Lumity Presents
It had been a few days since everyone had been stuck in the Human Realm. As everyone had started to settle in, Luz knew she had a problem. It was time to talk to her mom about something important. It was most likely the most important thing she could talk to her mom about now.
She had to tell her mom the truth. The truth about her. With Amity in the Human Realm with her, it was only going to be a matter of time until she found out the two of them were dating. She was pacing in her room with Amity, Skara and Cruz acting as her support.
"It's going to be fine, Luz," Cruz reassured her.
"Are you sure?" Luz asked nervously. "I mean, I know mom is a great person but this is a big deal."
Skara raised her hand slightly. "Question. Why is this a big deal again?"
"It's a big deal because we're telling Camila that Luz and I are dating," Amity said
"It's a little more of a big deal than that," Cruz said
"It's also going to be me telling my mom that I'm Bi."
"And that's a big deal?" Skara wondered
"In the Human Realm it is," Cruz said matter of factly. "Just saying, that's another point why the Boiling Isles is so great."
"True," Luz said. "But I still need to find a way to tell her about me and Amity."
The group began to think. After a moment, Luz had an idea. "I've got it! What if I show her a slideshow."
"A slideshow?" Everyone asked
"Yeah! I can show her pictures of Amity and me, then I can let her know!" Luz said. "I've got plenty of pictures on my phone."
"That might actually work," Cruz said. "I'm sure that would ease her into it and be a good way to show what kind of relationship you two have."
"So it's decided! I'll be making a slideshow!" Luz said triumphantly
"Slideshow about what?" Camila asked as she walked into the room causing everyone to panic.
"It's nothing to worry about, mamá," Luz said
Camila looked at her in confusion before looking over at the window and frowning.
"Cruz! Don't climb out the window!" Camila chastised
They all turned to see Cruz already had one leg out of the room using the window to escape. "You know… I have no idea why I thought this would be a good idea," Cruz said as he climbed back in.
After two days, Luz had gone through the photos on her phone as she downloaded them and created a slideshow using them all as she added her own edits from her previous experience. Now was the moment of truth.
"Mamá," Luz called out to Camila as she and the others were watching T.V.
"Yes, mija?"
"Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a second," Luz said
Camila noticed that she and Amity were both fidgeting nervously. She smiled to try and reassure them. "Not a problem, mija," Camila said, having a feeling about what it would be about.
As the three went into the kitchen, Camila sat on a chair as Luz grabbed her laptop.
"Now this slideshow will explain everything," Luz said before hitting play.
The screen showed a purple screen before showing the words: "Lumity Studio Presents".
The montage slideshow begins as it shows the picture of Grom before switching to a picture of Luz and Amity in her secret hideout as they happily discuss Azura.
It then switches to a picture of the two sitting on the Owl House's roof as they see a purple shooting star while holding hands. A final picture shows Luz and Amity happily embracing each other with a background of bubbles behind them. What they didn't notice was that in the corner of the picture was Hooty smiling with a wide grin.
A final slide showed a drawing of Luz and Amity holding hands while Luz held a Bi pride flag as they were surrounded by fish. The words "Hi! I'm Bi!" We're above Luz as an arrow pointed at her.
Camila looked up from the laptop to Luz and saw that she had a large open grin as she looked at her mom expectantly.
Camila smiled brightly as she held her cheeks. She got up and happily hugged Luz and a nervous looking Amity.
"Ay mija! I'm so happy you wanted to share this with me!" Camila said as she embraced the two. Suddenly, Gus appeared on the counter as multiple illusions showed up as they held Bi pride flags and ran around as a rainbow appeared.
"I love the presentation too!" Camila said happily
"I didn't tell him to do that," Luz said confused why Gus would show up
"Cruz told me to do that. He said I should wait until Camila gave her answer," Gus explained
"You're welcome!" Cruz called out from the other room
"I'm very glad you were comfortable enough to tell me, mija," Camila said happily as Luz and Amity smiled brightly at her.
"Now you have to tell me how you two met."
Luz and Amity looked at each other and were wondering what they were going to omit from their conversation.
Drawings and Blueprints
In the old house, Cruz and Luz were bringing in the blueprints that they were working on for the portal.
"Alright," Luz began, "We'll use this house as the base of operations for our planning.
"It's the best spot. We started our journey here, and we're gonna find a way back through here," Cruz said as the rest of the hex-squad walked in.
"Hey, guys," Cruz called out. "We're just getting all set up here."
"That's great!" Skara said. "We brought over some supplies." They all showed multiple papers and pens and markers.
"We also thought drawing some of our family members might motivate us a bit," Willow said somberly
Luz and Cruz looked at each other as they nodded. "That makes sense," Luz said
"We'll set this stuff up while you guys are doing that," Cruz said as he took out the laptop that he'd stolen from Blight Manor.
"Is that a new laptop?" Luz asked
"It's kind of new," Cruz said
"It kind of looks like Odalia's laptop," Amity said
"It is Odalia's laptop," Skara said as they all looked at Cruz
"Odalia deserved to get robbed and I regret nothing," Cruz deadpanned as they all shrugged before they started to draw. Cruz looked over to the Palismen and saw that Flapjack was pecking at the group for a bit before checking another spot.
"Hey, Hunter. Do you know what Flapjack is doing?" Cruz asked
"I'm not sure. When we came here to check out the house the first time, he did the same thing," Hunter explained. "He didn't really tell me anything."
"I'm sure he'll tell you when he's done with whatever he's doing," Willow reassured him as Hunter smiled at her.
"And we're done!" Gus said happily as he put up a drawing of his dad up on a bulletin board.
"Mine came out well too," Willow said as she put a drawing of her dads with the words, "We're fine, Willow!"
Amity put up a drawing of her dad along with her two siblings. "We'll make our back there. I swear we will," Amity said as Skara put up a drawing of her dad and her grandpa.
"I know you two will be alright," Skara said somberly as Hunter and the twins looked at each other with worry and determination to get this new portal working as soon as possible.
Suddenly, an opossum jumped through the blue prints and began to run around the room as they were all started.
The Palismen leaped into action and began to chase down the animal out of the house.
"What the heck was that thing?!" Gus exclaimed
"That… would be a possum," Cruz said
"You mean those things are real?" Willow asked with concern
"Yeah there's a few of them around here," Luz said. "They don't usually show up a lot but they usually show up either around bushes or in our trash."
"Should we be concerned that the Palismen are still chasing it around," Hunter said as they all looked outside to see the possum running from the group of Palismen.
"Yeah… let's go get them," Cruz said as they all left the house and went to go get their Palismen before they started a war with the possum population.
To the Mall
It had been about two weeks since everyone had been stuck in the Human Realm. For the most part, everything had gone smoothly. They were now facing a new problem. They were running out of clothes for everyone.
Hunter and Gus could use Cruz's old clothes. While Luz had enough clothes for the girls. But even then, there wasn't an unlimited amount and they couldn't keep just using the twin's clothes.
"Should we go to the mall?" Luz wondered as they all looked at her
"For what?" Cruz asked
"Obviously to get everyone some new clothes! They can't keep wearing our hand-me-downs!"
"You've got a point," Cruz said as he looked over and saw that Hunter and Gus were wearing what was essentially his closet.
"But we have to be careful not to spend too many snails," Amity said as the other nodded in agreement.
"They want some snails?" Camila asked in confusion
"No, mom," Cruz said. "Snails are what the currency is called over on the Boiling Isles."
"They've got a point. We do have to make sure that we don't go over the budget when buying stuff. We'll have to be a lot more careful," Luz said as Cruz and Camila looked at each other before smiling at the others.
"We don't really have to worry too much about it," Camila said
"She's right. Buying clothes for everyone isn't going to be a problem in the slightest. We've got plenty of money from the patents I've gotten for my inventions over here."
"Oh, that's right!" Luz exclaimed. "I almost forgot about those checks that come in the mail!"
"Let's head over to the mall and show them some good stuff from the Human Realm," Cruz said as they all cheered
"How are we all going to fit in the car?" Luz asked
"We could fly," Gus suggested
"Then people would notice us," Willow pointed out
"I've got a plan for that," Gus said with a devious smile.
As they entered the mall, the Hex-Squad all stared at all of the stores in amazement.
"It's just like having the Bonesborough market inside," Willow said
"It reminds me of the Covention center," Amity said
"It really does," Luz said. "I've never really thought about it that way before."
"We've been to one Covention, Luz. There was no way to compare it," Cruz pointed out. "And, Gus. Before we leave I've gotta make sure that you check out a book about birds in the Human Realm."
"Why?" Gus wondered as Cruz pulled out his phone and showed the group a news article about a group of pterodactyls flying in Gravesfield.
"Yeah… we should've made a better plan than this," Luz said.
After wandering the mall for a bit, the group made their way to the same store that Luz and Cruz got most of their clothes at.
"Alright, everyone," Camila began. "Make sure to find plenty of clothes that you like then head over to the fitting room to try them on."
With that they all headed out to pick out their clothes. After a few minutes of browsing, the group all entered their respective fitting room as they tried on their clothes.
"You guys ready in there?" Cruz asked
"We're ready!" Gus called out
"Time to start the Boiling Isles fashion show!" Luz said enthusiastically.
Gus was first as he opened up the door to show off a black jacket with blue highlights on it. He was wearing a black beanie with a pair of shades and brown pants and sneakers.
The second door to open was Willow. She was wearing a pink shirt with a rainbow on it. She was wearing a pair of roller derby shorts along with the skates and helmet with spikes on it.
Amity was up next as she wore a purple shirt with a skull on it that seemed to be melting. A pair of ripped jeans, purple shoes and a large witch hat.
"So what do you think, Batata?" Amity asked
Luz's face turned completely red as she began to stammer. "I-it looks…" Luz seemed to blow a slight fuse as she couldn't even look at Amity.
"Good job, you broke Luz," Cruz said with a chuckle as his sister tried to compose herself again.
Gus and Willow chuckled as they saw this. Another door opened up and they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Hunter came out wearing a large costume that looked identical to Flapjack.
"So, what do you think?" Hunter asked
"I love it," Willow said
"Where did you find that?" Gus asked
"Why do they have something like that?" Cruz wondered as the last fitting room opened up.
Skara stepped out wearing a red varsity jacket with a pair of ripped jeans, dark green sneakers and a pair of yellow goggles on her head.
Cruz's face began to heat up as Luz and the others smirked at him.
"Shut up," Cruz said as he looked at their smirks.
"Hey, guys," Vee called out as they turned to look at her and Nero.
"We wanna show you ourselves too," Nero said. They both went behind a coat rack before emerging with their new human disguises.
"We thought it was about time to have our own appearances here," Vee said
"This way we can go outside at the same time as Luz and Cruz," Nero explained. "So what do you think?"
Camila smiled brightly as she ran up to them. "Oh you two look wonderful! I'm so glad that you feel comfortable as yourselves now."
"Now, let's get Gus a book so that he can learn what a bird is," Cruz said as they headed to pay
Hunter's new Perspective
Late at night, Hunter took out a book that he'd bought at the Gravesfield mall. It was called "The Witch Hunters of Gravesfield".
As Hunter looked at the book in contempt, he closed the bathroom mirror as the reflection showed Caleb before showing Belos and finally himself.
Hunter yelped as he fell back clutching his chest remembering Belos' words in his mind.
"What a shame. Out of all the Grimwalkers, you looked the most like him."
Hunter was breathing in and out to try and regain his composure when he noticed a pair of scissors.
As Willow was heading back to Luz's room, she noticed that the light in the bathroom was on as she heard a pair of scissors cutting something.
As she peeked in she saw Hunter leaning over the bathroom counter.
"Hunter? Are you okay?" Willow asked as Hunter looked at her in surprise with his bangs being chopped in a misshapen direction.
"I'm… fine," Hunter said with slight hesitation
"Need some help with that?" Willow asked
Hunter looked at the scissors in his hand before looking back at his reflection.
"I would appreciate it."
As Hunter sat down on the toilet, Willow began to snip at his hair as she straightened it out.
"You know, if you need to talk to someone, I'm willing to listen," Willow said as Hunter felt his cheeks flush.
"Thanks, Captain. If… if you ever need someone to talk to I'm here for you," Hunter said as Willow stopped cutting his hair for a second before starting up again.
"Thanks, Hunter," Willow said with a smile. She had to be strong from now on, for his sake and for everyone's sake.
"And there we go," Willow said as she finished cutting Hunter's hair. "What do you think?"
Hunter stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. His hair was much shorter and he was missing the hair noodle. He smiled.
"Thanks, Captain. I like it a lot." Hunter looked at his reflection and felt himself going further away from Belos' grip.
First Portal Test
The Hex-Squad all stood in front of the old house as Hunter connected a jumper cable to the door handle.
"That should do it!" Hunter said as he gave a thumbs up to Gus and the others. Two generators were set up. One was connected to multiple large hamster wheels where all of the Palismen were getting ready to run. The other was connected to a large cable connected to Cruz's hand.
"I'm ready whenever," Cruz said as he held up a knife to his hand.
"Let's start it then," Luz said. Cruz nodded as he sliced his hand open as his blood trickled onto the cable feeding its way towards the door.
The Palismen all began to run on the wheels. Gus was slightly disappointed when his Palisman was the only one that stopped running when she reached the top of the wheel.
As the door began to power up, it opened up suddenly as the In Between Realm was shown for a brief second before the door exploded as it was engulfed in flames.
"We need the extinguisher!" Luz called out as Gus ran up to the door holding the fire extinguisher by the nozzle and began to spin it.
"Not like that!" Vee exclaimed as she grabbed the extinguisher and pointed it at the fire and put out the flames.
Luz kneeled down as she took off her hat and gripped it. Amity walked up to her as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be okay, Luz. This was our first test. We'll be able to get it eventually. We can learn from our mistakes."
Luz looked up to Amity as she smiled. "You're right, Amity. We'll be able to figure it out eventually."
Skara walked up to Cruz as he bandaged up his hand. "Are you okay?" Skara asked
"I'm fine. My hand doesn't hurt that much," Cruz said
"You know that's not what I meant."
Cruz held the bandage for a second before sighing. "It's… frustrating. I've got Titan blood in me but it's useless. A War Titan isn't meant to make portals, only Royal Titan blood can do that."
"We'll find something else that works just as well as Titan blood to make the portal," Skara said as she placed a hand on Cruz's shoulder. "If anyone can do it, I know you can."
Cruz smiled at Skara as he took out his phone. "You're right. I think I'm going to need a bit of help from some experts," Cruz said as he looked at the contact information he had for Dr. Stanford Pines.
The Experts
Cruz sat in his room as he set up a video call. It had been a few days since the failed portal test. He knew that if they wanted the portal to work, then he would need some outside help.
As the video call connected, the image showed an old man with square glasses with a crack on them. "Cruz! It's good to hear from you again," Ford said
"It's good to hear from you too, Dr. Ford. I know it's been a while but I need your help again."
"Of course, my boy! It's been quite a bit of time since you've asked for my help, but I'll gladly help you out with what you need. I'm not entirely sure what it was you were last working on."
"I need help with something you researched years ago. I need help with multiverse travel," Cruz said as Ford looked at him in surprise
"Cruz… has someone told you to help them build a machine to do this? It's very important that you tell me."
"A machine? No. It's something different that I'm trying to do. I know it's going to sound crazy but I'm building a door."
"A door? It would have no way to connect to what you want. There wouldn't be enough power to get anywhere."
"It's been done before. I have notes on the previous door that was built. I just need to recreate it. And I know the specific world that it would take me to."
"You have something like that? I'm rather impressed."
"It was an old door. Something that my teacher found years ago when she was younger. It got destroyed but someone managed to remake it and we got back here," Cruz explained
"Who's 'we'?" Ford asked
"My sister and me, along with a few of our friends. They're stuck here now and we have to get back as soon as possible."
Ford began to think before looking back at Cruz. "My notes on multiverse travel wouldn't work too well. The machine I built had a side effect of ripping apart the universe."
"Why would you build something like that?" Cruz asked in shock
"I thought I was doing something good. But I was tricked. That's why I asked if someone had told you about the machine. I was worried that he'd returned."
"Who returned?"
Ford was silent for a moment before speaking, "A monster called Bill Cipher. He was a dangerous and psychotic being who wanted chaos and destruction. And that's putting it simply."
"Sounds like a pain to deal with. I met one Bill but he was just a regular old witch. He and his clan were Titan Trappers."
"Wait, they were witches?"
"Oh yeah I should've mentioned that before. The world I found was one that filled with magic and people called witches. The main species are witches along with demons. It was a place called the Boiling Isles in the Demon Realm."
"Fascinating! I've been to multiple worlds but one of magic was something I hadn't seen before. What was it like?"
"It was amazing," Cruz said with a smile. "The beauty of it all was so breath taking. The Boiling Isles is the most wonderful world I've ever seen. The people there were kind and accepting. We have to get back now. They're in danger from a being from the stars. We have to stop them and get our friends back there."
"I'm glad you had much better luck out in the multiverse than I did. Still, I think I know one other person who might be able to help us with their experience. They were the assistant of Dr. Frakes."
"Oh, Titan. Not her. She's a crackpot with an obsession with naming things after herself."
"I agree. Nothing but a loon. But her assistant not so much. I've been in contact with them for a bit of time. They've dealt with some world full of frogs."
"I heard about that. They said it was a hoax but we both know it's not."
"Exactly. I'll contact them immediately. They should provide some good insight."
Ford began to type away on his computer before another window showed up on the screen.
After a few seconds, a blue haired person with short hair popped up.
"Dr. Ford! It's been a bit of time since we've talked. How have you been?" The scientist asked
"I've been fine, Terri. I have here another person that was interested in your research of the multiverse and your experience with it."
Terri turned to look Cruz. "Nice to meet you, my name is Terri."
"Nice to meet you too, Terri. I'm Cruz. I heard that you dealt with a world full of frogs."
"Well not personally. But I did help a girl to make her way back there when she and a family of frogs were stuck here on Earth."
"I heard about that. There was something about a frog invasion in California."
"Yeah that wasn't a fun time for anyone. Luckily the girl was able to push it back quickly."
"Do you still have the notes on how you were able to build a portal back to their world?"
"I do. But I'm not sure it'll work. We would need these special gems called calamity stones. And from what Ann told me, they were all destroyed. That's why they can't go back and see their friends in Amphibia."
"That's a problem. Maybe using the stones is specific to Amphibia. If I had to guess, I'd say that using Titan blood would work as an anchor for the Boiling Isles."
"You've traveled to another world?" Terri asked
"Oh yeah! Let me tell you about it!" Cruz said happily as he began to tell them all about the Boiling Isles and his and Luz's adventures there.
"So using Titan blood would work," Ford reasoned. "You said you had Titan blood but can't use it?"
"That's right. I've got Titan blood flowing through me now. It's changed my appearance but since I'm a hybrid, the blood acts differently than a Royal Titan. A War Titan's blood is meant to destroy not connect."
"You don't look all that different," Terri pointed out.
"Oh, that's because of this," Cruz said as he took off his concealment stone. A blue smoke covered Cruz before it dissipated and Cruz appeared in his true form.
"That's amazing!" Terri said. "How did something like that happen?"
"There was an incident and I was hurt. I took in some blood and became a hybrid."
"Maybe we could use your blood to see if there's any way to stabilize it and use it to reach the Boiling Isles," Ford said
"Good point," Cruz said. "Alright. I would appreciate your help in this."
"Don't worry, Cruz. We'll help you out," Terri said
"They're right. We can help you reach the Boiling Isles. With our intellect put together, there's nothing we can't do!"
Cruz smiled at the two. "Alright then! Let's do this!"
Music Shop
As Cruz was working in his room, Luz came up to him in a hurry.
"Cruz! We've gotta talk!" Luz said frantically
"Those are never words I wanna hear," Cruz said. "What's wrong?"
"We've been in the Human Realm for a while now and I still haven't taken Amity out on a date."
"Oh, yeah. You've got a point there. You did tell her that you would take her on a date."
"And what about you? Aren't you planning to take Skara on a date?"
Cruz's eyes widened as he realized that Luz was right. "Oh, crap. You've got a point. That's problem."
"Exactly! Now what should we do?"
"Well obviously we have to take them out on a date. We'll have to figure out where to take them."
"Double date?" Luz asked
"Let's not. I wanna take Skara to a music shop that's in town. I know she'll love it."
"You've got a point there. Then I can take Amity out to get some milkshakes at that parlor we went to."
"There you go. And they got milkshakes you can actually drink there too!"
"Alright! I'll go tell Amity!" Luz said happily as she ran out of Cruz's room as Nero walked in.
"What was that about?" Nero asked
"Oh, it's just Luz being excited about taking Amity out on a date."
"They haven't been on one yet?"
"Didn't really have too much time. We kind of got busy when the whole Day of Unity stuff started and then we got stuck here."
"That makes sense. I'm guessing you're doing the same?"
"Yep! And I've got the perfect place to take her!" Cruz said happily as he left his room.
As Cruz headed to the backyard, he saw Luz and Amity talking happily as spotted Skara.
"So what's going on?" Cruz asked Skara as he sat next to her.
"Luz just told Amity that she found a good place for their date."
"Well that makes two of us," Cruz said as Skara looked at her in surprise.
"Wait, really?" Skara asked happily
"Yeah. I found a shop you might like. I thought the two of us could head there before getting something to eat."
"I'd love that!" Skara said happily
The next day, the group all headed to the towns square as they began to look around the shops.
"Alright, you guys," Cruz began. "Skara and I are gonna head over to the shop over there. We'll catch up with you later."
"Wait. Are we going with Amity and Luz?" Gus asked
"Yeah I really don't think they'd want us to hang around them," Willow pointed out
"You've got a point," Luz said. "We can't just leave them alone either."
"Vee and Nero can watch over them," Cruz said as the basilisks looked at him. "They've got plenty of experience being human, and they can blend in easily."
"Yeah! Leave it to us!" Nero said
"We'll give you a crash course in human culture," Vee said
"So the Emerald Entrails beside Skara will go with you two. Try not to get into any trouble," Cruz said as he and Skara went towards the shop.
As they entered the shop, Skara's eyes widened in shock as she looked around and spotted all the different instruments all around her.
"Whoa! This is amazing! Look at all of the instruments!"
"I know right? I figured you would like this shop," Cruz said as they looked around. "They've got all sorts of instruments here that you can try out."
"Let's try them out!" Skara said happily as she and Cruz around the shop.
As they went around the shop, Skara played every instrument she could find as the other customers all stopped to hear her and wondered what other instrument she would play next.
"Should we head on back now?" Cruz asked as Skara set down a red bass guitar.
"Yeah. I think that's a good idea. We should meet up with the others," Skara said
Cruz noticed the look she was giving the bass before smiling. "Do you like that guitar?"
"Yeah! It's really nice! The sound is amazing and it feels so natural!"
"Then how about I get it for you?"
Skara looked at Cruz in shock before looking down at the guitar. "I can't ask you to do that! It's way too much!"
"It's not a problem at all, Skara. I know how much you like that guitar. And honestly I really wanted to get you something from this shop anyway."
Skara smiled at Cruz. "Then I'll take you up on your offer."
"Alright then let's go pay for it," Cruz said as they took the guitar to the counter.
After they'd paid for the guitar, Skara and Cruz walked out of the store as they headed towards the parlor where they would meet up with everyone else.
As they walked into the parlor, Skara and Cruz spotted the Emerald Entrails and the basilisks hiding by a booth as Willow held her camera.
"What are you guys doing?" Cruz asked as he sneaked up to them.
Gus slightly jumped from being startled before Hunter calmed him down.
"We just got here a little while ago," Hunter said
"Luz and Amity haven't noticed us at all," Gus said
"I think we've been spotted," Skara said as they looked over and saw that Amity's face was bright red as she blew on the straw as milkshake was sprayed everywhere and hit Luz on the face as she laughed.
"Well… that was fun to watch," Cruz said with a chuckle.
"You could've said something if you were there," Luz said as she cleaned up the milkshake.
"It's more fun this way," Cruz said
After eating, the group all exited the parlor as they began to head home. Skara grabbed onto Cruz's hand as he looked over at her.
"Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun."
"I'm glad," Cruz said. "I'm happy that you liked it so much."
"I really did." Skara leaned over and kissed Cruz on the lips before they continued back on their way back to the house.
River Rapids
It was a bright day as everyone was driving towards the River Rapids, excitement buzzing in the air like an electric current. Camila couldn't risk another incident with the non extinct dinosaurs so she'd rented a car that would fit all of the kids.
"You guys are gonna love this place!" Luz said. "Cruz and I have come here a few times with mamá."
"It's true. It's been a lot of fun every time we come here," Cruz said as the car stopped.
"Alright, everyone," Camila said. "Welcome to River Rapids. Let's get ready for an adventure!" From the parking area, they could already hear the distant roar of the river crashing against rocks.
"Let's go you guys!" Cruz said as they all headed towards the counter to get their outfits.
As they were all outfitted, Hunter had one thought. "Why do we need helmets?"
"It's just for safety," Luz said
"Are we in danger?" Amity asked
"Is someone going to attack us," Gus wondered
"Don't worry, you guys. It's not going to be anything like that. The helmets are just there to protect you from any stray branches. And that's also why you've got the life jackets. It's to make sure you float in the river," Cruz explained
"Have you ever fallen in?" Skara asked with worry
"I did one time," Cruz said as he remembered the time he fell in and was floating down the river like a watermelon. "They picked me up in about five minutes."
Luz and Cruz looked at the group and saw that they were slightly trembling from fear.
"Oh that's not good," Luz said
"It's going to be alright, you guys. Trust me," Cruz tried to reassure them
"They're right," Willow said. "We've faced a lot worse than this. We can handle this!"
As soon as they'd gotten on the river, Willow's confidence went away. "This is so horrible!"
"Why is the river moving so fast!" Gus yelled as he held onto the raft.
"I didn't prepare for this at camp!" Vee yelled as she crouched low
"This is too fast!" Amity yelled as she held onto Luz
"Whoo-hooo!" Luz yelled out in excitement as she held onto a paddle.
"Hunter put down the paddle!" Cruz called out as Hunter was looking around defensively with the paddle.
"I'm covering our backs!" Hunter called out
"I regret this choice!" Skara yelled out as she held onto Cruz
As the raft stopped at the end of the river, the group all climbed out as the Demon Realm residents all caught their breath.
"Yeah, sorry your first experience with that was so intense," Luz said
"But look on the bright side," Cruz said. "At least no one fell into the river."
"That doesn't make it better," Willow said as she climbed out of the raft.
"I did at least manage to get a good photo for you," Camila said as she showed the photo to them.
The group all smiled at the photo. "That's going in the album," Willow said as she pocketed the photo.
"Who wants to go again?" Cruz asked
"No!" Everyone yelled together
Lakes, Gardens, and Fireflies
After the incident at the River Rapids, the group had wanted to take it a bit easier. Camila had taken them to the lake to enjoy a picnic as the sun shined.
"It's such a beautiful day," Camila said as she sat down under a shade with Nero and Vee sleeping next to her.
"It was a good idea to come here, mamá," Luz said
"Yeah, we needed a break from the portal work," Cruz said as she sat next to his family.
"You've all been pushing yourselves far too much. This is important to refresh your brains," Camila said as they all watched Hunter and Gus skip stones by the river.
Amity, Skara and Willow were on another blanket as Skara was playing her guitar while the two other girls listened.
"After everything we've been through on the Boiling Isles, I'm glad we can have a moment to relax like this. Just to forget everything," Cruz said
"But we can't forget that we have something important to do," Luz said
"You're right. We'll get back. But for now, this is a good moment." Cruz leaned back onto the blanket as he rested.
Luz walked over as Amity beckoned her over as she laid down with the other girls. Cruz then noticed that Luz and Amity were trying not to laugh at something.
As he walked over, he held in a laugh as he saw the way that Willow was sleeping.
"We need a picture of that," Cruz whispered as Luz pointed to Willow's camera.
Cruz grabbed the camera as he took the photo as they all tried to hold in their laughter.
About an hour later, after Willow had woken up, Camila had told them all about a botanical garden that was nearby so the group decided to head there.
"It's so beautiful," Willow said in amazement
"This place lets you look around and also lets you handle the plants as well," Camila explained. "Lots of people come here to garden as a way to relax."
"That sounds like fun!" Willow said happily as she looked at all of the plants.
"I've got some hats here if anyone wants some," Camila said as she pulled out multiple sun hats from her bag.
The group then went through the garden as they looked at all of the flowers.
Cruz and Skara walked hand in hand through the garden as they took photos of the flowers and of each other.
Amity and Luz did the same as they also picked some flowers to take home with them.
Vee, Nero, and Gus stuck close to Camila as they all stopped to relax in the field.
"Look at this, Flap," Hunter said as he and Flapjack looked at a gold colored flower. "It says it's called a Daylily. It's very pretty."
Flapjack chirped in agreement as the two leaned into it to smell it. Suddenly, he noticed that a bee was flying out of the flower.
"Oh look, Flap. It's like a fire bee. But this one isn't on fire. Guess that's the Human Realm for you." Then another bee appeared. "Oh wow there's more."
Hunter's smile began to fade as more and more bees began to appear around him. "Uh… I think this starting to be too many bees."
Flapjack then chirped in alarm as a giant swarm of bees began to fly towards Hunter.
"Run!" Hunter and Flapjack ran as the swarm began to chase after them.
"Hey, Willow this place reminds me of your house," Gus said as Willow looked at the flowers with a bright smile.
"You're right! This place is really relaxing. It's so peaceful," Willow said with a smile
"How about a picture?"
"Sure, that sounds great!" Willow posed in front of the flowers as Gus took out her camera before taking a picture.
As he took the photo, Hunter ran past the two of them as he and Flapjack were being chased by bees.
"Somebody help me!" Hunter yelled as they all stared at him being chased by bees.
"We should go save him," Cruz said as he saw Hunter running towards the lake. "And that's not a good idea." The group ran after Hunter to save him from the bees.
After they'd saved Hunter from the bees, the group went back to enjoy their picnic as the sun began to set.
"Shouldn't we be heading back to the house now?" Amity asked
"Not yet," Luz said. "There was one more thing we wanted to show you guys today."
"You guys have seen some impressive stuff here but this is one thing you can't see until it gets dark," Cruz said as he pointed towards the field.
From the grass, the group could see green lights coming up from the ground and into the air.
"What are those?" Gus wondered
"They're called fireflies," Cruz said. "They have a special chemical in their bodies that cause them to glow."
"Why do they light up?" Skara asked
"It's usually to communicate with each other about dangers or to find a mate. It's kind of how bug demons dance to talk to each other," Luz said
"I brought some jars in case you wanted to capture some to look at them," Camila said as she took out a few glass jars. "Of course we're going to be releasing them after you've caught them. It would be cruel to keep them in a jar like that."
The kids all grabbed jars as they began to look around the field. They then start to capture some fireflies as they look at them in amazement.
"You know," Luz began. "When I first used the light spell, it reminded me of the time I held a firefly for the first time."
"You're right," Amity said. "It reminds me of the light spell. It's so beautiful."
Luz looked over to see Hunter looking at his jar in amazement. "It's amazing, isn't it?"
"Yeah… it really is," Hunter said with wonder
Willow looked over at them and smiled as she pulled out her camera and took the photo. From behind Luz and Hunter, Gus was holding his jar cautiously waiting for the fireflies to catch on fire. Willow giggled as she put the photo in her album.
Talks of the Future
Cruz sat in his room as he'd just finished up a meeting with Ford and Terri. The three had been brainstorming ideas for how to stabilize his blood to try and use it for a fuel source for the portal. So far, they hadn't gotten any favorable results.
"That's not good at all," Cruz said. "We still don't have a fuel source to use for the portal. I should've brought some Titan blood with me that I took from all of the J-Units." Cruz looked over towards J.J. and shook his head. "No point in taking anything from J.J., it won't have anything I can use either way."
As Cruz looked over at his notes, he knew that after the portal was done he and Luz would have to fight with the Collector to stop them from what they were doing to the Isles.
"But what about after that?" Cruz wondered. As he looked out the window he saw people walking down the street as he remembered his life up until this point. His inventions had gotten him some praise early on but then as time passed by, he seemed to get more people that were jealous and suspicious of him.
But the Boiling Isles were different, when he showed his inventions the people were impressed. When he showed more of his skills when making potions he was praised by teachers, Bump, and even Eda. The Boiling Isles had become a place that had accepted him and Luz for all their quirks and faults.
It didn't hold him down or try to stifle any of their creativity. It had easily become a home to him. The Demon Realm was the home of all of his friends and his girlfriend.
It was also where he'd found a second family. He still loved his mom, but he couldn't imagine leaving the Boiling Isles or any of the people from there.
"I think I know what I have to do now," Cruz said as he left his room to find Camila.
As he left his room, Cruz found Camila in her room reading a book. "Hey, mamá, can I talk to you?"
"Of course, mijo. What do you need?" Camila asked as she set her book down
"I needed to talk to you about what happened that day you found out about Vee and Nero."
"What about it?" Camila had taken some time after that incident and had gotten used to the idea of living with two basilisks. She'd found them to be rather sweet children and was glad to offer them a home.
"I know that Luz and I had promised you that we would stay here. And I know that it seemed like we stayed on the Boiling Isles just to get away, but that's just not true."
"Mijo, I get it. You two found a place that accepted you for how you were. And I was trying to send you two away to try and suppress that."
"I get why you wanted to send us there. We were getting into some crazy stuff. Luz brought in live snakes to school. I mean sure they weren't venomous but still. And I ended up blowing up a part of the school. That could've hurt someone."
"We've both learned that our actions can have some major consequences. We learned that when we got in trouble over there and when everyone got stuck here."
"I'm glad you two learned that lesson. I just wish it wasn't at such a cost. None of you should've gone through something like this at all."
"We'll find a way back to the Boiling Isles and put a stop to everything. But after that… we'll have to figure out where to go from there."
"What do you mean?" Camila asked
"I'm talking about after we've stopped the Collector. Luz and I still want to be able to see everyone. You asked us to promise to stay here in the Human Realm forever. But that's just not something I think we can do."
"Wait. I never asked you to stay here forever. I did ask you to promise to stay but I never said I wanted you to stay forever."
Cruz looked at Camila in shock. "But Luz and I thought… we could've sworn you asked us never to go back to the Boiling Isles again. Could something in the In Between Realm have messed with our heads?"
"Could it be something dangerous?"
"I'm not sure. But I don't think so. Still if you don't want us to leave the Boiling Isles forever then that really takes a huge weight off my shoulders."
"I'm sure it will for Luz as well."
Cruz slightly frowned since he knew that his sister was still blaming herself for Belos' actions. He knew that she wasn't at fault but… she didn't believe that.
"Mom. After we stop the Collector… I think I want to keep living on the Boiling Isles," Cruz said as Camila's eyes widened in shock.
"But… why?" Camila asked as she felt as if the room was crashing around her. "I thought you didn't hate living with me?"
"I don't, mamá. But since living there, I've gotten used to how life is there. I'm more used to it. And I feel more comfortable there. The Human Realm just doesn't feel comfortable to me anymore. You're the only reason I wanted to come back at all."
"But what about school? What about your work?"
"I can keep going to school in the Demon Realm. Luz and I have pretty good grades there and I've got a pretty good business going there with potion making. It's about the same as the medicines I've been making here."
"But what about seeing me and your sister?"
"We'll have a working portal by then. I'll visit after school everyday. I can do my homework here and then head back before the day is over."
"Where will you be staying?"
"I could stay with Eda. I've got my room set up in the tower and I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She's been taking care of us since we got there and honestly I'm glad that she was there for us. I don't know what we would've done without her."
"You really care about Eda, don't you?"
"Yeah. Luz and I have gotten closer to her. We started to see her as a second mother. There's no one that can ever replace you as our mamá, but she's just as important to us as you are."
"I understand, mijo. I'm glad that you were able to bond with her like that. It sounds like you've thought about this a lot."
"I have. And I just want you to know that no matter what, I will always want you in my life, mamá."
Camila then pulled Cruz into a hug. "Thank you, Cruz. I appreciate that. After this is all settled, we'll talk to Eda about you staying with her. I'm still not completely okay with it, but… I'm willing to try."
"That's all I can ask for," Cruz said with a smile.