"Luz… Cruz… I'm so happy I had you two as my older siblings." Luz, Cruz and the others were blasted from the Demon Realm into the Human Realm as they landed on the ground.
"No! King!" Luz ran to the door, but it closed right as she reached it. She opened it two more times, hoping that she would see the Boiling Isles but instead saw nothing but an empty house.
Luz turned to look at the others as tears welled up in her eyes. Gus began to cry as he broke down from their situation.
In the Noceda residence, Camila was cooking as Vee and Nero set up the table. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door.
As Camila opened it, she gasped when she saw Luz and Cruz standing there along with five other disheveled teens.
"Hey, mom. We're back," Luz said as she began to tear up
"Sorry it took us so long," Cruz said as Camila embraced her two children before bringing them all into the house.
In the kitchen, Camila is washing dishes before Gus levitated a plate using magic and began to clean it.
Amity walked up to Camila as she nervously handed her a cup of tea with the tea bag hanging out of the cup. Camila placed a comforting hand on Amity's shoulder.
In the bathroom, Luz took out a box of bandaids that had a picture that resembled Eda, King, and Hooty. She looked down at the box sadly as Hunter walked into the bathroom.
"Hey. Thanks for not telling them that I'm a..."
"A Grimwalker?" Luz asked as Hunter shushed her
"Don't say it so loud! Uh... what about you? How've you been since, uh...?"
"Since we were in Belos' mind? Since I found out I helped him meet the Collector?" Luz asked as she began to tear up. "Oh my gosh, Hunter. They're all gonna hate me."
"What? Psssh!" Luz wiped away her tears as Hunter smiled nervously. "No, of course they won't. They won't hate you any more than me when they find out that... I might be a clone of... someone who was a... witch hunter... with... Belos..."
Luz and Hunter looked over to the kitchen and saw the other looking despondent.
"We'll tell them. When we're ready," Luz said as Hunter nodded.
"You two will be fine," Cruz said as he walked into the bathroom.
"Cruz! Is your eye okay?" Luz asked as Cruz placed a hand over his left eye.
"Well I'm not blind. So that's a silver lining at least. It just left a giant scar over my eye."
"I don't see anything," Hunter pointed out
"Well, yeah. The concealment stone is hiding it. If I take it off, then you'll see the scar. It's not too bad honestly. I'm just grateful I can still see out of the eye. Come on, let's go join the others," Cruz said as they all walked into the kitchen.
Luz sat down next to Amity as she put a bandaid on her hand. Cruz sat down next to Skara as she placed a hand on his.
"Okay…" Camila began, "So in the Demon Realm, you fought the evil Emperor Belos who turned into a monster..."
"Well, he started out human," Gus said
"Right, but he was defeated by a newer… smaller bad guy?"
"The Collector," Willow said. "We don't know what he is or how Belos found him."
"Who knows if we'll ever figure that out?!" Luz said in a panic as they all looked at her. "But they're creating a lot of chaos."
"We have to do whatever it takes to get back," Amity said
"And you will. But for now, you should all rest. You're all safe here," Camila said
"I still have all my notes and research on the portal. I'll get working on seeing how fast we can make it," Cruz said
"I'll help you out," Skara said as Cruz smiled at her
"Thanks, appreciate it!"
Hunter and Gus had gone down into the basement as they set up their sleeping arrangement.
Gus looked through the things in the basement before pulling out an umbrella and opening it.
"Whoa!" Gus chuckled. "Hunter, look at all this awesome human stuff!" Gus grabbed some bubble wrap and began to pop it. As he unrolled it, a snow globe fell to the floor and shattered. "Whoops."
"I think it's just… stuff here," Hunter said as Camila walked down the stairs with bedsheets.
"It's not much, but I hope you two will be comfortable," Camila said as she set down the bedsheets.
"We will, Luz and Cruz's mom!" Gus said happily
Hunter cleared his throat as he scooted towards Camila before bowing to her on one knee.
"Thank you for providing us with shelter, ma'am."
"Please never do that again," Camila said awkwardly as she backed away. "And you can call me Camila. Buenas noches."
As Camila walked back up the stairs, Gus looked down and saw that he'd popped the last bubble in the bubble wrap. "Aw."
Camila cracked open the door to Luz's room and peered inside. She saw that Vee was showing Amity, Willow and Skara the alarm clock.
"In the morning, instead of screaming, it'll do this!" Vee activated the alarm as the three girls gasped.
"Don't worry, Vee!" Amity elbowed the clock into the air
"We'll keep you safe!" Willow shot off a vine as Skara whistled an arrow at it, shattering the clock.
"Good work! It's dead!" Willow said as the three girls numbed elbows.
"Uh… thanks," Vee said in slight disappointment as she looked down at vines that were coming out of the floor.
Camila closed the door with a shocked face. "I'll figure that out later."
She looked down the hall to see Luz and Cruz as they sadly looked down at family photo.
"Mamá, I… I know we shouldn't have left. We never meant to lie, but we had to stay a-and it wasn't because we—" Luz began before Camila interrupted her with a hug.
"Hey. Hey. We'll have time to talk later. I'm just so happy you two are home."
"Yeah. We're home," Luz said as she looked over to her room and saw Amity brushing Willow hair as he rubbed her eye. "But they're not."
"We'll get them home. I've got all my notes and I know a couple of people who've worked on projects like this before." Cruz clenched his fist. "I'll make sure that they don't go through this for nothing."
Camila looked at her son before placing a hand on his cheek. Cruz looked at her as she smiled at him.
"You don't have to put everything on yourself, mijo."
"Thanks, mamá."
"You don't look any different now than when you left. What happened to your horns?"
Cruz lifted up his necklace as he showed it to Camila. "I'm wearing something called a concealment stone. It's basically just an illusion of what I look like. If I take it off…" Cruz took off his concealment stone as he reverted back to his Titan form. A large scar coming down over his left eye.
Camila reached out as she gently touched his scar. "Ay, mi hijo (oh, my son). How did this happen?"
"I protected my friends," Cruz said. "I'll make sure they're safe. And that I'll always be able to come back to them." Cruz looked over to see his friends with a look of determination.
The group opened up the door to the abandoned house to see if there was anything of use in there. Gus opened and closed the door with a frown. Luz looked on in determination.
Luz opened her laptop before pressing the enter key. Lumity Studios presents played on the screen before multiple photos of the two began to play.
A photo from Grom, a photo of the two in Amity's secret room, a photo of the two sitting on the Owl House's roof and a photo of the two hugging each other lovingly played on the screen before one of Luz's drawings stayed on the screen with the two of them holding hands with the words "Hi! I'm Bi!" played on the screen.
Luz looked at her mother with a smile as Camila smiled brightly at the two before pulling them into an embrace. Multiple illusions of Gus began to run around the kitchen holding Bi pride flags as a large rainbow appeared in tne kitchen.
All of the Palismen watched as Flapjack pecked on the ground with confusion.
Behind them, the group was drawing pictures of their loved ones as they pinned them to a board.
Gus drew his dad, Willow drew both of her dads, Amity drew the twins and her dad. Skara drew her grandpa and her dad, and Hunter looked at the drawings sadly.
Luz and Cruz looked over the plans of the portal wondering if Cruz's blood would work for the portal. Suddenly, a possum burst through the blueprints as the Palismen began to chase it.
At the mall, the kids all opened the door to the dressing room as they came out wearing different outfits.
Gus wore a dark jacket with streaks of blue and a pair of jeans. Willow wore a derby outfit with a pair of roller skates and a helmet. Amity wore a goth witch outfit with a large hat. Hunter wore a giant Flapjack costume. Skara wore a red varsity jacket with a pair of goggles on her head.
Vee and Nero waved at them before shifting into their new forms. Vee had light blonde-green hair with her ears acting as the tips. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans with an orange sweater with a pumpkin on the front.
Nero had light brown hair with his basilisk ears acting as black tips. He wore a pair of black jeans and white sneakers with a dark blue shirt and red hoodie. Camila ran up to hug them both.
Hunter looked over a book about Witch Hunters. As he closed the bathroom mirror, the reflection showed Belos before showing Caleb and finally showing Hunter his own reflection.
Hunter was startled as he fell back clutching his heart. As Willow was passing by the bathroom, she noticed the light was on. When she took a peek inside, Hunter looked up to her in surprise as his hair was cut in a choppy fashion. As Willow began to cut his hair, Hunter blushed as he pushed the book to the side.
Back at the old house, Hunter, with his new hair cut, connected a jumper cable to the door as he gave a thumbs up to Gus and Cruz.
The Palismen began to run on hamster wheels while Cruz's eyes began to glow as he focused his magic towards the door. As the magic went to the door, it slightly opened the door to the cube dimension before bursting into flames.
Hunter recoiled back as Gus ran up swinging a fire extinguisher by the nozzle. Vee ran up and grabbed it before putting out the fire. Luz bent down clutching her cap as she lamented the failure. Amity walked up to her and comforted her. Skara walked over to Cruz and comforted him as well as he bandaged up his hand where he'd taken the blood.
Amity, Gus, Willow, Hunter, and Skara offered up some Demon Realm food as Vee and Nero both signaled not to take the food. Camila, Luz and Cruz looked at the food in shock as the humans looked at it in disgust.
Luz and Amity stood by the doorway as it was raining. As Luz felt the raindrop, she smiled before bringing out Amity's hand. Amity closed her eyes as she waited for the rain to hurt her before feeling its cool touch.
The two smiled before running out into the rain. Vee and Nero saw the rain before shifting to their human forms and running out there. Hunter was cautious of the rain before Gus pushed him out into the mud. Willow saw them and chuckled to herself.
Camila saw it before handing Willow a camera as she took a picture. Cruz and Skara looked outside to the other before Skara dragged Cruz outside as the two enjoyed the feeling of the rain all around them.
As Amity and Luz held onto each other, Amity created a spell circle as a light ball formed between them. The two held the ball before releasing it into the air.
As months passed, Luz sat in her room as she drew a light glyph. When she pressed on it nothing happened. She crumbled up the paper in frustration. She looked over to see her Palisman egg still unhatched. She looked out the window to see the school bus. Luz grabbed her bag before she and Cruz, back in his human disguise, ran up to the bus before heading off to school.
In the old house, the Demon Realm residents all were practicing trilling their R's.
"Am I doing this right?" Gus wondered.
"Tres tristes tigres comen en tres tristes platos de trigo," Vee and Nero said in unison.(Three sad tigers eat on three sad plates of wheat)
"Perfecto!" The tablet said. "You're our top student!"
"Hmm. I was the top student once," Amity said slightly bitterly
Gus and Hunter looked over to see Flapjack pecking around the ground.
"He's still doing that, huh?" Gus wondered
"It's been months," Skara said. She was wearing a pair of dark yellow sneakers with a spotted pattern on them along with the red varsity jacket she'd gotten at the mall and a pair of black ripped jeans. She was holding a bass guitar that Cruz had gotten her when they went to a music shop.
"He won't tell me what he's looking for," Hunter said as Camila entered the house.
"Hi. Ooh! I like what you've done with the place," Camila said as she looked around the room. "No more exposed nails or possum nests. But this still confuses me." Camila opened the door to see a poorly drawn picture of Hooty.
"Yeah. He still confuses us too," Willow said matter of factly.
"Hola Camila," Gus called out as he waved at her. "We're learning Spanish from this scary owl app."
"Hoot hoot! Practice every day, or I'll appear in your nightmares."
"Oh, okay," Camila said slightly disturbed. "Well, I'm going to pick Luz and Cruz up from school. Pop quiz. ¿Como se dice eso en español? (How do you say that in Spanish?)"
"Oh, oh! Uh... voy a… Luz… Cruz… escuela…?" Hunter asked
"Voy a recoger a Luz y Cruz de la escuela. (I am going to pick up Luz and Cruz from school)"
"Muy bueno! Keep it up," Camila said as she left the shack. As she left, Camila sighed as she looked back. "Ooh. I never expected to be a mother of nine."
As Camila left, everyone besides Amity continued to practice Spanish.
"Maybe we should take a break," Amity suggested
"A siesta!" Willow said
"Siesta!" Gus added enthusiastically
"We've been here for months, and we've made no progress on the portal door. We can't expect Camila to take care of us forever."
"In the meantime, we could pull more weight around the kitchen. My mustard ravioli did bring tears to her eyes," Gus said confidently
"Those weren't the kind of tears you're thinking of," Vee said
"Definitely not the kind of tears you want," Nero said
"I can help fix damaged clothes!" Hunter said as he held up a sweater with lots of patches.
"I can spruce up the garden!" Willow said as she held up a plant with multiple heads.
"I could play some music around the house," Skara said as she strummed her guitar.
A breeze blew open the door as Amity looked outside and stood up.
"Maybe we need to look elsewhere. There's an entire Human Realm to search," Amity said before flinching as Willow took a picture with the flash on.
"But Luz and Cruz have school most of the week," Willow pointed out
"And Cruz has meetings with those two scientist when he gets back," Skara said
"So? Let's explore the town ourselves. After all, Luz and Cruz went into the Boiling Isles on their own."
"If Eda came here before, maybe there were others. Maybe they left something behind we can use," Gus said
"Yes! That's the spirit! Together, there is no challenge that can hold us back." Amity's enthusiasm was cut short when she tripped over a hole that had been made in the floorboards. "Ow."
"It's a sign! We're doomed!" Gus lamented
"Come on Flapjack, this isn't funny anymore," Amity said as she got her foot free. She then gasped when she noticed something in the hole.
"There's something in here." Amity held up a red hexagonal box with gold edges and a symbol of some kind of bird on the front.
Amity opened the box and pulled out a small scroll. It had multiple symbols on it. "Hmm. Looks like a map?" Gus said
"Or a secret code?" Willow said
Flapjack landed on Hunter's shoulder as he tweeted. "Flapjack, is this what you've been looking for? What does it lead to?"
"That eye, it kinda looks like the old portal door," Amity pointed out
Gus and Willow gasped. "The portal door!" They both said before they started to chant. "Portal door! Portal door! Portal door!"
"Let's tell Luz and Cruz!" Vee said
"They'll be so happy!" Nero said
"What if it's just another dead end?" Amity pointed out. "They already feel responsible for our other failed attempts."
"Especially Cruz," Skara said. "He said that his job as a Titan to help us out."
"I still can't believe that Cruz is a Titan," Gus said
"Or that the little bird I tired to drown was a little Titan," Hunter lamented.
"Then… let's not tell them until we can figure it out. Using our… buff brains!" Willow said as she posed
"Buff brains!" They all said as they all posed
Hunter laughed awkwardly as he blushed a bit before posing. "Yeah!"
At Gravesfield High school, Cruz was sitting in the computer lab as he went over multiple notes.
"What went wrong?" Cruz wondered as he looked over the portal notes. "We were able to make at least a partial portal back in the Demon Realm. Was it the Titan blood?"
"Is the Titan blood you used that different than the one you used before?" Cruz looked over to the computer screen and saw the voice coming from an older man in his sixties.
The old man had a pair of square glasses with a slight crack on them. He was one of the few people that Cruz would consider asking for help. He was also one of the only two people who had any kind of experience with dimension travels.
"The Titan blood that I have in me is from a different type of Titan than we used before. I'm called a War Titan while the other one is called a Royal Titan. I sent over some data for you, Dr. Ford," Cruz said as Ford looked over his notes.
"Yes, you're right. It's astounding that such a small difference would make the portal act so differently," Ford said. "Given all of the notes you have compiled, it seems like you'll need something far more stable than that old house's door to create your new portal."
"He can't just use any kind of material either," another person said
Cruz looked over to his other screen and saw a young scientist with short blue hair and freckles.
"I'm not entirely sure, Terri. The old portal door was just a wooden door that folded into a brief case. I mentioned that we used another door back in the Demon Realm when Luz and I created the failed door."
"Right, the one that took you two to the cube dimension," Terri said
"I thought we agreed to call it the In Between Realm," Ford said
"We could just call it the In Between," Cruz said. "Back to the main problem. Are you sure that none of your previous plans can get us back there?"
"My portal can rip apart the universe if it's used," Ford said. "Not the best option to get back. And besides, it's random where you'll end up."
"Fair point," Cruz said. "Something about an evil corn chip with a top hat that your brother punched into cubes."
"Bluntly put… yes."
"And Mr. X and I still haven't finished making our portal. Not sure it's even possible," Terri said. "We'd need the power of the stones and to figure out what music notes to hit to get there."
"Right and the only people that know about the stones powers don't want anything to do with it now."
"Well… unless it's to get back to Amphibia to see their loved ones, I don't think they'll want to try again."
"Until then, we'll just have to keep using Belos' notes," Cruz said with a scowl.
"It still baffles the mind to think that any kind of human would be able to survive that long," Ford said
"And from one of the worst times in human history," Terri added in. "At least he's out of the picture now."
"True. All we have to deal with is a cosmic entity that can move the moon with a flick of their finger," Cruz said as he looked over to the clock. "I have to go now, Dr. Ford, Professor Terri."
"Take care, Cruz," Terri said with a wave. "If I find anything I'll let you know." Terri cut the connection on the computer as the screen went black.
"I will as well," Ford added in. "If you're ever find yourself in Gravity Falls stop by the Mystery Shack. I can offer you a spot as my assistant along with Dipper."
Cruz smiled at him. "I appreciate the offer Doctor. I'll make sure to stop by at some point to see what made it from the Boiling Isles to Gravity Falls."
Ford and Cruz cut off the connection before the screen went black. Cruz put his notes into his bag as the bell rang.
As the students all poured into the hall, Cruz opened his locker as he put his books into it. He looked into the locker and saw the pictures he had from the Boiling Isles. It was a picture of all of the Owl House residents together after the first day that he and Luz had at Hexside.
More photos showed all of his friends as they stood in the market of Bonesborough. One of the photos showed a failed experiment in potions class as a thick smoke that was similar to soap bubbles covered himself and Boscha with Skara laughing at the two.
Cruz smiled at the photos before closing his locker. Cruz flinched back when he saw that standing next to him was Juliet, the same blonde girl with a pink streak that had tried out for the play along with Luz.
"What is it, Juliet?" Cruz asked. "I'm a bit busy right now."
"It's about your sister," Juliet said with slight worry
Cruz looked at her curiously. "What about, Luz? She didn't get in trouble right?"
"No, it's not that," Juliet said. "It's just that what she said in class today worried me."
"What did she say?"
"We were talking about a journey of someone going from a regular person to a hero. Something seemed to set her off with that."
Cruz let out a long sigh. "Yeah I think I know what it was. Trust me it's some stuff we went through over the summer. Nothing to worry about."
"You'd be right it wasn't for the fact that she said that if her friends and family knew what she did they'd hate her. She also said it would be better if they never existed."
Cruz's eyes widened at what Luz was implying. "Thanks for telling me, Juliet. I'll talk with Luz about it. She has to know that she's got me to support her."
Cruz looked over to see Luz talking with a pair of students as one of them handed her a flyer.
"That's all you can really do. I'm sure your mom is going to want to know," Juliet said as she walked away
"Not too sure about that right now," Cruz said as Luz walked over to her.
"Hey," Luz said
"Whatcha you got there?" Cruz asked as Luz handed him the flyer. It was for Haunted Hayride.
"That looks fun," Cruz said. "Should we take the others? Might be a good chance for them to not hide their ears."
"You've got a point," Luz said. "You got a costume in mind?"
"I might. I probably have some old tech I can update to fit the theme. We should go, mamá is probably waiting for us."
"You're right, let's go," Luz said. Cruz looked over at Luz with concern trying to find the right time to talk to her.
In the car, Luz sat in the front as she was holding multiple containers with food as Cruz looked out the window.
"Do you think this food is okay? Ah... I wish I knew how to make demon food for your friends. Would they, um… prefer to drink blood?"
"Mom," Luz said as she looked forward
"Ay, I'm sorry. I'm just saying if we need to find a way, we'll find a way."
"No, look out!" The three gasped as Camila hit the brakes. The police signaled for cars to pass through before Camila drove off.
"Oh, it was so scary. It just came out of nowhere. That deer really spooked us," the woman said giving the report to the police. "Will my insurance cover this?"
"But, Mommy, it wasn't a deer. It was a monster!" The little girl said. As Cruz looked out the window, his eyes flared up as he looked at the deer's corpse.
Back at the Noceda residence, Hunter was using a sewing machine as Gus talked to Camila. "Thank for helping, Gus," Camila said.
"Anytime. Goodnight," Gus said as he got halfway down the stairs before jumping onto the sofa. "Whoo! We've got a big day ahead of us, so I'm gonna buenas this noche."
"Mm-hmm!" Hunter mumbled before getting his finger slightly caught in the machine. "Ow!"
"You good? That sounded painful."
Hunter scoffed. "I've been training in the Emperor's Coven for as long as I can remember. I think I can handle a little..." Hunter winced as his finger was hit by the needle. "…pain."
"Ooh. That went clean through." Gus drew a spell circle as bandaged up Hunter's finger.
"Camila taught me how to use this sewing contraption. Even Darius's stitches have never been this neat. Oh, and look at what I made!" Hunter held up a black shirt with a patched on picture of a pair of wolves. "These are mystical beasts called wolves, and… I love them."
"That looks great. You know, you've been smiling a lot more since we've been here."
"It's not like I don't want to return!" Hunter said quickly with a slight blush. "I just need a way to pass the time. That's all."
"No. It's good to see you happy. One of us might as well be," Gus said before looking at Hunter curiously. "What was it like to be in the Emperor's Coven for so long?"
"I trained a lot. I studied a lot. I wasn't really allowed to be around the other scouts. But weekends were nice. I got to leave the castle for missions."
"Do you miss it?" Gus wondered
"I miss… knowing who I'm supposed to be."
"I miss my dad."
"We'll find a way back. We have to."
"Oh, my Titan. That's a line from this book I found," Gus said as he pulled out a book. "Cosmic Frontier! It's a story that takes place… in the stars."
"Why would anyone wanna go up there?" Hunter wondered
"I don't know. Humans like spreading their junk everywhere. But it's a story of people trying to get back home, like us."
"Uh-huh." Hunter turned the book over to see the back of it.
"We got Captain Avery, Security Officer Quando, and… Chief Engineer O'Bailey who's hiding as a clone from the enemy planet."
Hunter flinched slightly as he looked over to Gus. "What, uh… happens to him?"
"I guess you'll have to find out." Gus opened the closet to show costumes and multiple pieces of merchandise.
Late at night, Cruz got out of his room as he walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. As he set the glass down he turned and flinched back when he saw Skara standing there.
"What's with people startling me today?" Cruz wondered
Skara giggled as she grabbed a glass. "Not sure what to say. I wasn't trying to scare you."
Cruz smiled as the two sat down. "Couldn't sleep?" Cruz asked
"Not really," Skara said. "How about you? What's on your mind?"
"Just been thinking about the portal and what to do after it's done."
"What do you mean… after?" Skara asked with worry. "Are you… not planning to come back?"
Cruz looked over at Skara for a moment before smiling. "Don't worry, mi amor. I could never leave you behind. I'm talking about how we're going to defeat the Collector. I'm also worried about what we're going to do about the isles. Even if Belos was trying to kill everyone, he still held power there. Now that he's gone, there's going to be a power vacuum that needs to be filled."
"And you know how to fill it?"
"Kind of, I think making a sanctioned government would work but we'll have to work out the kinks to make sure that everyone is happy with how it turns out."
Skara smiled at him as she kissed his cheek. "I was worried there for a minute. I wouldn't know what to do if you were planning to not come back."
Cruz smiled as he kissed her gently on the lips. "I could never make you go through something like that. My heart belongs to you and you alone. Now we should get some rest." As the two left to their rooms, a green sludge moved its way from the Noceda house back to the old abandoned home.
The next day, the hex-squad and the basilisks were getting ready to head out.
"Alright. Luz and Cruz are at their mom's vet clinic putting tiny little bandages on… 'hedgehogs'," Amity said putting air quotes on the animal. "So today, we're going into town to solve this code."
"Ears," Gus said as he covered his ears
"Routes," Vee said as she and Nero held up maps.
"Snacks, check!" Willow said as she held up the bag with snacks in it.
"Human disguise, check!" Hunter said as he was wearing a homemade O'Bailey costume. "Eh?"
"Oh… that is a look!" Willow said as she took a photo
Hunter walked between Gus and Vee as Gus and Skara looked at his clothes in amazement. "According to Cosmic Frontier, this is what the modern human male wears."
"Pretty sure that information is outdated," Nero said
"He's right. This was written in the '90s about the year 2008," Vee pointed out
"Yeah. Can't wait for *that* New Year's party," Hunter said
"And did you get to the last chapter?" Gus wondered
"O'Bailey is still hiding the fact that he's a Duplicant in hyperdisguise. But Captain Avery is figuring it out."
"I think he already knows but—"
"Ah, bup-bup-bup! No, no, no, no, no spoilers!" Hunter said covering his ears quickly
"Hunter, I don't think the world is ready for the brave fashion choices of the year 2008. Please change," Amity said as Willow quickly covered her mouth.
"Don't listen to her!" Willow said as Amity gave her a slight glare
"Aw, geez, we're gonna miss the bus!" Vee said as she and Nero shifted to their human forms
"Oh, it's okay! I'll catch up. There's a transport worm every half hour," Hunter said as they nodded before heading out.
As Gus left the house, Willow turned back to look at Hunter.
"I'm gonna borrow that book when you're done with it," Willow said as she made a finger gun and winked at Hunter.
As the door closed, Hunter blushed before taking off his headphones. "You know, maybe you're right Flap," Hunter smiled at himself as he looked in a mirror. "Even if I'm not who I'm supposed to be... I like who I am right now."
Flapjack then noticed something on the ground. When he got closer it looked like green sludge that seemed to move slightly. Hunter moved Flapjack back before sticking his finger into it to see what it was. In the mirror's reflection, Hunter gasped when he saw Belos' reflection.
As the group all went to Gravesfield, they made stops to find the answer to the puzzle. "First stop, The Magic Circle," Amity said as they went into a magic shop.
As they enter the shop, Willow, Gus and Skara are looking around the store as Amity, Vee and Nero ask the store clerk about the puzzle.
"Hey!" The store clerk yelled as they looked over to see Willow with a devil costume poking another customer while Gus was looking at gems and Skara was juggling skulls.
Gus knocked over the barrel of gems as Skara dropped the skulls. They all quickly ran out of the store with the clerk yelling at them. Willow came back and handed her a snail before running off.
As they all cut through the park, Willow, Gus and Skara stopped in front of a statue of two familiar looking humans.
They all head to the library as Willow, Vee and Skara ask the librarian about the puzzle. Amity walked over to the card catalogue. She greeted it but it didn't do anything. As she bowed to it, there was still no reaction. As she cautiously offered it candy, a little girl walked up to it and opened it.
Startled, Amity screamed as everyone in the library looked over at her. Amity's face turned bright red as she tried to run off but tripped over the candy she tried to offer and face planted.
The group then moved on to the Gravesfield zoo. They all linked arms before heading into the giraffe exhibit. Gus bowed to the giraffe as it was eating some leaves but it gave no response. They all shrugged before cautiously leaving. Willow took a quick photo which seemed to upset it as the giraffe opened its mouth to show multiple smaller mouths and eyes coming from it. They all screamed as they ran off.
They all took a break as they sat down near some concessions. "I don't blame our ancestors for banishing those guys. Yeesh," Gus said
"I'm gonna have nightmares about those things now," Skara said
"Dad, can we go to the bird hall?" A little kid said as they all turned to look at him with his siblings and their dad.
The dad chuckled. "In a minute. How about we eat first?" The dad said as the children cheered
The hex-squad all looked down as they remembered their own dads. Vee and Nero looked at them with concern before Vee sighed.
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but... I think I know where to go next."
"It's not going to be fun," Nero said
They all stood across from the Gravesfield Historical Society. The witches all headed towards the building with excitement as Willow stood back and looked at Vee and Nero as they looked at the building with nerves.
"You two can wait here if it's too scary. Luz and Cruz told me about that creepy witch-hunter wannabe," Willow said trying to reassure them.
"It's okay," Vee said. "We just faced down a giraffe. We can do this!"
"There's nothing that can stop us now!" Nero said
The two basilisks kicked open the door as they yelled out a battle cry while raising their fists.
They looked confused as they see that instead of Jacob it's Vee and Nero's friend from camp. Their nameplate read Masha.
"You're not Jacob," Vee said in confusion
"That's good at least," Nero said
"We can all thank Goddess for that. He got fired after he started making edits to the exhibits," Masha pointed to the side. They all looked over and saw that Jacob had put up a cardboard cut out of himself wearing armor with the caption "Local Hero: Humanity's Last and Most Handsome Hope."
Vee, Nero and Willow looked at it with distaste. "I work part-time now. Say, have we met?" Masha said as they got closer to Vee and Nero. "Something about you two seems familiar."
Vee and Nero began to grow nervous. "Uh, no. We're new in town. We just have one of those faces," Vee said before flinching slightly. "J-but just the one. The normal amount of face."
Nero facepalmed. "Real smooth there, Vee."
Masha laughed before sitting back. "What a coincidence, me too. If you ever need a tour guide, hit me up." Masha handed Vee a brochure as she had an awestruck blush on her face. Nero saw this and snickered at her.
Amity stepped forward as she showed the puzzle. "We're actually here to ask about this old puzzle. Do you know how to decode it?"
"Ooh, a rebus," Masha said as they took the scroll. "They dug up a bunch of these in Old Gravesfield."
"This is a rebus?" Gus asked
"Yeah. It's like a riddle where pictures and symbols make up a word. Like- Come here. What do you think they were trying to say?" Masha pointed to the symbols with the H and the ear.
"Chop off an ear!" Gus said as he pulled down his beanie.
"No. See the H that comes first? Then combine that with the ear and maybe it means 'hear' like, to listen. Or, 'here' as in a place. Maybe something is waiting somewhere."
The phone began to ring. "I'll be right back," Masha said as they left.
"If this is a portal door then what about these?" Amity said as they all looked at the rebus. "A-a ribbon, and… tanning a hide?"
"That ribbon is tied together," Willow said
"Next to the hand with a cut," Gus pointed out
"It couldn't be," Skara said as realization hit them all
"You don't think…"
"It's leading us to…"
"Tie tan's... blood?"
The hex-squad all gasped when they realized what it was. "Titan's blood!"
"Whoa… you guys are amazing!" Nero said
"It's like you're reading each others' minds. You must have been friends forever!"
They all looked at each other as they looked slightly embarrassed. "It wasn't always like this," Amity admitted
"We definitely had our ups and downs," Skara said
"These past few months have been weird but look at all the new memories we have now," Willow said as they looked over the scrapbook.
One photo showed them rafting. Another showed Luz and Cruz showing them a witch movie with their less than impressed review. Another showed Willow in the garden while Hunter was being chased by a swarm of bees.
Another showed Luz and Amity jumping into a lake. There was a strip with the Emerald Entrails in a Photo Booth and a last photo showed Cruz and Skara in a music store as Skara held a guitar.
Amity flipped through more pictures as she saw all of their memories in the Human Realm. The last picture showed all of them with the caption "OUR SUMMER TOGETHER"
"It's been nice to finally spend some time together."
"Yeah. I can't wait to show everyone at home," Amity said as she held the book.
"Maybe the scrapbook could use one more?" Vee suggested
"It's always good to have lots of memories," Nero said
"Aw, come here, you two," Willow said as she pulled in the basilisks into a hug.
"Everyone say, 'Giraffes are still terrifying!'" Gus said Willow took the photo.
They all laughed as Vee looked at the photo they'd just taken and noticed a map behind them.
"Hmm. Hey. That map of Old Gravesfield looks exactly like this. Do you think it's a map to a stash of Titan's Blood?" Vee wondered
"It would make sense considering where they would've buried it all that time ago," Nero said
"With that, we could actually create a portal," Willow said
"I can't wait to tell Luz! And I know just how to surprise her," Amity said as she held up a flyer for the Haunted Hayride.
At the vet clinic, Luz was drawing in her notebook as she looked over to see her Palisman egg.
"What will you be, little palisman? A bird like Owlbert? A cool bug? Maybe an octopus, so we can hold hands?" Luz turned the page to see a drawing of King and Eda along with a glyph in the center.
"Maybe... maybe you'll never hatch. And I messed up your life too."
"You know that's not true at all," Cruz said as Luz looked over to see him giving her a reassuring smile
"Thanks, hermano. But I'm not too sure," Luz said
"If anyone is more to blame then it's me. And you know that."
As Luz was about to say something, Camila walked into the room. "How's the lamp working?" She asked as the twins were startled.
"Just fine," Luz said
"Good. I'm ready to lock up," Camila said as she left
As Luz stood back up, she noticed that smoke had begun to come from the glyph that she'd drawn. Luz and Cruz looked at the paper in confusion.
Back at the Noceda house, Hunter was on edge as Flapjack chirped at him. "Did you know about this? That he was here? I can tell you're hiding something."
Flapjack chirped at him. "Sorry. I shouldn't take this out on you. I'm just scared." Hunter then noticed that Camila's car was approaching.
"Don't worry, Flap." Hunter grabbed Flapjack and put him in a cage. "If Belos is really here, I'll keep you safe."
As Hunter left, Flapjack began to tweet frantically. As Camila walked into the house, Hunter greeted her before Luz and Cruz noticed something what wrong.
"Hunter, what's wrong?" Luz asked
"You seem on edge," Cruz noted
"Belos," Hunter said as Luz and Cruz gasped
The three stood outside of the old house as Hunter held a leaf rake.
"Are you sure you saw him? I thought the Collector destroyed Belos," Luz said
"Yeah. I'm-I'm sure," Hunter said as he started to shake.
"Hey. We can wait for the others if you—"
"No! We have to take care of this ourselves," Hunter said
"Don't worry, Hunter," Cruz said. "I can take care of him if you don't want to face him again."
"Titan, I hate this! I was never scared as the Golden Guard," Hunter said before looking at Cruz. "Oh… I probably shouldn't say Titan as much anymore."
"Don't worry about it. Not like we're gods or anything. I'm not much of a Titan anyway. If I was… then we wouldn't be in this mess right now," Cruz said as his eyes began to shine lightly.
The wind blew past them as a pair of masks landed in front of them. One resembled King and the other Hooty.
"Then how about we bring back some of that masked confidence, huh?" Luz said as she put on the King mask and growled before handing the other one to Hunter.
Cruz smiled as he pulled out his mask from his Fight Coven days.
Hunter kicked open the door as he and the twins walked in. Hunter was holding the leaf rake, Luz was holding a red bat, and Cruz had his gauntlets ready.
"All right, Belos! What's about to happen should be relatively painless, if you just do what we say."
"That's right! So come out with your hands behind your creepy, dumb head!" Luz said
"Let's finish what we started, you roach!" Cruz yelled out
The three walked into the house as a shadow seemed to go further into the house. As they explore the house, they don't seem to find anything before they hear a rattling sound and gasping.
Luz pulled away a part of the wallpaper as another door is behind it. When they opened it, a flight of stairs led down to a basement.
As Luz turned on the light, a rattling from the cabinet started the three. Luz and Hunter held their weapons high as Cruz stood in front of them trying to shield them.
As they approached the wardrobe the rattling continued. When Luz opened the door, an opossum hissed at them before running out.
"Oh, thank goodness. It's just a little angel," Luz said in relief
"Not what I'd use to describe it, but sure," Cruz said
"No one's here. I guess it was just in my head," Hunter said
"Well, can't blame you for being paranoid after everything we've been through."
"Yeah. You know, I just wanna make sure everyone's safe."
"Same. And that includes you too," Luz said as Hunter looked over at her and Cruz in confusion.
"What?"
"Yeah. Gonna make sure you're safe too, Hunter. You're family now."
"She's right. You're someone that's important to us too," Cruz said as Hunter looked away.
"Oh." Hunter chuckled before he began to cry. "Ah, this mask is pretty gross now."
The three chuckled as they took off their masks. "Let's get back before anyone worries," Luz said as they began to head up the stairs.
"Yeah. Everything's okay. Belos is gone," Hunter said. What they didn't notice was that Hunter's shadow had horns sticking out of the top of his head.
As they entered the house, they saw everyone rummaging through boxes as Camila was drinking tea.
"Hey, we're back," Hunter said with a chuckle. "And we bought some, uh, cars." Luz elbowed him as Cruz shook his head.
"Luz! We're designing our costumes for the Haunted Hayride," Amity said
"Guess what I've got planned? I'm gonna be Captain Avery and you're..." Gus put on a pair of headphones as he handed Hunter what looked like a communicator.
Hunter gasped as he grabbed it. "Chief Engineer O'Bailey?" He began to fawn over the device.
Camila gulped nervously. "How do you know about Cosmic Frontier?"
"All the books in your basement," Hunter said
"Oh!" Camila began to laugh nervously. "Funny how things just show up in basements, right? Without you hiding or putting them there. Life sure is full of surprises!"
Hunter and Gus looked at Camila for a second before Gus smiled. "Cool! Humans freak out just like us."
"You've gotta show me those books," Skara said. "Cruz only showed me the first one."
"It's true. I only took the first one with me," Cruz said as he rummaged through the boxes and pulled out a large brown coat and putting it back.
"It'll be fun. We want to experience your weird human traditions," Willow said as she put on a pair of vampire fangs and began to laugh.
"Oh… hello trauma," Cruz said when he saw the fangs
"And I thought you and I could take inspiration from... Good Witch Azura The Movie 2: The Betrayanning!" Amity said as she began to play the movie.
"Hecate! I'll protect you!" Azura said
"Give her over, Azura. It's for your own good," Villainous Lucy said
"Never!"
"I could be the Hecate to your Azura," Amity said as she held up a drawing. "What do you think?"
"Oh, wow. Yeah, let's do it!" Luz said as she pulled Amity into a hug.
"How could you do it, Villainous Lucy? How could you betray your friends? Now everyone is gone!" Azura said
"It was for the greater good."
"We'll never forgive you. Never!" Luz saw the screen as her face fell.
Later on at night, Luz turned to see Amity sleeping and smiled before her smile disappeared.
She got out of bed before heading over to the kitchen. She turned on her laptop before starting up the video recorder.
"Dear Diary, all I ever wanted was to be good at something, to be around people who also liked that something. And when I found the Demon Realm, I-I though, Wow, I found it. I can learn magic. I can be a witch. I-I won't be the dummy in the principal's office anymore!"
"But I messed up too much, and put everyone in danger. Mamá says I need to learn from my mistakes." A tear fell down her cheek before she wiped it away. "So, I know what I have to do now..."
As Luz put her laptop away in the living room, she heard the sink in the kitchen. When she looked in, she saw Cruz sitting there with a glass of water.
"Hey," Luz said as Cruz looked up to her.
"Couldn't sleep?" Cruz asked
"Not really. But… I've been thinking about what to do after we get back to the isles."
"Me too," Cruz said as Luz sat down
"Are we thinking the same thing?"
Cruz thought about it for a moment before looking at her. "I'm… not sure. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking… it would better for everyone that I should stay here in the Human Realm… for good."
Cruz's eyes widened for a second before sighing. "Luz… you know that's not for the best. Ever since we found our way to the Boiling Isles, you've helped out everyone that you could. Willow was miserable in the abomination track. Amity couldn't get away from her mom's influence and Gus didn't believe in himself when he thought that illusions weren't enough."
"You helped them all out with finding a path forward. Hunter needed a way out of the Emperor's Coven and you helped him. Eda and King became better people when they met you and Lilith finally was able to fix her relationship with Eda and her mom. You've done nothing but help people."
"What about you?" Luz asked. "You helped out Skara with being a better person too. You made her realize that she was being a bully. You even made Boscha a better person. No one thought that was possible! And you helped out Hunter. You gave him a home at the Owl House and were always there for King when he found out he was a Titan. He was the last of his kind until you had Titan blood in you."
"But me… it doesn't matter how much I helped. I still helped Belos with finding the Collector and the light glyph," Luz said as she began to tear up.
Cruz sighed as he smiled at her. "Luz… it doesn't matter that you did that. We were both there. Belos was a manipulative bastard. He would've tricked someone else to find the Collector. You weren't the only option. And besides the light glyph. He would've found it eventually. He spent 400 years on the isles. There was no way he wouldn't have found it at some point."
"But still…"
"No, Luz. You aren't at fault for Belos' actions. You aren't responsible for his decisions either. He chose his path. He saw the same isles that we did, but instead of seeing the beauty of it, he only saw hatred. Whatever he did with magic was his own decision. You can't be responsible for what he did."
"And you can't either. You're not responsible for everyone. Just because you're a Titan doesn't mean that everything has to fall on you. We all failed that day. You weren't responsible for it."
"Maybe. But I still wanted to help. I need to protect you and everyone else. A War Titan is supposed to be unstoppable. I should've been able to beat Belos but I couldn't. I don't know why. If I had… then we wouldn't be here. Everyone on the isles would be safe and wouldn't be at the mercy of the Collector."
"It's still not your fault, Cruz. We can't rely on Titans for everything. That's like putting everything on King."
"You're right. But I still know what I have to do."
"What are you planning?"
Cruz looked down at his cup before looking back up. "I'm going to stay in the Demon Realm. I can't stay in the Human Realm anymore. I just… I don't feel too comfortable in the Human Realm. It's feels like I'm out of place here."
"But what about mamá?" Luz asked. "Are you going to leave her?"
"I already talked to her about it. She understands where I'm coming from. We made a deal about it. And once the isles are safe, she's going to talk to Eda about me staying at the Owl House. I'll still be visiting the Human Realm, but I'll be living on the Boiling Isles."
"So she's okay with it?" Luz asked
"She's not completely okay with it, but she's willing to try. And it's not like I'll be gone forever. I'll still visit most of the time. I'll just be a portal hop away."
Luz smiled at her brother. "If that's what makes you happy then I'm glad, Cruz. But me… it's better if I stay here. Especially now."
"And what about Amity?" Cruz asked as Luz looked away
"Come on, Luz. You aren't honestly telling me that you're going to break up with Amity. I know that you would be miserable if you did. I'm not letting you do that to yourself."
"Well… maybe she could visit me in the Human Realm? That way I could still see her. But maybe she wouldn't. I mean she would want to focus on her family instead."
"Doubt she'd want to leave your side. I know that you don't want to."
"You think she wouldn't?"
"I know she wouldn't," Cruz said matter of factly. "The two of you are crazy about each other." Cruz got up and left as Luz began to think about what he'd said and realized he was right. She was crazy about Amity and couldn't imagine her life without her.
The next day, Camila was dropping everyone off as got out of the car.
Amity and Luz had dressed up as Hecate and Azura while Hunter and Gus had dressed up as Captain Avery and Chief Engineer O'Bailey.
Willow had dressed up with the devil costume that she'd bought at the Magic Circle. Cruz had put on a black sleeveless vest with multiple pockets at the front and black pants. He was wearing a mask that showed a digital screen that matched his eyes facial expression. He seemed to have something holstered to his side pockets.
Skara had dressed up as a bard from medieval times. She had a brown cloak along with brown pants and a lute over her shoulders.
As they walked out of the car, they all pocketed their Palismen. "Make sure to help Vee and Nero with the trick-or-treaters. You know, they can be... demanding," Luz said
"Who knew five year olds could be so… dangerous," Cruz said shivering slightly.
"Luz, are you okay? You don't look so well," Camila asked with concern
Cruz looked over to her with just as much concern. "I was just so excited for this… I couldn't sleep," Luz said
Amity gathered the others as she looked over to make sure Luz and Cruz weren't listening.
"All right. We'll keep the puzzle a secret 'till the time is right. And then we'll tell them about the Titan blood!"
Hunter then turned towards the woods as he heard Belos' laugh. "Did you hear that?" Hunter asked Flapjack as he chirped while shaking his head.
"Hey, it's okay. It's probably just in my head again. Nestle down, Flapjack." Flapjack chirped as he turned into wood before Hunter put him into his clothes. Unbeknownst to him, Hunter seemed to have some green substance growing on the back of his neck.
"We're gonna have the best night, and we might even have surprise for you," Amity said as she began to lead Luz away.
"Yeah… me too," Luz said sadly
As they went through the carnival, they all stopped in front of a fake trial.
"I hath seen the Mrs. Smith consorting with spirits unpure", the inspector said
"Is this true, Mrs. Smith?" The judge asked
"Nay, 'tis a fool lie! Inquisitor Jones is tarring me a demon's varlet so as to take mine fields!" Mrs. Smith said
"Demon lies!"
"Your honor, I do object!" Gus said as he ran up on stage. "It is Inquisitor Jones who's in league with the dark forces!"
"Kid, come on, this is my spotlight," the inspector said breaking character.
"Behold." Gus cast a quick spell circle as he pulled away a his bottom cloak to show red goat legs.
The inspector gasped as he ran off. Mrs. Smith leaned over and kissed Gus on the cheek as he blushed. The crowd began to cheer.
"Why are you clapping?!" Jacob yelled as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd before trying to climb over the ropes and fell down. "These children are demon spawn. And they want your teeth!"
He snatched off Gus' headphones to show his ears. "Look! Look at his ears! He's from Mars!"
"Hey, lay off the costume, man," Gus protested
Two security guard ran up to Jacob and tackled him to the ground. A woman sighed when she saw this.
The group climbed up into a cart will hay as Masha stood at the front. Luz and Amity sat next to each other as Cruz and Skara sat next to each other.
"I hope you're all prepared for a truly scary ride," Masha said
"Make us cry! Make us cry!" Gus and Willow chanted
"Because there's nothing scarier than knowledge."
"Boo! Just lie to me!" Gus protested as the hayride started
"Let me tell you the eeriest unsolved mystery of Gravesfield. The Tale of the Brothers Wittebane."
The group all looked concerned when they heard that name.
"Wittebane? Isn't that Belos?" Amity asked Luz and Hunter.
From behind them, multiple lights flash as they looked. "The year is 1613. Two orphaned brothers arrive in Gravesfield. Their names? Philip..." Hunter and Luz are reminded of Belos. "…and Caleb." Hunter remember Belos flicking his hair in his mind.
"Oh, no," Hunter said with concern. Cruz lets out a small growl as Skara squeezes his hand reassuringly calming him down.
As Masha begins to narrate the story, multiple cardboard cutouts pop up depicting the story. "Caleb did his best to take care of his younger brother. They tried to fit in with this town, and its unsavory practices. They became witch-hunters!"
Multiple cardboard pitchforks and torches rose up. "Local lore suggests that the Brothers Wittebane met a real witch from another world! Her name was Evelyn. And the older brother was spirited away. She dazzled him with magic and visions of a strange yet beautiful place." A cardboard witch showed up as she showed Caleb magic along with an eerily familiar red bird.
"They used a secret code to travel between worlds. Philip set off to save his brother and bring the witch to justice. But neither were ever seen again!" The cardboard Philip was engulfed in flames as they all disappeared.
"Maybe Philip saved Caleb, and they went on to lead peaceful lives." Masha turned on a flashlight as they turned it to the others. "Or maybe he's still chasing his brother, caught in a cycle of horror and strife!"
They all gasp as Masha turned off the flashlight. "Sounds like big bro got a hot witch girlfriend and little bro got upset. But that's just me," they said casually.
As the hayride ended, they all climbed out of it. Hunter heard Belos laughing again as he looked over terrified.
"Luz! Cruz!" Hunter said as he grabbed the twins and took them behind the tractor.
"What's going on?" Luz asked
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Cruz wondered.
"It's him. He's here! I saw him this time. And it wasn't in my head after all. You believe me, right?"
"Well, how can you be sure? What would he be doing here?" Luz asked
"He must want something," Cruz added
"Titan Blood," Hunter said in realization. "I'm not supposed to tell. But the secret code that guide mentioned? It's a puzzle, a rebus we found in the shack. Amity thinks it leads to Titan Blood!"
"Titan Blood? Puzzles? Amity? Why didn't anyone say anything?"
"You guys found a rebus? We could've helped out," Cruz said
"You two and your mom do so much for us. We wanted to do something for you both, and she's gonna surprise you with it tonight."
"That is so... sweet," Luz said feeling uncertain. Cruz looked over to her noticing her nervousness.
"Hey, where're Luz, Cruz, and Hunter?" Amity wondered
"I saw them a second ago," Skara said
"We need to find the Titan Blood first. Just to make sure. I don't wanna freak anyone out yet," Luz said
"It's better to make sure of something like this so we don't cause a panic," Cruz said
"You don't believe me yet, do you? Fine. I'll prove he's here. Flapjack!" Flapjack chirped as he looked at Hunter. "Can you get the rebus?" Flapjack looked confused which seemed to irritate Hunter as his eyes turned blue. "I'll say it again. Get the rebus!"
Flapjack was startled by his change and flew off to get it. Luz and Cruz looked at him in confusion and annoyance.
"Hey! What the heck?" Luz asked
"What's with you?" Cruz wondered
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me," Hunter said as his eyes returned to normal.
Flapjack flew back holding the rebus as he handed it to Hunter.
"Good work," Hunter said as the three ran off into the woods.
As they were running through the woods, Hunter was following the rebus before suddenly stopping. The twins looked at Hunter in concern as he removes his bandage from his finger and sees the green goo coming from the wound.
"What the…" Hunter's eyes begin to glow blue again as he sees an image of Belos in the bushes. "There!" Hunter ran off desperately
"Hunter!" Luz called out
"Wait up for us!" Cruz yelled as they chased after him.
"Hunter!" Luz called out. "Think. Think. Hunter is following the rebus to the Titan's Blood."
"Titan blood that we had no idea existed until today."
"But how can we find the blood without him? Come on. We can do this."
Luz then remembered back at the vet clinic that smoke had started to come from a glyph that she drew. She then took a light glyph and tapped it. The paper crumbled as a small ball light formed and lifted into the air.
"Glyphs are powered by the magic of the isles, by the Titan itself! Closer I am to the Titan Blood, the stronger the glyphs become."
Cruz looked down at his hand as he concentrated. A small glyph ring formed around his wrist as it began to flicker before a small ball of light formed on his hand.
Back at the carnival, the hex-squad was still looking for the twins and Hunter.
"Luz? Cruz? Hunter?" Willow called out
"Did you find them?" Amity asked
"I didn't see them by any of the stalls," Skara said
"Calm down. They probably just went to buy some more cars," Gus said
"Yeah. Yeah. You're right. I just-I wanted to show Luz the rebus. Wait. Where did it go?" Amity checked her pocket for the rebus but found it empty.
They then heard Camila's car pull up. "Kids! Have you seen either Luz or Cruz? And had Luz… um, said anything weird?"
"Boom! Find a phone!" Vee said as she pulled her phone out and saw Luz's location
"I've got Cruz!" Nero said as he pulled out his phone
Luz and Cruz stopped in front of a graveyard that was underwater. Luz then slapped an ice glyph onto the ground creating a bridge.
The twins ran across the bridge and spotted Hunter standing near an arch.
"Hunter, are you okay? Did you see Belos?" Luz asked
Cruz looked down to see the rebus destroyed and wondered what happened. His costume was opened and now around his waist.
"Oh, no. Just my imagination playing tricks again," Hunter said waving them off. "Why don't you find the Titan Blood while I find my palisman? Little guy got… spooked off."
Cruz raised an eyebrow at him. He's never called Flapjack anything other than his name or Flap.
"Good idea. All this Belos talk has me on edge. But I hate to ruin Amity's surprise. I really appreciate that everyone wanted to do this. You guys are great friends," Luz said as she began to search around
"Luz, soemthing doesn't feel right. He's not acting like himself," Cruz said. "We have to keep our guards up."
"Have you found the blood yet?" Hunter asked as he clutched his hand. The green sludge had moved from his hand to the back of his neck and to most of his head.
"I'm on it. I just have to—" Flapjack suddenly chirped in fear as Luz and Cruz looked down to see him trembling behind a tombstone.
"Flapjack? Why do you look so scared?" Luz asked
"Luz… Cruz… didn't you use an ice glyph to get here? Your magic is working," Hunter said as he walked towards them from the shadow. His eyes were glowing blue as horns came out from the top of his head.
"For the love of…"
"Luz?" Amity called out as she and the others approached. "I think she's this way."
"Hunter?" Willow called out
"Cruz?" Skara said
"Guys, where are you?" Gus asked
"Niños?" Camila yelled out
Luz and Cruz stood up and were face to face with the possessed Hunter. "I saw you. Glyphs do work here."
"You. You survived," Luz said
"You're really just like a roach," Cruz said with a growl as his eyes began to glow.
Hunters eyes were blue now with green sludge on his face while his hair had grown a bit longer.
"I did survive. Thanks again for all the help, you two. But… I don't need you anymore," Belos said as stretched his arm towards the twins as they dodged it.
As Luz dodged, her hat and wig fell off before she saw Flapjack land near her.
"Flapjack!" Luz said in concern.
"Luz, you have to get out of here. It's too dangerous," Cruz said
"I'm not letting you fight this monster alone again!" Luz protested as Belos reached into the ground and pulled out a small blue vial.
"Ah. There you are," Belos said as he held up the vial to the moonlight. It had a cork in the shape of an owl.
Luz slammed down an ice glyph as a spike knocked the Titan blood out of Belos' hand. She launched more glyphs at him but they all missed as they went around him.
"You're not even trying right now. What? Afraid you'll hurt him?" Belos asked as he turned to look at Cruz. "I know you'd be able to stop me. Why not try?"
Cruz grit his teeth as he glared at Belos. "How about you don't take a hostage, you roach?!" Cruz yelled as he took out his staff.
From behind them, all of the others showed up as they saw the fight.
"Is that Hunter?" Camila wondered as the others looked at his appearance.
"Something's wrong," Gus said
Belos looked over to the other before smiling. "See, this is why you're so useful, you two. You're both so desperate to help people, you even helped me to meet the Collector. And you helped to make my staff."
"What?" Amity asked in bewilderment
"His staff?" Skara wondered
"You used my technology for evil. That's all on you!" Cruz growled
"I didn't mean to. I thought I was doing something good," Luz said.
"You *did* do something good," Belos said as he looked over at his body. "I thought this one was another lost cause. Because of you, we can finish our work as witch-hunters, starting with them!"
Belos stretched his arm towards the others. As it was about to reach them, Amity took out her staff and destroyed the arm. The other summoned their staffs and flew into the air.
Gus summoned multiple illusions of himself as Belos began to swat them away.
"Hey, Belos. Remember me?"
As Belos tried to grab Gus, he popped another illusion as Willow grabbed onto his arm and dragged it down onto the ice bridge.
Vee and Nero jumped onto the bridge. "Hand tight, Hunter!" Vee said as she and Nero began to drain Belos of his magic.
Belos reeled his arm back as he launched it towards the basilisks. "Vee, Nero, watch out!" Amity said as she and Skara grabbed the two and pulled them off the bridge before it shattered.
The witches all flew towards Belos as he reeled his arm back before swatting them towards the ground.
Flapjack turned into a staff as Luz dashed towards Belos and grabbed on to him.
"I know you can hear me, Hunter. Fight him off!" Luz said as Belos threw her off towards the water. Amity used her staff to create an abomination bridge out of mud.
Cruz spun his staff as vines came out and started to restrain Belos' arms. "Come on, Hunter. Break free from him! You can do it!"
Belos ripped away from the vines as Flapjack began to fly around him and started pecking at his horns. Belos immediately snatched Flapjack out of the air.
"That's right. You wouldn't want me harming your precious palisman, would you? Oh, but then again, I don't care what you want. Goodbye, Evelyn."
Belos sent a spike through Flapjack as they all gasp. As he began to absorb Flapjack's essence he let go with a grunt as Hunter began to fight through the possession.
Flapjack then flew towards Luz as he was leaking his essence. "Flapjack! Flapjack, you'll be okay," Luz said as Cruz came up to her to see if he could heal him.
Hunter groaned as his eyes turned back to normal. "You know what I'd like, Belos?" Hunter said with a groan. "I'd like to leave the Emperor's Coven and never step foot in that throne room again." Hunter began to walk towards the edge of the water and where the Titan's blood was. "I'd like to study wild magic, and learn how to carve palismen. I'd like to attend Hexside as a regular student and play flyer derby with my friends."
Hunter looked at the water and his reflection before grabbing the Titan blood. "But most of all, I'd like to make sure you never hurt anyone again!"
Hunter threw the Titan blood into the water with a grunt. "No!" Belos yelled as he jumped into water as he caught the vial but lost consciousness.
"Oh, no. No!" Luz said as she put Flapjack into her bag.
"Move!" Camila said as she dove into the water. They all ran up to the water as they saw the bubbles disappear.
Camila burst out of the water holding Hunter as they all helped her out of the water.
"Be careful with him!" Willow said.
Hunter's eyes snap open as Belos leaves his body taking the vial with him.
Belos formed on the little island in his monstrous form. "Caleb! You would stab me in the back!" Belos said with as he punched the ground.
"You did it to him first," Luz said angrily
"You have no right to say anything, Belos!" Cruz said
Belos smashed the vial of Titan blood on the top of the archway as it opened up a portal to the Demon Realm.
"This is for the good of your souls! You'll thank me later," Belos said as he began to step through the portal.
Before he stepped through, they all heard the sound of a gun cocking before a shot was heard. Belos felt his arm be shot off as he turned back. He saw that Cruz was holding a modified pistol. It was the same color as the J-Units and was designed to look like a medium blaster from sci-fi shows.
"I swear, Belos. I will hunt you down to the pits of hell if I have to. My face will be the last thing you see before you die," Cruz said coldly as his eyes were glowing with a hue.
Belos growled as he stepped through the portal clutching his wound.
Everyone was silent as Belos disappeared. "That's the Belos you've been fighting this whole time?! And why do you have a gun?!" Camila yelled out as Cruz holstered the pistol.
"Guys, Hunter isn't moving," Willow said
"Vee, call an ambulance," Camila instructed as Vee took out her phone.
"Do human doctors know about possession?" Willow asked with tears in her eyes.
"Or Grimwalkers?" Luz asked
"Possession?!"
"Grimwalkers?!"
"We should still call a doctor," Camila said
"I'm not getting cell reception," Vee said
"Neither am I," Nero said
"What do we do?" Amity asked
From Luz's bag, Flapjack saw what was happening and flew out weakly before settling down on Hunter's chest.
He gently nudged Hunter with chirps as he laid his head down. Flapjack began to glow as all of the others had tears on their eyes as he began to turn into balls of light that began to float into the sky.
Hunter's would began to glow as he woke up with a groan. "Hey, guys. Is everyone else okay?"
"Actually, Flapjack…" Gus began to say
"Don't. Don't. I already know," Hunter said as tears began to flow. Willow hugged him as she helped him up.
They all turned away as they began to cry for their friend's sacrifice.
"Sit up slowly, baby. Are you in pain anywhere?" Camila asked with concern.
"I'm okay," Hunter said
Luz began to walk towards the portal as Amity looked over at her. "Um, Luz. What did Belos mean when he said you helped him meet the Collector? I mean, that was a lie, right?"
"No, it was true," Luz said. "If it weren't for us, the Day of Unity would have never happened. There was this time pool, and Cruz and I met him. We met him when he was still just Philip, and I taught him the light spell. I introduced him to the Collector. I set everything in motion. I'm sorry, everyone."
"Why did you… keep all of that a secret?" Amity asked
"I was scared. I thought you'd all hate me for it," Luz said as she touched the portal. "Which is why I've made a decision. I think it'd be in everyone's best interest if I—"
"Took your mamá to the Demon Realm!" Camila said as she pulled Luz closer to her.
"What?!" The twins said together in shock.
Amity approached Luz. " I couldn't hate you, Luz," Amity said as she hugged Luz. "The fact that you still stand up for us means enough to me."
"Mis bebés, now that I've seen what you're up against, there is no way I'm letting you two go back there alone. It is our duty to help your friends get back to their families."
"But…"
"You were tricked," Hunter said as he walked up to Luz. "That's what Belos does. He tricks people. But if it weren't you, it would have been someone else, and then there'd be no one left to fight back. So let's do that. Let's fight back." Hunter made a fist in determination. "Please? For Flapjack?"
Luz started at him for a moment before smiling. "For Flapjack."
The portal began to pulse. "The portal's closing," Vee said
"Gotta go through while the chance is still there," Nero said
"My blood won't be able to keep it open," Cruz said
"Then we'd better head in," Luz said as Hunter headed towards the portal.
"Time to go home, Flap," Hunter said as he went through the portal.
Gus and Willow headed to the portal next. "Goodbye, Human Realm. Thank you for showing me your secrets. I hope to see you again," Gus said as he went through the portal.
"Thanks for the memories. We'll be back after we get some revenge," Willow said as she passed through.
Amity walked up to Luz. "Luz, I know things are scary, and I don't know what the future holds. But it would be so cool if you were a part of that. But no more hiding, okay?"
"I understand. See you on the other side. Promise," Luz said as she and Amity held hands before Amity gave her a kiss on the cheek. Luz then let go of Amity as she watched her pass through the portal.
Skara held onto Cruz's hand as she kissed him too. "Promise I'll see you over there?"
"I swear it. Like I said, I've given my heart to you. It belongs to you and you alone," Cruz said before kissing her on the lip. Skara smile before she passed through the portal.
"Here, you'll probably need this," Vee said as she handed Camila the bat.
"A-are you coming Vee? Nero?" Camila asked
"I don't think I'm ready," Vee admitted. "Besides, someone has to keep up appearances." Vee shifted into Camila and Nero shifted into Cruz.
"And Cruz still has some people to talk to here," Nero said
"Tell the staff I've gone home to see my abuela, okay? Carmen's in charge, Dianne has my schedule. And," Camila hugged Vee and Nero as they shifted to their human forms. "Thank you, you two. Are you two ready?" Camila asked as she turned to the twins.
"Are you?" Luz asked. "I'm not sure what we'll see on the other side."
"We can handle anything they throw at us," Cruz said with a smirk
"We're going to talk about you making weapons," Camila said sternly as Cruz looked away.
Camila looked down to see Luz's hat on the ground. "We don't want to leave unprepared," Camila said as she handed the hat to Luz. "A good witch always has to have her hat."
Luz put on her hat with determination as Cruz adjusted his mask to fit him. The three held hands as they all crossed the portal. As they cross through, the portal closed as Vee and Nero walked away and back towards the carnival.
"Shooot!" Vee said as she realized something important. "Camila still has the car keys!"
"Let's go see if Masha can help us out," Nero said, knowing that Vee would be happy to see them again.