Chapter Text
It started with a crowphone call.
Darius, despite what everybody believed about him, was a morning person. Which was lucky because two out of the three people he was living with also got up as soon as the sun peaked over the horizon.
Usually, it varied who was awake first. This morning it just so happened to be him.
Darius was in the kitchen preparing food for all of them. He could hear Hunter in his room, and he knew, that soon he would be joining him in making breakfast. And he can expect Eberwolf to get up from his basement dugout to hinder them in their endeavors. Darius shook his head at the thought, he loved the mutt but he was this close to banning him from the kitchen altogether.
That would only leave Raine as the last person still deep in slumberland.
After everything settled down the people of the Isles were turned back from that horrible puppet state Raine found themselves without a home. Of course, they were offered to stay in the Owl House, but they thought they would be intruding and they politely turned it down - and Darius suspected that they were not as ready to merge their lives with the Owl Lady as she was.
It seemed like a no-brainer to take them in as well. Darius was already living with Eber for a while now, ever since they started their rebellion. And Hunter was moving in as well so what was an extra person? Thankfully, Raine agreed with only a little nudging. For the better because otherwise, Darius would have had to drag the idiot in by himself.
"Morning," Hunter said suppressing a yawn.
"You don’t have to get up so early, you know," Darius chuckled. "We have the whole day off, no need to hurry."
Hunter shrugged. "You are up earlier than me."
"Because somebody has to feed you all."
"Yeah, sure," he smiled. "Give me some space. What are we making?"
Darius shrugged. "Just throwing something together. Scrambled griffin eggs with screamer mushrooms. If you want to help chop up those veggies, alright?"
"Sure thing."
They worked easily, side by side. It has become a comfortable routine by now. Darius listened to the knife on the chopping board, while he stirred the mushrooms in the pan. When it turned glassy he poured the already stirred eggs in, listening to it satisfyingly sizzle before stirring it around with the spatula. Soon the smell of fresh griffin eggs filled the kitchen.
Hunter finished cutting the vegetables and set them out on four plates Darius had prepared.
Suddenly the peace was broken by the familiar clamoring of Eberwolf coming up the basement stairs. The door opened with a click and the noises made its way to them.
'Smells really good in here,' Eber chirped as he crawled into the kitchen on all fours. 'Griffin eggs. Always good.'
"And you are not getting any before washing up," Darius said sternly. "Titan help me if you dare to sit at the table."
He didn’t even need to look to know that Eberwolf was giving him a mischievous smirk. Just one morning, it’s all Darius is asking for.
"Wash your hands, Eber."
'They are clean.'
Darius sighed. "Your idea for a bedroom is the hole you dug in the basement. You have no ground to speak on."
'Fine, fine,' they said jumping up to the sink and washing their hands under running water - why is it so hard to do that regularly?
The eggs were ready now, Darius divided it into four and set it on the plates.
"I will go and get Raine," Hunter volunteered and was already on his way.
They would leave the bard to sleep in in the first week of living together. Sure there were a lot of things to do, but they were not in a rush. If Raine needed to sleep, they wouldn’t take that from them. More so, Darius would have loved it if Hunter slept in more as well. The boy still had deep circles under his eyes that didn’t seem to go away and he looked more tired by the day. Darius tried to play it cool, but he didn’t know what was years of bad habits were forced onto him and what was the after-effects of possession. Raine was tried to, more so than Darius noticed back in the covens, they were just more open about it.
While Hunter was gone Darius took out two small vials of potion from a kitchen cupboard. Many more were stashed away in there. Post-possession potion - triple Ps for short. They were prescribed it in a hurry after a healer witch looked both of them over.
He sat them down at their usual places.
The sun climbed over the tree line, casting brilliantly harsh light through the kitchen window. As the light fell onto the vials, the potion colored them a dark orange and scattered them onto the table.
Darius hated it with a burning passion.
'It’s alright,' Eber hummed. He could sense the witch’s turbulent state. 'They are fine. Both are fine, healer said so.'
Darius took a steadying breath. Yes, the healer said that all things considered, they got out better than one could hope.
The calendar is still marked with scheduled visits - once every week, for three months.
It wasn’t reassuring.
That’s when the crowphone came to life. Its screeching shook Darius. Eberwolf waved the crow over before he could collect himself.
He put it on loud and chirped into it. 'Deamonne residence.'
"Hey there, Eber. Is Dari around?"
It was Eda’s voice on the other end. Only, she didn’t sound quite herself, more tired if they had to guess. The two of them shared a glance.
Darius was already dreading what this could be. Surely, surely, there wasn’t another catastrophe on its way. Not after everything - no, don’t think like that. It’s more likely that Eda just forgot about something.
'Yeah,' Eber chirped. 'It’s on loud.'
"Yeah, alright," she paused, sighing and taking in a shaking breath. Darius felt a pit open up in his stomach.
"Listen, I'm not sure that telling you this through crow is a good idea. So get to the Owl House as soon as you can. Uhm, are you having breakfast or- urgh, look at me stumbling through my bloody lines."
Darius glanced at the doorway. Hunter arrived, Raine was behind him and both of them had this nervous energy to them.
'Yeah, we are just sitting down,' Eber continued, Darius wondered what the world came to that the demon is the one taking charge of things. 'We can get there after.'
"Yeah, yeah, that’s fine," Eda said. "Don’t rush, we will wait for you."
'Sure.'
"What is this about?" Darius found himself asking without really meaning to.
"I don’t even know," she laughed bitterly. Hunter and Raine looked at each other in alarm. "It’s better if I tell you in person, anyway. But, Dari, man this is so messed up," another pause. "A head’s up, this is about the Golden Guards."
It was as if the air was sucked out of the room. The already pale Hunter went several shades whiter, and he looked like he was going to be sick. Raine bit their lip and looked between all present in the kitchen.
Darius’ mind was racing. The Golden Guards, what does she mean by that? This is coming out of the blue.
Suddenly, he realizes that she is still on the crow.
"We will be over after breakfast."
"Thanks, Dari," Eda sighed. "And sorry for ruining your breakfast."
'Don’t be,' Eber took over. 'This seems serious. We’ll be there in a minute.'
"Thanks, again."
The crowphone clicked off and flew back to its perch in the living room. The four of them were left feeling as if somebody just pulled the rug out from under them.
Breakfast was, well not ideal. Their usual friendly chatter was replaced by a tense silence. Hunter didn’t want to look anybody in the eyes and eat his breakfast all but hunched over his plate. Darius didn’t have the heart to tell him anything - he didn’t have the guts to console him either.
Eber and Raine kept giving them looks. But they seemed just as lost as Darius felt.
Once breakfast was done they prepared to go to the Owl House.
They dressed and washed up. All of them gathered in the living room, and somehow the nervous energy only grew.
"Are you ready?" Darius asked glancing around. He only got nods. Abomination matter swirled around them and the next thing they knew they were in the living room of the Owl House.
Darius didn’t know what he expected when he arrived but a whole Titan damned committee wasn’t it. Eda and Lilith were given, but Eda’s kids, Luz, King, as well as Camila, and the Collector being there as well was a surprise.
Instantly, the living room felt small as they dropped it. The air was way too stuffy and way too warm - the dust was going to choke him - and all the human… things leered down at him from the walls and shelves and corners. How could one person stuff so many things onto one singular bookshelf was beyond him. The wallpaper is peeling and it is horribly, horribly out of fashion. The carpet is sticky and there is an ancient stain on the floorboard peaking out from under it. And is that spider web in the corner?
Maybe it is rude to come into somebody’s home and the first thing to do is to criticize the state it was in - scratch that, it was extremely rude. And mean. And Darius was done with those things for a lifetime. But he much rather concentrates on stains and dust and crooked picture frames instead of the absolutely awful conversation he will soon have to be a part of.
Camila was the first to greet them. "Come take a seat," she beckoned them to the mismatching seating arrangement of the living room. There were several armchairs and chairs cramped around the couch and the coffee table. Darius wondered if it was always like this or if it was set up for them. Camila offered them coffee and some snacks, they were on the table, but nobody reached for it. They were there more as a courtesy than anything else.
"So," Eda started, since it was her who called them here she must have felt responsible enough to deliver the news. "There is no easy way to say it, so promise me not to freak out too much."
"You said this was about the Golden Guards," Hunter said getting straight to the point.
Darius didn’t like that tone. It was dangerously close to how he was back in the castle. Raine and Eberwolf shared a look, he guessed they too picked up on it.
It was too late to send him away. Hunter would fight him on it.
"It is, and it is not pretty," Eda said. "To be honest, kid. I don’t think you should be listening to this. And that goes for the rest of you."
She gave a look to Luz and King. Darius had a feeling they had this conversation several times before they sat down in the living room. And now Eda was going to make sure they knew how unhappy she was with her stubborn kids. Camila in turn looked uncertain, but she folded her hands in her lap and kept her thoughts for later.
Luz frowned. "You are not going to keep this from us."
Eda was ready to say something, but Hunter interrupted her.
"Can we please stay on topic?"
Eda sighed. "Why do I even try," she let out an exasperated sigh.
"You know they would find out one way or another," Lilith chimed in. "It’s better this way."
"Right. Okay, there is no use dragging this out."
She had already been stretching it too long if Hunter’s tapping foot was anything to go by.
"You already know that this is about the Golden Guards, so you know it’s going to be bad," Eda looked at each of them. "I don’t have a better way to say this. There is a mass grave in the Head of the Titan. Their corpses are there, in a pit."
There. In a pit.
Darius felt as if the rug was pulled out from under his feet and he was free-falling backward into an inevitable breakdown. He glanced over at Hunter.
The boy turned deathly pale.