure as Titan wasn’t going to let himself forget a building layout again after the Hexside incident. Then again, it had accidently gotten him some new friends, so perhaps forgetting intentionally should be applied on a case-by-case basis.

                As he walked towards the stairs up to the room, he heard a shrill and remarkably irritating voice make its way from the open office at the end of the hall. He couldn’t help his curiosity as he slowly crept up to the doorway and listened in.

                “… Of course it can handle every terrain.” The female voice said obnoxiously. “The Abomiton 2.0 has been tested multiple times for quality assurance. Don’t worry Kikimora, Blight industries is a multimillion snail corporation for a good reason…”

                There was a pause, and it sounded like there was someone talking from a crystal ball, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Finally, the voice responded in a very nervous, but professional tone.

                “Y-yes, of course!” They stammered, recovering only slightly. “The next model is being worked on as we speak. The Abomiton 3.0 should be finished in about a month.”

                There was some chatter on the other end.

                “Oh, really?” The woman said in a pleased tone. “I think we can work something out if that’s the case. We can have them done in two weeks if the offer still stands. I’m sure Alador wouldn’t mind working overtime for such a splendid opportunity.”

                Aquarius felt a tap on his shoulder and he jumped and turned to face the culprit. It was Edric Blight, who quickly slapped a hand over Aquarius’ mouth and put a finger over his lips, signaling for him to be quiet. He nodded and the hand was removed as the two turned back to listen to the conversation.

                “Wonderful!” The woman, who Aquarius now assumed was Odalia Blight, said exuberantly. “I would love to hear how they operate in the field. If there are any little wrinkles in the current design – not to say that there are any – we would love to receive a report on how well they perform in the varying terrain you have just described. Blight Industries is always working on improving its products and client feedback is a large part of that process.”

                Edric rolled his eyes at how much she was milking this conversation. Odalia Blight was a very shrewd businesswoman, and Aquarius got the impression that she really wanted to keep whatever deal she had with this “Kikimora”.

                “Yes, we’ll get right on that.” Odalia said in a confident tone. “Please send Emperor Belos my… regards.”

                It sounded as if this “Kikimora” had just hung up on her midsentence. They suddenly heard footsteps approaching and Edric and Aquarius realized that they wouldn’t have time to hide before Odalia spotted them.

                He wasn’t exactly sure why he did it – maybe he was worried about Edric getting in trouble. Whatever the reason was, he instinctively grabbed the witch’s hand and pulled him flat against the wall as Odalia walked out. She stared for a moment at the spot the boys had been standing but shook herself as if she thought she must have been seeing things. And without a word, she walked past the boys, not even acknowledging them in the slightest as she went into another room.

                “How did she miss us?” Edric whispered, releasing the breath he’d been holding. “It’s not like we’re invisible or anything.”

                “Actually, we are.” Aquarius said at normal volume. “I turned us invisible when we got up against the wall.”

                “Well even so, she can still hear us if we’re too loud.” Edric hissed.

                “Nah,” Aquarius waved the hand that wasn’t still holding Edric’s. “Part of the magic of the spell makes it so we are completely undetected by sound and sight. But if she’d bumped into us then we would have been caught since we’re still technically there. Which is why we had to go up against the wall. But since she’s gone, we can come out of hiding.”

                “Hold on a sec.” Edric said with a smirk. “We’ve got an opportunity here.”

                Aquarius raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

                “Emira is in her room, and she left the door open.” Edric said with a toothy grin. “There’s no way I’m passing up a chance to get her back for some of the pranks she’s pulled on me.”

                Aquarius lifted up their hands with a sly grin of his own. “Are you sure you aren’t just trying to hold my hand?”

                Edric blushed. “What are you trying to say Q?”

                “Nothing.” Aquarius said innocently, leading them towards the stairs. “It’s just that we don’t technically need to hold hands for the invisibility spell to work.”

                “Oh, really?” The Blight boy asked awkwardly. “It’s just that Luz’s glyph works that way, so I thought… Yeah, um, let’s just go scare Emira.”

                They made it up the stairs and started to walk down the hallway and Edric still hadn’t let go of Aquarius’ hand. He’d given him an opportunity, but he already knew what Edric was thinking and it didn’t bother him at all. If anything, he found it funny.

                “Yeah, I heard about Luz’s invisibility glyphs.” Aquarius said. “But those are Titan magic, so they work differently. One of the more notable and convenient differences is that you don’t have to hold your breath to stay invisible.”

                Ed suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway, which, since they were still holding hands, meant that Aquarius also had to stop. Although, he probably could have let go if he wanted to.

                “What do you mean by that?” Ed said in a serious tone. “Do you not use Titan magic?”

                Aquarius’ eyes went wide and he started to try to explain himself, but no words came out. Of all the times to not be able to speak, this was not it.

                 “If Luz’s glyphs use Titan magic,” Edric pressed. “And every witch on the Boiling Isles uses Titan magic… Then what is it that you use, Q?”

                Aquarius really shouldn’t get on Luz’s case for keeping his secrets. He was apparently much worse at keeping his own. First, he’d let Virgo’s name slip into his conversation that first morning at the Owl House, then he accidentally revealed his true gender to Luz, but this one probably took the cake. How was he going to explain his blunder without telling the truth?

                Aquarius wasn’t a liar. He could stretch the truth, he could give vague answers, but he could never lie. And it was much harder to lie to a friend. Yes, Aquarius hadn’t known the twins very long, but he had earned their trust early and he didn’t want to lose that. But he also didn’t want them to be afraid of him like Luz was. But he knew that one of those problems would be worse than the other. If he wanted them to trust him… then he would have to trust them.

                “I use my own magic.” Aquarius said softly.

                “What do you mean, Q?” Edric asked with a nervous expression.

                Aquarius sighed. “I mean that my magic comes from me. I didn’t get it from the Titan – or any Titan for that matter.”

                “What?” Ed let go of his hand. “I don’t understand. You aren’t making any sense.”

                Aquarius held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I know it doesn’t make sense right now, but if you’ll let me explain, I-”

                “If you’re going to explain it to me, then you’ll have to explain it to Em too.” Edric snapped. “It isn’t just me you’ve been keeping secrets from, but her as well.”

                Aquarius hung his head. “I know.”

                Edric sighed. “Alright, change of plans. As much as I want to sneak up on Emira, this whole conversation really killed the mood. Release your spell or whatever before we go in.”

                Aquarius nodded and the two of them walked to Emira’s room in silence. He did as he was told and ended the spell when they were a few paces from the room and Edric knocked on the open door as they walked in.

                Emira didn’t look up from her bed where she was leaning up against the wall with a book in her lap, and she had a strangely sappy smile and didn’t seem to notice them enter. She was so engrossed in whatever she was reading that it took Edric clearing his throat and knocking again to get her to look up from her book. When she saw them, she blushed and quickly snapped the book shut and hid it under her pillow. Aquarius didn’t see what she had been reading, but whatever it was, she thought it embarrassing enough to hide.

                “What’s up guys?” She said, trying to act casual. But she frowned when she saw their expressions. “Wow you guys look serious.”

                Her eyes widened. “Wait, if this is about the book, it’s not what you think.”

                “What?” Edric said with a confused expression. “No, this is about Q. But now I really do want to know what you were reading.”

                “That isn’t important.” She said with a nervous laugh. “You can just forget I said anything.”

                Ed narrowed his eyes. “We’ll go back to that later.”

                He turned to Aquarius. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

                Aquarius sighed and waved a hand, shutting the door behind them. “Well, I don’t really know where to start, but I guess I need to tell Emira what I told you.” He turned to her. “I’m not a witch. That’s the easiest way to-”

                “Oh, I already knew that.” Em said with a casual shrug, cutting him off. “I mean, the ears were kind of a dead giveaway. They look like Luz’s human ears, all round and stuff.”

                Aquarius flushed. He’d always wondered what his cap was for, but now he knew: they hid his ears. He probably stood out just as much as Luz did without his cap on.

                “His ears are round?” Edric exclaimed. “How did I not notice that?”

                “Because you never wear your glasses you dork.” Emira chided him. “They really don’t look as bad as you think.”

                Edric needed to wear glasses. Huh. The more you know.

                “Well as I was saying,” Aquarius said, not expecting this strange turn of events. “I’m not a witch, but I can obviously do magic.”

                “Well then what are you?” Edric asked nervously.

                “I’m what’s called a Collector.” Aquarius replied. “Now there’s a lot to explain, but to make it short: I’m basically a god and I’m looking for my brother.”

                “Ok.” Emira said with a shrug. “Cool. Honestly, befriending a god sounds like something Luz would do so it checks out.”

                Ed stared at her. “Em! How are you not freaking out about this?”

                She shrugged again. “It’ll probably catch up to me later.”

                “Right.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Ok, look, Ed wanted to know what makes my magic different from Titan magic, so I wanted to explain that too. I owe you that for lying – ok maybe not lying but omitting the truth. Everything I told you in the forest was more or less true.”

                “Alright.” Ed said, folding his arms. “You said that it was your magic, not Collector magic. Explain what you mean by that.”

                Aquarius thought about that for a second before nodding to himself. “Ok, the best way I can think of to explain it is this: Luz’s glyphs. Each one has a specific design that does a specific thing. There are four glyph types with multiple combinations. But, those glyphs come from this specific Titan we’re living on right now. If this was a different Titan, the glyphs would be different, as well as the glyph combos. Their magic doesn’t come from other Titans. Each Titan had magic that was unique to them, despite the basics being similar. The magic could be termed Titan magic, since the magic itself is universal to Titans, but due to the nature of the magic and its ability to be shared with mortals, it can’t exactly be termed ‘Titan Magic’. Because after a certain point you would need to clarify which Titan’s magic you’re using because just like a person’s personality is unique to them, so it is with magic.”

                “I’m not following.” Emira said with a frown.

                “Ok,” Aquarius sighed. “How about this: There are certain things that every Titan can do. For example, fire or plant magic. From what I’ve been told, there are four covens that use what I would call universal Titan Magic. Bard, plant, beast keeping, and potions coven don’t have really anything to do with specific Titans. But healing, illusions, and abomination magic appear to be specific to the Titan itself.”

                “What about the construction coven?” Edric asked with a curious look.

                “Well, honestly, the coven system doesn’t do the Titan justice.” Aquarius sighed. “The construction coven simply utilizes multiple different types of magic to serve a single purpose. It’s too limiting. But we can get back to that another day.

                “The point is, Collectors are the same way. The magic my siblings and I use can be termed ‘Collector magic’. But we don’t pull from an external source – it comes from the individual. Magic itself has no limit, so really anyone with access to it can do almost anything they want. Since you have access to a Titan’s magic, you should be able to learn how to do everything the Titan can do – on a much smaller scale of course, but the point still stands.

                “But when I say that the magic I do is my own, I mean that there are specific things that I can do, that other Collectors do differently. My brother Cancer makes curses and puts them on scrolls and gives them to mortals to use on each other. He doesn’t care who gets cursed or why, and that carelessness means that there’s usually a work around. But I don’t work that way. I have a single curse that I give directly to those who deserve it. And there is no workaround.”

                The twins stared at him for a moment, before Edric said in a monotone voice, “Could you not have used a less disturbing example?”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Sorry. A better example would be my memory spell. Believe it or not, I’m the only one that knows how to do that. That is strictly Q’s magic. My siblings probably have their secrets, but that one is mine. It’s part of the reason why I can’t exactly teach you guys how to do it. Because Titan magic works differently and I’m not even sure I know how to explain exactly how I do it anyway.”

                “I can see why you didn’t want to tell us.” Emira said with a giggle. “That’s some complicated stuff and most of that went over my head.”

                “Yeah.” Edric said with a sigh. “I’m sorry I got upset at you Q. I guess I was just hurt that you didn’t tell us the truth. And now that I know, it sounds more like you were hiding that more for our benefit than yours.”

                Aquarius nodded. “I just didn’t want you guys to fear me or anything. I don’t want you to be my friends because you’re scared of offending me.”

                Emira nodded in understanding. “I get it. But now that’s out of the way, this just opened up a whole new book of possibilities for making trouble.”

                Edric turned to look at her. “Hold on there sister, if we’re going to talk about books of possibility, why don’t you go ahead and show us what you were reading? You were looking mighty suspicious when we came in here Em.”

                Emira blushed and opened her mouth to deflect the accusation, but Aquarius snapped his fingers and the book floated out from under her pillow and into his hands. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

                “Hey no fair!” Emira whined. “You used god-magic.”

                Aquarius snorted. “It’s a levitation spell, Em. I’m pretty sure you guys know how to do that.”

                She huffed and looked away with a blush, as Edric peeked over Aquarius’ shoulder to read the cover. “A Lesbian’s Guide to Wooing Witches?”

                “Having trouble with Viney?” Aquarius smirked at her.

                “Pfft,” Emira scoffed. “As if!”

                The other two gave her blank stares, and she looked away with a blush. “Ok yeah, I am.”

                “What’s the problem?” Ed asked with a chuckle, “Is she not into girls or something?”

                “No,” She sighed. “I just thought that talking to her would be easy, but every time I try, I just get so flustered and make a fool of myself. All of our conversations so far have just been me being a blushing mess and her giggling at me.”

                Aquarius grinned slyly. “Well, lucky for you, your brother and I are expert matchmakers.”

                “Yeah, we can write her a note from a secret admirer and leave it in her locker.” Edric said helpfully. “You’ll be kissing her in the healing homeroom in no time!”

                “Ok,” Aquarius said with a disappointed grimace, tossing Emira back her book. “I am an expert matchmaker. Edric is moral support.”

                “Hey!” He protested. “It’s a good idea!”

                Aquarius sighed. “It’s cliché. But, setting that aside, it’s time for ‘Operation Vinera’, to commence.”

                Aquarius was proud of his matchmaking abilities. The plan seemed foolproof, and he had no doubt that when the next morning rolled around, Emira would make her first solid impression with Viney. And so he had quite the spring in his step when he approached the owl house.

                But that feeling from earlier had come back. Something was wrong. The door to the owl house was open and light was filtering out through the doorway.

                He sprinted as fast as he could and stopped in the doorframe. Eda was standing near the door and Luz and Amity were kneeling on the ground in an embrace. The air felt somber, but nobody seemed hurt. In fact Luz looked like she had finally recovered from the mold. So why did he have such a bad feeling?

                “What happened?” He asked, not bothering to hide the worry in his voice. “Is everything ok?”

                Luz and Amity broke their embrace and Amity turned to face him. “Everything’s alright, Q. Nobody is hurt.”

                “Then why do you all look like you just got back from a funeral?” Aquarius inquired.

                Luz sighed. “It’s really my fault Q. The echo mouse played another part of Phillip’s journal and it said that we needed Titan’s blood to make the door. I know I told you that I wouldn’t try to help you with that, but I figured that if you needed Titan’s blood for the door and there was a chance I could get some… maybe you could use it to make the door.”

                “Luz couldn’t go because she was sick,” Amity explained. “But Phillip mentioned that the blood was in a place called Eclipse Lake, and I thought that I would get the blood for her. You know, because I’m supposed to be an awesome girlfriend.”

                “It’s ok Amity,” Luz gently touched her arm. “You are an awesome girlfriend. You still tried, didn’t you?”

                Amity shook her head. “Well, there was no blood. It turned out that it was in a key we’d had this whole time, and I had to give it to the Golden Guard.”

                “Hold on,” Aquarius said. “Back up. You had a key with Titan’s blood? How? Why?”

                “It went to the original door I burned up.” Luz explained. “I thought it was useless without a door, but I guess I was wrong.”

                Amity handed him her stained glove. “It isn’t all bad news. I accidently crushed the key before handing it over, and some of it got on my glove.”

                He took the glove from her hand and examined the blood on it. This was better than nothing, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Luz this wasn’t enough to power the door to the human realm. But it did make him wonder. Why does Emperor Belos need Titan’s blood?

Chapter Text

                A few weeks had passed since the Eclipse Lake incident. Operation Vinera was, so far, a resounding success. As Aquarius relaxed on the couch in the owl house, he really felt like he should pat himself on the back. Emira had dropped Beast Keeping, but even without the extra class with Viney, she was doing quite well. She was finally able talk to the other girl without blushing, which was a huge step forward. The next step was going to be the hardest, and that was getting Emira to actually ask the girl out. It was a work in progress.

                “King, do you happen to have any sound dating advice?” Aquarius asked the invisible demon. “I’ve been trying to get Emira to actually ask Viney out, but it’s tougher than I thought.”

                “Weh?” King said, swallowing a handful of chips. “If you want my advice, she should just ditch her. Girls are trouble.”

                “I’m sorry, what?” Aquarius frowned at the floating chip bag. “Most of the people you know are females.”

                King belched. “Yep, so I’ve got experience. Girls make terrible minions!”

                Aquarius blinked. “Remind me to never ask for your advice again.”

                There was a sudden explosion heard from outside and the two stood up and ran outside to see what the commotion was all about. Upon exiting the doorway, they saw Luz staring at a pile of random garbage, billowing smoke. It may have also been slightly on fire.

                “What’s going on out here?” Aquarius exclaimed.

                Luz turned to him with wide eyes and looked like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. After assessing the junk she was using and taking note of the glove with the missing finger, he was able to put two and two together.

                “Luz,” Aquarius pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you still trying to build that door? I thought I told you to forget about it and let me take care of it.”

                “I can’t forget about it!” She declared, stomping her foot. “If I can’t make the door, I can’t get home to my mom! I know you promised to help me make the door, but without the Titan’s blood, it won’t matter anyway. I’m just working with what I have.”

                He had to admit, Luz was persistent. This was the second time in the last three weeks that he’d caught her trying to make her own door. The first door hadn’t been very sturdy and just collapsed before they could start it up. She’d stormed off in frustration that day, but Luz had a new fire in her eyes that told Aquarius that she was going to keep trying no matter what he did.

                “I get where you’re coming from kid.” Eda said from behind, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Luz won’t give up anytime soon. I’ve already tried talking her out of it, but at this point I’ve decided it’s probably better for me to help her than let her keep hurting herself.”

                He turned around and saw her bathtub - bike? Bathbike? Oh, whatever, it could fly, so it might has well be called a palisman staff for all he cared. The only thing that mattered was the power chord connecting from the bathbike(?) to the broken door. Ah. So, Eda was her power source.

                After taking a moment to assess their set up, he had to admit that he was impressed. It was definitely a rickety mess, but it had some semblance of organization to it. Luz was definitely creative, so maybe she had a chance. He’d seen weirder things happen in the past. Besides, she had a point. Without the Titan’s blood, he couldn’t really make a working door either.

                “Alright, well try not to kill yourselves and let me know If you figure anything out.” Aquarius conceded. “I’m going to go meet with the twins and see if we can boost Emira’s confidence enough to finally get her to make a move with viney.”

                “Are you sure you don’t have other reasons for going?” Luz said with a teasing grin, seeming to accept his response as surrender – which it was.

                “Nope.” Aquarius stated simply. “There is no other reason than to practice the lost art of matchmaking.”

                “Oh really?” Luz smirked. “Which green haired beauty are you trying to match with?”

                Aquarius blushed. “Excuse me? Operation Vinera is serious business! I have no ulterior motive whatsoever.”

                Luz didn’t back down. “Alright, if that’s true, then why aren’t you trying to help Edric get with Jerbo? Any reason it particular?”

                “He’s doing just fine on his own.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “As far as I know, things have been going well with Jerbo. How did you even know about that?”

                It was Luz’s turn to roll her eyes, but much more playfully. “I’m literally dating their sister. Amity tells me everything.”

                Aquarius frowned. “I should have thought about that. But whatever she’s been telling you about me isn’t true.”

                Luz giggled. “You mean that you and Ed have been spending a lot of alone time together?”

                “I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer.” Aquarius snorted. “Good luck with the portal.”

                He turned around and walked away blushing as Luz laughed behind him. Eda of course, had gotten distracted by King who was saying something about their snack supply running low (by that he meant that they were out of snacks). But Aquarius was resisting the urge to lift up a middle finger as he walked off.

                “Emira, you’ll never know until you ask.” Edric said encouragingly. “You’ve gotten to know her for three weeks and it’s obvious she likes you. She even laughs at your Titan awful jokes.”

                “It’s not as easy as you’re making it sound Ed!” Emira groaned. “Every time I try to ask her, she looks at me and my heart gets all fluttery and it feels like my bile sack is about to explode. And I get all tongue tied and can’t get a word out.”

                Aquarius gave her a grimace. “Well at this rate, maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll ask you instead. You’ve got to do something or someone else might come along and take her before you get the chance.”

                “How comforting.” Em said with a weak glare. “But if I can’t even speak to her, then I have no chance anyway.”

                Ed raised an eyebrow. “Well if you can’t ask her with your words, why don’t you use an illusion or slide her a note during class?”

                Aquarius looked at him with a mildly impressed smirk. “As cliché as that sounds, it might not be a bad idea. She might find it cute or endearing.”

                They had been talking about this for hours. They were sitting in Edric’s room this time, since that’s where they’d put all of their notes. The notes were basically a never-ending list of reasons why Emira was incapable of flirting with Viney and an even longer list of why it was impossible to ask her out. It was almost impressive the reasons she had come up with. What was even more surprising was that Emira had asked out several others before and those dates had been fairly successful. So the fact that she was struggling with this was strange.

                “Do you really think that will work?” Emira asked, looking unconvinced. “I thought cliché was a bad thing Q.”

                “No, I – agh!” Aquarius groaned and put his hand on the side of his head, grimacing in pain.

                “Are you ok?” The twins asked in unison.

                “I’m – ow – fine.” Aquarius winced. “I just got a sudden headache is all.”

                Ed and Em shared a worried look.

                “Are you sure?” Edric frowned. “If you need to go home and rest that’s ok.”

                Aquarius rubbed the side of his head. “No, I’m fine. Anyway, as I was just saying Em-”

                “Aquarius…” A strange voice whispered.

                Aquarius stopped himself midsentence and frowned. “Did you guys hear something?”

                “No…” Em said looking nervous. “Are you sure you’re ok? We can talk about this tomorrow or something.”

                He nodded. “Maybe you’re right. This headache is starting to get a little worse.”

                He moved to stand up, but then got incredibly dizzy and sat back down on Edric’s bed. “Ok, on second thought, maybe I’ll stay right here.”

                “Aquarius…” The voice whispered.

                The Collector blinked. “Oh, wow, maybe I need to borrow your glasses Ed, because my vision is getting a little blurry.”

                The twins looked very confused about what they should do and Edric started to say something to him. Unfortunately, Aquarius never heard what he said, because he blacked out.

                Aquarius woke up in darkness. He was lying down, but it didn’t feel like a completely solid surface, nor did it feel like any texture he was familiar with. He sat up and looked around himself but saw only black. He considered the possibility that he had gone blind, but upon examining himself, he concluded that he could see just fine. In fact, it was as if he were simply standing in a void, not unlike his room in the owl house – without the stars and cool decorations that is.

                “Where am I?” He whispered, expecting to hear an echo or something. But his voice carried as if he were standing out in open air. Weird.

                “Laying on Edric’s bed in Blight manor if I’m not mistaken.” The voice from before said behind him.

                He yelped and turned around, facing the speaker. He took a step back and tripped over his own feet once he saw the voice’s owner.

                “T-Titan!” He stuttered. “Wha-where… What’s going on?”

                The Titan chuckled warmly. “I thought I’d stop by your mind for a little chat. I apologize for the headache, but I hope you don’t mind.”

                Aquarius took in the appearance of the Titan standing before him. He was rather large and had a thick bony skull, with two horns curving out the back. He had massive wings protruding from his back and one of his eyes was missing, and in its place was… was that Hooty? Well maybe the bird worm wasn’t the only owl demon in existence. He was also wearing a strange shirt for the… Bad Girl Coven? Was that a legit coven?

                “What do want from me?” He said in a shaky voice, crawling backwards on his hands.

                It was hard to tell, but The Titan seemed to be smiling. “I thought I was pretty clear about that. I just want to talk. And I must say, I am happy to see you.”

                Aquarius blinked. “What? Why? How is this even possible?”

                “There’s a lot I want to say to you, and I understand your hesitation.” The Titan said with a chuckle. “And as for how this is possible…”

                The Titan waved a clawed hand and a window-like mirage appeared of a place that glowed with a strange orange light. There were odd cubes floating through the air and the floor appeared to be a strange liquid. The place had a slightly whimsical and mysterious feel to it.

                But at the center of it all was Luz Noceda. She was kneeling in front of one of the cubes and appeared to be speaking to someone. She also had a rope tied around her waist that led off out of their field of vision.

                Aquarius stood up, mesmerized by the strange place in front of him. “What is that place?”

                “The In-Between Realm.” The Titan answered. “My current place of residence. Luz managed to create a door, but because there was not enough blood to get to the Human Realm, she opened a door to the place in between. It is why I am able to speak to you now.”

                Aquarius turned to The Titan. “What did you mean when you said you want to talk?”

                The Titan released a booming laugh. “Right down to business, eh? I’ve got to hand it to you, you have changed quite a bit since I last saw you.”

                “Since you last saw me?” Aquarius frowned.

                “I thought a Collector has a perfect memory.” The Titan said in amusement. “Is that only a myth, or did you simply choose to forget?”

                “I… I’m sorry.” Aquarius looked away. “I really don’t remember, but I’m sorry for more than just that. I… I know you probably hate me…”

                The Titan sighed. “I don’t hate you boy. I’ve been watching you since you arrived at the boiling isles. I’ll admit that I wasn’t exactly pleased to see you at first, but after I heard your true intentions, I became very interested in trying to assist in your efforts.”

                Aquarius’ eyes watered. “But I… it was all my fault – everything was my fault. I should have just minded my own business. I – I should have paid more attention to Virgo. I should have-”

                “That’s enough boy.” The Titan said gently, placing his claws on his shoulder. “You can should yourself as much as you want, but the fact is, you can’t change the past. The only thing you can do, is move forward and focus on the future. That’s why I’m here right now. To show you the way forward.”

                “What do you mean?” Aquarius said, his voice quivering from multiple emotions at once. Fear, worry, anger, and disappointment, just to name a few.

                “You ought to pay more attention to current events, Aquarius.” The Titan mused. “You said it best three weeks ago when you stated that the coven system was too limiting. There are others who would agree with that sentiment, but I am especially in agreement.”

                Aquarius cocked his head to one side in curiosity, his fear and worry momentarily forgotten. “I only said that as a passing remark, I didn’t think it was really that important.”

                “It is very important.” The Titan explained. “You see, Emperor Belos claims he can speak to me, and that the coven system is my will or whatever. That’s bogus. I hate the coven system and I want nothing more than to see it gone.”

                “So what? I just march up to the emperor’s palace and make him change it?” Aquarius chuckled weakly.

                The Titan frowned. “I wish it were that simple. There’s more to this than just a simple system to keep magic organized. Every witch that chooses a coven is branded with a sigil that prevents them from using any other type of magic. When I shared my magic with mortals, I did not place limitations on them because I wanted to see what they would be capable of accomplishing. Belos’ designs go completely against what I set out to do.”

                “Well then what’s the problem with barging in and putting a stop to it?” Aquarius frowned. “There literally is no downside to this. I could just kill him and all of the Isle’s problems will be solved.”

                The Titan narrowed his eyes. “He’s a fanatic with almost the entire population of witches believing he’s a prophet. Killing him would only make him a martyr and another witch with a god-complex will take his place. We need evidence of his fraud, but since I am not exactly available to prove he’s lying, it won’t be easy.”

                “If you’ve been watching me, haven’t you been watching him?” Aquarius wondered. “You could tell me right here and now what he’s up to and I can out him in a heartbeat. You’re all the evidence we could ever need!”

                “No,” The Titan shook his head. “Do you see that cube Luz is peering into right now?”

                Aquarius turned to where The Titan pointed. “Yeah, what are those?”

                The Titan sighed. “Those are mirrors into the other realms. Looking into them will allow you to see another individual through any reflective surface, such as a mirror or a window so long as you speak their name. Evidently, the human seems to be capable of speaking to individuals on the other side – something that I have been unable to do and I’m not sure why. But since that is the case, I can’t see Belos at all. He keeps no mirrors or any reflective object within his throne room, nor are there any in his palace at all. His windows are all iron bars instead of glass. I have no eyes within the palace.”

                “Ok, I think I get what you’re saying.” Aquarius nodded. “But wouldn’t it be enough to say that you don’t speak to him? I could just say that we had a conversation and since I’m basically a god myself, it would probably be scripture or whatever.”

                The Titan laughed. “I like the way you think! But no, that would not be enough I’m afraid. Plenty of other people have tried to prove that he’s a liar multiple times, with little success. You’d just be a single voice among many. He’s persuaded so many witches of his false divinity that it would take quite a lot to prove his lies. Even if they believed you were a god as well, they’d just assume that you were jealous or some other stupid thing. Mortals will believe anything they like, so long as it’s comfortable and easy to believe – no matter how false or preposterous it might prove to be. You would need something so indisputable, that they could do nothing but believe it.”

                “Indisputable huh?” Aquarius stroked his chin. “Why don’t I just snap my fingers and conjure up whatever kind of proof I wanted? I could say anything and provide-”

                “You don’t strike me as the dishonest type.” The Titan interrupted him. “And you know just as well as I do, that a lie is temporary. You may be able to make up as much as you want, but the truth always comes to light, given time. Whether or not Belos is a fraud, falsifying your evidence will make you no better. Besides, if what I said is correct, then Belos’ lies will come back to bite him in the rear.”

                Aquarius sighed. “Alright, let’s do things your way then.”

                “I don’t mean to put you down,” The Titan said gently. “I understand what it’s like to have so much power but be forced to exercise restraint. As much as many would like to believe, unlimited power is not as grand as one might think. We need limits, otherwise the consequences of our actions would harm more than just ourselves. And I think we both know what happens when immortal beings misuse their power. I am living – well partially living – proof.”

                “Well then what do I do?” Aquarius complained. “I came here to find my brother, not intervene in mortal politics! If I spend any more time here, I’ll only make things worse than they already are. It doesn’t matter how good my intentions are, I’ll find some way to screw this up too! I don’t even know if Virgo’s alive anyway, so what am I even doing here?”

                The Titan paused. “Virgo is alive. That I can promise you.”

                Aquarius froze. “How do you know that? You’ve been trapped in the In-Between Realm for millions of years; how can you know that for sure?”

                “Because I brought him into the In-Between Realm with me.” The Titan said solemnly. “He is safe as far as I am aware, but the mirror realm is vast and I don’t know where he ended up. I cannot use the mirror cubes to see him, because they can only view outside of the In-Between. I brought him here as a protection, but now he’s been trapped with no way out. If I could find him, then I could free him, but I have spent millennia searching the In-Between with no success.”

                Aquarius’ eyes hardened. “How do you know that someone else hasn’t already released him?”

                The Titan looked at him seriously. “Because only a being like a Titan or Collector can do so. He can only be released from the outside. I do not expect that Virgo knows this either. And if he were freed, you would probably know by now. He is probably very angry at your brothers and would have made an appearance at The Archives to make that known. He can be a very fiery individual when rubbed the wrong way.”

                Aquarius looked away. “You aren’t wrong about that I suppose. But even so, if you haven’t seen him where you are, how do you know he’s still alive?”

                “I can’t be sure.” The Titan shook his head but held out a clawed hand. “But I have faith Aquarius. Dwelling on what could go wrong, will only give you negative results.”

                The Titan’s image faded slightly. “Ah, we are running out of time. I need you to listen carefully. The day of unity parade is in one week. While everyone is distracted, you may be able to gather some information on Belos. But that is not a guarantee.”

                Aquarius nodded. “I understand.”

                “Good.” The Titan nodded. “Now one more thing before we part ways.”

                “I know,” Aquarius said with a solemn nod. “You believe in me or whatever.”

                The Titan shook his head seriously. “No. While it is true that I do believe in you, that is not what I was going to say. What I wanted to tell you is this: Titans are not extinct. One still remains and I ask that you make it your duty to ensure they are safe until they are of age to protect themselves. Can you promise to do that for me?”

                “I promise.” Aquarius said in earnest surprise. “But how can I protect them if I don’t know where they are?”

                The Titan chuckled and gave him a wink (can you wink with one eye?). “You’ll figure it out I’m sure. But for now, we must part ways.”

                “Wait!” Aquarius said, walking towards the fading Titan. “I don’t know what I’m doing, I still need your help!”

                “Trust your friends,” The Titan said simply. “Especially Luz. She has a good heart and I’m certain that with her help you will be able to find your brother. But until then, I hope that we may meet again soon. See you later… Q.”

                With those final words, the Titan faded. And Aquarius’s eyes in the real world snapped open and he sat up with a start.

                “Where am I?” Aquarius exclaimed, looking around himself.

                Edric placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. “You’re still in our house Q. You were out for a while and we didn’t want to move you – or rather, I’m too weak to carry you myself and Em is lazy and wouldn’t help.”

                He ignored him as his memory came flooding back to him and he held back tears. How could so much useful information still be so unhelpful? He banged a fist into his forehead.

                “Damn it!” He growled. “Why can’t anything ever be simple?”

                Ed and Em looked at each other in confusion.

                “Are you ok Q?” Em asked, sitting on his other side. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you swear.”

                Aquarius let out a sardonic chuckle. “That’s probably the first time I’ve sworn in a thousand years. But to answer your question, I don’t know. My headache is gone, thankfully.”

                “But?” Ed prodded softly.

                “But I just had a conversation with The Titan, and I’m scared.” He replied.

                The twins’ eyes widened as they shouted at the same time (that really happens a lot more than they are willing to admit). “What?!”

Chapter Text

                The annual Coven Day Parade was in four days. People had recently started calling this one the Day of Unity Parade because Emperor Belos was basically using this year’s parade as an advertising campaign. But nevertheless, it was a very important day for pretty much everyone in the isles since it was a celebration of the day Emperor Belos implemented the coven system.

                But Emira no longer cared about the coven system anymore. Not after what Q told her and Edric. If he didn’t speak to The Titan, then the emperor’s every word was void. But evidence to prove he was lying was currently non-existent, so there wasn’t much to be done about it.

                Having said that, she was still planning on going to the parade regardless. She had a plan – a very good plan. Ok, it was really Q and Ed’s plan, but it was still a good one. Because today would be the day she would finally ask out Viney. Maybe.

                Her original plan had been set to go into motion yesterday, but she had given up before she even thought about attempting anything. It was just so scary. Every time she started to say the words “will you go out with me,” she got all tongue tied and couldn’t do it. It usually began with Viney’s name and then she would have a moment of gay panic and say something completely random instead. Is this what Amity had to deal with before she started dating Luz? How did she survive?

                Since Emira still struggled with her words, they decided they would move to plan B – well more like plan J at this point. This new plan involved Emira sliding Viney a note in class instead of trying to speak. She had originally wanted to try this yesterday, but her two helpers insisted that she try and use her words one more time.

                That dating book turned out to be completely bunk. She had wondered what a lesbian was to begin with, since that wasn’t exactly a word in the Boiling Isles, but she figured out the definition on the back cover and concluded that it was worth a shot. As it would turn out, the book happened to be one that found its way over from the human realm and it woefully misrepresented witches. Still a pretty entertaining read though. But that was why she had allowed her two self-proclaimed “matchmakers” to give her assistance at this trying time.

                Emira sat down at her usual spot in the cafeteria, where she knew Edric would join her. They usually sat by themselves most days, because the friends Odalia had chosen for them were insufferable rich brats and if they sat with them, they would have to resist the urge to strangle the ringleader. Edric had actually tried at one point, which is why they sat on their own.

                Edric appeared as expected and sat across from her, setting down his tray and dropping his head on the table with a gloomy thud. The ‘dropping his head with a gloomy thud’ wasn’t exactly expected, but not entirely unfamiliar to Emira. It was obvious that something was wrong, but he would probably need a little more prodding to open up a little.

                “Are you alright Ed?” Emira asked, knowing the obvious answer. Sure, it was redundant, but it was just what you do when somebody looks sad. Besides, this was part of a kind of code the twins had developed. If he said yes, then that meant that he didn’t want to talk about it right then, if at all. But if he said no, then that meant that he wanted her to listen and potentially offer some comfort or advice. Emira wasn’t really sure which answer was worse to be honest.

                “Mmm…. no.” He mumbled into the table. It was kind of difficult to understand with his head buried in his arms, but she got the message.

                “What’s wrong?” Em asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

                Ed’s voice was muffled as he spoke. “M qmfin pnts abmntns.”

                “I didn’t understand a word you just said.” Emira sighed.

                Edric lifted his head up with a dejected sigh of his own. “I said, I’m quitting plants and abominations.”

                “Wha-” Emira started to say, before getting cut off by someone sitting next to them at the table.

                “How are my two favorite twins doing on this fine day?” Q said, sliding in next to Edric. He had no food with him, but wore a confident smile, nonetheless.

                Ed dropped his head onto the table again. “Absolutely awful. How about you?”

                “Uh, it was pretty good until you got all mopey.” Q said with a frown. “What’s got you so down in the dumps today, Ed?”

                He sighed. “I’m dropping plants and Abominations.”

                “But why?” Q said with a frown. “I thought you liked those classes. And if you aren’t taking them, how are we supposed to begin ‘Operation Jerbric’?”

                “Operation Jerbric?” Emira asked, raising an eyebrow.

                “It’s their ship name.” Q explained. “Jerbo and Edric. Jerbric. Does that not sound good?”

                Emira rolled her eyes. “You really are going all in on this matchmaking business.”

                “None of that matters.” Edric groaned. “Operation Jerbric is already dead in the water. Boiled to oblivion, never to return again. Besides, I was doing terrible in those classes.”

                Q faced Ed, elbow propped up on the table and his head leaning into his hand. “So, the Jerbric ship has sunk huh? What happened? I thought things were going great with Jerbo.”

                “They were,” The green haired boy sighed. “But I saw him holding hands with another boy in plants 101 this morning and so I casually asked him about it, and he said they were dating. The ship sank before it even set sail.”

                Q and Em winced.

                “Ouch.” Emira said. “I’m sorry Ed, why don’t we do operation Vinera another day?”

                Edric sat up with a stern look. “Oh no you don’t sister. Don’t you try and back out because I got shutdown.”

                “Ed’s right Em.” Q added. “I didn’t show up to Hexside to watch you give up.” Then he quickly turned to Ed. “Also, yeah that really sucks dude.”

                Emira turned to Q as if just realizing something. “Wait, hold on. What are you doing here Q? You don’t even go to Hexside.”

                Q smirked. “That’s true, I don’t. But I told Principal Bump that I graduated from my totally legit high school back on my totally real ‘other Titan’ early and that I would be happy to come by and act as a tutor every now and then. Even if he declined, it’s not like he could keep me out anyway. I just thought I’d come by and watch our plans finally come to fruition.”

                “That’s both really sweet and absolutely terrifying.” Edric stared at him. “No one man should have that kind of power. Principal Bump should know better.”

                “Principal Bump is literally helping half of his students commit an actual crime by multi-tracking.” Emira deadpanned. “Letting some random kid from out of town be a magic tutor is normal by comparison.”

                “Well, if multi-tracking is a crime, then call me a reformed criminal.” Edric slumped. “There’s no reason for me to multi-track with a broken heart.”

                “Wow.” Q quipped. “Risked the conformatorium for love, only to have his dreams crushed by reality. Not to be insensitive, but you two joining classes to stalk your crushes was both brave and creepy. This world may be cruel, but you gotta admit you had it coming Ed.”

                Emira gasped. “Q, don’t be rude! Ed’s just had his heart broken, there’s no need to kick a witch while he’s down.”

                “Nah, he’s kind of got a point.” Edric shrugged gloomily. “At least you were already interested in healing. I had literally no other reason for multi-tracking. I thought that maybe I’d like one of them, but I suck at both. All I’ll ever be good at is illusions and failing at romance.”

                “That’s a bleak outlook.” Q remarked. “I wouldn’t say you failed. You’ve just got bad luck.”

                Edric grimaced. “Bad luck or bad looks? Whatever, let’s just move on with the plan. Lunch is almost over.”

                Q sighed. “Sounds good to me. Are you ready Em?”

                She took a deep breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

                The Collector turned to Edric. “Since you’re dropping those classes, I assume that you would be willing to skip the rest of the day to watch Emira find a new way to bungle up this plan?”

                “Hey!” Emira exclaimed. “I don’t know what that word means, but I promise that there will be no bungling for this witch! I’m gonna be smoother than Slitherbeast fur, just you watch.”

                The bell screamed.

                “It’s go-time!” Q grinned. “A few parting words for our daring heroine: Slitherbeast fur is rather coarse, so the bar is pretty low. If you can’t manage to be smoother than that, then I’m afraid you’re doomed.”

                Em glared at him irritably. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

                The three began to make their way towards Emira’s healing class. Ed and Q were walking on her right and Ed gave her a weak but encouraging smile. “You’ve got this Em. Eye of the Titan. If you fail, we’ll make sure to laugh quietly.”

                “You two are terrible at giving reassurances.” Em rolled her eyes, her hands jittering nervously, one hand feeling the note in her uniform pocket. “But thanks anyway.”

                They chuckled and they began to walk in relative silence. But Emira heard Q speak to Edric in what he probably thought was a quiet voice.

                “Hey Ed,” Q said softly as they made their way through the crowded hallway. “For what it’s worth, you really aren’t a bad looking guy. Don’t be so down on yourself.”

                Emira glanced to the side with a soft smile, and she was pretty sure she saw Q grab Ed’s hand before they disappeared. She was sure that Ed had mentioned Q telling him that they didn’t need to hold hands for the illusion to work, but maybe Q was just messing with him then. Or maybe she was just seeing things.

                Either way, they had reached the door to the class Emira shared with Viney: Bone Mending Basics.

                Edric was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that there was an entire class dedicated to repairing broken bones. To him it was simple. Bone broke? That’s not good. Make it not that way. Easy. He didn’t know that there could be so much content for just one aspect of healing uncommon injuries, and this was just the basics. What more could be said about bones that hadn’t already been said? A lot apparently.

                He pointedly ignored the teacher’s grisly demonstration using a poor volunteer from the grudgby team who had broken her femur and focused on the two girls in front of him. Leave it to Hexside to take a horrifying injury and turn it into a class lecture. Then again, he couldn’t argue against the benefits of a hands-on experience so to speak. Actually, he sincerely hoped that this wouldn’t turn into a hands-on experience for the poor girl because wow, that looked like it needed a professional, not a classroom full of amateurs.

                He tried to focus on Emira, who kept slipping the note out of her pocket and then back in. It was such a simple act, but her hands were shaking horribly. She still had the better part of an hour to go through with it, so there was no rush, but the clock was ticking and if this kept up, she would have to try again tomorrow.

                But Edric was having a hard time focusing on Emira at the moment, since his eyes kept flitting back to his right hand. Q was still holding it gently and hadn’t let go since the invisibility spell was activated. He didn’t want to mention it in case it wasn’t intentional and there was no way he was going to pass up a chance to hold a cute boy’s hand. Especially when said cute boy is an immortal being from another realm. He had to bring it up at some point, and Emira wasn’t making any progress, so there was no better time to say something.

                “So uh, Q.” Edric shuffled his feet nervously. “I thought you said we didn’t need to hold hands for the spell to work, so… is there a reason you’re holding my hand?”

                Q turned away from the lesbian disaster and looked at Edric. “Well technically I need to touch you for the spell to take effect, but once I activate it, it doesn’t matter after that. But why? Does it make you uncomfortable?”

                Edric blushed. “Not necessarily. I’m just curious to know why you haven’t let go yet.”

                “Oh,” This time it was Q’s turn to blush. “Well, whenever my brother was having trouble with personal things, I’d sit with him somewhere, hold his hand like this and talk to him until he felt better. His love languages were quality time and physical touch, so it was my way of telling him I was there for him and that I was listening. I just figured that since you were feeling down about Jerbo, maybe I could offer you that same kind of comfort too. Is it helping?”

                Was this boy an angel sent down to spread kindness and joy? Because he was really building himself a reputation for being sweet and helpful. First there was Luz and Amity. Then he concocted operation Vinera for Em. And now Q was offering Ed one of the few comforting gestures he knew from his time with his younger brother. What would this amazing star child do next? Solve world hunger?

                “Yeah.” Edric smiled. “That’s really sweet of you Q. Why are you going out of your way to help so many strangers? Aren’t you supposed to be finding your brother?”

                Q gave him a half smile. “Yeah, I am. I just… like helping people. It just feels good, I guess. I mean sure, I’m not the best at it, but I do give it my best and I hope that’s enough. I’m sure I’ll find Virgo eventually. I mean, I have until the end of time to look for him. But friends like Luz and you and Em? Those are hard to come by. In fact, you’re the first mortals I’ve actually taken the time to get to know personally. Now you aren’t strangers anymore.”

                Edric’s lip wobbled slightly. “Oh, wow… you’re an awesome guy Q. I mean, you’re setting aside so much just to help a few nobodies. Titan, look at me. I’m just some broken teenager with a ton of emotional baggage.”

                “You aren’t a bunch of nobodies.” Q said softly, gripping Ed’s hand a little tighter. “You’re living, breathing, people who have a lot to give if somebody just gave them a chance. Maybe you think you’re broken, but someone I know once told me that it’s better to fix something that’s been broken, than to take something that doesn’t belong to you. Your friendship isn’t something that I can just take freely without giving something in return. And if that means helping you fix your broken parts, then that’s just what I’ll do.”

                Edric didn’t hesitate to pull The Collector into a tight hug. “You have no idea how much that means to me. I don’t know what happened for the Boiling Isles to get people like you and Luz, but ever since you two appeared, everyone’s lives got so much better.”

                “Wow.” Q grunted. “You’re a lot stronger than you look.”

                Edric let him go and stepped back, still holding the other boy’s hand. “Sorry, it’s a human thing.”

                “It’s not a human thing.” Q scoffed. “You’re just touch starved. But I think that we may have gotten a little distracted because it looks like Emira’s just made her move.”

                They looked back at the girls and Emira had indeed given Viney the note. The witch was reading the note over and over again, seeming to be in shock. There was no indication of what that surprise might mean.

                Edric knew what the note said. They had spent hours workshopping it. Viney would never have known that though, since the final product was a huge cliché. It said this: Viney, will you go out with me? With two little checkboxes that had a Y and N respectively.

                A smile started to grow on Viney’s face, and she took a pen and scribbled something on the note, her tongue sticking out slightly. After admiring her handiwork, she handed it back to Emira under the desk.

                Q and Ed leaned over her shoulder as she read Viney’s response. They both raised their eyebrows as they noticed that both checkboxes remained empty. Beneath the boxes was a short message in neat cursive: Meet me by the grudgby field after school. That seemed like a clear enough answer to Edric, but Emira looked terrified.

                “If this actually works out for Em, this would be the first time I would go to the parade alone.” Ed sighed, leaning back and scratching his head. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

                Q squeezed his hand gently. “You don’t have to go alone. You can come with me to investigate Emperor Belos. It’ll be an adventure and I wouldn’t mind some company.”

                “Why not?” Ed chuckled. “And if there’s an opportunity to cause some trouble, you can count me in.”

                And thus began the long and arduous wait for the final bell to scream.

                Emira sat on the stands at the grudgby field wringing her hands, while the two boys sat on either side of her, giving her soft reassurances.

                “You got this Em.” Edric encouraged her.

                Q patted her shoulder. “The scary part is over. Now you just have to get over Scary part two: Electric Boogaloo.”

                “I’m sure that’s a reference to some weird niche thing Luz has said before, but I assume it’s something terrifying.” Em sighed, fidgeting nervously. “But I know you’re just trying to give me a pep talk or whatever, so I’ll take it. Do you really think she’ll say yes?”

                Q’s eyes widened as he spotted something behind her. “Well, time to find out! Gotta go!”

                He quickly snagged Ed’s hand and the two disappeared. Emira turned to where Q was looking, dreading what was about to come next.

                Viney appeared, walking up the steps to the grudgby stands where Emira was sitting. She looked just as nervous as Emira as she gave her a little wave while she approached.

                “H-hey, Viney!” Emira stuttered awkwardly.

                Viney blushed. “Hey Em. I uh… Oh Titan, where do I go with this?”

                Emira took her blush as a good sign. “The uh… note. Yeah, the note!”

                “Yes!” Viney exclaimed. “The note! I’m sorry I didn’t check a box or anything, I just wanted to give you my answer out here because… well… I wasn’t sure if you were serious.”

                “Well, yeah.” Emira said awkwardly. “I-I really like you Viney. Why would you think I wasn’t serious?”

                Viney’s face was a bright pink and she looked away with a bashful smile, playing with her little fishhook earring. “It’s just that you’re like, the Emira Blight. You and Edric are like, the most attractive students in the whole school. I never thought that you’d ever want to be my friend, let alone ask me out. So, hearing you say that is a little… Surreal?”

                Emira’s heart fluttered. She thought she was the most attractive girl in the school? Ok, well she had called Ed attractive too, but she elected to ignore that. There were more important things to make note of.

                “Y-you think I’m attractive?” Emira smiled, her ears wiggling alongside her shy blush.

                Viney played with her hands awkwardly. “I mean, who doesn’t? You’re absolutely gorgeous and I’ve had a crush on you since like, freshman year.”

                Emira’s jaw dropped. “What? We could have been dating freshman year?” Em facepalmed. “Em, you fool!”

                Viney giggled. “Hey, it’s not your fault. I’m not exactly a catch, so I’m surprised you even noticed me at all.”

                “Vi, you literally have a fishhook in your ear. You are the definition of a catch.” Em said with her own giggle. “But you haven’t exactly given me an answer yet. Will you go out with me, or did you just come here to confess your crush?”

                “Yes!” Viney said, blushing again at how loud she’d said it.

                “Yes.” She said quieter, clearing her throat. “I would love to.”

                Emira pumped her fist and cheered. “Yes! This is the best day – ok, maybe not ever but perhaps the best Tuesday ever? That doesn’t matter! You said yes and that’s good! Great in fact!”

                Viney giggled at Emira’s uncharacteristic excitement. It reminded her somewhat of Luz. That human was having quite the effect on everyone it seemed. That was a good thing. A very good thing.

                “So, what now?” Viney said, taking Em’s hands in hers.

                Emira smirked. “Well, do you want to go with me to the Coven Day Parade? Or is it the Day of Unity Parade? Oh Titan, Emperor Belos really has been making things more confusing with all of this talk of the Day of Unity and it’s just getting ridiculous at this point.”

                Viney rolled her eyes with a smile. “You couldn’t have asked me for a better first date. But I do have to agree with you on the parade thing. I actually heard some coven guards having a debate about it the other day. They were saying…”

                Her voice faded away as the two girls wandered off on a walk around the grudgby field. The two invisible audience members watched them with wistful smiles.

                “Well Ed,” Q huffed. “Looks like I’m two for two.”

                “Two for three.” Edric corrected him.

                “Pshh.” Q waved a dismissive hand. “Operation Jerbric never happened, so it doesn’t count. If there was no attempt, then I don’t count it. Besides, you’ll find someone else and then I’ll go three for three. Or maybe I’ll get another couple together before then and it’ll be four for four. I told you I’m an expert matchmaker. And experts don’t miss.”

                Edric laughed. “I think success is getting to your head. Pride comes before the fall you know. You don’t even know if you’ll find someone to match me with. If you don’t get me a date before you get your brother back, I’ll mark that down as a miss.”

                “You’re on!” Q smiled. “I thrive on deadlines! Maybe I’ll even find a way to get you with Jerbo.”

                Ed had started to get familiar with the feeling of the invisibility spell ending and he sighed as he felt the subtle change in the atmosphere. “We’ll see, Q. We’ll see.”

Chapter Text

                Edric stood in front of his bed Saturday morning with a frown. He had a decision to make. A very important decision. Well, that depends on what one considers important.

                “Whatcha thinkin’ about Ed?” Emira said, walking into his room.

                He turned to look at her with a serious expression. “I’m trying to decide what to wear for the parade. I’m not sure whether the red vest looks better with the cloak, or if I should go with a darker blue color.”

                Emira smirked. “This is a bit extra, even for you Ed. You know that the concealment stone does just fine, so why worry about wearing anything fancy? Are you trying to impress someone?”

                Ed blushed. “No, these aren’t even fancy. I just don’t want to worry about the concealment stone just to dress more comfortably. It’s the principle of the thing.”

                “Really?” Em folded her arms. “So, you actually shaved and did your hair, and now you’re planning what to wear, hours in advance? On a Saturday? This is so unlike you Ed. What’s the occasion?”

                “The parade is the occasion.” Ed said defensively. “Besides, it’s not like you’re one to talk. You take hours to get ready and still wear the concealment stone.”

                Emira blushed. “That’s not fair! Makeup takes forever to put on and makes my acne worse! It’s also nice to let my hair down every once and a while.”

                “Still doesn’t explain why you take so long.” Edric smirked.

                She grabbed her arm and looked away. “I’m indecisive, ok? Give a girl a break.”

                “Hey guys!” Amity said, peeking in behind Emira. “Whaddya talkin’ about?”

                Em regained her composure and smirked at Ed. “Our brother is choosing an outfit.”

                “On a Saturday?” Amity raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you just wear your concealment stone?”

                Edric huffed. “It’s a special event! I’d feel underdressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, even if nobody can see it.”

                That seemed to be enough to satisfy Amity as she shrugged and poked back out of the room. She took a few steps down the hall and then backpedaled. “Hold on, Luz said something about you going to the parade with Q. Is that why you’re dressing up?”

                Edric blushed. “Oh, did she? Well, that’s only partially true; We aren’t going to the parade, we’re going on a top-secret mission.”

                He had his hands on his hips in a stubborn pose, nose upturned. In his black trousers and black, long-sleeved undershirt, he managed to pull off a defiant yet feminine look. If anyone told him that though, he might have taken offense.

                “Well, your ‘top-secret mission’ is sounding suspiciously like a date.” Emira giggled.

                Edric glared at her. “It’s not a date Em. Q just thought that I would be bored since you two are going with someone and I’ll be alone. So he invited me to join him on an epic spy mission because I’m just that cool.”

                “Right,” Amity rolled her eyes. “Well, you two have fun, I’m going to go… study. Yeah. Study.”

                The twins raised their eyebrows.

                “You sound more suspicious than Ed.” Emira noted.

                Amity blushed. “Alright, fine. I’m going to Willow’s.”

                The twins shared a worried expression at her admission.

                Ed walked to the doorway where Amity was standing. “Are you sure you’re ready for that, Amity? I mean, I know you were trying to patch things up with Willow, but still. That’s a pretty brave thing to do even if you two have gotten closer.”

                The witch sighed. “I know Ed. It’s just that… Luz left something at school yesterday and I don’t know what to do. It was her phoon – or phun – agh, her human scroll or whatever. It had a video ready to play, and from where it’s paused, Luz looks pretty serious. She’s been acting kind of weird lately and I think she’s been lying to me about something and I’m pretty sure the video will have the answers.”

                “You think Luz is lying to you?” Emira asked in surprise. “I don’t think Luz is even capable of lying. What do you think she’s lying about?”

                Amity huffed, walking into the room, and flopping down on Edric’s bed. “She says she didn’t get a door open to the human realm, but I think she’s lying and something happened that she doesn’t want to tell me. I know she was trying to make a door herself, even though Q told her not to, but she’s so stubborn and wouldn’t give up on something like that.”

                Ed and Em shared a brief, knowing look. They knew what happened with Luz. Q had told them everything. He’d even shared what happened from Luz’s perspective. It didn’t surprise them at all that Luz wasn’t telling Amity anything. And if Luz didn’t want to tell her, then they weren’t going to betray her trust by telling her either.

                They both knew what to do, and Edric took the lead. “Alright, so I’m assuming that you want to know if you should watch the video to find out the truth or leave it be and trust Luz.”

                Amity sighed and nodded. “Exactly. No offense to either of you, but Willow is Luz’s closest friend and I think she’ll know what I should do. And I think it might be a good bonding opportunity to, you know, show Willow I trust her and stuff.”

                The twins gave each other a subtle nod and Emira spoke this time. “You know Luz best Amity. If you think Willow can help you, then we won’t say a word. If mom asks where you are, we’ll tell her you went to enjoy the morning Coven Day celebrations.”

                “Wait, really?” Amity stood up. “You’d do that?”

                Edric nodded. “You’re our sister, of course we will.”

                Amity looked surprised. “A few months ago, you never would have done something like that for me. You were ready to expose my entire diary to the whole school and now you’re even calling me by my actual name. What gives?”

                “We already said sorry for the diary.” Emira looked down. “That really was too far. We just want to make things right with you, just like what you’re doing with Willow.”

                “We know we haven’t been the best of siblings.” Edric sighed. “But we want to do better. Q even called us out on the diary thing, and when a god calls you out, you really messed up. But if you think that we’re going to stop calling you Mittens because we’re trying to be nicer, think again.”

                “We reserve the right to use your name in strictly serious moments.” Emira continued in a lovingly sarcastic tone. “Like this one. But to us, you will always be our little Mittens.”

                Edric ruffled Amity’s hair and the girl giggled. “Thanks guys. I should probably get going now.”

                Amity stood up and walked out, but then stopped in the doorframe. “By the way… I forgive you two for the diary thing. I know it was a long time ago, but I mean it.”

                The twin’s eyes softened as she walked out. They knew they still had a long way to go with their baby sister, but they hoped that maybe one day her eyes will light up when she sees them, just like they do for her friends. Just like they should for family.

                “Well Ed,” Emira stretched. “That’s my cue. I have a real date to get ready for. And like you said, I need time to prepare. I don’t want to disappoint Viney.”

                Edric scoffed as she sauntered out of the room. He walked to his dresser where he kept his contacts. What did she know? Of course, he wasn’t going on a date with Q. What a ridiculous suggestion really. Q was just a good friend. An adorable, sweet, kind and cute friend. Wait, cute? Well, he supposed that objectively-

                “Emira!” He groaned as he opened up his case where he kept his contact lenses. Where his lenses should have been, in their two little pools of contact solution, was instead, two little pools of blue nail polish.

                “I am so going to get her back for this.” He grumbled as he grabbed his glasses off the nightstand. It looked like he would be wearing his concealment stone after all.

                “So Luz, what are your plans for the parade tonight?” Aquarius asked the anxious latina, as he watched her work on a strange looking structure.

                “Well, I was originally going to go with Amity.” Luz explained. “But now I’m going to help Eda kidnap her ex.”

                Aquarius blinked. Had he heard her correctly?

                “I’m sorry, what?” The Collector asked in confusion. “Did you say you were kidnapping Eda’s ex?”

                “They’re the head of the Bard Coven.” Eda said in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “They were running a resistance group called the Bats, but they got captured by some of the other Coven Heads. I… I was there, but I couldn’t do anything without my magic. So now we’re going to rescue them at the parade tonight, using this state-of-the-art Emperor Belos float.”

                “By rescue, you mean kidnap.” Aquarius sighed. “Please explain how this ‘rescue’ operation is going to work. How does this parade float fit in to your little scheme?”

                Eda threw her arm around Aquarius’ shoulder. “I’m glad you asked Moon Boy! Let me tell you!”

                Aquarius sighed. “Oh boy, here we go.”

                “Picture this:” She said, waving her hand in front of herself dramatically, as if there was a scene playing out before them. “King and hooty run the float, while Luz and I hide on the rooftops, ready to pounce. Raine Whispers slowly rolls past us on their Bard Coven float and boom! That’s when King and Hooty launch a distraction, and Luz and I run in and grab Raine in clever disguises before the Emperor’s Coven even know what hit ‘em.”

                “King and Hooty are running the float?” Aquarius said in a mildly surprised tone. “That should be interesting. You’ll definitely be getting a distraction, no doubt about that.”

                Then Aquarius frowned and stepped out of Eda’s grasp. “Wait a minute, your ex was captured by the other coven heads and you think kidnapping them is going to solve your problems? When did this even happen?”

                “A few days before you helped Amity and I get together.” Luz replied casually. “I just found out about this yesterday when we came up with this foolproof plan.”

                Aquarius scoffed. “Sure, foolproof. But wait, is that why you asked me to refill the apple blood stores, not just once, but twice in the same day?”

                Eda stiffened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Moon Boy. I would never make a request that allowed me to fuel my addiction while simultaneously saving me thousands of snails.”

                “That actually sounds exactly like something you would do.” Luz raised an eyebrow. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you were bragging about how much apple blood you could drink in a single breath. I was both horrified and impressed that you managed to down at least five gallons before passing out.”

                Eda’s body slackened and she sighed. “Yeah, I’m pretty proud of that. I totally could have done more, too – if I hadn’t already drank another ten gallons before that.”

                “I’m not sure how to handle that information.” Aquarius said with a blank expression.

                “That’s not even the worst I’ve seen.” King said, walking up from behind holding a small wooden crate of fireworks above his head. It was odd seeing a floating box of fireworks, but Aquarius had gotten used to such oddities.

                “One time, Eda bet a thousand snails playing Hexes Hold ‘Em.” King said, dropping the crate on the ground with a thud. “She lost and was drinking non-stop for a week straight.”

                “That can’t be healthy.” Luz and Aquarius said simultaneously.

                “Nonsense!” Eda waved her hand dismissively. “Betting in Hexes Hold ‘Em is a perfectly healthy pastime and I’m not addicted in any way.”

                Luz rolled her eyes. “We were talking about the apple blood.”

                Eda blinked. “Oh, right.”

                “Anyway,” Aquarius jumped in eager to switch topics. “What are the fireworks for and where the Titan did you even get them?”

                “Oh these?” King asked, making a small thumping sound as he kicked the crate. “These are for our distraction – I’m sure my minions told you our glorious plan.”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Naturally.”

                “And I got these from lots of places.” King said, holding up a large aerial firework proudly. “And I got this one from your boyfriend!”

                Aquarius now regretted switching topics. “Ed is not my boyfriend!”

                “That’s not what Amity tells me!” Luz sang. “And King never specified who your boyfriend was supposed to be.”

                “Ohhhh.” King goaded. “Busted.”

                Aquarius blushed. “Your girlfriend doesn’t know what she’s talking about! Ed is my friend. That’s all. There’s nothing going on between us.”

                “Oh really?” Luz smirked. “Then why did you invite him to go to the parade with you?”

                “I didn’t invite him to the parade.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “I invited him to join me on my infiltration of the emperor’s palace.”

                Luz’s eyes widened like a puppy’s and tears began to well in her eyes. “Awww. That’s such a cute first date.”

                “Crime is a respectable choice.” Eda nodded smartly. “Although I think your choice of venue could be improved slightly. Perhaps robbing a bank while everyone is at the parade? Now that is what I call romantic.”

                “It’s not a date!” Q growled. “I don’t even like him like that and he doesn’t like me that way either! We’re just friends, ok?”

                He stormed off to the owl house, ignoring Hooty’s attempts at conversation. “I’m going to get ready for tonight!”

                As the door slammed behind him, Eda turned to Luz and King. “He never did say no to the bank robbery date idea. I think he’s considering it.”

                Edric stood near the statue in the Bonesborough town square, leaning up against the stone about as casually as he could. He had finally concluded that his red vest was the best choice to wear, along with his black cloak. He probably looked like a shady night market dealer, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

                That isn’t to say he wasn’t nervous. Sure he felt confident in how he looked (somewhat), but he was anxious about what he was going to be doing. He was about to commit an actual felony by sneaking into the emperor’s palace. He wasn’t particularly worried about getting caught, but the very idea was still nerve-wracking.

                It was almost nightfall, and Q wasn’t anywhere to be seen. This was the time and place they had agreed to meet, so he was admittedly a little worried. What was a big enough problem that could hold up a powerful guy like Q? Or maybe he had changed his mind about bringing Ed along after all and went without him. No, Q wouldn’t do that, would he?

                “Psst.” A voice whispered from a nearby alleyway. “Ed! Over here!”

                Edric yelped and tripped over his cloak at the sudden sound. Several people looked at him as he got himself untangled from his cloak. He scrambled back to his feet, looking for the source of the voice, only to see Q stifling a laugh. At least someone thought it was funny. Ed was not that someone.

                “Q!” Edric complained. “I think my bile sack almost exploded! Don’t scare me like that!”

                “Sorry Ed,” Q giggled. “I just wanted to get your attention; I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you ok?”

                Edric sighed. “I’m fine. The only thing hurt is my pride.”

                “Well as long as it’s just your pride, then we’re good.” Q rolled his eyes with a smile. “Are you ready to go?”

                “Ready to break the law on a beloved holiday?” Edric raised an eyebrow. “Absolutely.”

                Q giggled and grabbed his hand, turning them invisible. “Well since the parade’s about to begin, why don’t we get started?”

                They walked into the alleyway as night took over the isles. Nights in the Boiling Isles were always a pleasant experience. Not everyone would agree with that sentiment, but Edric always liked the dark. There was a strange kind of peace that came with the night that couldn’t be experienced any other time. And on a night like this, where the back alleys were all but empty since the town’s occupants were being entertained by the parade, it was almost cathartic.

                Emira might have made a comment about how the streets were about as empty as Ed’s brain. That thought made Ed smile wistfully. Emira’s teasing could be annoying, but he would miss it when she wasn’t around. He had mixed feelings about Emira having her date tonight. On one hand, he was happy for her. She deserved to have good things. On the other hand, he wasn’t as confident without his sister by his side.

                “What are the others up to tonight?” Ed asked conversationally, trying to distract himself from his melancholy thoughts.

                Q chuckled. “Luz is helping Eda kidnap her ex. Apparently, they’re the head of the bard coven or whatever and they discovered some dark secret about Belos. He supposedly got caught, but he’s still the coven head somehow. They have a whole scheme ready to go, complete with a King and Hooty combo distraction.”

                “Oh, so that’s what King wanted the fireworks for.” Ed realized. “I guess legality wasn’t really an issue either way if he’s using them to commit a crime.”

                Q helped Ed climb up onto a rooftop and they looked over the town. They could see the tops of the parade floats peeking just over some of the distant rooftops. “Well, if anything, it just means we have double the distraction. Hopefully it works out.”

                Edric paused. “Wait, I just realized something. If we’re invisible anyway, what’s the point of a distraction? Couldn’t we just walk into the palace in broad daylight? This seems kind of unnecessary.”

                “Well,” Q stretched. “The palace is always crowded by coven guards. We could run into them by accident and our cover would be blown. But this way, most of the guards will be at the parade and Luz will probably attract a lot of attention her way if things go according to plan.”

                Edric wasn’t entirely paying attention to what Q was saying. The other boy was wearing his black hoodie and jeans – Edric really needed to ask where he got those, because that material looked way more comfortable than what he usually wore. But this outfit had him distracted for a few reasons – most of which he would not admit to out loud – but the main reason was that the more he looked at him, the more confused he got.

                “Hey Q,” Ed said with a frown. “I don’t think I ever noticed this before, but has anyone ever told you that outfit makes you look kind of androgynous?”

                Q blushed. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Why do you ask?”

                Edric didn’t really have an answer for that – at least not one that he was going to verbalize. He was definitely not going to admit that he was somehow more attractive that way – not that Edric found the other boy attractive to begin with. It was just his opinion that, objectively, Q looked more attractive the more androgynous he looked.

                “Sorry, It’s an awkward question.” Edric ended up saying. “I mean, honestly the star pajamas probably should have given that impression more than what you’re wearing now.”

                “Luz actually said the same thing a few weeks ago.” Q admitted sheepishly. “I didn’t realize that it wasn’t just a Luz thing. It’s not weird, is it?”

                Ed blushed. It just occurred to him that maybe Q was offended by the question. And HOLY TITAN THAT IS ACTUALLY KIND OF OFFENSIVE! What if Q was trans or something and he’d just asked him something like that? Oh Titan what does Q think of him now?

                “N-no, it’s not weird at all!” Edric stuttered, trying to correct his mistake. “I didn’t realize how offensive that question actually was until just now. So if you can just forget I asked, th-that would be great.”

                Q opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by another voice below them.

                “Hunter, be a good boy and go on patrol for the night.” The voice said in a surprisingly accurate imitation of Emperor Belos. “Ugh, what for? Nobody’s out here! Everyone else is out enjoying the parade and here I am walking down an empty alleyway.”

                They heard a high chirping sound and the voice sighed. “I know Flapjack! But how am I supposed to prove myself to Uncle Belos if I’ve got nothing to show for my efforts?”

                Edric and Q peeked over the roof to get a look at who the voice belonged to.

                “Isn’t that the Golden Guard?” Q asked with a frown as they watched the boy mope some more.

                Ed shrugged. “You mean Emperor Belos’ right-hand man? It’s hard to tell without the mask.”

                “He does match the description Luz and Amity gave me.” Q replied, gesturing for Edric to follow him to the next rooftop. “And who else would ‘Uncle Belos’ be? I bet this guy knows what Belos is up to.”

                Edric smirked. “And he’s all alone. Does this mean we’ve got a change of plans?”

                “Indeed, it does.” Q said, pulling up his hood and dropping to the ground to follow the Golden Guard. Edric followed suit, pulling up the hood of his cloak.

                They followed Hunter down a few more streets until they heard a loud explosion. Fireworks. Edric looked over in the direction of the sound and saw a very childish insult to the emperor light up the night sky in sparkling blue.

                “Aww, they actually used it.” Edric said in a sappy voice.

                But the Golden Guard was less enamored by the display. He began to run in that direction, but Q was already one step ahead of him. When did he get over there?

                “Stop right there, Golden Guard!” Q exclaimed, standing a few paces in front of him. “You aren’t going anywhere until you and I have a little chat.”

                The Golden Guard gripped his palisman staff tightly. “I don’t have time to chat, there’s a disturbance at the parade. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”

                He vanished for a moment and then appeared behind Q in a flash of red. Q didn’t seem surprised. Instead of turning to run after him, he sighed and snapped his fingers, levitating the palisman out of his hands. The staff turned back into its bird form and attempted to fly away, but Q waved his hand and a blue bubble appeared around it.

                “I think you misunderstood me.” Q said calmly. “It wasn’t a request.”

                The Golden Guard looked panicked. “Hey, let Flapjack go!”

                Q turned around as Edric walked up beside him.

                “Don’t worry,” Q said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not a monster. I just want to ask you a few questions and then I’ll give you back your precious palisman. Do we have a deal?”

                Hunter glared at him. “How do I know I can trust you’ll give him back like you said?”

                “You’ve met Luz, the human, correct?” Q asked with a smirk. “She’s told me all about how you kept her friend King hostage – even going so far as to threaten to throw him in the Boiling Ocean. But something tells me you aren’t the type of guy to go through with something like that. Assuming I’m right, you can be certain that nothing is going to happen to your little friend here.”

                The Golden Guard sighed in defeat. “Well if you’re friends of Luz, then I guess I can trust you to not hurt a palisman. I can’t promise to tell you the truth, but I will answer your questions.”

                Q shrugged. “Fair enough. Now something’s been bothering me recently, and I think you’re just the guy to ask: What does Emperor Belos need Titan’s blood for?”

                Hunter rolled his eyes. “He’s making some kind of door or whatever. He claims it’s to go to the Human Realm, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

                “Why does he want to go to the Human Realm?” Edric asked with a frown.

                “Does it matter?” The Golden Guard asked, turning to face him. “It’s just a stupid door.”

                Q looked like he was about to argue, but then seemed to realize something. “Well, it’s more than that, but I think I got a satisfactory answer.”

                Another explosion was heard a few streets down and a distant, but painfully recognizable voice screamed loudly. “Law is meaningless! Stealing is legal now! I am your god!”

                Edric grimaced and turned to Q. “Should we do something about that?”

                “Nah,” Q waved a dismissive hand. “That’s probably fine.”

                The Collector turned to Hunter. “Alright, next question. What is Belos planning for the day of Unity?”

                Hunter paused and Edric thought he saw the briefest moment of panic before he composed himself. “It’s the day all magic will be unified as one, everyone knows that. But if you’re asking how he plans to do that, you’re out of luck, because I’m not telling you.”

                There was a moment of silence and Ed looked at Q. He was surprised to see a stunned look on the boy’s face.

                “You actually believe that, don’t you?” Q said softly. “Even if it were true, he didn’t even tell you what his plans are, did he?”

                Hunter had a look like a cornered animal. “Of course he did! I’m The Golden Guard, he tells me everything! A-at least I think he does.”

                Q sighed. “No, he definitely doesn’t, I can tell. There’s a lot he isn’t telling you and I think you know that. You just do what your told without asking questions. And even if you do ask, I bet he has an obscure and vague response. Am I right?”

                “I… You don’t know me.” Hunter shivered. “Uncle Belos trusts me, I’m sure of it. Does that answer your question?”

                “Unfortunately, yes.” Q waved his hand and Flapjack was freed from his confines and fluttered over to rest on Hunter’s shoulder. “Get out of here Golden Guard, before I change my mind.”

                Hunter scoffed. “Don’t act all tough. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

                With that, the Golden Guard sprinted off in the direction of the explosions.

                Ed lowered his hood and grabbed Q’s arm. “What was that about? You had the Golden Guard right there and you just let him go after two questions? What gives?”

                “I only needed two to know that he doesn’t know anything.” Q replied, lowering his own hood with a troubled expression. “And if the famed ‘Golden Guard’ is kept out of the loop on Belos’ secrets, I doubt he’s told anyone else his plans either. And if that’s the case, I also doubt that we’ll find anything at the palace that we don’t know already. Belos strikes me as a careful guy. Prideful? Certainly. Careless? Not likely.”

                Edric frowned. Well, that’s dumb. How were they supposed to get any dirt on the emperor now?

                “The only way I could see us getting anything useful is by prying into his mind ourselves.” Q sighed. “And that kind of thing isn’t exactly easy to do.”

                “Alright, well that’s just great.” Edric slumped. “I didn’t even get to do anything useful.”

                Q giggled. “What do you mean? You were moral support, that’s useful. Plus, I’m guessing that firework was your doing?”

                Ed nodded, walking glumly down the street, not really paying attention to the direction. “It was flashy, but that’s all it was. That’s me, Edric Blight. Fireworks expert and moral support. Less support than moral, but that isn’t saying much.”

                “Wow, ok.” Q frowned. “Are you really going to talk bad about my friend Edric like that? I’ll have you know that Edric Blight is a lot more talented than you give him credit for.”

                He chuckled. “Thanks Q. But seriously though, what did we even learn tonight? We know less now than we did before.”

                Q wrapped his arm around Ed’s shoulders. “That’s not true Ed, we learned – woah, what happened here?”

                They stopped and Edric realized that they had somehow wandered over to the dock – or what was left of it anyway. There was a massive hole that went straight through the platform.

                “I have no clue, but I bet you ten snails that Luz and Amity had something to do with this.” Edric stared at it in mild surprise.

                Q nodded. “I’m not going to take you up on that offer because you probably aren’t wrong. Luz is a magnet for trouble – as well as a magnet for Amity. This has her name written all over it.”

                Edric chuckled. “Oh well. But hey, since we aren’t going to sneak into the palace tonight, do you want to go mess with some of the people at the parade?”

                “Oho,” Q smirked. “I’m interested. Shall we?”

                Edric took his extended hand. There was not a better reason to be invisible. Because what else would it be for, other than to be an agent of chaos?

                “We shall.”

Chapter Text

                The parade had turned out to be quite disappointing. Not that it hadn’t been eventful, but Luz had hoped that things would have worked out better. The original plan had been great, and it only got better when they added Kikimora to the kidnapping list. Obviously, Luz should have known better than to trust that crazy little demon witch though and she really should have seen that betrayal coming.

                Still, even though things hadn’t turned out like she’d hoped, she did have more reasons to be hopeful. It turned out that Amity had been a lot more understanding about her situation and was willing to help her figure out a solution one day at a time. And they had finally seen Belos’ face, which was a little bit of a letdown to be honest.

                But Luz had a bigger problem on her hands now. She was sitting in her room, staring at the wall where the echo mouse had just projected another entry to Phillip’s diary. She was absolutely floored by the revelation that Phillip had mentioned another Collector. He’d been searching for them and had presumably found them if they had actually gotten back to the Human Realm like she suspected. If that was the case, then that meant that Virgo was definitely in the Boiling Isles somewhere.

                Should she tell Q? Would that even be helpful? Without more information, all it would tell him was what he already had confirmed by The Titan: Virgo is alive. Hopefully the echo mouse would spew out a little bit more of the diary so Luz had more to go off of, but for now, she would keep this information to herself.

                But Luz was really starting to get frustrated. She had never been happier in her life than in the Isles and if or when she got home, she would have to confront her mother again – something she was not at all looking forward to. Although she did have her friends to support her, she wasn’t sure if it would be enough to reassure Camilla that Luz was safe here. And then there was Q. What would he do once he found Virgo? Where would he go?

                She needed to distract herself for now, so she decided to go outside for a little walk in the forest. Only to bump into Lillith Clawthorne just outside the owl house.

                “Lillith?” Luz said in surprise. “What are you – oh hey, what’s with the fancy get-up?”

                Lillith held up a strange gadget with pride. “I’m going on an expedition! I’m looking for time pools. Many witches think they are just a myth, but I’m here to prove them wrong! I created this cool little device to help me pinpoint their location. Imagine the history books that could be filled with such a discovery! The knowledge to be learned! Oh, I feel giddy just thinking about it!”

                Luz stared at her. Time pools? This could be huge! Maybe she wouldn’t have to wait for the echo mouse to get her answers about Virgo and maybe… maybe she could find him in the past and bring him back to the future! If Luz and Lillith could find these time pools, they could find Virgo. If they could find Virgo, Q would help her with the door to the Human Realm and she could go home!

                “Maybe I could help you Lilith.” Luz said casually, “In fact, I think we could both benefit from this actually…”

                As Luz explained to Lillith her plan, she became more and more certain that this could work. If the time pools were real and they worked, then she could go back in time and prove to Q that she could help him too. But she couldn’t tell Q about this. If the time pools were real, but the lead was a dead end, it would just disappoint him more than anything. And if they weren’t real, it would just get his hopes up for nothing. She would have to surprise him with the return of his brother.

                Lillith stroked her chin thoughtfully. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. If Phillip didn’t actually find a Collector, then there’s no harm done, and we get to experience history in real time. If Phillip did find a Collector, then it could be Virgo and we could either find out where he’s been or bring him back ourselves. I see no real downside here.”

                “Hey Luz!” A cheery male voice said, walking behind Lillith. “Oh, hello Lillith, I didn’t realize who you were with the funny outfit. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

                “Hey Ed!” Luz waved. “What are you up to?”

                Edric pointed down the road. “Just stopping by the owl house.”

                Luz smirked. “Is that so? Looking for Q?”

                “Yes actually.” Edric blushed lightly. “I wanted to talk to him about something.”

                “Well don’t let me stop you.” Luz giggled. “He’s in his room in the basement. I think he’s doing that memory thing again. He hasn’t left his room all day though so he may be asleep. Just let him know you’re coming before you just walk in.”

                Edric nodded. “Oh, uh… sure thing. Thanks Luz!”

                He walked off and Luz turned to Lillith. “Well, if we’re both on the same page, let’s go look for those time pools!”

                Aquarius had questions. Well, that was true most of the time – everyone has questions. Questions are important in every endeavor. Without asking questions, you’ll never find an answer. Asking the wrong questions would lead to a wrong or misleading answer. So, here he stood, in his very unique room in the owl house basement, watching another memory.

                This memory was much more recent than the others he’d watched. He wasn’t sure why he decided to go to this one in particular, but he felt like maybe he might need an added boost of motivation. He was at a loss as to what to do. Did he throw caution to the wind and kick down the palace doors, or did he bide his time? Whatever the case, he had a feeling that finding answers to belos’ scheming would lead to Virgo somehow.

                The memory began in a large room, that glowed with a warm, comforting light. This was a part of his home in the stars, otherwise known as The Archives. The room he was standing in was the heart of the building where the walls towered high above so much so that the ceiling was not discernable aside from the shining ball of light that illuminated the room. It was cozy, unlike the dark halls that lead throughout the rest of the archives, the soft glow not too bright to be blinding, but not to dim to be useless.

                The walls themselves were lined with objects that would generally be considered to be outdated or useless. Some things were new, and others were ancient. The pristine flat screen television with a broken internal display, beside a stack of old tomes that, while ancient, were in remarkably good condition. The pink teddy bear with the blue bowtie, sitting beside an antique bicycle originally handcrafted by the Wright Brothers. There was no discernable organization, yet it still felt clean and orderly, no matter how absurd the objects that decorated the walls may be.

                It was honestly beautiful the way the light illuminated each item just so, causing them to almost glow from their positions on the shelves they resided upon. Each time he entered that room, he was in awe of how unique and homely it felt. For that reason, he paused the memory to admire the scene before him. The feeling wasn’t quite as breathtaking as the real deal, but this was still a sight to behold.

                “Hey Q!” Edric called from up the stairs. “You down there?”

                Aquarius smiled. He wasn’t sure why he felt so enamored by the boy’s voice, but after this last month or so, it had grown to be one of his favorite sounds. Funny how things seemed to work like that. What one person found obnoxious and annoying, another would describe it as pleasant and endearing. So it was with Edric’s voice. Wow, now that thought had crossed his mind, he realized how weird and sappy that sounded. Ugh, it reminded him of something Luz might say to Amity. Ok, no, because that’s a different situation entirely and this was a simply platonic thought process.

                “Yeah, you can come down if you want!” Aquarius replied.

                He heard the boy’s footsteps get louder as he walked down and turned the corner into the room. His jaw dropped as he took in the surroundings of the memory.

                “Woah!” He breathed. “What is this place?”

                Aquarius giggled at his expression. “This is what we called ‘The Room of Rooms’ back home at The Archives. Technically, it’s actual name is just ‘The Archive’, but when your home already has that title it got a little confusing after a while, so we gave it a different name.”

                “This was what your home looks like?” Edric gasped. “I can’t believe I thought that my house was big. This is another level of fancy that not even my money crazed mother could afford.”

                “Yeah, well when you have the power to make a room look any way you want,” Aquarius chuckled. “There’s no reason why you can’t get a little extravagant. This room actually expands upwards infinitely, since it grows for each item we collect. A new shelf is added every time we return from a collection, so what you see above you is just an illusion of a ceiling. Pretty cool right?”

                Edric was looking straight up with a mesmerized look. “Cool is an understatement. Where does all of this stuff come from? And what for?”

                Aquarius’ smile faltered for a moment. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know why. As to where these things came from, it’s a little bit complicated. These items come from both the Human and Demon Realms. What I do – or did – was find items my father asked us to collect and brought them to this room. I don’t exactly know why these specific things piqued his interest, but we never cared to ask.”

                “Your dad asked you to get this random garbage?” Ed frowned.

                “I don’t think anything in this room can be considered garbage.” Aquarius said dryly. “I at least know that much. But yes. Do you see that man in the robes on the far side of the room?”

                Edric looked where Aquarius pointed as the boy continued. “That’s my father. I don’t think he’s actually our dad, but sometimes we call him The Archivist. His actual name, is Sol.”

                The man in question was standing next to a workshop table, littered with different tools that weren’t familiar to even Aquarius. They didn’t come from either realm, and their purpose was still unclear to him, but it was obvious that they were used frequently. The robes were pure white and gilded with gold and dotted with small golden stars, that seemed to emit a light of their own. The man had his back to them, but the hood of his robe was down, so his long, sunshine yellow hair was visible as it cascaded down to his shoulders.

                “Wow.” Edric said, blinking in surprise. “So this dude is like, the most important guy in existence?”

                “Something like that.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Do you want to stay and watch this memory with me?”

                Edric’s head snapped to him. “You’d let me do that? Isn’t this kind of thing a little personal?”

                “Yeah, I don’t see why not.” Aquarius shrugged. “This is just my last conversation with him before I left for the Boiling Isles. I think there was something he said that I hasn’t clicked with me yet, so I’m trying to see if I’m missing something important. Maybe a clue about Virgo.”

                Edric nodded slowly. “Ok, well if you think it’s ok for me to see this, then I’ll stay and watch it with you. If nothing else, at least I can provide some company.”

                Aquarius smiled. “Well I definitely don’t mind your company. Shall we begin?”

                The green-haired witch nodded and Aquarius took a brief moment to scold himself. What kind of response was that? It was such a weird way to say that.

                Having received the other boy’s answer, he snapped his fingers and the memory resumed. The robed man began to shift around, mumbling to himself about whatever thing he was working on. Behind the two boys, a large, ornate door swung open behind them and the memory version of Aquarius walked in, holding a massive burlap sack over his shoulder, which he carefully lowered to the ground after walking a few paces into the room.

                “I found the things you asked for.” Aquarius announced.

                The man paused and turned around. The appearance of Sol was just as bright and comforting as the room he stood in. He had a long, flowing beard that stopped midway to his chest, the color matching his long hair perfectly. His skin seemed to glow a faint gold color and there were no discernable markings on his face, making the half moon shape of Aquarius’ two-toned skin seem dull by comparison. His eyes were a gentle orange color, and his pupils seemed to hold miniature suns within. He had a warm smile and the suns in his eyes seemed to twinkle as he calmly approached the young Collector.

                “Thank you, Aquarius.” Sol said politely. His voice was deep and soothing, and the tone was fatherly in nature. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you.”

                Aquarius gave a weak smile. “No trouble at all, Father.”

                The man gave him a discerning look as he opened up the bag. “I never do expect you to have any real trouble, as far as collections are concerned. I have complete faith in your abilities my boy.”

                He reached into the bag and smiled as he pulled out a hardcover book. “Ah, yes. The Rise and Fall of Alexander the Great. I know the history of this quite well, but the true value in learning, is finding truth in other perspectives. What else did you bring?”

                He set the book aside and it floated off to a little bookshelf on the wall. “Yes, you did well in finding much of the literature I requested. The History of Wild Witches in the Savage Ages. I am quite interested to see what the author has to say about this particular time. But that isn’t the most important thing on the list.”

                He rummaged through the bag for a moment and procured a little music box. His eyes softened at the aged device. It looked like an antique item, and indeed it had been. Aquarius wasn’t sure what value this little music box had to The Archivist, but it had been written in bold lettering and underlined on the list several times. It had ended up being very difficult to acquire, since he was keen to use more ethical means – unlike his brothers – but he had eventually secured the item as promised.

                “This is what I call a treasure, Aquarius.” Sol said softly. “It once belonged to someone I knew a very long time ago – even before you came into existence. It is quite remarkable that it was preserved as long as it was in such a pristine condition.”

                Aquarius frowned. “By mortal standards I’m not exactly young. How could this have existed before me? Were humans even capable of making music boxes back then?”

                Sol chuckled. “You have much to learn about the concept of time. Time in other realms is irrelevant to us. It is a complicated thing, but when you came to be, it was in a place where time had no meaning. You are actually much younger than you think you are, yet much older than you look. That probably makes no sense to you, but an explanation will be saved in a time where you are able to understand such a concept. For now, I believe you have another question you would like to ask, that has been on your mind for quite some time.”

                Aquarius looked taken aback. At the time, he hadn’t really taken any thought for anything that was said, prior to his final statement. It was gibberish to him, but now, the real Aquarius began to wonder what the Titan the old man was talking about. It still sounded like nonsense, but it was important nonsense. He’d worry about that later though, as the memory Aquarius cleared his throat in surprise.

                “Y-yes, I do.” He looked down at the sack, furrowing his eyebrows. “I just… it’s been so long since I last saw Virgo. It feels as though it’s been millions of years, but also like only just a few thousand. I… Don’t want to believe he’s actually gone, but after what I saw back then… I don’t think I know what to believe.” He looked up, with a quivering lip. “Father, is there a chance that he might be alive.”

                The Archivist took on a much more unreadable expression at the question. “There is a very good chance, that yes, he is alive. I am surprised that it took you so long to ask me this, but the time is right nonetheless.”

                Aquarius looked startled. “Wait, really? He’s alive?”

                “Yes.” Sol replied in a deep rumble. “He is not gone, but merely lost. I believe that it is time for someone to find him. Whether he comes back to The Archives or not is his choice. However, he has been missing for much to long, and I would like to see him in the watchful care of someone trustworthy.”

                “Does that mean that…” Aquarius was stunned. “Does that mean that they lied to me? Capricorn and the others?”

                Sol’s smile was now gone, replaced by a deep and menacing frown. “Oh yes. Your brothers have lied about many things. You cannot always trust everything you see and hear. They refuse to listen to my council and have rejected collections that they deemed to be unworthy of their time. But they do not understand the importance of the task.”

                “But why?” Aquarius pleaded. “Why lie about this?”

                Sol turned away from him. “Because they wish to hide their actions. To tell the truth would reveal their guilt – more so, their desire is to hide the fact that they are guilty. They do not feel any guilt for their actions, but they wish to avoid any punishment. You must discover the truth for yourself before you make any decision to act against them.”

                “Why don’t you just tell me?” Aquarius asked with a glare. “Does it really matter the source if it’s truth?”

                “Oh yes.” Sol replied. “It would be far less impactful coming from me, an outside observer. Learning the truth for yourself will only shed light on the full scope of their crime. A more intimate understanding goes a long way in making any decision.”

                The Archivist turned back to face him, his arms behind his back, a serious expression on his face. “I’d like to ask you to go on another collection. Whether you return with physical results does not matter. But the object of your search is your brother. The rest of your search is intangibles: Knowledge, revelations, the like. What is gained will be contingent upon your efforts.”

                “Where can I find him?” Aquarius asked anxiously, anger the more prevalent emotion in his voice.

                Sol shook his head. “I cannot give you specifics, as with other collections. The true value, like any other collection, is in the journey itself. I don’t believe you have fully learned the meaning of that just yet, but I think that will come to you in this next venture. But I will give you a place to start shortly, but first I would like to give you some parting words – some reminders as well as advice.”

                Aquarius nodded sharply, with a determined expression, as The Archivist placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Aquarius, I want you to understand that as a Collector it is your duty to find things that are broken or lost. Neglected and forgotten. There is much more to these objects than you can see, and one day you might understand. But for now, remember this: A Collector should not collect anything for themselves, for in doing so, you would do much more harm to it than whoever had last betrayed it. There is far more value in fixing something that has been broken than taking something that doesn’t belong to you. I cannot stop you from doing as you please, any more than a tree can stop the wind from blowing. But I trust that you will keep this knowledge close to your heart and do what you know to be right.”

               “Now, do not misunderstand me,” He continued. “I do not mean that Collectors can’t keep anything of value. Everything that is done has an intent behind it. To take something that does not belong to you, is to take something selfishly. Some things are given, while others may be earned. You may take ownership of something only once it is rightfully yours, but never before. Of the many things that a Collector ought to collect, there is knowledge and wisdom. But one collection that will be of most benefit to you, is the collection of friendship. Like anything else, friendship cannot be taken unwillingly. But of those three things I have listed, each one is of limitless value. You cannot put any price on knowledge, wisdom, or love.”

               Aquarius paused. “But wouldn’t it be better to do this myself?”

               Sol laughed. “I’m certain you could. But you would benefit from a few good friends. Just because you have great power, does not mean you can’t accept a little help along the way.”

               The Archivist stepped back and snapped his fingers. “Now, you will find your quarry in the Boiling Isles. Where his location is specifically, I cannot tell you. But I trust that you will make me proud.”

               A star floated gently down from above and landed before Aquarius with a sparkle.

               “Now go. Find Virgo.” Sol smiled, as The Collector climbed onto the star. He nodded to The Archivist and with a snap of the fingers, Aquarius and the star vanished into a sparkling light. “Good luck Aquarius.”

               The Archivist chuckled and turned to face the two boys with a smile. The Illusory Archivist seemed to look directly into Aquarius’ eyes, and he winked. With that, the illusion vanished.

               Ed and Aquarius stood there for a moment before Aquarius rubbed the bridge of his nose. “He knew. The Archivist knew we were watching. How did he know?”

              “Perhaps the connection to the memory leaves some residual magic in the past that some people can detect?” Edric said questioningly.

               Aquarius blinked for a second. “That… actually makes a lot of sense Ed. Those glasses must make you act smarter than usual.”

               Edric froze. “Glasses? Heh, what glasses? I’m not wearing glasses.”

               “I can make time illusions using memories.” Aquarius smirked. “Seeing through concealment stones is light work.”

               The horrified look on Edric’s face made Aquarius giggle.

               “That means you saw me wearing them yesterday.” Edric said in a mortified whisper. “You saw them, and you said nothing.”

                Aquarius giggled. “Why would I? If I said something, you might have taken them off. I don’t know how good your eyesight is. For all I know, you could be blind enough to accidentally fall down an empty well.”

                Edric huffed. “I would never fall down an empty well. There would at least be rocks at the bottom.”

                The two broke down into laughter, the memory forgotten for the moment. Aquarius wasn’t sure what he was supposed to have learned from it, but he was glad he was able to share it with Edric. Maybe later, when they calmed down, they could talk about what had transpired at The Archives. But for now, Aquarius was just happy enjoying Ed’s company.

Chapter Text

                The next week came and went without much fanfare. Ok there may have been a little fanfare. Luz had been preparing for the club fair at Hexside for a week straight (debatable), and if Aquarius didn’t know any better, it was just an excuse to spend more time with Amity. Or… maybe less time with him.

                Luz hadn’t talked to him much, and he had no idea why. He didn’t remember doing anything that he could have done to offend her, did he? Did he maybe insult The Good Witch Azura series without realizing it? He supposed that would be worth Luz’s silent treatment, but he didn’t recall ever saying anything specific or that could be misinterpreted as Azura slander. Then again, it could be any number of things.

                Aquarius had tried talking to her several times, but she insisted everything was fine. She was just busy preparing for the fair beginning the next weekend. Well, the weekend after The Coven Day Parade had passed and it was finally Friday morning. Today was the day of the fair and that meant that a whole two weeks had almost elapsed without a conversation longer than five minutes. But maybe he also wasn’t trying as hard to speak with her as he could have.

                You see, he had another problem on his hands (he was collecting so many problems since coming to the isles that he could start his own Archive). He was spending his time somewhere else – or rather, with someone else. This wasn’t a bad thing though and perhaps it was part of the reason that he hadn’t spoken much with Luz – not that he thought they were on bad terms or anything, but he did feel like she was avoiding him on occasion. But this particular someone was not someone he was expecting to add to his growing list of problems.

                This someone was Edric Blight. Edric himself wasn’t exactly the problem though. The problem had more to do with Aquarius than Ed. And it wasn’t like Aquarius didn’t like Ed – it was actually the opposite that was the problem. He was starting to realize that he maybe liked the Blight boy a little too much.

                Now Aquarius didn’t consider himself an expert in the romance department as far as personal relationships were concerned. He never had a single romantic relationship in his eons of life and he never once pursued any. Why would he need to? Then again, he’d never had much reason to consider it until now, which was shockingly inconvenient.

                He’d seen boys and girls in the past that he thought were attractive, but that had never once bothered him because he didn’t know them and wasn’t particularly interested in knowing them. He didn’t want to start dating someone only for them to learn that he was actually kind of a god… There were way too many negative outcomes from that kind of thing.

                But then there was the whole gender thing. Edric liked boys. Most guys in Aquarius’ situation might not have seen a problem with this, but Aquarius wasn’t most boys. Most boys were just that – boys. But Aquarius wasn’t just a boy. He was also a she. He didn’t have a definitive gender, which made him both by default. This posed a very complicated problem.

                He was never very insecure about his body. He didn’t wear a binder because he was insecure or because he wanted to hide. He just preferred male pronouns and if he had… well, you know… it was just less confusing for everyone. He didn’t despise his androgyny, but it was difficult to manage at times – particularly when you like a cute boy and have no idea how to explain your gender to them – or tell them that you are… yeah.

                Aquarius realized his attraction to the other boy about a week after he showed him the memory, which meant he’d known about his feelings for just under a week now. To be honest, he’d known about it for much longer and had tried very hard to deny it for multiple reasons. But he’d given up on trying to fight it and had moved on to pining like a lame teenager.

                Now here he was, sitting in Edric’s room on Friday morning, discussing what clubs they’d check out that afternoon. This was definitely not the time to be thinking about his crush – especially when in said crush’s room, talking to said crush.

                Edric Blight on the other hand, had a similar, yet different problem. He had recently abandoned humoring his own inner denial. He eventually had to tell himself that his thoughts about Q were far from platonic. He’d definitely liked Jerbo a lot, but this stupid moon boy came crashing into his life and now he couldn’t get enough of him. Funny how that works.

                But he was avoiding acting on these feelings for different reasons than Q. The other boy was just out of his league. Plain and simple. How a guy could look both beautiful and handsome was beyond him, but Q managed it with ease, no matter what he was wearing. It wasn’t fair. And Titan, he was just too nice for his own good. Q would never go for a guy like him – did Q even like guys?

                Q was cool and powerful, while Edric was… Edric. Yeah, he had the Blight name, and lots of people at the school apparently thought he was attractive. But none of those things mattered in the slightest when Q was his object of interest. Q was smart; Edric was not. Q was strong; Edric was not. Edric caught random bats on the knee and kept them as pets; Q did not – at least not as far as Edric knew. And Q actually knew what he wanted to do with his life, had dreams and goals. But what did Edric even want in his life? Illusions were cool, but they made Edric feel like nothing more than a conjuror of cheap tricks. Q could do so much more than he could, not to mention his near infinite store of knowledge.

                And that was another thing: Q was basically a god. He could snap his fingers and rip apart the entire isles if he wanted to (Q’s own words, not Edric’s). If Edric even did, by some miracle, end up dating Q, he would just be holding him back. Q could do so much better than Ed, and there was no way the boy even liked him anyway. He was stuck just pining like a lame teenager.

                Now here he was, sitting in his room, with his crush right in front of him. His crush. In his room. This had never been an issue until now, but the state of his room was really starting to make him feel subconscious. He shouldn’t have invited him here without at least taking some time to clean, but he had been too excited to check out all the school clubs with Q to even think much about it. Stupid teen hormones.

                Now, technically Aquarius wasn’t a student at Hexside. He couldn’t join any of the school clubs without some type of special permission, but he wasn’t planning on joining any anyway. He was here because he had a dumb crush on some witch and wanted to selfishly spend time with him. And he also wanted to help Edric find more interests and perhaps a date. Because Edric would never want to date him, and he’d promised to get the boy a date before he got his brother back.

                “Do you really think we should check out some of the Beast Keeping clubs?” Edric was asking nervously. “I don’t know how good I would be at that kind of thing.”

                “Are you kidding?” Aquarius raised an amused eyebrow. “You got yourself a pet bat just because you felt like it. I think you’d be a natural. Plus, we could go say hi to Viney and Em at the Griffon Appreciation stall while we’re there. You’ve never actually tried any of those things anyway, so you don’t know if you’d like it. Just because Plants and Abomination tracks didn’t work out, doesn’t mean you don’t have talent anywhere else.”

                Edric sighed. “Alright fine, but only because we’ll stop to see Em and Viney. I was also thinking about checking out the potions area because some of the stalls try and sell you amateur potions and they sometimes don’t do what they say they do. It’s like playing Witch Roulette but with potions. I found one potion that turned Amity into a cat once – that was a good time.”

                Aquarius opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a very annoying voice. “Edric, why are you not at school, and who is this strange boy?”

                The two had been good about avoiding Odalia Blight up until this moment. Because of their efforts, this happened to be the first time Aquarius would meet the insufferable witch. Not many people could call Aquarius strange and make his blood boil, but this woman did it.

                “Sorry Mother,” Edric said in a quizzical tone. “Did Emira and Amity not tell you that school was canceled for the club fair today?”

                Odalia stared at him for a moment before smiling slyly. “Oh yes, I do remember this now. I believe Amity was saying she would be looking into expanding her extracurriculars – something that will no doubt benefit her when she joins the Emperor’s Coven. Will you actually be making any use of your time there this year or will you insist on lollygagging like usual? And you still haven’t told me who your friend is here.”

                “My apologies Mrs. Blight.” Aquarius said, standing up to face her. “I should properly introduce myself; it would be rude of me to expect Edric to do the talking for me.”

                Aquarius was not going to let this woman slight her son like that. Edric should be allowed to do as he pleased without his overbearing mother beating him down. He had come to suspect that most of Edric’s insecurities were rooted in this evil woman, and he would do what he could to deflect her attention off of him, even if it meant the chance of offending Odalia.

                “How noble of you.” Odalia said primly. “What family are you from?”

                Aquarius pretended to be surprised by that question as he answered. “Oh, I’m actually an exchange student from another Titan. I would tell you my family name, but it is quite long, and my first name as well. But for simplicity’s sake, you can call me Q.”

                “Well Q,” Odalia said, sickeningly sweet. “What does your family do for a living? I can’t imagine anything useful as you are an exchange student.”

                The audacity of this witch. She was lucky he was making this up on the spot, because if not, she would be in for a bad time. He already didn’t like her, but she was not making a good case for herself.

                Aquarius put on an innocent face. “I don’t know what you mean by that. My parents are very prestigious collectors who happen to own a business selling unique and useful magical items. They’ve been very successful and are looking to expand their business to other Titans.”

                Odalia took on a pleased expression. “Oh really! That is interesting. My apologies for assuming. I hope Edric has been treating you well during your stay.”

                “He’s been doing a great job.” Aquarius said, turning to face Edric, who was trying very hard not to laugh. “He was going to show me around the fair today, which is why I’m here actually.”

                “Well done Edric.” Odalia smiled at her son. “You’re actually making yourself useful for once.” Her eyes said: Don’t you dare mess this up.

                She turned to face Aquarius again. “Well, I suppose I won’t keep you then. But if your parents do decide to bring their business to the isles, I expect they’ll need quality security. Give them my card whenever you get the chance.”

                Aquarius took the card and Odalia walked out of the room. He turned to Edric, who was positively beaming at him.

                “Did you just bamboozle my mother?” He asked with a giggle. “I thought you didn’t like lying Q.”

                “I don’t.” Aquarius smirked and pocketed the card. “But I don’t have a problem lying if it means covering for my friends. Besides, who knows what might have happened if she assumed I was poor or something. Oh, wait, we do.”

                Edric rolled his eyes. “You know I wouldn’t let her force me to unfriend you or whatever. And it’s not like she could anyway, considering your real identity.”

                “True.” Aquarius nodded. “But do you want to know something really interesting?”

                The other boy raised a questioning eyebrow.

                The Collector smiled mischievously. “If I’m not mistaken, your mother has an exclusive contract with Emperor Belos, which exempts her from advertising or offering her services to other businesses without the emperor’s consent. Individual people are excluded, but since my fake parents own a business…” He flashed Edric the card from his pocket. “Your mother technically just breached her contract.”

                Edric and Q had finally gotten to the fair just before things got too crowded. It wasn’t too hard actually, since most students decided to make their own stands for clubs they wanted to start and that meant more stands than witches exploring. It was kind of funny how many competing stands there ended up being, considering the fact that they could just as easily form an actual club if they worked together.

                The two cracked jokes about some of the stands that were there and checked out a few random ones that seemed interesting – in more ways than one. But they had two stands they were planning on checking out before moving on to the ones Edric actually wanted to see. Those two stands happened to be Luz’s Azura stand, and Viney’s Griffon stand. But they were sidetracked by an unexpected source.

                                “Would either of you be interested in forming Hexside’s first Flying derby team?” Willow asked sweetly. “We need at least five people to form a team and if you two joined, that would make four with Gus and I.”

                “Sorry Willow,” Q said seriously. “I wish I could, but I don’t actually have a palisman. But if I meet anyone who would be interested I’ll send them your way.”

                Edric nodded solemnly. “Same here. I haven’t got my palisman yet, but I’m not a sporty kind of guy anyway. I like watching, but playing isn’t my thing. It’s much more fun to heckle the other team from the sidelines.”

                Willow sighed. “Darn, I was really hoping at least someone would be interested. But I would really appreciate it if you guys helped me out and sent some people my way.”

                Gus was still in the stand behind her, holding out flyers and trying to pitch the team to other passers by. He didn’t seem to be making any headway either.

                “Don’t worry.” Q reassured her. “I’m all about helping my friends. You’ll have your flying derby team in no time if I have anything to say about it.”

                “Thanks Q.” Willow smiled, before her eyes latched on to someone behind him. “Hey you! Do you want to join Hexside’s flying derby team?”

                Edric and Q turned around to see who she was talking to and were surprised to see the Golden Guard. He seemed just as surprised to see them as he no doubt recognized them from a few weeks prior. But neither said a word as Willow walked up to the boy and introduced herself.

                “Hi there! I’m Willow.” She said, extending her hand. “I noticed you had a palisman and I think you would make an excellent addition to our flying derby team.”

                Hunter’s eyes flitted between Willow and the two boys as he shook her hand nervously. “O-oh I don’t know. I don’t know much about flying derby.”

                Willow smiled. “Don’t worry, I’d be more than happy to teach you! Although, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. What’s your name?”

                “Oh, um.” He glanced at Edric and Q, who folded their arms with smirks. “My name is uh… Caleb. Yeah, Caleb. I uh, transferred here from Glandus, so that’s probably why you haven’t er, seen me around.”

                Wow, this dude was a terrible liar. Edric exchanged a glance with Q, who seemed to be on the same page as him. He had no idea why the Golden Guard had shown up at Hexside, but the thought of him getting roped into a flying derby team to save face was a pretty alluring prospect. They would let this play out. Or perhaps…

                “Well Caleb, my friend,” Edric said, wrapping his arm over Hunter’s shoulder with a friendly smile. “I may not be a sport’s expert, but you strike me as an expert flag-grabber. That’s the name of the game after all, and you’d fit right in.”

                Hunter frowned. “I thought the name of the game was-”

                “Flying derby?” Q said, wrapping his arm over Hunter’s other shoulder, matching Edric’s smile. “You’d be right about that. Ed here was just making a figure of speech. But if you want to know what I think, I’d say you’re a pretty bright fella. And only the best and brightest witches play flyer derby.”

                “The best and brightest you say?” Hunter asked, eyes widening as he stared off into the distance. “And how many people are there on a flying derby team?”

                Edric looked at Willow and gave her a wink. “At least five to a team. But you can certainly have more. Q and I aren’t able to join the team ourselves, but you seem capable of finding the best and brightest for our good friend Willow.”

                Hunter nodded absentmindedly, seeming to be lost in thought. “The best and brightest…”

                “What do you say… Caleb.” Aquarius shook him lightly. “Do you want to work with the best and brightest witches Hexside has to offer?”

                “I’m in!” The Golden Guard said suddenly. “Where do I sign up?”

                “Good man!” Q said, patting the boy on the back as Willow pumped her fist and cheered. He leaned into Hunter’s ear and whispered through his toothy smile, just loud enough for Edric to hear. “If you hurt her Golden Guard, I will personally break every bone in your body.” He leaned back and shoved him towards Willow with a grin as Hunter’s pupils dilated in fear. “Have fun!”

                As the two began to walk away, Willow grabbed Edric’s arm. “Thanks guys. You’re the best!”

                “Don’t mention it!” Ed laughed honestly. “Any friend of Amity’s is a friend of mine!” He leaned forward to whisper. “But if you want my opinion, you, Luz and Gus are the only friends of hers worth my respect.”

                Willow’s eyes softened as Q added, “And I think you could have still handled this just as well without us – you’re a smart witch.”

                “Well I still want to thank you.” Willow smiled gratefully. “This means a lot to me. And for what it’s worth, you two make a very cute couple.”

                Edric and Q blushed.

                “We aren’t-”

                “We’re not-”

                They glanced at each other for a brief moment and quickly turned away, scratching the backs of their necks with steadily darkening cheeks. Why did she have to make things awkward all of a sudden?

                Willow giggled. “Well, I’ll let you two sort that out. I’m gonna go find the best and brightest witches for Hexside’s first flyer derby team! See you later!”

                She waved as the two walked away, not meeting each other’s gaze, with their hands in their pockets. After a few moments of awkward silence, Edric finally decided to break the ice.

                “So, uh…” Edric began, coughing awkwardly. “What do you think the Golden Guard is doing at Hexside?”

                Q’s shoulders relaxed slightly and he released a breathy chuckle. “He’s probably here to recruit the ‘best and brightest’ to the Emperor’s Coven. I think he’s still trying to prove himself to Emperor Belos and adding a few young recruits is probably his idea of how to get on his ‘uncle’s’ good side.”

                Edric frowned. “Did we just make a mistake by leaving him with Willow? Also, why did you say ‘uncle’ like that?”

                “I think she’ll be fine.” Q shrugged. “The Golden Guard appears to struggle with social interaction, so I don’t think he’ll get very far trying to convince anyone they actually find. And I’ll explain the uncle thing later. I have a feeling that Hunter’s relationship with Belos is much more complicated. For now, let’s just enjoy the fair.”

                Edric decided he would do just that. They walked for a bit, trying to find Luz’s stand first. Q seemed to know where he was going, so Edric decided to trust his judgement. Q had told him that Collector’s have an excellent memory, so he assumed that Luz had told him where to go. He had to admit, this boy had an exceptional sense of direction. They found Luz and Amity talking about something outside the stand, with Boscha looking on in annoyance.

                They were about to call out to them, when Luz grabbed Amity’s hand and dragged her in their direction. Edric thought that maybe Luz had spotted them approaching and had gotten excited, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

                “In a hurry!” Luz said as she sprinted past them, dragging Amity behind her. “Talk later!”

                Amity looked back with an apologetic smile and waved. Ed turned to Q, who just shrugged as if saying, “I’m just as lost as you man.”

                “You two aren’t cute!” Boscha called after the girls with an annoyed glare.

                Q and Edric approached her with questioning looks.

                “Where are those two going?” Edric raised an eyebrow.

                Boscha huffed. “Off to some dumb book signing or whatever. I can’t believe Amity is dating that loser. She can do so much better.”

                “Like who?” Ed snorted. “You?”

                The three-eyed girl blushed. “That’s not what I meant! Agh, I used to actually like you Blight twins, but I guess that was a mistake too.”

                “I know Viney said Em and I were the most attractive students in the school, but I didn’t know we were that attractive.” Edric winked teasingly. “I guess those three eyes have a use after all – to check out every Blight in school.”

                Boscha blushed. “That’s not what I – I didn’t mean that – oh whatever. Look, do you actually need something, or do you just want to patronize me?”

                “Actually Boscha,” Q jumped in. “You’re on the grudgby team, right? Would you be interested in joining Hexside’s first flyer derby team?”

                “With Half-a-witch?” She scoffed. “As if.”

                Ed rolled his eyes. “You do realize that Willow is one of the most gifted witches in the plant track in decades, right? The half-a-witch gimmick hasn’t aged well.”

                “Whatever.” Boscha said with an eyeroll of her own. It looked rather strange with that extra eye.

                Q sighed. “Alright, forget about it. But do you at least know anyone who might be interested at all? I mean, if not you, you’ve at least got to know someone. What about your girlfriend? Skara?”

                Boscha’s pink face took on a remarkably pinker shade. “She isn’t my girlfriend you brat. And she’s already on the grudgby team, so she isn’t interested. Don’t even bother asking her.”

                “Boscha!” A girl called from behind them. “You’ll never guess what I just did!

                The two boys stepped to the side to allow Skara to pass between them, catching her breath as she ran up to them and grinning, ears wiggling excitedly. “Hey Boscha, you’ve gotta come check this out!”

                “Check out what?” Boscha said suspiciously, looking the other witch up and down.

                “The Emerald Entrails – the flyer derby team!” Skara said, jumping up and down. “You’d be so good! I’ve already signed up, so you gotta come with me and-”

                Boscha looked stunned as she cut her off. “You already signed up?! B-but what about the grudgby team?”

                “Pshh.” Skara waved a dismissive hand. “Flying derby is played during the grudgby off-season! I can play for both, and you can too! C’mon Boscha, it’ll be fun!”

                “I…” Boscha’s face was contorted in a look of absolute betrayal. “I’m sorry, I gotta go.”

                The girl walked away and Skara turned to the other two. “Is she ok? She looked really bummed out.”

                Edric snorted. “Well, her high school crush just joined a team with one of her biggest rivals. I think I’d be pretty upset too.”

                Skara blushed. “Her high school what-now?”

                “Oops!” Edric said with wide eyes, grabbing Q’s hand and dragging him off. “Gotta go! Have fun playing flyer derby!”

                Edric and Q ran off towards the Beast Keeping section, leaving a shocked and confused bard track student behind. There was a chance that Skara didn’t read too much into his comment, but Ed had a feeling that she would take it very seriously. He had a reputation for being a very accurate source of gossip. As much as he disliked Boscha, he would feel bad if this ended up ruining one of her closest friendships. That being said, he wasn’t going to pretend like Boscha didn’t have that coming.

                Once they got far enough away, they slowed down a bit. Edric felt a little embarrassed that he was still holding Q’s hand, but it wasn’t uncommon enough that either of them would mind holding on a little longer than was necessary. By a little longer than necessary, they meant until they got to Viney’s stand – and still kept holding hands. Edric concluded that if people already thought they were a couple before, this probably didn’t help.

                “Oh hey guys!” Emira said as she spotted them approaching. “You here to see puddles?”

                “Well not just puddles, but yes.” Q replied with a smile. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

                Viney popped out from below the wood counter with a crate of griffon snacks. “Right here!” She set the crate down and her eyes drifted to the boy’s hands. “Aww, you two are so cute!”

                Edric and Q looked down at their clasped hands and then they both looked up towards each other and yelped as they pulled their hands apart like they’d been burned. They both took a short step away from each other.

                “That’s very nice of you to say Viney,” Edric said awkwardly. “But we aren’t…”

                “Together.” Q finished sheepishly. “Edric just pulled us out of an awkward situation with Skara earlier and we just forgot we were still holding hands.”

                Viney blinked at them for a moment. “Oh, sorry. You just looked so much like a couple there that I just assumed… I didn’t know you two weren’t a thing.”

                “Oh.” Edric blushed. “You thought Q and I were uh, dating? Wow, that’s the uh, first time anyone’s said that.”

                Q did not correct Edric about the fact that this was actually the second time that someone had assumed they were a couple in just the last hour alone. “Yeah, that’s um… pretty funny, haha.”

                Emira looked unimpressed. Did these two think they were blind? Well, she knew Edric was definitely blind, because anyone with functioning eyes could see that Q liked him. Too bad Ed needed glasses. But she was more disappointed in Q, who was a self-proclaimed matchmaker. She knew Ed better than anyone and she knew for a fact that Edric was crushing on Q hard. Is this how they felt watching her and Viney? Titan, how embarrassing.

                “Well, anyway,” Emira said, saving her brother from further embarrassment. “Did you guys want to feed Puddles? Nobody’s really stopped by our stall today, so she won’t be getting spoiled, I promise.”

                Viney nodded. “We’re also offering rides for ten snails. But since you helped Em and I get together, you can ride Puddles for free.”

                Edric and Q wouldn’t say no to offers like that. And so, they went out back to see Puddles. Edric drank in all the information about griffons that Viney offered. He was fascinated by all of the cool tricks Puddles could do, even more so with the awesome spider breath. Beast keeping was actually a lot cooler than he’d given it credit for.

                “Hey Ed.” Viney said, as she watched him pet Puddles, who was leaning into his hand and purring. Could it be called purring? It was more like a deep chittering noise, but it was definitely a noise of contentment.

                “Em said you have a pet bat.”  Viney continued. “Is that true?”

                Edric smiled as Puddles ruffled her feathers and nuzzled her beak into his hand. “You mean Batric? Yeah, he’s a cute little guy. He’ll perch on my shoulder and stuff, but he’s definitely not something you can ride like Puddles. I haven’t taught him any tricks yet, but we’re getting there.”

                Viney held her chin and looked Ed up and down. “You know, you look like you’re in your element here. I think you’d really enjoy the Beast Keeping track. It would help you with Batric too – it even seems like you made a magic bond with him without realizing it, which is impressive.”

                “Wait, really?” Ed turned to her with wide eyes. “I did? Or, I mean, I might have? I don’t know much about Beast Keeping to know what that actually means.”

                Aquarius watched Edric fawn over all of the cool Beast Keeping facts a little bit away, beside Emira. He looked so cute when he got excited about something. He did kind of wish they hadn’t stopped holding hands a while ago, but he was just fine watching the other boy ask Viney a bunch of ridiculous questions about griffons and other beasts.

                “Was I this bad with Viney?” Emira asked idly. “You look lovestruck. Normally I’d find it cute, but since it’s my brother I’m a little conflicted.”

                Aquarius blushed. “Is it that obvious?”

                Em nodded. “You both are. It’s very painful to watch. You do know he likes you too, right.”

                “Well, you just confirmed it for me, but I honestly had my suspicions for a while.” Aquarius sighed. “I’m honestly not sure what to do about that information.”

                “Wait, seriously?” Emira said with a puzzled look. “You literally can’t lose here. If you ask him out, I can guarantee he’ll say yes. So why don’t you?”

                Aquarius shook his head grimly. “Even if he would say yes, it would never work out in the end.”

                “And why not?” Em asked sternly – wow she sounded a lot more like Odalia when she talked like that.

                “Lots of reasons.” Aquarius shrugged. “I’m probably going to live forever while he won’t. I’m bound to do something that will scare him away somehow and he definitely deserves better than me anyway. I mean, I’m a selfish guy. And there are other reasons too, but those are at the front of the pack.”

                Em sighed. “You and I both know immortality potions are a thing. Elixers of youth aren’t too hard to make if you have the funds. I’m surprised Eda hasn’t looked into that stuff by now, but you know that is exactly the kind of impulsive thing Edric would do for love. And that doofus isn’t scared of anything – at least not anything actually dangerous. I have to heal random injuries from his dumb shenanigans at least bi-weekly. And don’t even get me started on how selfless you actually are. That’s something you and Luz have in common. So there go all your arguments.”

                “Not all of them.” He mumbled. “Look Em. Anyone who knows how to make potions like that, aren’t dumb enough to use them. They’re rare for more than just the ingredients you know. Immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and there’s a reason I never made any mortal friends until now. Watching someone you care about grow old and pass away while you stay young forever isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. But you probably aren’t wrong about Ed’s impulsiveness. He wouldn’t even think twice about something like that.”

                “What are you’re other reasons?” Em asked, watching Ed try to climb onto Puddles and fall onto his butt instead.

                Aquarius blushed. “Those are more… personal. I don’t know if I’m comfortable talking about that stuff right now.”

                “Oh.” Em’s eyes widened. “Are you worried about um… I mean, Ed probably doesn’t care if it’s – well, you’re also still a teenager and so is Ed and it would be a little too soon for that kind of stuff anyway, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

                “That’s not what I meant.” Aquarius’ face turned bright red (it was actually kind of interesting to see his blush on his two-toned face; Em could see the appeal). “I mean, you’re not that far off in a way, but it’s complicated. I’m not sure how to explain what I mean in a way that isn’t weird.”

                Emira was blushing just the same and was pointedly looking away from the boy and towards Viney who was showing Ed a bunch more of Puddles’ tricks. Some of them were new ones that she hadn’t even shown Em and she had to admit that she was a little jealous.

                “If you’re embarrassed about it then I won’t push it.” Em said with a blush. “But I do want to help you and Edric, so I’m willing to listen and I promise I won’t say a word to him even if I don’t think it’s that awkward or embarrassing.”

                Aquarius bit his lip. Could he really admit something like that willingly? And to Emira no less? How did you just tell someone that you literally don’t have a definitive gender? Yeah, he trusted Emira, but this was on a whole different level of personal. Then again, it hadn’t bothered her that he was technically a god, so maybe she could be trusted with this too. It was just such an embarrassing topic and… oh screw it.

                “Alright, but please keep this between us, ok?” He relented. “I’ve already accidentally let this slip to Luz, and I don’t want anyone else to know about this – especially Edric. Ok?”

                Emira glanced towards the still distracted Edric and nodded. “I promise.”

                Aquarius took a deep breath. “Alright, I’m not sure how to say this in a way that isn’t going to make things more awkward than they already are, so I’ll just say it: I’m not a boy.”

                “That’s…” Emira blinked in surprise. “Well, I mean, I guess I can see it a little bit... But I’m sure Edric would understand.”

                “No,” Aquarius shook his head. “It’s more complicated than that. I’m not a boy or a girl. I’m both. All Collectors are like that. Do you see the problem?”

                Emira stared at him for a moment and nodded slowly. “Yeah. That’s not the kind of problem I expected in the slightest.”

                Aquarius chuckled sardonically. “Exactly. How am I supposed to explain that to Ed? I could probably deal with everything else eventually, but this? It’s kind of an important thing for a significant other to know if you want a serious relationship and Edric likes boys not… what I am.”

                “Oh Q…” Em said with a sad sigh. “I can’t say that I know how you feel, and I can’t say how Ed would react to that. But what I can say is that I don’t think Ed likes you because of your gender. This is definitely a very personal topic, so I don’t blame you for being hesitant. Just… if you ever decide to ask out my brother, I’ll support you no matter what. You’re a good guy Q – um, you’re ok with me calling you a guy, right?”

                Aquarius’ shoulders relaxed and he laughed softly. “Yes, I’m ok with that. Honestly you can call me anything you want, but male pronouns are best around other people. But thank you for understanding.”

                “Of course,” Emira bumped his shoulder. “What are friends for? But can I ask you another personal question?”

                They had both turned back to watch as Ed made a little illusory laser pointer and shined it around on the ground. Puddles would follow it and then pounce on wherever the light landed. She was getting more and more excited, even though she wasn’t able to catch the mysterious light. Ed and Viney were both laughing as Puddles crouched down and flattened her wings on her back to jump at the elusive light once more.

                “Go ahead,” Aquarius asked, spirits lifting a little at the spectacle. “But if it’s too personal, I’m not answering.”

                Emira nodded and leaned towards him. “As a healer I’m a little curious to know how it works. I mean, if you’re also a girl, does that mean you have uh, monthly cycles?”

                Aquarius facepalmed. “Oh, of all the – yes! If you really are that curious, yes. Satisfied?”

                “Oh Titan that sucks.” Emira said with a shocked expression. “That sounds like a nightmare.”

                “You mean having consistent monthly periods for thousands of years on top of male puberty?” Aquarius grimaced. “It’s literal hell. But if you’re done asking inappropriate questions, I think we should intervene before Edric accidentally – oh no!”

                Edric had turned the laser onto a neighboring tent and Puddles had not hesitated to crash right into it, getting caught in the canvas and shattering the table into splinters. Was it an accident? Well, it was hard to say really. But accident or not, Aquarius and Emira ran in to do damage control.

                Aquarius couldn’t help laughing as Viney apologized to the owner of the tent while trying to suppress a giggle. And he became utterly useless as he watched Puddles bounce around in circles with the tent canvas over her face, squawking in childish glee. How that crazy beast didn’t panic was beyond Aquarius, but it was not something he would soon forget. After all, Collector’s have an impeccable memory.

Chapter Text

                Another three weeks went by after the fair. Aquarius was still not sure what he should do, but he was grateful for Emira’s advice. As awkward as his predicament may be, he was fortunate enough to have the support of both Luz and Emira. And Emira wasn’t lying when she said that Ed liked him.

                He had to admit, now that he was actually paying attention, Edric surprisingly had it bad. He hadn’t really noticed it before, but once Emira actually pointed it out to him, he started to pay very close attention to the other boy. He’d thought the blushing was just an Amity and Emira thing, but Edric was just as awkward and hopeless as they had been. As much as he wanted to ease his burden and actually ask him out, he remembered why he wasn’t in the first place. Besides, it was fun to mess with him.

                Aquarius was never the flirty type. Well, he’d never really flirted even once in his life to begin with, so that was a given. But he’d taken some advice from Luz and Emira (Eda offered a few words of wisdom, but Aquarius wasn’t sure it was wise), and they taught him the art of subtle flirting. He felt a little bad messing with Edric like that, but Titan he was adorable when he got flustered.

                Now, if Edric ever built up the courage to confess his feelings to Aquarius, things would get a little bit complicated. Aquarius would have to confront a lot of things that he was far from ready to face. It was kind of ironic how he’d just been pushing Luz to ask out Amity – who clearly liked her – and now Aquarius couldn’t bring himself to ask out Ed – who clearly like him – because he, like Luz, had insecurities that were difficult to overcome. But Aquarius’ problems, unlike Luz’s, were difficult to relate to. Some might disagree, but that was how Aquarius perceived things.

                How many people in the Boiling Isles were immortal? As far as he was aware, none. How many people in the Boiling Isles were androgynous? Well, ok, maybe Raine Whispers, but Aquarius wasn’t sure that was actual androgyny. Still, his point stood strong. There were plenty of reasons why this was a difficult situation and those were both huge and relationship defining. You can’t sweep either of those things under the rug.

                But Aquarius had another Edric problem. For almost a week now, Edric had been avoiding him. He wasn’t sure why, but he thought that maybe Em had accidentally let something slip and now Ed was just uncomfortable around Aquarius. But then, Aquarius hadn’t seen Emira either. They both seemed to be avoiding him, so perhaps that just corroborated his theory. Then again, this was Edric who had been stopping by the owl house at least every other day just to see him. Something wasn’t adding up.

                His questions were answered by Amity, who had come by to see Luz with an abomiton tailing her. Apparently, Amity wanted to go to the Bonesborough Brawl since she was finally old enough to participate, but her father Alador turned her down. It turned out that Emperor’s Coven tryouts were also that day, and Odalia wanted her daughter to attend. Only Amity didn’t want to join the Emperor’s Coven anymore.

                But this gave Aquarius an opportunity to ask about Ed and Em to find out why they seemed to be avoiding him. Amity seemed hesitant for a moment, before finally telling him what was going on. After he heard what happened, he tuned out everything around him. He didn’t even notice the abomiton leave to find whatever impossible thing Amity sent it out to acquire. And he didn’t notice Luz and Amity leave for the brawl.

                The reason the twins were avoiding him was none other than Odalia Blight. She had somehow found out about Emira dating Viney, and she was not happy. How she hadn’t found out about Luz and Amity was a different matter, but this was just the tip of the iceberg.

                Viney’s mother was not a very wealthy woman. She was a single mother, trying to provide for her only daughter on whatever snails she could get. She had known Odalia since high school and the two did not get along very well. Needless to say, she was not happy to hear that Viney was dating a Blight – until she actually met Emira that is.

                Odalia Blight was old fashioned, but sexuality was never an issue in the isles. When you had magic and potions that could do whatever you wanted, there was very little reason to care. Her problem was greed. Odalia could not accept anything less than the best for a Blight, and Viney did not fit her requirements. She had given Emira an ultimatum: Dump Viney by the next week, or Odalia would have her expelled from Hexside. In the meantime, Odalia would find a more suitable(wealthy) partner for her daughter.

                If Mrs. Blight wasn’t an oracle, Emira could have just pretended to break up with Viney and then moved on. But that wasn’t going to work with Odalia. It either happened, or it didn’t. Em was trapped between keeping her relationship with Viney and pleasing her mother. And if Viney was expelled from Hexside, there wouldn’t be many other options for her since Principal Bump was utilizing school resources to help cover her expenses and no other school was willing to accommodate Viney like that. Bump had even helped her cover schooling while she was in the detention track.

                Now, if Odalia Blight wasn’t the nosiest witch in the isles, it might have stopped there. But it didn’t. She’d discovered that Edric had been helping Emira get with Viney by snooping through Ed’s room while he was at school. Some of the notes for ‘Operation Vinera’ had been missed by the three of them when they disposed of the evidence. This was probably how she discovered the relationship in the first place, but regardless, she scolded Edric for “encouraging Emira’s poor taste in witches”.

                But that’s not all, oh no, not by a longshot. Apparently, Odalia had been suspicious of Aquarius after their first meeting and had done some investigating – how this woman had time to do this was beyond him. She discovered that he was staying at the owl house and that he was not attending Hexside as an exchange student. This obviously was a red flag for Odalia, and she informed Edric that he was not to associate with Aquarius since she believed he was trying to scam them for snails or whatever. She probably assumed Eda had put him up to it, which was actually kind of fair considering Eda’s track record.

                Normally, Edric would have ignored Odalia, but the woman flexed her political muscles and informed him that she would send the Emperor’s Coven after Aquarius if he didn’t obey. Edric seemed to forget that Aquarius was a god and that Coven guards would be child’s play. Not to mention that Hooty was a force to be reckoned with as it was. What was she gonna do? Send a Coven Head? Yeah, that’s cute.

                Finally, she’d threatened to put both of them on house arrest if they didn’t comply. Aquarius had never heard of such childish behavior from an adult in his thousands of years of life. Who did this money-grubbing heathen think she was? This kind of controlling behavior was not gonna fly with Aquarius. She was interfering with more than just her children’s lives at this point. It was high time The Collector did something about it – which is why he was now sitting in Odalia’s office in Blight Manor, wearing his hooded cloak, sitting in the woman’s own chair and propping his feet up on the desk.

                He was invisible at the moment, but he was really starting to get impatient. The movies made this stuff look way cooler than it actually was (looking at you, Marvel). Like, seriously, how long did people wait until they can do a dramatic reveal by flicking on a desk lamp or whatever? He even considered the possibility that Odalia might not even show up, which brought up another point about those movies: what did they do if their target just didn’t show up? Did they just wait there until they did? What kind of masochist submits themselves to such torture? How committed would someone have to be to sit in somebody’s house for a week, just for a simple conversation? There was probably a reason this kind of stuff only happened in fiction, because this was just dumb. He’d been here for what? Almost three hours now?

                Finally – blessedly – Odalia Blight walked into her office, walking over to a wall where a family portrait hung. She took it down, revealing a small safe, which she opened and dropped in a small pouch of snails. Titan, did this woman not even trust banks? Wow, this chick was paranoid.

                She closed the safe and replaced the painting, and Aquarius took that as his cue. Heh. Q’s cue. He’d have to remember that one; Luz and Edric would get a kick out of that.

                He snapped his fingers and the door swung shut, causing the witch to turn around in surprise. He’d made himself visible in the same moment and her eyes locked on him. His hood was still up, and his face was shrouded in darkness, but he didn’t hesitate to make his identity known.

                “Hello Mrs. Blight.” He said calmly. “It’s been a minute.”

                Odalia narrowed her eyes. “Q. What are you doing in my house?”

                Aquarius lowered his feet and leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “I just thought we could have a little chat. Our last conversation was so brief. It’s a shame it didn’t get to last longer. Why don’t you take a seat?”

                “You happen to be sitting in mine at the moment.” Odalia quipped brusquely. “There isn’t anywhere else to sit, so you’ll have to stand up.”

                His hand disappeared into his dark hood as he sat back and stroked his chin in thought. “Hm. You’re right. Why don’t we compromise?”

                He waved his other hand and a chair appeared beside her. “There, problem solved. Now sit.”

                “How dare you-” Odalia began to say, before Aquarius moved his hand like he was zipping a zipper and her mouth snapped shut involuntarily. Her eyes widened in surprise as she found herself unable to speak.

                “You’ve got the wrong idea Odalia.” Aquarius said, still holding an invisible zipper in his fingers. “This may be your house and your office, but I’m in charge right now. Do you understand?”

                Odalia glared at him and sat down.

                “Good.” Aquarius said, unzipping her mouth.

                The woman gasped as she regained the use of her mouth. “Who do you think you are? I am Odalia Blight for Titan’s sake! Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?”

                Aquarius chuckled, which escalated into a mirthless laugh. “Oh, I know exactly who I’m messing with. What you associate with power is so trivial. Money? Fame? Who you know or how many snails you have, makes little difference to me.”

                He lowered his hood and leaned forward, with a smirk. “You strike me as a paranoid individual. However, you didn’t check your surroundings while you hid your money in your safe. So, you either believe your house is safe from prying eyes, or you used a bit of your oracle magic. Now I doubt it’s the first option, because you don’t even trust your own children, so I can only assume you did a quick divination and deduced that you were completely alone. Am I right?”

                Odalia narrowed her eyes. “Whether I did or didn’t is none of your business.”

                “So, you did!” Aquarius replied, resting his chin on his hand. “There’s no point in playing coy with me, I can tell when someone’s bluffing. Now, most people think oracles can only tell fortunes or make phantasms, but the predictive power of oracles goes beyond that. It’s the perfect magic for both the practical and paranoid. There are a few little nifty tricks oracles like you can pull off with a little ingenuity. But tell me Odalia: if you used a detection spell, how come you didn’t notice me watching?”

                Odalia didn’t respond. She could have lied and told him that she didn’t know of any spell that could do that sort of thing or told him that she didn’t think it was necessary. But this boy had already caught her first lie with relative ease, so there was no point. Since that was the case, it was likely a rhetorical question. And that made Odalia very uncomfortable.

                “Stumped?” Aquarius chuckled. “I’m not surprised. No witch – invisible or otherwise – could have avoided a detection spell like that. It isn’t specific, so you don’t know the exact locations – but you know somebody is there somewhere. Now, my point in all of this is to say that you don’t have any idea what true power is.”

                Odalia scoffed. “Is that why you’re here? To gloat?”

                “No.” Aquarius answered simply. “That’s just introductions. I’m here because you’ve decided that you can control your children’s lives like they’re your property. But you’ve neglected the fact that doing so, doesn’t just affect Edric and Emira, but also those they choose to associate with.”

                “Are you telling me how to raise my own children?” Odalia fumed, standing up.

                Aquarius looked at her with a neutral expression. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Now return to your seat Odalia, I’m not done.”

                “I beg your pardon?!” She exclaimed angrily.

                “Then beg!” Aquarius snapped, jumping to his feet and meeting her eyes with a withering glare. And it indeed was withering, because Odalia stumbled back in surprise and landed back in her chair, stunned into silence.

                He took a deep breath. “Now, it has come to my attention that you have been making a few assumptions that I’d like to rectify. Your first assumption is that Viney is somehow not good enough for your daughter. I didn’t realize that you got to call the shots in Emira’s love life. Emira gets to decide who’s good enough for her – not you. If she ever has to break up with her, it should be on her terms, not yours.”

                “Who are you to say what’s good for her?” Odalia snapped, regaining her composure. “I am her mother you scoundrel! I’m just looking out for Emira’s future!”

                Aquarius snorted. “You mean your future. You care very little about her happiness and a lot more about lining your pockets.”

                He zipped her lips shut again with a wave of his hand before she could make a rebuttal. “I really haven’t liked your tone, so you’ll have to forgive me for cutting you off. In fact, I think I’ll keep you like this until I say my piece. Now where was I?”

                Odalia’s face was red with anger, and she began to make a spell circle. Aquarius sighed and snapped his fingers, freezing her in place.

                “I believe your second erroneous assumption was about me.” He continued. “Yes, I do live at the owl house and yes, I definitely have been lying about where I’m from. But to assume I’m friends with Edric because I want your money is insulting. Edric is worth so much more to me than however many snails you have in your bank account. I’m not going to resolve either of those other concerns, because to be quite frank with you, it’s none of your business. But I can promise you that I am much less of a threat to your son than you are.”

                “Now that I’ve cleared that up, I’d like to make a deal with you.” Aquarius flicked his fingers again to allow her to speak.

                Odalia took an angry breath. “I’m not interested in whatever deal you have to offer.”

                Aquarius smiled devilishly. “I had a feeling you’d say that. But I think you’ll reconsider after I explain what that entails. Do you remember giving me this little business card?”

                “What does that have to do with anything?” Odalia huffed.

                The Collector floated a packet off Odalia’s desk and into her lap. “Take a look at page three and tell me what you see there.”

                Odalia looked at it for a moment. “Is this…”

                “Your contract with Emperor Belos?” Aquarius finished. “Yes, it is. I suppose I can save you the trouble of looking and tell you what makes page three relevant. It clearly defines rules against dealing with any companies or private investors that have not been approved by Belos or his subordinates. Do I need to go into further detail?”

                “What are you trying to imply here, Q?” Odalia said haughtily. “I am a woman of integrity! I would never breach an agreement for my own personal gain.”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Integrity isn’t a word I use when describing you. But, allow me to show you my end of the deal.”

                He snapped his fingers and two individuals appeared, a man and a woman. They were dressed in the same starry robes as Aquarius and looked very much like the boy behind the desk.

                “These two innocent souls are but humble witches, trying to expand their growing business to new venues.” Aquarius explained with a blank expression. “As luck would have it, Blight Industries has been kind enough to offer their services to help them get established in the Boiling Isles. Isn’t that just wonderful? That’s so very nice of you to breach your contract to help two budding entrepreneurs.”

                Aquarius made a mock gasp. “Oh! But wait! They had no idea you had such a contract! How unfortunate would it be if they discovered they had accidentally made an illegal deal with Blight Industries? What would Emperor Belos say?”

                “Th-this is blackmail!” Odalia sputtered.

                Aquarius dismissed the two illusions. “Oh, so you’re familiar with the concept then. Are you going to listen to what I have to say now?”

                Odalia glared daggers at him, while he looked back with indifference. “You won’t get away with this Q. I’m Odalia Blight for Titan’s sake! Do you have any idea what kind of connections I have at my disposal? I could ruin you and all of your little friends at that disgusting owl shack.”

                “No, you really couldn’t.” Aquarius replied dryly. “You see Odalia, this is how this is going to go down: You will apologize to Emira and Edric. Tell Emira that you misjudged Viney and that she can continue to date her. Tell Edric that you made a mistake with me. Honestly tell him whatever you want for all I care, I just want you to stay out of their private lives for good. In return, I won’t send Mr. and Mrs. Q crying to Kikimora or the Golden Guard.”

                “That’s all you want?” Odalia stared at him. “That sounds a little extreme for such a simple request. You could have just asked and I would have been happy to oblige – there’s no need for any of this nonsense.”

                Aquarius laughed. “Odalia you naïve little witch! I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m familiar with what you did to Amity and Willow, as well as when you attempted to have Luz and her friends expelled – even going so far as to attempt to murder Luz with an abomiton. This is simply insurance. Now that you know what’s at stake, you’re going to pretend like this was all a misunderstanding. But I’m not going to let you off the hook that easy.”

                “I’m not sure what you mean.” Odalia said with a fake smile. “I’ll admit my actions were certainly out of line, so there really is no need to resort to unnecessary measures. I’ll be sure to speak with my children as soon as I see them and clear up this little misunderstanding.”

                “Wow that was almost scripted.” Aquarius blinked. Then, he walked around the desk and stood in front of her with a cold stare. “I expect to be speaking with Edric and Emira by no later than tomorrow. And I better hear that you followed through with your promise. Otherwise, things might not go very well for Blight Industries. And if anything happens to Viney or the twins, or if Coven guards show up at the owl house for any reason… I won’t hesitate to run your reputation into the ground.”

                Odalia gulped. Aquarius was about a head taller than the woman, so he was looking down at her with a fire in his eyes that she had never seen before in her life. This was not somebody to be crossed. She didn’t know enough about this troublesome boy to say whether he could or couldn’t do what he claimed, but it was better to play it safe… for now.

                “You have my word Q.” Odalia said, trying for a professional tone. “I do apologize for getting in between you and my children. I misjudged you.”

                Aquarius scoffed. “I’m sure you did. I’ll be leaving now, but before I go, I want to get one thing straight: this is me being nice to you. I can do so much worse to you, but since you’re so fond of ultimatums, I figured I’d give you a little taste of your own medicine. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be at the bottom of the food chain, but maybe you can tell me sometime.”

                With that, he stepped around her and waved his hand, making the chair he summoned disappear and opening the door. As he walked away, he could feel her glare on his back. He couldn’t help smiling at the idea of her scheming ways to get back at him. You really can’t teach stupid.

                “You blackmailed my mother?!” Edric exclaimed the next day at the owl house. “Are you insane?”

                Eda chuckled from the other side of the living room as she mixed a boiling cauldron. “I knew I liked you moon boy.”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Maybe I am Ed. But this wouldn’t have been a problem if you’d just come to me in the first place. I would have been more inclined to have a more civil discussion with her, but that’s no longer an option.”

                Edric shook his head grimly. “Do you even know what she’s capable of?”

                “Ed, you do realize that it was The Collectors who wiped all of the Titans out of existence right?” Aquarius deadpanned. “I’m more powerful than most of my siblings myself. If she wants to test me, I’m not gonna stop her.”

                “Q, you are absolutely crazy.” Edric shook his head fondly. “I can’t believe you did that just because I wasn’t able to spend time with you.”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Well, she was also trying to ruin all the hard work we put in for Em and Viney and there was no way I was going to let that happen. But next time your mother acts like a possessive Karen, let me know. We can deal with her together alright?”

                Ed laughed. “I have no idea what a Karen is, but you’ve got yourself a deal moon boy.”

                And that was how at least one of Aquarius’ many problems was solved. Was it unnecessary and dramatic? Probably. But Odalia Blight deserved to be knocked down a few pegs and she had given him a golden opportunity that he was not going to pass up. Besides, if it made Edric look at him like that then he would gladly do it all over again.

Chapter Text

                “So that’s how you met Raine Whispers huh?” Edric said, double checking he was adding the correct ingredient to the cauldron. “I didn’t realize the head of the Bard Coven was such a troublemaker when they were younger. It sounds like you two were made for each other.”

                Eda sighed. “I thought so too – hold on, don’t stir it yet. It needs to settle.”

                Edric nodded and flopped down on the couch next to Q. They had turned the owl house living room into a temporary brewing station. Edric had decided to take up the Potions Track at hexside, as well as Beast Keeping – per Q, Em and Viney’s insistence. Even Luz and Amity had chimed in and offered their support for his next attempt at multi-tracking. So now he had to play catch up and Eda had offered to help him learn some of the basics.

                “So, what changed?” Q asked conversationally.

                Eda handed Edric the next ingredient and he sighed and stood back up. “It just wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t want Raine to have to deal with my curse, possibly putting themself in danger for a gal who was already on the path to becoming a wild witch. They had dreams to be in the Emperor’s Coven someday and that wasn’t possible for me anymore.”

                Edric had done his part and added what she’d given him. He knew it was the final ingredient and he remembered what the next step was supposed to be from the textbooks. “Alright, it needs to simmer for about thirty minutes, is that right?”

                “Yep, you’re a quick learner.” Eda smiled at him as he flopped back down next to the Collector. “I’m surprised you didn’t start learning potions sooner; you’ve got quite the knack for it. Now anyway, as I was saying about Raine… They were the one that broke up with me. We both agreed that it was for the best, but I’m not gonna lie – it definitely hurt. Like I said, it wasn’t meant to be.”

                Edric frowned. “Well it sounds like you two gave up on romance over something that was out of your control. I mean, it’s not like you asked to be cursed. What do you think Q?”

                He turned to face the other boy, who seemed to be momentarily stunned. “Hey Q, you there buddy?”

                “O-oh, yeah, sorry.” Q said, shaking himself. “I um… what was the question again? Oh, right. I think that uh, Eda’s situation was certainly complicated, so I can see why you decided to part ways. It’s not really my place to say, I guess.”

                “Yeah, but I stand by what I said.” Edric shrugged. “Complicated or not, it still isn’t fair to either of them. I mean, you and Raine sound like you made a great couple. From what Luz tells me, you both didn’t want to break things off. If I were Raine, I wouldn’t have let you go – why blow a chance at being with someone you like just because they’re a little bit different?”

                Eda scoffed. “Yeah, tell that to Raine. Last time I saw them they told me they hadn’t spoken to me in years – even though we had been working together very recently. They’ve probably been brainwashed by the emperor or whatever, so they completely forgot about me. It’s for the best I suppose. It isn’t like we had any chance of being together with the coven system in place.”

                “Eh, I’m not a romance expert.” Ed shrugged. “But the best romance stories have couples get together despite both parties believing it’s impossible. Sounds cliché I guess, but that’s what sells. Who knows Eda? Maybe you ought to give Raine the benefit of the doubt.”

                Q turned to face Edric with a quizzical smirk. “Since when did you know anything about romance stories? Do you watch soap operas on your crystal ball in the evenings? Wait, is that how you found out about Amity’s hideout at the library? Because if I remember correctly, that’s in the romance section.”

                “That’s none of your business.” Edric blushed.

                “Eda!” Luz groaned, walking in the front door. “I ripped the super awesome magic cloak you gave me. Can you fix it?”

                The three of them turned to Luz as Eda responded. “How the hell did you do that?”

                “Eda!” Luz exclaimed. “Watch your language! There is a young and impressionable King present!”

                King yawned from where he was curled up on the couch beside Q, who seemed very surprised to hear his voice from that particular spot. “Weh, I’ve heard her say worse.”

                Luz gasped. “Eda, we need to get you a swear jar!”

                “No we don’t.” Eda snapped. “Now answer the damn question. How did you rip your f-”

                “I fell out of a tree.” Luz said, cutting her off before she finished her sentence. “Why I was in the tree isn’t important, what matters is that I need the magic cloak stitched up asap!”

                Eda rolled her eyes. “Show me how bad it is.”

                Luz took off her dark blue, magic cloak and placed it into the arms of the older witch. Eda turned it every which way, analyzing every seam and stitch thoroughly before finally finding the offending hole.

                “It’s not the worst I’ve seen.” Eda remarked. “It’s just split at one of the seams. We could easily get it restitched at the night-market. I know a gal who’s a great seamstress. She’s also a very talented oracle, but that’s not important. But if we left right now, we could get it done and explore the market for an hour or so while she worked on it.”

                Luz frowned. “Would it really take an hour? I thought you said it wasn’t bad.”

                “No, it won’t take more than five minutes, but it’s just an excuse for me to check out what strange knick-knacks are on sale tonight.” Eda shrugged. “So what do you say we get going?”

                Luz pumped her fist excitedly while Edric stood up and stretched.

                “Well, I could definitely use a break from potions.” Edric said, rolling his shoulder – his stirring arm as a matter of fact. Eda insisted that he do things the old-fashioned way since she couldn’t use magic either, which was totally unfair. But he knew better than to go against that crazy witch – last time he’d tried using magic to mix a potion, she’d used a plant glyph to attach his hand to the mixing spoon while he was distracted by something Q was talking about.

                “Oh no you don’t, Blight.” Eda scolded. “Someone’s gotta stay here and keep an eye on the potion. At least get it bottled before you go galivanting through the town with your rich boy attitude.”

                Edric reeled back in shock. “Rich boy attitude? I don’t have a rich boy attitude!”

                “Well, you’re a boy and you’re rich.” Eda grabbed her staff and threw her cloak over her shoulder. “But that doesn’t matter. Someone’s got to keep an eye on this potion until it’s ready and it ain’t gonna be me.”

                “But Eda! I wanna go to the night-market!” Ed pouted.

                Q sighed. “I’ll stay here with you Ed. The night-market wouldn’t be very fun for me anyway. Besides, someone needs to stay here to chaperone, since Hooty needs a proper babysitter and you’re prone to random injury.”

                “Hey!” Edric said at the same time as Hooty, who had swung open to glare at Q.

                Eda picked up King off the couch, who scrambled to hide in her unruly mane of hair. “Well since the door is open, I guess that means it’s time to go. Try not to blow up the house while we’re gone.”

                Luz gave the two an apologetic wave. “Sorry guys! I’ll try and find you something cool, I promise!”

                After they left, the door swung shut and Hooty began talking as they walked away from him. When he wasn’t satisfied with the conversation, he found a random bug to torment with his obnoxious voice – a bug which he inevitably ate about thirty seconds in. What he got up to after that was anybody’s guess.

                Edric suddenly realized something very important. He was alone in the owl house. With Q. This was a blessing and a curse. Because on one hand, he was alone with Q. But on the other hand, he had barely been able to keep his composure around the boy ever since he’d accepted his feelings for Q. And Q was not making things easier for him.

                “Well,” Q sighed, resting his head on the armrest of the couch and laying down so that his feet rested on Edric’s lap. “I guess it’s just you and me for a while.”

                Edric looked down at the place Q had designated a leg rest. “Y-yeah. Just you… and me. That’s right. Um…”

                Q smirked. “Is there a problem Ed? You look a little nervous. You aren’t scared to be alone with a god-like teen are you? I don’t bite you know.”

                God-like? Well it would be arrogant if it wasn’t true. Was Edric scared? Well, he wasn’t scared of Q hurting him or anything, but… Hold on, was Q flirting with him? Maybe it was just playful teasing, but isn’t that what flirting was? Because now that he thought about it, his tone had been somewhat suggestive… No he was reading into this way too much.

                Play it cool Edric. “You’re not a problem.” Smooth Ed. Real smooth.

                Q giggled. “Gee, thanks Ed. But relax man, you aren’t going to make this potion any worse just because Eda isn’t around. The hard part is over, now we can just sit back and relax while we wait for the thirty minutes to pass so we can get this stuff into bottles.”

                Yes. The potion. That was why Edric was nervous. No other reason.

                “I know Q.” He said, taking the out he was offered. “I just can’t help feeling like I’ll still screw something up. The first time I helped Eda make a potion I ended up making a strength potion instead of a truth potion and Warden Wrath went berserk. Amity and Luz almost got hurt because I was trying too hard to be helpful. What if I let it simmer for too long – or too little? Brewing potions is just so specific about every tiny detail. I’m a screw-up by nature so something is bound to go wrong with such a meticulous process.”

                Q sighed and folded his arms over his chest. “Okay, first of all, you aren’t a screw up by nature. Everyone makes mistakes Ed. And second of all, everything still worked out with Warden Wrath and you really proved yourself from what I’ve been told. Plus, nobody got hurt, so it’s all good.”

                “That’s easy for you to say, you weren’t there.” Edric looked away. “Besides, I’m sure I’ll find some way to mess this up. I always do.”

                Q readjusted himself to sit on the couch properly. “No, you don’t Ed. And even if you did, I made sure to make this potion Edric proof.”

                He held out a little stopwatch that had a timer counting down from a little over ten minutes. “I started the timer the moment you put in the last ingredient. I know how to make potions too Edric, and I’ve gotten most recipes memorized by heart. You would really have to be trying to mess this up with me around.”

                Titan, why does this moon boy have to be so thoughtful?

                “Because this moon boy is your friend and doesn’t want to see you get hurt.” Q said softly.

                Wait, had Edric said that out loud? Well, that was embarrassing.

                It could have been worse, all things considered. Edric thought to himself.  I could have mentioned how I thought his eyes were like starlight, or how his smile seems to make my heart beat a thousand miles a minute. I could have mentioned how he shines like the moon on a cloudy night or how –

                “Do you always wax poetic when you think out loud or is this a new thing?” Q giggled.

                Edric froze in shock. He didn’t say all of that… Oh, yeah, he definitely did. He’d just zoned out and rambled on, momentarily forgetting who his audience was. He hadn’t thought out loud since he was ten years old – Emira had worked him out of the habit. But apparently Q somehow brought that bad habit right back to the surface again. How was he supposed to explain all of that? Every word he’d said was dripping with sappy romanticism.

                “Hey, no need to stop now, you were on a roll there.” Q chuckled. “I didn’t mean to cut you off, but I didn’t want you to feel embarrassed any more than you probably already do.”

                “I…” Edric began. “Look, if you can just forget I said anything… I mean, I don’t want you thinking that I…”

                Q made it a point to look directly into his eyes. “You don’t want me to think that you like me? I think it’s a little too late for that, Ed. A Collector has a perfect memory you know.”

                Edric groaned. “I’m sorry, Q. This is a really awkward time for me to say that stuff. This is a totally unromantic setting and I’m sure you think it’s really weird, but I guess the bat’s out of the bag now.”

                “You really have been reading too many romance novels, haven’t you?” Q said, cocking his head to the side with a mischievous smirk. “I don’t think it’s weird Ed. And in your defense, it could have been a lot more awkward – the rest of the owl house could have been here. Good thing it’s just you and me, right?”

                Edric opened his mouth to respond, but a chirpy alarm stopped him. Oh, right. The potion.

                He made a spell circle and extinguished the flames. Without much hesitation, he grabbed one of the empty glass bottles Eda had set aside for him to use and popped the cork, making another spell circle when he got it open. The dark purple liquid trickled upwards out of the little cauldron and into the bottle, as if a waterfall decided to reverse its course upwards. After a few moments, the bottle was full, and he replaced the cork. He reached for another bottle, before a pale-blue hand grabbed his wrist.

                “I’ll take care of the rest.” Q said gently. “You’ve got this down and that’s gonna take a while.”

                Edric pulled his hand back in confusion but didn’t argue. Q didn’t wait much longer after that, before he snapped his fingers and the cauldron was empty, and several of the little bottles were filled with the viscous liquid.

                “You never cease to amaze me.” Edric said softly.

                Q chuckled, swishing one of the little potions around. “So I’ve heard.”

                But then a sad look overtook Q’s gentle features, and he placed the potion bottle on the table. He stared at it for a long while, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Edric had no way of knowing what the boy was thinking, but he had a guess.

                “It’s ok Q.” Edric sighed. “If you don’t feel the same way, I won’t be upset. I mean, I understand why you wouldn’t, but I know you’re too nice to admit it.”

                Q frowned. “No, Ed. That isn’t the problem. I mean who wouldn’t like you? You’re kind and funny – not to mention handsome. The problem is that I do like you Ed. But I’m not sure I know how to explain why that’s a problem.”

                Edric was blushing brightly. He hadn’t expected Q to use those words to describe him – let alone admit that he thought of him that way. But he was confused.

                “I’m not sure there is a problem though.” Edric said, frowning slightly. “If I like you, and you like me, it should be pretty simple, right?”

                Q sighed, picking up the little bottle. “It should be. But it isn’t. I…” He looked at the bottle for another moment, before he seemed to get an idea. “Come with me.”

                He grabbed Edric’s hand and dragged him to the back door – presumably to avoid the attention-seeking bird tube. He took Edric a few feet into the forest before coming to a stop in a little clearing.

                “Do you have your glasses?” Q asked him.

                Edric shook his head. “You know I don’t like the way they look. I didn’t bring them with me.”

                “Well, I do like how they look.” Q said defiantly. “Are you at least wearing your contacts?”

                “They make my eyes itch.” Edric said with a pink blush.

                Q sighed and snapped his fingers, making an exact replica of Edric’s glasses appear in his hands. Or were they the real thing?

                “Did you just steal those from my room?” Edric raised an eyebrow, taking the offered item.

                Q shrugged. “Teleporting items from one place to another is a simple spell. As long as I know where you normally keep them, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Now drink this.

                Edric put on the glasses and took the little bottle from Q. “Are you sure this is safe to drink? What if I did it wrong?”

                “You didn’t.” Q said confidently, popping the cork off his own bottle. “I told you that you aren’t a screw up. And you had a god-like moon boy to help you out.”

                Q downed the bottle in a few gulps and wiped his mouth, gesturing for Edric to do the same. With a little hesitation, he undid the stopper and drank the thick potion in several large gulps.

                He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the newfound light and he turned to face Q, who was looking at him expectantly. “It actually worked.”

                “I told you it would.” Q smiled weakly. “Now look at the sky.”

                Edric did as he was told and gave an audible gasp. His eyes were wide in childlike wonder as he stared at the dark cerulean sky. The night sky was so very different when viewed like this. While the sky during the day glowed with a garish light, until it set in a beautiful display of color, this light was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Deep purples swirled together with light magentas, while golden stars twinkled like bright shards of glass in the summer sun. Looking at the sky at any time gave one the feeling of insignificance at the vastness of the universe. But Edric felt like he was getting a glimpse into infinity. And it was beautiful.

                “You know,” Q mused softly. “Night vision potions are a very utilitarian brew. It lets someone see clearly, where they would have otherwise been blind. Everyone who has ever drank a night vision potion always seems to have a one-track mind. A goal that is right ahead of them. Of course, it’s only natural that you would want to keep your eyes forward. Maybe that’s all anyone wants – to see whatever is right in front of them. It’s a simple thing and quite rational, but people who think like that, are really missing out on something beautiful. Ironically, anyone could get a view like this one. All they would have to do, is look up.”

                Edric turned to look at Q. “Is there a metaphor somewhere in there?”

                “Of course.” Q replied. “It’s easy to keep our focus on whatever is just in front of us. It’s short term, it’s easy, and it makes sense in the moment. But just because you can see, doesn’t mean you know where you’re going.”

                Edric grabbed Q’s hand absentmindedly, rubbing circles with his thumb as the other boy pressed on. “Sailors on the boiling ocean don’t have a paved road or cobblestone paths to follow. If they always are looking straight ahead, the only thing they can see is empty ocean. Their goal is impossible to see right then, because it’s too far away. So, instead of keeping their eyes straight ahead, they look to the stars to guide them. They know what their goal is, but they have to look away from it to get there. I think that life is like that sometimes. We know what it is we want, but if we focus too much on what’s just in front of us, we get lost.”

                “That’s very profound Q.” Edric smiled softly up at the stars, before letting it involuntarily falter. “But I don’t get what that has to do with us.”

                Q sighed. “Take off your glasses.”

                “What?” Ed asked in surprise.

                “Just trust me.” Q assured him.

                Edric did as he was told, and Q asked him to look back at the sky.

                “What do you see Edric?” Q breathed softly.

                Ed blinked, trying to get a clearer picture. “It’s fuzzy.” He finally replied. “I can still tell how beautiful it is though. I can see all of the colors and how they blend together. I can still see the lights in the sky. But it’s hard to tell what’s what. Some of the stars kind of blur together and I definitely couldn’t point out the griffon constellation to you like I could before.”

                “That’s how I feel right now Ed.” Q said, his voice cracking slightly. “I have a goal. I know what I want, but the directions are blurry. I want to get to Virgo so bad. I want to find him and tell him how sorry I am and how badly I wish I had done better. I want to tell him that everything was my fault and if I’d just kept my stupid mouth shut, he would be here right now. But I didn’t. And I can’t. I don’t have any guiding stars, Edric. No direction. No meaning.”

                Q wiped tears from his face with the back of his free hand and sniffled.  “A part of me wishes that I could just rip the isles apart, piece by piece. Forget about the Titan and everyone else. I just want my brother back.”

                He then clenched his fist and grit his teeth. “But I can’t do that. I’ve come to love this place too much to even give that a second thought. If I were less selfish this place would be in ruins and Virgo would be standing right beside me. But I am selfish. Even so, I still can’t get what I want.”

                “And what do you want?” Edric asked softly.

                Q snorted derisively. “Too much. I want to see Virgo. I want to never see the rest of my brothers again. I want to be free to do what makes me happy. I want to see all of my newfound friends live peaceful and happy lives, without any cares in the world. And, selfishly… I want you. I want too much, and it isn’t fair to anyone.”

                Edric pulled him closer and rested his head on the other boy’s shoulder. “Who said any of that is selfish? Wanting to see your brother again doesn’t seem selfish to me. Wanting to be happy isn’t selfish either.”

                “But it is.” Q said, leaning into Edric and resting his head on Ed’s. “It’s selfish because I don’t deserve any of it. I’ve done nothing worthy of any of that and until I do, it’s selfish of me to want it.”

                Edric tilted his head back up and looked at Q. “And what about me Q? Don’t I get a say in this? If it’s selfish of you to want me, then I guess I’m selfish too.”

                Q looked him in the eyes, and they were full of tears and his face was desperate and pained. “I’m sorry Ed. Everything is just so confusing for me right now. I.. I need to confess something… I’ve known how you felt about me for a while now.”

                “Then why didn’t you say anything?” Edric said, his voice wavering deeper into a tone that bespoke hurt and betrayal.

                Q looked away. “It’s… complicated. There’s a lot you don’t know about me Edric, and I worry that once you find out, you’ll want to stay far away from me.”

                “Q…” Edric nearly sobbed. “You don’t really think that do you?”

                “I…” Q turned his body to face him, but his eyes were facing the ground. “I wish I didn’t. And I wish it wasn’t such a legitimate fear. Please don’t think that I think any less of you, its just that… I’ve lived a very long time. I’ve done a lot of things that I regret. But that’s another thing Ed. Eventually you’re going to grow older and then there will come a time when you’ll be gone, and I’ll be alone again. Even if it somehow did work out for us… I don’t know where it would go. I… I just need some time Ed. Please.”

                Edric stared into this beautiful boy’s pleading eyes. He remembered that time all of those nights ago, when he saw him standing on a rooftop in a dark hoodie and jeans, his hair shining in the moonlight. That was the first time he’d noticed how beautiful he was. Ever since then, he knew that he would do anything to be with him. And so, he pulled him into a hug. A hug that said I understand. And he did, in a way.

                “Okay.” Edric whispered in his ear. “If it’s time you need, I’ll give it to you. If I wasn’t clear with you before, I really do like you. Maybe this is some dumb crush and I’ll have to get over it just like I did Jerbo. But I’m not sure that it is. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I do know that at the very least, you’re still my friend. And if I’ve learned anything from Luz about friends, it’s to trust them with everything I’ve got.”

                Q sighed. “Thank you, Ed. I know it’s confusing, but I have some things I still need to figure out.”

                They held each other like that for a moment, in peaceful silence. The potions had long since worn off, but they basked in the soft glow of the half-moon above. The night was tranquil, and despite how impossible it seemed, Ed still held on to the hope that this would somehow work out. Ugh, maybe he was reading too many romance novels.

                “Man,” Ed chuckled dryly. “Love hurts.”

                Q gave a breathy scoff and a weak giggle. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

                But fate was a cruel mistress. The peace they felt in that moment was shattered – literally – by the sound of glass breaking. It came from the owl house. The two immediately broke apart and ran back to the door they had left from.

                They had been too preoccupied by each other to hear Eda barge through the front door in a panic, King hot on her heels. They hadn’t heard her rummaging through her cabinets to find the ingredients to a potion that was very much illegal. They didn’t hear her calling out to Luz on the walkie talkie.

                Eda didn’t think twice when Ed and Q weren’t on the couch where she left them. It hadn’t even occurred to her that they were no longer present in the first place. She’d had one goal, and that was to get Luz and Hunter out of Belos’ mind. And when her saving grace came in the form of flowers that melted into a potion from a so called “secret admirer”, she had been quick to alert Luz and begin her countdown.

                When Q and Ed crashed in through the back door and scrambled into the living room, they had only a few moments to take stock of the situation. Glass was all over the living room floor, but it was slowly disintegrating into mist, along with the remains of a fading dandelion colored potion. There were glyph marks that were burned into the floor, but they too were fading away. The front door had opened just as they ran into the living room, and Luz was calling out to a fleeing Hunter, as she stood just outside the doorway.

                The two boys quickly ran to meet Eda and Luz, just as Eda asked her what happened. Luz stood there, momentarily stunned, before she turned to face Eda with a look of fear and guilt etched into her youthful features. For a moment, she said nothing. But then she met Q’s gaze, and her pupils dilated, as she covered her mouth and choked out a sob.

                “Q,” Luz said, in a voice that cut deep into Eric’s bile sack. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Chapter Text

                Edric could count on one hand the amount of times he’d seen Q angry in the few months he’d known him. Not a lot of things could set the Collector off. In fact, Edric really didn’t think he’d ever witnessed genuine anger from him. He’d seen many other emotions – negative and positive – but the one emotion he’d never thought he’d see was the cold rage in the eyes of his *almost* boyfriend.

                “Luz, are you absolutely certain that’s what you saw?” Q asked in an eerily calm tone.

                Luz nodded. She didn’t seem capable of explaining by using her voice. It was as if she’d lost it the moment she apologized to Q. Nevertheless, she rapidly wrote a response on a piece of paper and slid it towards him.

                “Belos is Phillip and he has Virgo,” Q read aloud. “Draining spell on Day of Unity.”

                Luz shook her head and shrugged helplessly, as if to say, “I don’t know what else to say.”

                Q took a deep breath and sat back slowly. He closed his eyes in a contemplative gesture as he began to speak. “Thank you, Luz. While I get the feeling there is something else you aren’t telling me, I honestly don’t care enough to press further. I’m trying very hard not to lose my cool here, but to be frank with you, I really wish I’d kicked down that bastard’s door a long time ago.”

                Without another word, he stood up and walked briskly towards his basement bedroom. Edric quickly stood up to follow him down, while Eda tried to coax more information out of Luz.

                “Q, are you alright?” Ed asked worriedly.

                “Oh,” Q said in a monotone voice. “Am I alright after finding out that my brother’s been taken and manipulated by a murderous tyrant? Why yes, Edric, I am just overjoyed to hear this wonderful information. Couldn’t you tell?”

                Edric hung his head as Q snapped his fingers and a magic floating wardrobe appeared. “I’m sorry Q. I was just trying to help.

                “I know you were Ed.” Q said, shuffling through his outfits before finding what he was looking for. “But right now, there isn’t anything you can say that can calm me down. Please turn around.”

                Edric blushed as he realized that Q was going to be changing and did as he was told. “Ok, then I won’t try to calm you down. You’re upset and you have every right to be. But please just tell me what you’re going to do – and explain why you have to change for it.”

                Q chuckled darkly. “Isn’t it obvious Ed? I’m going to break down Belos’ door and take my brother back. What I will do to Belos is yet to be decided. But the reason I’m changing is because I want to wear something that I don’t mind getting dirty.”

                “Q, I understand you’re angry, but I’m still worried about you.” Ed frowned. “I’m sure you can handle Belos just fine, but this anger is unlike you. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

                “Turn around Ed.” Q commanded.

                Edric turned around to see Q wearing an outfit he’d never seen before. He was wearing almost entirely black, down to the boots. He was also tying the string to a cloak that looked like someone had sown the night sky into the fibers. Once Edric had fully turned around, he met his gaze.

                “I’m not so angry that I’ve lost my sense of reason.” Q said coldly. “I know what you’re saying, and I understand your concern. But if you knew the kind of hell I’ve been through, only to find out that Virgo has been in the worst possible place in all of the isles for who knows how long, you wouldn’t be worried about me regretting anything.”

                “You’re right, I don’t know what you’ve been through.” Edric replied. “But the Q I know, isn’t the angry, vengeful person I’m looking at right now. There’s more to this than you’re letting on, and I hate to see you hurting like this. So what’s really going on?”

                Q glared daggers at him and walked right up to Edric’s face. “The Q you know is a fake, Ed. I wish I was the person you think I am – I really do! But everything that’s happened to Virgo up to this point, is my fault! You look at me like I’m some kind if god – someone who can’t make mistakes. Titan, you all do.”

                “I don’t think you’re incapable of making mistakes.” Edric said with tears forming in his eyes. “But you can’t blame yourself here, Q.”

                “I can, and I will!” Q choked out in a sob. “You don’t know anything about me Edric. If you knew the kind of brother I was to Virgo, you wouldn’t be looking at me like I’m someone worthy of your time. If Virgo has been stuck with Belos all this time – and the in between realm for much longer I might add – then it’s all because I’m a terrible brother. I let him down more than once, and I don’t want to do it again. You should understand this better than anyone else.”

                Edric felt like he’d been slapped. How many times had he gone out of his way to give Amity trouble? How many times had he let her down because he was jealous of the praise she got from their parents? And what kind of brother was willing to go so far as to ruin her entire social life over some petty truancy record that was entirely on him? Q was right. Ed should understand the need to prove that he was trying to be a better version of himself rather than the old version Amity had gotten used to. Q was just trying to do the same thing here.

                “I don’t know what kind of person you see when you look at me, but whatever it is, is just a perfect fantasy of what you want.” Q said quietly. “Whoever that person is… That’s Q. But that’s not who I really am. I’m just Aquarius. A failure of a brother. I can’t do anything right, Ed. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to get my brother back.”

                Q brushed past him and began to walk up the stairs.

                “Aquarius.” Edric said, turning his head slightly towards him. The other boy paused on the second step.

                “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” Edric sighed.

                “And how do you see me, Ed?” Q asked tersely.

                Edric turned to face Q, who’s back was all the witch could see. “I see someone who’s imperfect, just like anyone else. But even though you’re imperfect, I still think you’re amazing. I can tell how much you care about your brother and I think that’s beautiful… just like you.”

                Q stayed silent, not turning around. After a brief moment of contemplation, he continued up the stairs without a word. Edric heard the others trying to speak to him, but they too received the cold shoulder as the door swung open, then shut as the moon boy walked out into the night.

                Edric was not worried about Q’s safety – far from it. His true fear – the one he had been unable to express with his words – was that he would lose Q to the anger he had been bottling up for far too long. Luz had gotten a taste of it when Q lashed out at her childhood bully. But what if this singular event was enough to push the boy over the edge, regardless of the outcome?

                Aquarius stood in front of Belos’ palace in somber silence. Was he really this close to seeing Virgo after thousands of years? What would he even say to him? How could he fully express how truly sorry he was for all that had transpired all those years ago?

                He didn’t know. There was never a time that a lack of knowledge scared him more. This wasn’t a wound that could be mended with magic. What could he even do or say that could fix this awful situation?

                But now was not the time for dalliance or contemplation. He had a mission to complete, Titan be damned. Why wait when the goal was just within reach? And so, without further deliberation, he pressed onward.

                The bridge to the palace was not extended, but this was not an issue. For anyone else, they might have fallen to their deaths, but Aquarius took a step into open air and walked as if he were taking a stroll into a park. Any guards who may have witnessed this, might have thought he was some kind of spirit or ghost – not an uncommon sight in the isles, so they would not likely pay him any mind at first glance.

                But they would notice, when he snapped his fingers, and the palace doors flew off the hinges like they’d been blown up with dynamite. They would begin to mind when a protesting guard was thrown down a hallway with barely a wave of the hand. And while Kikimora had a lot of power to command coven guards, she was no match for The Collector as she slumped against the stone wall, unconscious.

                Once Aquarius reached the door to the throne room, there was a wake of fallen guards behind him. He had been careful not to cause any fatal injuries, but if someone were to suffer a concussion at his hand, that was not his problem. He was not about to hurt a bunch of misguided witches who didn’t know any better than to mindlessly follow orders.

                With a wave of his hand, the throne room doors swung open without resistance. Belos sat on his throne in a bored kind of pose. Aquarius knew he wouldn’t be asleep – not after the night’s prior events. And so, he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him without so much as a touch or a look.

                “Good evening.” Belos said cordially. “You made quite a ruckus making your way here. Funny how often that kind of thing keeps happening, especially recently. You’d think I was some kind of celebrity.”

                “I’m not here to chat Belos.” Aquarius said coldly, his hood raised to cover his face. “I’m here for someone else. Although, I suppose I’m here for you as well, but in a much less friendly way.”

                Belos chuckled. “Your boldness reminds me of someone. A human that goes by the name Luz. Do you happen to know her by chance?”

                Aquarius did not move from where he stood. “Was it that obvious? Is that why you think I’m not a threat? Because if that is the case, then you severely underestimate the competence of her friends.”

                “Your confidence is admirable.” Belos mused. “I do like the confident types you know. It is so very entertaining to prove how misplaced it is. But since you’re so sure of yourself, I’d like to hear you out – as a show of goodwill.”

                “I find your arrogance at least as entertaining.” Aquarius snorted. “But since you’re being so polite, I suppose I ought to return the favor. As I said, I’m not here for you. I’m here for the one you call The Collector.”

                Belos stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “I must admit, I didn’t expect that. I’m not surprised a friend of Luz would have an interest in someone so important. But I’m afraid he won’t be going anywhere with you tonight, although I admire your efforts.”

                Aquarius shook his head. “I know you’re used to being the one in charge Belos, but you’re in way over your head this time. I’m not asking you to return him to me; I’m telling you to.”

                “And just who do you think you are, commanding the emperor himself?” Belos growled, standing from his throne and walking towards the boy. “The Collector does not belong to anyone. He has a role to play and it is the Titan’s will that-”

                “Oh, shut up already about the damn Titan’s will!” Aquarius snarled. “You’re just as likely to speak to the Titan as the boiling ocean is to freeze over. I know all about ‘The Titan’s will’, and your draining spell is far from it. In fact, the Titan himself has called your claims ‘bogus’. He’s even said he wants the coven system burned to the ground. So cut the crap Phillip.”

                Emperor Belos froze in his tracks. “How do you know that name?”

                “Helloo, friend of Luz here!” Aquarius quipped. “For someone who’s so aware of people invading their brain, you sure are dense. Aren’t you supposed to be the cleverest witch in the isles? Oh wait, silly me, you aren’t a witch at all! My bad.”

                “I see.” Belos said coldly. “So she told you I am a human witch hunter did she? What is your name boy?”

                “Woah, watch the tone there Phil, you might hurt yourself.” Aquarius chuckled. “My name is Aquarius. And I doubt it’ll be a name you ever forget.”

                Belos growled and charged his staff. “I’ve put up with this long enough, Aquarius. Didn’t your parents ever teach you any manners?”

                Aquarius calmly lowered his hood with a smug smirk. “I guess not. But did your parents ever teach you to pick your battles? Because I’m curious to know what you think you can do to me. Go ahead, show me what you’ve got.”

                “I’m growing tired of dealing with petulant children.” Belos sighed, pointing his staff at Aquarius.

                The staff glowed a menacing red and Aquarius’ legs slowly stiffened, and he looked down nonchalantly. They were turning to stone at a snail-like pace. He gave the emperor an unimpressed frown and flicked a single finger towards Belos. The process of turning to stone flipped to Belos and it was moving a lot quicker. Belos yelped and canceled the spell.

                Without a second thought, he tried again, this time making Aquarius glow the same shade of red as the glowing staff. Nothing appeared to happen as Aquarius chuckled.

                “Wow, now I’m glowing.” The teen noted. “Nice trick. Were you attempting to use a levitation spell on me? Clever, but I’m still unimpressed. Aren’t you supposed to be the guy who defeated the wild witches?”

                The staff died down and Belos stared at him. “Who are you?”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Oh, can’t you tell? We’re practically identical after all! In your defense, he is trapped in the In-between Realm. I’m your little friend’s older brother.”

                “No,” Belos sounded shocked. “You can’t be. The Collector has no siblings.”

                “Did he tell you that?” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “I suppose he would think that way after being trapped for thousands of years. But it’s no less true. And he is A Collector, not The Collector. Though I can understand the confusion. So, if you don’t mind, I would like to speak to him please.”

                The emperor shook his head and called out with a defeated sigh. “Collector, you have a visitor!”

                A shadow moved across the wall as a young voice giggled. “A visitor? Who would want to visit me?”

                “I would.” Aquarius answered, meeting the stunned eyes of the two-dimensional image of Virgo. “And I’ve been trying to for a very long time.”

                “What do you want Aquarius?” Virgo said, folding his arms with a pout.

                Aquarius gave a weak smile. “I want to set you free Virgo.”

                “I’m not interested.” Virgo said with a glare. “So go away.”

                “Wait, hear me out!” Aquarius pleaded. “I made a mistake! I didn’t think that they would go that far – Titan, I didn’t even realize they were doing that in the first place. I don’t know everything that happened back then, but I-”

                “I said, I’m not interested.” Virgo insisted angrily. “Do you really think I’m just going to trust you? After everything you did? Besides, Belos has already promised to free me, so I don’t need you anyway.”

                Aquarius stared at him. “Virgo, you do know what he’s doing, right? People are going to get hurt!”

                “Like you care!” Virgo snorted. “And it’s not like they won’t get over it. It’s just a little draining spell, that’s all. They can live without magic – the humans do just fine without it.”

                “That’s not what it’s going to do!” Aquarius said in surprise. “The spell is going to kill every witch in the isles! That’s Belos’ whole plan, don’t you know that?”

                Virgo swooped over to a nearby pillar to bring his glare closer. “That’s not my problem. Belos is going to free me on the Day of Unity once the spell is ready, so I don’t need you.”

                Of all the things Aquarius had expected his brother to say, that was not one of them. He had been prepared for Virgo to be upset and mistrusting, but he had not been prepared for this.

                “How can you say that?” Aquarius marveled. “Do you even realize what that means?”

                “I don’t care!” Virgo groaned. “Now just leave me alone!”

                Belos looked on in amusement. He hadn’t expected a show, but this was peak entertainment. This wretched boy was just as holier-than-thou as Luz was. It made him sick. Did he not realize that witches are dangerous? Did he not know the harm they caused? It was a necessary evil as far as Belos was concerned, and this Aquarius was obviously blinded by weak morals.

                “Wait, Virgo.” Aquarius pleaded as the two-dimensional figure moved to leave. “How long? How long have you been stuck like this?”

                Virgo paused, not looking at him. “With Belos? About four hundred years.”

                “I mean, how long?” Aquarius emphasized. “In the In-between Realm?”

                Virgo’s paper-thin image looked like he was in physical pain as he whispered. “At least twenty thousand. I stopped counting after a while. If you really cared that much about me, you would have come for me sooner. But you didn’t. So, leave me alone Aquarius. If you really do care, then come talk to me after the Day of Unity.”

                With his final words, he blew him a raspberry and disappeared. Aquarius didn’t really acknowledge the childish act. Instead, he called out in a belated whisper. “Virgo, wait…”

                Belos let out a mirthless laugh. “What a pity. And really, I do pity you Aquarius. I know what it’s like to have a difficult sibling relationship.”

                “You mean your brother you murdered?” Aquarius snorted derisively. “The one you then turned into a Grimwalker? You know, Luz never did mention that to me when she told me how much of a scumbag you were. I recognized Hunter for what he was the moment I laid eyes on him, and now that I’ve seen your face up close, I can see the resemblance. I only connected the dots just now. You and I are not the same.”

                “Apparently not.” Belos said with a flat glare. “But either way, I’d like to ask you to leave my palace. Perhaps we can chat again after the Day of Unity.”

                Aquarius didn’t want to leave, but if Virgo wasn’t going to go with him… He would just have to bide his time. Killing Belos probably wouldn’t win Aquarius any point either – at least not right now. He didn’t even know how he was supposed to get him out of the In-between Realm anyway. But there was something he could do in the meantime.

                “You better hope we don’t ever cross paths again Belos.” Aquarius said coldly. “Because if we do, I will make you wish you’d never been born. But since I’m feeling generous today, I have a little gift for you. Catch!”

                He tossed something towards him, and Emperor Belos unwittingly caught it in his right hand and looked at it curiously. “A coin?”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Yes. A very special coin. I think you’ll learn what makes it so special very soon. See you at the Day of Unity you prick.”

                He turned on his heel and pulled up his hood. He’d expected at least some resistance from Virgo. Anger, resentment, and annoyance were just a few of the things he expected. But he never expected Virgo to outright reject him. Sure, he blamed himself for Virgo’s situation, but he didn’t think his mistake would warrant this. Something else must have happened to cause this kind of malcontent. He had no doubt that his other siblings had a role in Virgo’s blatant hatred towards him. Whatever it was, he was going to find out.

                As he walked out of the broken doorway to the palace, he wondered how everything had gone so wrong. He would find answers soon. But there was one thing he knew for sure: that draining spell was not happening. If Belos ever thought he had the upper hand, he was in for a rude awakening.

Chapter Text

                Aquarius took his time making his way back to the owl house. He could have been quicker, but he needed time to think without any distractions. How did he even explain what just happened? Yeah, I broke into Belos’ palace and my little brother kicked me out.

                He also had no idea what to feel. First and foremost, he was angry. Angry at Belos, angry at his brothers and most importantly, angry at himself. He was also heartbroken. His younger brother, who he had spent thousands of years trying to protect, to make up for being a bad sibling, had completely rejected his help. Nothing made sense. If he were to go back to the analogy of the stars, he would say that he was now completely blind, his sense of direction nonexistent.

                But he was also deeply ashamed. He had many things to be ashamed about. He had failed Virgo again. He should have been more persistent with him – tried to explain himself better. But he had been weak and let him go. But he didn’t regret giving Belos the coin.

                In fact, he decided that rather than focus on the bad, he should focus on what good came out of it. He knew where Virgo was. He had a set goal, and he’d cursed the biggest tool in all the isles. And it was that last part that gave him some satisfaction out of the whole ordeal.

                He didn’t reflect often on his one special curse. He’d made it specifically for people like Belos – arrogant, evil, and downright despicable. Some people were willing to change, and the coin could be the catalyst. But generally speaking, the people who he gives the coin to rarely – if ever – mend their ways. It’s the perfect punishment for the ugliest of personalities. The reward was instantaneous – an incentive if you will – while the punishment happened at any time. It could be minutes, hours, days, or even years. But the punishment always came to haunt the perpetrator. And that was the best part: the uncertainty of knowing what your payment will be and when it will be collected; the perfect gift for a tyrant.

                But now that he was thinking about curses, he began to wonder… where did Eda’s curse come from? It was certainly unique in the fact that it was manageable via potion, and how it sapped her magic completely, despite being split between her and her sister. He was actually quite disappointed in himself for not thinking about it sooner – and even more so that he hadn’t done anything about it. He would need to talk to her about it.

                As the house came into view, the lights were still on. He wasn’t surprised. They were probably waiting to see if he would come back. He hated that he was returning with bad news instead of Virgo. But he made a promise to himself that he would figure out what had widened the rift between him and his brother, and he also promised to do more for his friends. He had pushed them away, even when they were trying to help him – especially Edric. Somehow, he would find a way to make things right.

                “Hey everybody!” Hooty called, swinging the door open excitedly as Aquarius walked up to the house. “Guess who’s back! It’s the weird moon boy!”

                Everyone inside stood up to greet him as he walked in. Lillith had arrived at some point during the night, and her, Eda and Luz scrambled to ask him what happened. He tuned them out as he met Edric’s eyes. The boy had waited for him. He should have gone home, but he chose to stay. That darn Blight boy really needed to sort out his priorities; Aquarius was not worth his time.

                He held up a hand to stop the never-ending barrage of questions. “Stop. Please. I know you want to know what happened, but there isn’t much to say. Virgo didn’t want to go with me and Belos is still alive and well.”

                “What?!” Everyone shouted in shock.

                “But why?” Luz asked with a frown. “Why would he want to stay with Belos of all people? And why didn’t you just ‘Thanos snap’ Belos or something?”

                Aquarius released a tired breath and pushed past them to sit on the couch. “Virgo isn’t acting like himself right now. He absolutely hates me, and I have only the slightest of an idea why. He told me to come back after the Day of Unity if I really cared about him. And since he’s all buddy-buddy with Belos right now, killing that douchebag wouldn’t help the situation.”

                “And here I thought you could do anything.” Eda scoffed. “Did you at least give the bastard a solid punch to the face?”

                Aquarius actually chuckled at that. “I guess I did, in a way. Has Luz told you about my coin?”

                Luz gasped, then smiled mischievously. “You didn’t!”

                “I did.” Aquarius said, summoning another coin out of thin air. “This, right here, is a Collector’s Coin. It’s a nifty little curse I made myself. It sticks with a person for the rest of their life and can’t be removed by anyone or anything except for me. There is no cure or remedy. It punishes actions with bad intentions and rewards actions with good intentions. Belos’ biggest problem is that he has absolutely zero good intentions. He’s evil through and through. So until the Day of Unity comes around, Belos is going to have some really, really bad days.”

                Edric whistled appreciatively. “Are you trying to be more attractive? Because that really is the most savage and sexy thing I’ve ever heard.”

                Aquarius blushed, but didn’t respond as Eda chimed in. “Eddy boy has got the right idea kid. While that’s the gayest thing I’ve ever heard, he’s Titan-damn right.”

                Luz has taught them human terms. Wonderful. Did it make both Edric and Aquarius blush harder? Yes, it did. Did Aquarius hate it? Absolutely not. If anything, the lighthearted banter accomplished its intended purpose. He was already feeling the weight lift off his shoulders.

                “I don’t know about sexy,” Aquarius said, still blushing. “But thanks for the compliment.”

                “Don’t mention it moon boy.” Eda snickered. “Now, what’s our game plan? My vote is that we get Luz as far away from here as possible.”

                “I agree.” Lillith said, stroking her chin in thought. “Belos is sure to act out after Luz invaded his mind. Getting her away from here would buy us time to figure out another way to deal with Belos – and get Virgo back in the process.”

                Aquarius shook his head. “I’m going to have to veto that idea. It could completely blow up in our faces. She’s much safer staying here with us. If Belos is dumb enough to show his face around here, the coin will probably do all the work for us. And if not, I’d be happy to introduce my fist to his face – a meeting that would one hundred percent end with him in a coffin. I suggest we stay here and lay low for a while. If Belos wants to send his guards, I say let him.”

                King leaned in to whisper in Luz’s ear, “I’m glad he’s on our side.”

                “Definitely.” Luz agreed with a dumbstruck gaze. He was talking about Belos like Aquarius was a mob boss and Belos was a street thug that beat up one of his buddies. Aquarius wasn’t being prideful in the slightest; He was just stating facts.

                “Well Luz can’t go to Hexside.” Eda replied to Aquarius. “Belos probably has his goons keeping an eye out for her.”

                Aquarius nodded. “That’s a good point. Luz will have to stay here until the Day of Unity, unless anyone has a better idea.”

                “Wait, hold on.” Luz said with a frown. “There’s no way I’m staying cooped up in here for three days. It would drive me crazy!”

                “Well, I suppose if you want to go somewhere, you’d have to have someone with you – or at least nearby.” Lillith suggested. “It’s not ideal, but for the time being, it’s your safest option.”

                Luz sighed. “Alright, fine. I don’t like it, but I guess I can handle just three days.”

                “Alright, now that that’s out of the way, what do we do about Belos?” Eda asked.

                “Nothing.” Edric said with a shrug, to everyone’s surprise.

                Lillith was the first to recover from her shock. “What do you mean, nothing, Blight?”

                Ed sat next to Aquarius and threw an arm over his shoulder. “I mean, we don’t need to do anything. We’d only be getting in Q’s way. Did you guys forget who this guy is? He could singlehandedly bring down Emperor Belos along with every single Coven Head simultaneously with his hands tied behind his back.”

                Aquarius giggled. “I mean, you aren’t actually wrong, but I want you guys to feel like you’re being helpful instead of just relying on your resident Collector. Whatever you can do to get under Belos’ skin, I say do it. Because I can guarantee you he won’t be able to do a thing about it.”

                Eda giggled impishly. “You don’t have to tell me twice Moon Boy. What’s our move?”

                Aquarius thought for a moment, before he remembered something. “Actually, if we really want to screw over Belos, it would be convenient if you and Lilith had your magic. Would you mind telling me about your curse?”

                Lillith and Eda looked at each other with wide eyes and turned back to face the boy. Eda was the one to speak. “Are you saying you can fix our magic and get rid of the curse?”

                “Maybe, but I’ll need to know more about it.” Aquarius replied. “I ran into a lot of people on my collections who had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of my brother Cancer’s curses. I learned a thing or two about removing them, so if your curse is anything like his, it should be possible. It might take a little work, but it’s possible.”

                Something clicked in Eda’s brain and it was as if a lightbulb went off. “Wait, your brother makes curses? Does he wear the same silver cloak as you do?”

                “Yes.” Aquarius answered. “Why do you ask?”

                Eda cursed. “I think that bastard was in a dream I had when I first got my awesome harpy powers.”

                Aquarius blinked. “Tell me about this dream.”

                “Alright you two.” Aquarius said sternly, “I can remove your curse, but you’ll have to trust me, ok?”

                Eda and Lilith nodded as Edric, Luz and King watched them awkwardly. Edric probably should have gone home by now, but he wanted to see this through. He would probably fall asleep here and he would go home tomorrow. Emira was covering for him anyway, and once he explained the night’s events, she wouldn’t be too upset.

                “Cancer’s curses are surprisingly easy to remove if you know what to look for.” Aquarius continued. “If this is one of his curses, then the easiest way to do this, is to take you into the source of the magic. Which means we’ll be entering another plane of existence. Is that ok with you?”

                Eda snorted. “Are you kidding? We get to go to another plane of existence as well as get rid of our curse and get our magic back? Sign me up Moon Boy!”

                “I have no qualms against this idea either.” Lillith replied. “It sounds like a golden opportunity to learn a separate magic from our own, with added benefits. There is literally no downside.”

                Aquarius clapped his hands together and grinned. “Great! Let’s get right to it! I’ll need you to close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you.”

                When they closed their eyes, Aquarius turned to Luz and Edric and winked. “This won’t take long. We’ll be back in a minute.”

                He extended both pointer fingers and touched one to each of the Clawthorne’s foreheads. He glowed for a second, before disappearing in a flash of light.  Eda and Lillith remained sitting in the room, eyes closed and completely motionless. Leaving the other three owl house occupants in an awkward silence.

                “Alright, open your eyes.” Aquarius said.

                Lillith and Eda both did as they were told, and gasped.

                “I recognize this beach.” Eda said in shock. “This was the one from my dream.”

                Aquarius frowned. “Then it sounds like your dream took you straight to the curse’s source. If you were to walk in a straight line along this beach, you would reach a white space that stretched into infinity.”

                “It sounds almost like the astral plane.” Lillith marveled. “How are we even here?”

                Aquarius looked down to Eda’s feet and saw the little owl beast nuzzling and cooing against Eda’s leg. “I linked your minds temporarily. This is a fragmented dreamscape. It acts as a storage for the curse and usually it’s locked up tight to avoid any intrusion. From the way you described your dream, it sounded like your lucidity granted you partial access, which is how you were able to communicate to the owl beast. It’s funny the kind of power you can wield in lucid dreams.”

                “But if it’s usually locked up tight, how did you get us in here?” Eda said, crouching down to pet the little gray owl beast.

                “I picked the lock so to speak.” Aquarius chuckled. “Cancer’s always been a bit of a push over, so breaking us all in here was easier than cracking an egg. But now that we’re here, I think the solution to breaking the curse is pretty simple.”

                He gestured to the golden tether tied to the ankle of Eda and the owl beast and then to a similar tether to Lillith and an owl beast that was struggling to fly away. “If I cut the tether, then you are no longer bound by the curse. But it seems like this one likes you Eda, so they may stay regardless of being here. After all, they will still be here in the dreamscape.”

                Lillith looked at the owl beast with black feathers, struggling against the tether. “It looks so sad like this. I never did try to bond with mine like Eda did. I may not want to become a harpy like Eda, but I don’t want to leave it on bad terms. How did you get yours to like you?”

                “It fell down after I grabbed the tether. We had a little moment together and I gave it some of my potion after it washed up to shore.” Eda replied. “But we really only started to bond after I tried talking to it.”

                Aquarius stroked his chin. “It sounds like your subconscious wanted a change from the negative relationship you began with. That’s probably how the potion came into existence. We can try to coax it down here and give it some.”

                He swished a little potion bottle of glowing yellow liquid. “Want to give it a try?”

                Lillith took the bottle with a confused expression. “Where did this come from?”

                “I just thought it into existence.” Aquarius shrugged. “It’s the same concept as a lucid dream, but a little more restricted. You could do the same thing, but technically, I could have transported a real one from Eda’s room. But that’s probably not the best idea.”

                “Yeah, probably.” Lillith nodded, looking at the bottle distractedly. She looked up to where the owl was trying to fly away, but it wasn’t there anymore. “Where did it-”

                She followed the tether from her ankle as she spoke, and she cut herself off as she found the beast sitting in front of her like a domesticated pet. It was staring directly at the bottle expectantly, and the other owl beast had joined them.

                “Huh.” Eda frowned. “I didn’t see that coming.”

                Lillith shrugged and popped the cork. “I guess that explains why it works to keep them at bay. Maybe they like the potion and it calms them down. And the more frustrated they became, the more they needed.”

                As Lillith poured a little bit of it into her cupped hand, Aquarius pondered aloud. “Maybe. It makes it sound like a drug, but it’s a solid theory.”

                “Aww.” Lillith said as the owls lapped up the liquid. “It feels like sandpaper.”

                Eda smiled softly. “That’s what I thought too. It feels weird at first, but it’s not so bad.”

                “Alright,” Aquarius sighed, watching the sweet moment. “Let’s set you guys free.”

                He summoned a silver knife that had a faint golden glow. The handle was made of fine, polished wood, with gentle waves of gold infused within. The blade itself was thin and had a unique, night sky design, like everything else Aquarius owned. If he was going to have a theme, he might as well stick with it.

                He knelt down beside Eda’s tether and picked it up with his free hand and cut the rope in one swift movement. The glowing tether faded away, releasing the gray owl beast and Eda. Once it noticed it was free, it bounded around like a puppy and then took to the sky, circling above. He repeated the process with Lillith’s and the rope faded in kind.

                But the black owl beast did not react the same way as the gray had. Instead, it nuzzled its beak into Lillith’s hand and faded away in a golden glow. It seemed like the beast and Lillith had made an unspoken agreement in that moment. It wanted true freedom, and Lillith was not going to rob the creature of that.

                “She’s been released into the Demon Realm.” Lillith said gently. “I suppose she knew how to leave this place once she was cut loose. I feel surprisingly melancholy, but I hope she’ll find me back home.”

                “She was a girl huh?” Aquarius noted. “Well, I guess that makes sense. The other one probably is too, so maybe I should stop calling her an it. Anyway, I do understand the sentiment, Lillith. I hope you get to see her again. You were both trapped, and she was probably stuck in some kind of limbo before she was bound to you. She deserves to be free.”

                Eda sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye and the other two looked at her. Her eyes widened slightly and she looked away. “I must be allergic to something in the air, who knows what kind of stuff drifts around in dreamscapes.”

                Aquarius and Lillith giggled in an understanding way.

                “I think this is starting to feel a little more real, isn’t it?” Aquarius smiled at her. “I mean. How long have you had this curse? About thirty years?”

                Eda laughed wetly. “I don’t even know what to say Moon Boy. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

                “Let’s not get too excited.” Aquarius laughed in turn. “Let’s see some of that magic you’ve boasted about so much, Owl Lady. You are the greatest witch in the Boiling Isles, aren’t you? So, show me your stuff! Maybe start with a small spell circle first though.”

                “Will it work in here?” Lillith asked with a frown. “This is a – oh what did you call it again? A fragmented dreamscape?”

                Aquarius shrugged. “Dunno. Only one way to find out.”

                Eda rubbed her hands together and rolled her shoulders. “Well alright then. You’re about to witness the magic of the greatest witch in the Boiling isles! Prepare to be amazed by Moon Boy! Behold!”

                She made a large spell circle dramatically, but it quickly fizzled out. She frowned and tried to make a smaller one, but got the same result.

                “Huh, maybe Lillith was right.” Eda said, still frowning in consternation, as the gray owl beast landed beside her and pressed herself against her in a comforting gesture. “Magic must not work in here.”

                Aquarius watched her try a few more times, with no success, before a chill ran down his spine. “I don’t think that’s it Eda. It wasn’t the Owl Beast that was leeching your magic. It was-”

                “It was me.” Another, high and grating male voice said from the shoreline. The figure was the same one Eda had described in her dream, only much shorter. The hood obscured their face, but Aquarius recognized them immediately.

                “Cancer.” Aquarius growled, stepping between the newcomer and the sisters. “I should have known.”

                Cancer laughed and lowered his hood, meeting his eyes with a cruel smirk. “Hello brother. Long time no see. It looks like I finally caught you in the act.”

                The owl beast hid behind Eda and hissed at the older Collector.

                Cancer stuck his tongue out at the bird childishly, then turned back to Aquarius. “You’ve been quite a nuisance you know. You’ve eluded me every time you’ve removed one of my curses, but this time – oh, this time I’ve got you.”

                “What’s your problem?” Aquarius sighed. “These witches didn’t do anything to you. You gain absolutely nothing from this.”

                Cancer chuckled darkly. “Oh, but I do. You see, you are my problem. You’re such a prideful little rat, not to mention arrogant. Always boasting about how strong you are and how weak the rest of us are. Well, I’m sick of it! These curses are much more than an inconvenience for the poor fool who has the misfortune of receiving it. As my curses leech their power, I grow stronger. Even humans have a little power to give. But you’re just so selfish, trying to keep me from getting stronger so you can stay up on your little pedestal. And now you’ve met your match!”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Are you the real Cancer, or just a part of the curse?”

                “Does it matter?” Cancer cackled. “I’ve stopped you in your conniving little tracks. The power of these witches is mine now. And what better duo could I have asked for than two of the strongest witches in the Boiling Isles?”

                “It matters a lot actually.” Aquarius said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “For someone who uses curses so frequently, you don’t know so much about them. It’s why they’re so weak. For your curse to work like you described, it would need a connection between you and the cursed individual. All I need to do is sever the connection and their magic would return to them.”

                Cancer scoffed. “Of course, I know that! I made the curse you imbecile! But you can’t sever the connection because I’m too smart for you.”

                “Is that so?” Aquarius folded his arms and smirked. “Alright, well I see a few ways we can do this. You give them back their magic and leave them alone – I already know what you’ll say. Or, I just kill you and find out whether you’re real or not. That guarantees the connection gets severed either way, because I know for a fact that the version of you standing here is either a manifestation of that connection or the real deal.”

                “That’s a ridiculous idea.” Cancer scoffed nervously. “You wouldn’t really do that would you? What if I am the real one? Would you really kill your own brother?”

                Aquarius leveled a glare at him. “You mean the brother that participated in the genocide of the Titans? Absolutely. You’re guilty of a lot more crimes than that, and I would just be doing the universe a favor.”

                “Hold on!” Cancer pleaded. “That was all just a big misunderstanding, you know! We weren’t there for the Titans, only Virgo! They just got in the way!”

                “What?” Aquarius said, stepping towards him. Cancer was digging himself quite a grave with every word that came out of his mouth. “What do you mean you were there for Virgo?”

                Cancer looked terrified as he clamped his hand over his mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that! We didn’t – it was just – it was all Capricorn’s idea, okay? He was just a little jealous and maybe he took things a little bit too far, but we didn’t mean for it to end the way it did, I swear!”

                “A little bit too far?” Aquarius hissed angrily, grabbing the front of his cloak and placing his knife on the other Collector’s throat. “Just a little bit too far? You wiped out an entire species of immortals because you were jealous? Jealous of what? Jealous that Virgo is just that much better than you? Jealous that Sol let him play with Titans instead of getting sent on collections? What were you thinking you would accomplish?”

                “I-I don’t know.” Cancer stuttered, leaning back slightly and swallowing. “I just wanted to tease him a little, you know? I never thought that Capricorn would actually try to kill him!”

               The atmosphere seemed to get thinner as Aquarius froze, his knife mere centimeters away from slitting Cancer’s throat. He was at a loss for words, and the two audience members behind him were equally stunned. They had no idea what to think about what they were hearing.

               “You really are trying to die aren’t you buddy?” Eda said in shock. “I don’t think you could have said anything worse than that.”

               Cancer took a step backwards and his foot splashed into the water behind him. Aquarius had never felt anything so raw or powerful as the absolute rage that was burning in his chest in that moment.

               “You tried to kill Virgo?” He whispered coldly.

                Cancer shook his head as much as Aquarius’ knife would allow. “N-no, not me! Like I told you, Capricorn instigated it! It was all his idea! I don’t know who else was in on it, I just fought in self-defense, I swear!”

                “Hmm.” Aquarius mused, cocking his head to the side. “I think you went a little bit beyond self-defense. Do you want to know how I can tell you’re lying? I can see it in your eyes. You all agreed to do it, didn’t you? You actually agreed to kill your little brother.”

                Cancer opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it, shaking his head. He couldn’t respond to that. Aquarius was always good at reading people and that had always annoyed Cancer. But this time, it froze his heart and sent a shock from his head to his toes.

                “I think you’ve said enough.” Aquarius pulled Cancer closer to his face. “The next time I see you, you better be groveling at my feet, begging for mercy. Because I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back.”

               With that, he slid the blade across his elder brother’s throat and watched him grasp at the wound, where silver blood was pouring out. He gave Aquarius one last look of fear, before his body faded into golden light, that floated towards the Clawthorne sisters and poured into their chests – right into their bile sacks presumably. It was a little bit more gruesome than he’d expected, but he was satisfied with the result.

               “Right.” Aquarius said gingerly, flicking the silver blood off his knife. “I think we’re done here. Let’s head back.”

              Aquarius rematerialized where he had been standing before and Lillith and Eda opened their eyes with a sharp gasp. Everyone scrambled to them, asking how it went. For them, only a minute or two had passed. But time moved differently in a fractured dreamscape.

           “I think we’re free from the curse.” Eda said, eyeing Aquarius worriedly. “But I think we ought to give Moon Boy some space, he went through a lot.”

            Luz nodded, while Edric gave him his own look of worry. But Luz had another thing on her mind, that was a good way to relieve some of the tension. “Well, let’s see some of that good ole’ Eda magic then!”

            Eda made a small spell circle and a small flame appeared in her hand. Her eyes widened and she turned to Aquarius with tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around him and sucked in a breath. “Thank you, Q. I don’t even know what to say.”

           “Don’t say anything then.” Aquarius smiled. “Just enjoy being the strongest witch in the Boiling Isles again.”

            Eda stepped back and wiped her nose with her hand, then turned to Lillith with a soft smirk. “Hey Lillith, how about we have a little rematch of the fight at the palace? For old time’s sake?”

            Lillith straightened her back primly. “It won’t be much of a rematch Edalynn.”

            “Oho, you’re on, witch!” Eda cackled, opening the door with a dramatic bow. “After you.”

            King cheered. “Yes! A battle to the death! My money’s on Eda!”

           “Oh no you don’t mister!” Luz said, snatching him before he ran outside. “You need to take a bath! If you want to sleep on my sleeping bag tonight, you need to be clean.”

          “Unhand me!” King cried. “A demon doesn’t need to bathe! Let me go! Let me… Oh fine whatever.”

          King sighed in defeat as Luz giggled. “Alright King let’s get this collar off you first.”

         Aquarius was not having a great night so far. He didn’t think anything else would trip him up anymore, but boy was he proven wrong. Of all the things he expected when Luz removed King’s collar, he did not expect a little Titan to appear out of thin air.

         “What the f-“

Chapter Text

                Things got awkward rather fast. First, Luz, King and Edric were completely floored by Aquarius’ colorful language. When he elaborated on his reason for cursing, they became even more confused.

                “King isn’t a Titan,” Luz said with a nervous giggle. “I mean, look at him! He’s just a cute little guy, and Titans are huge!”

                “I am looking at him Luz!” Aquarius protested. “I couldn’t do that before because he was invisible, but now I can! I’ve seen Titans before, and King is definitely a Titan! Titans are very small at first but give him a few thousand years and he’ll be as big as the Titan we’re standing on.”

                King stared at him. “I’m impressed by your commitment to the bit, but this isn’t a very funny joke.”

                Aquarius sighed. “This isn’t a joke, King. Okay when I say that out loud like that it does sound a little sus, but I promise I’m not lying. You’re a Titan, King.”

                Edric came behind Aquarius and placed a hand on his shoulder. “This sounds a little dramatic – even for you. Is there anything you think might make this a little bit more believable?”

                “Yes!” Aquarius’ eyes lit up. “I talked to who I assume is King’s dad – you remember that, right Ed? Anyway, he said that there was still one Titan left and told me to protect them, but when I asked where you were he was all cryptic and said, ‘he’s closer than you think’. Now I get what he meant by that.”

                “Wait a minute, back up.” King said, holding out a clawed paw in a ‘stop’ position, with a confused and worried expression. “You met my dad?”

                “Hell yeah I did.” Aquarius chuckled. “He gave me a real nasty headache. Wait, didn’t I tell you guys about that?”

                “I don’t remember you telling us anything like that.” Luz frowned.

                Edric looked at Luz. “Yeah, Q was at our house while we were planning operation Vinera and totally passed out. It was on the same day Luz opened the door to the In-between Realm. Q told Em and I the whole thing.”

                “I thought I told you guys that - like, the day after.” Aquarius raised a confused eyebrow.  “I guess I had other things distracting me.”

                “Was your boyfriend those other things?” Luz asked coyly.

                Edric and Aquarius blushed.

                “Ed’s not my boyfriend.” Aquarius defended. “I mean… not at the moment. But ah… yeah, he was…” Aquarius scratched the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

                Edric smirked despite his red face. “Not at the moment huh? Does that mean I have a chance?”

                “Now’s not the time Ed!” Aquarius sighed. “Regardless, King is a Titan and I guess I probably should have mentioned meeting The Titan – you know what I mean!”

                King’s eyes were wide with confusion and loss. “If I’m a Titan, then what does that mean? I just… I don’t even…”

                “Ok,” Luz said tiredly. “A lot of stuff has happened tonight, and I think we’re all just tired. Can we maybe talk about this tomorrow – after King gets his bath that is?”

                King didn’t even protest as he let Luz pick him up. “What about Lillith and Eda?”

                Edric shrugged. “They’ll probably fight each other all night. Although I’m surprised that they haven’t-”

                There was a loud explosion and the whole house shook. Edric just sighed. “Nevermind.”

                Luz shook her head and carried King upstairs, while Aquarius watched them with a tired expression. He wiped his face and turned to Edric with a weak smile. “Tonight, is really not my night.”

                “Yeah,” Edric flopped on the couch. “Tonight, was a bit of a mess. Do you want to talk about it?”

                Aquarius shook his head. “You already know most of it. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do anymore. The next few days are a mystery to me until the Day of Unity, but after that… I’m not sure. King turning out to be a Titan doesn’t help things either. I think some sleep would do me some good. Do you plan to go home or are you staying here?”

                Edric sighed. “I’m staying here. I already sent Em a message on my scroll, letting her know what’s going on, so she’s covering for me. Besides, if I have to deal with my crazy mother after all this stuff, I think I’ll go insane.”

                Aquarius giggled. “That’s fair. Alright, well I’ll see you in the morning then.”

                “Aw, you aren’t taking me to bed with you?” Edric said with a playful doe-eyed look.

                “That sounds so wrong.” Aquarius rolled his eyes with a smile as he stood up. He walked over and picked up the collar Luz left on the ground. “These markings are so unique. It looks like this little token was designed to hide King from Collectors specifically. The fact that this even has to exist in the first place is disappointing.”

                He placed it on the little coffee table and sighed. “Oh well. I’ll deal with it in the morning. Goodnight Edric.”

                Ed stood up and grabbed his arm before he left. “Wait, Q. I don’t want to make this night more complicated for you than it already is, but… When you say you need time, what do you mean? What do you need me to do?”

                “Just keep being you.” Aquarius sighed. “Just give me a few days to sort out my feelings, alright? I don’t know what’s going to come out of it, but I just… A lot has happened. You understand, right?”

                Edric nodded. “I understand. But whatever you need Q, I’ll be here. Go get some sleep.”

                Aquarius nodded with a small smile and wandered downstairs to bed. When he had gotten up that morning, he didn’t expect such an emotional rollercoaster. Edric wanted a relationship with him – which definitely wasn’t a bad thing, but it was complicated. Luz had gone into Belos’ mind and learned about the draining spell and his brother Virgo. Then Virgo completely shut him down and kicked him out. Then to try and cope, he helped Eda and Lillith with their curse and encountered his other brother who told him that the other Collectors attempted to kill Virgo out of jealousy. And now King turned out to be a Titan.

                How this had all happened in a single night was insanity. Daylight was likely only a few hours away, but he would happily sleep through the afternoon if he could. But he knew that sleep would be restless and fitful, so he resigned himself to the fact that he would be getting not much more than a catnap. Still, sleep was sleep and he’d take what he could get. He’d have to work through each individual problem tomorrow, because damn was there a lot.

                No matter what happened though, he reminded himself of the promise he had made to The Titan. He would take care of King like his life depended on it. If his brothers ever found out about King and tried to do something about it, he would be ready. But before anything, he needed answers, and he needed them soon. There was one place he knew he could go, but he didn’t know if the time was right or if it would even be helpful. But anything was better than nothing at the moment.

                He pondered this as he crawled into bed and laid on his back. If only his problems would solve themselves…

                The next morning, Aquarius shuffled upstairs, rubbing his eyes with a tired yawn. He paused for a confused couple of seconds when he saw Edric talking with Eda. Then he remembered the prior night’s events and quickly tossed that confusion out the window. Chaos was beginning to become the new normal and things that were so random and unordinary were fast becoming a staple in Aquarius’ hectic life.

                “Are you sure that he said Titan?” Eda whispered to him. “I mean, King’s so small and cuddly. The Titan is all big and… not cuddly.”

                Edric nodded, taking a sip from his apple blood.

                Apple blood really confused Aquarius. One moment it was an alcoholic beverage, the next moment it was like coffee. Were there different types of apple blood? Was it just good and people are just acting like it has side effects, when in reality it’s just a simple kid’s drink? Seriously, what was that stuff? He’d have to ask about that later.

                “You can ask Luz and King.” Edric said seriously. “They heard it too.”

                “Heard what?” Aquarius said, sliding into a chair beside Edric without thinking.

                Eda stared at him as she downed her mug of apple blood and then wiped her mouth. “Ed’s telling me that you think King is a Titan. Is that a fact or were you just hallucinating?”

                “If it was a hallucination, it was a damn good one.” Aquarius sighed, making a mug appear out of thin air and filling it to the brim with apple blood. If he was going to figure this stuff out, he might as well drink it himself. “I know a Titan when I see one. I also think it’s important to mention King’s most recent new ability. That’s a Titan’s power, but I didn’t think it was even possible before now. I don’t know how you found him, but I’m somehow not surprised that you did. It just seems like the kind of thing that would happen in this crazy house.”

                Eda shook her head and placed her hand on her temple like she was getting a headache. “Who knew I would be raising such difficult children?”

                “Well, I’m sure an oracle out there somewhere could have told you that.” Edric said nonchalantly, taking a huge gulp from his drink.

                Aquarius frowned for a moment. “Speaking of difficult children, where’s Luz? She’s usually down here for breakfast before me.”

                “She went on a walk with King.” Eda grumbled. “Apparently what you said really shook the little guy and since Luz had problems of her own, they went out to walk in the forest. Don’t worry, I sent Lillith out there to shadow them.”

                Aquarius nodded. “That’s probably fine then. As long as Lillith is around, they should be ok. It’s a lot more comforting knowing that you and your sister have your magic back. I’m sorry I didn’t cure your curse sooner.”

                “Don’t you dare apologize Moon Boy.” Eda said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “The fact that I can even use my magic at all is more than enough. I can finally get my bounty back up to its former glory thanks to you.”

                “Of course,” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “If only I’d known about your steadily declining bounty. Anyway, I’m actually kind of glad to have them out of the house for a bit. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say to King. Collectors are the reason he’s the only Titan alive – hell, I don’t even know how he managed to hide for so long. I’m sure that weird token thing had something to do with it.”

                “You mean this token?” Edric said, holding up the little brass colored circle.

                Aquarius’ eyes widened and he took it from him. “How did you get this away from King? I’m sure this is something he doesn’t part with easily.”

                Ed shrugged. “I didn’t. That’s a duplicate – well an illusion of the same thing.”

                “This is an illusion?!” Aquarius gasped. “Edric, the designs on this are so intricate that you shouldn’t be able to make an exact copy, not to mention the fact that this looks and feels like the real thing. How did you do this?”

                “Magic.” Edric shrugged. That smug little brat, using his own words against him. It was so cute, and it made his heart flutter at the fact that he would copy him. Why was he not dating this idiot yet? Oh. Right.

                Aquarius shook himself from his adoration and looked back at the large coin. It was indeed an exact copy, down to the texture itself. Edric must have spent quite some time studying the original to make this possible. Did he even sleep last night?

                He looked up to the other boy and saw the bags under his eyes. He looked so tired, and Aquarius’ heart clenched at the thought that Edric knew he would want to inspect the little object but also knew King wouldn’t part with it lightly. He went out of his way to accommodate King for something that was so trivial in the long run. Aquarius could have easily waited for the little Titan to get back, but Ed still learned how to replicate the coin for Aquarius anyway. He stayed up all night studying a random object because he knew that it would interest the Collector.

                “Edric, you didn’t have to do that.” Aquarius sighed. “I could have waited for King you know. You should have gotten some sleep.”

                Ed smiled tiredly. “I know. But I probably wasn’t going to sleep anyway.”

                Aquarius’ eyes softened and he decided not to put Edric’s efforts to waste. “Well thank you Ed. Anyway, this thing was designed to hide King from Collectors specifically. It’s a very powerful kind of Titan magic if it was strong enough to fool me.”

                “How humble.” Eda remarked.

                “Yeah, I know that sounds prideful, but I stand by it.” Aquarius flipped the coin over. “The kind of magic I’ve shown you has been what I consider parlor tricks. Simple and easy stuff. If this was made by King’s dad, then he must have been one powerful dude. I’d imagine he put up a nasty fight – in fact I guarantee you he did. I haven’t seen Sagittarius or Pisces since before the genocide of the Titans and if I had to guess, it was the same Titan that made this little thing that got them too. And I’m not even mad – I’m more impressed if anything. Pisces and I were a near even match – hell I’d say that Pisces had the edge more than once. Probably my favorite sibling to spar with even if I hated his guts.”

                He ran his hand over the little ridges that made up the spiral-esque design. “It’s so intricate and detailed too. This coin is a masterwork. I don’t know much about Titan magic, but this is so cool. Ugh, I feel like such a nerd gushing over a stupid magic token.”

                “It’s cute.” Edric said, his eyes drooping closed before snapping open again.

                Eda made a disgusted sound. “Eugh, bring your weird sappy flirting somehere else. You’re gonna make me puke.”

                Aquarius blushed, but nodded. “You’re right Eda, I should probably take him back to his house. If he tries to walk home like this, he’ll hurt himself.”

                “What?!” Edric exclaimed, suddenly looking wide awake despite the dark circles under his eyes. “No, my mom thinks I’m at school right now! Emira told me that herself. If I go home, what will I tell my crazy mother?”

                Aquarius chuckled, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the door. “Just tell her you felt sick and decided to come home. Whether she thinks you’re lying or not, I doubt she’ll care. She’s too preoccupied trying to figure out new ways to squeeze more snails out of the emperor – which is actually a possibility now that he has the coin. I wouldn’t mind seeing Belos get swindled out of a few million snails.”

                Edric giggled as the door opened as they were talking, and Hooty tried to speak to them, but was blatantly ignored by both as Aquarius continued his comment. Eda shook her head as she watched them go. She’d never liked Odalia Blight, but somehow, her kids were surprisingly likeable. Edric and Amity were here so often, she sometimes considered calling the owl house Blight Manor 2.0. But that just sounded facetious.

                After walking for a few minutes in silence, Edric finally spoke, more awake than he had been a few moments ago. “You know, for someone who isn’t sure about dating me, you really seem to like holding my hand.”

                Aquarius looked down at their hands and then reluctantly let go. He looked away and grabbed his arm with the same hand he’d used to hold Edric’s.

                Ed sighed. “Alright, talk to me Q. You’re usually teasing me about the hand holding, so why are you acting so ashamed about it all of a sudden?”

                “I don’t want to lead you on, Ed.” Aquarius said quietly. “I feel like I’m constantly contradicting myself around you. I do want to be with you, but I don’t feel like I’m even allowed to. And I want to hold your hand, but I just feel like I shouldn’t. I don’t think I can even explain why.”

                “Well, maybe we can at least deal with one thing at a time?” Edric asked him with a soft smile. “This isn’t just about you ya know. As the second party in this situation, I think I deserve to be allowed to help you. Of all of the people who want to see you dating me, I think I top the list. So, can you at least tell me one thing that’s holding you back? Please?”

                Aquarius let his hand fall back to his side with a sigh. “Alright, I can try one thing at a time. Did I mention that I talked to Emira about this a while ago? I told her everything – like literally every one of my concerns about asking you out. I know it’s weird to confide in your twin sister, but she kind of called both of us out and wanted to know why I didn’t do anything about it. I hate to say it, but she made some solid arguments.”

                “So what did you tell her?” Ed asked with a frown.

                “Well, I guess most of what I said to you.” Aquarius sighed. “I’m literally immortal Edric, and you aren’t. And also the fact that I’m selfish, but you already shot down that argument. But in all seriousness Ed, how do you plan on dealing with me living forever?”

                Edric looked at him with a ponderous expression and spoke slowly. “I mean, it’s a longshot, but I can always look into making a potion of immortality. I know that they’re insanely difficult to make right, but if it meant being with you, I’d do it.”

                Aquarius sighed. “Yeah, Em said you would too. But do you realize the kind of commitment that is? What if we end up breaking up somewhere down the line? And even assuming that we do work out, what about your sisters? What about all of your friends? You would live forever, while they would all pass away without you. It’s a huge sacrifice for a person that isn’t all that worth it. Besides, a commitment like that is akin to marriage Ed. Do you get that?”

                “Don’t you think I haven’t considered that?” Edric blushed. “I wouldn’t do that unless I knew for sure that this was love Q. Obviously it’s way too early to say that. We could just as easily give dating a try and if it’s not meant to be then I won’t go through with it. I’m not a complete idiot, Q – despite what my sisters might say. It’s not impossible.”

                Aquarius sighed. “Alright, I guess I can give you that. It makes sense to at least try… I can accept that I guess. But… I’m not kidding when I say I’m powerful Edric. You know that isn’t just me being prideful, it’s just who I am. I know I can be pretty terrifying sometimes.”

                This time Edric laughed. “Honestly Q, I find that kind of hot. Sure, you’re strong and scary, but that’s actually something I like about you. Sure you can be a little intimidating, but knowing the type of person you are, I know you’d just as well use that scary power protectively. That argument is kind of dumb if you think about it.”

                “That’s… Oh.” Aquarius blushed. “When you put it that way it’s a little childish I guess. I’m not really used to people um… thinking that way about me. This conversation has definitely helped, but I still want to think more about this. Anyway, We’re here.”

                Edric frowned and took in his surroundings. He had apparently been distracted by Aquarius – a realization that didn’t fail to fluster the Collector. But regardless, they had just arrived at the gate at Blight Manor.

                “Alright, well I guess I should go in then…” Edric turned to Q. “Think about what I said Q. I know you’ve got more things that bother you and when you’re ready, I’ll listen. But I’m not the judgmental type, so whatever it is, I’ll understand. See you tomorrow.”

                Aquarius didn’t fully register Edric’s last sentence. It seemed like a given. Why wouldn’t he be seeing Edric tomorrow? What had left him speechless was the sincerity in Edric’s voice. Maybe Aquarius didn’t have any reason to worry after all… Maybe he could give Edric the benefit of the doubt.

                “See you…” Aquarius said belatedly, as Edric walked up the path to his home.

                Edric walked into his room and slammed his door shut in frustration. He flopped onto his bed and buried his head in his hands. How come everything had to be so complicated? Why did he have to fall for an immortal of all people?

                He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he would use an immortality potion if it ever came to that. If there was a possibility of being with Q forever, he was more than willing to do whatever it took to get there.

                Ed had never been lucky with relationships in the past. Most of his romantic relationships had either never happened or fizzled out quickly. He’d started dating girls first, but most of them just liked him because of his money – and he’d never actually liked them to begin with. When he’d eventually realized he was into guys, he ended up breaking up with several guys for the same reason – they liked him for his money. Or they expected him to be more of a troublemaker than he actually was and some of his dates tried to coerce him into things because of that expectation.

                He’d given up hope that people would actually like him for him. He’d thought Jerbo might actually give him a chance, but someone else had gotten there first. Jerbo was one of the few people he had known who didn’t care about money in the slightest. It was part of what made him so endearing. He’d accepted him as just Edric instead of Edric Blight. But that was only ever going to be nothing more than a friendship and Ed had come to terms with that.

                Now here he was, near the precipice of something great, and it was more of an uphill battle than it had any right to be. They both liked each other, but somehow, they still stayed apart despite acknowledging the other’s feelings. And most of what was keeping them apart was a complete mystery to Edric. He wanted to help Q so badly but had no idea how.

                How miserable was Edric, really? He’d discovered the emperor was actually a human Witch Hunter in disguise, King is actually a Titan, and Q’s brother is being manipulated by a homicidal dictator. But here he was, griping about how he couldn’t be with his stupid crush. There were obviously much bigger problems at hand, but he couldn’t help being a lovesick teenager. This sucked.

                There was a knock on his bedroom door. “Hey Ed, you in there?”

                It was Emira. Why she was home and not at school was not a question he would be bothered to ask. They’d skipped class more times than he could count on both hands. But he was in no mood to talk.

                “Go away!” He groaned dramatically.

                Emira had always been the best sister. She knew him better than anyone else. So, he was not surprised to hear the door open anyway. Nor was he surprised to hear her shuffle in quietly and gently close the door behind herself.

                “Are you alright Edric?” Emira asked gently. Ugh. The dumb code. He should just say yes and move on with his life. She didn’t need to hear his stupid teenage sob-story. He could deal with this himself.

                “No, I’m not.” Edric sighed. He was too soft. He’d never been the stoic type, and there were very few times he had ever given the opposite response. He trusted Emira no matter what – sometimes a little too much. He hated how nice she could really be. She used to play the mean girl around everyone that wasn’t Edric, but ever since the library incident, she’d flipped her script and became even nicer. She had even somehow been softer to Edric if that was even possible. Having a twin who understood him was a gift Ed would never take for granted.

                “Want to talk about it?” Emira asked, sitting on his bed. “You don’t usually stay out that long. Is everything okay?”

                Edric sighed. “What did Q tell you when you told him to ask me out? What was his biggest concern? I want to show him that I don’t care about any of that, but he’s acting all stubborn and sad. Until I figure it out, we’ll never be together.”

                Emira stared at him. “Wait he admitted his feelings for you, but you aren’t dating yet? I can see why you’re upset.”

                She shifted her position on the bed. “Look, I’d love to help you with your love-life, but Q told me that in confidence. It wouldn’t be right to go behind his back like that. What I can tell you is that he has real concerns. It’s something he should tell you himself.”

                “I expected as much.” Ed groaned. “We need a matchmaker like you and Viney had. This would be so much easier.”

                Emira giggled. “Well, when your object of affection is usually the matchmaker, your options are a little bit limited.”

                Ed smiled. “Yeah, good matchmakers are hard to come by. You two are lucky.”

                “Oh I’m very lucky.” Em smirked. She opened her mouth to make another quip, but paused and Edric thought that he could see a light glyph appear above her head.

                “Hey Ed,” Emira said, trying to maintain a neutral expression. “Since we’re on the subject of romance, I thought I’d get your opinion on something. A uh… female friend of mine has a little problem and asked me for some advice since I’m, you know, in a relationship and all.”

                Edric sighed. He could use a slight change of subject. As long as it distracted him from his current predicament, he was more than happy to oblige.

                “Sure Em,” Edric viewed her out of the corner of his eye. “Lay it on me.”

                Em took a deep breath. “Well, you see, my friend has a bit of an… awkward situation. Do you know what androgyny is?”

                “I’m familiar with the term.” Edric rolled his eyes. “She’s got like, both parts, right?”

                Emira returned his eyeroll. “Well, that’s more formal than your usual M.O., but yes. There’s this guy who asked her out, but she hasn’t given him an answer yet. She wants to date this guy, but she’s worried he’ll be like, super turned off by it.”

                Ed sat up to look at her seriously. “Ok, so you want me to give my opinion on what she should do. I suppose if she likes this guy then she might as well shoot her shot. If he doesn’t like that, then he’s not the one for her I guess.”

                “Well, I kind of told her that but she’s still super worried about it.” Emira said carefully. “But that’s not what I meant when I asked your opinion. Let’s say you were in this other guy’s shoes and this girl tells you that she’s worried about dating you because she’s androgynous and doesn’t think you’d like that. If it helps, maybe think about how you’d respond if Q told you something like that.”

                Edric blushed. How would he respond if Q told him that. It wasn’t something he’d ever considered obviously – I mean, how likely is a person to be born like that? Like, a two percent chance or whatever? But would it bother him if Q told him that? More importantly, would he consider it a turn off? What an absurdly awkward question.

                “Well,” Edric said, choosing his words carefully. “It’s certainly a strange situation. I mean, if I were the guy, I guess it wouldn’t really be a problem for me? Is that a weird thing to say? I mean, I like guys, so if a girl told me that I’d honestly be more interested if anything. I mean, if Q told me something like that, I probably wouldn’t mind. And uh… I guess it wouldn’t exactly be a turn off? Sorry, this is super weird.”

                Emira giggled. “No, it’s okay Ed. It was a weird question. But I’m sure she’ll appreciate a male opinion – even if said male is… oh what’s the human word for that? Goy? Geet?”

                “Gay?” Edric asked helpfully.

                “Yes! That’s the one!” Emira said, snapping her fingers. “Thanks, I’ll tell her I asked some random guy on the street or something so she doesn’t know my twin brother is a weirdo.”

                Ed laughed. “That’s not fair, I answered honestly expecting no judgment! I bet your friend would think it’s very nice that at least somebody would accept her for who she is!”

                Emira giggled. “Oh, I’m sure she will. I’ll get out of your hair, you look dead. You should take a nap or something – mom isn’t home right now so you won’t get caught or anything.”

                “Thanks Em.” Edric said as she stood up and opened the door. “It was nice having someone to vent to – even if that someone asks weird and random questions.”

                “Of course!” Emira chuckled, but as she closed the door, she smiled mischievously to herself. “Oh yes. Weird and random. Move over Q, there’s a new matchmaker in town.”

                With that, Emira giggled maniacally to herself as she walked back to her room.

Chapter Text

                Edric had decided to force himself to go to the last few classes of school that day – especially since he still needed to keep up with potions and beast keeping, otherwise he would incur the wrath of both Eda and Viney – and by extension, Emira. He would probably fall asleep in his classes, but that was a risk he was willing to take. But Emira had other plans.

                Emira had always been a bit of a delinquent. Skipping class was a common occurrence and it wasn’t like Viney couldn’t keep her up on her homework. It wasn’t very difficult for her either, to make an illusion of herself to cover for her (of course she made sure to inform her girlfriend of the switch, in case Viney tried to hold her illusion’s hand or kiss her cheek).

                However, unlike other times, Emira had to fool Edric as well as her teachers. Her reason for doing so was very simple: she was going to make a visit to the owl house. Edric would certainly be suspicious of the action, especially considering that morning’s conversation. She didn’t want to accidentally out Q before the Collector was prepared. Well, knowing what she knew now, it wouldn’t appear to be a problem, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

                But Emira wasn’t going in without an understanding of Q’s situation. Ed had filled her in on the important stuff, since it was rude to keep a twin out of the loop. She didn’t know what to make of King being a Titan, but weirdly enough, it wasn’t too surprising. That house had all sorts of wacky hijinks, that all seemed to center around the human, Luz. Well, Luz and Q that is.

                Speaking of Luz, that human was really corrupting Amity. Emira made it no secret that she thought this was a good thing. Since her sister had started dating Luz, Amity’s truancy record was starting to look pretty ugly. But to Emira, it was the most beautiful thing in the world – Amity was really starting to grow up and enjoy life… Well, to be fair, most of the days she was skipping were usually spent trying to keep her girlfriend alive, which was a task that was more challenging than any abominations test she would ever do at Hexside. Emira had begun to think that Amity had committed herself to a full-time job in dating the human.

                The reason any of that was relevant was because Amity had skipped school to see Luz. Edric had been sure to inform Amity of Luz’s situation, and Amity didn’t want Luz to be trapped in her house with nothing to do for three days. It was very sweet of her and strangely enough, Em found herself taking tips from Amity’s example of how to be a good girlfriend. Note to self: if girlfriend is trapped inside her house because she accidently entered the mind of an evil Witch Hunter, visit girlfriend so she doesn’t get bored. Ok that was weirdly specific, but if it happened once, what are the odds it doesn’t happen again?

                Also, Emira couldn’t explain it, but something felt strangely off about this whole situation. It was like all of this was supposed to be playing out differently and the timing of everything was just off. If her life was fanfiction, she would think that the author was diverting from canon for convenience. It wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling, but it was oddly surreal. Good thing her life wasn’t fanfiction… probably.

                When Emira made it past the noodle-like guard Hooty – only barely avoiding a story about a cool bug he’d found – she was not prepared to find the owl house members sitting beside the coffee table, staring with absolute confusion at a letter beside a black envelope. Amity was sitting in Luz’s lap – not something she had expected her sister to be doing at all. She considered reprimanding Amity for her choice of seating, but then considered the fact that if she had an opportunity to cuddle with Viney like that, she wouldn’t dare turn it down – besides, it didn’t exactly seem like the time to call out inappropriate teenage dating practices. Ok, maybe Em was feeling just a little jealous of Amity, but again, she had more important things to worry about.

                “Uhh, hi everyone.” Em said awkwardly, drawing the attention of the entire living room’s occupants. “What’s with the confused looks?”

                Eda was the first to speak – and very slowly at that. “Well, King appears to have received a letter a while ago – a letter which Hooty conveniently failed to give him at the time it got here. But, the writer claims to be King’s dad – or at least someone who knows him.”

                “Wait, what?” Emira frowned, picking up the letter and reading through it. “That can’t be right though. Ed said that King was like, the last Titan or whatever. So, who wrote this?”

                “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” Luz shrugged. “It even came with a little rock. It makes literally no sense.”

                “I’m still having a hard time believing I’m a Titan, but if Q is telling the truth, then this is a real head-scratcher.” King said, scratching his horned skull with his little claws.

                Q just shook his head. “I’m one hundred percent sure that King is a Titan. I’ve met them and I know exactly what they look like – I even talked to King’s actual dad, who is definitely not in a place where he could send any letters. This is an absolute mystery.”

                Emira set the paper down in complete perplexing wonder. “This raises a lot of questions. If this person really does somehow know The Titan, how is that even possible? They’d have to either be thousands of years old or have some kind of access to the In-Between realm.”

                “We came to the same conclusion.” Lillith said. “But both options don’t seem very likely. If they’re thousands of years old, they’d have to be a Collector like Q, or a Titan who somehow survived the genocide. And Q’s ruled out the idea that they’re a Collector already.”

                “Wait, how can you be sure?” Em’s head snapped back to Q.

                Q stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, if it were any of my siblings, they would instantly be able to recognize King as a Titan. In that case, this house would probably not exist anymore. Unless they couldn’t see him because of his collar, in which case, they might still be interested. But I highly doubt that any of my brothers would bother sending King a letter anyhow.”

                “But on the other side, if they have access to the In-Between Realm, they would need Titan’s blood to get there.” Amity added helpfully. “Which, if that’s the case, it might be worth checking out. It would make the door to the Human Realm a whole lot more accessible if whoever this is turns out to have his own supply.”

                Emira shook her head. “I doubt it’s either.”

                “Explain your reasoning.” Eda raised an eyebrow at her.

                Em picked the paper back up. “Titan’s blood is too rare and if they have access to it, why bother going into the In-Between Realm at all unless they already knew The Titan was there beforehand? The only way that would make any sense is if they were absurdly old, which has already been ruled out. It’s obvious that they at least know something about Titans, but both of those theories don’t appear to be correct – at least that’s what I think. I think it’s likely that this person might actually believe what they’re writing, but they’ve never actually seen a live Titan. Which is honestly more disturbing if you think about it.”

                “Are you implying that there are people that look like Titans, but aren’t?” Q blinked. “I think I would know about them if there were. Maybe it’s a species of demon?”

                “That or it’s a gang of Titan Hunters that wear the skins of Titans as trophies.” Eda joked. “But then that would mean that they mistook King as the son of a Titan Hunter, which would be completely ridiculous.”

                Q looked at her with a concerned expression. “As morbid as that sounds, that actually isn’t impossible. I wouldn’t put it past my brothers to convince mortals to hunt Titans for sport. It really could be a clan of hunters that’s existed since the war against the Titans and that would make sense if they didn’t recognize King as a real Titan too. None of the living clan members could possibly have seen a Titan even once. Although that was a joke Eda, that theory actually has some merit.”

                “That’s what I meant when I said it was more disturbing.” Emira said with a bad taste in her mouth. “It’s the theory that makes the most sense to me. I don’t think it would be a good idea to send King to meet up with them – at least not on his own.”

                Q sighed. “It’s worth looking into. I’m not doing anything super pressing and if it’s for King, then I think it’s worth it to check it out. But I agree with Em, we shouldn’t send King; they could be dangerous. Maybe I should go check it out first and then if it’s safe, I’ll come back and get King. We still have two days until the Day of Unity and this trip shouldn’t take more than a few hours if all goes well.”

                “I can get behind that.” Eda nodded along with everyone else. “With our magic back, Lillith and I can keep an eye on King while you’re gone.”

                “Great!” Q clapped his hands together excitedly. “I’ll get going then.”

                Em grabbed his arm. “Hold on Q. Can I talk to you before you go? In private preferably.”

                Everyone stared at the two of them and Emira began to feel self-conscious. She didn’t like having so many eyes on her, even if it was only for a few seconds. But Q simply nodded with a shrug, and he took her down to his room. Em really hoped people didn’t get any weird ideas about this.

                “What did you want to talk about?” Q asked as he casually sat on the edge of his bed.

                Em checked behind her to make sure there was nobody listening to their conversation before pressing forward. “It’s about Edric. He told me what happened last night.”

                Q blushed. “Oh, that’s what this is about? He’s not mad, is he?”

                “No, he’s not.” Emira sighed. “He’s definitely bummed out, but he isn’t mad at you. Why would he be? He’s crazy for you.”

                “Well, I don’t know.” Q threw his hands up in exasperation. “You made it sound all serious and I got worried! If he isn’t mad at me, then what is this about?”

                Emira suddenly looked away awkwardly. “Do you promise not to be mad when I tell you?”

                Q froze and stared at her with slight fear. “What did you do?”

                “Nothing bad, I swear!” Emira said defensively. “I may have just… Well, I kind of brought up your gender thing to Ed this morning.”

                Q paled. “Please tell me that’s a joke.”

                “It’s not what you think!” Em quickly jumped to reassure him. “I didn’t use your name in the conversation – not directly. I just made up a fake person in a similar situation. All I did was give him a scenario for this fake person and asked for his opinion. I just said that a boy asked my fake friend out and my ‘friend’ was worried what the boy would think if she told him the truth – that she’s, well, you know. Anyway, I may have asked him how he would react if he were the boy in that situation – assuming the fake girl I made up confessed. I may or may not have used your relationship as a comparison, but I didn’t out you, I promise.”

                Q took a deep breath. “Emira, thank you for trying to help, but I don’t think Edric would give you an answer to that. It’s a weird question, so I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t… wait, did he actually give you an answer?”

                Em nodded, trying not to get excited. “Yes. And you don’t have to worry about that being a problem in your relationship if that’s what’s keeping you away.”

                “Wait, are you saying that he would be ok with that?” Q asked in surprise. “Are you sure he wasn’t just delirious from staying up all night?”

                “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Em said, matter-of-factly. “And Ed can’t lie when he gets tired. Whatever he says when he’s been awake for too long without sleep, is usually the exact truth; as his twin I would know.”

                Q seemed hopeful yet perturbed. “Well, if that is true, then it certainly makes things a little easier. But still…”

                Emira rolled her eyes. “Can you just stop making excuses and just level with Edric? You both like each other, you’ve each made that clear. Quit beating around the bush and just rip off the bandaid and tell him the truth. And once you’ve done that, just ask him out damnit. I’m sure whatever problems come up in the future, you’ll work them out. Just give Ed a little more credit. He’s a lot more understanding than you think.”

                Q was stunned by her sudden outburst and floundered for something to say in response, but even if he did say something, Emira would have ignored it as she continued her rant. “Q, as your friend I think you should at least give it a shot. But as Ed’s sister I think I should tell you that I hate seeing him get sad. I don’t think you fully understand the connection twins have, but when he gets sad, it hurts me too. He likes you a lot Q, and you make him happy. So, why don’t you just stop being afraid for once and trust him? At the very least, set aside your fears and do something that can make both of you happy.”

                “Alright.” Q looked away with a huff. “I guess there’s no reason why we can’t give dating a try. If he does accept me for… you know… then I guess it’s worth a shot. I’ll talk to him when I get back from my investigation.”

                Em shook her head. “Nope, you need to talk to him before, not after. If you wait, you’ll just psyche yourself out and find another excuse. He gets out of school in like, ten minutes, so you better hurry.”

                “He went to school?!” Q asked in exasperation. “He won’t learn a thing as tired as he is. Why didn’t you stop him?”

                “Doesn’t matter.” Emira rolled her eyes. “It’s now or never Q.”

                Q sighed and mumbled something under his breath about Ed being an irresponsible idiot. Em wasn’t going to argue with that as she followed him back up the stairs. He looked both annoyed and excited. It was justified she supposed.

                “I’m leaving right now.” Q said after swiping the letter and its contents, opening the door. “I’ll be back after I finish investigating. Don’t wait up for me if you do any scheming.”

                With that, he shut the door and walked away.

                Luz wiggled free from under Amity and stood up. “No idea what’s going on, but I’m parched. I’m going to get a drink.”

                She walked towards the kitchen, before pausing and turning to Amity. “Want anything, Hermosa?”

                “I’ll take whatever.” Amity smiled at her. “Thanks, Batata.”

                Luz shot her some finger guns and a wink before turning back around. Eda grumbled something about having tunnel vision and stood up to get herself her own drink.

                Emira turned to Amity. “Hey Mittens, what does Hermosa mean?”

                Edric readjusted his school bag as he walked out of Hexside’s front door. He had been absolutely exhausted, but his potions professor had come in clutch. Thanks to several energy potions, he was wide awake and ready to tackle the day. Of course, he’d been heavily reprimanded for showing up late, but once they saw how tired he was, they took pity on him.

                “You look energetic.” A familiar voice said beside him, making him jump.

                The voice had been none other than Ed’s favorite Collector. Although, the bar wasn’t set very high, so it wasn’t much of a contest. Either way, he was surprised to see Q waiting for him outside.

                “Q!” Edric gasped, clutching his chest. “You nearly burst my bile sack! Don’t scare me like that!”

                Q chuckled. “Sorry.”

                Ed shook his head. “You really are something Q. What are you doing here? Better yet: how did you know I was at school today?”

                “Emira.” Q smiled, but it seemed to waver slightly. “I actually wanted to talk to you if you aren’t in a hurry. Do you mind going for a walk in the woods?”

                “I would love to!” Edric said enthusiastically, leading the way.

                After a few minutes of walking, Q broke the silence. “So, how do you have so much energy? Last I saw you, you looked dead.”

                Edric smirked. “My potions teacher gave me a potion that allows your body to feel rested and awake. It also gives a huge boost of energy. Obviously, it’s not something to drink on a regular basis, but it woke me right up!”

                “Well, that’s convenient.” Q giggled. “I could use something like that right about now.”

                “I should have asked for extra.” Edric laughed back. “I’m sure they would have accepted a few hundred snails for one or two more.”

                Q shook his head with a chuckle as they continued into the woods. They walked in silence, before Edric finally spoke up this time.

                “I think this is probably private enough.” Ed said, stopping and sitting on a broken log. “What did you want to talk about?”

                “Well, it’s a little bit ah… awkward.” Q sighed leaning against a tree. “But first thing I want to say, is I’m willing to give a relationship a try.”

                Ed smiled. “Really? I didn’t think you would come to a decision so early.”

                Q grimaced. “Neither did I, but Emira convinced me. But listen, before we, uhm, make this official, I want to ask you about something, and I need you to promise not to freak out.”

                “Ok?” Edric nodded, raising an eyebrow. “I promise.”

                Q took a deep breath, and his face dusted a light pink. “Alright, here I go.”

                His eyes drifted away from Edric as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Ok, so remember when we were on that roof during the parade, and you asked me that one question?”

                “Uh, can you refresh my memory?” Ed replied with a blush of his own. “Because I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

                Ed was lying of course. Q could only be talking about one thing, but Edric didn’t want to jump to any conclusions just yet. He already felt bad about insinuating something so awkward and he really hoped that wasn’t what Q was talking about. He was sure Q was going to tell him not to say stuff like that and that it had really made him uncomfortable.

                “When you asked me about my um… outfit.” Q blushed further.

                Edric blushed and immediately stood up. “Ok, listen, I’m so sorry I said that. I wasn’t thinking and it was really rude and insensitive. Can we just forget about that whole thing? I mean, I really didn’t mean to say that I couldn’t tell your gender. I’m sorry if it was offensive and I promise I won’t say anything like that again.”

                “Actually…” Q gave him a weak smile and then looked away, his face turning bright red. “I’m not mad about that. It’s sweet that you want to apologize, but the truth is I… I’m actually androgynous. I mean, there’s other words for it, but that’s the one I prefer to uh, use.”

                Ed’s jaw dropped. He hadn’t been expecting that. What is he supposed to say in response to that? Wait, was Q the friend Em had been talking about?!

                “What I mean to say is, uh…” Q stuttered. “I mean that like, I don’t really have a gender – well I technically have two, but I guess that they cancel each other out? Does that make sense? Look, the point is, if we’re going to date I need to know if uh, you’re ok with that. Yep. That’s my question. I mean, that is, if you still want to date me now that you know… that.”

                Ed stared at the Collector standing in front of him. Q was a flustered mess, tapping his (their?) pointer fingers together nervously and refusing to meet his gaze. He had to admit, now that he was faced with the situation, it was difficult to process. Did he still want to date Q? Well, ok yeah, he did. But this was kind of a unique situation. He wasn’t going to say no to dating Q, but…

                Was Edric ok with that? He’d already thought about it when Em had posed the question earlier, but he never thought that he would actually have to seriously ask himself that. It was so awkward, no doubt about it. But did it have to be? This was kind of a normal thing for Q. Q had to live with this for… how many years? Thousands? Millions?

                Edric took a good look at the shy Collector in front of him. He realized that it wasn’t all shyness. Q was terrified. He was genuinely afraid that Ed wouldn’t want him because of the way he was born. He remembered what he’d said to Eda the day before, and it suddenly clicked. Q had been avoiding romance because of something that was completely out of his control. Had he avoided relationships in the past because he wasn’t interested in one or because he was scared that no one would accept that part of him in a serious relationship? That thought nearly broke his heart.

                He realized what his answer was. He’d said so long before he’d known about any of this. He’d given his answer as he’d placed himself in Raine Whispers’ shoes. But the more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he became about what his real answer was. He was ok with it. He was more than ok with it. He’d thought Q was attractive way back on that rooftop specifically because he looked androgynous. When he suddenly understood that, heat went straight to his face.

                “I don’t mind that at all.” Edric found himself saying. “I um… I’m actually very ok with it. Ok, that sounds super pervy when I say it like that, but what I mean is that it doesn’t change how I feel about you at all – well maybe it does a little but in a good way.”

                Q finally met his eyes with a look of surprise. “Y-you’re serious? That really doesn’t bother you that I…”

                “Not at all.” Ed said, ears drooping in embarrassment. “I’d prefer not to elaborate further on that if you don’t mind.”

                “Oh.” Q’s eyes widened. “Oh. I didn’t know you were um… You know what, I think I’ve got my answer and we can uh, move on. So, will you go out with me then?”

                Ed’s eyes softened and he rushed forward and hugged Q tightly. “Do you really need to ask? Of course I will you doofus.”

                Q hugged him back and smiled as he burrowed his face into the crook of Edric’s neck. After a few seconds he started to laugh. His laughter began very subtly before it rose into hysterics.

                Edric pulled back. “What’s so funny?”

                “Oh, nothing.” Q smiled, wiping tears of laughter away from his face. “It’s just that I’m three for three now.”

                It took a moment for his words to sink in before Ed suddenly frowned. “Wait a minute, that doesn’t count. You already found Virgo.”

                Q shook his head. “I specifically remember saying until I get him back. I haven’t gotten my brother back yet, so it counts. I never said that I couldn’t be your date either.”

                “I hate that you have a perfect memory.” Ed pouted, before a smile creeped up on his face. “Wait, you need to take me on a date first, or it doesn’t count! With everything going on up to the Day of Unity, there’s no way we’ll have time for that.”

                “Is that so?” Q cocked an eyebrow. “Seems like a new technicality to me, but if you insist, I’ll accept that guideline. And if that’s the case, would you like to come with me to investigate a suspicious letter that King got recently? I think it would be a very romantic first date, and we can even leave right now.”

                Edric narrowed his eyes. “You cheeky bastard. You know I can’t resist an adventure of intrigue and mischief. Of course, I’m in.”

                “Wonderful!” Q smirked, snapping his fingers.

                Edric sighed and hid his schoolbag in a nearby tree. He’d come back for it later. He didn’t worry whether he’d be able to find this spot again, because he had full faith in Q’s memory.

                As he turned around, Q was sitting on a large golden star – large enough to seat two people, but not too large to draw attention. Q was sitting right on the edge, supporting himself with both hands and crossing his legs that were dangling mere inches off the ground. The look on Q’s face had Edric weak.

                “I’m sure you’ve ridden on a palisman staff before,” He said with a cheeky grin. “But have you ever ridden a star?”

Chapter Text

                It didn’t take them long to find the island referenced in the letter. It stood out pretty easily in the middle of the Boiling Ocean. It was hard to miss by the description, not to mention the map that had been included. It was a quick trip, but not too quick that Aquarius hadn’t been able to explain things to… his boyfriend. Wow. That’s pretty cool.

                Aquarius hadn’t really registered that reality during the flight. He knew it had happened and he was happy, but the full weight of it struck him much later. Edric was now his boyfriend. Did Aquarius ever see himself having a significant other a thousand years ago? No, he’d even been repulsed by the idea. Now he was elated. What a crazy difference a few years could make… well a few years to an immortal that is.

                But speaking of the flight, Edric had looked deathly pale the whole ride and his ears folded back in fear even when they landed. He’d been capable of speech, but his voice would come out shaky. When Aquarius asked if he wanted to take a break, Edric shook his head, saying that he’d rather get it over with sooner rather than later. But now that they’d landed, Aquarius had to help the boy down because Ed’s legs were shaking too much.

                They had landed at the base of the rock, and Aquarius was helping Edric get his bearings by slowly helping him sit down on a nearby boulder. As Edric caught his breath, Aquarius gave him a concerned look. What a great start to their first date.  Maybe he should have found another means of transportation. He had been studying teleportation, but his ability to teleport living things… well let’s say it was a work in progress.

                Aquarius snapped his fingers and summoned a glass of water and handed it to Edric with a grimace. “I didn’t realize you were scared of heights, otherwise would have flown lower. Sorry Ed.”

                “Not… not heights.” Edric gasped, after chugging half the glass. “Flying above the Boiling Ocean with nothing to hold on to is what I find scary. Plus, if you flew any lower, we probably would have been boiled alive.”

                Aquarius blinked at him for a moment before he realized what his last sentence meant. “Oh, I forgot witches aren’t very resistant to high temperatures. Temperature isn’t usually an issue for Collectors. I really need to pay more attention to stuff like gravity and hot water. Those are kind of not problems for me since I can fly and… yeah, sorry about that. But you know I wouldn’t have let you fall, right?”

                “Well yeah,” Edric laughed airily. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still scary. But both of those things are really good to know though. It just means that it would be in my best interest to stay closer to you.”

                “Aww.” Aquarius smiled. “That’s really sweet, but also kind of rational. You can hold my hand next time if that helps. That way, you’ll never be able to fall.”

                Edric couldn’t help chuckling. “Q, any excuse to hold your hand is a good one. Though I would think that me being your boyfriend would be a good enough excuse. Woah, saying that out loud feels good. We’re boyfriends now - um, I mean, if you prefer male pronouns that is.”

                Aquarius laughed as he waved his hand and refilled the glass, and used his other hand to help Edric to his feet. “That’s usually what I go with, but to be honest I don’t have a preference. That’s what I tell other people – that I like male pronouns – but the truth is, I don’t actually care. Calling me a boy or a girl is technically correct either way.”

                Edric, downed the second glass as he spoke, making sure to pay attention to Aquarius’ words. “You know a very long time ago, I used to change pronouns depending how I felt at the time. But that apparently confused my siblings, so I’ve stuck with male pronouns ever since.”

                “Wouldn’t your siblings be able to tell the difference though?” Edric asked, watching as Aquarius tapped the glass cup with his knuckle, making it turn into a beautiful butterfly that fluttered off towards the giant stone obelisk.

                “You would think so, since all Collectors are androgynous, but surprisingly no.” Aquarius rolled his eyes, guiding Edric up the hill towards the rock. “If you haven’t noticed, I have more male tendencies, so they had a hard time figuring out when I was female. But even though I don’t outwardly express that fluidity anymore, I still do switch my pronouns for myself. Of course, I refer to myself as a male to prevent confusion for anyone else. But when I feel particularly feminine, I like to consider myself female.”

                Edric raised an eyebrow. “Is there anything in particular that makes you switch or do you just go by your mood?”

                Aquarius shrugged. “Well mostly I go by whatever I’m feeling at the moment. But if you really want to know, I usually consider myself a female at least once a month, for approximately a week. I’m referring to my period if you were wondering. I know that sounds weird, but it makes sense in my head.”

                “Wait, you have-” Edric started to exclaim, before getting cut off.

                “Oh, would you look at that!” Aquarius said loudly, blushing profusely. “We’re here!”

                Aquarius hadn’t meant to bring up that particular subject – especially not so casually. Gender for him was a bit confusing and awkward. Sure he was thousands – if not millions – of years old, but physically and mentally, he was still a sixteen year old. He couldn’t help being embarrassed by something that he should by every right, be used to by now. He didn’t mind talking about his gender and preferences now that Edric knew the truth, but admitting to his boyfriend that he was not only physically both genders, but also had regular periods when said boyfriend had originally thought he was a boy… Well, it was embarrassing for Aquarius.

                Fortunately, they were given a very opportune distraction from what was, by all accounts, an awkward conversation. They had gotten all the way up to what was probably supposed to be some kind of magical gateway to somewhere else. Aquarius recognized the markings and then quickly pieced together the context clues. There was probably supposed to be a hole in the center where the little rock they were given was supposed to fit, like a key, which would then transport them to wherever this mystery person was supposed to be.

                However, there was a problem.

                “Why does that rock feel familiar?” Edric said with a frown.

                Aquarius sighed. “Well, probably because you saw me throw it. What are the odds that I would hit this exact spot though? It’s not the end of the world – I mean, I can fix it, but damn.”

                “Well, if you ever needed to give me a reason to never break up with you, this would be it.” Edric shook his head and then paused as he noticed something else. “Hey, do you hear snoring?”

                They both turned to face the sound and found… A sleeping Titan? No… that wasn’t a real Titan. Something was definitely off about it, but Aquarius couldn’t quite put his finger on what. Was it the wings? Everything looked… manufactured? No – altered. Besides, real Titans were obviously much larger. This was a clear fraud.

                “Is that a…” Ed began to ask awkwardly but stopped when he saw Aquarius shake his head.

                “No.” Aquarius said with confidence. “That’s no Titan. It sounds like Eda’s theory was correct. I don’t like this at all.”

                Edric gave him a wary look. “Should we wake him up?”

                “Yeah, probably.” Aquarius said grimly. “I have some questions for him.”

                Aquarius carefully removed the little stone from the broken keyhole and tossed it to Edric, who didn’t question what it was for as he hurled it at the sleeping figure. He may have thrown it a little harder than necessary as it struck the figure right in the chest, but it is what it is Aquarius supposed.

                The sleeping figure snorted in surprise and sat up, shaking himself. He looked down at the broken rock and if they could have seen his face, they might have noticed a frown on it. He looked around in perplexity and his eyes landed on the two figures standing near him.

                Ed gave him a wave. “Good morning, sir or perhaps ma’am – we don’t assume around here.”

                You definitely do assume, Aquarius wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time for jokes. Well actually any time was a good time for jokes but that’s not the point. This was a serious moment. Kind of.

                The newly awoken figure gasped and stood up excitedly. “People! Oh, thank The Huntsman! You have no idea how long I’ve been stranded here!”

                Aquarius raised an eyebrow. Judging by the smell he had a few guesses of how long.

                “What do you mean by stranded?” Aquarius stared at him questioningly. “No one can survive a swim in the ocean, so you had to have a boat of some sort.”

                The man nodded. “Yes! I did, but when I came up here, a rainstorm came in, so I had to stay here for cover. When the storm passed, my boat was gone, and my other passage home has been destroyed somehow.”

                Then he gestured to the broken glyph wall. “It seems that it was The Huntsman’s will that I stay behind to meet you two. May I ask your names?”

                “This is Q, and I’m Ed.” Edric said pointing to Aquarius and then back to himself. “What’s your name?”

                “My name is Tarak.” The man replied sagely. “I am a Titan Trapper from Titan Trapper Island. I went out to deliver a letter to one King Clawthorne, who is the son of a dear friend of mine who passed before his time.”

                Aquarius internally cringed. This was not what he considered to be an ideal situation. This was the guy who gave King the letter apparently, and Eda’s theory, despite being a joke at first, was spot on.

                “A Titan Trapper huh?” Aquarius asked nonchalantly. “You referred to ‘The Huntsman’ a moment ago. Is that your god or something?”

                “Yes!” Tarak smiled through his skull-helmet. “He guides us in our quest to become more than just trappers, you see. He is imprisoned in another realm, but once we find and trap the last remaining Titan, we can free him from his prison and finally become Titan Slayers! Eh, well, at least that’s what Bob says.”

                Aquarius was having a hard time wrapping his head around what this guy was talking about. A prison? Who was this ‘Huntsman’ and why did he need a Titan to free him? Unless… No, there’s no way.

                “Tarak, does your god go by any other names by any chance?” Aquarius asked warily.

                “Indeed!” Tarak claimed boisterously. “We lower ranking Trappers honor him by calling him ‘The Grand Huntsman’, but Bob calls him ‘The Collector’. But they are one in the same. And when he is freed, he will guide on new paths!”

                Aquarius and Edric shared a worried look, which went unnoticed by the trapper before them. That confirmed their suspicions, but they had to be sure. They would need to meet this ‘Bob’ person and ask him some questions.

                “So, this ‘Grand Huntsman’ is a Collector?” Edric asked once they turned back to face Tarak. Aquarius had half a mind to kick him at his phrasing.

                And sure enough, this caught the Titan Trapper’s attention. “A Collector? You mean there are more of them?”

                Aquarius sighed. “Yes, there are more. Twelve to be exact. And I can tell you that it was A Collector that broke your door here, but it wasn’t the one you call ‘The Huntsman’.”

                “Twelve?!” Tarak slapped his forehead in shock. “But how can you know this? Do you also worship A Collector where you’re from?”

                Edric chuckled. “Something like that.”

                “I wouldn’t say I do.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “That would be narcissistic unless it was one of my brothers – but I would never worship any of them. Can you imagine worshipping a sibling like they were a god? That’s absurd!”

                Edric and Tarak both looked at Aquarius like he was crazy, but for different reasons. Edric thought he was crazy for being ballsy enough to admit he’s a Collector, meanwhile, Tarak thought he was crazy for suggesting he was related to The Grand Huntsman – his god.

                Noticing this, Aquarius decided to stick with his gut instinct and press onward. “I can tell you’re a little confused. Allow me to explain. I am a friend of the one you call King Clawthorne – his patron Collector if you will. I hope you can forgive my coming in his stead, but I do worry about the kid. I can fix your door for you if you could introduce me to the one named Bob.”

                “Really?” Tarak seemed unsure whether to kneel in reverence or shake his hand, so he opted for standing there in anxious anticipation. “If you can fix the door, I’d be more than happy to take you to meet Bob! He and I are very close and if your story is true, then he’d be absolutely delighted to meet another Collector. And I am not offended at all for you coming instead of young Clawthorne. He must be a very wonderful young lad to attract the attention of a Collector.”

                Aquarius smiled as he turned to the ruined glyph door. “Indeed, he is. Although, I must apologize, because I was actually the one who broke this. It was an accident of course – I was frustrated about something and may have lost my temper. Now if you will please stand back.”

                Edric and Tarak both stepped back as Aquarius placed his hand on the wall and closed his eyes. He imagined the large cracks reknitting themselves and as he did so, a faint blue glow emanated from within the broken obelisk. The ground shook as the stone ground together with a deep rumbling groan.

                Finally, he opened his eyes and admired his handiwork. It looked almost as good as new, aside from the tiny hole in the center of the glyph mark. He turned around to see Tarak and Ed looking up at the reformed stone in awe. The two looked back and Aquarius noticed the look in Edric’s eyes and tried very hard not to blush. He looked like he wanted to say something but was trying very hard to bite his tongue. Tarak on the other hand, had dropped to one knee and bowed his helmeted head.

                “I must apologize Great One.” He said soberly. “I admit that I doubted your identity. Please forgive my fault.”

                Aquarius tried hard not to laugh, and Ed was also struggling to keep it together. The groveling from the Titan Hunter was almost comical. While Aquarius did not think himself a god, he couldn’t help being flattered by the display, even if it was a little funny.

                “Uh, you’re forgiven.” Aquarius said in the most god-like voice he could muster. “But there is no need to kneel. Now, before we go, I would like to ask a favor.”

                Tarak scrambled to his feet and nodded. “Yes! Anything, Great One!”

                “I would like to keep my identity a secret.” Aquarius said, stifling a laugh at his new title. “As such, I will be going in disguise, and I would like you to refer to me as ‘Q’ for the time being.”

                “B-but everyone would be delighted to have a Collector in their presence.” Tarak stuttered. “You have no need to hide yourself.”

                Aquarius grimaced. “That’s exactly why I want to stay hidden. I don’t need Titan Hunters swarming me and worshipping my existence for the entire time I’m there. If I wish to reveal my identity, I will do so myself. Is that understood Tarak?”

                Tarak nodded enthusiastically, which Aquarius accepted as a yes. Without further ado, he snapped his fingers, and his appearance was altered to hide his most defining Collector’s features – namely his two-toned skin and rounded ears. He looked like your average witch, and nobody would be any the wiser.

                He produced the stone that would also act as a key and slipped it into the hole. He turned to the other two, to make sure they were ready, and then placed his hand on the glyph, illuminating the entire island in a swirling blue light.

                When the light cleared, they arrived on a small wooden dock. It wasn’t too difficult to imagine that they had been transported to the other side of the world. In fact, there was no doubt in Aquarius’ mind that that was exactly what happened.

                “Welcome to Titan Trapper Island.” Tarak said dramatically. “This is where King’s father once lived before he passed. Although, I had never been aware he’d had a son. I guess you learn new things every day. Anyway, follow me! I’ll introduce you to my good buddy Bob!”

                Edric and Aquarius followed behind Tarak a few paces and Ed leaned in to whisper in Aquarius’ ear. “You never told me you could do any of that stuff.”

                Aquarius smirked. “It was never relevant. There’s a lot of stuff I can do that I haven’t told you about. If you spend enough time with me, you’ll find out.”

                “I plan to.” Edric replied. “By the way, that was really hot what you did with the stone back there.”

                “Well judging by your reaction, I kind of figured you were thinking that.” Aquarius chuckled, blushing. “Besides, I may have been showing off just a bit. I have a new boyfriend to impress after all.”

                Ed rolled his eyes and turned back to look where they were going. Aquarius followed suit and was intrigued by what he saw. It seemed like the Titan Trappers all congregated in one tiny village. There was certainly a lot of Trappers, wearing their signature Titan regalia, but not so many that it was cause for too much concern. He highly doubted all of their coats were the real thing. Some of them probably wore a substitute of real Titan fur and their skulls were likely a bone-colored ceramic. That sounded uncomfortable, but when you’re committed to a certain aesthetic, you sometimes have to sacrifice for style – although Aquarius wasn’t a fan of this particular style.

                Tarak waved at a few other hunters, who waved back at him enthusiastically. Some though, would actively turn away from the big guy with a dramatic eyeroll. He seemed to be fairly well-liked, but it appeared that some found him annoying. Aquarius couldn’t imagine why.

                Eventually they arrived at a large and important-looking building. The base was round and had multiple arched entrances, and in the center was a spire that had little branches that made it look tree-like. At the top was an intricately designed sun, or perhaps just a large star. Upon entering the building, Aquarius’ breath hitched. The entryway opened into a large atrium, where a shrine sat in the center. It was designed like a children’s play area, with a stone altar covered in bones near the far end of the low walls. Speaking of bones, the entire shrine was littered with them, and they looked like the bones of young Titans. But what had really caught his attention was the sun, overlooking the shrine. The sun had the face of a Collector, and it was smiling with closed eyes, but no mouth.

                It was as if the Collector overlooking the shrine was gloating. It seemed to say, “Look at all these bones that used to belong to little Titans, no older than King. Isn’t it so great?” It was not great. The exact opposite of great.

                Tarak led them up the set of stairs and knocked on a door, to which an elderly voice shouted back. “Go away, I’m busy!”

                Tarak ignored the voice as he let the two into the room. “Bill, I have brought guests!”

                On the other end of the room was a small elderly man, wearing Titan Trapper gear, form fitted to accommodate his tiny body. On top of his head was a burning candle that was slowly melting into the helmet. He was sitting on an old and worn cushioned armchair and was glaring, before his eyes widened in surprise.

                “Tarak!” He croaked. “I haven’t seen you in a while. You’re usually pestering me constantly, so I was getting a little worried. But now that you’re here I already hate it. Leave your visitors here and go bother someone else.”

                The large hunter’s shoulders drooped glumly and he walked away as Ed and Aquarius entered the room. As he took in his surroundings, Aquarius took note of the disheveled and disorganized state of the place. There were so many random weapons, armor pieces and ordinary, but strangely out of place objects. It vaguely reminded him of some of his sibling’s rooms at The Archives.

                “So,” The old man croned. “What has two young witches coming to Titan Hunter Island?”

                “A friend of ours received a letter.” Aquarius answered. “We wanted to see if it was legit.”

                The old hunter stroked his chin. “And who is this friend?”

                “His name is King.” Edric jumped in. “Tarak told us his dad used to be a Titan Hunter, so we thought we’d come check it out for him.”

                Bill hopped off the couch and paced in front of them, giving them a piercing look. “And why has your friend not come to see for himself?”

                “Because I told him not to.” Aquarius replied. “I’m one of his guardians you see, and I swore to someone very important to him that I would keep him safe. I’m sure you understand the sentiment.”

                “I can’t say I do.” Bill said, giving him a critical look. “But whatever boils your rain I suppose. Is that all you came here for?”

                Aquarius smirked. “No, we actually had some questions for you. Tarak mentioned The Grand Huntsman, and he told us you could give us a little information on him.”

                Bill gave him a glare. “Why do you want to know? And Tarak should know better than to name drop The Huntsman to strangers.”

                “We just want to know why he’s so important to you hunters.” Edric reasoned. “Tarak spoke very highly of your god, although, he did say you call him by another name.”

                “Did he now?” Bill asked curiously. “Did he also mention The Grand Huntsman was imprisoned in another realm?”

                Aquarius nodded. “He did. He also said that you knew of another living Titan. I thought they all went extinct.”

                “That’s what everyone believes.” Bill growled. “But one still lives. If we found him and trapped him, then we could free The Huntsman and go down as Titan Slayers, not just trappers. It would be a glorious end to a millennia-long war.”

                Aquarius cringed. He sounded so sure. So confident in the fact that there was indeed one last Titan for the Trappers to dispose of. It was as if he had firsthand knowledge of that fact.

                “Do you have a way to speak to this ‘Huntsman’?” Edric asked with a raised eyebrow.

                “No!” Bill exclaimed exasperatedly. “I would have done it ages ago if I could! If the disk that connected him to this realm wasn’t broken, then it might be a different story. And that is why we need to sacrifice the Titan. To repair the connection and free him from his bonds. Once I find that brute, I’ll wring its furry neck.”

                Aquarius ignored the last little bit as he latched on to something else Bill had said. “You said something about a broken disk? Can I see it?”

                Bill eyed him for a moment before shrugging. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Come with me.”

                The two boys stood in front of the stone pedestal that was overshadowed by a large spire. It was supposedly one of the fingers of the Titan they were standing on – the spire that is. But Aquarius looked down at the little disk that was split right down the middle in a jagged pattern.

                “So now that you’ve seen it, what do you think?” Bill asked sourly. “Do you see why it’s so vital to find that Titan? Nothing else has the power to fix something like this.”

                Aquarius frowned and mumbled to himself. “Almost nothing.”

                He turned to the old man. “You know Bill, something just occurred to me. Titans have been dead for a very long time. How do you expect to recognize it when you see it?”

                “Oh, it won’t be hard.” Bill chuckled. “The others are young and inexperienced; they’ve never seen a living Titan in their lives. But I fought many Titans in my younger days.”

                Bill took off his candle-adorned helmet and glared off into the distance. “They are ferocious beasts, with a talent for destruction. They tower over mortals like a monolith, crushing whatever comes into their path.”

                He shivered. “And that war cry. Weh! Weh! It’s enough to make a grown witch cower in fear. It’s war cry sends shockwaves in the direction it throws its voice, powerful enough to shatter stone. What loathsome creatures they are.”

                Aquarius and Edric both paused. How old was this guy exactly? He had to be thousands of years old to have fought Titans. Witches don’t usually live that long… usually.

                “How old are you exactly?” Aquarius frowned, turning to face him. “Titans were wiped out thousands of years ago.”

                “Hm…” Bill grumbled. “An astute observation – Q, was it? Well, Q, would you believe me if I told you that I am as old as the Titans themselves?”

                That made no sense. Nobody could be that old. The only one who even was capable of living so long was Aquarius himself. So how?

                “I definitely wouldn’t.” Aquarius replied immediately. “That’s not possible. No witch could ever live that long. You certainly look old, but there’s no way you’re that old.”

                Bill snorted. “You’re correct. No witch could ever live so long. But I didn’t used to be a witch you know. Thousands of years ago I was nearly as powerful as The Huntsman himself. But I was cursed by a powerful Titan and was trapped in this form you see before you. I am an immortal, trapped in a mortal’s body. A horrible fate I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. If I could free The Huntsman, it is my hope that he can restore me to my former glory and free me from my own prison.”

                Aquarius stared at the old man incredulously. There was absolutely no way. This guy had to be senile. Because what he was insinuating was impossible.

                “A curse that turns you into an old witch?” Edric asked as Aquarius pondered this information. “That sounds a little far-fetched.”

                “Ah, but this old body didn’t start out that way.” Bill said smartly. “Fortunately, I wasn’t completely without hope. I still have access to a witch’s magic, but it is hardly a fraction of what I once was. If you could see the kind of power I held back then, you would be bending your knees and worshipping me alongside The Huntsman.”

                It suddenly clicked in Aquarius’ brain once a memory resurfaced. Of course! It made so much sense now, and once he understood, he couldn’t keep himself from laughing.

                “What’s so funny?!” The old man howled. “I’m serious!”

                Aquarius wiped a tear from his eye after a moment and met Bill’s glare with a smirk. “Which one are you?”

                “What?” Ed and Bill asked simultaneously.

                “There were two of you who never came back.” Aquarius exclaimed with a giggle. “So, which one of you got stuck in the In-Between Realm? Was it Pisces? Please tell me it was Pisces.”

                A look of realization passed over the old and wrinkled face and he glowered at Aquarius. “Which one are you? Leo? Gemini?”

                Aquarius snapped his fingers smugly and his disguise vanished in the blink of an eye. “Wrong! I can only assume that’s you, Sagittarius. So, the old Titan trapped you in a witch’s body huh? How did that happen?”

                “Aquarius!” Bill growled. “I should have known! Only you would sink low enough to laugh at my misfortune. What are you doing here?”

                “Just here to see the sights.” Aquarius leaned forward smugly. “And my, what a sight you are! You used to be so cocky and look at you now; all old and wrinkly! What would Capricorn say about your predicament? Oh, what about Libra? I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of this.”

                Bill’s – Sagittarius’ – face was bright red with anger, causing the little blue mark on his forehead to stand out in stark contrast. “Shut up you little brat! You’re lucky I can only use witch magic or I’d-”

                “You’d what?” Aquarius cut him off, still smirking devilishly. “With or without your old magic, you were still no match for me. Do you want to test that theory? Because I’m sure I could fix your little situation and free Pisces to boot.”

                Sagittarius’ angry face switched on a dime. “You’d do that?”

                Aquarius laughed. “You wish! This is a good look for you bro. I’ll be sure to let the others know you aren’t dead. I’m sure I’ll see you later. Good luck finding your Titan, because I can guarantee you won’t.”

                Aquarius nodded to Edric, who looked very confused as he grabbed his hand and pulled him away. He dragged Ed a few more paces before Sagittarius spoke again.

                “What do you mean you can guarantee it?” The old man growled.

                Aquarius paused and looked back at him with a cold glare. “I mean that you’ll have to get through me first.”

                Edric gave Aquarius a shocked expression, while Sagittarius only glared at him. That old windbag could glare all he wanted; it wouldn’t do much good. Without another word, he tugged Ed’s hand and dragged him back towards the dock. Before he came into contact with the little village, he snapped his fingers and turned the both of them invisible.

                “What just happened?” Ed asked once he realized what Aquarius had done.

                Aquarius sighed, trying to keep his anger in check. He had wanted to scream and shout at his brother, and ask him why the hell they wanted to kill Virgo. He’d wanted to take the broken disk and toss it into the Boiling Ocean. But instead, he’d chosen to mock him and make light of the bastard’s predicament. It was far better than losing himself in anger. After all, what would Ed think of him?

                “You just met one of my annoying siblings.” Aquarius finally answered. “I think I owe you a full explanation of what happened back then. But it’s hard to explain it, so I think it’s better I show you.”

                They walked the rest of the way to the dock in silence and nobody spoke as they teleported back to the doorway that had been previously broken. Once they came out the other side, Aquarius slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, causing the entire stone to fracture into tiny fragments. The whole structure collapsed, but not a speck landed on either Edric or Aquarius.

                “What did you do that for?” Ed yelped. “What if we need to go back through later?”

                Aquarius shook the dust off his fist. “We won’t. I don’t want anyone to be able to follow us out if I can help it. We shouldn’t have even bothered coming here.”

                “I guess I’ll take your word for it.” Edric said quietly.

                In that moment, Aquarius suddenly felt very guilty for dragging Edric along. Some date this was. He would need to make up for this somehow.

                “Sorry our date turned out to be so sucky.” Aquarius sighed, walking back to shore, Edric in tow. “It wasn’t much of an adventure as I thought. Maybe it would have been more exciting if I’d fought Sagittarius.”

                “What? No!” Ed said with wide eyes. “I thought it was still pretty fun. We learned a lot and I got to see my awesome boyfriend in action. Besides, you actually showed a lot of maturity back there – aside from laughing at him. I know how badly you probably wanted to punch his face in.”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. And you’re right, I really wanted to grind his ugly face into a powder with my boot. Although I think that would have been a mercy for the jerk. He’s better off living as an old geezer for eternity.”

                Edric laughed at that as Aquarius summoned his star. Once the star alighted in front of the two of them, Ed eyed it warily.

                “Oh, I forgot that this makes you nervous.” Aquarius said, noticing his apprehension. “Just hold my hand, ok? I promise I won’t let you fall.”

                Ed nodded. “Alright. Will our date be over when we get back, or…”

                “Not if you don’t want it to be.” Aquarius smiled, helping him onto the star. “Besides, I still have a memory to watch with you. It’ll be like watching a show on your crystal ball. Although, if you don’t mind, I’d like to include everyone. I want to finally show you what happened with the Titans.”

                “Really?” Edric gaped at him. “If that’s what you want to do then there’s no way we leave anyone else out of that. We have plenty of time for more dates later.”

                Aquarius gave him a soft smile and decided to be bold by planting a kiss on his cheek, which made Ed blush. “Of course, we will. Let’s get going shall we?”

                A few moments after Aquarius left the owl house

                “Hey Amity, what does Hermosa mean?” Emira asked.

                Luz only just heard the question as she got the drinks for herself and Amity. She knew exactly where Emira was going with this, and she had to stop it before –

                “Oh, that’s a word from Luz’s human language she calls Spanish.” Amity replied, oblivious to Luz’s internal panic. “It means beautiful.”

                Luz walked into the living room, both drinks in hand as Amity hammered the nail into Luz’s coffin. She stood there in place as Emira turned to look at Luz with a bright red blush. Oh, she remembered the one thing Luz had desperately hoped she wouldn’t.

                “Is that what you called me that day outside Bump’s office?!” Emira asked with an embarrassed blush.

                Luz laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, it is. I uh… yeah there’s no way out of this is there?”

                “Wait, were you flirting with me back then?” Emira blushed harder and Luz tried very hard to avoid eye contact as she scrambled next to Amity and handed her a carton of apple blood.

                “Well, I mean… I wasn’t dating Amity back then.” Luz cringed as the words came out of her mouth. Luz cussed herself out in her mind for being such a doofus.

                “Oh, this ought to be good.” Eda smirked, leaning on the doorframe to the kitchen and sipping her apple blood with a straw.

                Amity raised an eyebrow at Luz, surprisingly seeming to be suppressing a laugh. “You had a crush on my sister?”

                Luz blushed in tandem with Emira. “Maybe a small one? Ok, look, it isn’t my fault you Blights are so darn attractive! In my defense, Emira called me a cutie at the library before we dealt with Otabin!”

                Amity’s head snapped back to Emira, who was sporting an even darker shade of red, and her ears were drooping heavily. “Ok, well I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

                Instead of getting angry, Amity burst out laughing, much to the chagrin of the other two girls. “Don’t tell me you both-” She cut herself off with another round of laughter.

                After she composed herself, she took a breath. “Ok, ok. I’m good. Sorry, but the idea of you two dating is just so funny. It never would have worked out – and Em, Luz is totally out of your league.”

                “Hey!” Emira pouted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

                Amity rolled her eyes and turned to her very embarrassed girlfriend. “Hey, you said all of us Blights are attractive right? Does that mean you had a crush on Edric too?”

                Luz somehow blushed harder and looked away, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “Well, maybe I’m a bit of a Bisexual disaster… But can you really blame me? It’s not like I have control over that or anything. Besides, didn’t Viney say that Ed and Em were the hottest upperclassmen in school?”

                “She didn’t use those exact words.” Emira answered awkwardly. “But, uh, I guess?”

                Amity giggled and kissed Luz on the cheek. “Well, if you chose me then I’ll take that as me being the hottest Blight, period. Sorry Em, but Luz knows the truth.”

                Emira didn’t respond to that and looked to Eda for help defending herself, but the woman just shrugged with a Cheshire grin. That darn owl lady was no help.

                “Well, I’m glad you aren’t mad at me Hermosa.” Luz replied nervously.

                “Hm.” Amity smiled. “No, I’m not mad, but if I ever catch you checking out my sister, then I will be. Understood Batata?”

                At that, Eda cackled maniacally, eventually resulting in the rest of the house joining in. The air felt much lighter to Luz, but now she knew one thing for sure: don’t look at Emira for too long or Amity will be very upset.

Chapter Text

                “Wow, that was supposed to be a joke.” Eda said with a raised eyebrow. “It’s like I spoke the Titan Hunters into existence. Is this new magic? Did I discover new magic?”

                “No, they existed before you made the joke Eda.” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “So, unless you’re being sarcastic, no, you did not learn new magic.”

                Eda frowned. “But what if I was being sarcastic?”

                Aquarius gave her a dull stare. “Sure, why not?”

                Edric and Aquarius had returned to the owl house about two hours after The Collector had originally left. When they’d returned, they had quickly begun filling everyone in on their adventure/date. Luz, Amity and Emira all made excited noises when they heard the word “date”. Ugh, girls – as a part-time girl, Aquarius can say that. Conversely, King, Eda and Lillith cringed at the mention of the word “date” – all for completely different reasons, naturally.

                “Anyway,” Edric said, cutting Eda off from asking any more questions. “The Titan Hunters are apparently led by Aquarius’ brother Sagittarius – who was somehow trapped in a witch’s body by a Titan and now can only use Titan magic.”

                Luz snorted. “That’s ironic.”

                “Yeah.” Aquarius affirmed, rolling his eyes. “But not only are they led by Sagittarius, they also have a broken disk that apparently holds my other brother Pisces. As if that wasn’t annoying enough, the hunters also worship Collectors like we’re gods.”

                “That doesn’t sound like a problem.” King frowned.

                Aquarius sighed. “King, I know you aren’t sold on being a Titan yet but trust me when I say that it gets old fast. Unless you’re like Hooty and have a constant need for attention. Look, to make a long story short, bringing King there would have put him in unnecessary danger.”

                “What I want to know, is how your brothers both got duped by a single Titan.” Lillith said with a smirk. “If they’re so strong, how come they both got trapped?”

                “I wish I knew.” Aquarius shrugged. “And we can’t be sure it was only one. However, I think that the real question is how they know a Titan is still alive. That concerns me the most. King’s greatest protection right now, is that my siblings don’t know he exists. If Capricorn and the others find out, I don’t know what would happen. And if they somehow found Sagittarius and Pisces… Well let’s just say that would be very bad.”

                “How bad is very bad?” Amity asked cautiously.

                Aquarius took a deep breath. “I don’t think I can fully express that with words. I told Edric that I would show him what happened to the Titans and I think I owe that to all of you – especially King. If you want to know the kind of things my siblings are willing to do, that’s the best way to help you understand.”

                Luz’s eyes got big and watery, and she grinned, making a sort of giddy squeal and stomping her feet. “Owl House movie night? Please say yes! Please say yes!”

                “If that’s what you want to call it.” He chuckled dryly. “I can use this room here instead of my room downstairs. We’d just need to minimize the light- some light won’t hurt, but it’s easier that way. Light interferes with the illusion – which incidentally is made of light.”

                “I’m sorry, but what’s going on?” Eda asked with a frown. “You aren’t going to turn my living room into a stage, are you? Because there’s absolutely no room for that.”

                “Nah, there’s plenty.” Edric snorted. “You should have seen what he turned his little room into in his last memory. It literally expanded into infinity.”

                Lillith stroked her chin. “So, you’re replaying a memory via illusion? It’s clever, but how can you guarantee it’s accurate? Everyone has their own perception of their memories, so there is bound to be some bias.”

                “I thought about that when I created the spell.” Aquarius said, as everyone readjusted themselves to get more comfortable – if they were going to be watching something for a while, they might as well be prepared. “It’s actually more of a time spell. The memory is a link to a point in time, and any scene witnessed by us will be us watching the actual moment play out as it actually happened. There are benefits to this, since in our memories, we might not have caught a word or a phrase, or there was something going on behind us that we missed. If we were just watching a memory directly from my mind, these things would be taken into account and there would be a lot that would go unnoticed. For example, if we played back Luz’s memories before she started dating Amity, without using time magic, we would miss out on the sheer comedy of Amity’s struggling.”

                Amity blushed. “I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

                Aquarius gave her a deadpan look. “If we spent time looking through every memory of you two together before you started dating, I could make a twenty-minute compilation of all the times you did something reckless for Luz or had a moment of gay panic. Regardless, if you are all okay with this, I’d like to show you everything that happened back then to now, from my perspective.”

                “But aren’t you like, thousands of years old or something?” King asked quizzically. “This room would be full of skeletons by the time we finished.”

                Aquarius chuckled. “Well, yes, but I’ll only show you key moments that got us here. Besides, I need to do some searching for myself. Something happened that I missed, which resulted in Virgo hating me. Maybe if I see this all again, I can understand why.”

                Eda sighed. “Ugh, whatever. Go ahead Moon Boy. Just don’t destroy my living room with your weird time magic or whatever.”

                Eda clapped her hands twice, and the lights in the room went out.

                “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Eda do that since the first time I was here.” Luz noted. “Why have I only seen that once? I feel like that should have been a regular thing.”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes with a half-smile and snapped his fingers, transporting them to a dim, stone hallway, lit by flickering torches. The memory was paused for the time being, so the dancing flames were frozen like they were trapped in stasis.

                “Alright,” Aquarius sighed. “Here we go. This is my home away from home – or rather, my old home before I came here. This is what we called ‘The Archives’. Back then, my father, Sol, would give us lists of things to collect for him. We never asked questions – well I never did – and we never returned without finding everything on the list. There was an unspoken rule, that no matter how long it took, we wouldn’t return until every item was found. This meant that some collections took years to complete. In fact, the average collection took anywhere from three or four years total. However, we didn’t start collecting in the Demon Realm until long after the genocide of the titans.”

                He shook his head with a sigh. “But, this particular memory I’m about to show you is just the beginning of things going downhill. You see, Luz and Ed already know this, but Virgo was never sent on collections. Not even one. I have no clue why, but I just assume that Sol thinks he’s too young. Instead of collections, he was given freedom to do whatever he wanted. So, he spent time playing with Titans, here in the isles. My siblings always hated Virgo because of that freedom. So, they teased him, picked on him and just pushed him around in general. I was the only one who ever stood up for him.”

                “About two years before what I’m about to show you, I had an argument with my brothers Capricorn and Cancer.” Aquarius blinked tiredly. “We made a deal that if I beat Capricorn in a fight, they would have to leave Virgo alone for good. Luz actually saw that particular memory, so you can ask her about it sometime. Anyway, I won, but… well, I’ll just show you. I just came back from a collection and normally, the first person I go to see after dropping off the collection, is Virgo. He always seemed to know when I would be getting back, and I could always find him in his room. But he wasn’t there this time…”

                He snapped his fingers, and the memory began. The fire from the torches resumed their unchoreographed ballet variations with burning vibrancy. Behind the couch, an annoyed Aquarius stomped through the furniture as if it wasn’t there – and to this version of Aquarius, it wasn’t. As he walked through the hallway, it moved as if they were trailing behind in a rolling cart. After a moment or two, laughter could be heard from a room that glowed brightly on the right side. It was the kind of laughter you might hear at a drunken frat party or medieval tavern.

                Aquarius stormed into this room with fury in his eyes as he took in the sight before him. The room was a little dining hall that seated thirteen. There were ten Collectors in various parts of the room itself, eating portions of the feast they spread out for themselves, as well as drinking from ornately designed wineglasses, that were no doubt taken from the castle of some feudal king in Europe – their logic would be that those kings would never notice any of their old goblets were missing anyway.

                “What are you doing?” Aquarius growled, earning the attention of most of the Collectors, except one at the far end who was completely drunk on the wine they had also probably stolen from some rich nobleman.

                “Isn’t it obvious?” The Collector closest to him slurred. “We’re celebrating!”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “Forget I asked. You always have some stupid reason to get drunk. Look, do you guys know where Virgo is? I can’t find him.”

                The group looked at each other for a moment with amused expressions, then burst into a bout of drunken laughter. Aquarius folded his arms and waited for them to calm down, tapping his foot impatiently. Once they finally stopped wheezing, one of the other collectors sitting at the table answered him, resting his chin on his hand.

                “No idea.” The Collector hiccupped and giggled. “That’s why we’re celebrating!”

                They all collectively cheered, raising their wine glasses high into the air triumphantly. But Aquarius was clearly not amused.

                “What did you do?” Aquarius glared at the one who’d spoken.

                The Collector chuckled. “Oh, I didn’t do anything. The little brat ran away all on his own! Why don’t you ask Capricorn? He knows why.”

                “Shut up Taurus!” Capricorn hissed. “Don’t pin this on me! Virgo made the choice all on his own. I just gave him a little… incentive.”

                He barked a vicious laugh and the others joined in. The others continued to laugh as Capricorn leveled a mischievous glare at Aquarius, swirling his finger around the lip of his wineglass. He then gave him a smug smirk as he took a heavy swig from his glass.

                “You better explain yourself you piece of-” Aquarius shouted at him, before getting cut off by an arm being thrown around his shoulders, which made him stiffen in surprise. He clearly hadn’t noticed one of his siblings circle around behind him.

                “Watch your tone little bro.” The other Collector whispered in his ear coyly. “If you haven’t noticed, you’re a little outnumbered. While we may be a little tipsy and some of us aren’t much of a challenge for you, Libra and I would be more than happy to put you in your place. But since you asked so nicely… tell him Capricorn.”

                Capricorn smirked. “Well Aquarius, I think you know how we feel about our little brother. Do you want to know where he was while I was in Egypt, scavenging through one of those ghastly pyramids for a stupid dusty papyrus – for two years I might add? How about before that, while I was diving through the Pacific Ocean to find a rusty old locket for another three? And for the rest of the fifteen years I spent collecting a bunch of garbage for our dear ‘father’? I can give you three guesses. To make it easier, I’ll just tell you: The Boiling Ocean! Want to know what he was doing there? What he usually does while we’re off running errands for Sol; playing with stupid Titans!”

                “And you know what Aquarius? We’re sick of it!” He slammed his fist on the wood table angrily, leaving a fist-shaped indent. “He spends all of his time playing! For thousands of years, that’s all he’s ever done! So, you know what I told him?”

                He took another swig from his glass and then slammed it onto the table forcefully, causing it to shatter as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

                “I gave him a choice.” He smiled cruelly, waving away the mess of glass and summoning a new one. “I told him that he can either do what the rest of us Collectors do and collect. Or he can leave – I think you know which one he chose. But since he chose option two, he can never come back here again.”

                Aquarius gave him an angry look. “What if he does?”

                “We’ll kill him!” Capricorn cackled, to the enjoyment of the rest of the Collectors that weren’t Aquarius. The teen tried to free himself to swing at his brother, but the Collector with his arm around his shoulders held him back with a gleeful laugh.

                After a few moments of struggling, Aquarius took a deep breath. “You wouldn’t actually do that. You were just trying to scare him away you jerk. Let me go Pisces, I’m going to go find Virgo.”

                “Suit yourself!” Pisces laughed, releasing him from his grip. But instead of turning and walking out the door, Aquarius rushed forward and swung his fist into Capricorn’s face, knocking him backwards and onto the ground, causing everyone else to scramble into action, either rushing to Capricorn’s aid, or dragging Aquarius away from him.

                “We had a deal you snake!” Aquarius spat as he was pulled away. “You promised to leave him alone! Just wait Capricorn! Next time I get my hands on you I’ll break every bone in your body!”

                Once Capricorn was helped to his feet, he wiped his nose, and his hand came back bloody. He looked surprised, but more than that, he was practically glowing red with anger.

                “I look forward to it.” Capricorn growled as Aquarius was thrown out of the room. Pisces gave him a glare as he slammed the door in Aquarius’ face, ending the illusion.

                The room was quiet as the real Aquarius stood right beside where the door had slammed shut. He was glaring at what was now empty space, clenching and unclenching his fists. He took a deep breath to calm himself and turned back to the stunned audience.

                “Your siblings suck.” Eda said with a grunt. “I thought Lillith and I had a rocky relationship, but we never would have gone so far as to threaten to kill each other.”

                Lillith nodded solemnly. “Cursing Eda was clearly a mistake on my part, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Titan, I spent the last thirty years trying to correct that mistake. But I never once thought about harming Eda intentionally – well, aside from the whole, curse thing.”

                After she finished her sentence, she gasped. “Wait, King is a Titan! I’ve used his name in vain!” She turned to King with a fearful expression. “My apologies, it won’t happen again.”

                Aquarius raised an eyebrow at her and then met King’s look of discomfort. King looked back to her with the same uncomfortable demeanor. “Don’t worry about it – ever. I’m still just King, even if Aquarius is telling the truth about me. Please don’t worship me or anything.”

                “Ah, he’s learning.” Aquarius said sagely. “Now, let’s move on with the memory, shall we?”

Chapter Text

                Once again, Q snapped his fingers and the scene changed to a vibrant, bright orange sky. Edric made the mistake of looking down and realized that he was thousands of feet in the air above the Boiling Ocean. But he wasn’t the only one to make this mistake. Amity had been sitting on the ground, leaning up against Luz, who was sitting on the couch, playing with her hair as they watched the memories. When she looked down and saw empty air and steam coming up from the bubbling water below, she yelped and jumped onto Luz’s lap in a panic.

                Everyone had a good laugh at her expense, but it was a bit of a restrained, nervous laugh. Even the witches who flew on Palismans regularly were wary of the lack of visible flooring. But since there wasn’t any room on the couch for everyone, Edric and Emira were the ones left on the floor, getting a horrible case of vertigo. Needless to say, their laughter was much more reserved and anxious than they would have liked.

                “Sorry,” Q laughed. “This is actually my first time looking at this memory since… well since it actually happened. So I had no idea we would start all the way up here. Although, you gotta admit it’s kind of fun being up here this high with no consequences whatsoever.”

                “Not all of us can stand on thin air like you can babe.” Edric said nervously, trying to bring himself as close to the couch as physically possible. “It’s not quite the same for everyone else.”

                “Oh, right.” Q giggled. “But you do realize that you’re perfectly safe right? Oh, who am I kidding? The purpose of an illusion is to alter your visual perception. This probably isn’t doing your heartrate any favors. Don’t worry, we’ll get back to solid ground soon enough.”

                “Yes, please do that soon.” Emira squeaked. “I don’t know how long I can sit here like this without passing out.”

                Q rolled his eyes. “Alright I get it. Anyway, this memory is shortly after my encounter with my siblings.”

“It wasn’t hard to guess where Virgo had gone. This was his haven from my sibling’s constant bullying. I’d already been here once before with him, since he’d wanted me to meet the Titans. However, this was the second and last time I ever met any Titans – before King that is.”

He snapped his fingers, and a memory version of Q flew by on a glowing star. Edric only had a brief thought about why they chose that particular method of transportation if they could just fly on their own, before he was suddenly zipping behind the speeding star with blinding speed. Once his vision finally returned to normal – or at least what could be considered normal for Ed – he saw an island come into view. It was lush and green, covered with all sorts of colorful vegetation – pinks and blues clashing together with green and yellow. But what really stood out on the island was the massive stone tower in the center.

Luz gasped. “Is that-”

“It is!” Lillith replied.

“I’m sorry, but what are you two talking about?” Ed asked with a raised eyebrow.

Eda gulped. “That’s where I found King… Although the tower is in much better shape than when I first came across it. The plant life was also much less… lively. It didn’t have this much color before.”

Q snorted. “Time does funny things to nature. But you’ll want to pay attention here, because we’re about to land.”

Once they finally touched down onto the beach, Emira and Edric both released their breath in relief. “Oh, solid ground! How I’ve missed you!” Emira cried, laying face down and hugging the floor.

“That carpet is still carpet.” Eda noted. “And you don’t want to know the type of stuff you’re rubbing your face in. Just thought you should know.”

Em yelped and sat back up as the memory Q pressed forward on the path through the greenery. Ed snickered at Emira, who stuck her tongue out at him and folded her arms with a huff. As funny as it was, Edric couldn’t blame her enthusiasm. Floating thousands of feet in the air without visible support was nerve-wracking to say the least.

They followed the memory Q through the foliage towards the tower. It was a strange sight compared to what they were used to in the Boiling Isles, the jungle landscape a stark contrast to the simple pine-like forests.

Edric couldn’t help noticing the path that they followed was almost intentionally made, as if it was heavily frequented – but not so much that it warranted a properly maintained and paved pathway. The path was so heavily frequented that any plant life that might have wanted to live there, must have moved house to avoid getting trampled. Yet, despite this pre-foraged road, the trees still bowed low, reaching down to hinder any travelers with their large leaves.

Once they cleared the tree line into a little clearing in front of the tower, they were able to see a figure leaning up against the wall with their back to them. It was very obviously a Collector – presumably Virgo - and their arm was in front of their face, protecting their head from leaning directly onto the solid stone. At first, it seemed like they were crying, but once they got closer, they heard… counting?

“Twenty-nine… Thirty!” The Collector announced, pulling away from the wall and turning around. “Ready or not, here I – Aquarius!”

Virgo’s face shifted from excited anticipation to utter elation upon seeing his brother. So excited, it seemed, that he ran forward and wrapped Q in a tight hug. Q laughed, returning the gesture, and as if they heard Virgo’s exclamation, a little group of about six tiny Titan kids came crashing through the thick jungle and into Q, turning it into a group hug.

Q laughed as the Titans joined in and he extricated himself from their excited grip. “Hey guys! I didn’t think you would all remember me!”

“Of course, they would Aquarius.” Virgo giggled. “Those games you taught them last time were super fun! They keep asking me to play them, but I didn’t want to play without you.”

“Aww.” Q said, ruffling his brother’s hair through the thin cap. “You didn’t have to do that. What’s the point of learning a game if you never play it?”

Edric smiled at Q’s kind personality. As often as Q tried to claim how awful of a brother he was, this painted a clear contradiction. Even the real Q was smiling wistfully at the interaction, with a watery shimmer in his eyes. It was easy to see how much Q genuinely cared for his younger brother as he laughed with him and goofed off with silly magic tricks for the little Titans.

Edric hadn’t noticed anything off until Q snapped his fingers, pausing the memory. It took a moment for him to see what it was, but upon counting the Titans… Oh. King had jumped off the couch at some point and joined the little group with a look of longing in his eyes. Even after the memory was paused, he was staring at one of his siblings with wide and wet eyes.

“Hey King.” Q said, kneeling in front of the little Titan. “You ok buddy?”

King shook his head. “I’ve never seen anyone that looks like me before. Seeing them now, it’s…”

King sat on the ground and curled into a ball, resting his head on his knees glumly. Q reached out a hand but was briefly stunned to have Luz beat him to the punch. She had been shockingly quiet, and even Edric hadn’t noticed her approach. She sat down beside the little Titan and wrapped a comforting arm around him.

“King…” She sighed, “I know it’s a lot to take in, but we’re here for you. If you want him to, I’m sure Q can stop the memory completely and we can do this another time.”

Q nodded encouragingly. “If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”

King sat there for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows, before shaking his head again. “It hurts, but I wanna know. I need to know what happened to them.”

Luz looked surprised. “Are you sure about that King? I can’t imagine it gets any better from here. What do you think Q?”

“I’ll do whatever King wants me to do.” Q said solemnly. “He’s running the show now. But to be honest King, Luz is right. This memory here is the only slightly happy one I have to show you. If you want me to stop at any time, I’ll do it. You don’t have to watch any of this.”

“No.” King said with finality, sniffling. “I do have to. I’ve never known anything about who I am or who my family is. But I’m the last Titan, so… This is my only chance to see them, even if I can’t talk to them. As much as I hate it, I’ll at least get some closure.”

Luz sighed. “Can’t argue with that. Are you ready to continue, or do you still need a moment?”

King sniffled and wiped his… nose? Snout? Edric wasn’t sure what the terminology was for Titan anatomy. Anyway, after wiping his… nasal appendage, he gave Luz a tight hug, closing his eyes. He stayed like that for a minute or two, in somber silence, before pulling away with another little sniffle.

“I’m good now.” King stood up and looked at his siblings with a melancholy stare and then back to Q. “I’m ready to keep going.”

Q didn’t speak a word as he snapped his fingers to resume the memory. Luz didn’t get up to sit with Amity, instead choosing to stay right beside King. If Amity had any complaints, she didn’t voice them. Edric wouldn’t be surprised if Amity wanted to join Luz at King’s side. But like Edric, she probably was worried about crowding the little guy.

The memory played out for a few minutes, just like it had when it was paused. There was laughter as Q ran around, trying to evade the little Titans as they chased him around, much to Virgo’s delight. Q could have very easily gotten away if he wanted to, but he let them catch up to him and he fell to the ground as if they had tackled him – which they kind of did, but they obviously made little to no meaningful impact despite their best efforts.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound interrupted their playtime, and Edric didn’t even have to turn around to look at the towering Titan, to know what was making such a racket. But turn around he did – along with everyone else – and his jaw dropped as he took in the looming face of the behemoth above them. But in an instant, he vanished – or at least appeared to. The Titan shrunk hundreds of feet in size, until he was what might be considered normal height – which was approximately six feet tall.

“They can shrink?!” Everyone shouted in surprise.

“Well why wouldn’t they?” Q chuckled in bemusement. “They’re magic beings, so naturally they can defy basic natural laws. How do you expect them to interact with their kids when they’re that big?”

That actually made sense now that Edric thought about it. Plus, judging by the look of the doorway into the tower, the Titan would probably have a hard time fitting through there, despite how oversized it already was. There was clearly a lot more to Titans than anyone ever could have realized.

The Titan was still quite massive as he flew down to greet the new arrival. “Q, what a pleasant surprise! Do you remember me? I mean you’ve only been here once after all, so I wouldn’t blame you.”

Q laughed. “Of course, I do! Collectors have a perfect memory you know.”

At that, the real Q snapped his fingers and paused the memory as he slapped his forehead with his palm. “I’m such an idiot!”

Everyone stared at him in confusion, but he continued his venting without further prompting. “How did I not recognize him before? I mean, I guess the weird shirt and apron threw me off a bit. Or maybe it was the missing eye? Oh for the love of – agh, I’m so stupid! No wonder he looked so disappointed in me.”

He turned around to face King with a grimace. “King, meet your dad. I uh, don’t actually know his name or anything, since he insisted I call him ‘Papa Titan’, but that’s him. I didn’t quite recognize him the last time I saw him, but this is definitely the same Titan.”

King walked over to the large figure with quiet reverence. After a moment, Q snapped his fingers again to resume the memory.

“What brings you back to The Isles?” The Titan asked with a smile – well, it looked like he was smiling at least. Kinda hard to tell when you can’t see his mouth.

Memory Q’s smile faltered, and he sighed. “I came to see Virgo. My siblings ran him out. I figured that if he was going to go anywhere, it would be here.”

The Titan sighed. “Yes, that’s what he told me. I must admit I thought you might have been part of it. I’m glad to see I was wrong.”

“A long time ago, I might have been.” Q grimaced. “But I’m trying to do better. Anyway, that’s really the only reason I came by. I just wanted to check on him, make sure he was ok. But I wouldn’t mind staying a little longer if that’s ok with you. I don’t get much time to let loose and have fun, and after the last time I was here, I’d really like to stay.”

The Titan let loose a booming laugh. “I can’t say no to that! Stay as long as you’d like, although I know you have expectations back home, so I assume you will have to leave soon.”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Q sighed. “But I’ll make the most of it while I’m here. Thank you for taking care of Virgo while things are bad back home. I’m sure my siblings will come to their senses eventually.”

“Don’t mention it boy!” The Titan exclaimed jovially. “He’s a joy to have around. It makes it easier to deal with the little ones while he’s here.”

By now, the young Titans and Virgo had gotten back to playing again while the other two talked, and they ran around in the background. Edric got a little nervous as Virgo added some magic into their playing, which looked quite dangerous to say the least. The little Titans seemed to be having fun, so it didn’t seem like too much of a problem… Nah, that hamster ball can’t be safe.

“Speaking of little ones,” The Titan chortled. “Come with me! I have something to show you.”

The group was forced to follow Q and The Titan into the tower, which was lit up on the inside with little yellow orbs of light. They were an exact match to Luz’s light glyphs, which in retrospect, made perfect sense. The inside was spacious, but not quite spacious enough to hold a full-sized Titan.

Without warning, The Titan flapped its massive wings and flew straight into the air. Q was momentarily taken by surprise, before he followed him without the assistance of the star. He didn’t seem to be moving as quickly this way, which only partially answered Ed’s question to why they needed to ride on stars to get around. Q could probably go faster, but maybe he chose not to?

They flew through a hole in the ceiling and landed in a small room, where a large immaculate door stood between them and another room. After opening said door, they walked into a new room, which, after some quick investigative work, Edric realized was a nursery.

“You’re having another kid?” Q exclaimed, walking over to the oversized egg.

The Titan chuckled. “Yes, I am. The other Titans think I’m crazy, but I find children to be less of a burden than they do. Besides, this little one won’t be born for another several thousand years, so I’ll have some time to prepare.”

Q smiled. “Have you named them yet?”

“No,” The Titan replied. “I think I’ll give them one sometime soon though. Funnily enough, I feel like all of my children have given me their names long before they hatch; like they already know what they want to be called. I’ve had no such feeling yet, but I’m sure it will come to me.”

“Well, I’m sure Virgo will get along with them just like the rest of them.” Q laughed gently. “He seems to like spending time with kids his age – well, not quite his age, but you know what I mean.”

The Titan hummed in response and knelt in front of the egg with a smile. “I’m sure you’re right. Your brother is a very sweet and innocent soul. He doesn’t understand a lot of more mature concepts, like death and injury, but it might be better that he never comes to understand such things. It would be a tragedy to lose that youthful joy he brings everywhere he goes.”

The memory ended abruptly, much to the surprise of even Q. It seemed that Q didn’t have complete control over how long the memories run. Still, it was impressive that he could do it at all.

“Tragedy is an understatement.” Q sighed.

King tugged on Q’s sleeve childishly and looked up at him with big eyes. “Was that egg… me?”

Q snorted. “Yes, I suppose it was. Sounds like you were in there for a while.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Luz whispered.

Q turned to her. “What do you mean? You heard Papa Titan didn’t you? He said it would take a few thousand years for him to hatch. That could mean anything.”

“Not that.” Luz frowned. “You guys were like, vibing and stuff. You and the Titans got along so well together. What the heck happened? There’s no way Virgo thought you had anything to do with their genocide! Something weird must have happened.”

Ed nodded. “Yeah, your siblings must have done something. Why would anyone hold you responsible after seeing that? It doesn’t make sense.”

“It will when I show you the next memory.” Q said stiffly. “You would blame me too…”

Aquarius snapped his fingers and winced at the sound. This was one of the defining moments before his entire life crumbled around him. One of his biggest failures. The memory that has haunted him for thousands of years. And he was about to show it to his closest friends and the last of the species of whose deaths he’d caused.

The room shifted into what looked like the room in the basement, only much larger and more lived in. It was embarrassing how messy he’d been back then, leaving clothes all over his room and other random notes and objects. The objects were things he’d mistaken for items on the many lists he’d been given. He’d always gone back to find the real things, but never knew what to do with these other items, aside from returning them – which he’d meant to get around to doing, but he just never had the opportunity.

Aquarius had also forgotten that back then, his clothing choices had also been… very mixed gender. So, the clothes that were scattered about ranged from suits to dresses – you never knew when you would have to dress to impress. But even more embarrassing was that he hadn’t apparently bothered to clean up any of his underwear off the floor either. Sure, the boxers weren’t especially questionable, but Aquarius had always been comfortable wearing both types of undergarments depending on his mood. So, if the binders weren’t enough to raise eyebrows, the panties and bras definitely would. He really hoped nobody was paying too much attention to the mess, because there was absolutely nothing he could do to cover it up, aside from completely ending the memory altogether. He really wished his younger self cared more about having a clean room.

This memory also was different in the fact that Aquarius himself was already present in the room – his memory self that is. Aquarius was standing over his bed, putting things into a little duffel bag. Some might question his need to have a duffel bag of all things, especially since he could summon pretty much anything he wanted, but having that storage made a big difference when you needed more than one item at a time. And it was usually for packing the essentials – or what a Collector considered to be essential. The amount of time a duffel bag could save was astronomical – especially since he only had to summon one thing to bring him lots of things.

The memory Aquarius was mumbling to himself, probably things he would need to remember to grab before he left. Collectors had great memories, but Aquarius had proven to be a bit scatterbrained when overwhelmed with too many things.

A knock at the bedroom door caused everyone to turn around, real and illusory alike.

“Oh, it’s you.” Aquarius huffed at the newcomer. “What do you want?”

The newcomer, a female Collector (Aquarius figured it wouldn’t be hard for anyone else to notice that, so he didn’t bother clarifying) simply snorted in response. “Seriously Aquarius? Can’t a girl say goodbye to her brother before he leaves for however many years this next collection will take?”

“Sure she can.” Aquarius rolled his eyes, turning back around. “I’ll accept that as your goodbye, so you can go now.”

The girl scoffed in mock offense. “How rude! Unfortunately, I’m not quite ready to say goodbye just yet. May I come in?”

Aquarius sighed. “You’re probably the only one I can’t keep out besides Pisces. Do whatever you want, Libra.”

Libra smirked and walked into the room, through the couch and then stopped right in the center, a few feet behind Aquarius. She glanced at the ground and Aquarius suddenly remembered what she was going to do. Before he could think of something to prevent an awkward situation, Libra had already bent down and picked up the object that had caught her attention, holding it up for literally everyone to see, making them all giggle to his utter horror.

“Still trying to decide what you are?” Libra asked coyly, holding up one of his bras by the strap. “I thought you’d decided to be male. Did you change your mind again?”

The real Aquarius turned around with a glare, but then his eyes widened in surprise and his face turned bright red as he snatched it out of her hands and stuffed it into his bag. The real Aquarius literally face-palmed, his own face a bright maroon. There was a total of three people in that room that knew about Aquarius’ gender. Now, that number was about to be more than double, and it was a complete accident. But not only that, he’d only just started dating Edric and this was not the kind of thing he wanted Ed to see – especially not so early in their relationship.

“That’s none of your business.” Memory Aquarius said, still blushing. “I already said you can call me a male, but I never said I couldn’t call myself anything I wanted. I still don’t get how I’m the only one who thinks that way. If you could actually tell the difference – which should be obvious by the way – this wouldn’t be an issue. So just drop it.”

“And you thought I would be the one to spill your secret.” Luz whispered with a smirk.

“Shut up.” The real Aquarius grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

After a short pause, Libra sighed. “Whatever. That’s not why I’m here anyway. I actually wanted to apologize about the other day. Well, mostly on Capricorn and Pisces’ behalf. They definitely crossed the line and I guess I can’t really blame you for giving Capricorn a bloody nose. We were all super drunk and we weren’t thinking clearly. You know Capricorn wouldn’t stoop that low. Sure, the kid is an annoying brat, but I don’t actually want him dead.”

Aquarius shook his head with a sigh. “I don’t even know anymore Libra. He’s just a kid, doing what kids do. Can’t you guys just accept that and move on?”

“Well maybe we’d be a little less hard on him if he actually did a collection every once in a while.” Libra sighed in return, folding her arms over her chest. “Hell, Virgo could at least join someone for a collection once or twice. It wouldn’t kill him you know.”

“You know that’s not why he doesn’t go out.” Aquarius almost growled. “Father specifically said that he isn’t to go on any collections period. It’s not up to us. As much as I’d love to bring him along with me, I don’t exactly love the idea of disobeying Sol. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

Libra made a frustrated noise. “Why do you have to be such a goody-two-shoes? Everyone else would leave him alone if he just took on at least a little responsibility. Besides, what’s the old man done for us anyway? If you ask me, he owes us. We spend all this time collecting random junk, and what do we get in return? More jobs and Virgo gets off scot-free every time. Doesn’t that bother you at all?”

Aquarius shrugged. “I honestly don’t care anymore. Sol knows a lot more than we do, and I’m sure he’s giving us something back. I mean, he gives us a place to stay and lets us take breaks if we need them. Plus, we get to go explore new places in the Human Realm all the time. I don’t think it’s too bad to be honest. If anything, I’d say Virgo is missing out. If Sol says he can’t go, then I’m not gonna argue with it. He’ll let Virgo go out when he thinks he’s ready. For now, I don’t see why we can’t just let him be a kid.”

“Ugh, this is a pointless argument.” Libra groaned. “It never gets anywhere. Look, Pisces said something about you going to look for Virgo? I was too wasted to catch that earlier, but is that true?”

Aquarius hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Libra waved her hand in a horizontal circular motion like she was encouraging him to continue.

“Yes, I found him.” Aquarius sighed. “But it’s none of your business where he is. He can come back when he feels like it. For now, just leave him alone, ok?”

“He didn’t go back to the Titans, did he?” Libra asked with a frown.

Aquarius seemed to be contemplating whether it was worth it to lie and risk getting called out or tell the truth and risk getting Virgo in more trouble. He concluded that it didn’t really matter either way.

“Yes.” Aquarius slowly replied. “But like I said, just leave him alone. You guys have caused enough trouble as it is. Maybe when he comes back we can have a civil conversation with him about joining one of us on a collection – we’d just need to ask Sol for permission, but if it still really bothers you that much, I’d gladly bring him along with me on my next collection when I come back.”

There was a sharp laugh by the doorway and again, everyone turned to face the newcomer. But it wasn’t just one, but two Collectors, both wearing evil smirks.

“Did you hear that, Cancer?” Capricorn sneered. “Our brother likes playing with Titans! He still hasn’t learned his lesson, even after getting kicked out.”

“I thought I might have been hearing things Capricorn.” Cancer jeered. “Why don’t we show him what happens when we play with Titans? I’m sure he’ll have a great time.”

“Seriously you two?” Aquarius growled, before turning to Libra. “Did you know they were there?”

Libra shrugged, smirking like a cat that knocked a glass cup off a table. “I’m not the boss of them. If they want to eavesdrop on our conversation, who am I to stop them?”

“We knew you wouldn’t tell us where Virgo went if you found him.” Capricorn grinned. “But our dear sister knows exactly how to drag that information out of you. Thanks for telling us Aquarius! We really owe you one.”

Aquarius glared at them and snatched his bag, throwing it over his shoulder angrily. “You’re all the worst! Just leave him alone, ok? We can talk about this when I get back, but seriously guys? You’ve done more than enough already. I’m serious about taking him with me when I get back. If you can just leave him be until I get back, then we can sort this out.”

Cancer opened his mouth to make a cutting retort, but Capricorn put a hand on his shoulder, meeting Aquarius’ glare with a neutral expression. “He’s right Cancer. I’m sure Sol will be open to the idea. Why don’t we go down to the Demon realm and apologize? All of us can go – unless Aquarius is busy.”

Cancer turned to Capricorn with a shocked expression. “But didn’t you say that – ow!”

Capricorn pinched his brother’s shoulder with an innocent smile. “Don’t worry Aquarius, we’ll make things right with our little bro. After all, Libra was right. We took things too far. It’s only right for us to go down and apologize.” He shook Cancer’s shoulder as he said his last word through gritted teeth. “Isn’t that right Cancer?”

Cancer nodded vigorously, wincing in pain as his brother squeezed his shoulder tightly. “Y-yeah, that’s right.”

“Whatever.” Aquarius slumped his shoulders with a heavy sigh. “If you want to apologize, then I won’t stop you. But I need to go do this collection for Sol. When I get back, I hope to find you on good terms for once. You better be telling the truth, or I’m not going to be very happy.”

“Sure thing little bro.” Capricorn gave him a toothy smile. “Unless you’d rather I call you my little sis-”

“Can it.” Aquarius glared at him. “Don’t push your luck. I’ll see you when I get back.”

The memory vanished and the real Aquarius felt like he was ready to explode, but in what way, he wasn’t sure. His shoulders shook and his eyes were wet with tears and his face was fixed in an angry glare. Finally, the floodgates opened and he fell to his knees in a heavy sob.

“I’m so stupid!” He growled, pounding his fist into the ground angrily, causing the house to shake and dust to fall from the ceiling. “I should have just gone with them. I knew he was lying. I knew it! Why didn’t I just go with them?”

A gentle arm wrapped around his shoulder and hugged him tightly. “Hey, you can’t blame yourself for that. You couldn’t have known what they would do.”

Of course, it was Edric. Sweet, yet naïve Edric.

“But I knew he was lying to me.” Aquarius sobbed. “I knew he was lying and I let it go. He was planning to… and I let him. Everything happened because I was dumb enough to trust him.”

Edric pulled him into a tight hug and held him close, followed by Luz and then Amity, until he was surrounded by his friends in a tight embrace.

“He was a manipulative jerk.” Luz said softly. “Edric’s right. Even if you knew he was lying, you couldn’t have known what he was planning to do. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

Emira nodded. “Besides, maybe they still would have done it if you were there or not. You don’t know if you could have stopped them. If a drunk Pisces was strong enough to hold you back, I’m sure they would have come up with something.”

“Still…” Aquarius whimpered. “I told them where he was. That was my first mistake. If I’d just ignored Libra and gone on my stupid collection, Virgo and the Titans would all be ok.”

Eda groaned. “Oh, stop the pity party. Obviously, your siblings are absolute scum and I’m sure they would have found him whether you said anything or not. So, lift up your chin and quit beating yourself up about it. The past is in the past, kid. You’ve still got forever to make things right – not many people can say that literally you know.”

Aquarius closed his eyes and took a shaky and wet breath. “You… you’re right. If it was someone else in my place, I’d tell them the same thing. I have to move on. But still…”

Everyone pulled back to give him some room to breath as he picked his sentence back up. “That doesn’t answer the most important question. Why does Virgo blame me? He couldn’t have known any of that.”

“That’s actually a good point.” Lillith said, standing to the side. “From what we know now, they had to have said something to incriminate you in some way. Do you have any other memories that might give us some clues?”

Aquarius shook his head glumly. “I can show you two more short memories, but I don’t think they have the answer… I’ll have to go to someone else.”

He stood up and dusted himself off, letting Edric take his hand. “Thank you for… well, whatever that was. I need to look forward, not backward. But I think it’s time to finish this.”

He snapped his fingers and the room shifted again, but this time, nobody sat down. They all stood, looking into the dim hallway, in front of a large golden door. Aquarius took a deep breath as the door opened, and his doppelganger walked out, folding up his burlap sack. He turned to walk down the hallway but bumped into a group of exhausted looking Collectors.

“What’s got you guys all messed up?” Aquarius smirked. “The titans rough you up for bullying Virgo?”

“Aquarius!” Capricorn gasped. “Thank goodness you’re back!”

Capricorn had been difficult to recognize at first, what with the three perpendicular scars across the left side of his face. In fact, the others looked just as worse for wear as him.

“I was only gone for like, five years max.” Aquarius snorted, somewhat nervously. “What happened to you?”

“We went to apologize to Virgo like we said.” Capricorn said, turning away with a guilty frown. “But we were all fooled. The Titans tricked us. Have been for years I guess. When we got there, they ambushed us and we had to fight for our lives. When we escaped, we found Virgo, but…”

Cancer placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s ok.”

Capricorn nodded and sniffled. “Yeah, sorry. Look, Aquarius… We don’t know why or when, but when we tried to get him, all we could find was this.”

He held out an unmistakable star-covered cloth, that was stained with the blood of what could only be a Collector’s.

“No…” Aquarius gasped, taking the cloth from him, gripping it tightly. He met Capricorn’s eyes with an angry, but pleading gaze. “You’re lying! You have to be!”

“It’s true.” Another Collector stood up and limped towards them. “We were all there. We saw it with our own eyes. We fought to avenge him, but it was all a waste. The Titans are gone, but we lost Pisces and Sagittarius in the war…”

“Leo, please tell me this is a joke.” Aquarius glared at him, with tears streaming down his face. “It can’t be true.”

Libra pushed between Cancer and Capricorn and placed a hand on his shoulder, a genuine look of regret in her eyes. “This isn’t a lie, Aquarius. You can go see for yourself.”

Aquarius pulled away and ran in the other direction. The memory warped into a new scene. It was dark, but familiar, nonetheless. The scene was once again, King’s island.

They were facing the beach as an anxious Aquarius flew down on his star and stumbled onto the sand, still gripping the cloth tightly. He stopped in his tracks and fell to his knees, a pained look of disbelief on his face. They turned around to see the dark shadow of the tower, looming above them. The top corner was completely destroyed, and it became obvious why Aquarius had stopped. Nobody else would have dared gone any farther to see what lay at the foot of the tower.

They turned around to see Aquarius, staring up at the broken structure, tears streaming down his face. He clutched the cloth close to his chest and collapsed into himself and released a heartbreaking cry of pain, that echoed throughout the quiet night. The memory gently shimmered out of existence, as if it too was mourning.

The group stood in solemn silence as Aquarius stared at where his illusion had been kneeling, distraught and broken.

“I didn’t keep track of the time after that day.” Aquarius whispered. “Why bother? Nothing else mattered anymore. I’d lost the most important person in my life. My only sibling I’d had any real attachment to. And since then, I’d just been going through the motions. Strangely enough, it was only a few short years after that, that we began collecting in the Demon Realm. It was as if fate itself was giving me a massive middle finger for screwing up so royally.”

“But they lied.” Edric said softly. “They lied straight to your face. It isn’t your fault. Besides, Virgo’s alive isn’t he?”

Aquarius nodded numbly. “You’re right. He is. But I think I’m going to need some answers before I go to see him again.”

He sighed and walked towards the door. “I’ll try to be back before the Day of Unity. Until then, do what you can to stop Belos.”

“Where are you going?” Luz asked anxiously.

Aquarius’ lip quirked up slightly, despite the pain in his chest. “Home.”

Chapter Text

                After Q left, the remaining group was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. They spent a while comforting King and discussing what their plans would be, ahead of The Day of Unity. To be short, they came up with nothing. Even with Lillith and Eda getting their powers back, there wasn’t a whole lot to be done without Q being present to deal with Belos himself. And what if Q didn’t return in time? How would they stop the draining spell then?

                Unfortunately, it had gotten dark, and the Blights all agreed that they should head home before their mom started asking questions. Luz didn’t argue, especially since she’d dealt with Odalia a few times before, and she was a nasty woman. Besides, Luz had told Amity to go to school, since both Luz and Amity were academically inclined (well only so far as the Demon Realm was concerned), and Amity couldn’t afford to get too far behind in her classes, no matter what was going on at the Owl House.

                Luz and Amity had both agreed to keep communicating through their little devices should there be any emergencies. It was a natural expectation for both of them anyway, but redundancy never hurt anyone – especially when two girlfriends were very concerned for each other’s safety. And Luz already didn’t trust Odalia as far as she could throw her, which obviously wasn’t very far. She wouldn’t put it past Odalia to try anything fishy.

                Needless to say, the owl house was feeling uncomfortably quiet at the moment. Luz would have said something to break the silence, but… what could she say that hadn’t already been said? Luz didn’t like quiet moments very much, which is why she loved the spontaneity of the Boiling Isles, but sometimes, silence just couldn’t be helped.

                “Well, I’m stumped.” Eda sighed. “We’ve got the Day of Unity in two days and we aren’t even close to coming up with some kind of plan to stop the draining spell. Did Moon Boy really have to leave so early?”

                Luz laid on her back, directly on the floor, arms spread like a starfish. “Well, we gotta come up with some kind of backup plan if Q doesn’t make it back in time. Witches lives are on the line here!”

                “Well, we can’t just take a stab at the Coven Heads.” Lillith said. “We’d still be outnumbered, with or without our magic.”

                “I mean, we could.” Eda joked. “We’ve apparently got two literal gods on our side, so anything we do wouldn’t be absolutely terrible. What if we messed with Odalia Blight and ruined her whole operation? Now that would be fun.”

                Lillith rolled her eyes. “Not everything we do can be out of spite Edalynn.”

                “Sure it can!” Eda cackled. “My whole life has been lived out of spite!”

                “It still sounds like a side project.” Lillith retorted. “We need to worry about stopping Belos, not getting petty vengeance on high school rivals.”

                Eda scowled at her. “Oh, what do you know? You spent half your life in support of that bastard.”

                Lillith returned her glare. “I thought he had a way to fix the curse! We’ve been over this a thousand times already, and I already apologized for it!”

                “You mean fix the curse that you gave me.” Eda snapped. “It’s going to take a lot more than a few apologies to make up for that.”

                Luz sat up abruptly watching the argument unfold. “Hey guys, I think we’re getting sidetracked. Can we talk about this later?”

                “What do you want from me?” Lillith said irritably, blatantly ignoring Luz. “I’ve already done everything I can! It’s not like I can just, make thirty years vanish in an instant! Hell, I even shared your curse for Titan’s sake!”

                “And you sure took your time doing that.” Eda returned fire, also ignoring Luz. “But what were you doing in the meantime? Oh, right. You tried to arrest me multiple times, nearly got me petrified, and oh yeah, you also tried to murder Luz. Should I keep going? Cause the list doesn’t stop there sister!”

                Luz winced. “Guys is this really the time? I mean, the whole ‘putting me in a ball and dropping me onto a bed of spikes’ thing is like, totally in the past. Can we just go back to worrying about Belos? Please?”

                Lillith stood up to shout angrily at her sister. “Oh really? Well during that time, you decided to become a wanted criminal! I would read you a list of your crimes if you hadn’t burned up the warrant! I could have stretched that thing from here to Hexside!”

                Eda stood up to stand smugly in Lillith’s face. “I’ll take that as a compliment. I worked hard to get that reputation and I don’t regret it at all.”

                “You have several counts of arson Eda!” Lillith growled in frustration. “Arson! Do you realize how serious that is?”

                “Eh, nobody got hurt.” Eda shrugged nonchalantly.

                Lilith pinched her nose with a groan. “That’s not the point Edalynn!”

                “Guys, we don’t really have time for this.” Luz pleaded. “We’ve only got tomorrow to prepare for the Day of Unity, so can we please do this later?”

                “And what is your point then, Lillith?” Eda continued to disregard Luz’s attempts to calm the situation. “Because I think that what I did from the day I got cursed to now was completely justified!”

                Luz sighed. “Aaand, they’ve completely tuned me out.”

                “How do you justify a lifetime of crime?” Lillith stepped closer to get into Eda’s face.

                Eda scoffed. “How do you justify cursing your sister?”

                “Guys!” Luz shouted exasperatedly.

                The two finally turned to acknowledge the teen with matching glares, just as the door swung open and Hooty spoke in a cheerful voice. “Hey everyone! We’ve got visitors!”

                Everyone turned to look at the owl demon, shouting in unison, “Not now Hooty!”

                But the visitors completely disregarded their exclamations, as six cloaked figures walked into the house through the open door. Eda, Lillith and Luz and turned to look at the newcomers with wariness, preparing to fight if necessary, while King hid behind Luz.

                “Who are you and what do you want?” Eda demanded, stepping in front of Luz protectively.

                The figures lowered their hoods and Eda gasped. “Raine?”

                The Bard Coven head gave her a strained smile. “Hello Eda.”

                Aquarius stood in front of the large double doors to The Room of Rooms. It felt like it had been eons since he’d last been there. The strange reality of it only being a few months was uncomfortable. Was he really ready to confront Sol again? Without Virgo?

                How long had he been standing there? Minutes? Hours? He didn’t know, but he felt no less ready than when he’d first arrived at The Archives. What would he say? Hey, I found Virgo, but he’s been chilling with a manipulative psychopath for the last four hundred years and wants to vibe with him for a little longer. But hey, did you see the game? Wild right?

                Yeah, that probably wasn’t the way to go. He’d have to just tough it out and forge ahead. That’s what he’d been doing ever since Virgo had been out of his life, so it wouldn’t be any different from his regular day-to-day.

                He took a deep breath and pushed open the doors, walking in silently. He let them swing shut with a gentle thud as he took in his surroundings. Not much had changed since he’d last been there, but Sol wasn’t at his workstation like usual. Instead, he was floating down from one of the higher shelves, holding… was that a microwave? What?

                “Hello Aquarius.” Sol said with a smile, gliding to the ground gently. “Or would you prefer it if I called you Q?”

                Aquarius gasped in surprise. “How did you-”

                Sol laughed, inadvertently cutting him off. “You should know that I’m always watching. I must say, I’m proud of the progress you’ve made. You’ve taken my advice quite well. You’ve made friends – and even more than friends I might add. I must say, I do approve of your choices.”

                Aquarius blushed. “H-have you been watching me this whole time?”

                “Of course!” Sol chuckled, placing the microwave on his workstation casually. “I have an interest in all of my children’s progress, but especially you. You have great potential my boy.”

                “But… I’ve made so many mistakes.” Aquarius marveled. “Everything that went wrong was my fault… wasn’t it?”

                Sol shook his head with a sigh. “We all make mistakes sometimes. Some are more serious than others. But you should trust the counsel of your friends. They are wise beyond their years. Don’t blame yourself for your siblings’ corruption.”

                “Truth be told, I am mostly to blame. I held Virgo back for purely selfish reasons, which ultimately led Capricorn and the others down the path of envy. But their decisions are their own, and no one else can be blamed for their evil acts but themselves.”

                Aquarius shook his head. “But I still could have done something.”

                “You did all you could considering your options.” Sol smiled gently at him. “And you’ve done all in your power to rectify your ‘so-called’ mistakes. I don’t hold you accountable for what happened, and neither should you. After all, I’m the most important being in the universe – or something like that.”

                Aquarius couldn’t help smiling at Sol’s attempts to cheer him up. He trusted Sol completely and found himself accepting his words without question. His father was wise and powerful; what other opinion mattered?

                “Now,” Sol said, turning to face the microwave on the table. “I understand you have some questions for me.”

                Aquarius gulped. “Yes, I do actually. I need to know what happened that made Virgo hate me.”

                Sol grabbed one of the tools off the table and began fiddling with the odd object. “Firstly, Virgo doesn’t hate you. He’s hurt, but he could never hate you. Second… I’m not the one to answer that question. I will leave that to another to resolve. In the meantime, you have more pressing things hidden within your subconscious, that you wish to know.”

                “I don’t know what you mean.” Aquarius said awkwardly. “That’s the whole reason I came here.”

                Sol chuckled. “That’s what you tell yourself, but there are much more important things you would like to ask. You and I both know that your relationship with Virgo is not as fragile as you make it out to be. So why are you really here?”

                Aquarius was taken aback. What else would he be there for? He’d had only one goal up to this point, and that was getting Virgo back. So, what else did he want to know? He’d have to go with his tried-and-true method of opening his mouth and letting his heart speak for him, since he had no idea.

                “Last time we spoke, you said something that didn’t make sense to me before.” Aquarius found himself saying. “You said that I’m younger than I think I am, but older than I look. What do you mean by that?”

                Sol hummed. “A wise question. I suppose you are ready to understand, but first I must ask you another question. Which Realm came first? The Human Realm, or The Demon Realm?”

                “The Demon Realm.” Aquarius answered immediately. “How else could Phillip have come from the 18^th century after the death of the Titans?”

                “A reasonable assumption.” Sol nodded. “But it is incorrect. The Human Realm came first.”

                Aquarius frowned. “The Human Realm is a lot older than I thought.”

                Sol laughed. “That may be true, but let me ask you another question and let’s see if you can answer it this time. In all of your collections you’ve done over the thousands of years of your life, how much did the Human Realm change in comparison to the Demon Realm?”

                “Well, I…” Aquarius paused. That had never once occurred to him. But… they’d been digging around finding things in the early 17^th century, long before the death of the Titans. But that couldn’t be right. Although, now that he thought about it, the 17^th century felt like it lasted thousands of years, instead of a few hundred.

                “That doesn’t make sense.” Aquarius said slowly. “We went down there for several years at a time. The timeline doesn’t match.”

                Sol set down the tool he was using and turned to face Aquarius with a sympathetic look. “You are correct. One more question: Which realm’s time were you keeping track of? The Human Realm or The Demon Realm?”

                Aquarius opened his mouth to answer that he was obviously tracking the time according to the Human Realm whenever he went on collections, but then immediately shut it. That wasn’t true. For thousands of years, nothing had changed in the Human Realm. It seemed as though humanity was perpetually trapped in the 17^th century for thousands – if not millions – of years. But that was impossible.

                “Stumped?” Sol smirked. “I don’t blame you. It does seem a little confusing, doesn’t it? To make it simple, you and the others unconsciously were keeping track of time through the Demon Realm. You never once questioned the seemingly nonexistent passage of time in the Human Realm. Your mind simply didn’t process the difference.”

                “But why?” Aquarius frowned.

                Sol sighed. “Because you come from The Demon Realm. You came to be at the same time it sprang into existence. So, you see, by Human Realm standards, you are very young. Only a few hundred years old in fact. But conversely, by Demon Realm standards, you are ancient. Which is why it felt as if Virgo had been gone for millions of years, while also feeling as if it was merely a few thousand. The two different times clashed together in your mind, causing confusion.”

                Aquarius blinked, trying to process this new information. It still confused him so much. There were so many implications that arose from that. And it also begged the question: How old was he really?

                “But that doesn’t explain how both realms mirror each other right now.” Aquarius shook his head. “The two realms are almost identical timewise. At least it seems like it.”

                “That’s an excellent observation.” Sol remarked. “You see, when the Demon Realm appeared, it was not as close to the Human Realm as it is now. But over time, the two realms slowly drifted together, until they finally began to run side by side. There was a time in the beginning of the Demon Realm, when one year in the Human Realm was equivalent to approximately a thousand years. But as they grew closer together, that disparity decreased exponentially, until they arrived at equilibrium. When the Whittebanes arrived in the Demon Realm, the two realms had already united. By then, four hundred years was the same amount of time in both realms. Although, Phillip has only been there for more like three hundred or thereabouts.”

                Aquarius nodded slowly. “I think I get it… So, how old am I?”

                “As I said, you are as old as the Demon Realm itself.” Sol answered. “As are your siblings. Although you do not look it, you are all the same age.”

                “But… wait, how is that even possible?” Aquarius asked in puzzlement. “How did we age differently?”

                Sol gave him a sad smile. “The answer is quite simple. You have been a teenager since you came into existence. None of you ever aged physically since the day you were born. For you to understand this, I must teach you some things about Collectors and Archivists. But I know you are short on time. I will try to be brief, but I have much to say.”

                “Well then we better get started.” Aquarius said, taking a shaky breath.

                Odalia Blight had been called many things in her life. Some used adjectives of admiration, while others preferred slanderous slurs. She didn’t mind of course. She was a multi-millionaire – quickly approaching the billions! The opinions of others were irrelevant when compared to the magnitude of her coffers. She could pay any amount to get whatever social prestige or political power she wanted.

                She had dealt with the negative opinions of others for as long as she could remember. Most notable was her high school years, when she contended against the unsavory likes of Edalynn Clawthorne. But where had Odalia’s competition ended up? In a shack, living off of scraps as she hid from the law. Even now, the Owl lady was completely magicless – serves her right for all the slander she’d thrown Odalia’s way.

                But she’d matured quite a lot since then. The insults and slights no longer fazed her. She was a strong and independent witch. Nobody would get in her way. And after the Day of Unity, there would be no witch to oppose her. She would be the wealthiest witch in the isles by default after the draining spell took effect. And that’s not even mentioning the amount she would be paid by the emperor himself for her services. She was far and away the cleverest witch in all the isles.

                So naturally, the only thing that could possibly rub her the wrong way, was to insult her intelligence. Odalia Blight was no fool. The only fools were those that thought they had bested her, like her naïve daughter and her little friends. Nobody outsmarted Odalia Blight. She would always be one step ahead of her competition, no matter what it took to get there. As bright as Amity was, she still had a lot to learn – and hopefully she would come to her senses and follow in her mother’s footsteps.

                But imagine her surprise, when her children did not come home from school that afternoon. Imagine her surprise upon learning that none of her children but Edric had actually attended school in the first place. And imagine her fury, when the three of them walked through the front door, at a disgustingly late hour. She wouldn’t stand this type of disobedience.

                “Where have you been?” Odalia questioned them sharply. They obviously had not expected her to be waiting for them. She had finally caught them in the act of delinquency.

                “Out.”  Amity supplied, rolling her eyes.

                “Mind your tone.” Odalia seethed, narrowing her eyes. “I am your mother and you ought to show me proper respect. That kind of attitude will not be tolerated in this household.”

                Emira sighed. “Alright, fine. I took them to ride Viney’s griffon, Puddles. Time just got away from us and Edric might have gotten a little distracted trying to count her feathers. Happy now?”

                “What are you-” Edric started to say, before Emira elbowed him in the stomach, with an innocent look.

                Odalia crossed her arms. “Well, I can’t imagine that took the whole day. Why weren’t you and Amity at school, Emira? Principal Bump was disappointed in Amity especially. Your schoolwork is of utmost importance if you are to join the Emperor’s Coven.”

                “What if I decided I didn’t want to join the Emperor’s Coven?” Amity retorted.

                Odalia gave her a penetrating glare. “I will not have my children galivanting around like a bunch of wild witches. If you don’t wish to join the Emperor’s Coven, then I expect you to join the Abominations Coven at the very least. You will be a Coven Head someday Titan willing.”

                Edric scoffed. “Well, who’s to say what The Titan’s will is? It sure isn’t Emperor Belos, I can tell you that much. I bet the Titan would be happy to have us ‘galivanting around’ as wild witches.”

                “That is it!” Odalia fumed. “You are all grounded until further notice. I will personally see to it that you all attend your classes tomorrow, and that you come straight back home. An Abomiton will be escorting each of you – individually if need be. Do I make myself clear?”

                The three of them sighed. “Yes Mother.”

                “Good, now-“ Odalia paused, looking at Edric specifically. “Edric, where is your school bag? And what is wrong with your uniform? It should only have one color.”

                “Emira!” Edric said, turning to his sister with a glare. “That isn’t funny!”

                Emira paused for a suspiciously long time, before she seemed to understand what Edric was talking about. “Don’t be such a baby Edric.” She giggled. “It’s just a stupid prank. I’m surprised nobody noticed it until now – especially you.”

                She made a spell circle and the uniform returned to its correct, solid blue – the illusion course colors. But there was something off about the way the illusion appeared. It was as if an illusion was being applied not removed. Call Odalia whatever you want, but never call her stupid.

                “I’ve heard disturbing rumors about students mixing magic at Hexside.” Odalia said in a high tone. “I hope that these are just rumors, or that could have very dangerous implications. Don’t you agree?”

                “Principal Bump is very responsible.” Edric affirmed. “He’d never do something that reckless.”

                Emira nodded nervously. “Yeah, he wouldn’t willingly break the law… well, not like that anyway.”

                Odalia looked between the three of them, searching for any trace of a lie. Though Edric and Emira were very talented illusionists and very capable of selling any lie, Odalia got the feeling that they were lying through their teeth. If that was true, then what was going on at Hexside was completely unacceptable. Something would have to be done. But first, someone would have to investigate these allegations, just to be sure…

                “Very well.” Odalia said, not betraying a hint of mistrust. “But you still haven’t explained your missing schoolbag.”

                Edric shrugged helplessly. “I must have left it at Viney’s. I’m sure she can bring it to me at school tomorrow.”

                This time, she was sure Edric was lying. “I hope she does… now off to bed with the three of you. I’ll not be having any Blights being even a minute late tomorrow. Is that clear?”

                The three of them rolled their eyes and did as they were told. As they went up the stairs, she could have sworn she heard Edric whisper, “That was close.”

                Now, she was certain something was up. And before the Day of Unity no less. Odalia had no time to investigate something so scandalous. She had a much better idea.

                She walked into her office with purpose, as per usual, and closed her door behind her. She picked up her crystal ball and made a spell circle, causing the little ball to blink a light blue color. Finally, the thick swirls of darkness vanished, replaced by a very irritated looking demon.

                “What is it?” Kikimora snapped. “I’m trying to get some sleep here.”

                “My apologies Kikimora.” Odalia said with a voice as sweet as honey and deadly as poison. “But I have some information that you might be interested to hear. And at the very least, I think it might be worth getting a Coven Head involved.”

                Kikimora rolled her eyes. “This better be good, Blight. I don’t have the patience for nonsense.”

                Odalia smiled cruelly. “Oh, I assure you, Kikimora. This is going to be very… Educational.”

Chapter Text

                Since coming to the isles, Luz had come to expect the unexpected. Or rather, the unexpected simply didn’t faze her anymore. She had given up on trying to anticipate anything, because no matter what, her expectations were blown out of the water. So, if there ever was a surprise, she was barely shocked at all to say the least.

                But when three Coven Heads and three Bard Coven members show up at your doorstep out of nowhere, it was hard not to be confused. Like, this totally came out of left field.

                “What are you doing here Raine?” Eda asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. “I thought you’d all been captured! What’s going on?”

                Raine seemed to smile a little more comfortably as they answered, “Well, I thought my days resisting Belos were over. I was certain I would be thrown into the conformatorium for conspiring against the Emperor. Fortunately, Darius and Eber made the same discoveries I did, and had come to the same conclusions. Of course, they were much more discreet about their rebellion than I was.”

                “You’re lucky we got to you before Terra did.” Darius rolled his eyes. “Your outward rebellion was admirable, but no less reckless.”

                Raine snorted. “And trying to get into Belos’ mind wasn’t? We’re lucky Luz and the Golden Guard took our place.”

                Eda laughed. “You always were full of surprises Rainestorm. But what happened to the Bards Against the Throne? I may be crazy, but I’m pretty sure Darius and Eberwolf aren’t bards.”

                “Great question Eda!” Raine grinned. “We’ve recently had to rebrand our little group, for that exact reason. So instead, we’re now the Covens Against the Throne! Also known as…”

                Darius sighed and shook his head, hiding his face with his hand in exasperation. “Please don’t.”

                “The CATs!” Raine beamed. They were followed up by the three Bard Coven members joining them as they made a catlike hiss.

                “You’re all the worst.” Darius grumbled. “I refuse to let that be our ‘battle cry’.”

                “Too late!” Raine giggled. “It’s already been decided and you’ve been outvoted five to one. Although, Eber still hasn’t joined our battle cry..”

                Eberwolf yipped at them and Raine rolled his eyes. “We’ve been over this already! I know you can hiss Eber, you just refuse.”

                Eberwolf just glared at them.

                “Well, I love it!” Luz grinned, flipping up her little hood.

                “Aww.” The bard named Amber cooed. “She’s got a little cat hood.”

                “Moving on!” Darius announced, cutting off anymore off topic statements. “We came to you because we need your help. As annoying as it is to admit, they six of us are quite outmatched when faced with the might of the other Coven Heads. Raine said that you might be of use.”

                Eda smirked. “Well, that was a good choice. With the four of us and Hooty joining forces with you, we’ll have an army Belos has nightmares about.”

                “Although, we may not need an army if Q comes back in time.” Lillith noted. “We just need to stall the spell long enough for him to get back and stop it entirely.”

                “Who’s Q?” Darius and Raine asked, joined also by a confused bark from Eberwolf that was probably the same question.

                Luz grinned. “Oh, boy do we have a story for you!”

                “Let’s not delay any further.” Sol smiled gently. “Now, I have explained to you your age, now I will explain to you the purpose of Collectors and Archivists. To begin, I’m going to say something that might confuse you at first, but I will explain it in a way you can understand.”

                Aquarius frowned. “Ok?”

                Sol laughed. “You certainly are prepared! Now, first you should know this: an Archivist is a Collector, but a Collector is not an Archivist. You see, Archivists are Collectors before they become Archivists. To become an Archivist, you must first earn that privilege.”

                “How do you do that?” Aquarius asked. “What makes an Archivist different from a Collector?”

                “Well I can answer both by explaining our purpose.” Sol replied. “When a living thing dies, their soul has two choices: Pass on or remain within their respective realms. To pass on means they can rest from their troubles in life. But to stay means something a little more complicated. They need a host if they are to remain, and they cannot stay in anything that is currently or has previously been occupied by another living soul. So, instead of leaving, they attach themselves to an empty vessel – generally an inanimate object.”

                “So what if they want to stay?” Aquarius demanded. “There’s nothing that says they can’t. So what’s the problem?”

                Sol sighed. “Inanimate objects cannot die. They become trapped in a prison of their own making. But, that’s not all. Most of these items can’t hold a complete soul. So, they split into smaller pieces of themselves to fit. So then, not only are they trapped, they’re split off from themselves. A soul can’t move on without first being whole, so even if they did change their mind, they are trapped in that realm without any means to free themselves, nor can they do much of anything at all without a body.

                “That is where we come in. I seek out items that wayward souls have found themselves trapped in and send you to retrieve them.” Sol explained. “What I do after that, is safely extract them so they can finally be at peace. I do not know where they go after that – it is beyond my own knowledge. But I’ve got my own theories and maybe I can tell you them some time – but that is not important.”

                “How do you know what things do and don’t have souls?” Aquarius asked.

                “Truth be told, I’m not completely sure until I have an item in my hand.” Sol admitted. “Some of it is guesswork, but most of the time, I have a list sent to me from… well I’m not sure exactly. The lists I give to you appear on my workstation on their own. I usually add a few things depending on the information I gather from other sources. Honestly, I’m still fairly new to this business.”

                “New? What do you mean by that?” Aquarius was very puzzled by now. He understood most of what was being said, and he had to admit that Collectors have quite an important job. If he’d known all of this, he would have tried a lot harder to convince his sibling to make more of an effort.

                Sol shook his head and turned back to work on dismantling the microwave. “As I’ve said, Archivists were once Collectors too. There is an infinite number of realms, maintained and watched over by a single Archivist and their Collectors. However, there is usually only one of each for every two realms…”

                “Wait, hold on.” Aquarius shook his head as if that would clear out the confusion. “You mean there are more than just the Human and Demon Realms?”

                “Technically speaking, yes.” Sol answered, unscrewing a very stubborn bolt. “I haven’t any clue what others there are aside from maybe a few. But the only ones that concern you, are the Human and Demon Realms.”

                “Ok, but why only two realms?” Aquarius queried.

                Sol chuckled softly. “One realm for the original Archivist, and one for the Collector to inherit. Collectors are born with the realm they are to one day watch over and care for. It isn’t all about collecting and archiving, but that is the main purpose for why they exist. We are there to make wrongs right. Be that freeing trapped souls, or dethroning a tyrant hellbent on wiping out all life throughout the entire realm.”

                Aquarius nodded. “So eventually, my siblings and I will take charge of the Demon Realm as Archivists?”

                “Not exactly.” Sol said with a frown. “You must be deemed ready and worthy. The Archivist themselves must make the decision to give up the realm. Usually, a Collector is tested in the newer realm before they take on that responsibility.”

                “I see.” Aquarius looked away in disappointment. “But you were once a Collector, so how did you become an Archivist? Did you have any siblings to compete with?”

                Sol chuckled. “Who said anything about competing? Your siblings did a splendid job of limiting my options. But the answer to your question is no. I was the only one who was to be expected. You see, there are two types of Collectors: One type represents the day, and the other, the night. Interestingly, generations of day are only ever one. Night generations are always a mystery.

                “Each realm alternates between night and day. My predecessor, Luna, was born in a generation of night, and your siblings were as well. There isn’t much difference between the two types, except that the day generations actually age physically up to a certain point. Generations of night remain the physical age they were born as, indefinitely.”

                Aquarius gaped. “You mean I’m stuck as a teenager forever? I’m like, what, physically sixteen? This is literally the most awkward stage of life, aside from like, tweens!”

                Sol chuckled. “Luna didn’t fare much better. I suppose you could call her your grandmother. She appeared at the age of thirteen – physically that is – which is, as you say, the most awkward stage of life. But despite her physical appearance she was very wise and quite a force to be reckoned with. Her siblings would come by to tease her from time to time, but she put them all to shame. It was rather entertaining to watch. But she taught me many lessons – of which I have passed a few on to you.”

                “OK, so that’s a lot of information to take in all at once.” Aquarius shook his head. “Do you mean to tell me that Collectors and Archivists are basically… gods of worlds. Like, we’re literally gods, that like, guide spirits to the afterlife or whatever?”

                “Yeah, basically.” Sol finally completely took the little kitchen appliance apart and held up a tiny piece of the device’s inner workings. “We also protect our realm from any threats, such as jealous siblings or evil dictators. You’re proving to be quite good at both so far. But come here and let me show you something.”

                Aquarius obeyed and walked next to him, looking over the many scattered pieces. There were panels, nuts, bolts and wires cluttering the workspace, as well as other various mechanical parts. It was quite a mess, but it had an organized feel to it. Similar parts were bunched together, while solo parts were spread around somewhat haphazardly.

                “Look at this piece here.” Sol said, holding up a tiny screw. “Do you see the faint white glow around it? It may not be obvious to you now, but given time, it will be easier to tell. This little screw has a piece of a living soul. There are a few other fragments spread throughout this seemingly mundane device. But these are the final fragments to a broken soul who went by the name Felix Gary in their time on earth. It’s funny, but you can learn quite a lot about an individual’s life, by just holding a tiny fragment of their soul.”

                He grabbed a little tool that looked like a kind of vacuum, but… manually operated? It’s kind of weird to explain it. but using the little Vacuum, he extracted a little wisp of white light. He did the same to a few of the other scraps, until several little wisps of light floated in front of them.

                “You can tell what kind of life they lived just by the color of the light.” Sol said softly. “This man shone brightly in mortality.”

                He smiled as the wisps formed into a much larger ball of light. “You may be at peace now. You are free.”

                The wisp hummed and zipped away as Aquarius watched with childlike wonder. It wasn’t any large or grand thing, but it was such a significant thing to see.

                “As bright of a light that was,” Sol turned to Aquarius with a proud smile. “It still pales in comparison to the vibrancy of Luz Noceda and the friends she’s made. And even still, that isn’t the brightest I’ve seen. Although I think it is part of your nature to gravitate towards bright souls.”

                He snapped his fingers and the kitchen appliance put itself back together in seconds and floated back up to the shelves.

                “Why didn’t you do that in the first place?” Aquarius wondered. “It would have been much faster.”

                “This work calls for much more delicacy than a simple snap of the fingers.” Sol chuckled. “It’s a sign of respect to the individual, regardless of the life they lived.”

                With that, he turned to Aquarius with a more serious expression. “But now, you see why taking things without permission is so dangerous. Your negligence and selfishness could lead to a broken soul never being able to be laid to rest. Which is why I despise your siblings’ thievery beyond the crime itself.”

                Aquarius looked down in shame. “I didn’t realize how important this was. I don’t think I was as respectful about all of this as I could have been.”

                “Oh Aquarius.” Sol sighed. “Always looking for something to bring yourself down. You’ve done well lad. You never once complained, nor argued and you never knew its purpose until now. You should be proud of that fact alone.”

                Aquarius nodded and looked up to meet Sol’s bright eyes. “Alright, I think I’m getting it… But still, that doesn’t explain why you never let Virgo go on Collections though. Shouldn’t he get an opportunity to learn all of this too?”

                Sol gave him a guilty smile. “You are right… but it is difficult for me to ask that of him.”

                “Is it because he looks so young?” Aquarius questioned. “Because if so, I’m sure he’s more than capable. I’d even take him with me.”

                Sol shook his head. “That’s only a part of it… There is a much more personal reason, but for me to explain it with words would not do it justice. If you could, I would like for you to show me that memory spell of yours. But before we do that, you must rest.”

                “But I don’t need sleep!” Aquarius whined. “I need answers! I have the energy for just one little memory spell. And I still need to get back to the Boiling Isles in time for the Day of Unity.”

                “And that is why you must rest.” Sol placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You look like you haven’t slept in days. I will show you the memory tomorrow. But for now, please get some sleep.”

                Aquarius sighed. He really was exhausted. He’d been awake for almost twenty-four hours, which wasn’t a lot, but still felt draining considering the strain he’d put himself under using so much magic. Maybe a little nap would do him some good.

                “Alright, fine.” He relented. “I’ll get some sleep. See you in the morning I guess.”

                Sol chuckled as he walked away. “Goodnight… or maybe it’s day by now in the Demon Realm. Either way, sleep well.”

                “Goodnight.” Aquarius replied, opening the large doors and meandering back to his still messy room.

                “Your friend Q is a god?” Raine asked incredulously. “How did you manage to befriend a god?”

                Luz shrugged. “Well in my defense, I didn’t know he was a god in the beginning. Although now that I think about it, King is also a Titan, so he’s technically a god too.”

                King raised an eyebrow. “I guess that’s true. Although, if I had a snail for every god Luz has befriended, I’d have two snails. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.”

                “You could potentially have three snails if all goes well.” Eda added. “Virgo is also a Collector. Wait, Luz, did you ever give Virgo a nickname? Q got one, so why not his brother?”

                “I didn’t.” Luz stroked her chin thoughtfully. “But now that you mention it, I’ve got some ideas. I’ll get back to you on that.”

                “Well, on to more important matters.” Darius interjected. “We need to make a plan for what to do if he does not arrive before the draining spell takes place. With Eda and Lillith getting their magic back, we might have a bit of an advantage.”

                “Good point Darius.” Raine replied. “Although I am wary of the other Collector at play here. We don’t know what Virgo can do in his current state. If he can use his magic we might be in a bit of trouble. If he’s under the control of Belos, there’s no telling what could happen.”

                Lillith nodded. “From what Q told us, we have gathered that the In-Between Realm seems to have different effects on Titans and Collectors. We don’t know anything about the realm in general though, so we’re kind of out of luck there.”

                “The Titan has a bit of access to his magic I think.” Luz tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think it was him who showed me the glyphs to begin with. So it might be safe to assume that Collectors can use magic as well.”

                “Alright, then stealth might be a safer option.” Raine noted. “Although his magic might be weakened considerably, we don’t know enough about it to rush right in without an idea of what we’re up against. We should plan something that takes these unknowns into account.”

                “Agreed.” Darius nodded. “Belos himself could also step in at any moment, which would not bode well for us. We’ll need a foolproof plan. Perhaps if we had another witch on the inside – like a Coven Guard for example – we might have a good chance of coming up with something more solid.”

                “A Coven Guard you say?” One of the Bards, named Katya said, stroking her chin. “I think I might know a guy. His name is Steve. Although, Kikimora’s been a bit suspicious of him recently. He helped me sneak into the palace to steal some stuff a little bit ago. Not any important stuff though. Just stuff. Just because.”

                “My kind of gal!” Eda smirked. “Robbery for the sake of robbery. I like the way you think.”

                Raine stroked their chin. “A pair of extra hands wouldn’t hurt. Maybe we look into getting this ‘Steve’ before we make any more plans.”

                “I agree.” Luz said with a yawn. “I’m too tired for planning.”

                “Then it’s settled.” Raine replied, without hearing any other input. “We’ll find Steve, and the rest of you can get some much-needed rest. You look exhausted.”

                Everyone nodded in agreement, before Luz’s eyes lit up.

                “I’ve got it!” Luz exclaimed with a snap of her fingers.

                “Got what?” Eda asked in surprise. “You have a plan? I thought you said you were too tired for planning.”

                Luz shook her head excitedly. “Virgo’s nickname!”

                Everyone all sighed in exasperation, a few of them facepalming.

                Eda pinched the bridge of her nose. “Alright, whaddya got?”

                “Collie!” Luz exclaimed brightly.

                Everyone looked at her in confusion, so she launched into an explanation. “Because he’s a Collector!”

                “Q’s also a Collector.” Lillith protested. “So why is he any different?”

                Luz shrugged. “It just is. Q’s a Q. Collie’s a Collie. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

                “We’ll workshop it.” Eda sighed. “Anyway, if that’s it, we’ll let you guys get going.”

                Raine stood up, with a curt nod. “We’ll be back soon. I’d normally just send Katya, but I want to meet this person myself.”

                As they turned to leave, Eda rushed forward, grabbing their hand. “Wait, Raine!”

                “Yes Eda?” Raine gave her a serious, but questioning look.

                “I…” Eda began, before seeming to change her mind. “It’s good to see you again. Safe I mean.”

                Raine smiled. “You too Eda.”

                “Aww.” Luz beamed, wide eyed. “You two are so cute!”

                Eda immediately let go of Raine’s hand and they both blushed furiously, neither of them verbally addressing the comment as they looked away from each other with sheepish expressions on their faces.

                “Uh.” Raine cleared their throat. “Anyway, we’ll be going now. See you when we get back.”

                There was an awkward silence as only the BATs members walked out of the house, leaving Darius and Eberwolf to sit on the floor, looking unsure.

                “Are you not going with them?” Luz asked.

                Darius shrugged. “It’s just for one person. And I don’t know about you, but I’d be a little concerned if three Coven Heads showed up at my door unannounced.”

                “Fair enough.” Luz shrugged, turning to walk out and up the stairs, leaving just the four of them as King followed Luz. Despite his status as a Titan, King certainly did act quite a bit like household pet.

                Eda turned from watching the two go up the steps. “So, either of you play Hexes Hold ‘Em?”

                Darius raised an eyebrow. “I’ve gotten quite bored of the game recently. There really isn’t much competition these days. I haven’t lost since I played Alador Blight in my junior year at Hexside. I think you can do the math on that one.”

                “Is that a challenge Darius?” Eda smirked. “Because I’ll be more than happy to hand you your first loss in thirty some-odd years.”

                “I’d like to see you try, Clawthorne.” Darius replied smugly.

                Eda gave him a devilish grin. “Oh, you’re on!”

Chapter Text

                Edric had always had a knack for bending the rules. Odalia may have said that he had to go to school, but she never said he couldn’t use illusions to skip classes – which were good enough to pass the inspection of an abomiton and good enough to fool his teachers as well. Although, this was not so much bending the rules as it was breaking them entirely. What was Odalia gonna do about it anyway? It wasn’t like he didn’t have an all-powerful boyfriend – um, girlfriend… partner? Yeah, it wasn’t like he didn’t have an all-powerful partner to put her in her place.

                Besides, he was supposed to be in his Illusions class at the moment, but the lesson was one that he already knew by heart – he and Emira had already taught themselves the very same thing years ago. Truth be told, Edric and Emira probably could have skipped a grade or two like Luz’s friend Gus if they actually cared enough about it. But they had better things to do with their time – like pranking Amity for example.

                Anyway, Edric had decided to skip class in an attempt to ditch school altogether. Unfortunately, Odalia must have taken that into account, since there were abomitons roaming the school grounds. But that seemed like overkill, even for Odalia. Then again, Odalia was just crazy enough for Edric to not question it too much. Either way, he could skip class, but he probably wasn’t going to escape the school itself. So, he’d need a way to pass the time.

                Unfortunately, he’d wasted a lot of time already and the bell that signaled lunch screamed. This prompted a disappointed sigh. Edric was not too interested in lunch – or at least he didn’t care to go today. Emira probably wouldn’t mind, since she’d been spending much of her lunch time with Viney and Skara, who Viney had befriended through Willow’s flyer derby team. Skara was surprisingly friendly despite previously being part of Boscha’s old friend group. Although, she had already been one of the few friends of Amity’s that Ed had actually tolerated, and she was much more fun to be around without Boscha bossing her around.

                As he pushed through the crowded hallway to who-knows-where, he noticed something very peculiar. There seemed to be a lot more multi-track students than there had been before. He wasn’t sure what prompted this boom in multi-track enthusiasm, but whatever it was, brought a smile to his face. Eventually, the hallways cleared and he was alone, save for a few stragglers here and there.

                Having wandered around enough, a thought occurred to him. Didn’t Viney, Jerbo and Barcus have a secret passageway through the school? Viney had never introduced it to him, and Em never mentioned it, but ever since the basilisk incident, everyone knew it existed. Maybe Principal Bump had it removed… then again, that old man was full of surprises. He wouldn’t be surprised if he found out that Bump was using it to get around himself.

                Either way, it would be worth looking into. He could ask Viney about it, but then again… Well, it wouldn’t hurt to find out on his own. Besides, there was at least one entrance that he knew of – it was just a rumor, but if it was true, then he’d have a whole host of new pranking opportunities that Viney might not have approved of anyway. The doorway in question, was supposedly in the ceiling above the stage in the paranormatorium. And if he could find it, then maybe it had an exit out of the school that could get him past those pesky abomitons.

                Conveniently, his mindless wandering had left him right outside the very doorway into the room itself. It was blocked off, but that never stopped the occasional delinquents from sneaking in – delinquents like Edric. So, after checking around for anyone watching, he quickly ducked inside.

                Inside looked like an abandoned construction site. Indeed, it probably had been abandoned since the school likely had no funds to finish the project – funds which Lillith had supposedly been responsible for allocating. Then again, Lillith may have sent funds Bump’s way, but with the prices skyrocketing to hire Construction Coven workers, it had only been enough to pay for a partial job.

                But what really drew his attention was the little red palisman that was chittering and chirping away at someone off-stage. It seemed frustrated, but also very concerned for whoever was getting an earful from the little bird.

                “I know, Flapjack!” A voice groaned. “But there isn’t much I can do about that right now. I can’t leave yet until I think of a better plan. There’s nowhere else to go.”

                Edric recognized that voice. Better yet, he recognized that bird. It had taken him a second to catch on, but no there was really no doubt: the Golden Guard was hiding out at Hexside. He couldn’t find himself to be too surprised, considering what he’d been through with Luz, but Hexside was certainly an interesting choice for a hiding place.

                “Hey there!” He called out with a smirk. “Is that the Golden Guard I hear?”

                There was a sharp intake of breath and the palisman disappeared off stage, and out teleported Hunter, wearing a raggedy set of clothes and a dirty cloak. He had a serious-looking glare on his face and he looked ready to fight. Well, actually, he looked more like he was considering flight as an option as well. He was clearly shaken by the looks of it.

                “Woah!” Edric held up his hands defensively. “I’m not here to cause trouble – at least not for you anyway. I just came to check something.”

                The Golden Guard looked him over, then lowered his staff with a huff. “Well then do your thing and get out of here. Just don’t tell anyone I’m here or I’ll… I’ll…”

                “Yeah, I get it.” Ed rolled his eyes, jumping up onto the stage. “You’re hiding out here since your current living situation has been uh… how do I put this? Compromised?”

                Hunter looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

                Ed sighed. “Whatever man, but you’re looking pretty rough. Have you eaten anything besides Hex Mix recently?”

                Hunter turned to look where he was gesturing and blushed. “I’ve had… variety. Kind of.”

                “Great.” Ed snorted. “I’d offer you my lunch, but I didn’t bring any today.”

                “I don’t need your pity.” Hunter snarled. “I’m doing just fine on my own.”

                “Sure buddy.” Ed rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Luz told me what happened you know. I can’t say I blame you for running away.”

                Hunter cringed. “How much… How much did she tell you?”

                “Enough.” Edric shrugged, looking back to Hunter. “I know about the Day of Unity and the draining spell, as well as Belos being a Witch Hunter. But she didn’t mention anything that would shake the famed ‘Golden Guard’. Do you want to explain why you ran?”

                Hunter folded his arms. “That’s none of your business.”

                “Fair.” Ed nodded. “But you look like you need someone to talk to. We’ve all been there – in our own way. Not every problem can be fixed by hiding. Sometimes talking it out can be relieving.”

                “I don’t owe you any kind of explanation.” Hunter retorted, looking surprisingly vulnerable. “I just… need some place to stay until I sort things out.”

                “Can’t argue with that.” Edric sighed. “I’m sure if you asked, Eda wouldn’t mind taking you in at the Owl House. She’s much more friendly than she looks – I’d say her bark is worse than her bite, but that would be a lie. Either way, it’s just a thought.”

                Hunter seemed taken aback by the suggestion and looked away meekly. “Thanks for the suggestion… maybe I’ll think about it.”

                Edric gave him a soft smile. “I hope so. Now, I did say that I’d be quick, so I guess I’ll have to get going. Not much else here for me to do, so I’ll get out of your hair.”

                “Wait, you’re already leaving?” Hunter asked in surprise.

                “I thought you said to do what I came for and get out of here.” Edric raised a confused eyebrow. “You’re really sending me mixed messages here.”

                Hunter looked almost… disappointed by that. This poor kid looked lost. Like a puppy left out on the side of the road – although Edric wouldn’t have understood that metaphor. Regardless, this dude needed some company, but there was no way that he would admit it.

                “Oh, yeah…” Hunter said, deflating slightly. “I did say that. I just didn’t think you would be that quick. But if you’re done, then you can go now.”

                “Well, I honestly thought it would take longer too.” Ed admitted, looking at the ceiling in irritation. “There was supposed to be a secret door up there, but it looks like they tore out the ceiling. If the door is still there, there isn’t a way to access it.”

                “I see…” Hunter replied, turning to look at the same spot.

                “Oh well.” Ed sighed. “It would have been pretty cool, but I guess it was too good to be true. Maybe I can ask Viney about it later.”

                Hunter’s eyes widened. “You know Viney?”

                Edric laughed. “Well assuming we’re talking about the same Viney, then yes. She’s dating my sister, Emira. How do you know her?”

                “Oh, I uh… don’t.” Hunter lied. Even if Edric didn’t already know it was a lie, it was painfully obvious. Suddenly, it clicked.

                “Oh!” Edric chuckled. “The flyer derby team! Emerald Entrails, right? That makes sense. How was that by the way? I heard you were a natural.”

                Hunter blushed, looking away and scratching his head shyly. “It was… ok. I mean, I had fun, I guess. Willow was… nice. But the team is obviously disbanded now, since the whole… you know, kidnapping thing. Wait, why am I telling you this?”

                Edric shook his head. “No idea, but I’m glad you enjoyed it. You know, when Q and I got you roped into that, I just thought it would be funny. But now I think you really needed something like that to unwind. And judging by how stressed out you look, I think you could use another game or two.”

                “Who’s Q?” Hunter frowned.

                “Oh, my boyfriend.” Edric answered with a smile. “You know, the guy with the white hair I was with when you signed up for the team. You do remember that don’t you?”

                Hunter facepalmed. “That’s how I remember you! Ugh, you have no idea how embarrassing that was. Wait, hold on, that was a boy with you? I could have sworn that – you know what, never mind.”

                “Oh, don’t worry, he wouldn’t mind.” Edric snorted. “But can you honestly tell me that we didn’t do you the biggest favor of your life? I mean, not intentionally but you get the idea.”

                Hunter still seemed unable to meet his eyes, which was kind of sad now that Edric thought about it. All that confidence probably came from wearing his mask, and without it… Well, he was just a really anxious teenager.

                “Alright, I’ll admit it was nice or whatever.” Hunter huffed. “And… Ok, it was probably the most fun I’ve had maybe ever. It was nice to get to meet people my age and just have fun with no real expectations. I won’t say you did me a favor or anything, but I can at least be somewhat honest. Ugh, why am I still talking to you right now? I have no reason to trust you.”

                “Maybe I just give off trustworthy vibes.” Edric shrugged, then gave a weak laugh. “Ok, that’s probably not true, but to be frank with you Hunter, I think you just needed someone to talk to. No offense, but you seem like a lonely guy.”

                Hunter once again seemed shocked by Edric’s bluntness, and looked as though he wanted to both disagree and relent simultaneously. Edric didn’t know what it would be like to always feel like he couldn’t trust or confide in anyone. Hunter may seem like a rough, bad boy on the surface, but truthfully, he was just an insecure, sad boy. Maybe he could be both – a bad but sad boy, or vice versa.

                Edric was about to say something else, but lost his train of thought when the bell screamed, signaling the end of lunch.

                He sighed. “Well, I gotta get to class. It’s a Beast Keeping class that I’ve been really looking forward to, so there’s no way I’m skipping it. See you around Golden Guard.”

                He turned around with a wave, casually walking out of the room without another word from either boy. He felt bad for the poor kid – really, he did. From what Q had implied after the parade, Hunter was really just an innocent, misled child. Just another victim of Belos’ cruelty.

                Edric walked into his class, lost in thought. He barely sat down before Principal Bump announced over the PA system that everyone needed to report to the gymnasium immediately. He dropped his head onto his desk with a sigh and then reluctantly picked himself up out of his seat. He really should have just found a place to take a nap earlier. If only he’d have known how eventful the day was going to be.

                Edric stood on the gym floor beside his sisters, folding his arms nervously. The chatter around him and anxiety in the air was really giving him a feeling of unease. But his nervousness dissipated when Principal Bump addressed the audience. But then it spiked back up as soon as Adrian Graye, the head witch of the Illusions Coven, gave them the bad news.

                As he explained what the plan was, he leaned over to whisper something to Emira and Amity, but one of the professors came over and placed a hand on his shoulder, surprising him. She guided him to the stage, where Adrian explained that he would be giving him a fake sigil.

                “But I just got started with my new classes!” Edric protested.

                “Don’t worry,” Adrian reassured him. “It’s only temporary. It’ll just be enough to fool the Coven Guards.”

                Edric thought about mentioning the fact that he was a very accomplished illusionist and could probably make a suitable illusion himself, but then he realized that this was a Coven Head. He probably knew exactly what he was doing, so arguing was pointless. Still, he felt like something was off about all of this, but he couldn’t exactly put his finger on what it was.

                Edric watched Adrian’s hand lower towards his wrist and he cringed away from the touch anxiously. He tuned out anything else around him as he watched the hand get closer and closer, until…

                “Stop!” A voice shouted. The voice was followed by a wave of illusion magic washing over Edric and the Coven Head. But there wasn’t a Coven Head anymore. In his place was a Coven Guard, with a sigil branding device strapped to his wrist.

                Edric gasped and yanked his hand out of the guard’s grasp, as someone pulled him backwards. Whether it was a teacher or Principal Bump, he wasn’t sure. All he knew, was that he was being shielded by both, his heart and bile sack beating erratically.

Edric became so very confused when the real Adrian Graye appeared in a director’s chair, giving his subordinates very vague and unhelpful feedback on their performance. Edric thought they did a pretty damn good job considering the fact that they’d nearly tricked an entire student body into getting branded with coven sigils.

He was shocked when he realized who his savior was, as Adrian teleported down in a puff of smoke to chastise none other than Augustus Park. Gus had caught on to the illusion while Edric had not. Edric was quite a few years older than him and had arguably more experience with illusions. So how did this underage freshman catch something that Edric hadn’t?

A thousand thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to think of some kind of solution to this. Maybe an illusion to distract them? No, that obviously wouldn’t work against a Coven Head – especially not the Illusions Coven Head. Potions were obviously out of the question and any Beast Keeping magic would do no good here. So what was he supposed to do?

He glanced up to the entrance, which was also the only exit for the majority of students. He nearly froze when he saw Hunter peek around the doorway nervously. What was the Golden Guard supposed to do? Could he maybe command them to stop? Surely Belos hasn’t labeled him a fugitive quite yet.

But to everyone’s huge surprise, no plan was necessary – it often wasn’t in moments of crisis. The entire room exploded into color as a myriad of illusions spread out, with Gus as the focal point. Edric had no time to appreciate the spectacle as he dashed down the stairs and out the door, catching sight of Emira as he scrambled for safety.

Edric was briefly disoriented, but quickly caught his bearings, stumbling into Emira as she came to a halt after running around for a few minutes.

“What are you doing Em?” Edric exclaimed, out of breath. “We need to find a way out of here!”

“I know!” Emira shot back. “But we’re surrounded by illusions, and I’m all turned around. I don’t want to run headfirst into a locker. Do you?”

Edric paused. “You make a good point. So what do we do?”

Emira shrugged. “I dunno, find a classroom or something to hide in?”

“And what if we run into any Coven Guards?” Ed frowned, inspecting the illusion around him for any obvious tells.

Emira scoffed. “We’re Blights Ed. We aren’t gonna go down without a fight.”

Edric took a deep breath. “Blights. Right. We can do this – whatever this is.”

Emira frowned and put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright Ed? I imagine you’re a little shaken after almost getting branded.”

“I’m alright.” Ed sighed. “I just need a minute to catch my breath. I’m just a little frustrated. I mean, I let myself get tricked by an illusion Em! I’m supposed to be the most talented illusions track student in this school – next to you of course. I just can’t believe I let myself get fooled so easily.”

Emira shook her head. “Those were professional illusionists Edric. They tricked everyone – including Principal Bump!”

“Not everyone.” Ed said, reaching his hand out towards what looked like might be a wall – which was mildly surprising when he found himself touching the metal of a locker.

“Luz’s friend Gus noticed.” Ed sighed. “He’s three years younger than us Em. He isn’t even old enough to be a high school student, but he’s clearly much more capable than I am.”

Emira turned him around to face her and gave him a stern glare to counter his glum look. “Edric Blight, you listen to me right now. You’re no less talented than I am, nor are you any less gifted than Gus. This illusion magic is impressive, I’ll give him that. But I don’t think he’s in control of this right now. Maybe he has more potential than the both of us combined, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t gifted witches too. What do you think Q would say right now?”

“This would already be solved if Q were here right now.” Edric scoffed. “He can see straight through our concealment stones, so he would have stopped this from happening at all.”

Emira blinked. “I had no idea he could do that. But whether Q can see through illusions or not, I want you to tell me what you think Q would say right now.”

Ed sighed. “He’d probably say something sweet, but also a little cheesy. He would definitely tell me not to get hung up on something so dumb.”

Em smiled. “Exactly. So why don’t you take his advice to heart and help me get us out of here?”

“Alright.” Edric returned her smile with his own, slightly wavering one. “You’ve convinced me.”

Emira released him and then paused. “You know, I was really kind of hoping that name dropping him would make him just show up out of nowhere. It would have been convenient.”

“Emira?” A voice said behind them. Upon turning around, the voice turned out to be Viney, accompanied by Skara.

“That works too.” Emira remarked with a wide-eyed blink.

The two girls ran up to meet the twins.

“Thank goodness we found you!” Viney said with a sigh of relief. “Principal Bump took a bunch of students to hide out in the healing homeroom. I didn’t see you there, so I got worried.”

Emira smiled. “Well good thing you did, because now we have a goal. Let’s…”

She paused, narrowing her eyes at Viney and taking a cautious step back. “Hold on. How do I know you’re the real Viney and not an illusion?”

Viney rolled her eyes and walked right up to her with a smirk. “I could say the same thing to you. But I think I have a solution that works for both of us.”

Without any warning, Viney pulled Emira forward by the front of her shirt and pressed their lips together for a solid two or three seconds - much longer than Edric or Skara would have liked. When the kiss ended, Emira stood frozen for another few seconds.

“Oh.” Emira said slowly, with a bright pink blush and a dazed smile. “That was quite the solution.”

Viney smiled, a light blush on her face as well. “That’s the real Emira alright.”

“M-maybe one more just to make sure.” Emira stuttered, taking a single step forward, before being pulled back by Edric.

“I think you got your answer, Em.” Edric rolled his eyes. “We should get going.”

Emira shook herself from her daze, still smiling. “Right. Yes, we should.”

Edric leaned in, to whisper to Viney as they made their way towards the healing homeroom – following Skara’s lead. “What if she was a Coven guard in disguise?”

Viney shrugged. “Well, I think I would drop my illusion if I was about to be kissed by a minor.”

Once they found their way to the healing homeroom, Edric made sure to send Amity a text on his scroll – just before they were immediately dragged right back out the door by Principal Bump. “You two are just the witches I’ve been looking for! There’s no better time to learn how to break another witch’s illusions than when your fellow classmate’s lives are on the line.”

“But we just got here!” Edric protested.

“Would you rather have your sister out there fighting Coven guards on her own?” Bump countered.

Edric slumped his shoulders with a sigh. “Point taken.”

“Good, now-” Principal Bump began, before getting cut off by two witches running behind them to catch up.

“We’re coming too!” Viney announced, out of breath. “Gus and Willow are our teammates on the flyer derby team and we won’t just stand by while they get chased around by guards. Besides, Em’s my girlfriend and I need to make sure she’s safe.”

“I can take care of myself.” Em pouted.

“I know.” Viney shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just another excuse to be around you.”

“Teenagers.” Bump sighed. “Well, if you insist, you can follow along as well. But if you’re going to come with, you better be taking notes – you never know when another hands-on experience like this will come around.”

Leave it to Principal Bump to turn a life-threatening experience into a teaching moment. Then again, he had a good point. Actually, now that Edric thought about it, a life-threatening experience was as good of a time to learn as any.

They followed Principal Bump around the school hallways without much contact, before they finally were stopped with a hand and a shushing motion. Principal Bump peeked around the corner, quickly copied by the four students. How they all managed to do so without getting in each other’s way was anyone’s guess – it was almost like something out of a cartoon.

What they saw raised multiple eyebrows, aside from Edric, who only frowned. The Golden Guard was being dragged along by a group of Coven guards, seemingly unconscious. Why and how he’d gotten in this situation was beyond them, but this did raise a few questions that went unasked.

“We need to help him.” Skara declared in a whisper. “He’s a teammate too.”

Viney nodded. “I agree. I’m sure he would do the same for us.”

Emira and Principal Bump looked at them like they were crazy and Principal Bump was the one to speak. “You do realize that’s the Golden Guard Right? Belos’ right-hand man?”

“Not anymore.” Edric reported with a grimace. “Besides, it doesn’t matter who he is, we should still save him anyway.”

Emira gave him a strange look. “I know Luz thinks he’s a good guy deep down, but he’s definitely got issues Ed.”

“Don’t we all.” Edric deadpanned, as he proceeded to sneak around the corner to follow the guards. “It’s not just Luz who thinks he’s got a good heart. Q does too. And if Q trusts him, so do I.”

The group followed behind Edric.

“You’re putting a lot of faith in one guy.” Skara snorted.

Edric smirked. “Well that ‘one guy’ is also my boyfriend. And he’s an excellent judge of character.”

And with that, he walked around the corner with a smile. “Hey you, Emperor’s idiots! Look over here!”

The guards turned around and dropped Hunter onto the ground unceremoniously.

“What did you call us you little brat?” The largest of the guards growled.

Emira walked out and stood beside him putting her hands on her hips and wearing her signature ‘I’m here to cause trouble’ smirk. “You heard him, idiot. You got a problem with that?”

“So much for being subtle.” Bump sighed.

Skara and Viney looked at each other with grins and joined them in the hall, followed by Principal Bump.

“I must apologize for my students’ rude behavior.” Principal Bump said calmly. “But if you don’t mind, we’d like to take the Golden Guard off your hands.”

The guards looked at each other, then laughed.

“Four kids and an old man, against us?” Laughed the large guard. “That doesn’t sound like a fair fight to me.”

Principal Bump held out his hand and his palisman transformed into a staff as he gave them a sinister smirk. “You’re quite right. This won’t be a fair fight at all – not for you anyway.”

The lead guard laughed and nodded to his four buddies. “It’s your funeral Gramps.”

Edric stepped back to watch the show, resting his elbow on Emira’s shoulder. “Do you think we should help old Princy B or let him take care of this?”

“We’ll watch and see if he needs help.” Emira replied, folding her arms. “I bet you this doesn’t take more than a minute.”

As the first guard approached, Principal Bump took a short step forward and pointed his staff at him. He made a wide spell circle and a large fireball erupted forward, blasting the guard backwards, all the way to the end of the hall.

“I don’t like taking a losing bet.” Edric chuckled. “I’ll give it thirty seconds.”

Undeterred, the other three guards each began making their own spell circles. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Bump slammed the end of his staff on the ground, causing a wave of magic to knock them off balance. With their spell circles interrupted, he made quick work of the two guards on the right using another large fire blast.

After seeing his friends get dispatched so easily and barely regaining his balance, the left guard turned back to Principal Bump looking shellshocked. If only they could see his face. Taking advantage of his surprise, Principal Bump pointed his staff at the guard’s feet, making him look down to see a dark pool of magic materialize. He looked up in confusion when nothing appeared to happen, only to see Bump point his staff upwards. He realized what was about to happen much too late, as a similar portal appeared directly above him. He looked down just in time to see a portal open below him, and he dropped, falling through the portal and then reappearing above, only to fall right back into the same portal as before, beginning a vicious, endless freefall.

The boss looked at the carnage around him, taking in the sound of his buddy shouting for help as he zipped through the portal, faster and faster. He didn’t notice Principal Bump walk right up to him, wearing a devilish smirk.

“That certainly wasn’t fair at all was it?” Bump chuckled, hitting him over the head with a satisfying thwack. As the final guard crumpled to the ground, Bump made a little spell circle, causing the portal to spit the falling guard out into the far end of the hall, where he crashed into the ground with a groan.

“I think I broke something.” The guard croaked.

“My apologies.” Principal Bump replied, letting his palisman return to its natural state. “I hear the Emperor’s Coven has an excellent insurance policy, and I do hope that’s true, for your sake.”

He turned around and faced his four pupils with a casual expression. “Twenty-nine seconds. I believe Edric is the winner.”

“Yes!” Edric cheered.

Viney gave him a quizzical look. “Why are you so excited? You didn’t agree on any reward.”

Emira sighed. “We have a rule that any bet we make, the winner gets to punish the loser in any way they want. This is the first time he’s won in a long time.”

“And that means I’m dying your hair pink!” Edric cackled. “Revenge will finally be mine!”

“Lovely.” Principal Bump said with a bemused expression. “Anyway, if you two girls could take your teammate back to the healing homeroom, it would be much appreciated.”

“Yes sir!” Viney and Skara said with a salute, rushing forward to pick up Hunter.

Skara frowned. “He’s a lot lighter than I thought.”

Viney shrugged. “Well I’m not gonna complain. See you back at the homeroom Emmy!”

With that, the two girls left and Bump turned back to the twins. “Now that we have that taken care of, let’s get to helping my actual students.”

After saving Amity and Willow, things got a little hectic. Edric had gone back out to help more students with Em, but Principal Bump stayed behind to keep tabs on some of the injured students, but also to be there whenever Hunter woke up. This only lasted about five minutes, before Edric stumbled into a trophy display that was hidden behind an illusion. He fell to the ground, only to have a metal trophy drop onto his head. It was apparently enough to make him bleed – much more than he would have originally expected.

Naturally, they returned to the healing homeroom just in time for Hunter to wake up. Edric considered vouching for him when everyone doubted his trustworthiness, but ended up not needing to as Willow stepped forward and did it for him. This worked for some reason – not that Ed was going to complain – and everyone prepared to rescue a single person – again, Edric wasn’t going to complain. If he was in Gus’ position, he’d want an entire Coven to come to his rescue if it was even possible.

Emira healed his wound in a few short minutes, eventually receiving help from the more experienced Viney. With that done, he hyped himself up for another battle.

When the fight broke out, Edric hadn’t expected to win so handily. He was also impressed – and admittedly a little scared – when Amity and Willow took out the captain with very little effort. He made a mental note not to get on their bad side. Ok, well maybe just not Willow’s bad side – he still had to tease Amity every now and again. It was his brotherly duty.

Willow, Hunter and Amity walked into the gymnasium, while everyone else stayed outside to keep watch. Although, the amount of students and faculty were no match for a Blight Industries abomiton. Edric had two thoughts as he was trapped in a big blob of abomination goo: first, is that he really should have been more concerned about the abomitons hanging out outside. Second, is that he really needed to talk to his mom about those stupid machines.

Ed also came to the conclusion that maybe he should reconsider his previous assessment; Willow and Amity were both scary. Maybe he should learn new sibling bonding techniques. The reason for his new conclusion was the horrifyingly quick work they’d made of the hulking beast of a machine, as well as its operator – for the second time.

And finally, there was Gus. Gus was also a freak of nature in Edric’s humble opinion. What kind of tween can take down a Coven Head entirely on his own? That was just unheard of. Not to mention the fact that he did it using strictly illusion magic. Like, who were Amity’s friends? And how did Luz manage to befriend all three of them? Titan, Luz had rekindled Willow and Amity’s friendship, which was now proving to be a terrifying duo.

But as they saw the invaders off and Principal Bump had once again proven how much of a savage he could be, Emira asked Edric a very compelling question.

“How did they find out about the multi-tracking?” She asked with a frown. “I mean, sure Belos wanted to brand us all with sigils before the Day of Unity anyway, but how did they know about the multi-tracking?”

Edric grimaced. “I think you know who. I suppose it was my fault for forgetting to put the illusion over my uniform. I didn’t think mom would ever stoop so low as to put her own children in danger, but then again, she probably doesn’t know about the draining spell.”

“Maybe.” Emira said with some reluctance. “But with mom, you never know. She’d probably sell our bile sacks if it meant that she could get a few extra snails out of it. Either way, mom probably won’t be too happy to see that we still don’t have any sigils.”

Ed shrugged. “Who cares? Hell, I think I’m going to wear my uniform just to spite her. I mean, we’re already grounded anyway.”

“I like the way you think.” Emira nodded. “She’ll be livid, but Titan, who gives a damn? Belos will be gone after tomorrow anyway, so it’s not like she’ll be able to do anything about it.”

Ed smirked. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

“Although,” he sighed. “I hope that wherever Q is right now, he gets back in a hurry. If not, then we might actually be in trouble.”

A moment later, Edric walked over to Principal bump to ask him a question, but was stopped as Principal Bump sighed. “How are we supposed to pay for all of this property damage?”

“Just send a bill to Blight Industries.” Edric shrugged. “I’m sure my mother would be happy to pay for the damages.”

Bump stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

Chapter Text

                Luz rarely overslept since coming to the Boiling Isles. Today was one of those days that she somehow did oversleep, and way late into the afternoon as well. She would have expected Eda to wake her up or King at the very least, but even he was curled up at the foot of her sleeping bag, fast asleep. This was unusual, but not exactly cause for alarm. But then she remembered last night and suddenly she was wide awake.

                Surely the others would have returned with their friend Steve. But had they returned at all, she would have been woken up by their arrival… probably. Either way, something didn’t feel quite right. So she quickly got ready for the day and made her way downstairs.

                When she got down there, she found Eda lounging lazily on the couch, with Darius pacing irritably back and forth. There were Hexes Hold ‘Em cards strewn about the room, and it looked like Eda hadn’t had any luck last night. So why was she calm, and Darius was pacing like a neurotic lab-rat? Even Eberwolf was looking nervous as he watched Darius pace back and forth with a low growl emanating from the back of his throat.

                “I know Eber!” Darius sighed. “But they should have gotten back by now! It’s been almost twelve hours. I’ve never known Raine to take this long.”

                Eber made a mixture of a growl and a whine and then made a short yip.

                Darius shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “That’s a possibility, but highly unlikely. We both know that Raine and the BATs are much more capable than that. So, what’s taking them so long?”

                “Calm down Darius.” Eda droned. “Rainestorm is fine. You’re both Coven Heads, so you probably would have been notified of their arrest by now, wouldn’t you? So, chill out.”

                Darius turned on her. “I will not chill out Eda! There’s a whole host of things that could have gone wrong. We should have gone looking for them a long time ago!”

                Luz watched the exchange with a quizzical frown. “This seems strangely backwards. I would have thought Eda would be the one panicking about Raine being late.”

                “You would think so.” Eda snorted. “But I’ve known Raine for a very long time. I trust them. If they’ve been gone this long, then they have a very good reason for it. If not, then they’ll be getting an earful from me later.”

                Eberwolf snarled with a wolfish grin.

                “Exactly!” Eda cackled. “Darius is just a worrywart! Trust me Luz, if they don’t get back within the hour, Raine will probably have some way to contact us to let us know what the situation is.”

                Luz sighed, pulling out her little yellow device to check for any messages from Amity. “You know them best. Whatever the case, I hope we hear back from them soon.”

                Then Luz frowned. “That’s weird. Amity sent me a strange message, and I’m not exactly sure what it’s supposed to mean.”

                “What’s it say?” Eda sat up, turning to her with a frown.

                “Uh… Illusion Coven… Hexside… something about sigils and a fight…” Luz began. “And then she said something about being grounded or whatever.”

                “What about those little hearts?” Lillith said, standing behind her with a mug of apple blood.

                Luz nearly jumped out of her skin and blushed. “Oh, those are for me.”

                Eda frowned. “Ok, aside from the grossly romantic hearts, what’s that supposed to mean?”

                Luz shrugged. “How should I know? This stupid thing isn’t exactly easy to use! I mean, you remember the whole miscommunication when she went with you to Eclipse Lake, right? It’s not the most reliable form of communication.”

                “I think I know what it means.” Darius replied with a defeated sigh. “Belos sent the Illusions Coven Head, Adrian Graye, to try to trick the students into getting Coven Sigils before the Day of Unity. Adrian is a crafty witch, but knowing your friends and their track record, I doubt he was successful.”

                “That bastard!” Eda growled.

                Darius raised an eyebrow. “Emperor Belos or Adrian?”

                “Both!” Eda threw her hands up in irritation. “Branding a bunch of kids with sigils that are created to cause a mass genocide is sick.”

                “I agree.” Darius nodded. “But again, it was implied from the message that there was a fight. Adrian is a showman, not a fighter. So, I’d wager that they kicked him and his goons off school property, assuming the fight is over. Either way, I wouldn’t worry about that right now.”

                “What about the grounded part?” Luz questioned. “Amity mentioned that she was grounded or something.”

                Darius shook his head in exasperation, clearly overwhelmed with stress. “If this is Amity Blight you’re talking about, then I can only assume that Odalia has something to do with that. Odalia has always been a stubborn and, dare I say, nasty witch. I’ve never liked her – I always thought Alador could do much better with that brain of his.”

                Eberwolf growled.

                “Titan, you’re probably right Eber.” Darius sighed. “I bet Odalia probably played some part in the raid at Hexside as well. Whatever the case, it isn’t our concern right now. I’m sure your girlfriend is fine – er, well I’m assuming she’s your girlfriend because the hearts and all.”

                Luz sighed and flopped down next to Eda. “I hope you’re right. Still, her mom is trouble. We’re going to have to do something about her eventually.”

                Eda placed a comforting hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure out a way to make sure she’s safe. In the meantime, I need you to go get a box from my room. It’s labeled: Eda’s longest toenails. You can’t miss it.”

                Luz cringed. “That’s so gross! Why would you need me to grab that?”

                “It's sentimental.” Eda said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "Just go get it."

                With a shudder, Luz stood up and did as she was told, walking back up the stairs and into Eda’s very messy room. Eda was apparently still drinking her elixir – probably out of habit more than anything – so there were empty bottles cluttering the space. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for her to find it, since it was sitting on top of Eda’s vanity – for someone who didn’t seem to care about appearances, it seemed ironic for her to have something called ‘vanity’.

                Steeling herself, she picked up the box and was surprised by how heavy it ended up being. Not that is was particularly heavy, but it had more weight to it than a box of toenails should reasonably have. Either Eda had some really big toenails, or the label was intentionally misleading. Luz really hoped it was the latter, because if it was the former… Well let’s just say Luz was equally disturbed and fascinated.

                She bounded down the stairs and went back into the living room. Darius and Eber were now on the other side of the room having a hushed conversation with Lillith, but they were also joined by a strangely attentive Hooty for some inexplicable reason. Eda was still sitting on the couch, waiting somewhat impatiently for Luz’s return. Luz sat down next to Eda and handed her the box, then carefully wiped her hands off on her pants.

                “Perfect!” Eda grinned, opening the lid of the box to reveal… a piece of palistrom wood. “I’ve been hiding this in here for a while. I figured that nobody would touch it with a label like that – except for maybe the morbidly curious individuals like yourself.”

                Luz frowned. “But why did you want it now?”

                Eda gave her a soft smile. “Because I think it’s time you finally carved your palisman. You do have an idea of what you want, don’t you?”

                “I’m still not sure Eda.” Luz said uncomfortably. “What if I carve the wrong thing?”

                “You won’t carve the wrong thing.” Eda smirked and rolled her eyes. “My dad once told me that whenever he carved a palisman, it was almost like they carved themselves. Even if you don’t know what you want right now, you’ll figure it out along the way.”

                With that, she handed Luz a knife with a smile. “I have a feeling that whatever little palisman is hiding in there, it’s just as excited to meet you as you are to meet it.”

                Luz accepted the knife gingerly and glanced down at the little piece of wood, anxiety bubbling up inside her. How could Luz come up with something on her own for something that would be so important for her in the future? What was she supposed to make? A dragon? A bird like owlbert? A goose? Well those all had something in common at least, so there’s a start. But wait? What was it Eda’s dad had said? They almost carve themselves… All of those ideas did have something in common, and that was that they all laid eggs. And that gave Luz an idea.

                Luz smiled. “I think I know what to carve. Thanks Eda!”

                Eda chuckled. “Don’t mention it kid. I’m excited to see what you come up with. You can start carving whenever you’re ready – don’t worry about the shavings, they disappear on their own over time.”

                With that, Eda stood up to join the other adults plus Hooty. Luz couldn’t wait to meet her new palisman either. So, in classic Luz fashion, she impatiently began whittling away at the wood in smooth and gentle strokes. She’d never really carved anything beyond sticks that she tried to make into a staff like the one that The Good Witch Azura had. Those had always looked terrible. But now, she felt like each stroke of her knife was being guided by a gentle hand.

                After about ten minutes of carving, Luz felt like she was making good progress. That is, until Darius received a call on his scroll, which he answered with an uncharacteristic note of surprise.

                “Raine!” He nearly shouted. “What in the Titan’s name is taking you so long?”

                There was some chatter heard from the other end as Darius frowned. “I see. That does complicate things. We’ll come to you and figure out something. Stay where you are for now. We’ll see you soon.”

                He hung up and everyone stared at him expectantly. He banished his scroll with his usual air of aloofness and ran his hand through his stylized abomination hair with a heavy sigh.

                “It would appear that Steve has been arrested for treason.” Darius explained. “Raine and the others have been trying to find a way to break him out of the conformatorium, but they haven’t had much luck. It would seem that they could use some backup.”

                Eda smiled and turned to Luz. “Hey, remember that first day you showed up at the Isles?”

                Luz raised an eyebrow of both confusion and interest. “You mean when you made me get King a Burger Queen crown from a high security prison?”

                “Yep!” Eda grinned at her. “Warden Wrath never knew what hit him!”

                Lillith stared at her. “Edalynn, you broke into the conformatorium and got away with it? How was this not on any of your criminal records?”

                “Probably because Wrath was too embarrassed to admit that he’d gotten beat.” Eda cackled. “We made him look like a fool! If I were him, I’d come up with a less embarrassing cover story – like a prison riot or something.”

                “No wonder he hates you so much.” Lillith sighed.

                “Hate?” Darius asked with a bemused expression. “Last I heard, he was still trying to win her over. Did I miss something somewhere?”

                Eda glared at him. “No. He’s still hellbent on capturing me so he can take me out on a very forced date. It’s vile.”

                Darius stroked his chin. “You know, that actually gives me an idea. Why don’t you let yourself get arrested?”

                Everyone gave him a confused stare.

                “Don’t look at me like that.” Darius rolled his eyes. “It’s not a bad idea. You can find out where they’re keeping Steve and we can cause another mass prison break just for fun. I’m sure Warden Wrath would just love to see you again.”

                Eda shook her head vehemently. “There’s no way you can convince me to let myself get caught by that creep.”

                “I can’t believe I let them convince me to get caught by that creep.” Eda sighed as she sat in magical handcuffs beside Luz.

                “Well, at least you’ve got me by your side.” Luz said reassuringly.

                Eda shook her head dejectedly. “Yeah, the human who relies solely on glyph magic. Remind me again why you had to be part of the package?”

                “Because you aren’t as much of a wanted criminal as I am anymore.” Luz reasoned.

                Eda sighed. “Right. And King?”

                “I just thought it sounded fun.” King shrugged.

                Luz just smiled. “You know, I never knew that I could get arrested for standing on a patch of grass. I’m consistently surprised by the Boiling Isles criminal justice system. What’s next? The fun police?”

                Eda snorted. “Yes actually. They’re a legit thing. And they’re as lame as they sound.”

                “Huh.” Luz said with a blank expression. “I didn’t think I’d ever live in a place where that was a thing. Emperor Belos is a pretty petty guy.”

                “Petty.” Eda snorted. “That’s a nice way to say he’s a-”

                “Oh look, we’re here!” Luz chirped with a smile.

                The prison cart trundled to a stop and a moment later, the door opened and a guard escorted them out, to stand in front of the warden himself. The large demon regarded them quietly, before turning to Eda.

                “Edalynn Clawthorne.” He said in a deep rumbling voice, his hands clasped behind his back. “I’ve finally caught you at last. And to think, that after all this time, you’ve eluded me.”

                Eda rolled her eyes and gave Luz a look that said “Kill me”.

                “To commemorate this momentous occasion, I have a gift for you.” Wrath said with a professional tone.

                “Here we go.” Eda sighed.

                 The large warden moved his hands from behind his back, displaying a brilliant bouquet of wilting flowers. “Flowers! To match your exquisite beauty.” He proclaimed in a sappy voice.

                Luz was torn between retching and breaking out into hysterical laughter. Either response would have been adequate to acknowledge the sheer absurdity of the situation. But Luz and King were sure to suppress their giggles as Eda gave him an unimpressed stare.

                “Charming.” She said in a deadpan voice. “Listen Wrath, it’s not you, it’s me. And I despise you. So, move on already, cause I’m not interested.”

                Wrath crushed the flowers in his fist. “I will not be deterred so easily! You may be playing hard to get, but I’ll break through your stubborn shell eventually. Just wait Clawthorne, soon we’ll be happily skipping through a meadow, hand in hand, making kissy faces at each other.”

                “I don’t want to know what your ‘kissy face’ looks like.” Luz commented with a shudder.

                “I’m with Luz on that one.” Eda snorted. “That sounds like something out of my worst nightmares. I’d rather have you just throw me in a cell and be done with it.”

                Wrath growled at her and dropped the crushed flowers onto the ground in front of her. “So be it.”

                The guards escorted them to their cells soon after, undoing their bindings and closing the bars behind them without much fanfare. After a few brief moments, there was the sound of a collective gasping and coughing as the CATs materialized out of thin air in front of the cells.

                “That took…” Darius said between coughs. “Way too long.”

                “I almost passed out.” Katya admitted, sounding painfully winded.

                “You really need to figure out those glyphs of yours Luz.” Raine wheezed. “They don’t work too well for extended periods of time.”

                Luz shrugged sheepishly as her cell clanged open. “I did warn you. You all said you could handle it.”

                “Well, I didn’t think Warden Wrath was going to be talking for so damn long.” Darius gasped. “I think I’m going to strangle that witch next time I see him.”

                “I’d pay good money to see that.” Eda mused. “But maybe we should get a move on and find Steve. I don’t plan on sticking around in a prison all day.”

                “Hold on just a second.” Breathed Amber. “Let us catch our breath first.”

                Eda rolled her eyes as she took pity on them and waited, albeit impatiently. After a few minutes, they finally took some initiative and began searching the cells for their friend. Luz had never met the guy, but she’d been shown images of Steve, so she knew who to keep an eye out for. Meanwhile, they were opening every cell where a witch was being kept prisoner, freeing a host of innocent individuals. Then again, Luz had no idea how many of these witches were actually dangerous… Eh, oh well.

                After a few minutes, they finally heard a bark from Eberwolf, signaling he found something. That something turned out to be someone and that someone was Steve. He was still wearing his uniform, but without the weird bird-like hood covering his face.

                “Steve!” Amber grinned. “Look who showed up to break you out of jail!”

                Steve frowned as he took in the group in front of his cell, which was currently being opened with a flip of a switch. Luz had to admit that their security had not improved in the slightest since she’d last been there. I mean, you would think that they’d stop using basic levers to keep their cells locked and move on to a more reliable means of keeping their prisoners.

                “Three Coven Heads, The Owl Lady, some bards, a kid and a little demon?” Steve asked in confusion. “That sounds like the beginning of a bizarre joke. I guess I can’t complain.”

                “ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!” A deep voice bellowed. “Can’t I go a week without someone breaking out of here?!”

                Everyone turned around to see a very angry Warden Wrath.

                Darius held up a hand. “Let me handle this.”

                The abominations Coven Head strode towards the warden with a droll expression. “My apologies Warden, but we are under Belos’ orders to escort these prisoners to the palace. He said he would like to personally see to it that they receive their coven sigils before the Day of Unity, since Adrian failed his responsibilities at Hexside earlier this afternoon.”

                Warden Wrath was fuming - literally. “And why didn’t Emperor Belos come to the conformatorium to do it himself?”

                “Because Emperor Belos…” Darius began, before pausing. “You know what? Screw it. This is definitely a prison break.”

                As quick as lightning he unleashed a flurry of purple tendrils, that wrapped around the warden, tightening around him like a vice. Wrath squirmed in his restraints spewing fire in every direction, causing every witch to step back to avoid getting scorched.

                “Damn you Daemonne!” Wrath roared. “This is treason!”

                Darius shrugged and gestured to Eda, who seemed to take that as “blow a hole in the wall”. So, she made a spell circle and exploded the nearest wall, allowing the escapees to funnel outside earnestly.

                “You aren’t wrong.” Darius droned. “But to be fair, Belos is trying to murder every witch in the Boiling Isles. It’s justified.”

                Wrath roared in indignation as the rest of the prisoners made their escape, shortly followed by the CATs. After the group made it a few feet from the building, they heard a very loud boom followed by an enraged roar. The ground shook and they turned around to see a very, very angry warden wrath, breathing flames across the courtyard from where he stood in the ruined stone wall.

                “That’s probably not good.” Luz remarked.

                “Nope!” Eda replied. “We should probably run.”

                Sure, they could probably have overpowered the hulking demon, but that would likely result in 3^rd degree burns at the very least. So, without much argument, the CATs sprinted away, summoning palismans and splitting off in every direction. Wrath stood on the ground, shaking his fist at them as they flew off towards the owl house.

                Aquarius woke up with a yawn, stretching his arms high into the air. He took in his surroundings, momentarily wondering where he was. But then he remembered that he was back at The Archives. He’d learned a good amount of information about who he was, but that didn’t explain what he came here to know. For that, he’d have to return to Sol.

                He got ready for the day and made his way to the Room of Rooms. He tried to wrap his head around the idea that Sol used to be a Collector. That was such an absurd thought. Furthermore, he couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of there being two different generations of Collectors either. How far back did this whole business go? Was there a beginning? Is there an end?

                The theological ramifications were enough to make his head spin. He’d worry about that later. Titan, he wasn’t ready to even consider the possibility of becoming an Archivist himself. What did that entail? What about Virgo and the rest of his siblings? There were so many questions to ask, but not enough time to ask them.

                Speaking of time, what time was it? It couldn’t be too late in the day, could it? He had no idea how long he’d slept, but he could only assume that he still had enough time to make it back for the Day of Unity. Still, he would like to know exactly how much time he had left.

                He placed his hands on the door and then paused for a second. Where were his siblings right now? He hadn’t seen them since he got there. Were they on collections? What kind of trouble were they getting themselves into now?

                “Long time no see.” A voice said behind him. “Since you don’t have a bag, I’m curious to know what you’ve been up to the last few months.”

                Aquarius sighed. “That’s none of your business Libra.”

                “No need to get snappy.” Libra rolled her eyes. “Like I said, I’m just curious. Where have you been and why are you going to talk to Sol?”

                “I already said, that’s none of your business!” Hissed Aquarius, turning around to face her.

                Libra took a step back with a raised eyebrow. “Alright, alright! I get it! Jeez, who hurt you?”

                Aquarius wasn’t sure exactly why, but something in him snapped at the seemingly innocent question. “You know damn well who! Don’t think I don’t know the truth you insensitive jerk. So if you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk to you right now. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold myself back before I wring your lying neck.”

                “Wait, what are you talking about?” Libra asked, eyes wide. “Whatever I did to upset you, I’m sorry. Seriously, what are you…”

                She trailed off as she saw the fiery look in his eyes. “You’re actually serious. Look, I don’t know what I did, but I can’t properly apologize if you don’t-”

                Aquarius stormed right up to her face with a piercing glare. “Why don’t you start by apologizing to the Titans? Or maybe Virgo? Oh that’s right, you can’t! Because the Titans are dead.”

                “Th-that’s what this is about?” Libra stuttered. “Look, we – I mean I messed up ok? I had no intention of hurting any Titans I promise!”

                Aquarius laughed mirthlessly. “Oh really? And what about Virgo? Can you honestly tell me you didn’t join a coup to murder your own brother?”

                Libra paled. “Ok, I don’t know how you know about that, but I swear I had nothing to do with it! I genuinely thought we were going to apologize to him and bring him back home! I didn’t know what Capricorn and the others agreed to until it was too late. By then the Titans were already attacking and I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do!”

                Aquarius frowned as he took in her expression. While she looked scared, it felt different from the kind of fear Cancer had exhibited within Eda’s dreamscape.

                “I regret what happened, I really do.” Libra insisted. “And I swear, I searched harder than everyone to find Virgo. I thought that if I found him before Capricorn, maybe I could protect him until we sorted things out.”

                “What?” Aquarius asked quietly.

                Libra stepped back guiltily. “I don’t know what happened to Virgo, I promise. I don’t know what I can even say to make you believe me.”

                “Nothing.” Aquarius snapped. “Do you really think I can trust anything you say after how you betrayed me before? Pretending to be a concerned sister, when all you really wanted was to trick me into telling you where Virgo was? You know, for the longest time, I blamed myself for what happened. I thought that if I just had kept my mouth shut, Virgo would have been fine, and the Titans would still be around. But the truth is, I should have blamed you. Capricorn and the others wouldn’t have known where Virgo was at all if it wasn’t for you.”

                Libra looked like she was genuinely stunned by his words. There was no hint of an act as her eyes welled up with tears and she tried to open her mouth for a reply, only to look away with a guilty expression.

                “You’re right.” She finally said with a shuttering breath. “I… You’re right. I’ll go now. Sorry I bothered you…”

                She turned and walked away, hugging herself as she seemed to fight back tears. Aquarius wasn’t sure if this was an act, or if she was being genuine. He had to admit, she actually seemed to be hurt by what he said. He almost called her back to apologize, but decided that they’d have another time if she was telling the truth.

                Aquarius turned around and winced as he heard the sound of quiet sobbing from down the stone hallway. It sounded too real for his liking, and his stomach twisted as he placed his hand on the door, gritting his teeth. He took a deep breath as he fought back tears of his own and pushed open the door.

                He walked in silently, looking to the other end of the room where he knew Sol would be waiting, working on another soul to free from their confines. But he frowned as the door swung shut. There were two figures on the other end of the room by the workbench. One was obviously Sol, but the other looked like it might be one of his siblings.

                The other individual was resting on a little white cloud, laying on their stomach and kicking their feet in the air, as they propped their head up on their hands. It was a distinctly childish position, but that wasn’t the only childlike thing about them. The way they tilted their head and the way they twirled their hair gave the impression of a very girlish personality.

                The two people noticed his approach and Sol turned around to greet him. The girl sat up on her knees, resting her hands in her lap almost like a puppy. She looked exactly like the moon-faced Collectors he’d become accustomed to, but she had long hair like you would expect from a teenage girl.

                “Hello Aquarius.” Sol smiled and then gestured to the girl. “Allow me to introduce you to my mentor.”

                The girl jumped off the cloud and held out her hand with a smile. “Hi, I’m Luna.”

Chapter Text

                Aquarius was a little weirded out to be shaking hands with a 12 year old in such a professional manner. He wasn’t sure what to make of her, but he decided that the best thing he could do was just roll with it – something that he had grown accustomed to doing recently.

                “Uh… nice to meet you.” He said awkwardly.

                The girl raised an eyebrow. “You look like you’re uncomfortable.”

                Aquarius blushed and scratched the back of his head. “Well, I’m just a little weirded out by the fact that you look…”

                “Like a twelve-year-old?” She tilted her head with an amused expression. “You’re one to talk.”

                He blushed again. “Well, that’s fair… No offense, but why are you here?”

                She giggled. “Just wanted to stop by and say hi to my little protégé!”

                “Little?” Sol protested.

                Luna giggled again and then floated up to give him a pat on the head. “Why yes.”

                She turned back to Aquarius with a more serious expression. “But I’m also here because I heard that your siblings are causing trouble. And somebody needs to intervene before things get any worse.”

                “How could they get any worse than they already are?” Aquarius asked incredulously.

                “Hmm, let’s see…” She tapped her chin with a finger in mock thoughtfulness. “Well, there’s the fact that Virgo is still alive and your siblings would like that to change, as well as a Titan that survived their violence. These are what we like to call ‘loose ends’. And as any good villain knows, there can’t be any loose ends. And that’s what your siblings are – villains.”

                Sol shifted on his feet uncomfortably. “Well ‘villains’ might be going a bit too far.”

                Luna snapped to face him with a curious face. “Oh really? And what would you call them? Misguided? Whose fault is it then if that’s the case?”

                Sol sighed. “Mine I suppose.”

                “You suppose?” Luna snorted. “What did I tell you about playing favorites, Sol? Didn’t I warn you what would happen? Envy and jealousy are exactly the kind of emotions we want to avoid causing, but what did you do?”

                “I…” Sol looked away. “I know.”

                Luna’s eyes softened. “I know you do. And I know why you did it, so I can’t hold it against you. The rest of your Collectors are responsible for their own actions either way. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t partially to blame for this.”

                Aquarius watched the exchange in fascination. It was surreal to see a little girl chastising an adult like this. Her tone was like a mother chastising her child, which was technically what was happening, but knowing that made this exchange all the more confusing.

                “I’m going to need some context here.” Aquarius said slowly.

                Sol looked at him with a sober expression. “Well, you see-”

                “Uh uh.” Luna cut him off. “I taught you better than that. Show, don’t tell, Sol.”

                Sol turned to her with a frown. “But you never taught me-”

                Luna snapped her fingers, cutting him off again, and the room transformed in the blink of an eye. She gave him a childish glare. “I shouldn’t have to teach you how to do everything. You knew about memory spells like this for a very long time and never bothered to learn it.”

                Aquarius gaped at her. “You can do it too? Are we going to watch one of your memories?”

                Luna rolled her eyes at him. “All spells come from somewhere. You may like to think you created this spell, but I did it long before you. And my mentor could do it, as well as their mentor and on and on and on. The only reason Sol can’t do it is because he never made the effort. But this isn’t my memory. This is his.”

                “Wait, but don’t you need to-” Aquarius frowned.

                “Nope.” Luna said, making a popping sound with her lips. “I already know what memory I’m looking for. Besides, your version of the spell still needs some work before it’s perfected. You should be able to take any memory you want without them even needing to think about it.”

                Aquarius paused at her words. His memory spell wasn’t as good as it could be? But that had taken him forever to learn.

                She giggled at his reaction. “Don’t worry, you’ll get there eventually. But for now, let’s invade little Sollie’s memory.”

                Sol rolled his eyes. “Can we stop with the nicknames?”

                Luna snapped her fingers with a little giggle. “Never. Now Aquarius, allow me to introduce you to my Archives.”

                Aquarius blinked and looked around, realizing that the room they were standing in was very similar to Sol’s own Archive. However, there was one major difference, and that was the lighting. The room was cozy, but there was no garish sunlight brightening the room, but the soft glow of a comforting moonlight. The room didn’t have the same vibrant warmth, but it was no less pleasant. It felt peaceful and serene, but there was a strange mysterious feel to it that excited Aquarius. Little dancing lights, floated around the room, that looked like little stars, drifting around like fireflies.

                Sitting on a little couch, with her feet up was a little girl, immediately recognized as Luna. She was flipping through a novel with a relaxed expression. There was a workstation just like Sol’s but much lower, and a second Luna was working there, while another Luna was organizing the shelves. It was quiet and calm, and Aquarius felt right at home in the little space.

                The door to the room creaked open, and a little boy that slightly resembled Sol, peeked his head in. It took only a second to realize this was Sol.

                “Hey Mom…” The little Sol said shyly. “Can I talk to you?”

                The three Luna’s turned to face him and the ones at the workstation and shelves disappeared in little puffs of smoke. “Yeah, what’s up?

                It felt so weird to hear somebody call the little girl “mom”. It felt wrong even, but he knew that this little girl may have looked like a child, but she was technically more than old enough to be a mother. A thought which really messed with his head.

                The young Sol walked in, wearing his sun-patterned robes, which somehow meshed well with the surrounding scenery. “I was just thinking… I’m getting kind of bored going to your realm.”

                The door closed behind him as Luna tilted her head. “What do you mean? I think it’s plenty fun.”

                “Well, I just…” He looked down and kicked the ground with his foot. “I want to see new places. Do new stuff.”

                Luna looked at him and then gave him a knowing smirk. “Oh, I think I know what you’re trying to say. You want to go to the Human Realm, don’t you?”

                Sol blushed. “Yeah… Well, I mean, I want to start going by myself. Do my own thing.”

                Luna sighed and gave him a warm smile. “What’s your physical age again? Thirteen? Fourteen?”

                “Thirteen…” Sol grumbled.

                Luna set aside her book and turned to sit on the couch normally. It was weird to see a little girl talk and act like an actual adult. She seemed to even be carrying herself like an actual mother, which was even weirder.

                “Thirteen?” Luna replied with a thoughtful, but sweet smile. “Well, I guess you’re still physically older than me now, huh? Where did the time go?”

                Sol giggled. “Yeah, I am, aren’t I?”

                Luna smiled and walked up to him, leaning forward to look in his eyes playfully, like she was ready to tease him. “And if that’s true, then why are you asking for my permission? You can go to the Human Realm whenever you want, Sol. It’s gonna be yours eventually anyway.”

                “Wait, really?” The young Sol said in surprise. “Do you really mean that?”

                “Yes!” Luna giggled. “Why couldn’t you? Were you seriously waiting for me to tell you you can go by yourself? I thought you already were.”

                Sol looked away sheepishly. “Well, it’s just that… You’re like, my mom, so I didn’t want to do anything without your permission.”

                Luna’s cheeks dusted pink at his admission. “I’m just your tutor, not your mom. I appreciate the sentiment, but don’t you think it’s a little weird to call a twelve-year-old ‘mom’?”

                Sol giggled. “But you aren’t twelve! You’re ancient!”

                Luna gave him a disapproving frown. “Don’t remind me. My point still stands. Just call me Luna, ok?”

                “Ok.” Sol nodded with a giggle.

                Luna gave him a soft smile and stood up straight, folding her arms. “Alright then. Now, if you really think you need my permission to go, then now you have it. You can go whenever you want – just remember that I’m still going to need you to go on collections, so don’t spend all of your time playing around, ok?”

                Sol nodded energetically and then gave her a tight hug. “Thanks Luna! You’re the best!”

                Luna seemed taken by surprise at the sudden affection, but then returned the hug with a smile. “I’m glad you think so. Just be safe, ok?”

                Sol released her from the hug and smiled. “I will!”

                He then ran to the door and opened it excitedly, turning back to look at Luna with a grin. “See you later!”

                The door closed behind him and Luna shook her head with a sigh. “He’s growing up way too fast.”

                The real Luna giggled. “You have no idea.”

                The memory Luna turned to face the three people standing there and rolled her eyes. “No spoilers. You know I don’t like spoilers.”

                Real Luna giggled again and gave her a wink. “I know.”

                With that, the memory faded. Luna turned to face the two of them again.

                “Sol used to have so much energy.” She said wistfully. “He was so fun to have around when he was little.”

                Then she frowned grumpily. “Then he grew up and got boring.”

                “Excuse me,” Sol Grumped. “You just didn’t grow up. Don’t blame me for learning how to act like an adult.”

                Luna gave him a glare. “Well, you should have learned how to act like a kid. Look at me! I did and look how much fun I still am.”

                Sol rolled his eyes. “You still technically are a kid Luna.”

                She gave him a teasing smile. “Yep, and I’m proud to say it! Kids are fun, unlike you boring old people. I’m glad I can’t grow up. Cause that means I’ll never get all old and wrinkly like you.”

                Aquarius couldn’t argue with that logic. It was kind of nice knowing that he would always be pretty much the same no matter how old he technically was. Sure, his hair could still grow and he could technically still gain weight, but he would always be in his sweet sixteens forever. And the feminine side of him really liked that idea. He could really learn a lot from this little girl.

                Sol sighed. “I miss when you used to act like a mother, not a sassy child.”

                Luna scoffed. “Excuse me, but I was always a sassy child. Besides, I never acted like a mother. More like a loving older sister. But we’re getting off track.”

                She snapped her fingers again and the room changed once more. They were in a crowded city in the middle of a chilly winter. The thick winter clothing people were wearing looked drab and lacked variety of color, and they looked handstitched, with a variety of professionalism. Some looked like they were pieced together by a skilled seamstress, while others looked like they were done by an amateur, the seams barely kept from splitting, or already split.

                The city itself was also lacking in any meaningful color, with stone houses clustered together haphazardly, chimneys billowing puffs of smoke. The street corner they were standing on was dirty and the passers-by even more so. There were no vehicles – at least not many – and the people trudged along the cracked stone path with shoulders hunched and arms pulled tightly across their chests. The few vehicles that did pass through were wooden carts, pulled by a horse or a lone individual, shivering in their ragged winter apparel.

                There was one individual who stood out among the rest and he drew the attention of everyone around him as he walked joyfully along the stone pathway, admiring the rugged and dirty architecture around him. He was wearing a brightly colored robe and his hair was a vibrant gold, his eyes glittering like the sun that was hidden behind the heavy, gray clouds. He spun around with childlike wonder, seeming to enjoy the freedom he was offered.

                This individual was nonother than a young Sol. Judging by the state of the town they were in, Aquarius guessed that this must have been during what the humans called ‘The Dark Ages’. None of the people around him seemed wealthy and some looked like they were barely surviving the harsh weather. Aquarius was sobered by the scene in front of him, but the happy attitude of the young Sol was enough to keep his spirits up.

                The memory followed the young boy through the streets of London, as he turned every which way, taking in his surroundings with rapture. As mentioned before, people were sure to give him dirty looks, scoffing at his somewhat regal appearance. They probably assumed he was the son of some wealthy aristocrat, lacking the tact or social awareness to recognize how horrible these living conditions were. Some were even looking at him with unfiltered contempt.

                Eventually, he came to another street corner where a young boy sat on a patchwork blanket, surrounded by various wooden objects. There were also other little trinkets here and there and he seemed to be selling all of these strange things. He seemed to be somewhat unbothered by the cold, but a scarf was pulled up over his nose and he had a wool cap covering his ears. He smiled as he held up one of the little wooden objects with mittened hands, towards a much younger boy, who was standing next to his tired, but smiling father.

                Sol seemed to be drawn to the boy, who looked to be his age – physically that is – and didn’t deviate in the slightest as he walked confidently up to the other boy as the child and his father walked away with smiles on their faces, tinged red from the cold. The boy noticed him approaching and seemed a little nervous. Perhaps he was wary of someone wearing such a unique bit of clothing, unbothered by the freezing temperatures without a covering for his ears or lack of winter apparel in general.

                “Hello there!” Sol chirped once he got close enough to speak to the boy. “What are you up to?”

                The boy eyed him nervously before answering. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

                Sol shrugged. “Looks like you’re selling stuff. Can I have a look?”

                The boy’s eyes light up as he nods. “Yes, of course!”

                Sol squatted down to look at the little wooden things and Aquarius followed suit, squatting beside his young mentor, unseen by either. Once he was closer to the objects, it became clear what they were. They were toys. There were little birds, pigs and other farm animals, as well as some that had a little metal crank at the back. Some were painted, some were polished, others were given extra care and covered in a glossy varnish. They were very impressive. But there were some that looked like they were made by much less expert hands, still very detailed, but not as neatly carved.

                The other trinkets looked much more expensive. They were necklaces, rings, earrings, all made from different metals. They were very clearly handmade as well, but the quality was very good. None of them had any fancy gemstones, neither were they plaited with gold or silver. They were just made from iron and bronze, polished to perfection. It was clear this boy was trying to appeal to more than one demographic. And Aquarius could see his logic – children like toys. And how do they get their toys? Their parents get them. And if their parents are buying the toys, then having something to catch the eyes of the parents as well was a no-brainer.

                “Did you make these?” Sol asked, picking up a wooden goose, turning it every which way.

                The boy blushed, but it was barely noticeable through his already pink-tinged cheeks. “Some of them. I’m not as good as my dad, but I’m learning.”

                Sol smiled at him. “Is your dad a toymaker?”

                The boy laughed. “No, that’s just a hobby.” He gestured to the small assortment of jewelry. “He actually makes that. He has a Jewelry shop in town where he sells nicer things. This is just the cheap stuff.”

                “Your dad must be pretty rich then!” Sol giggled.

                The boy shook his head. “No. You would think so, but people can’t afford expensive jewelry, so he has to keep prices low. He also can’t afford to get fancy materials, so he has to work with what he can get. Plus, most of the money he earns has to go into getting more materials to make more stuff to sell. But he makes enough to get food on the table.”

                Sol frowned and set down the toy. “That’s no fun. Is that why you’re out here selling this stuff?”

                The boy nodded. “We need to make extra money somehow.”

                “So, is it just you and your dad then?” Sol raised an eyebrow.

                “No,” the boy shook his head with a sad frown. “My sister lives with us too. Normally she’d be out here with me but she got sick, so she has to stay home and rest.”

                Sol matched his frown. “Well, it can’t be too fun out here all by yourself. How old are you anyway?”

                “Ten.” The boy replied. “My sister is just two years younger, but it’s fun to have her around you know? How old are you?”

                Sol paused at the question, realizing that he’d been put on the spot. “Oh, I uh… I’m thirteen. I know, I look a little younger, don’t I?”

                The boy giggled. “I thought you were my age! But I don’t mind, you seem really nice.”

                Sol smiled. “Well why don’t I stay here with you and keep you company? Without your sister around, I bet it can get a little lonely. What’s your name?”

                “Matthew.” The boy replied, holding out a mitten-covered hand, pulling down his scarf and smiling. “What’s yours?”

                Sol smiled and took his hand and shook it. “Sol.”

                Aquarius stared at the boy in front of him. He looked very familiar for some reason, but he couldn’t explain why. But before he could think more about it, the memory shimmered and Aquarius stood up to face Sol, who was wearing an unreadable expression, while Luna looked eerily serious. Neither spoke as the memory shifted. This time, they were up on a hill, the wind blew across the grass gently, and the night sky glittered beautifully above. They were beside a large oak tree that was covered in green leaves that swayed in the soft breeze.

                It took a moment for Aquarius to notice, but he finally found where Sol was, laying on his back next to the boy Matthew. From where he was sitting, he couldn’t see their faces, but they seemed to be a little older, maybe close to his age. Aquarius got closer to them to hear what they were saying.

                “I’ve always loved looking at the night sky.” Matthew mused quietly. “The moon and the stars have always been so fascinating.”

                Sol turned to look at him. “Why is that?”

                Matthew sighed. “I guess I got it from my sister. She always loved to study the stars. Our grandfather was a sailor and would teach us all of the constellations, but she was always much more interested in listening than I was.”

                He chuckled. “But then we would go out and look at the night sky sometimes, and she’d point them out to me and I’d laugh, because I didn’t remember them at all. Our grandfather taught her all sorts of stuff – he even taught her about zodiac signs, which nobody really would care to learn about but her. She had so much enthusiasm for someone so little. And then she would teach me everything he taught her, because she had nobody else to ramble to. And I would listen, even if she was saying things she told me a million times before. She would tell me about my star sign and what it meant, and then talk about her friends and their signs.”

                “And what is your star sign if you don’t mind me asking?” Sol asked gently.

                “She told me it was Virgo.” Matthew laughed. “I thought it was such a silly name, but after a while I began to share that fascination. We would talk for hours about all of the stars, making up stories about them and where they came from. We would make jokes about how there’s ‘a man in the moon’ and laugh at how silly we were.”

                Sol frowned. “Do you miss her?”

                “All the time.” Matthew sighed. “I know it’s been a while since she passed, but sometimes, I’ll look up at the stars and pretend like she’s right there with me, telling me some silly story she made up about the Pegasus constellation. I think by now, I’ve memorized all of the zodiac signs, because I know that she would want me to know them well. And maybe, when I go too, we will see each other again and we can talk about the stars as long as we want. Do the other realms have stars like ours?”

                Sol chuckled, looking back up at the sky. “Of course, they do! But the constellations are very different. I know quite a bit about stars myself actually. There are things I could tell you about them that you wouldn’t believe. I could tell you about the sun and the moon and how they work. But I think it would drive you mad.”

                “Oh really?” Matthew sat up and looked at him with a challenging smirk. But it was then that Aquarius realized why he recognized that face. It was eerily similar to Virgo’s, but older and more masculine in physique. He would have said he looked like Aquarius himself, but he felt like that wasn’t quite correct. He and his siblings looked similar, but they were not completely identical. There was enough of a difference between them, aside from age, to tell all of them apart. And this person was basically an older, human version of Virgo.

                “Yes.” Sol laughed, looking up at him. “And if I told you, you probably wouldn’t believe me. Despite me showing you my magic, you’re still such a skeptic.”

                Matthew looked like he was contemplating his words and then shrugged with a little chuckle, laying back down to look at the stars. “I guess so. Although it might be good to know. Because then I can tell my sister everything you tell me when I see her again.”

                Sol smiled at him. “That’s a very pleasant thought.”

                “It really is, isn’t it?” Matthew replied, and then frowned slightly. “Sol… are you certain that there is an afterlife?”

                Sol raised an eyebrow. “I am. It’s part of what I do after all.”

                Matthew nodded, seeming to accept that answer. “I just wanted to be sure.”

                “You will see her again Matthew.” Sol said, sitting up. “I have no doubt about that. Now, why don’t we talk about something that will lift your spirits? What about that project you were working on before? Did you get it finished?”

                “Yes!” Matthew sat up and ran over to a leather bag that was sitting up against the tree. “I finally got it to work, with a little help from my father. He’s good with the complicated stuff like this.”

                He dug into his bag and pulled out a little wooden object that made Aquarius’ heart drop. It was a music box, that he had once held in his own hands in a much more worn and weathered state. But seeing it look so new and polished, was like a slap to the face. That little device held much more than just sentimental value to Sol. Knowing where it came from made Aquarius realize that it truly was priceless.

                “It’s beautiful!” Sol said, admiring the craftsmanship. “You’ve gotten much more talented than the last time I saw your work.”

                “Why thank you!” Matthew beamed with pride, handing him the box. “Open it up, it only gets better!”

                Aquarius watched as he opened the box and a little girl popped out, her hands clasped behind her back. The inside of the lid was painted to look like a forest and as the music began to play, the girl appeared to walk, each step seeming to fall in time with the gentle melody. The tune was relaxing and each note sounded as if it was meant to describe the very image of the girl meandering through the forest. It was contemplative and hopeful, but only lasted for about thirty or so seconds before it came to an end.

                Sol stared at the girl in the device for a few seconds after, with a sobering expression. “Is that…”

                Matthew nodded as he took back the box and closed it, twisting the metal crank so it could play the next time it was opened. “She was my inspiration when I made this. I thought of the tune while I was painting the forest inside the lid. I thought about selling it, but I think I’ll keep it. Use it as a template for future projects.”

                Sol nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

                The image faded away and the three of them stood once again, in the bright, vibrancy of Sol’s archives. Aquarius turned to Sol, who looked melancholy.

                “Matthew was a very good friend of mine.” Sol explained. “I would visit him every time I went to Earth. His sister had always been very frail and prone to getting sick, but she stayed strong for most of her life. But, she died of a plague a year before that memory, and he began work on the music box a few months after. He was a very playful individual for as long as I knew him, and never changed - even after the passing of his sister.”

                Aquarius swallowed a heavy lump in his throat. “He looked a little bit like…”

                “Virgo?” Sol asked with a wistful smile. “Yes. If you recall, that was what he said his star sign was – something he was very fond of.”

                “I see…” Aquarius nodded. “So… What happened?”

                Sol’s eyes hardened as Luna gave him a reassuring hug. “Shortly after what you just witnessed, he contracted the very same plague that took his sister. I tried to find the music box he made, but it had been stolen. I could have gone after the thief to retrieve it, but I didn’t have the energy after losing one of my closest friends. So I let it be.”

                He hung his head and looked away as Luna patted him on the back and looked at Aquarius.

                “When the Demon Realm was born, I went with him to meet all of you.” She said with a smile. “You probably don’t remember that of course. We usually forget the first few years of our existence.”

                Sol nodded. “Yes, that’s true. When we arrived, we were both very surprised to find that there were twelve of you. Coincidentally, there are twelve signs of the zodiac, so I thought I would name you all after them in his honor.”

                “But?” Aquarius asked, suspecting there was more to it.

                Sol sighed. “But when I met Virgo… I thought that maybe his soul had decided to start a new life – it isn’t terribly uncommon. Virgo’s youthful exuberance and playful personality reminded me so strongly of Matthew as a young boy. And so, I named him Virgo, in honor of my dear friend. But I just… couldn’t bring myself to make him go out collecting. I thought it better to let his spirit live freely, to do as he pleases… but now I see that that was a mistake.”

                Luna huffed. “I suppose I can’t blame you too much. I mean, I definitely can because it really is kind of your fault, but at the same time, you aren’t entirely to blame. Capricorn and the rest of them could have easily ignored it, but they chose jealousy over respect. But you gave them a reason to be envious, so… yeah.”

                Aquarius winced a little. “Gee, rub salt on his wound why don’t you?”

                “It’s fine, she’s correct.” Sol said gently. “As much as it pains me to say it, Luna is much wiser than her physical age implies.”

                Luna nodded and then clapped her hands together. “Exactly. Now that that’s out of the way, I’m gonna have to kick you out.”

                Aquarius blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

                “Well you have places to be, don’t you?” Luna smiled. “Besides, you still have another person you need to talk to before you get back to your friends. And time isn’t really on your side right now.”

                He frowned. “What do you mean time isn’t on my side?”

                Luna tilted her head to the side. “You slept for quite a long time. The day of Unity will begin just over an hour from now.”

                Aquarius’ eyes widened. “What? That’s impossible, it can’t be that late already!”

                “Obviously not.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Because you sleep like a rock. And you take forever to get ready. Like, I’m surprised you even have any time at all. But you still have a question you want answered.”

                She snapped her fingers and a door appeared. It was jagged and looked like it belonged in a nightmarish funhouse, and when it opened, a swirling orange vortex was all he could see.

                “Go through that door and you’ll meet the person who can answer your question.” Sol informed him. “I’ve discussed this with Luna and she obviously thinks it equally important for you to know the truth. When you are done speaking with them, another door will open for you, taking you back to the Demon Realm.”

                Aquarius looked at the duo hesitantly. “Are you sure this is safe?”

                “Perfectly.” Luna chirped. “But before you go, I need to tell you one more thing.”

                “Uh, ok.” Aquarius replied, glancing at the strange door warily.

                “Your siblings are going to find out about Virgo, there’s no preventing it.” Luna informed him. “They will also probably find out about the Titan. And when they do, they will come after them.”

                Aquarius nodded. “I understand. I’ll keep them safe.”

                Luna nodded and then gave him a very serious glare. “But when they do – that’s when not if - I want you to promise us something – Sol and I.”

                “Anything.” Aquarius said with an encouraging nod.

                She tilted her head up and gave him a very appraising look. “Don’t hold back.”

                Aquarius gave her a curt nod and turned to face the door and then paused, turning back to look at Sol. “What was her star sign? Matthew’s sister I mean?”

                Sol smiled at him gently, with glassy eyes. “Aquarius.”

Chapter Text

                After Adrian Graye had been defeated, the Blight children knew that trouble was still on the horizon. The Day of Unity was tomorrow, and Q hadn’t returned to save the day yet. What’s more, they all still had to deal with Odalia once they returned home – escorted by another abomiton that showed up acting docile but expectant. None of the children cared to defy it, though they probably could have dealt with it if they really wanted to.

                Edric had to admit, he was proud of Amity. She was growing up and it showed in the way she treated others, but also in her ability as an abomination witch. Admittedly, she was probably too drained to take on their escort, but Edric didn’t mind. He was just fine returning home and showing his psycho mother just how little he cared about her opinions with his fancy multi-track uniform and lack of coven sigil. He knew she would be furious, but seriously, who gives a damn?

                The children returned home with their heads held high and satisfied smirks on their faces. Edric and Emira were boldly letting their uniforms be seen without cover of illusion and as expected, Odalia was waiting for them right as they walked in. She already had her signature glare, but her eyes flashed with a dangerous glint upon seeing the multi-track uniforms.

                “Edric. Emira.” Odalia seethed. “Do you mind explaining the state of your uniforms? Is this another one of your elaborate pranks to irritate me?”

                Emira shrugged, with a mischievous smirk. “Nah, we’re multi-tracking. Do you have a problem with that?”

                Odalia’s nostrils flared. “Do I have a problem with that? I have many problems with that, one of them is you being blatant criminals by daring to defy Emperor Belos’ very strict laws.”

                “Oh, is that why you told the Emperor’s Coven about the multi-track students?” Edric snorted. “To pretend like you’re a law-abiding witch who’s never done anything wrong a day in her life? Did you know they sent Adrian Graye, the Illusions Coven Head, to trick all of Hexside into getting branded with coven sigils?”

                Odalia was fuming. “I’m aware. I also know that he utterly failed his responsibility. He had one job, and he couldn’t even do that. I suppose it should have been expected. If I had been there to see it was accomplished, the task would have been done flawlessly.”

                “I’ll bet.” Emira snarked. “But I doubt you could have made up for his incompetence, being just as incompetent yourself.”

                “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear that blatant, disrespectful lie.” Odalia growled. “But I must say, I expected better from you three. I thought I had trained obedience into my children, not outright rebellion. Although, perhaps I should have known you twins would have resisted the law with your track record. But Amity… You should have known better. But now I hear that you destroyed a Blight Industries Abomiton. But not only do I know that you’re incapable of such a feat, you also aren’t so rebellious to even consider doing such a thing.”

                “No, you heard right.” Amity replied dryly. “I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but it’s pretty accurate. I’m not going to lie, it was quite satisfying.”

                “Yeah,” Edric snorted. “You really should have seen it coming. Amity’s not your precious golden child anymore. It was pretty badass if you ask me.”

                Odalia looked like she was ready for murder. “However ‘badass’ you might think it was, that does not make it right. It’s an insult to Blight Industries and your rebellious streak is starting to create a hideous blot on the Blight name. You ought to have submitted yourselves to a coven head and gotten your sigils like good little witches. It’s the right thing to do.”

                The siblings looked at each other and then back to her, shrugging.

                “Your moral compass is pretty broken mother.” Edric remarked. “But you go ahead and keep pretending like you actually give a damn about your children. All you care about is how many snails you can collect before you croak.”

                Odalia was stunned to say the least. Her children rarely stood up to her with such confidence, barring a few little incidents with Amity. They should fear her. They should give her the respect she was owed as their mother. A child should submit to their parents as a principle. As far as Odalia was concerned, she was their benevolent ruler and they, her subjects. Following that line of thinking, this was household treason.

                “You should speak more respectfully of your mother, dears.” Odalia said coldly. “You may think yourselves brave, but I am the master of this house and as such, you will do as I say. Not a single one of you is to leave this house until I allow you to. I will be sending someone by the house tomorrow to give you your sigils before the eclipse and you will not resist them. Do I make myself clear?”

                Emira rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Bother us about it tomorrow.”

                Odalia glared at her. “You three will learn respect or it will cost you in the future. Perhaps you’ll manage to make it into the Emperor’s Coven if you channel that determination to rebel into something more productive.”

                Odalia turned on her heel and walked to her office. The three of them sighed and walked upstairs to Edric’s room.

                “She’s an absolute psycho!” Amity exclaimed once the door was shut. “Does she even realize what she’s doing? She’s basically participating in mass murder, and she doesn’t even know it!”

                “Wouldn’t be the first time she’s done something like that for money.” Edric snorted, much to the shock and horror of Amity.

                “What are you talking about?” Amity asked.

                Emira rolled her eyes. “Come on, she tried to murder Luz during one of her abomiton demonstrations.”

                Amity paused. “She wasn’t actually going to do it though. She was just trying to scare her.”

                “Nah, she was serious.” Edric replied. “Don’t you ever wonder why she doesn’t have any legitimate competitors? It just seems a little suspicious don’t you think? I mean, there’s no evidence that she’s literally killed her competition. But so far, every business that became a threat to Blight Industries either went bankrupt, or their CEOs mysteriously disappeared.”

                Amity stared at him. “How would you even know about that?”

                Emira sighed. “We pay attention. She gets away with pretty much anything she wants. She’s got the Emperor’s Coven at her back and plenty of money to keep people quiet. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if she committed a murder and got away with it.”

                “I…” Amity paused and then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll have to stop whatever she’s doing either way.”

                “We agree with you Amity.” Edric replied. “But we aren’t in any position to do anything right now. As annoyed as I am with her, I get the feeling that she has a way to keep us from leaving no matter what we do. So, unless we get outside help, we’re stuck here.”

                Amity sighed. “You make a good point. We’ll have to figure something out. I just hope Luz is ok.”

                The twins looked at each other and then Edric turned to Amity. “She’s fine, don’t worry. Maybe try sending her a message telling her what happened today. Hopefully she gets it and can respond.”

                She nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ll let you know if she responds.”

                Aquarius walked through the portal, not knowing what to expect. He had a lot on his mind and not a lot of time to process it. His racing mind was not calmed down in the slightest when the door slammed shut behind him, looking like it was sucked into a vacuum.

                However, he immediately recognized the place he was in. This place was what he was told was the In-Between Realm. This was where Virgo and the Titan were supposedly trapped. So why was he here of all places?

                “I’ve been expecting you.” A voice said behind him. “I’ll admit, I expected to see you sooner, but you have a habit of defying expectations.”

                Aquarius turned around to face the large Titan, who appeared to be smiling down at him.

                “You seem much more surprised to see me than I am to see you.” Chuckled the Titan. “I must admit, it is strange to speak with you face to face.”

                Aquarius stared at The Titan. “Why am I here?”

                The Titan gave him a quizzical expression. “Didn’t you come here of your own volition? I would think that the answer would be obvious.”

                “Do you mean…” Aquarius frowned. “You’re the person I’m supposed to talk to?”

                “Do you view speaking with me to be an obligation?” Papa Titan mused. “Because it was my understanding that you had questions for me.”

                Aquarius blinked. “How… Wait, what?”

                The Titan laughed. “I’m sorry for the confusion. You see, I have been in communication with Sol for quite some time now. And beyond that, I am already aware of your predicament.”

                “You… talk to Sol?” Aquarius marveled. “How? Why?”

                “I am but a fragment of my former self.” The Titan replied. “He has known about my presence here for quite a while. And as to why… Well, there are many reasons. But none of that is important at the present time.”

                Aquarius tilted his head curiously. “But if he knows about you, why hasn’t he freed you?”

                “I don’t want him to.” The Titan said simply. “Without my presence, the Boiling Isles would be without magic until King is able to share his power. Witches could still use it, but glyphs would be useless as well as many other aspects of my lingering magic. So long as my fractured spirit remains here, my heart will beat, preserving the magic of the isles. If I were to be taken from this place, I would pass on with the rest of the Titans.”

                “That… makes sense.” Aquarius said slowly. “So then… you just plan on staying here indefinitely?”

                “No.” Papa Titan answered. “I do plan on leaving this place eventually. But there are some things I need to do first. Starting with answering your questions.”

                Aquarius nodded. “Alright then… do I just ask? Like, this is all super dramatic and stuff, but like, how do I go about this? Did I kill the drama? I think I killed the drama.”

                The Titan blinked at him. “I guess… hmm, I suppose there was a bit of a dramatic mood going on here. But I already know what you want to ask. I was just building up suspense and like being all ‘I won’t tell unless you ask’. But whatever works.”

                “Oh, well, um…” Aquarius cleared his throat. “I guess I’ll just um… What happened with Virgo? Like, why is he so mad at me?”

                “Well, I suppose it’s due to many things.” The Titan answered. “But there is a lot to tell and not much time to tell it. But I can show you.”

                Aquarius blinked. “Show me? Like…”

                “Yes, show you.” Papa Titan rolled his eye. “Why is this a surprise to you? This is a pretty common thing you do already and it’s much more efficient than just telling you a boring story. It adds to the whole dramatic effect thing you were just talking about.”

                “Oh.” Aquarius stared at him. “Yeah, that makes sense. You can uh… show me what happened then.”

                The Titan sighed. “Well, we better get this started.”

                Edric loved his sisters. Really, he did. Sure, they got on his nerves sometimes and he could always count on the occasional prank from Emira, but despite all of that, he had nothing but love for them. But that love could only be stretched so thin.

                The siblings had been forced to obey their mother, despite really wanting to bolt at their earliest convenience. But they had nowhere to go and so the only thing they could do was try to sleep until morning. Their sleep ended up being anything but restful, and that brings us to the present.

                They met in Amity’s room that morning to come up with some sort of plan, but it had turned into an Amity rant session. Yesterday, Amity had used her little device that was paired with Luz’s to send her a message. Unfortunately, Odalia caught her with it and broke it. Which is why Amity was now going on one of her longest “I’m worried about Luz” rants to date.

                Although the twins were listening politely, Edric was absolutely losing his mind. He was very close to grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her violently, demanding she calm down and think sensibly. But he exercised his restraint and listened to her ramble on about how frustrated she was about the broken device and her inability to communicate with Luz. She then turned it into worried pacing as she started worrying aloud about her girlfriend.

                Fortunately, Emira was at her wits end as well, and knew just what would calm her down. “What do you think Luz would say if she were here right now?”

                As if fate herself was smiling down upon Amity, Luz chose that very moment to walk through the door leading from Amity’s balcony.

                “Why does it work for Amity, but not you?” Em whispered as Amity began to gush about Luz.

                Ed shrugged and whispered back. “Beats me. It’s like I’m a side character in someone else’s story.”

                “You’re right!” Luz finally said, announcing her presence. “That’s exactly what I would say!”

                Amity ran to her significant other, shouting her name with elation. In all honesty, Edric thought their relationship was adorable and couldn’t find himself to be upset at Luz’s dramatic entrance. Why she was there was irrelevant to Edric, because he’d resigned himself to the fact that as convenient as it was, this was just the kind of thing you might expect from Luz. She just happened to find herself in the right place at the right time.

                But Amity then surprised everyone as she pulled Luz in for a kiss. Edric was absolutely floored that Amity would be bold enough to go for it like that, but he was proud of her regardless. Although he was a bit disappointed that Amity got her first kiss before he got his. Not that it was a competition.

                “Did Amity really just do that?” Em said to him with wide eyes.

                Ed nodded. “She did. I didn’t know she had the guts.”

                The two girls pulled away from their kiss and Luz very cleverly exclaimed, “Crikey!”

                Edric blinked at her reaction. “What did she just say?”

                But Amity was way too distracted to notice the comment. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

                Luz suddenly looked completely mortified. “I can’t believe I just said that!”

                Em turned to Edric. “What does that even mean? What does crikey mean?”

                Ed shrugged. “Well, if it doesn’t make sense to Luz why she said it, then it’s probably not something to say after a first kiss.”

                They followed Luz and Amity to the edge of the balcony and looked down to see Luz and Amity’s friends waiting at the bottom.

                Ed turned to Emira with an exasperated look. “I’m telling you Em, Luz is the protagonist and we’re just the supporting cast. This is just getting ridiculous.”

                Emira gave him a pat on the head. “It’s ok Ed, you’re the main character of your own story.”

                Edric smiled. “Aww that’s really… hey wait, what are you trying to say?”

                “I’m saying check your ego at the door.” Emira smirked. “You don’t need to have the spotlight everywhere you go.”

                “I don’t-” Ed sputtered. “I don’t have an ego! I’m fine not having the spotlight, I’m just saying that Luz seems to have some kind of plot armor or something. Like, she’s always where the action is and she somehow hasn’t died yet. She’s totally the main character of a wacky children’s cartoon.”

                The four of them climbed down the balcony as Emira rolled her eyes. “And what is Amity? Her pretty love interest? Was that supposed to be their on-screen kiss?”

                Amity blushed. “Wait, hold on a second, I totally would be getting more screen time than just a ‘pretty love interest’. If Luz is the main character, then I’ve at least got a lead role.”

                Edric scoffed. “Oh really? And I bet you think you would have a whole episode dedicated to yourself, don’t you?”

                “I think it would be a wonderful episode!” Luz remarked. “There would be lots of action and Amity would be a total badass!”

                Emira giggled as they got to the ground. “What about your friends? What would they be?”

                Luz thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers. “Well, if I’m the main character, then they’re my supporting cast! I spend all my time with them and we’re all like, the outcasts turned heroes!”

                “What are you talking about??” Willow asked with a frown.

                “Oh, we’re just saying that Luz is like a main character of a children’s cartoon.” Emira replied. “And we’re trying to figure out our roles if that were true.”

                “Oh, well if that’s the case, then I totally accept the role of supporting cast.” Willow smiled.

                Hunter frowned. “Do I fall into that category too?”

                Luz shook her head. “Nope. You’re the villain with a cheesy redemption arc.”

                “V-villain?” Hunter stammered. “I – I am not a villain.”

                “You totally are!” Gus jumped in as the group began to walk away from the manor. “You’re like, the angsty antagonist that has a change of heart because of some wild plot twist.”

                “That’s… too close to what actually happened for my liking.” Luz said, seeming mildly disturbed.

                Edric shook his head. “Ok, that’s all well and good, but what about Em and I? We’ve gotta be integral characters that have our own personal plotlines.”

                Amity snorts. “No, more like the annoying twin siblings of the main character’s love interest that only exist to cause trouble. I doubt you’d have screen time for more than a couple of episodes.”

                “Ouch.” Em said with a frown. “I’m so glad you think so highly of us. But at least you admit to being the love interest.”

                Amity rolled her eyes. “I never said that I wasn’t the love interest, because um hello, what else would I be? I was just saying that I was more than just the love interest. You two would be lucky to make it as main characters in a fanfiction.”

                “Hey!” Edric pouted. “That’s a low blow!”

                “Ok, this is a fun conversation and all, but what are we going to do now?” Willow interjected.

                Luz ponders this for a moment. “Well, if this were a cartoon or something, what would the main character do at this point? I mean, what would make good drama?”

                Hunter gave her an incredulous look. “Are you actually serious? This is real, we shouldn’t be joking about this. Emperor Belos, the Day of Unity – this is a serious threat!”

                Emira shrugged. “I view this as a serious line of thinking. Why don’t we confront the love interest’s villain mother about being evil and steal a Blight Industries airship to get to the palace in time to stop Belos?”

                “Emira, that villain is your mother too.” Amity pointed out.

                Edric shrugged. “Nah, we’re just the love interest’s problematic twin siblings. No connection whatsoever.”

                “That doesn’t even-” Amity began to protest.

                “I don’t care about the specifics; I think it’s a great idea!” Luz proclaimed. “In all seriousness, we could actually just sneak off with one if we really wanted to. Hunter can fly an airship – right Hunter?”

                The Golden Guard blushed. “Well I did crash it the last time.”

                “Nah, circumstances were different. We won’t get attacked by a giant monster this time.” Luz replied.

                “How does one sneak off with an airship?” Gus pondered.

                “With great skill and dumb luck.” Edric replied. “Luz’s special plot armor should take care of us.”

                “Maybe basing our strategy on a joke isn’t a very reliable plan.” King said, making Edric jump.

                “Sweet Titan!” Edric yelped. “How long has King been here?”

                “The whole time.” Luz said, giving him a quizzical look as she picked him up. “But he is a ‘sweet Titan’ isn’t he?”

                “Even being a god doesn’t save you from human pet culture.” King grouched.

                Emira grinned. “On that note, let’s go rob our evil mother!”

                Libra generally was very neat compared to the other Collectors. She took pride in having an organized living space and no clutter. While some of her siblings collected things they thought were fun and “cool”, she tried to collect things that had more personal meaning. She didn’t need random junk to feel accomplished. In fact, all she needed was a few nice things that just said “Libra”.

                She looked up star signs once to try and find out what her name supposedly meant. Like, what was a Libra? She Looked them up and was very intrigued by what she found. Some of the signs were represented by an animal. There’s the lion for Leo, the ram for Aries, and the bull for Taurus for example. And then there were some that were unique, like the archer for Sagittarius or twins for Gemini. But Libra? The sign she was named after was represented by scales – as in, balance.

                Since that discovery, she’s tried to exemplify what her name represents. She strived for balance and order, working hard to try to keep her siblings in line. She kept her room neat and orderly to reflect her determination to live by principles of balance. But recently, Libra had been wondering at what point she had strayed from that path.

                Her room in its current state could only be described as “organized chaos”. Although, organized was a loose term and chaos was probably a more suitable description. Her room was anything but clean, and yet, one might still call it neat – if a mess could ever be described in such a way. It was a reflection of what her life had become – and much like the state of her room, it was a self-inflicted problem.

                But she was not thinking about her room, or the mess, or even star signs. No. She was thinking about family. A family which, by her estimation, was somehow in a much larger state of disaster than her room. She had held herself responsible for the balance and mediation of family relations. She had always strived to keep the peace within the family. But somewhere along the way, she began to make exceptions to her rules.

                She had grown envious and spiteful, turning a blind eye to Virgo’s mistreatment. She tried not to participate in the teasing and hazing but made her opinion of him clear by withholding her protection. But then, even that became less and less true as time wore on. That anger and frustration towards what she was convinced was unfair and even an injustice, eventually took charge of her every action. And once Aquarius took Virgo’s side, she became even more cold-hearted than before. Her dislike rarely showed itself through unkind words, but rather, indifference and willful neglect for her siblings’ wellbeing.

                And now her heart felt cold for reasons unrelated to her anger – well, it may be a healthy contributor to it to some degree. Cold due to a blizzard of misery, created by her own poor choices. And indeed, she was miserable. How could she not be? Aquarius had taken a mallet to her fragile heart of ice using words just as cold and frigid as her regret. And despite it being shattered so brutally, she still could feel the lingering effects of frostbite deep within her aching chest.

                He had used the words she had often used against herself. Virgo’s disappearance was her fault. She did blame herself, but that was a truth that only she had believed. But now, that truth had been set in stone by a verbal chisel to her history. Aquarius had branded it into her past as an indisputable fact.

                How did it come to this? When had she given up a life of balance for petty envy? Virgo had committed no crime – and if it could be labeled a crime, it would have been the crime of acting his age… Well, physically that is. And she had sat back and watched her family tear itself apart out of jealousy – whether her jealousy or the jealousy of her siblings it didn’t matter.

                In the moment of escalation, she didn’t sue for peace, but accepted violence as a solution. If she had been the Libra of balance, she would have been able to get cooler heads to prevail. But instead, she became weak and acted in selfish self-preservation, instead of righting a wrong. She was to blame for the collapse of balance within her family. Had she stayed true to her convictions, she could have prevented any of this from ever happening.

                “Aww, what’s got you so down in the dumps sis?” A voice said in the doorway.

                Libra glared at the owner of said voice. “Go away Cancer. I’m not in the mood.”

                Cancer feigned offense. “Not in the mood to speak to your dear brother? What heinous crimes have I committed to accrue such disdain?”

                “More than you’ll ever admit to.” Libra snarked. “Where’s your little buddy Capricorn? Did he fall into a ditch or something?”

                “Well, no need to get so personal.” Cancer grumped. “And no, Capricorn is… doing something right now.”

                Libra raised an eyebrow. “Well if it was a collection you would have said so. Where is he?”

                Cancer shrugged. “Dunno, but he said he had something he wanted to check. So he’s out right now.”

                “The only person who can stand your arrogance ditched you, so you decided to come bother me?” Libra stared at him dully.

                “Sheesh, you really are killing my vibe here.” Cancer remarked. “I just thought I would try and have some sibling bonding time with my only sister.”

                Libra looked unimpressed. “First off, I’m not your only sister, you’re being mean to Scorpio. Second, we’re technically all girls, so that’s just invalid by technicality, regardless of pronoun preference. Did you have anything in particular you wanted to bother me about?”

                “Wow, you’re being a real party pooper today.” Cancer frowned. “I just wanted to have some quality time, nothing too specific.”

                “Is that so?” Libra said with a bored expression. “How’s Crawford? Is he still alive and well?”

                Cancer scoffed. “Of course he is! He’s tough as nails and nothing will ever touch him thanks to his new tank.”

                “You got him a new tank?” Libra asked dryly. “Wasn’t the old tank big enough?”

                “Oh sorry, I mean I got a tank to put in his tank.” Cancer unhelpfully clarified.

                Libra blinked. “You put a second fish tank inside of his already massive fish tank? He’s a crab. What the hell does he need two tanks for?”

                Cancer frowned. “No, I got him a tank and put it in his tank. I thought I was being pretty clear about that.”

                “I’m really not following.” Libra shook her head. “What do you mean by ‘tank’?”

                “Ugh, I mean I got like, a military tank to put in his tank.” Cancer sighed. “It was a necessary addition.”

                Libra rolled her eyes. “Well the lack of decoration really was becoming concerning. I’m sure a prop like that will really add to the boring aesthetic.”

                Cancer frowned. “It’s not a prop. It’s a tank.”

                “Wait, like a legit tank?” Libra asked in mild surprise.

                “Uh, yeah, duh.” Cancer answered, as if putting a military vehicle in a giant fish tank was the most obvious assumption. “Crawford needs it for defense. The ocean is a dangerous place.”

                Libra stared at him. “He’s a crab. What the hell is he going to do with a tank?”

                “I dunno, drive it?” Cancer replied. “He’s a clever little crawfish, he’ll figure it out!”

                “Actually, how did you even get a tank in the first place?” Libra pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

                “I found it.” Cancer said defensively. “I saw it and I thought it was important that my little buddy have a way to defend himself. The Crawfords before him were poor and defenseless. But with his new tank, he’ll be invincible! He’ll be the first Crawford to live as long as I can – because now he has a tank.”

                Libra dropped her face into her hands with a groan. “You severely overestimate the lifespan of crabs. What the hell is he even supposed to need protection from? He’s the only one in the damn fish tank!”

                “Ah, but you forget about the interdimensional lobster that has a personal vendetta on the Crawford family line.” Cancer rebutted. “Capricorn said he’s getting more advanced and could attack again any day now.”

                “I…” Libra felt as though she was losing braincells hearing him speak. “You know what? Good for Crawford. I’m glad he can protect himself from the interdimensional lobster in his new tank. Why don’t we change the topic so we don’t like, jynx him or something.”

                Cancer nodded. “Good idea. But actually, now that I think about it, I think I can let you in on a little secret Capricorn and I have been keeping on the down low.”

                “Is it about Crawford?” Libra stared at him. “If this is about Crawford, I’m not interested.”

                “Oh no, this is much better.” He smiled at her slyly. “You see, our dear younger brother has been keeping secrets from us. Aquarius found someone – and perhaps something – that he doesn’t want us to know about.”

                Libra suddenly felt uneasy. “What do you mean?”

                Cancer leaned in with a cruel smirk and an evil glint in his eye. “Virgo is alive. And Aquarius knows where he is. We also suspect… well it’s not confirmed, but we think he also has knowledge of a living Titan. That sounds like some pretty juicy information to keep from his family don’t you think?”

                “Leave it alone.” Libra found herself saying. “If any of that is true, then it’s none of your business. Let Aquarius have his secrets and don’t bother him.”

                “I don’t think you understand.” Cancer said with a strange glint of anger in his eyes. “We can’t just ‘leave it alone’.”

                Libra scoffed. “Why not? You’ve already had your fun. It’s not your problem.”

                “No.” Cancer growled. “It’s definitely my problem. Virgo needs to go for good – and the Titan if they exist. If he’s alive he’ll only be more trouble. Sol can’t find out about what we’ve done, and if Virgo comes back to rat on us… We’re all screwed.”

                “Should have thought of that before you tried killing him in the first place.” Libra stood up with an indifferent stare. “But I wouldn’t be worried about Sol if I were you.”

                “Oh, and who should I be afraid of?” Cancer chuckled. “You? You’re an accomplice, you’ll be just as damned as the rest of us.”

                “No, not me.” Libra said, unconcerned. “You should be afraid of our younger brother. You’ve crossed one too many lines with him and now he knows the truth. If you don’t drop it, heads will roll. Coincidentally, one of those heads will be yours.”

                Cancer laughed. “Aquarius is too soft. What’s he gonna do? He’s held back by his self-righteous morals. If anything, the best he’ll do is give us a little slap on the wrist, but we’ll get our way eventually. Besides, he won’t be a problem if you join us.”

                “Well I won’t be joining you.” Libra said, walking beside him. “Because I don’t have a death wish.”

                “You’re joking right?” Cancer snorted. “He could never beat you before – it always ended in a draw. That’s not going to change anytime soon.”

                Libra walked past him and paused in the doorframe. “That’s true. But never once was I afraid I would die in any of our sparring. I knew that he was not holding back, but I could hold my own just as well. Did I tell you he came by a while ago?”

                Cancer paused. “No, you never mentioned it. When was this?”

                “Oh, maybe an hour or so ago. He went to talk to Sol.” Libra said it casually, but there was a slight edge to her voice. “I spoke to him you know. He knows the truth – and he was very angry.”

                “So what?” Cancer rolled his eyes. “He was a little pissed, he’s been that way before. He’ll get over it eventually.”

                “You know, maybe you’re right.” Libra said with an air of derision. “Perhaps he will get over it. But let me tell you this: I’ve seen him angry before, even when we sparred. But that was the first time his anger actually scared me. Meeting his glare was akin to looking death in the eyes. If you get in his way, I can promise you that he won’t hold back this time. And I don’t know what that might mean for you.”

                With that, she walked away, to some unknown destination. Perhaps it was simply to be dramatic. Or maybe she actually had somewhere to go. Regardless, her words left an eerie feeling in the air. A feeling that Cancer would try his best to ignore.

Chapter Text

                A quote from Forrest Gump goes as follows: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Aquarius doesn’t agree with that analogy. Most boxes of chocolate have labels for each individual chocolate, so really, it’s only a mystery if you can’t read. Life is more like a staircase. You can go up; you can go down. Sometimes you just fall down the damn stairs and land flat on your face. Aquarius’ activity on his current staircase of life remains undetermined.

                However, things did seem to be moving in an upwards direction. The Titan was about to reveal the whole truth to him. What was causing animosity between himself and Virgo. The animosity in reference is very one-sided, but to know its cause would alleviate most of his problems. Hopefully anyway.

                “I must take you thousands of years into the past.” Papa Titan said dramatically. “I don’t exactly know the best place to begin, so I’ll just skip right to the action.”

                With some very elaborate spell circles, The Titan turned the surroundings of the In-Between Realm into a picturesque Island paradise. A massive obelisk overlooked a dirt pathway, where a group of adult Titans stood with the tower looming over them. Across from them was a group of ten Collectors. The expressions on every face were neutral, neither side displaying any clear sign mistrust or distaste.

                “What brings you to the Demon Realm, friends?” Papa Titan of the past queried.

                Capricorn, ever charismatic, chose to speak for his group. “We’ve come to see Virgo. Do you happen to know where he is?”

                Papa Titan narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps. But it is my understanding that you banished him from his home. Thus far, I have only met one other Collector worthy of my trust, and he does not seem to be present at the moment.”

                Capricorn sneered. “Aquarius is busy and was unable to join us. Do you really think so lowly of the rest of us?”

                “You have not given me any reason to think much of you.” Papa Titan replied cordially. “I know only what I have heard from your younger brothers. And it is for that reason that I won’t be letting you see your brother Virgo.”

                “So, you’re keeping him captive then?” Cancer growled.

                The Titan raised an eyebrow. “He is no more a captive than you are a Titan. Last I was told, you threatened his life. I don’t feel right letting a threat like that get ignored. We won’t allow you to see him until we know you can be trusted.”

                “Fair enough.” Capricorn replied. “I will admit I used some harsh words when I last spoke with Virgo. It was said in a moment of anger, but it was an empty threat. I overreacted and that’s the truth. Besides, I wasn’t actually serious. He’s not in any danger with us around.”

                Papa Titan sighed. “Fine. But I warn you, if you try anything funny there will be problems coming your way. Virgo, you may come out of hiding.”

                From behind the crowd of Titans, Virgo peeked out, looking reasonably apprehensive. He took in the ten Collectors staring at him and nervously stepped in front of the group of Titans.

                “Virgo you’re ok!” Capricorn said looking relieved. Aquarius had to admit, Capricorn was a solid actor. Anyone who knew Capricorn well, knew that he was lying through his teeth. But Virgo was notoriously naïve and the Titans were unfamiliar with Capricorn’s tactics.

                “What are you doing here?” Virgo said it rather harshly – and justifiably so.

                Capricorn smiled. “We came to say sorry little bro. I was just having a bad day, you know? I got carried away and said some stuff I didn’t mean. You’re family and obviously I need to treat you better – we all do!”

                Virgo looked unsure. “Why should I believe you?”

                “I guess that’s a fair question.” Capricorn sighed. “Aquarius sent us. He was worried about you.”

                Virgo frowned. “But he was just here? Why would he be worried? I’ve been having fun – we had fun when he was here too.”

                Capricorn turned to Cancer with a frown as well. “That’s weird. Is that what Aquarius said, Cancer?”

                Cancer looked somewhat troubled. “I don’t believe so. He said that the Titans were keeping you here against your will. That they were forcing you to stay and play with their children.”

                Papa Titan looked outraged. “Nonsense! We would never do such a thing! Virgo has been free to leave any time he pleases. We’ve been keeping him here as a protection from you.”

                “Well then there must have been some misunderstanding.” Capricorn replied with an amicable chuckle. “Because Aquarius was under the impression that Virgo was in some kind of trouble. Perhaps he was mistaken. Regardless, we came to apologize and bring him home.”

                Virgo did not seem convinced. “Then where’s Aquarius? I’d like to hear it from him. I’m not going anywhere until I can actually trust you.”

                Capricorn sighed. “Look, we’re being honest. There was some obvious miscommunication here. Unfortunately, Aquarius left on a collection and won’t be back for a while. But if you come with us, we can talk to him when he gets back, and we can sort things out.”

                “Why now?” Virgo snapped. “I can stay here, and you can come back when you have Aquarius.”

                Cancer snorted. “Not a chance. I may not like Aquarius very much, but he tells the truth more often than not. I don’t trust the Titans any more than Crawford can die of old age.”

                Nobody bothered to correct Cancer and tell him that crawfish are in fact, not immortal. Libra, for her part, looked very puzzled. It seemed that she had no idea what those two were talking about. The rest of the Collectors seemed to corroborate their story. Aquarius was also very confused. What were they talking about? What they were saying made no sense.

                “Then we are at an impasse.” Papa Titan growled. “You do not trust us, and Virgo does not trust you – and by extension, neither do we.”

                “Bold of you to assume that you have a say in this, Titan.” Capricorn replied. “This is a family matter. We will take our brother home, and when we feel that he is safe, he can come back.”

                Virgo sighed. “Alright fine. But do you promise I can come back later?”

                Capricorn nodded. “Of course! If we conclude that it’s safe for you to come back, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

                With some reluctance, Virgo went to meet his siblings, hanging his head low. “As long as you promise…”

                “Wait just one moment.” Papa Titan intervened. “Something clearly isn’t adding up. Why would Aquarius view us as a threat? He was here mere days ago and seemed quite enthusiastic to interact with us. As a matter of fact, he was more concerned about you being a threat to Virgo than us. So why would he lie about Virgo’s safety if he knew there was no danger?”

                Capricorn shrugged. “Dunno. He just sent us here to get Virgo. Figured apologizing was the best way to get him to come home. So, as good siblings do, we came to apologize and bring Virgo home.”

                Papa Titan shook his head. “You seem awfully nonchalant for someone who’s supposedly feeling apologetic. It feels disingenuous. It almost sounds like a ruse or an obligation.”

                “Ugh, fine.” Capricorn groaned. “You want the truth? I don’t even want to be here right now, but Aquarius made me. Told me that I’d be ‘more useful’ or whatever if I just said sorry. I’m not lying about him saying he didn’t trust you. It would be pointless to tell that to us since we don’t even like Virgo at all really, so why lie about it? If you want my opinion, I think Aquarius was just pretending to be comfortable while he was here. He probably sent us because he had things he thought were more important – that is to say, anything that isn’t Virgo.”

                “What?” Virgo said, taking a step back. “What do you mean?”

                Capricorn rolled his eyes. “What, did you think he actually cares about you? That brat is just trying to save face for Sol. Honestly, if you were his priority, he would actually be here. He probably thinks that he’ll get some special treatment from Sol if he plays nicely with you. He always was a selfish prick. And who knows? Maybe he’s been successful.”

                “If that is true, then I think he’d be safer here with us.” Papa Titan replied. “Come back over here Virgo.”

                Virgo didn’t hesitate to back away. Papa Titan glared at Capricorn as Virgo backed into him, and he carefully stepped in front of the young Collector.

                Capricorn returned the glare with equal intensity. “Stay out of our way Titan. What our family does is none of your business. So, hand over our brother if you know what’s good for you.”

                “I’m more concerned about what’s good for Virgo.” Papa Titan remarked. “And that’s up to him whether he stays or goes. And this whole deal has an air of treachery about it.”

                “Screw it.” Capricorn growled. “We were going to kill him after we got out of your line of sight, but now you’re just being an irritant. So, we’ll kill you and then deal with him after.”

                The Titans began to glow with magic as they took defensive stances. Papa Titan stood firmly in front of Virgo. “This is your brother you’re talking about. What crime has he committed to warrant death?”

                A star-like glow began to emanate from Capricorn’s hand, and a crescent moon blade formed from that light. He stood with a glint of malice in his eyes. The look of a killer.

                “His very existence is a crime.” Capricorn sneered. “He’s the favorite child simply because he exists. He’s treated like a prince, while the rest of us work like peasants. And it’s gone on for too long. He would have more use rotting in the Boiling Ocean than breathing the same air as other creatures of value. We’re doing the universe a favor.”

                “You’re despicable.” Hissed The Titan. “He’s done no wrong. You plan on committing a murder as an act of jealousy? Be reasonable! He’s just a boy!”

                Capricorn laughed darkly. “This isn’t an act of jealousy. He’s a waste of space. Useless even. It would be better for everyone if he were gone. He wouldn’t be a burden anymore – not to me and not to you. So let the little punk go so I can get this over with.”

                Papa Titan met his gaze but spoke to the fearful boy behind him. “Virgo, what is the name of that game you play with the little Titans? The one your brother Aquarius taught them?”

                “Hide and seek?” Virgo asked nervously.

                “Yes.” Papa Titan answered. “Hide and seek. Consider this a very serious game of hide and seek. Can you do that for me boy?”

                Virgo nodded.

                “Good.” The Titan said simply. “Now go hide like your life depends on it. We’ll keep your siblings away for as long as possible. When it’s safe, I will find you.”

                With that, Virgo sprinted off in the opposite direction, summoning a star and flying away. Capricorn growled and summoned his own star to give chase, but as he got the slightest bit of momentum, he crashed headfirst into a magic barrier. He fell to the ground and his siblings rushed over to help him to his feet. As he stood up, he was met by the wrathful stares of the Titans.

                “So, you’re going to make this a game?” Capricorn sneered. “I take it we’re the seekers?”

                “That seems to be the role you’ve been assigned.” Papa Titan retorted.

                Capricorn dusted himself off. “Usually, a seeker has a countdown before searching for the hiders. What’s ours?”

                “There is no countdown.” The Titan sneered in return. “You’ll have to get past us if you want to find him.”

                Capricorn smirked. “That sounds like a declaration of war to me. This isn’t a game with any special rulebook. When it comes to war, there are no rules.”

                “That is no rule.” Papa Titan growled angrily. “It is a condition. And not one of us Titans will allow you to murder a child. If protecting an innocent is a declaration of war, so be it.”

                “You’re a real arrogant bastard, you know that?” Capricorn declared. “And just because of that, we’re gonna make sure the bones of every Titan, litter this entire realm. And then once we finish your genocide, Virgo is next.”

                With that, Capricorn rushed the Titan, beginning a five-year war that would be the end of every titan except for one. Aquarius didn’t get to see the ensuing fight. The imagery vanished before his eyes and the In-Between Realm reappeared before him. And all he could do was stand there, his mind racing.

                “Why?” Aquarius asked quietly.  “Why lie to Virgo about me?”

                Papa Titan pondered this question. “I have wondered this myself many times since your arrival in the Boiling Isles. It was strange how believable it seemed at the time. The picture they painted of you as a self-serving older brother who was simply being kind to get a good reputation with Sol was relatively believable. But the idea of you mistrusting us was difficult to believe after your last visit. They had created a haze of confusion regarding you, in such a way that made it difficult for Virgo to know who and what to believe.”

                Aquarius shook his head. “I still don’t get it. Why bother creating any animosity at all if they just planned to kill him outright?”

                “Pettiness.” The Titan immediately replied. “They despised both you and your younger brother. From their perspective, damaging your reputation with us as well as with Virgo would be just as satisfying if they did not achieve their primary goal. It was a malicious attempt to bring him even lower than he already was, while getting a chance to harm your reputation in the meantime. Virgo has the mind of a child and is remarkably impressionable. Causing him to question the validity of his closest familial bond was a brutal strike to his young heart.”

                “So… They wanted Virgo to die, believing that our bond was a lie?” Aquarius choked out. “They wanted him to die feeling completely alone… What kind of sick bastards…”

                The Titan nodded. “It would seem so. Their hatred for him runs deeper than is reasonable. Beyond that, I’m certain that if they could, they would do the same to you. But I think they were satisfied with crushing your spirit due to the loss of the only sibling you genuinely cared for.”

                Aquarius swallowed. “But why? Why do they care what he does? It’s not their business… Why can’t they just leave him alone? He did nothing to them.”

                “I suppose I can make an attempt at an explanation.” Papa Titan said solemnly. “I have seen many men and witches much like Capricorn. Emperor Belos himself has some similarities. As Phillip Whittebane, he murdered his brother because Caleb fell in love with a witch. It was an act of pure jealousy and prejudice. It’s not something that can be fully understood by the sane mind. We may speculate reasons for such acts, but the fact of the matter is, reason is not involved. Blame it on envy, pride, greed, or every other deadly sin imaginable, but no abstract concept of emotion can rationalize such a violent and thoughtless act.

                “Perhaps not all of your siblings feel that hatred as strong as Capricorn. But in his case, I believe that the majority of it is jealousy. But jealousy often occurs due to pride. And pride is a deadly poison that many good men fall victim to. I understand that you are somewhat familiar with that concept.” The Titan leveled an understanding gaze at Aquarius.

                “I…” Aquarius swallowed. “Yes… you’re right about that. I used to detest Virgo for a long time. Pride was a large part of it. Compared to him, I felt unimportant. As if I was somehow lesser than him simply because he was favored by a father figure. It was like that feeling alone was the source of all my problems. As if Virgo himself was to blame for my inadequacies and insecurities. But eventually, I began to realize that no one else could be blamed for my failures.”

                The Titan gave him a warm smile. “That is what we like to call ‘humility’. A concept that is foreign to your siblings apparently. It is difficult to swallow your pride and acknowledge your mistakes, but the rewards hold much more value than you might realize. Your humility earned the trust of your younger brother, and it is that same humility that will earn it again.

                “However, your humility will probably anger the prideful – it often does. That anger comes from shame. And instead of turning that shame into something productive, a prideful person will continue to blame others or attempt to remove the source of their guilt from the equation. The greater the pride, the harder is the heart. And your brother Capricorn has a heart of lead. We have already seen this demonstrated by the self-aggrandizing Emperor, who justifies his acts of cruelty by painting his detractors as villains.”

                “Well… now that I know why he doesn’t trust me…” Aquarius began softly. “Maybe I can fix things.”

                The Titan nodded. “Maybe so. I believe in you… Q. Now, our time is up. The Day of Unity is upon us. You must hurry if you wish to save your friends.”

                As soon as The Titan finished speaking, a door opened behind Aquarius. It was similar to the door from before, but Aquarius knew that the location on the other side was not the same as the one he’d come from. If he walked through that door, he would walk right out into the Demon Realm.

                “Well then I should be going then.” Aquarius replied with a deep breath. “Any parting words for me?”

                Papa Titan smiled. “If you ever get another chance to return, bring Luz, the human, along with you. I have a gift for her.  “

                “And what about King?” Aquarius frowned. “Don’t you want to see him?”

                “I do.” Papa Titan answered with a smile. “But for now… Give him a message for me.”

                Edric was impressed by Luz’s enthusiasm. He could tell that she was obviously struggling with something, yet she maintained an air of youthful energy that was infectious. The seven of them were currently approaching a Blight Industries warehouse, and Luz was wearing a determined smile that made Edric feel a little envious. He was torn between being fed up with her peppy attitude and attempting to copy it. He found a mediocre middle ground.

                And then there was the mysterious Golden Guard. Edric didn’t know a lot about the kid, but from what few personal interactions he had with him, he had to give the guy some credit. Hunter was bold for betraying Belos (Edric had yet to figure out what Hunter had done to betray that lying scumbag), and even bolder for attempting to confront him with Luz and her friends. Whatever The Golden Guard’s prior relationship with Emperor Belos had been, Edric couldn’t help admiring him for his bravery.

                Now Gus and Willow on the other hand… Those two were what? Thirteen? Fourteen? Whatever, Edric didn’t care so much about how old they technically were. He was more concerned about how incredibly powerful they were. They had both absolutely crushed adult witches several times, as well as demonstrated an incredible amount of prowess in their respective fields of magic. Those two – much like Amity – had focused their studies on one form of magic, instead of following the recent trend of multi-tracking. And that dedication was setting them up for incredible success – to a terrifying extent.

                But Amity and Emira… Edric had to admit that those two were much braver than he could ever be. Amity was risking life and limb to not only confront their crazy mother, but also to face a crazy dictator hellbent on screwing over her and everyone else in the Boiling Isles (Edric couldn’t help noticing that description of Belos was also an accurate depiction of his own mother), for her human girlfriend. Emira however, had no idea where her girlfriend was. Yet, here Emira was, doing her best to stop a manipulative tyrant from destroying the entire Boiling Isles… Ok perhaps Emperor Belos and Odalia Blight were basically the same person.

                As they approached the warehouse and the airships, they couldn’t help noticing the insane amount of Abomitons. Willow and Amity had successfully brought down one with minimal effort, but this was honestly too much. They would have to try to avoid any interaction with Odalia or an Abomition if they could help it. But that would be no easy task. Before they could come up with any plan, the ever impulsive human, dragged her friends in another direction while Edric and Emira weren’t paying attention.

                Edric couldn’t really blame Luz honestly. He would have followed them if he had been paying attention. But a very irritating sight caught his eye instead, and, since Emira is his twin, it also grasped her attention as well. The sight happened to be that short little demon Kikimora, galivanting around on an Abomiton and walking into the warehouse. The others must not have noticed, so Edric and Emira took this opportunity to investigate.

                “What’s She doing here?” Edric hissed.

                Emira shrugged and dragged him behind some crates. “Does it matter? Mom’s been working with Emperor Belos for a long time, so having Belos’ right-hand-witch show up at one of our facilities is not all that surprising.”

                Edric rolled his eyes. “I meant, why now? Why is she not at The Emperor’s palace? Shouldn’t she be busy elsewhere? It’s the Day of Unity for Titan’s sake!”

                “Probably making sure security is up to snuff.” Emira guessed. “I mean, how else are they going to keep witches from leaving when the spell is triggered? If people try to bolt, a bunch of Blight Industry Abomitons are more than sufficient to keep everyone corralled. But that’s not why we’re here. Check out the airship. What are they loading onto there?”

                The two peeked over the crates to get a better look, but before Edric could comment on her question, they were engulfed in a magical orb and lifted off the ground. They tumbled around for a moment before being met face-to-face with their insufferable mother.

                “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Odalia croned. “If it isn’t Edric and Emira… What part of ‘stay at home and do what I tell you’, don’t you understand? Unless you received your Coven Sigils and came for a ride to the palace like good little children…”

                “Eh, you already know that we didn’t.” Edric said, rather casually. “I mean, I really don’t feel like being a casualty of mass murder today.”

                Odalia lowered the orb onto the ground with a glare, dropping them into a pink dome that became their new prison. “I think you are mistaken Edric. The Day of Unity will unite the magic of all witches, making us even more powerful than before – this is a good thing, you must understand. I’m doing this with your futures in mind.”

                Edric and Emira noticed Luz and her friends sneaking onto the airship behind Odalia as she chastised them. They pointedly met her glare, refusing to let their eyes betray their friends and their efforts. Unfortunately, Odalia wasn’t the one they needed to distract.

                Five Abomination arms extended from inside the open warehouse and grabbed the youths, faster than anyone could react. The arms retracted and two of the Abomitons walked out of the warehouse, until they were holding the four children in front of Odalia. A third Abomiton sauntered out, holding Hunter with one of its claws, a very unsavory individual standing on top of it. Edric knew there was a reason he hated that witch, that had a temper as short as she was tall. Kikimora made it easy for people to despise her.

                “It appears that this warehouse has an infestation.” Kikimora said haughtily, directing her malicious gaze at Hunter. “An infestation of brats that is.”

                Luz rolled her eyes. “That could have been such an epic one-liner, but then you ruined it.”

                Kikimora’s nostrils flared. “Why you little-”

                She took a deep breath. “No, I will not lose my temper this time. Today is a very important and wonderful day, so why get pent up over something so petty?”

                The four witchlings and Luz were tossed into the pink prison dome. Odalia looked upon the children in distaste. “Why must you insist on causing me trouble? Honestly, I should have killed you when I had the chance Luz, had I known you would be so much trouble.”

                “You’ve certainly tried, you crazy witch.” Luz stood up angrily. “But you’re not just crazy. You’re an active participant in a mass genocide. Emperor Belos is a liar.”

                Odalia rolled her eyes. “I don’t really care honestly. He’s paying me quite a large sum to assist in this momentous day. How could an entrepreneur like myself, resist such an offer?”

                “You knew?” Amity exclaimed in surprise. “You knew what Belos has been planning this whole time?”

                “So what if I did?” Odalia scoffed. “I have my children’s future to worry about. After today, the Blight family will truly be the most powerful witches in the Isles! And that preparation, begins with removing your little human friend from the equation – Luz is too much trouble.”

                Amity jumped in front of Luz protectively. “Stay away from my girlfriend!”

                Odalia seemed taken aback by this. “Girlfriend? Oh, that won’t do at all. Once this is all over, I’ll find you a more suitable partner.”

                “Excuse me?” Luz was seething. “Just because I’m a girl, doesn’t mean-”

                “What are you talking about?” Odalia frowned. “Why would I care about her sexual preferences? No, you aren’t good enough for my daughter because you’re a human, not to mention a wanted criminal.”

                A bounty paper suddenly appeared in Odalia’s hand. “Although, I suppose I could collect your bounty while I’m assuring my daughter’s future is a successful one. I’ll let Belos deal with you. However, Luz isn’t my main interest, despite what she may believe.”

                “Yes,” Kikimora jumped in. “Luz is nothing more than a little pinprick in Belos’ side. The only person of any value here is The Golden Guard. I’ve always despised you, Golden Guard, but now… I can get my revenge.”

                Edric blinked at that. “Uh, I knew you were like, power hungry or whatever, but you’re more concerned about getting revenge on some angsty teen? Uh, no offense Hunter.”

                Hunter shrugged. “No, it’s a good point.”

                “That angsty teen has been a thorn in my side for years.” Kikimora noted. “Besides, Emperor Belos has given me orders to apprehend him and bring him to the palace.”

                Amity growled and encased her fist in abomination goo, making a thick gauntlet. “Stay away from my friends!”

                She then began punching the dome angrily, but not much happened. The dome cracked a little bit, but her strikes were otherwise ineffective. Edric was a little bit disoriented by the situation. But what could he even do?

                As he looked around for a solution, Luz whispered something to Gus and Emira. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he had a feeling that illusions had something to do with it. It was that moment that Edric noticed something on the ground: several paper notes were strewn about, probably from Luz’s bag…

                He picked up a few, looking for one thing in particular… There! He put a few duplicates in his pocket and turned his attention back to the action. But the action was just Amity shouting things at their mother while attempting to shatter the dome. In that moment, Edric realized something. Where the hell is King?

                But Edric didn’t have much time to contemplate the situation before, much to everyone’s surprise, the dome shattered.

                “Did I break the dome through the power of friendship or something?” Amity asked incredulously.

                “No.” A voice said from behind Odalia – a voice that Edric was very familiar with. The voice was nonother than Alador Blight, holding a remote in his hand.

                “Alador!” Odalia exclaimed. “What are you doing?”

                Alador met her shocked expression with one of determination and… Was that anger? Edric had rarely – if ever – seen his father genuinely angry. Sure, he’d been frustrated or upset, but anger was not on his list of common emotions. And he also had King in tow, which didn’t explain much, but it answered the question of King’s whereabouts.

                “I’m putting a stop to this madness.” Alador said simply. “Let the children go Odalia.”

                Odalia stared at him. “Darling, be sensible! If I let these ruffians go – especially that human – there’s no telling what sorts of trouble they could get into! They plan to stop the Day of Unity! Surely, we should not allow them to interfere with -”

                “I know.” Alador said bluntly.

                The Blight woman leveled a glare at her husband. “Then you should understand why I can’t let them go. The Day of Unity must go as Emperor Belos has intended. Otherwise our children will have no future.”

                “You have it backwards.” Alador said in a dull tone. “The entire purpose behind Belos’ scheming is to ensure that there is no future for anyone. You’d be a fool to believe that he would give you a pass just because you blindly followed his commands.”

                Kikimora fumed and lurched forward on her abomiton. “You dare disrespect the Emperor, Blight?”

                The abomiton suddenly stopped moving and Kikimora frantically fiddled with the controls, angrily commanding it to move.

                Alador held up the remote. “Did you really think that you could use my own machines against me? It’s little wonder that the Golden Guard and Lilith Clawthorne were second only to the emperor and not you.”

                He turned to his wife. “We’re done. I won’t allow you to harm these children. I will not be a passive observer any longer.”

                Odalia scrutinized him coldly, before sighing. “Very well. Have it your way. If you allow me to enter my airship, unharmed, then the children will be free to make whatever foolish attempts that they desire. But believe me when I say, they will fail.”

                “Perhaps.” Alador responded blandly. “But these children are much more talented than you give them credit for. Luz is especially gifted, for a human. Leave if you must.”

                The callous woman scowled and boarded her airship. And in that moment, all hell broke loose. Kikimora used a levitation spell to steal Alador’s remote while he was distracted. Odalia took advantage of this and made an orb around Hunter, dragging him to the airship. Luz cried out to him, but it was fruitless, as he was out of reach and the airship was already off the ground.

                Edric had learned a few things from Luz and his adventures with Q. One of these lessons was to always think ahead. Therefore, he was already aboard the airship when it began its ascent. Perhaps he could blame his recklessness on his quick deductions of Luz’s plans. He knew who was in the orb, and it wasn’t Hunter. He’d made it a point to be more observant after almost being branded.

                And the other lesson he had learned is that Luz had a serious case of hero syndrome. She was clever and crafty but had a knack for putting herself in harm’s way unnecessarily. So, it was natural to assume that she would try something sneaky to get to Belos on her own for the sake of keeping her friends safe from harm. But, naturally, someone had to make sure that she didn’t accidently get herself killed, and that someone had to be a Blight

                And the final lesson was probably one that he should have learned long before he boarded the ship in the first place: holding your breath for long periods of time is really uncomfortable, painful and overwhelmingly inconvenient. He would have to ask Luz to perfect her invisibility glyphs, for the sake of his lungs and everyone else who uses them – not his lungs, the glyphs. He had to use auditory illusions to cover up the sounds of him gasping for air before he slapped on another glyph.

                The others would never know he wasn’t there until he was much further away. After all, illusions could only last so long at a certain distance before they vanish entirely – and that’s assuming that Emira doesn’t notice that the illusion of himself that he left behind is not her twin. And that was for the best in his opinion. Nobody needed to know what he was up to.

                However, there was one thing that worried him. It nagged at the back of his mind in a way that you might worry over a complicated riddle. And that nagging question was not his alone. Because everyone who knew about Aquarius’ secret had to ask: where is that damn Collector when you need him?

Chapter Text

                Things were running quite smoothly by Emperor Belos’ estimations. Everything was in place. The door was ready, and he was only minutes away from the spell working its magnificent magic. He was feeling incredibly confident in his future outlook.

As much as he abhorred magic, he could not find it in himself to ignore its intrinsic value. It had its uses, but magic is a mere means to an end. This spell would finally achieve his life’s goal of eradicating those vile witches. So why shouldn’t he use magic to snuff out magic? The concept is like fighting fire with fire, but his enemies were much more dangerous than fire. And today would be the day he proved victorious over his life-long enemies.

But despite his optimism, he was aware of a few loose ends that needed tying up. Firstly, there was that damned child that wouldn’t stop pestering him. Whether that was Luz, his fellow human or the persistent Collector who was supposedly named Virgo; the goal was the same. He needed to get rid of them – sooner rather than later.

But alas, the only one he had the means to dispose of was that irritable Collector. The little brat wouldn’t stop badgering him about setting him free once the draining spell took effect. It was giving him a serious migraine (as if the increasingly common episodes from his self-afflicted illness weren’t irritating enough). Even if he could free the annoying little shadow, he could not be bothered to keep his end of the bargain with the two-toned heathen. Freeing something so dangerously playful would be a disaster anyway. Better to make him disappear.

But that human! He’d never even once considered using the name of his own species as a derogatory word until he met the insufferable Luz Noceda. She was blind and foolishly naïve. If only she knew what monstrosities that these witches were capable of… No matter. The entirety of Bonesborough would no longer be an issue for either of them in a few short minutes. She would no doubt be making some asinine attempt to stop him, but it would naturally be a fruitless endeavor. He would snuff her out too if it meant that he could save the human race. One child is a small price to pay for the potential millions of human lives he would be saving.

He heard the door open in the large room he was in, but when he turned around to see who it was, the door seemed to have never opened at all… Perhaps the stress of his impending success was getting to his head. But he wasn’t going to brush off the possibility of a potential intruder. He would be wary of his surroundings just in case he wasn’t going mad.

Now on to more pressing matters…

“Ugh, Belos!” A whiny voice called out.

Emperor Belos forced himself to not yell in frustration and swallowed his irritation as he turned around gracefully. “Why hello Collector. What seems to be the matter?”

The shadow of the Collector glided across the walls of the room which would soon become the emperor’s escape from this horrid realm.

“The draining spell is ready now!” Virgo pouted. “Aren’t you gonna keep your promise?”

Belos forced his face into neutrality to mask his slow burning anger that was beginning to bubble to the surface. “Ah, you are right of course! I did promise to free you, didn’t I?”

The silently enraged emperor took a dark cloth and picked up the strange, two-toned disk that was supposedly the child’s prison. “You’ve been trapped in there for quite some time as I understand it… I can imagine how you must be itching for freedom…”

Virgo groaned. “Oh, you have no idea! But you are going to keep your promise, right?”

Belos was growing tired of the question. So, he chose to answer honestly. “No, I’m afraid not. For one, the spell has not yet proven to work, and for another, you’ve already overstayed your usefulness. I have no more need of you.”

He calmly walked to the edge of the chasm that dominated part of the floor of the underground room. He looked at the disk with an empty expression as the youthful Collector protested.

“But I… I did everything you asked!” Virgo said fearfully. “You promised that you would free me! You’d be a real big liar if you didn’t keep your promise!”

Belos chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I lived entirely on principles of honesty. You’re quite naïve for trusting a man like me. Perhaps you’ll be wiser in the future.”

Virgo’s shadowed face was a familiar look to Belos – sadness and betrayal. “You can’t do this! I mean… you promised… don’t you have to keep promises?”

“We made no binding contract.” Belos retorted. “But I do thank you for assisting me all these years. You’ve been a valuable asset to my efforts.”

Virgo began to protest again, but Belos wrapped the cloth around the disk-shaped artifact and the shadow vanished. “I am genuinely grateful for everything you’ve done for me… However, I think that it’s time for us to part ways. Goodbye… Collector.”

He dropped the artifact into the chasm emotionlessly, not caring whether or not the damned thing shattered into millions of pieces at the bottom. And yet… he still felt… unsatisfied. And there was a sense of foreboding that lingered in the air. He’d had that feeling for a while and yet, nothing has happened to give him any reason to pay mind to it.

Suddenly, the door opened and this time, it was no delusion. The visitor was not unexpected, but she wasn’t exactly pleasant company. But even unpleasant company had their use.

Odalia Blight was a shining example of everything he despised in witches. She was stuck up, selfish, and had an insatiable desire for power. It disgusted him. But one must endure foulness if they are to see their goals accomplished. Belos was even willing to weaponize her monstrous nature to suit his needs. And she had proven herself quite useful indeed if that large, opaque, floating orb was any indication.

“Lord Belos!” Odalia got down on one knee respectfully. “I have apprehended the Golden Guard. What would you like me to do with him?”

Belos‘ eyes drifted to the orb where the dark shadow of a teenage figure seemed to support her claim. He turned to the vile woman before him, apathetically. She seemed expectant. She may have had the decency to pay proper respect by kneeling, but he did not care to offer any meaningful reward. She, much like The Collector, was expendable.

“I am mere moments away from solving every problem in the Boiling Isles.” He said calmly. “I don’t have time to attend to him quite yet. Leave him here. Hunter is nothing compared to this momentous occasion.”

He regarded her with a light, but false smile as he stepped onto the platform that would raise him to the roof where he would be giving his speech. “You have done well. Go and celebrate Odalia. You are soon to be more powerful than any witch in the isles.”

The woman began to protest as he began to lift himself up to address the wicked creatures for the last time. He ignored her and waved a dismissive hand, which she reluctantly obeyed, giving one last disdainful look at the crystal orb.

Once he reached the top, he heard the melodic sound of witches cheering at his arrival. And now, he could let himself be satisfied. They believed him to be their beloved and benevolent Emperor who had every intention of bringing them to a perfect unity. But they were all fools. Because the person they revered and paid their respects to… was their executioner. And nothing would ever bring Emperor Belos more euphoria than the moment the moon aligned with the sun.

Edric was internally cussing himself out as he scrambled to reach the bottom of the dark chasm. Belos hadn’t noticed him, but he hadn’t acted quick enough. And now his significant other’s brother had been thrown in a pit and he had done nothing to stop it. Q was going to kill him if he let Virgo disappear again.

He had been lucky to get to belos’ chamber before his mother. She had been held up by a guard that had inexplicably stumbled into her. To be fair, the guard may or may not have been shoved by some invisible force that may or may not have been Edric. He made a mental note to apologize to the poor guy when he got the chance.

But he was proud of how he managed to make a convincing enough illusion to slip past Belos unnoticed. Unfortunately, holding your breath and making a complex illusion to cover up a door opening and closing is not an easy task. Which meant that he had been unable to hide the sound. However, he did manage to make it behind a pillar before he had to catch his breath. Fortunately, Virgo’s loud exclamations had covered up the sound of him gasping for air.

He’d only had one of Luz’s invisibility glyphs left and he had to use it wisely. Which meant that he couldn’t just leap out into the open and snatch the artifact/prison right out of Belos’ hands before he dropped him. Maybe if he’d been more creative with his illusions he could have come up with something. But he was forced to admit to himself that he’d made the right call by saving his last glyph. It had allowed him to disappear just before his insufferable mother made her entry.

Still, he wished that he’d given this impulsive decision some more thought. Now he was frantically looking for a safe way down the dark pit. He could only hope that the disk was still intact, otherwise, Q would not be happy. He wasn’t too keen on being on the receiving end of an angry Collector’s curse.

As he looked for a clear path down, he heard the unmistakable echo of the platform lowering back down. Which meant that Belos had finished his speech. But that could only mean one thing and it made his blood burn hotter than the ocean that surrounded the fallen Titan. The draining spell had taken effect and that meant that he had to hurry to get to Virgo before it finished its dark designs. But the Emperor’s untimely return meant that Edric was forced to return to his hiding place.

Unfortunately, Edric had not been as stealthy this time around. Emperor Belos chuckled, much like you might expect a villain to chuckle.

“You can come out of hiding now.” Belos mused. “I know you’re there… Edric Blight.”

Edric closed his eyes, panicking internally. He had no choice but to do as he was told and step out into the open.

“I didn’t realize you knew my name.” Edric said as calmly as he could. “Are you some kind of mind reader or something?”

Belos smiled. “I may have dabbled in some of your mother’s preferred branch of magic. I must admit, I see why a woman like her would prefer oracle magic. It does allow one to snoop around where they ought not to. But I take it that you did not wish to follow in her footsteps? Your illusion was quite impressive. It even managed to fool me for a time.”

Edric met his cold gaze, letting his anger wash away his fear. “How long have you known I was here?”

Belos raised an eyebrow. “I may not be able to discern when an illusion is cast, simply due to the nature of the magic itself, but it was a little bit after you became visible. I am quite curious to know how you managed invisibility, but that isn’t relevant to the issue at hand.”

Edric tried to brush off the fact that Belos had been aware of his presence from the very beginning as he stood his ground. “And what’s the issue? Maybe the draining spell you’ve just started?”

The emperor clicked his tongue. “Not quite. My current issue is that there is a witch and a human in my presence, when there should not be.”

The disgruntled emperor pointed his staff at the floating orb, which vanished, dropping Luz to the ground. She managed to make an impressive landing that looked, admittedly, very heroic.

“Stop the spell Belos.” Luz demanded with a chilling look.

Belos chuckled. “I don’t think so. In fact, it’s already much too late.”

Edric folded his arms. “You started it, so you can stop it.”

Without even a glance, Belos directed his staff towards Edric and the young witch was suddenly bound in chains. Edric was surprised to find himself more annoyed than scared.

“That was so not cool.” Edric remarked. “Chains dude? Really?”

Belos pointedly ignored him as he kept his gaze on Luz. “So, I assume that you’ve come here to stop me. Unfortunately, it is time for me to say my goodbyes to this awful place, I’m sure you understand.”

Luz stood her ground. “No, I really don’t. And I don’t plan on listening to your stupid villain backstory either.”

Belos frowned. “Rude. I don’t have a ‘villain’ backstory - because I’m not the villain here. What I have done up until now has been done to preserve humanity. Witches are the real evil here, Luz.”

Edric groaned. “Dude, have you always been a delusional asshole?”

Unsurprisingly, this earned Edric a gag wrapped around his mouth. As uncomfortable as it was, Edric really didn’t regret insulting the aged dictator.

“Do you see what I mean?” Belos persisted. “Childish insults and foul language are only a small part of what makes witches so deplorable. A compliment to their violent natures and crude tendencies. They are savages in every sense of the word. Not even an organized system was enough to keep them contained. So, you see, I am doing humanity a favor by ridding this realm of these disgusting creatures.”

Luz reached into her bag and brandished a collection of her glyphs about as threatening as one could be when holding a stack of square papers. Her glare was more than enough to convey how little she agreed with the emperor’s words.

“I don’t care what you think.” Luz growled. “You’re insane. Let my friend go and stop the spell or you’ll regret it.”

Belos chuckled. “Oh, I’m so scared. I think you already know that I have no interest in obeying your commands. So do your worst; Or your best… Neither will make any difference.”

At first, Edric thought that Luz was being smart by dashing behind the pillar to her left. But then she went to the next one… and the next one… it took him a moment to realize that she was leaving a glyph on each one as she ran past them. Belos seemed to understand that was her plan from the beginning and only laughed in amusement.

“A clever plan.” Belos mused, vanishing from sight. “But surely you must know that this is a waste of your energy. Besides, if you succeed, what is going to happen to your little green-haired friend over there?”

That seemed to stop Luz in her tracks. She met Edric’s eyes and Edric tried to communicate to her with his eyes, but he didn’t really know what exactly he was trying to communicate. Did he want her to free him? Could she even do that? Even if she could, would it be worth her time? Or did he want her to commit to her original plan?

Of course, his inability to decide what he wanted her to do led her to act in his best interest, running to his side and pulling off his gag.

“Are you insane?” Edric said after he could finally speak again. “He’s just trying to distract you! Forget about me!”

Luz again paused, seeming to be unable to make a decision. This was, of course, not a great time to be indecisive. Belos appeared behind her with a chuckle and grabbed her by the collar and threw her backwards, making her tumble and skid across the rough stone floor.

“Luz!” Edric shouted. In retrospect, shouting her name probably wasn’t going to do anything productive. He needed to find a way out of these magic chains and fast.

Belos stalked over to the girl, lifting her up by the front of her shirt. Luz took one last chance by tapping her glyph, triggering her other glyphs – how she’d managed to tie the glyphs together like that was anyone’s guess. The room shook and rubble fell from the ceiling… but that was really the only effect her fire glyphs seemed to have.

Belos merely laughed at her paltry efforts. “I pity you, Luz. Was that really the best you could do? Was that really how you planned to stop me? Bury the lot of us in rubble? How noble of you to sacrifice not only yourself, but also the Blight boy. The witches would have all been drained of their magic one way or the other and all you would have done is gotten yourself killed, along with your friend. I would have come out of it unharmed of course.”

Luz glared at him. “I don’t care if you would have survived it or not. That wasn’t the goal.”

Her eyes darted to the dimension door and Belos followed her gaze. “Ah, I see. A sacrifice just to spite me. I suppose you can’t do much else at this point.”

He pointed his staff at the machine that connected to the door, and it whirred to life, glowing dimly in the dank room. “We could have worked together you know. Both humans, living in an unfamiliar world. We could have shared this triumph.”

Luz glared at him. “You aren’t human. You’re a monster.”

“To each their own I suppose.” Belos shrugged, his staff beginning to glow brightly. “It’s a shame we couldn’t see eye to eye on this. I will return to the human realm, hailed as a hero, while your name will be forgotten.”

Luz looked down at her feet as they were slowly turned to stone. “Wait, hold on a second! Do you honestly think people will even believe you? Things are quite different from when you were in the human realm last.”

Belos, lacking better judgement, paused. “What do you mean?”

Edric tilted his head, curious to see where Luz was going with this.

“You’ve been gone for like, two hundred something years, right?” Luz asked casually. “Witch hunting is totally a thing of the past. Like, people will think you’re crazy.”

Belos hummed. “Let them think what they will. It will not change the reality of my accomplishments.”

Luz shrugged. “Fair enough, but you’ve missed a lot since you’ve been trapped here.”

“If so, then I will simply adapt to the changes.” Belos replied coolly, resuming her petrification process. “I have already acknowledged the reality that things will have changed.”

“Wait!” Edric interrupted. “Luz has a point! You have no idea what to expect on the other side of that door. Are you seriously going to petrify the only person familiar with an unknown environment?”

Belos paused again, considering his words. “I suppose you bring up a good point. But I think I will manage just fine on my own. I’m no stranger to adapting to unfamiliar ways of life.”

“Ah, but I know lot’s of stuff that you don’t.” Luz added. “Like, do you know what a car is?”

“A what?” Belos and Edric said simultaneously.

Luz shrugged. “My point exactly. If you petrify me, you’ll miss out on all sorts of important information. And your outfit? Oh, don’t even get me started.”

Belos looked down at his emperor regalia with a frown. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Aside from it being an insult to fashion?” Edric quipped.

“Well yes, aside from that,” Luz continued. “It’s just simply out of fashion. Nobody wears that kind of thing anymore. If you let me go, I can totally help you fix your terrible sense of style.”

Belos scoffed. “I don’t need a child to tell me how to dress, thank you very much. I’ll do just fine on my own.”

Just as Belos was speaking, Edric heard something land at his feet. It sounded like maybe some piece of rubble had fallen from the ceiling, but as he craned his neck to look at what it was, his eyes widened. He had very little time to react as vines burst forth from the seed that had landed in front of him, wrapping around his chains and shattering the links like they were made of glass, freeing him from his confines.

Belos tossed Luz aside and turned to face the doorway, where Luz’s friends all stood, the door hanging loosely by the hinges.

Amity, Willow, and Gus stood side by side, Amity in the middle with Willow to the right of her and Gus to her left. Their palismans were already formed into staffs, pointing threateningly at the exasperated emperor. Hunter stood by Gus and King was beside Willow. Hunter had Flapjack turned into a staff as well, but he seemed to be struggling to maintain a confident glare.

“This is my opposition?” Belos mused. “A bunch of children?”

“Stop the spell Belos!” Amity spat. “And let my girlfriend go!”

Belos rolled his eyes. “You’re nothing more than a minor delay, no pun intended. I have no interest in giving in to your demands. I’ll be going now.”

He turned to the door, only to be blocked by Luz, who was holding up a glyph to the door, daring the man to step closer. “Do what she says. Stop the draining spell or you’re stuck here forever.”

Belos stared at her with unfeeling eyes. “You’ve already destroyed your way home once. Would you really do it again?”

Luz closed her eyes and then opened them, tears shining like glass. “Like you said, I’ve already done it once. What’s one more time?”

 Belos growled and his body convulsed and contorted, until he became a horrific, giant, monster. The creature’s flesh was green and translucent, and it dripped off the visible bone like oozing sludge. Its head eerily resembled the mask that Belos frequently wore to cover his marred face. It was hard to believe that this horrid creature had once been human as it opened its mouth to unleash an ear-shattering screech.

It raised its arm, morphing it into a scythe and swiped at Luz. Fortunately, Belos had to be cautious where he aimed, which allowed Luz enough time to dodge out of the way as the claw crashed down where she had previously been standing. The light of the machine maintaining the door flickered and Belos momentarily struggled to remove his claw from the ground without damaging the machine.

Luz had, by now, scrambled to the other side of the room, far away from the disgusting beast and close to her friends. Edric had also had the sense to get as far away from the thing as he could without leaving his sister and her friends to deal with the creature on their own.

“Took you long enough.” Edric grumbled. “Where’s Emira and Dad?”

Amity rolled her eyes. “You’re welcome for saving your butt. Emira and Dad are fine… I hope.”

“You hope?” Edric said nervously, preparing for a fight.

“The airship went down.” Amity explained. “They covered our escape so we could get to you. They’ll be fine, ok?”

Edric nodded. “Emira is tough, and Dad is… well, Dad. They should be able to handle themselves.”

The beast turned around and roared at them again, making the entire room tremble, rubble falling from the ceiling like rain. Cracks appeared in the pillars and the creature leveled his gaze at Luz. It was obvious that Belos had made up his mind. He was not going to be leaving until he took care of these pests – or what he perceived as pests.

They prepared to fight, but of course, nothing ever happened the way that Edric expected. The sludge creature/Belos charged at them, but before he even got close, the ceiling above them exploded. Rock and dust rained down on them and everyone had to shield themselves with magic to avoid getting hit by any falling rocks. Of course, Amity had to shield Luz as she had no magical ability to protect herself.

When the dust cleared, a figure stood amongst the rubble, a star whisking off through the hole in the ceiling. It wasn’t hard to tell who the figure was and judging by their body language, they were not happy.

Edric could not have been happier to see them, and yet… there was an eerie feeling in the air as Q regarded the beast standing in front of him. “Hello Belos.”

Chapter Text

                A few minutes before the draining spell began…

                Aquarius stepped through the door, making a mental note to tell King what his dad had requested. Maybe Aquarius had been lucky enough to exit the In-Between in a place that was near where King and the others were. Fortunately – or what he hoped was fortunate – he had been dropped off next to the owl house.

                A glance at the sky told him that he had a few minutes, so he would have to act quickly if he wanted to find his friends before the draining spell took place. He approached the house, only to find it empty. The place where Hooty usually resided was nothing more than an empty hole. He opened the door to see if he could get any clues about where they might have gone.

                The house was nothing more than an empty shell by this point. It appeared that somebody had ransacked the place while he’d been away, but there was no sign of a struggle, so he doubted that anyone had been there when the place was looted. The looting must have been done recently and he suspected that the emperor had a part to play in it.

                The basement where his room had been had reverted to its original state – a conscious choice on his part before he left. Despite knowing that, he couldn’t help feeling a little bit depressed to see the room so barren. He could easily change it back, but it somehow felt wrong when the rest of the house was just as empty.

                His search of the house took only a few short minutes, as it was easy to see that nobody had been there for a while. As far as he knew, this place was safe, but there was a good chance that they had decided to move their base of operations as a precaution. Which meant that the Emperor’s Coven had been quick to raid the place once Hooty was no longer present. As annoying as that house demon was, Aquarius had to admit that he had his uses. Hooty was a great deterrent as both a physical threat and an irritant in general.

                Aquarius made his way to the living room once more. The memories had in this place… well, the memories shown as well. His mind briefly reflected on the last memory he had shown his friends. At the time, he had been so lost and confused. Well, he was still lost and confused, but less so now. He realized that it might very well have been the last memory worth sharing with his friends.

                He wondered if maybe he could have done things differently. What might have changed if he had chosen to go with his siblings to see Virgo? Could he have patched things up between his siblings before things got out of hand? Would he have prevented the death of the Titans? No… No, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Capricorn was too arrogant and selfish to come to any sort of compromise, even if Virgo had gone collecting with Aquarius.

                He took one last look at the living room before walking back outside. But once he crossed the threshold his heart dropped. The draining spell had begun. How long had he been inside the house? Ten minutes? Fifteen? How long had the spell been going? It was difficult to tell, but he had to leave and fast. Without a second thought he summoned his star and jumped on without letting it slow down.

                As he flew towards Belos’ palace, he spotted a crashed airship below him. There seemed to be some kind of battle going on down there between Coven guards and two individuals. Well really only one individual. He quickly flew down to assist, only to recognize Emira and Alador Blight.

                They seemed to be far enough away from the source of the draining spell for the witches with coven sigils to be able to use their magic, which was unfortunate for the coven guards. Alador Blight was a force of nature. Aquarius would have assisted him if he thought it was necessary. Instead, he landed next to Emira, who was doing her best to help out with her illusions, which was effective in making matters worse for the coven guards.

                “Where’s Ed?” Aquarius asked, barely landing on his feet as he approached her.

                Emira had a rather angry look on her face as she heard his question. “He’s at the emperor’s palace – Luz too - as far as I know. It’s a long story, but if you manage to find him alive, tell him he’s a dumbass.”

                Aquarius raised an eyebrow. “I’d ask for an explanation, but time isn’t exactly on our side. Can you two handle yourselves?”

                Emira gestured to the carnage surrounding them. It wasn’t hard to recognize the remnants of Alador Blight’s own abomitons. Apparently, the coven thought it was a good idea to turn the machines against their creator. Evidently that was a terrible idea.

                “I think we’ll be fine.” Emira replied. “My sister and her friends went after them, and they might already be at the palace by now. Just go save those idiots and stop this stupid spell before it’s too late.”

                Aquarius nodded and got back onto the star. But before he flew off, Emira grabbed his arm.

                “Hold on Q.” Emira said, meeting his eyes. “I know you’re late but thank you for coming back. Please make sure Edric is ok. I know I tease him a lot, but I really don’t know what I would do without him. Amity too.”

                As she let go of his arm, Aquarius gave her a reassuring smile. “I won’t let any of your family get hurt while I’m around.”

                Emira seemed to relax at his words as he flew off on his star.

                Alador turned to Emira as a massive abomination fist swatted away a group of coven guards. “Who was that kid?”

                Emira chuckled as she watched Aquarius fly off on his star. “It’s a long story. But it’s safe to say that now that he’s here, Belos has basically lost already.”

                The Coven guards seemed to have taken enough of a beating and started to run away from the Blights as the final abomiton was dismembered with very minimal effort from Alador. Naturally, Alador couldn’t be bothered to give chase as he joined his daughter in watching the Collector ride off towards the palace.

                “How could one kid stop someone as powerful as Belos himself?” Alador asked with a frown.

                Emira smiled. “What do you know about Collectors?”

                Current time…

                Aquarius had never seen the creature before, but it was obvious who it was. Phillip had given up everything to see the destruction of the Isles – even his humanity. This beast could not be mistaken for anyone but Belos himself. And after he addressed the man, the creature took a nervous step back.

                The dust settled around him and the room remained silent for a brief period. Behind the monster, the machine wheezed and flickered, threatening to explode at any moment. Aquarius calmly snapped his fingers, and the machine went silent, the light dying out like a blown-out candle. An explosion involving a dimensional door was not something he felt like dealing with today.

                The creature looked behind himself to see the machine had shut down. It turned back to glare at Aquarius with loathing.

                “That was my way home you fool!” Belos growled. “Now look what you’ve done! Do you have any idea how long it took me to make that?”

                Aquarius shrugged. “I don’t really care. It was going to blow up anyway, so really, I did you a favor. You’re welcome.”

                The monster seethed. “You arrogant child! I’ll make you pay for-”

                Before Belos could finish his sentence, Aquarius flew forward and placed a finger on the creature’s forehead and he gave him a little push. The beast shrunk back into its human form and launched across the room.

                “I may be arrogant, but compared to me, you’re the child.” Aquarius replied blandly.

                Belos got to his feet and met his gaze. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean.”

                Aquarius turned his head and gave his friends an annoyed look before turning back to face the tyrant. “I thought that maybe you had learned your lesson from the last time we met, but clearly, you’re still an idiot. Do you even recognize me at all?”

                Belos looked at him with a thoughtful expression. “Why yes, I do remember you quite clearly now. You’re the brother of that little brat called The Collector. I believe you said that you wouldn’t return until after the Day of Unity. Unless I’m mistaken, The Day of Unity is still in progress.”

                “His name is Virgo.” Aquarius replied. “And if the draining spell was your ‘Day of unity’ then I’m right on time. It’s already over.”

                His friends gasped in shock while Belos’ lips curled into a smile. “Excellent. I suppose time must have passed much quicker than I thought. Now, aside from these little brats, my work here is done. So, if you’ll kindly step aside and let me finish the job, I’ll gladly continue our conversation.”

                Aquarius did not move an inch as he shook his head. “There seems to be some misunderstanding here. I never said that your draining spell was completed. I simply said it was over. Your plan seems to have failed.”

                Belos frowned. “That’s impossible. The Collector said specifically that-”

                “Virgo probably told you lots of things he shouldn’t.” Aquarius interjected once more. “But there’s a lot that he probably didn’t tell you. Like the fact that the spell loses its effect once the eclipse passes.”

                “No,” Belos argued. “He mentioned that. If the eclipse has indeed ended, then every witch in the vicinity that has a coven sigil should all be dead.”

                Aquarius nodded. “True enough. However, the eclipse was supposed to last about ten or so minutes. Instead, it only lasted about maybe five minutes, give or take a minute or two.”

                Belos’ frown deepened. “That’s not possible. Nature doesn’t simply break it’s own rules on a whim.”

                “No, you’re right about that.” Aquarius agreed. “But the eclipse didn’t end by natural means, so unfortunately for you, the spell didn’t work like you wanted it to. You should have known better than to piss me off.”

                “I beg your pardon?” Belos inquired. “Are you implying that you did something to interfere with the spell? Do you seriously expect me to believe that you somehow halted the progress of my life’s work?”

                Aquarius nodded. “Yep. But enough about that. Where’s my brother?”

                “The Collector?” Belos said with forced politeness. “I set him free. You no longer need to worry about him.”

                Edric walked up behind Aquarius and rested an arm on his shoulder. “Belos, I don’t know how much you know about Collectors, but they can tell when someone is lying through their teeth. Only a Collector or a Titan is even capable of releasing someone from the In-Between Realm. But I mean, even if I hadn’t been here to see you drop Virgo into that pit over there, Q here would have gotten the truth out of you one way or another.”

                Belos froze and Aquarius’ heart felt like it had turned to ice as he turned from his partner to stare at the emperor with eyes practically alight with fury, despite his otherwise calm expression. “You dropped my brother… into a pit?”

                “Lies!” Belos exclaimed. “I made the boy a promise did I not? I’ve always been a man of integrity! I swear to you that I released him as I told him I would.”

                Luz walked up and stood on Aquarius’ other side, folding her arms disapprovingly. “Integrity isn’t a word I would use to describe you. Although there are a few Spanish words I could teach you that would be much more fitting.”

                “Don’t worry Q,” Edric reassured him. “King is on his way down there as we speak. I told him the situation once I saw that you had things under control. He’s much better at seeing in the dark than the rest of us.”

                Aquarius nodded, but his gaze never left Belos’ nervous figure. “Thank you, Edric. I’m glad I can count on you. By the way, Emira had a message for you. She said to tell you that you’re a dumbass.”

                “Ouch.” Edric replied.

                “The truth hurts doesn’t it Ed?” Luz quipped.

                “Oh, shut up.” Edric rolled his eyes. “You were the dumbass first. I just knew Amity would have gone ballistic if something bad happened to you. I was just making sure my sister’s girlfriend didn’t get herself killed.”

                “Argue about who’s a bigger idiot later.” Aquarius said calmly. “There are more important things to worry about right now. Like dealing with the other dumbass who tried to kill the two of you.”

                “Excuse me?” Belos frowned.

                Aquarius rolled his eyes. “You heard what I said. And I stand by it. Only a dumbass would ever dare to try to hurt my friends.”

                Belos chuckled as if he’d just heard a clever joke. “Luz, the human, is your friend? Is that truly what you believe?”

                “Yes,” Aquarius replied. “I trust her completely. Which is more than I can say about you.”

                “Well then Luz hasn’t told you the truth then, has she?” Belos sneered. “Tell him Luz. Tell him how you led me right to his brother. Tell him how you betrayed his trust.”

                Luz looked up to Aquarius. “Q, I-”

                “I think I already know, Luz.” Aquarius said in a level tone. “I know about the time pools at least. It took me a while to put the pieces together, but when I found out that you disappeared with Lillith the same day that the pools appeared… I sort of figured that you’d tried to do something stupid. I don’t know everything, but I do know that whatever happened that day caused you to avoid me like the plague. And the only way that he can claim that you helped him find Virgo is if you somehow went back in time.”

                “Indeed.” Belos confirmed. “At the time, I was still Phillip. And if she hadn’t come along, then I never would have met your dear little brother. So, in a way, she is to blame for your brother’s unfortunate fall.”

                Aquarius raised an eyebrow. “How did you come to that conclusion? You’re a manipulative asshole who took advantage of a young girl’s naivety. And clearly it wasn’t the last time you’ve lied to and manipulated a child.”

                Belos fumed. “I never lied about who I was to her. She knew my name and what I was after. Were it not for her, I would never have been able to trigger the draining spell in the first place.”

                “It’s true, Q…” Luz sighed. “I helped him find Virgo. I thought that if I found Virgo first, I could solve all your problems and also find a way home so you wouldn’t have to do everything for me… But I only made things worse. Virgo wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for me.”

                Aquarius stared down the emperor with a cold gaze. “Belos would have found someone else to manipulate if it wasn’t you. Besides, time is a funny thing. No matter how many times you try to go to the past to alter the future, you always end up getting the same result. Otherwise, you would never have been able to go back in time in the first place. I don’t blame you for being a victim of his lies.”

                “You foolish child!” Belos snapped. “Without her, this conversation wouldn’t be happening! Perhaps you might have even found your brother before I did. Did you consider that?”

                “It really doesn’t matter to me if I’m being honest.” Aquarius drawled. “The past is in the past and people make mistakes. I’ve learned that lesson over these last few days. If we spend time fretting over what might have been, we’ll miss out on what might lie ahead. Luz did her best and her heart was in the right place. I’m not really concerned about that right now.”

                Belos huffed. “How very noble of you to forgive her misdeeds. Wax poetic all you like, but it’s all rubbish at the end of the day.”

                Aquarius nudged Edric’s arm off his shoulder and walked towards Belos, placing his hands in his pockets casually. “Speaking of rubbish, do you still have that coin I gave you?”

                Belos rolled his eyes. “Of course I do. It was a gift, was it not? Do you want it back?”

                Aquarius smiled as Belos retrieved the coin from his pocket. It was likely that Belos had left it there since the day it was given to him. Which meant that the old fool had no idea it was magical in nature – even if he did, it didn’t seem to bother him.

                “No, you can keep it.” Aquarius chuckled. “I’ll take it back when I think you no longer need it. Which is to say: never.”

                “I have no need of it.” Belos answered. “I’ll survive without one little coin.”

                Aquarius pulled a hand out of his own pockets and produced a matching coin. “That’s the idea. Take a good look at your coin. I mean, really look at it.”

                Belos inspected the silver piece in his hand in confusion. “It’s just an ordinary coin. Though the imagery is certainly unique. And it does not appear to have any clear value assigned on its surface.”

                “Good observation.” Aquarius noted. “However, I think you’ll recognize the imagery as that of a Collector on each side. One is naughty, the other is nice. Although I know it as one side representing mercy and the other, punishment. I personally like to imagine that the two work together to achieve a type of balance. Justice, if you will.”

                Belos gave him a questioning look. “Is there supposed to be a point to your ramblings?”

                Aquarius flipped the coin and caught it in his hand, closing his fist. “Heads or tails?”

                The Collector was now standing an arm’s length away from Belos, his hand held in front of him with a smug smile. The emperor appeared to be at his wit’s end and seemed reluctant to give an answer.

                “I don’t see how this is supposed to-” Belos began.

                “Heads or tails?” Aquarius insisted.

                With a roll of his eyes, Belos relented. “Tails. Now is there a point to this?”

                Aquarius smirked. “I’m glad you asked. Now before I reveal the result of the coin flip, I think I ought to explain to you the nature of the coin in your hands. You see, it’s called a Collector’s Coin. A neat little trinket of my own making. Beyond just being a circular piece of silver, it also holds a very powerful bit of magic within it.

               “Like I described to you before, the two faces represent mercy and punishment. The nice face is heads and that only leaves one option for tails. The coin is a curse you see. It feeds on the intent of the actions of the individual and peers into the very soul of the person it is given to. If something good is done with good intentions, the owner of the coin is immediately rewarded. However, if something bad is done with bad intentions, then the owner is punished. But the punishments are not always immediate. And they are always equal to the crime committed. And if you’re really nasty, sometimes the punishment is built up over time, combining all the accumulated wrongs into one big disaster of your own making.”

              Belos raised an eyebrow. “But if the individual believes what they are doing is the right thing, then the coin is useless. Anyone could get away with anything so long as they believe it is right. And they would be rewarded for doing so. Your curse is wasted on me anyway. Everything I have done up to this point has been for the good of mankind.”

              Aquarius laughed mirthlessly. “No, you don’t give a damn about humanity. Everything you’ve done from your arrival in the Demon Realm to now has been to serve yourself. That’s just your excuse to justify your prejudice. Look behind me Belos. Those are children. And all they want is to protect the people they care about. But you couldn’t care less. In fact, you were ready to kill another human – an innocent girl – because she had the decency to call you out on your lies.”

             “Get to your point.” Belos glowered.

             “My point,” Aquarius replied. “Is that not only have you lost, but you’re about to face the consequences of your actions. Now when I reveal the result of the coin flip, I want you to understand that you already inadvertently chose the side of the coin that favors punishment for the wicked. So, you’ve already chosen your fate in a way. If you are correct, I will let you live. If you guessed wrong, I throw you into the very same pit you dropped Virgo into.”

             Belos stared at him incredulously. “Have you lost your mind?”

            “No.” Aquarius replied calmly. “I’m not the one who committed fratricide on the regular. Now let’s see if you guessed correctly.”

            Aquarius opened his hand and looked at the coin in his palm. The image of cruelty stared back at him.  Tails.

            “Tails, is it?” Belos smirked. “I suppose that means that I win.”

            “Win?” Aquarius chuckled. “I never said anything about winning. If you want my opinion, I say that the pit would have been a much better fate for you.”

            “I beg your pardon?” Belos replied blandly.

            Aquarius couldn’t help smiling as he pocketed the coin. “I love it when people say that to me. Because if you really want my pardon, you’re going to have to beg. My sister Libra would tell you that justice takes no prisoners. You may have won the coin toss, but your reward is a fate worse than death.”

           “I don’t understand what you mean.” Belos said, looking bored of the conversation. He wasn’t taking the silver-haired boy seriously. He’d made that mistake the day Aquarius had first confronted him. It didn’t surprise him that Belos made the same mistake again.

          “Well, you can’t teach stupid.” Aquarius sighed. “I hope you like having free time. Because you’re going to have a lot of it for the next couple thousand years. See you later Phillip.”

          With that, he snapped his fingers and Belos vanished into thin air.

Chapter Text

          “Where did he go?” Edric asked, which seemed to be the same question on everyone’s mind.

          Aquarius smiled as he turned around to face his friends. “I sent him to a pocket dimension. I figured that since he was so eager to leave the Demon Realm, I’d help him out. And since he’s so keen on leaving people in prisons for extended periods of time, I figured he’d like a taste of his own medicine.”

          “Uh…” Luz paused to stroke her chin. “Didn’t you say something like ‘justice takes no prisoners’?”

          “Eh,” Aquarius shrugged. “It sounded cool in the moment. I mean, I meant it as a euphemism for like, not showing mercy or whatever. Look, the point is, Belos’ life is going to suck really bad for a very long time and death probably would have been a mercy for him anyway.”

          “That’s cold, man.” Gus said, walking up to the three of them with the rest of the group in tow. “I don’t even know what to say about that.”

          “I usually try not to question things too much.” Edric shrugged. “Q doesn’t really follow the same rules we normally do. I mean, he can kind of do anything he wants.”

          “Right…” Willow seemed to be eyeing Aquarius with suspicion. “And the draining spell? You mentioned it ending early or something. Could you maybe… tell us how that happened?”

          Aquarius chuckled. “I just moved the moon a little bit. It might mess up the day and night cycles for a few days, but that shouldn’t be a huge issue.”

          Everyone stared at him with slack jaws and wide eyes.

         “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Gus said, looking perturbed. “Because I could have sworn you just said that you moved the moon.”

         “Yeah, it was just a bit of planetary manipulation.” Aquarius replied nonchalantly. “Hell, Virgo would probably have done the same thing had he been free. It’s really not a big deal in all honesty.”

          Hunter looked like someone had hit him in the head with a rock. “Not… a big deal? You moved an entire celestial body and that’s not a big deal?”

          Aquarius looked at each of his friends with an amused expression. “Well, not for me that is. Like Edric said: I can basically do anything I want. Well… within reason that is.”

         “And that's what you consider to be reasonable?” Amity gaped.

         “Yep.” Aquarius smiled. “It was the simplest solution. Maybe the only solution aside from keeping the coven heads off their circle of sigils before the spell started. But having said that, I think that just moving the moon was the most practical course of action.”

         Willow frowned and turned to Luz. “Are you sure we can trust this guy?”

         Luz faced the plant track witch with a small smile before turning back to Aquarius as she answered. “Yeah, I trust him. He’s… He’s been there for me when I really needed it the most. Heck, I wouldn’t be dating Amity if it weren’t for him… Well, there’s still a chance that it might have happened anyway, but he’s the one that got us together.”

         Before another word was spoken, a voice called from the edge of the pit and a three clawed paw waved from just below the precipice. “Hey! A little help here?”

        “King!” Luz exclaimed as everyone ran over to help the little Titan get back onto solid ground.

        The Titan was holding a small disk in one hand, which was covered by a large cloth. The little artifact was almost as big as King was, but it was lighter than a feather, so Aquarius wasn’t surprised that King could heft it with ease. Although, he did wonder how King had managed to climb all the way back up with the artifact in tow.

        “You didn’t have to drag that all the way up here.” Aquarius said, getting down on his knees to get onto the little Titan’s level. “You have the power to free him.”

        “I know.” King said, looking away solemnly as he handed the little prison to Aquarius. “I just thought that you might want to do the honors…”

        Aquarius looked down at the cloth-covered artifact in his hands with reverence. He stared at it, a single tear beginning to roll down one cheek. How long had it been? At least… twenty thousand years… Maybe even longer. He hadn’t seen his brother face-to-face in at least 20 millennia…

        He carefully set the disk on the ground beside himself and wrapped his arms around King in as tight of an embrace as he could without breaking any of his bones. “Thank you…”

         As he pulled away, he left his hands on King’s shoulders as tears rained down his face. “You don’t know how much this means to me…”

         King gave him a weak smile in return. “I think I have an idea… I’ve missed my family a lot too. I might not be able to see my birth family again, but if I can help you find yours… Maybe it will help me out too somehow…”

        Aquarius’ eyes suddenly widened. “Wait, I just remembered! I spoke to your dad before I came back here! He had a message for you!”

        King, naturally, was surprised. “Really? What was it?”

        The weepy,  but smiling Collector leaned forward and whispered in the little Titan’s ear. King’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs and he started to laugh. His laughter became uncontrollable as he sat down, breaking into hysterics. Aquarius could only smile as the rest of the group looked on in confusion.

        “Loave!” King cried out in laughter. “He said, ‘I loave you’! A bread pun!”

         Luz started to giggle and Edric looked at Amity with a smile. Gus took a minute before the joke finally registered in his brain before he started laughing. Hunter facepalmed and Willow covered her mouth as she started to giggle as well.

        After the laughter died down, Edric put a hand on Aquarius shoulder. “We’ll give you two a minute.”

        He glanced at the little artifact that was still covered in cloth and then turned to the others. “Let’s give Q some time. We should probably go check on everyone anyway.”

        Everyone seemed to get the message and quickly walked towards the broken doorway. Edric, Luz, and Amity were the last to leave as they all gave him one last reassuring look before leaving him in the empty room by himself as he gave them a smile and a nod.

        Aquarius sat on his own for a minute, picking the disk back up and staring at it, his heart beating rapidly. He held his breath and ripped away the cloth, letting it float to the dusty floor. Silence. He exhaled, closing his eyes. Virgo probably wasn’t going to come out to talk. Which meant that there was only one thing left to do.

        He placed his hand on the surface of the two-toned artifact and took a deep breath. He concentrated on the swirling magic within the little disk and poured in his own magical energy. The concept was relatively simple. If this was a prison, then he was breaking the lock on the door.

        The artifact cracked and a white glow emanated from it before the disk shattered into silver dust. There was a soft thud and a little boy landed on his rear end with a grunt. Virgo had appeared in front of Aquarius as if he’d materialized out of thin air. Aquarius’ hands fell to his sides as he stared at his younger brother with tear-filled eyes.

        Virgo blinked and looked around himself. He looked down at his hands and wiggled his fingers. Then he patted his pajama-clad body, beginning to laugh with childish wonder. He stood up and spun in a circle, looking down as if he was just seeing his legs move for the first time. He floated into the air, reveling in his newfound freedom. Without a second to waste, he flew around the room, laughing. After a few seconds of enjoying his freedom, he seemed to finally notice Aquarius and floated down in front of him, looking down and to the side.

        “Thanks… I guess…” Virgo mumbled quietly.

        Aquarius laughed in spite of himself. The laugh was gentle and tears were streaming down his face, but he couldn’t contain the emotions bubbling up inside of himself as he stumbled forwards and hugged his brother with every ounce of strength he had left.

       “I haven’t heard that laugh in so long.” He choked out. “I thought you were gone… I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me…”

        Virgo was frozen in shock. Clearly, he hadn’t expected this kind of emotion from his brother, nor did he seem to comprehend anything that was happening in general. He fumbled with his words, unable to construct a complete sentence.

        Aquarius pulled away from him slightly and only loosened his grip enough to give Virgo some room to breath. “I… I know what they did. And I know what they told you. I promise you that none of it is true.”

        “But… why?” Virgo met his eyes. “Why did you send them to get me? Why did you abandon me?”

        “I didn’t mean to!” Aquarius said quickly. “And… I didn’t send them to get you. Yes, I did tell Capricorn that he owed you an apology, but I told him to wait until I got back. We were all going to go together and I would have been there to protect you… But I didn’t know what Capricorn had planned. I promise you that I never would have left if I had known what he was going to do.”

         Virgo did not seem to be buying it quite yet. He’d had thousands of years to think about and reflect on the situation. With no way to know the truth… Well, Aquarius couldn’t blame him for being hesitant. Especially not after the way things had started out between them. Perhaps if Aquarius had been a better sibling in the beginning, he never would have ended up in this mess in the first place.

        “Why should I believe you?” Virgo replied, pushing him away, somewhat weakly. “Apparently, I wasn’t important enough to you. If I was, then you would have been there.”

         Aquarius gave him his space and sighed. “It’s not that you weren’t important to me… I made a mistake. I thought that I could trust Capricorn, Cancer, and the others to leave you alone long enough for me to get back and smooth things over… Obviously I was wrong. But you have no idea how much I… How painful it was… They lied to me too. They’d told me that you had died. I thought you were gone. I was stupid enough to believe them for so long. But the moment I found out that you were alive…”

        Virgo frowned, his lip wobbling slightly as his eyes filled up with tears of his own. “They told you that I… That’s why you took so long?”

       “Yes!” Aquarius laughed bitterly. “I thought you were dead. Had I known that you were alive, I would have been searching for you much sooner. You never would have gotten trapped in the stupid In-Between Realm or been stuck with that jerk Belos. But if you ask my friends, they’ll tell you that I was searching for you everywhere I could think of. And when I found out that Belos had you… Well, let’s just say that I was already planning some pretty nasty punishments for that dirtbag.”

        Virgo nodded slowly. “I… I didn’t think that I would ever see any of my siblings again… I always thought that you all just hated me.”

        Aquarius shook his head and placed his arms on the younger Collector’s shoulders gently. “Not all of us. At least not the ones that matter anyway. Listen, I want you to know that I was never doing anything for you to look good for Sol. That was never why I wanted to be a good brother to you. I was terrible at it in the beginning. Sure, I thought like everyone else did for a little while, but… I realized that I couldn’t keep blaming someone else for my stupid mistakes or shortcomings. I realized that, while you can definitely be a little bit of a butthead sometimes, you’re still my little brother. And at the end of the day… I love you Virgo. And I’ll never let any of our siblings hurt you again. Is that good enough for you? Do you need me to give you another speech or did I get the message across?”

       Virgo, finally, was smiling. He was now crying as well, but he just laughed and wiped away the tears and looked at his hand. “What is this stuff? It’s coming out of your eyes too.”

        Aquarius chuckled softly. “Don’t tell me you forgot what crying is. It’ll happen sometimes when you feel a strong emotion. Usually people cry when they’re sad or hurt. But sometimes… you cry when you’re really happy. And to tell you the truth, I’ve never been happier in my life than to see you smile at me just now.”

       “Oh…” Virgo sniffled and wiped his nose. “So… does this mean that you’re going to take me back home?”

       “To The Archives?” Aquarius raised an eyebrow. “Hell no! The further you are from our siblings, the better. How about I introduce you to my new friends and the rest of the Boiling Isles?”

       Virgo nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds like fun! Can we play games and stuff?”

       Aquarius hesitated for a moment. “Uh, it depends on the game. My friends are mortal so… probably best to be a little bit more careful with the games we play…”

      “Mortal?” Virgo frowned.

      “Ah, right…” Aquarius sighed. “I guess you’ve lost touch with reality after being trapped for so long… We’re definitely going to have to talk about some things later. I may have let you out of your prison, but you’ve got a lot of things to make up for. As happy as I am to see you safe and free… You’re in big trouble little bro.”

      “What did I do?” Virgo protested. “I was trapped in a disk for twenty thousand years!”

      Aquarius scoffed. “Oh, I don’t know, how about telling a crazed dictator how to make a spell that would drain the magic out of every witch in the Boiling Isles?”

     “Is that bad?” Virgo shrunk into himself slightly.

     “Bad?” Aquarius raised a stern eyebrow. “You mean almost causing a mass genocide? People’s lives aren’t just a part of some game. You really hurt a lot of witches because of the stuff you told Emperor Belos.”

      Virgo looked worried and slightly confused. “Genocide? What does that mean?”

      Aquarius facepalmed. “I sometimes forget that despite being thousands of years old… you’re still a child. Don’t worry about what that word means right now. Just know that Belos did a lot of bad things, and you helped him. Obviously, you had no idea that those things were bad because you’re too innocent and pure to recognize the difference between right and wrong. Maybe you did once, but you’ve been away from the real world for much too long.”

      “So… Am I gonna be punished?” Virgo asked nervously.

      “Eh, you’re still a kid.” Aquarius sighed. “Yeah, you’ll definitely be punished a little bit, but I’ll be nice because you didn’t know any better. Does that sound fair to you?”

      Virgo slumped his shoulders and hung his head. “I guess so…”

      Aquarius chuckled and put his hand on Virgo’s chin and tilted it up to meet his gaze. “Hey, I’m not mad, ok? Things are going to be better from here on out, I promise. Now let’s go meet my friends outside.”

      Virgo smiled, looking a bit sheepish as he followed Aquarius, taking hold of his brother’s hand as he led the way. Maybe life wouldn’t always be perfect; It hardly ever was. But even so… Things were starting to look a little bit brighter.

Chapter Text

                Ruined. Everything was ruined. Odalia Blight had been so confident that everything was going to go her way. She should have been more attentive; Considered every possibility. If the human’s little friend hadn’t come along and ruined everything, she would have been the top witch in all the Isles. But now, she had more problems than she could count on both hands and feet combined – a fact that humiliated her further, simply because she’d had to count using her toes just to try to keep track.

                But what was a witch to do when everything has turned to hell in a handbasket? She was currently facing a divorce, several lawsuits, and three children who would no longer speak to her. The latter wasn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world, but it just added insult to injury. She was Odalia Blight for Titan’s sake! She deserved better than this!

                One might think that losing their entire government structure would have caused complete chaos, but witches had actually been pretty quick to build up a new government in its place. So far, Odalia was not a fan. The new legal system seemed to be out to get her specifically.

                But nothing made her skin crawl more than knowing that Alador was getting everything in the divorce. Alador was getting Blight industries, the house, the kids – even the Blight fortune was all going to him. It was unfair! She’d worked hard for everything she’d got. Was Alador the one who’d sold all of those abomitons? Was Alador the one who fought tooth and nail for every sale they got? And was it Alador who had organized all those exhibitions? She deserved much more gratitude than she was getting and that was an understatement.

                And so, naturally, Odalia came to a conclusion. She had no other choice but to start all over again. She would have to find her way out of all of that legal trouble she was in, but that shouldn’t be an issue for someone of her caliber. She had always been clever enough to come out on top, no matter the situation. But the first step? Get those snails out of her secret vault.

                She walked into the manor as quietly as she could, managing to get into her office undetected. It was just as she had left it. Apparently, nobody had bothered to enter her office, likely due to the generally unfavorable attitude her family had towards her. Interestingly, there was a thin layer of dust covering every surface, which seemed to indicate that she truly was the only one in the room. She didn’t mind it too much as she didn’t need a rehashing of that prior unpleasant encounter anyhow.

                As she approached the painting where her secret vault was hidden, she made certain that there was indeed nobody watching her. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she shifted the painting to the side, smiling smugly to herself. Nobody knew the combination, nor did anyone know it even existed in the first place. There was no way that anyone… What?

                “Ah, that’s disappointing.” A familiar voice said from behind her as she stared in shock at the empty wall. “I wonder how much you had stashed away.”

                Odalia whirled around to see her son’s friend Q, hovering in the air, and crossing his legs. He was holding a small metal vault in his lap, which made the Blight woman seethe at the sight.

                “That belongs to me dear.” Odalia said through clenched teeth. “Now if you would be so kind as to return it to me, I-”

                Aquarius cut her off with that annoying zipper spell. “You know, I don’t really care all that much who you think it belongs to.  The fact is, none of the snails in this vault were obtained legally. I originally wondered why you kept a secret stash when you already had plenty of snails in your bank account. I thought it was just your paranoia. After all, you aren’t exactly the most trusting type, so it made sense at first.  But then I remembered our first encounter. It would have been stupid to assume that you weren’t aware that you were breaking your contract with Belos, despite the fact that I had been lying to you originally. That likely wasn’t the first illegal offer you made, and it probably wasn’t the last. I get the feeling that you were making deals behind Belos’ back and had been ever since you signed your contract with him. Which would explain why you were storing the extra snails in this vault instead of your bank account.”

                Odalia fumed. She had no way of countering his accusations with her mouth zipped shut. In any case, he was right about everything. But she wasn’t going to give him satisfaction by confirming his theory – not that she even could. But truthfully, Odalia had never intended to keep her end of the contract with Belos. The restrictions she had been under prevented her from making any meaningful income. So, she did what she had to do to make up for the inevitable loss that she faced from the deal. Besides, her stash was supposed to be her insurance should things go wrong – which they did.

                “I assume that you came here to retrieve your snails to pay off the lawsuits that you’ve already lost.” Aquarius continued. “But if I remember correctly, this house and everything in it belongs to Alador Blight. Which, if I’m not mistaken, includes this vault of illegally obtained snails. But you knew that already, which is why you’re here isn’t it? You don’t want Alador to have access to whatever you’ve saved up in this thing.”

                Aquarius waved his hand and Odalia was suddenly able to speak again. “What do you want, Q? Did you just show up to make false accusations against me and steal my snails?”

                The moon-faced boy chuckled. “Nah, I’m actually trying to keep you from robbing my boyfriend’s dad. After all, these snails belong to Alador now. Not many laws have changed since Belos was overthrown. Just because Belos is gone doesn’t mean that order left with him.”

               “You call whatever this sad excuse of a government is, ‘order’?” Odalia snorted. “Half of the coven heads have been removed from their positions without replacements. Is that what you like to call ‘order’? And what’s this nonsense about your boyfriend? You couldn’t possibly be referring to Edric, are you?”

               Aquarius rolled his eyes, setting the vault off to the side and landing his feet on the ground. “First of all, I don’t really care about politics, so I couldn’t care any less about your opinion on that. Second, I care more about Edric than you ever have or ever will.”

               Odalia’s nostrils flared. “You dare-”

               Aquarius zipped her lips shut once more before letting out an exasperated sigh. “You know, I heard a rumor that someone let it slip that Hexside was mixing magic. A coven head supposedly showed up and tried to brand all the students with coven sigils. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

               The witch shook her head with a stubborn glare.

               “That’s not what Kikimora said.” Aquarius chuckled. “She was pretty quick to pin the blame on you once I asked her about it. Perhaps there was something about the way I asked that encouraged her to give me a speedy response. Or maybe she was worried about what might happen if she tried to lie to me. In any case, she said that you were the one who gave her that information about Hexside.”

               Odalia paused at that. Was Kikimora that much of a pushover? Surely this annoying brat was bluffing.

              “Your children actually told me everything that happened at Hexside.” The Collector continued. “Did you know that Edric was almost the first student to get branded? He also happened to be at the palace on the Day of Unity when the draining spell started. If he’d had a coven sigil, he might have been killed had I not shown up when I did – along with every witch in Bonesborough.”

              Aquarius took a few steps towards her. “Now I believe I made an agreement with you Odalia. I’m pretty sure that I told you that if anything happened to the twins, there would be consequences. What do you have to say to that Odalia?”

              It took a moment for Odalia to realize that she had once again regained her ability to speak. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about Q. Besides, if I recall correctly, you claimed that you would, quote, ‘run my reputation into the ground’. As it stands, I would say that my reputation has been dragged through the mud several times in the last few days. So even if I was responsible for what you are claiming I am, you are rather late to fulfilling your promise.”

             “Actually, I’d say I was early.” Aquarius chuckled. “Why don’t you check your pockets?”

              Odalia frowned and put a hand in her pocket and was surprised to feel something small and metallic. It was a little silver coin. As she pulled it out to look at it, she could only wonder… where did it come from?

             “What is this?” Odalia demanded.

              Aquarius smiled. “A coin, obviously. But not just any coin: a Collector’s coin.”

              Odalia analyzed the coin before looking up to the Collector with curiosity. “That’s not very helpful you know. Do you mind explaining where it came from and how you knew that I had it?”

             “Ah, well I’ve grown tired of explaining how the thing works, but to make things simple: it’s a curse.” Aquarius smirked. “It basically rewards you for doing good stuff and punishes you for doing bad stuff. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the short version. As to how it got there… I slipped it into your pocket during our last encounter. It really wasn’t all that hard.”

            “What?” Odalia balked. “When did you…”

             She paused as she suddenly remembered the final moments of their last encounter. “Ah. I see.”

             Aquarius nodded. “I gave it to you as I was giving you your final warning. To be fair, I did tell you that there would be consequences for your actions. However, there is still one silver lining in this whole deal.”

             Odalia took a deep breath. “And what would that be?”

            “Well,” Aquarius began casually. “Now that you are aware of what the coin does, then you should have plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself. Although, knowing you, I highly doubt that you will. The results of your actions are dependent on your intentions. And I have never known you to have any good intentions. But if you somehow manage to turn a new leaf, I’ll gladly take that coin off your hands.”

             The woman was at a loss for words. Whether she believed him or not, the fact remained that everything did seem to have played out exactly as he’d said. And Odalia was no fool, despite what many seem to believe. It wasn’t hard for her to be able to tell that the coin was filled to the brim with powerful, yet foreign magic. She was cursed and she held the proof of it in her hands.

             Aquarius sighed. “It’s not all doom and gloom Odalia. All you need to do is be a good person. Easier said than done if we’re being honest. There’s a reason why I’m so selective when I give these things out you know. Even good people choose to do bad things from time to time. Which is why I only give these to people who could really use the extra help with making moral decisions. Sometimes natural consequences aren’t enough to discourage bad behavior. Plus, bad behavior sometimes goes unpunished, which is why I made the little coin in your hand.”

            “But why me?” Odalia stared at him. “What did I do to get a curse like this?”

            “Do you really want me to do another monologue or are you just going to accept your situation as it is?” Aquarius rolled his eyes. “The fact that you’re even asking me that question should make my reasons very clear. You don’t seem to be aware whether your actions are wrong or not – and if you are, you simply don’t care.”

             Odalia bit her lip, thinking about possible ways to escape this fate. Perhaps she could convince him that she had changed in some way? If the coin really did what he’d described to her, then she would need to find a way to convince him that she was reformed in some way. Unfortunately, that day would not be today.

             Odalia Blight… Blight? She wasn’t a Blight anymore, was she? How long had she used that name to get her way? She couldn’t use that anymore and that… that did not sit well with her. She had to do something - anything – to remedy this issue. The Blight name carried with it a sort of power. That power caused her enemies to submit to her every whim. But this moon-faced boy… He took all of that away from her.

             “Now I know what you’re probably thinking.” Aquarius admitted. “You’re going to try to cook up some scheme to convince me that you’ve changed. The problem is that I can’t be deceived so easily. Besides, that thought process implies that you want to do bad things and are aware that those things are bad. If you do change, I’ll know. I’ll also know if you haven’t – because the coin can’t be fooled either.”

             She stared at the boy for a moment. He had to be bluffing. Nobody was that powerful. To see straight through someone’s true intentions was all but impossible. There is a flaw in everything. Surely, she would be able to find a loophole somewhere…

             Aquarius sighed. “Well, I’ll be going now. You’d better leave too if you don’t want to get caught trespassing – among other things.”

            “What about you?” Odalia countered. “You’re also trespassing are you not?”

            “Nope.” The boy replied with a chuckle. “I’m actually welcome here – unlike you. Plus, I came to see Edric. You just happened to choose to do the wrong thing at the wrong time – a recurring theme for you.”

            The woman looked at the vault and then sighed in resignation. Odalia was never able to admit defeat – she was quite the sore loser – but she couldn’t deny that she had lost. How could this happen to her? She never lost. Never!

            Aquarius turned to leave, putting his hand on the door handle. “I did warn you Odalia. What you did to Hexside was almost Bonesborough’s biggest tragedy. Trust me; you’re getting off easy. That being said… You’ve crossed one too many lines. What you’ve already experienced from the coin’s wrath is only a fraction of the cost of what you deserve. And believe me when I say that your debt will be paid in full.”

            And with those final words, he left the woman alone. Odalia had no idea what those words meant, but it sent a chilling spike of fear into her wicked heart.

           “…And believe me, your debt will be paid in full.” Edric heard as he stood outside of his mother’s office. He didn’t have much time to react, so he simply tried to act casual as Q opened the door. Whether he succeeded or not wasn’t immediately known to him.

            Q stared at him cautiously as he closed the door behind himself. “How long have you been standing there?”

            Edric shrugged. “I dunno, you tell me. You’re the god or whatever.”

           “I was distracted.” Q admitted. “So, you’ll have to forgive your boyfriend for not immediately noticing you eavesdropping.”

           “I guess I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought…” Edric cringed slightly. “You never told me that you cursed Odalia…”

           Q raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would be pissed if I told you. You seem… unaffected. I also noticed that you called her Odalia and not your mother.”

           Edric nodded. “She may be my biological mother, but I can’t see her as anything more than that. She’s just Odalia to me.”

           “Well, I can’t argue with that.” Q snorted. “Well, are you ready to head out?”

           “Yes.” Edric replied. “We were going to the owl house, right?”

           Q nodded with a small smile. “Yep. Now that everything has finally gotten sorted out, I thought we would get everyone together and get to work on that door to the Human Realm. Sorry it isn’t exactly a date, but I really just enjoy your company.”

           Edric laughed. “Hey, I won’t complain. I’m sure we’ll have time to get around to having a proper date. But can I ask you a question?”

           Q nodded as they walked towards the front door. Edric opened it for him as he scratched his head.

          “Why are you always so dramatic?” Edric asked. “I mean like, you always say super dramatic stuff. Like when you were just talking to Odalia: ‘the debt will be paid in full’.”

          “I thought it sounded badass.” Q answered with a blush. “It makes conversations more interesting.”

           Edric laughed. “Well, I’ll admit it’s kinda hot when you act all scary. But I know that you’re really the universe’s biggest softie.”

           Q’s face turned a dark shade of red. “I’m not a softie. I just get a little emotional sometimes.”

          “Oh really?” Edric asked, rolling his eyes with an amused smirk, and taking Q’s hand. “Should I remind you about that one time that you cried because-”

          “No!” Q cut him off with a groan. “Please don’t remind me. Luz already teases me about it enough. It was one time!”

           Edric smiled. “How about that time you nearly started sobbing after you watched a newborn griffon trip over its own feet?”

          Q blushed even harder. “In my defense, it was the most adorable thing I’d seen in a very long time. I mean, he was just a little guy! And he was only trying his best.”

          “That’s why none of our friends can take you seriously anymore.” Edric chuckled. “Even the memory alone is bringing tears to your eyes. It’s hard to believe that this is the same guy that sent Belos to a pocket dimension with a snap of his fingers.”

          The two laughed at that and they held hands and joked about their adventures together as they walked the path towards the owl house. Edric could hardly believe that this strange boy had crashed into his life and changed so much. He and Luz changed the entire Boiling Isles by their very existence. Why this powerful person had decided to hang around someone as boring as Edric was a mystery.

         “Oh hey,” Q said, breaking Edric out of his thoughts. “Remember the day that I launched that rock like, hundreds of miles and ruined that portal thing?”

          Edric chuckled. “Oh yeah, that was when we kickstarted ‘Operation Lumity’ wasn’t it?”

          Q nodded. “Yes, it was. But I remember telling you that I had messed up with Luz by trying to convince her that Amity had a crush on her. And you reacted by asking how I knew about Amity’s crush?”

          Ed nodded. “Yeah, I remember that. What about it?”

         “Well,” Q said casually. “I also remembered the day we first met and how we pranked Boscha with that love potion. And I also remember your reasons for doing so.”

          Edric was a little bit confused and wondered where he was going with this, but he let Q continue.

          Q grinned. “You told me all that stuff about how you wanted to treat her better and that she had changed so much because of Luz. You and Emira told me about Amity’s crush on Luz during your explanation for why you were going to prank Boscha.”

          “Wait, we did?” Edric said with a blank face. “I feel like I would have remembered saying something like that.”

          Q laughed. “Yes, you did. Although, Emira was the one who said it so I can see how you might have forgotten that. Amity was super obvious about it, so it wasn’t too hard to tell anyway.”

         “Why are you bringing this up?” Edric raised an eyebrow.

          Q shrugged. “Because I also forgot about it too.”

          Edric frowned. “I don’t think that matters all that much.”

         “Yes, it does.” Q replied with a deep sigh. “I told you once that a Collector has a perfect memory. That wasn’t necessarily true. We can still be forgetful about minor details or things that don’t seem relevant to us at the time. Although, we never forget things that are important to us. What I’m trying to say, is that I’m not as powerful as I pretend to be.”

        “I don’t expect you to be perfect.” Edric smiled. “Whether you’re a super powerful god or a mediocre witch, it wouldn’t change how I feel about you.”

        Q thought for a moment. “I appreciate that… But there’s more to what I’m trying to tell you. Because I haven’t been entirely truthful… Remember when I told you about the whole power dynamic between my siblings and I?”

        “Yes…” Edric said slowly. “I remember you telling me that you’re like, the strongest or something like that.”

        “Well, I may have been exaggerating just a little bit…” Q said awkwardly. “We all have access to the same power and are, in a sense, equals. The only reason Libra and Pisces are the most dangerous – aside from myself of course - is because they know how to use the power they have. The only real difference between all of us is our personality, physical age, and appearance. If I had to face any of my siblings one on one… I honestly couldn’t tell you who would win at this point.”

         Edric stopped in his tracks. “What? But didn’t you say that-”

        “I know what I said Edric!” Q snapped. “And it was only partially true. Sure, I can outmatch my siblings most of the time, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t beat me in a legitimate fight. Don’t forget that they wiped out the Titans – which, if you didn’t know, isn’t an easy thing to accomplish.”

        “So… What about the time that you fought Capricorn for Virgo?” Edric asked, feeling a little bit hurt and afraid. “Didn’t you win? You said that it wasn’t much of a fight.”

        Q sighed. “It wasn’t. Capricorn gave up before the fight even started. He said it would be a waste of his energy. Yes, I’ve beaten him before, but most of our fights were actually much closer than I’d like to admit. Had we fought, I likely would have won because his heart really wasn’t in it. His dislike for Virgo didn’t grow into hatred until much later.”

        Edric was surprised with the brutal honesty he was getting from Q. The confident Collector that he had come to know, looked almost… scared. And anything that scared Q, was extremely dangerous.

        “Was there anything in particular that caused that change in Capricorn?” Edric asked solemnly.

        “Nothing specific as far as I know.” Q shook his head. “I think that there was a lot of tension that had built up inside of him that eventually snapped under a little bit of pressure. It could have been any number of things. Regardless, he isn’t someone that I consider an easy fight.”

         Edric met his eyes, unsure, but determined. He didn’t have much to offer and he was frankly terrified of this new information. But if Q wasn’t confident in himself, then it would only make things worse. So, if he wanted the people they both cared about to be safe, then Edric had only one thing he could do.

         Edric squeezed Q’s hand tightly. “That’s ok Q. Because if any of your siblings do show up to cause trouble, I know that you’ll be ready. And even if we can’t do much, the rest of us will stay by your side.”

         Q’s eyes softened. “Oh Edric, you’re such an idiot. But you’re an adorable idiot. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything, I just wanted you to know the truth. But the fact that you’re willing to risk your life for me even though it would very likely get you killed… Well, it’s why I like you so much. I promise that no matter what, I’ll find a way to keep everyone safe from my crazy siblings.”

         Edric chuckled. “I know you will.” He tilted his head down the path towards the owl house with a smile. “Why don’t we worry about that later and go spend some time with our friends?”

         Q sighed and returned the smile as he started walking again. “You’re right. I don’t need to worry about this.”

        “Of course, I’m right!” Edric snorted. “Blights are rarely – if ever – wrong.”

         This caused Q to laugh and give Edric a warm smile. “Except if your name is Odalia. Then again, she isn’t a Blight anymore, so I guess she doesn’t count.”

         They both laughed and Edric felt all warm and fuzzy again. It’s funny what a little bit of humor can do after a serious moment. He wasn’t sure what would happen in the future, but as far as Ed was concerned, he felt certain that he would be perfectly safe as long as Q was around.

        “Besides,” Q added after a moment as the owl house came into view. “The odds of any of my siblings showing up is pretty slim. I mean, how would they even know where we are?”

         Edric really wished Q hadn’t said anything as they approached the house. Because whenever anyone said stuff like that, something usually came along to prove them wrong. And the black cloaked and hooded figure standing in front of the house began to look more and more worrisome. They were facing away from them, and they seemed to be having a conversation with the house demon. Judging by the person’s body language, they were learning what made Hooty such an effective guard.

        “Let me in you dumb owl!” The person growled in frustration. “I’m not here to cause trouble!”

        “That sounds like something a person who wants to cause trouble would say!” Hooty argued back.

        “Ugh!” The person – presumably a girl if Edric had to guess by the voice (but it was better not to make any assumptions) – groaned in exasperation. “Fine! I would break this stupid door down if I wasn’t trying to be polite! Can you at least make sure he gets this package?”

         Hooty noticed the two approaching and smirked. “Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”

         The hooded figure paused and then turned around nervously. They were clutching a medium-sized box in their hands, and they seemed genuinely startled to see them. Edric and Q stopped and stared at them, looking both confused and concerned. Was this person here for Edric or for Q? Well, it would make sense if it was Q, but whenever this crazy house was concerned, it really could be either one of them.

          But when the figure lowered their hood with their free hand, both froze in shock. Any further speculation was not necessary. Even Edric recognized them to a certain extent, despite having never met them. And he wasn’t sure whether his fight or flight instinct would even kick in - not that it would matter. Evidently, Edric learned that there was another “f” after flight: freeze.

         The Collector in front of them had a grim look on their face as they took a deep breath. “Hello Aquarius. I hope I’m not intruding on anything.”

         Q’s mouth opened slowly as he seemed to find his voice. “Libra?”

Chapter Text

Several days after The Day of Unity

                Libra sat on her newly made bed, glumly. She hadn’t been able to speak to Aquarius, neither did she expect to. He likely would not seek her out for a conversation, nor would he be welcoming if she tried to seek him out herself. She really screwed up with the only sibling of hers that possessed any degree of compassion.

                Would she ever be able to fix her broken relationship with Aquarius? That sounded dramatic, but it was a fair question – and one that she had been pondering for a while. She genuinely was lost.

                Should she go looking for him? No… she’d already established that it was a bad idea. Her last encounter with him had been a disaster to say the least. Things were very much out of balance, much to her discomfort. She wished that everything could go back to how they were in the beginning. Back to when her siblings treated each other like siblings and not shallow acquaintances.

                When did that change? When did they start viewing each other as co-workers or competition? Was there ever even a time that they acknowledged each other in a genuinely familial way? In all honesty, she could only think about the many times she had put Virgo down or teased Aquarius. But siblings teased each other, right? That’s just what siblings do…

                Who was she kidding? The way she had treated Virgo and Aquarius was bullying at the least and abuse at worst. This had been prevalent in her mind since her confrontation with Aquarius. She had to face the fact that she had been awful to both Virgo and Aquarius, not unlike the rest of her siblings. But never once did she ever want either of them dead.

                Aquarius was right. She was responsible for the majority of the things that went wrong all those years ago. She should have told Capricorn to leave them alone when she had the chance. She could have stepped in and stopped them once she realized Capricorn’s intentions in the Demon Realm…

                No. There’s no point in beating herself up over what should have been. None of her problems would get fixed that way. If she spent all this time wallowing in self-pity, nothing would ever change. Everything would still be out of balance.

                Surely there was someone who had the answers she was searching for. Collectors aren’t supposed to be selfish beings, and all this moping she was doing was - by her estimations – selfish. But where could she go?

                Clearly the only path forward was to find a way to mend her broken relationship with Aquarius. That was where she had to start. But again, she had no idea where to start with even that aspect of her sibling woes. Furthermore, she had no idea if Aquarius would even trust her anyway. But she had to try.

                She then realized that if she was going to get answers, there was only one source she knew she could trust. And if he couldn’t offer her a solution, then she would just have to give up and hope that Aquarius would come to her instead.

                With that firmly established in her mind, she stood up and made her way to the only person who could help. And as she walked through the dimly lit halls, she could only think about how things could be a little brighter. And that opinion was reflected in her own life as well.

                She came to the large double doors, noting that she had not run into any of her siblings like she usually would… Something told her that wasn’t a good thing. She had a feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better. For now, she decided that the only way to know would be to knock on the door.

                “So,” Aquarius began in a stiff tone. “Sol sent you here?”

                Libra nodded. “I… I wanted to talk to you, but after our last interaction, I just… Didn’t know how to approach you, or even where to find you. So, I went to Sol for advice…”

                The two were in the basement of the owl house, where Aquarius had remade his room from before. Libra sat on his bed with her head hung low and Aquarius regarded her coldly with his arms folded and in a stiff-postured standing position in front of her.

                Aquarius had requested that they be given some privacy – and made King wear his collar with the Titan’s token for safety. Even if Libra could be trusted, he didn’t want to take any chances. So, everyone else had to wait upstairs while the two of them conversed in the basement.

                “Is that so?” Aquarius demanded. “What makes you think I’d believe you? After what you and the others did? Do you honestly expect me to forgive you for all that? You were one of the ones responsible for the deaths of every Titan in the Demon Realm. Give me one reason why I should listen to what you have to say.”

                Libra did not meet his gaze, nor did she speak for several minutes as she gathered her thoughts. She furrowed her brow as she stared at the ground. She wasn’t sure how long she’d sat like that before responding, but Libra did not expect the next words that left her own mouth in a barely audible whisper.

                “I don’t expect your forgiveness.” Libra whispered hoarsely. “I… I just want to be a better sister. I know I did so many things wrong… maybe if I had just paid attention, we wouldn’t be in this stupid mess. In my mind’s eye, I see your face as you learned about Virgo… All I’ve been able to think about since then is all the things I could have done differently.

                “The zodiac sign my name is associated with is supposed to represent balance.” Libra continued softly, a tear slowly carving a path down her cheek. “I used to try so hard to live up to that name. I’m not sure when or why, but I… I stopped trying. I remember being so angry that Virgo got all that special treatment from Sol. I thought that it wasn’t fair that he had no expectations, while the rest of us had to leave home for years at a time to find what I always thought was useless junk.”

                Aquarius didn’t respond. Libra didn’t dare look up to see his face, which was almost certain to be glaring at her with loathing.

                Libra took a deep and shaky breath. “I didn’t see the damage I was causing until it was already too late. Virgo was gone and I couldn’t do anything to fix it. Once I realized how deeply it hurt you, I… I could never bring myself to speak to you… I realized that I’d lost not one, but two little brothers that day… To be honest, I don’t want your forgiveness, because I know I don’t deserve it… I just want to make things right.”

                She forced herself to look up to meet her brother’s gaze, expecting anger, resentment, and every other justified emotion she had been met with recently. But she never expected to see the tears in his eyes. Nor did she expect him to rush forward and wrap his arms around her. But what shocked her the most… were the words he whispered in her ear.

                “It’s ok.” He whispered gently, his emotion heavy in his voice. “I forgive you.”

                Libra could not remember the times she had ever cried in her life. Anything she found sad, she would just regard with detachment or apathy. She wasn’t unfamiliar with tears, but she was unfamiliar with the warmth that she felt from his words and embrace. If she could describe the feeling in a single word, it would be… cathartic. Nevertheless, she was stunned into tear-filled silence before the gravity of his words finally registered in her mind. And still, she was unable to move or even return the embrace. She was unable – or unwilling – to accept what she’d just heard. Aquarius was hugging her. And… he’d forgiven her.

                “I don’t understand.” Libra choked out.

                Aquarius hugged her tighter. “I don’t expect you to.”

                “But even after everything…” Libra wondered aloud.

                “If Virgo could forgive me for everything that I did to him,” Aquarius said softly. “Then I can forgive you for everything you did to me. Besides, it wasn’t really your fault either. I know that I blamed you before, but I realize now that you knew what Capricorn would do just as well as I did.”

                Libra remained stiff as a board as she spoke cautiously. “So, you aren’t mad at me anymore?”

                Aquarius snorted. “Oh no, I’m still pissed as hell that you’re here right now. Just because I’ve forgiven you doesn’t mean that I’m going to condone or validate all your actions in the past.”

                He pulled out of the hug and sat next to her on the bed, giving her a serious look. “I’m not the one you should be asking for forgiveness anyway. I can think of at least two people off the top of my head and that’s just the ones that are still alive. You’ve got a long way to go before you’ve repaired the damage you’ve caused.”

                Libra nodded and looked away. He was right. Talking things out with Aquarius was honestly the easiest part of what she had set out to do. If she was to find herself again, then she would have to face the consequences of her past actions. She used to say that justice takes no prisoners. But that was only half the saying. It went a little something like this: justice takes no prisoners because mercy bails you out. She really hoped that mercy had enough in her bank account because Libra’s bail would be expensive.

                “I’ve done much worse than you ever did, Aquarius.” Libra admitted. “I… I honestly hate myself for everything… What kind of sibling does those things?”

                Aquarius sighed. “I kind of get where you’re coming from to an extent. When I realized how much of a jackass I was to Virgo, I… had to do some self-reflection. But hating yourself will never make anything better. If you want to make a difference, then learning to forgive yourself for the stupid mistakes in the past is the only way forward. Start by changing the way you treat Virgo. He may not accept you at first, but if you keep trying, he’ll come around. As for King… To be honest, I really don’t know. That’s a completely different issue entirely. You’ll have to work that one out on your own.”

                The older Collector stared at the ground with a sad expression. She knew that it would be a long and difficult road ahead, but the full reality had only just started sinking in. She had assisted in a genocide, though it was not her intention. And if she wanted to apologize to the sole survivor… well, it would probably be pointless, even if she truly was sorry for it. Sorry wouldn’t bring the young Titan’s family back.

                “I understand.” She replied softly. “I have a lot to think about, don’t I?”

                Aquarius nodded. “Yes, you do. But you’ve got forever to think about it.”

                Libra snorted. “Is this really the time for jokes?”

                “It’s not a joke.” Aquarius replied. “We’re immortal. We literally have until forever to fix our mistakes – not many people can say that.”

                “That’s true…” Libra nodded. “Then again, the Titans were supposed to be immortal too and look what happened to them…”

                Aquarius paused. “I never said that we couldn’t die to unnatural causes. We’re technically only immortal to the extent that we won’t ever grow old. But obviously there are some exceptions.”

                “I guess I should know that better than anyone.” Libra sighed.

                There was another somber silence before Aquarius took a deep breath. “Alright, why don’t we set this aside and move on to other topics for now? For example: what in the Titan’s name is in that box?”

                Libra blinked away her tears and wiped her nose. “What? Oh, right. The box. I have no clue. Sol just said that you would know what to do with it.”

                “That’s unhelpfully cryptic.” Aquarius huffed. “I assume that I’ll have to open it to find out.”

                Taking the box in his hands, he examined the outside of it. It was inconspicuous and if it was something urgent or of great importance, there was no obvious sign other than the fact that it came from Sol. With some degree of caution, he slowly opened the box.

                Right at the top was a small letter with his name written in gold ink. Ignoring the other contents for now, he set the box aside and opened the letter and read it out loud – he didn’t care if any information would be considered sensitive. Whatever was inside probably wouldn’t mean much to Libra anyway.

                “Dear Aquarius (Q),” He began with a small smile. “I hope that this package found you well. There is much to say but I wish to keep things short. I am certain that things have been rather hectic considering recent events, however, I have a few things I need you to be aware of.

                “I know things have been difficult between you and your siblings.” Aquarius continued before adding, “Difficult is an understatement.”

                Libra snorted. “Yeah, that’s definitely sugar-coating it.”

                Aquarius rolled his eyes and continued reading the letter. “Though difficult, I hope that there may be a chance to make amends with some of them. I do not expect you to forgive some of their actions, but there may be a few who are worth listening to. Try not to judge too harshly.”

                Libra chuckled softly. “I guess you’re already taking his advice.”

                “As someone who regularly does stupid things, I understand the importance of at least hearing people out.” Aquarius sighed. “Some people might call me foolish or naïve for it, but I think it’s healthier than holding grudges, depending on the situation.”

                Taking another deep breath, he read on. “I do not think I have to explain to you my reasons for including some of the contents of the package, but I’m sure that you will know what to do with them. The significance of some of these items may seem obvious, but others may not be so clear at first glance. But I trust that you will find a use for everything. I have included a list of each item for your convenience.

                “Before you get to that, I have a few final things to tell you.” Aquarius read on with an annoyed sigh. “First, I am leaving the Demon Realm under your care. You are not yet an Archivist, however, it is yours to watch over and protect. I will not require you to do any more collections until further notice.”

                Libra whistled appreciatively. “That’s quite the responsibility.”

                Realizing that he had indeed read that correctly, he read on with wide eyes. “Virgo is to remain with you for the time being. There are too many risks associated with his return to The Archives. Furthermore, the young Titan, King, is also your responsibility. You understand what that entails, I hope.”

                Aquarius nodded and sighed. “Sol really does know how to make my life more complicated.”

                “It’s really not that bad.” Libra reasoned. “You were probably going to do that stuff anyway. I assume that isn’t the entire letter though.”

                “I suppose.” Aquarius replied dryly. “But yes, there’s just a little bit more of the letter. I guess I should probably get to the end before I start complaining.”

                Aquarius found the place where he’d left off and started to read it again. “But be cautious. Capricorn and Cancer have discovered the whereabouts of Sagittarius and by extension: Pisces. They will no doubt learn the truth and they will likely come for both King and Virgo. Be ready. And remember, hold nothing back. Those four in particular cannot be reasoned with, nor should you try. Good luck Aquarius. I hope to speak with you again soon. Signed, Sol.”

                “That’s it?” Libra frowned. “That’s all he has to say. Good luck? He drops all of that on you and then just peaces out? He’s not going to offer any help?”

                “Not necessarily.” Aquarius blinked, turning to the box. “He sent me whatever is in here. He also sent you. I think that’s pretty helpful.”

                Libra blushed. “I’m not going to be much help. When Capricorn wants something done, he gets it. Pisces is the same. Capricorn is only considered weaker than us because he’s just lazy. But if you’d seen him on the day of the genocide… That was not the same lazy guy we’ve gotten accustomed to. There’s a reason the others don’t stand up to him like they should.”

                “It’s not like we have much of a choice.” Aquarius said, picking up the box. “But we should see what else we got before we get too excited.”

                He looked into the box and chuckled. “Well, that’s convenient.”

                Reaching into the box, he pulled out a little vial of purple liquid. “This is enough Titan’s blood to make a functioning door to the Human Realm and then some. We really didn’t need this much but… wait, I think I get it.”

                Libra raised an eyebrow as Aquarius set the vial back in the box with a sober expression. “There’s enough for the door to the Human Realm and a single trip to the In-Between Realm. That must be intentional.”

                Without further explanation, he moved on to the next item and his eyes softened. “Ah, the music box. I’m surprised he was able to part with this.”

                “What’s an old music box supposed to do?” Libra asked sarcastically. “Are we going to play Capricorn and the others a little lullaby?”

                “No.” Aquarius smiled. “It’s a reminder. Maybe I’ll explain it to you later. But I think I’m supposed to give this to Virgo.”

                After a few moments of sorting through the rest of the items, Aquarius chuckled. “Most of these are just little mementos. Not much to them. I don’t recognize some of the things in here, but I’ll have to take a look at the list. But that’s about it, I guess.”

                “That’s a bit anticlimactic don’t you think?” Libra asked skeptically.

                Aquarius shrugged. “Maybe. But I think I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

                Libra stared at his hopeful expression with uncertainty. “Where do we start?”

                The younger Collector turned to her with a lopsided smile. “We? Well, if you’re on board for the coming storm, then I’ve got a few ideas.”

Chapter Text

                “King, are you really sure that you don’t want to come with us?” Luz asked with a worried expression. “This could be your only chance to see your dad for who even knows how long!”

                “I’m sure.” King replied in a small voice. “I’m not ready to see him yet. Maybe I’ll get another chance in the future. He asked to see you, Luz. Not me.”

                Q frowned. “That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to see you.”

                King shook his head. “I know that. He’s always watching over me anyway, right? If he is, then he’s probably listening too. So, in a way, I have all the time in the world to talk to him.”

                “Don’t worry you two.” Eda stepped in. “King will go when he’s ready. You just go and talk to his pops and do what you need to do.”

                “Actually…” Q said awkwardly. “I was thinking that we just let Luz go – and King if he changes his mind. Whatever Papa Titan wants to talk to her about, I think it would be better to let it be a private discussion.”

                Luz turned to look at the Collector. “Are you sure that you don’t want to tag-along?”

                “Yep.” Q reassured her. “I’ll make sure to protect your precious Sweet Potato while you’re gone.”

                Luz blushed and turned to a similarly flustered Amity. “I’ll try not to be gone for too long, hermosa. Don’t worry.”

                “Luz!” Amity groaned. “You’re making this more embarrassing than it already is.”

                “Right.” Luz said, turning to face the crooked door in front of her.

                They had decided to place the door in the same place Luz had put the original one she’d made – and also where Q had stepped out on the Day of Unity. They figured that it would be the best way to ensure that they actually ended up at the same place in the In-Between as Papa Titan. The power source was Q’s own magic, which was much more reliable than the rig that Luz and Eda had put together that first time (looking back on it, Luz realized that what they came up with before, probably shouldn’t have worked).

                 “So, is there anything I should know before going in?” Luz asked worriedly. She still remembered last time’s harrowing experience and she wasn’t keen on getting stuck in the In-Between for twenty-thousand years.

                 “Due to the low amount of Titan’s blood required to make the door, it won’t stay open for very long. These doors are a one-time use.” Q explained. “If this door closes before you get out, we would have to make an entirely new door to get you.”

                  Luz nodded with an awkward grimace. “Ok, so you’re saying that I need to be quick? How long does the door usually stay open?”

                 Q thought for a moment. “I can guarantee you at least ten or fifteen minutes, but the door can last as long as a few hours if you’re lucky. It’s actually pretty unpredictable.”

                “So, then Luz lucked out last time.” Eda remarked. “Good thing I was around, otherwise Luz might have ended up dead in a ditch somewhere.”

                “More like stuck in another dimension for a few thousand years.” Q corrected her. “At any rate, you should keep an eye on the time, Luz. But we have the rope for you just in case the door starts closing earlier than expected.”

                 Luz nodded and checked the rope tied around her waist. Once she was sure it was secure, she turned to Q with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure that he wanted to see me?”

                “The Titan?” Q asked with a matching expression. “He just told me that he had something to give you and that I needed to take you into the In-Between to meet him.”

                “Alrighty then…” Luz said, placing her hands on her hips and taking a deep breath. *“Tú puedes hacerlo, Luz Noceda.”

                “Uh, what was that?” Amity asked with a frown.

                Q chuckled. “Luz is just hyping herself up.”

                Luz blinked and turned to look at him. “You know Spanish?”

               **“Sí, necesito saber hablar con todos si quiero completar mis colecciones.” Q replied with a smile. “My collections sent me all over the human realm. If I’m not fluent in the primary languages, then getting the stuff Sol asked for would have been a little bit tricky.”

               Luz turned back to look at the door with a blank expression. “That actually makes a lot of sense. That’s good to know.”

               Q chuckled. “You better get going now Luz.”

               She nodded in reply and started walking towards the door before pausing again. “Wait, where’s Virgo?”

               “Inside with moon-girl.” Eda answered. “They’re having a bit of a heart-to-heart or whatever. It’s probably for the best, since the kid didn’t want to go anywhere near anything to do with the In-Between anyway. I personally think the whole sibling bonding thing is all a load of mushy garbage. Lilith and I hardly talk to each other at all and look how we ended up! We’re just fine!”

                Luz cringed. “Yeah, that maybe isn’t the best example.”

                “Hey Luz?” Q called to her, drawing her attention back to him. “You should probably get going before I start telling Amity all of the Spanish to English interpretations you’ve been lying about – and I think we both know what that entails.”

                 Luz blushed. “Understood! See you in a bit!”

                 If Q actually followed through with that threat, Luz would have a lot of explaining to do – because some of those comments and compliments she’d said to Amity in Spanish were a little bit… risqué. They were bound to make the both of them blush and Luz would be embarrassed for months. She was still trying to get over the whole “hermosa” fiasco from the other day – she still had a hard time looking Emira in the eye after that.

                She swung the door open and gave everyone one last awkward smile before slipping through the portal door.

                It hadn’t changed much from the last time she’d been there – if at all. The same strange liquid was below her feet and the same odd cubes floated around her, ominously. The temperature could only be described as… well, room temperature would be the most accurate description – not too hot or too cold. Just... meh. That thought made Luz a bit… sad? Like drinking a cup of lukewarm hot chocolate – sure, it was chocolate, but it wasn’t hot chocolate. It was… sad chocolate.

               But where was Papa Titan? Surely, she couldn’t miss someone that big. He shouldn’t be hard to find. Maybe the door had taken her somewhere else? That would be a bummer.

               “Luz Noceda.” A deep, yet gentle voice spoke from behind her, making her spin around in surprise. It would appear that she wouldn’t need to go looking for the Titan anymore.

               “You’re the Titan!” Luz announced in awe. “You’re King’s dad?”

               The shirt and apron seemed to match the description Q had given her, and that strange Hooty-looking thing poking out of where his eyeball should have been, was a dead giveaway. Still, the Titan laughed amicably.

               “You would be correct.” Papa Titan smiled. “I’m surprised Aquarius sent you here by yourself. I might have thought he would have more questions for me after our last meeting.”

               Luz shrugged. “Q thought that it would be better to have a more private conversation between the two of us. I tried to bring King, but…”

               The Titan emitted a deep hum. “I am aware. As much as I would like to have a conversation with him, face to face… I do not think the time is right. Though it was not my intention to abandon King, it is an unfortunate truth. However, I have been fortunate enough to witness his growth firsthand. And King has become an outstanding young Titan – and that can be accredited to you, in part, next only to Edalynn Clawthorne. You’re the older sister that King both needed and deserved.”

               “I don’t really deserve that praise.” Luz said, looking away with a blush. “I’m just a silly human who stumbled into the Demon Realm by mistake.”

               “I don’t think it was by mistake that you arrived there.” The Titan smiled at her. “Without you, the Boiling Isles would be in a completely different place. Though Aquarius brought with him his power and protection, you brought with you your kind heart and creative mind. You even lived out your favorite fanfiction tropes – rivals to lovers – with your girlfriend Amity. That’s pretty impressive. Though you may not think so now, you are the reason Belos was defeated. Maybe Aquarius would have learned the truth eventually, but it was you who revealed it to him.”

               Luz shook her head. “Everyone keeps saying stuff like that, but nobody seems to get it. Belos wouldn’t have risen to power if it wasn’t for me. I was the source of the problems in the Isles, not the solution. That was all Q.”

               Papa Titan sighed. “I see you still have plenty of growing up to do. You are so wonderful to all your friends around you but are your own biggest critic. Everyone can encourage you and build you up, but until you learn how to speak kindly about yourself, you will never truly be able to understand how wonderful you are. That being said, I have a gift for you.”

               “A gift?” Luz frowned, picking at the loose strands of material that poked out of the rope. “For me?”

               “Yes.” The Titan beamed at her. “And not a gift I would give to just anyone. This one is designed specifically for you.”

               Luz shook her head. “If there’s anyone you should be giving gifts to, it isn’t me. Why don’t you save whatever it is, for King. I’m sure he would appreciate it.”

               “It would do him no good.” Papa Titan chuckled. “Because this gift is meant for someone who has no natural magical ability.”

               “Say what now?” Luz stared at the Titan in confusion.

               The Titan held out his clawed hand and glyphs began to glow around his palms and forearm. “Take my hand and I will explain.”

               Luz walked over to the large, winged beast tentatively. She stretched her hand out and the Titan gently took it with a warm look in his eye. She felt a comforting warmth spread throughout her body as The Titan held her gaze.

              “What I give you now, is my own power.” The Titan explained.

               Luz’s eyes widened. “You’re turning me into a witch?”

              “No.” Papa Titan chuckled. “But you are close. With this magic I give to you, you will be able to wield the full might of a Titan. However, there are certain rules that come with it.”

               Luz looked down to their conjoined hands. “Uh, like a contract or uh…”

               Papa Titan laughed. “No. No contract. Perhaps we can call them rules set by nature. You will be able to access the abilities I possess but only so long as my heart beats.”

              “So… a witch.” Luz said as glyphs began to dot the entire Titan’s body, glowing like embers.

              “A witch can only utilize the power granted them by their bile sacs.” The Titan explained as little tendrils of light began to wrap around Luz’s forearm. “But you will have access to the original source of their magic. This is no small thing, Luz.”

              The realization suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She wasn’t just going to have the power witches have – she was going to have magic that was at least ten times as powerful as Eda’s and almost, if not the just as powerful as Q's. She should not be given something so dangerous.

              Luz started to pull her hand away. “You don’t want to give this to me. You should give it to someone who’s already familiar with magic.”

              Papa Titan tightened his grip. “Do not underestimate yourself Luz. You have great potential to do wonderful things. With this gift, you will have the power to fight back against The Collectors.”

              Luz stared at Papa Titan with anxious eyes. “This power… will it help me protect the people I care about?”

             “Indeed.” The Titan nodded. “Do you accept this gift?”

              That was a loaded question. She’d often asked herself what she would do if she was offered ultimate power. She always thought about that one quote from Spiderman about power and responsibility. How did that go again? Whatever, the point was that Luz knew that she wasn’t worthy of this power and if she could give it to someone more qualified than her, then the Isles would be much better off.

              But then again… would The Titan offer this responsibility if he didn’t have faith in her? If he believed she could wield it responsibly, then she had to trust that this Titan knew what he was doing. So, she closed her eyes and strengthened her grip on his clawed hand.

             “I don’t know why you chose me for this.” Luz sighed, reopening her eyes with determination. “But if you really trust me, then I have to try. My friends are all counting on me, and I can’t always rely on Q to come in and save the day. He can’t do it alone, even if he has Libra and Virgo. So… yes. I accept.”

              The Titan gave her an approving smile and Luz suddenly started to feel all warm and tingly. She watched as the bright tendrils of magic seeped into her skin and she began to glow slightly. Luz had to look away as the light became almost blinding.

              Once the light faded, Luz felt… different. Was she taller? She felt a little bit warmer than she had before, which was probably due to the raw power of the magic he’d transferred. But then Luz looked down as The Titan released her hand and nearly screamed.

              Her hand was no longer completely human, and her arm was covered in thick, black fur. She looked down at the rest of her body and she began to panic. She was a Titan. Well, more of a hybrid of a Titan and a human, but…

              “I’m a Titan.” Luz murmured. She spoke a little bit louder. “Why do I look like a Titan? I mean, it’s cool, but what am I going to tell my mama? She’ll freak out when she sees me like this!”

              Papa Titan chuckled. “This hybrid form will allow you to use my power whenever you need to. You can return back to your human form at will, but if you want to use the magic I have given to you, you will have to be a Titan – partially – to be able to handle it. You will still be restricted to using glyphs and changing back into this form when you are human.”

              Luz gave a sigh of relief. “Ok, well I’m glad I wasn’t changed forever. So, I can like, do all kinds of cool stuff in my Titan form?”

             “To an extent.” The Titan replied. “But it will be difficult to control without a palisman to channel your magic. If you truly want to help Aquarius with his siblings, you must have a palisman to assist you.”

             “Oh.” Luz replied lamely. That was going to be a problem. Currently, her palisman was an egg, which she doubted would be able to do anything magical until she figured out what she really wanted in life. But she had no idea what that was. And unmanageable magic was in some ways more dangerous in a fight than having no magic at all.

             “Don’t worry too much about it for now.” The Titan said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out, with time.”

              He spent a few minutes explaining to Luz how to go into and out of her Titan form, which she practiced several times. But it wasn’t long after that that she felt someone tug on her rope.

              She gave Papa Titan a grateful, yet worried look. “Looks like my time is up. Thank you. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’ll find a way to make it work. I’ll say hello to King for you.”

              The Titan smiled at her as she was lifted up towards the door. “Goodbye Luz. Remember: you are not alone. If you need help, remember your friends.I believe in you. I hope we meet again soon, Luz Noceda.”

              As she came back through the door, she gave The Titan one last look before the door closed and she was back in the Boiling Isles once more, tumbling to the ground.

             “Luz, are you alright?” Amity asked, running to her side.

              Luz laughed and undid the rope. “Yeah, I’m fine Sweet Potato.”

             The two looked up to see the door collapse in on itself, sealing Luz off from ever returning the power she had been given. But even if she’d wanted to, she suspected that King’s old man had a “no returns” policy for stuff like this. She could only take what she’d been given.

             “So, what happened?” Q asked, approaching the two of them as Amity helped Luz stand up.

              Luz sighed. “I’ll explain later… but for now, I think I’m ready to finally go home and see my mom.”

             Q chuckled. “Well then let’s get everyone together. I think a little field trip to the Human Realm is long overdue, don’t you think?”

             With one last look at the area that the misshapen door had been, she gave Q a small smile. “I think I can agree with that wholeheartedly.”

             As they walked back towards The Owl House, a phrase that Papa Titan said, floated back into her mind. So long as my heart beats…

             Luz smiled wider. So long as the old Titan’s heart kept beating, then everything was going to be ok.

            Sagittarius sat on his chair in his room full of random garbage, staring at an empty wall. Though it had been months since that brat had paid him a visit, he was still brooding. The fact that the portal was no longer operational was another thing to add to his list of grievances against Aquarius.

             But he supposed that he’d discovered something new. He had confirmed that there was still a Titan alive out there and that his younger brother knew where it was. Annoyingly, Sagittarius could do nothing about it. If only he had a way to get out of this stupid curse and off this damn island.

             He used to look at everything in this room with pride – he’d wanted the things at the time, but once he lost interest, he had nowhere to put them but into one corner or along the wall. Now all he could think about was his stupid brother Aquarius and all the times he had called him out on collecting useless garbage – and he had been right. Everything he kept inevitably became both useless and garbage.

             But who cares what that little brat thinks? Sagittarius could do as he pleased. Nobody could stop him anyhow. Despite losing his Collector’s magic, he was still an incredibly powerful witch. What’s more, is that he had also managed to convince a bunch of foolish mortals into joining his cause of hunting the Titans. The evidence of his success lay in the remains that littered the surrounding ocean.

             His original group had been resourceful and cunning. They understood what it took to bring down the beasts and knew the risks involved with it. Back then, he had still been a Collector, with the ability to deal with a Titan on his own, and he was revered as a god. And yet, all it took was a single Titan to shatter his hopes and aspirations by not only defeating Pisces handily, but him as well. He was just glad that he was fortunate enough to remain in the Demon Realm.

            But this new generation… They were weak. If they had to face a Titan tomorrow, they would all be massacred. They still regarded Collectors as gods – as they should – but this made them nothing more than religious zealots cosplaying as Titan Slayers. They could only call themselves trappers because that’s the best they would be capable of. And even then, he doubted that they would be competent enough to kill, let alone trap even the young Titan that was in Aquarius’ care.

            It infuriated him to no end that he had been reduced to something that, while still powerful, was unbearably weak compared to his former self. He had once been a god to these people, but now he was just Bill. Bill, the old leader of a bunch of mediocre hunters with little to no experience whatsoever. They did not know what it was like to go toe to toe with such fearsome beasts.

            “Bill!” A very irritating voice addressed him, peeking into his room. “You have visitors.”

            “Tarak!” Sagittarius growled, his elderly voice a high rasp. “I told you that I don’t want anymore visitors! I’m still angry with you after your last blunder! Tell them to go away!”

            “But bill, I-” Tarak protested before getting shoved aside by a figure wearing silver, star-adorned cloak.

            The figure chuckled as another, similarly dressed individual entered. Sagittarius regarded them with distaste. Was this another trick played by Aquarius, just to spite him?

            He gestured to Tarak, ordering him to leave and then turned to the two hooded figures. “I’m not interested in your games, Aquarius. Have you come to mock me again for my misfortune? To laugh at me?”

            “So, it really is you.” The first figure chuckled. “I didn’t believe it at first, but Scorpio wasn’t kidding. You really are an old man.”

             The figures lowered their hoods to reveal two Collectors, who Sagittarius easily recognized as Capricorn and Cancer. He stared at them with disbelief before Capricorn spoke again.

            “It’s been a while, hasn’t it Sagittarius?” Capricorn mused. “And here I thought you were one of the strongest of my siblings. What happened to you?”

            Sagittarius frowned. “A Titan did this to me, you inconsiderate bastard. What took you so long?”

            “Well, you can hardly blame us for not seeking out someone who had been presumed dead.” Cancer reasoned. “You’re lucky that Scorpio cared enough to try tracking you down again. Without her, we wouldn’t even be here.”

            “Is that so?” Sagittarius inquired with a scrutinizing glare. “So why did she decide to go looking for me now?”

             Capricorn laughed. “Because of Aquarius actually. The little prick decided that he would go looking for Virgo because he’d gotten it in his stupid brain that the brat was still alive. Scorpio figured that if Aquarius was going to chase ghosts, she might as well do the same. And it’s really quite fortunate for you that she did.”

             Sagittarius huffed. “Well, you’re here now, so I suppose I can’t complain. Perhaps now I can be freed from this awful body, and you can free Pisces as well.”

            “Pisces is alive?!” Capricorn asked with wide eyes. “Where the hell is he?”

             Sagittarius hopped off his chair. “It would be easier to show you. Follow me.”

             Capricorn and Cancer looked at each other and shrugged and pulled up their hoods, trailing behind the short witch as he led them towards a strange altar that resided in front of what appeared to be some kind of ritual area. A monolithic pillar towered over them as they approached the pedestal where a fractured, two-toned disc lay, undisturbed.

             “How does this explain where Pisces is?” Cancer asked with a frown. “It’s a broken disc. So what?”

              Capricorn smacked him in the back of the head. “Are you dense? That ‘disc’ is full of residual Titan magic. If I had to guess, that disc is a prison of some kind.”

             “You are correct.” Sagittarius replied gruffly. “Pisces was trapped in the In-Between realm by the very same Titan that cursed me. Unfortunately, the disc got split into these two fractions and therefore, I couldn’t free him myself. The prison could not be opened by anyone but a Collector or Titan anyway, so it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

             “I see.” Capricorn nodded, picking up the two pieces. “So, this is why you two never returned. Well, why don’t we break our brother out of his prison then?”

             The other two watched as Capricorn lined the fractions up like puzzle pieces and poured his magic into the broken disc. A silver glow emanated from the seam until the fracture was nothing but a memory. He then placed his palm on it and imagined himself shattering a lock with a blast of powerful magic and the disc exploded into silver mist.

              Another Collector crashed to the ground, seemingly out of thin air, with a loud grunt. Sagittarius and Cancer rushed to their side as Capricorn smiled cruelly.

             “It’s been a while dear brother.” Capricorn said smugly. “How many years has it been now? Twenty thousand? Thirty thousand?”

             The other Collector glared up at him as he was helped to his feet. “Too long.” He growled.

             Capricorn chuckled. “You look like you’ve seen better days. What’s got you so riled up? You’re free now! What else could you possibly want?”

             Pisces dusted himself off and then met Capricorn’s gaze. “I know where the last Titan is.”

             “Oh really?” Capricorn snorted. “Do tell.”

             The ragged Collector shook his head. “Oh, but not just the Titan. Virgo too.”

             Capricorn’s pupils dilated as rage began to flood into his mind. “Where is that little punk?”

             Pisces shrugged his siblings hands off him and said in a violent hiss, “You already know. Where else would he be? With the Titan of course.”

             Capricorn’s eyes widened in understanding. “Yes, that does make sense. So then tell me, where are those two plagues?”

             “The Boiling Isles.” Pisces answered. “There is a civilization of witches there, but I doubt anyone would ever notice if we laid waste to the whole thing.”

              Capricorn smiled wickedly and stroked his chin. “Is that so?”

             “That won’t be as easy as you think.” Sagittarius interjected.

             “Why is that?” Capricorn asked with curiosity.

             Sagittarius looked as though he’d tasted something foul as he spoke. “Aquarius is protecting them. We would have to get past him first if we want to get to the other two – he said so himself.”

             Capricorn blinked and then started to laugh hysterically – maniacally even - much to the discomfort of everyone present. Once he’d composed himself, he wore a malicious grin. “So that’s how it is. Then I guess we’ll have to kill two birds with one stone. You were right back then, Pisces. I should have killed Aquarius when I had the chance.”

              The three others began to smile with equal malcontent and Cancer opened his mouth to ask the question that the other two were thinking as well. “What do you propose?”

              Capricorn’s eyes flashed with burning hatred as he chuckled darkly. “War.”