Nero leaned his back against his locker and took a deep breath, doing everything in his power to ignore that time of year. Unfortunately, every waking second of the day was constantly reminding him of-
"Hey Nero, will you go to Grom with me?"
Nero leaned back against his locker and said, "No," to the Oracle Track student. "Now walk away."
"O-Oh...uh, are you sure you don't—" Whatever she tried to say next went unsaid as Nero glared daggers at her. Thankfully, she got the hint and left him alone. Nero tried to ignore Grom, but it was hard to do that when everything around him kept reminding him of it. Now that he had a moment to himself, he hoped he could get even a little peace of mind.
"Brooding again, Claw Boy?" Edric's voice chimed in from his side as he heard the locker next to his open its mouth.
"Not brooding, Blight. I'm keeping to myself," Nero said defensively. Even if he and the twins had mostly (not completely) moved on from the library incident, that didn't mean he no longer found them irritating.
"Translation: You're brooding and being more of an ass than usual," Emira said from his other side while playing a game on her scroll. "But I guess it's hard to blame you right now."
Nero didn't say anything, just wanting the day to end already. It was the same story every time Grom came about for the past few years; he'd do everything to keep to himself, a bunch of nosy classmates tried to ask him out, he'd tell them no the first time, then, if they got persistent he'd walk away and mutter, "Fuck off!" just loud enough for them to hear, then he'd get home and spend the rest of the afternoon staring at the ceiling of his room with his mom walking in every thirty minutes to check and see if he was okay. It usually ended with him just barely managing to convince his mom that he was really okay, even though that was a complete lie; he wasn't fine. This time of year was never a good one for him, given all the bad memories it came attached with. Still, even he had to admit that the self-isolating was almost as tiring as all the Grom decorum, especially nowadays.
"Moving on from that, mind telling me what you guys are doing for this shit?" Nero asked.
"Le gasp!" Emira dramatically cried in faux shock, "Interest in our personal lives? What have you done with Nero, imposter most foul!?"
"Really?"
"Come on, you gotta admit that was pretty funny," Edric laughed, with Nero sighing in defeat.
"Okay, it kinda was."
Edric wiped a fake tear from his eye and became more serious, "But in all seriousness, why the sudden interest?"
Nero shrugged and looked at the ceiling, "Don't know. Guess even I can get sick of keeping to myself."
Much to Nero's confusion, Edric was leaning in and getting close to his face, looking at him with a surprising amount of scrutiny, "Are you sure you weren't replaced by an imposter recently?"
"Aaaand now you're annoying again," Nero snarked and removed himself from his locker, walking down the hall as he heard the twins' footsteps follow.
"Anyway, to answer your question," Emira began, speeding up to his side, "Edric and I are gonna be going to Grom, as usual."
"Let me guess, the usual round of pranking?" Nero asked, at this point mostly numb to the twins' usual brand of mischief to not put up a fuss about it beyond rolling his eyes.
"Good guess, but no," Edric stepped in right next to his sister, "Cause we've got dates!"
VRRRRIIIIIIP!
Whatever shock Nero had was cut off as they all turned to the source of the noise; a younger student with a record player for a head. As two faculty members walked by, he let out a loud WRREEEK!, getting their attention, and said, "Sorry, I ha-SCRTCHH!" he adjusted his needle, "Allergies."
The two teachers helped the student to the nurse's office, leaving the usual buzz about Grom in the background as Emira explained, "So yeah, we're going out tonight!"
"How the hell did you two even get dates?" Nero asked, finding the whole thing absurd.
"Must be our magnetic charm," Edric said as he and Emira stood back to back, pointing at themselves with chins held high and some illusionary sparkles thrown in to make them look more impressive than they really were. Nero simply rolled his eyes in response, Edric looking to him and asking, "Why? Is it really that hard to believe we can get dates?"
"..."
"Oh that is just cold, even by your standards," Emira harumphed, turning away like a haughty princess.
Before Nero could give his rebuttal, however, the intercom sounded throughout the entire school, "Attention Hexside students, this is your principal speaking."
Oh boy, here we go, Nero felt his breath hitch as he looked over to the Blight twins. Though they hid it well, it was easy to see how nervous they were about being chosen to fight Grometheus. Hell, every student he could see looked like they were about to have a nervous breakdown. About the only reason he wasn't was because after that fateful Grom those few years back, Mom went to have a "talk" with Principal Bump. What that talk entailed, he didn't know nor want to, but it basically guaranteed he was never getting picked to fight Grom ever again. He didn't know whether to be pissed or thankful for that.
"This year, I have the privilege of bestowing our highest Grom honor to..." Bump paused, clearly for dramatic effect, "Amity Blight!"
"Wait, WHAT!?" the twins and Nero all shouted simultaneously, none of them really paying attention to the round of murmuring from the students around them regarding the "meat for the grinder", as they put it each year.
"Shit!" Emira whispered loud enough for Nero to hear. He looked over and saw her and Edric sharing to look of utter mortification, with her running a hand through her hair in an effort to calm down, which clearly wasn't working. Edric tried to calm her down, which was a bit hard considering he wasn't doing much better.
"Uh," Nero raised a hand and moved to them, not sure what he could say to help, but he could try, "Y-you guys oka-"
"Gotta go!" Emira shouted and ran down the halls, leaving Nero and Edric behind before she suddenly ran back and grabbed Edric's hand, "Sorry, but we need to find Amity. Good luck sorting out your issues with today, Nero! Anyway, bye!"
Edric yelped in surprise as he was pulled away in haste, dust somehow being kicked up from the clean floor in the process. As Nero coughed and waved the dust off, now seeing that the Blight twins were long gone.
Well, hope they can help Amity out, Nero thought as he walked down the opposite hall, knowing that at the very least, the twins had gotten better regarding their younger sister. As he ignored another person asking him out to Grom, he decided he needed to sort out his own issues with today. Scratching the back of his neck, he thought, Maybe I should probably start talking with someone about this? At least so I'm not staring at the ceiling or a wall all night.
And he knew just the person he could talk to after class.
Is it just me or is finding this place getting easier? Nero wondered as he walked down the familiar forest and soon enough found his way to the front of the Owl House, the annoying bird tube thankfully asleep. Good, Nero sighed in relief, Last thing I need to put up with right now is that obnoxious-
Suddenly, the door slammed open, Luz standing in the doorway and stomping outside. Nero waved and greeted, "Hey Luz, how are-", only to stop as Luz walked past him, looking rather pissed and muttering something about "fragile", whatever she meant by that. However, Nero's shock at Luz not acting like herself was rather overshadowed by the giant spider currently hissing at him from the back of her head.
"Uh, Luz, you got a giant spider on the back of...your..." unfortunately, she was already out of earshot and well into the forest.
"Boy howdy is she in for a surprise when that bug gets hungry!"
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Nero facepalmed and turned to the now awake bird tube, "Weren't you asleep!?"
"Luz woke me up when she slammed the door. It was super painful! Hoot!" Hooty chirped as Nero resisted the urge to slam his head onto the nearest inanimate object, mostly because said object was the door and that meant Hooty getting even louder. Thankfully, a blur of colors sped along the walls and now rested on the door, swirling into a familiar phrase.
"Hiya Nero!" Graff spelled out.
"Sup Graff," Nero greeted back as the living graffiti morphed into a handprint that he gave a quick high five to. Amidst that, however, Hooty stretched out and started glaring at the hand print.
"Get off my door, Graff!" Hooty hissed as Graff morphed into what looked like a sweat drop.
"Okay that's enough," Nero pulled Hooty away from Graff, "Look, much as I'd like to play mediator, I don't. Right now I was hoping to talk with Aunt Eda about something, so either of you know if she's home right now or?"
"OH! I know!" Hooty suddenly got uncomfortably close to his face, "She's upstairs in her room. You can't mi-"
"Thanks now get the hell out of my face!" Nero quickly shoved the so-called "security system" away and walked in, feeling like he'd beat the crap out of it if he stayed any longer. The loud whoosh that signaled Graff's movements followed behind him as he traversed the halls, as did the swirling sounds they made when shifting form.
He looked back and saw that they now spelled out, "You okay? Heard it's Grom season again."
Nero sighed as he walked up the stairs, "Yeah, that's what I'm here to talk with Aunt Eda about. Got some shit to get off my chest."
Graff swirled and shifted to a thumbs up before shifting again to spell, "Okay then, I'll let you two talk. Need anything, just yell."
"Thanks," Nero waved as he neared the door to Aunt Eda's room, Graff flying down the walls and out of sight. Taking a deep breath, Nero relaxed and brought his right hand to the doorknob, "Now or never."
Opening the door, he stuck his head in to see his aunt and King, the latter helping her with a brown tuxedo. Clearing his throat, he said, "Hey Aunt Eda. What's with the tux?"
As he walked in, she turned to him and smiled, "Oh hey Nero! Been a while. What brings you back to my neck of the woods?" she then gestured to her outfit, "As for the get up, I'm chaperoning for Grom this fine evening."
Nero tried not to flinch at the mention of Grom, but he must not have done a good job, since the next thing Eda asked was, "Let me guess. Personal baggage about tonight?"
"That obvious?"
"Kid, you may as well have "I hate Grom" tattooed on your face," Eda leaned against her drawer, "You want to talk?"
"Honestly, no," Nero walked over to the large nest in the room and sat on its edge, running a hand through his hair and nervously scratching the top, "But I've been ignoring this shit for a few years now. Guess I'm kinda starting to get sick of it. Can't exactly talk about it with Mom since, well, it kinda involves her, but..."
He looked up at his aunt, who understood what he meant and let out a sigh of her own. She looked to King and said, "King, mind giving me and my nephew some space to talk?"
"Ugh, when did you turn into a therapist?" King groaned as he walked out of the room.
"Hey! I am not a therapist!" Eda yelled back as King slammed the door, "I don't even have a license!" she turned back to Nero and smirked, "Well okay I have a license, but I stole it from a trash can, so I don't think it counts."
Nero couldn't help but let out a laugh, "Better than nothing, I guess."
"Anyway, what's up with you and Grom?"
Nero took a deep breath, contemplating how to answer the question. After a few seconds of looking to the floor, he decided to just rip the band aid off, "Around three years back, I fought the damned thing. Still can't stop thinking about it."
Aunt Eda was completely quiet, almost like she didn't know what to say. Next thing Nero heard was the sound of footsteps drawing near as his aunt took a seat next to him and asked, "What it turn into if you don't mind my asking?" Nero stayed silent for a bit before she said, "Don't worry, you have a certified Owl Lady promise that what's said in this room shall stay in this room. And yes, that's a thing I just made up."
"HA!" Nero laughed once more, feeling a bit lighter before remembering that terrible Grom night brought his mood down. Seeing as he was already this far in, he answered, "First it turned into a few monsters I'd fought when I snuck out. Nothing too bad apart from the Slitherbeast that slashed my arm," he absentmindedly rubbed at the limb in question, "Then it turned into-" Nero slammed his eyes shut, hating even thinking about it, but he took a deep breath and said, "It turned into Mom."
"Oh," came Eda's only response.
"She, or it, or whatever, started yelling at me for lying to her, going behind her back and putting myself in danger. Next thing you know, it turned into an ugly ass parody of her and started hunting me all over the arena," Nero continued, noting for as much as he hated remembering that day, talking about it was slowly becoming easier.
"But you did tell that fear to screw itself and beat it, right?" Eda asked, "I mean, you probably wouldn't be here otherwise if the opposite happened."
Nero shook his head, "No, I lucked out when I tried to fight it. It was a fluke, and I still can't get over that whole fiasco. I mean, that was years ago, so why can't I just let it go already!"
Once again, silence, which was starting to become a pattern at this point. Nero continued to keep his gaze on the floor, feeling too pathetic to look up. However, he felt a surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulder and brought himself to look to his aunt, who gave him a sad, understanding smile.
"Nero, I think I'm kinda getting a picture for what's going on," Aunt Eda said, "Now I'm just spit-balling here, but maybe, just maybe, you're not as a-okay with going behind Lily's back as you wish you were?"
"What? I-" Nero wanted to rebuttal, but instead wound up biting his own tongue and looking back down. Running a hand through his hair, he replied, "I don't know. Not like I like lying to her, but...I mean, I like going out and fighting monsters; the adrenaline, feeling like every blood vessel's on fire, cutting loose whatever pent up aggression I have in a no-holds barred battle with everything on the line. I like all that, and Mom's-" he sighed, "I don't want to disappoint her."
"Hey, I get it. Much as I have issues with her, I don't like making my mom upset either," Eda admitted, letting go of his shoulder, "Gonna be honest, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say here. Wish I knew what to tell you, but this whole thing feels a bit too much even for a witch of such renown as myself."
Nero snorted, "Guess there are some things that not even the, quote, "Most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles", endquote, can handle, huh?"
"To my everlasting shame, it appears so," Eda snarked back.
"It's fine. Honestly, it just feels good getting all that out," Nero admitted before leaning back into the nest and staring at the ceiling, letting himself get lost in thought. Aunt Eda was quiet and out of sight, seemingly letting him get some peace of mind now that he aired the problem out. He raised his right hand up and looked at it, flexing his fingers as he remembered the day he received the new appendage and how protective his mother become of him after the fact. It still annoyed him, but over the years, he did start to get it on some level, despite said annoyance never fully going away, yet it always made him feel pathetic. He could handle himself and didn't need to be coddled, and he just wished it felt like his mom could see that. If she knew what he could do, she'd probably be more willing to let him fight his own battles.
Maybe that was the issue? That he needed to open up about this to her? He didn't want to, as while he didn't know what Mom's exact reaction would be, he knew it wouldn't be good. But the fear that haunted him, that was brought to the forefront at Grom, stemmed from her finding out. He was able to come here and open up, so if he could manage that, then maybe he could rip this band aid off for good by talking about it with the one person he most certainly didn't want to? Before he could wonder any further, a loud snapping rang in his ears.
"Kid, you there?" Nero blinked and saw his aunt waving a hand in his face.
"Yeah, I'm still here," Nero replied and sat up, "Thanks for the talk."
She shrugged, "Didn't do much."
"I'd say being willing to listen to me bitch and moan about my problems is enough."
"You guys done?" King's voice came from the door. They looked to see the self-proclaimed "King of Demons", who was tapping his foot impatiently, "Cause of you are, I gotta get back to helping Eda with her suit. The sooner that's done, the sooner I can practice my fight commentary."
"Yeesh, you really need to learn patience," Eda derided.
"Start teaching some, and maybe I will," King fired back.
Nero snickered as he watched his aunt slap her own face, "Why do I keep setting myself up like this?"
"Think I'll head out. Don't want Mom to start getting suspicious," Nero stood up and stretched, walking past King as he looked back one last time, "See you later, Aunt Eda."
"See ya later, Nero!" she waved back just as he walked down the halls and down the stairs. The whole way through the house, he wondered if telling his mom the truth was a good idea. It seemed like the best way to handle his fears, but he didn't know if he could go through with it. As he was about to reach the front door, it slammed open and in ran Luz, seeming much chipper than before.
"Alright, gotta find-WHOAH!" Luz skidded to a halt right in front of him and fell to the floor.
"Luz! You okay?" Nero held out his hand and helped her up.
"Yeah! Just gotta go and get ready for Grom!"
"You're going too?" Nero asked.
"Not just that," she replied, sounding almost excited, "I was talking with Amity, and I decided I'm taking over as Grom Queen. Now she doesn't have to fight!"
"...what?"
Nero stood outside the Owl House just a few feet away from the front door, Hooty thankfully not bothering him this time, though that probably had to do with the headphones he was bopping to. Nero didn't know what the music was, only hearing the lyric "Bang! Bang! Bang! Pull my devil trigger!" when he exited the house originally after failing to convince Luz that what she was doing was a bad idea.
Unfortunately, Luz was dead set on going through with this, and nothing he tried deterred her in the slightest. So, after learning that Amity went to get her siblings to help train Luz for the fight, he offered to help too. Though part of that was admittedly because the more he tried to convince her otherwise, the more he sounded like Mom.
And so he waited for the Blights, all while tapping his foot impatiently. Luz, for her part, was back in her room discussing with Graff what she would wear to Grom. Aunt Eda and King were likely still preparing for Grom in their own ways, but he didn't know if Luz told them about what she was doing. Something in his gut told him she didn't though. And boy does that sound painfully familiar, doesn't it? He pinched the bridge of his nose at that thought.
"Hey Nero!" The simultaneous voices of the twins came in as he looked up to see them walking alongside Amity, who looked up at the house rather worriedly.
"Sup," Nero halfheartedly waved back.
"Luz's inside, right?" Amity asked, but before Nero could answer, Hooty stretched right past him, knocking the headphones to the floor, and got way too close to Amity's face.
"She's upstairs, two doors to the left! Can't miss her. HOOT!" Hooty annoyingly answered, "By the way Amity, did you kno-"
"Get the FU-" Amity took a deep breath and said, "Listen you Bird Tube...thing. Get out of my face before I snap your neck. Assuming you even have one."
"Sure I do, it's-"
"NOW!"
"Okay!" Hooty retracted back to the door, leaving the twins confused while Amity, who now had several feathers in her hair, quietly seethed at the house demon.
"Yeah, he's like that," Nero said, sharing Amity's frustration with Hooty.
"Eh, doesn't seem that bad to me," Emira shrugged.
"He actually kind of looks fun to be around," Edric added as Nero and Amity facepalmed.
"Of course you two would think that," Nero groaned.
"I'm gonna go get Luz," Amity interrupted, calming down a bit, "Wait here, I'll be right back."
Amity ran inside just Emira tapped Nero's shoulder, getting his attention, "By the way," she said, "Edric and I called your mom and told her you'd be hanging out with us, so hopefully that won't be an issue while we're here."
"Personally don't think it'd be an issue anyway," Edric added, hands relaxed behind his head, "Don't think this'll take that long anyway."
"Thanks," Nero nodded, though whatever relief he had at the news faltered just a bit, reminded of what he was stuck on earlier. He needed to get his mind off it, mostly because he had to help Luz prepare for her fight and definitely not because he wanted to avoid the topic for the time being. Suddenly he heard a faint music and looked down in its direction, seeing the headphones Hooty had dropped and didn't bother picking up for some reason. He walked over and picked them up, the music getting louder and rather infectious.
"Whatcha listenin' too?" Emira asked as he heard hers and Edric's footsteps walk up to his left and right respectively.
"Something Hooty was listening to earlier," Nero said as he put the headphones on, figuring if nothing else, it'd make for a good distraction while waiting for Luz and Amity.
"The darkness of night falls around my soul, and the hunter within loses control!"
"Gotta let it out, gotta let it out. Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!"
"This demon inside has ahold of me, clenching its power, trying to break free."
"Gotta let it out, gotta let it out. Gotta let it out, gotta let it out!"
Nero's eyes widened as he bopped his head, Holy shit, this is fucking awesome! He then closed his eyes and strummed his hands in the air, imagining that he was playing the guitar. The beat and energy of the song was thrilling, almost as much as when he got to just be himself and do what he loved most. Hell, he even imagined it playing in his mind during all his prior battles. Though he certainly didn't remember the echoing of his name in any of them. Not to mention it was getting louder and-
"NERO!" suddenly the headphones were knocked away and he looked down to see a rather annoyed Amity. His eyes scanned his surroundings and he saw Luz and the twins staring at him, the latter two outright laughing while Luz was holding back snickers.
"Never seen you get that into music, Claw Boy!" Edric guffawed as Nero felt his face heat up in a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Shut up!" he snarled back, which only seemed to make them laugh harder.
"AHEM!" Amity shouted and got between all of them, "Could all of you please focus!?"
"Ugh, fine, you big worry wort," Emira groaned alongside Edric as Nero calmed down, though not before he felt something peck at his back. Turning, he looked and saw Hooty stretched out again, only covered in bruises, bandages, and an eyepatch over his right eye.
"Hiya Nero!" Hooty chirped in a strained voice, "Can I please have my headphones back? Owwww..."
"Uh...s-sure," Nero replied, still surprised by Hooty's sudden injuries, and walked over to where the headphones fell. He picked them up, still finding them playing the song, and handed it back to Hooty, who thanked him and returned to the door, bopping up and down despite the bruises. Nero walked back to the twins as Amity started explaining Grom to Luz and whispered, "The hell happened to him?"
"Mittens happened," Emira whispered back.
"Ah," Nero nodded, turning his attention back to Luz and Amity.
"Grom will transform into your darkest fears," Amity explained, pacing back and forth before stopping and asking, "What are you afraid of?"
Luz looked down in thought as Nero, Edric, and Emira surrounded her in anticipation. Edric perked up and said, "Maybe it'd help if we told you our greatest fears? Mine's being alone forever."
"And mine's being stuck with you forever," Emira bluntly stated, much to her twin's disappointment.
"Mine's..." Nero stopped himself, rubbing the back of his neck. While he could be more open with Luz than most, he wasn't sure on going into detail on something that personal, especially today. Still, given that she was now looking at him expectantly, he had to give her something, "Uh, it had antlers and a shit load of creepy blue eyes."
"Huh, monster you fought?" Luz asked.
"You could say that," Nero lied.
"Sorry you all had to bring it up, but it's okay!" Luz pulled out a sheet of paper, "I made a list of the things that scare me, so that should make things easier."
Amity snatched the paper and they all gathered to look around. Nero raised an eyebrow as he read the contents, "Luz, these things don't sound like real fears."
"Hey! They're real for me!" Luz protested, "You've never gone through the horror of debating with online jerks or reading about human souls trapped in cat bodies, so how would you know they aren't scary?"
"Because I think I can recognize a fake out when I see it."
"Eh," Luz gave them all a puzzled look.
"Luz," Nero sighed and walked up to her, "Grom's a tricky bastard to fight. It works by getting its prey to let their guard down with smaller, lesser fears. Once that's done and over with, it'll pull out the real nightmares."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Luz said, causing Nero's mind to flash to that terrible Grom night all over again. However, she must have seen this, as Nero immediately heard her say, "Sorry! I didn't know it was-"
"It's fine, Luz. Just forget it."
"Nero, why don't you sit the rest of this out?" Emira said, walking up and placing a hand on his shoulder, "You go somewhere to be angsty and we'll finish up Luz's training for tonight, m'kay?"
"I am not being angsty!"
"And that's exactly what someone being angsty would say," Edric snarked before becoming more sympathetic, "Look, piling your issues on top of helping Luz prepare isn't really a good combo, so best leave it to those without Grom baggage for now."
Nero glared at the two for a brief second before relenting. With a slight huff, he headed inside just as Amity started talking to Luz again. Whatever she was saying, he couldn't hear as he walked up the steps and made his way down the halls, mostly to absentmindedly look around the place.
"So Graff, what do ya think?" Nero heard as he walked past his aunt's room. Backing up and poking his head, he saw her talking with Graff while she was gesturing to her completed tuxedo. Graff swirled to form a thumbs up alongside "Looking good, Mom!", much to Eda's annoyance as she rolled her eyes. Nero chuckled a tad, which drew both their attention.
"Howdy, oh nephew of mine," Eda greeted while Graff turned into a hand and waved, "I thought you went home already."
"Was about to, but then Luz came in and we're helping her train to fight Grom," Nero answered before shrugging, "Or at least I was, but the Blights are handling it now."
"Wait, back up," Aunt Eda walked over to him with wide eyes as she grabbed his shoulders, "Luz is doing WHAT NOW!?"
"Wait, you didn't know that?" Nero asked, now equally surprised.
"NOOOOO!" Luz's muffled cries of terror sounded through the house's walls, leaving Eda, Nero, and Graff in silence.
"I'll be right back," his aunt moved him aside and ran down the halls. As he heard the front door slam open, Nero walked up to the bedroom window and opened it to see Luz in a baby stool sitting in the shadow of a gargantuan illusion of Eda. Graff glided across the window right next to him and shifted form.
"What I miss?" they spelled out.
"I don't know, honestly," Nero shrugged, not sure what he missed regarding Luz's training after he went inside. He listened to Luz and Aunt Eda argue, the latter saying that she couldn't fight Grom and that she was in over her head while the former rebutted that she'll be fighting Grom no matter what. As he watched, Nero couldn't help but find the entire scene familiar; a fourteen-year-old arguing against a protective parent when said parent voiced doubt in their ability to fight Grom. Only this time the parent was more accepting a lot faster while the child was more confident and genuinely happy, not to mention waving up at him and calling out-wait, what?
"Nero!" he blinked as Luz yelled louder, "I think we're all set!"
"Wait, that fast!?"
"No! But since we're out of time, it'll have to do!" Amity answered, "So we're all heading home to get ready!"
"Oh."
"You should probably head home too, kid!" Eda waved her hand and Nero felt something poke behind him. He turned and saw his aunt's staff, floating with Palisman's wing's unfurled, "Owlbert can give you a lift back to Bonesborough and you can get back to Lily's from there!"
"Uh, thanks!" Nero said as he hopped onto the staff and found himself flying out over the forest at high speeds, landing atop the roof of a building in Bonesborough but a couple minutes later. He looked back and saw the Palisman and staff fly back to the Owl House as he waved goodbye. As he jumped off the building and followed the quickest recognizable path home, he thought back on the last interaction between his aunt and Luz, remembering the similarities between him and his mother when he was chosen to face Grom, but also seeing the differences.
"Guess the more things change, the more things stay the same," Nero mused out loud as he put his hands in his uniform pockets and made his way back home.
It was nightfall when Eda lowered herself and Luz right in front of Hexside, the Grom decorum surrounding her former educational prison on every conceivable and inconceivable angle. As Luz jumped off, Eda noticed she seemed to have a bit of a wobble in her step and asked, "You alright kid?"
Luz jumped and turned to her, standing ramrod straight as she dusted off her mish-mash of a Grom outfit; a tuxedo with a ballerina skirt. Trying to look as brave as possible, she answered, "Y-Yeah! I'm fine. Totally fine. Nope! Nothing wrong here! Luz is totally in the zone."
Y'know, considering how long you've been staying at my place, ya think you'd have learned how to tell a better lie, Eda bemoaned that she apparently wasn't a good teacher in the art of fibbing as she stepped off her staff and sighed, "Still not too late to back out and leave it to me. I know it ain't up to school policy, but since when have I ever given a shit about that?"
"No!" Luz sharply said, causing Eda to step back for a second before her apprentice took a deep breath, "Trust me Eda, I got this. You don't have to worry one bit."
Eda stared for a second, "Reassurance is not your strong suit, you know that?"
Luz was about to retort, but an all to familiar voice came from behind, "Edalyn."
Eda swerved around and growled, "Lilith," as she glared at her older sister, who was garbed in a needlessly prim and proper black dress. Nero, dressed in a dark blue three piece suit, stood awkwardly at her side while she and Eda continued scowl at each other.
"Well, looks like you two have a lot of catching up to do!" Luz's voice cracked a tad, "So I'll be on my way. Gonna see how King and Gus are prepping up for their thing. Want to come with, Nero?"
"One sec," Nero got between his mother and Eda, "Could you guys not try to kill each other? Don't think anyone here wants a repeat of the Covention."
Both of them glared at him for butting in with Eda returning her glare back to Lily not a moment later, but she softened up when she saw her sister's own glower falter. With a groan, Eda's arms went limp at her sides, "Fine, we'll behave as long as your mom doesn't go all law enforcer on me."
"Provided that you don't become a reckless child, I won't," Lilith sniped back as Eda's gaze narrowed.
"Good enough for me!" Luz quickly butted in between them before grabbing Nero's sleeve, "Let's go in, Nero."
"WHOAH!" Nero cried out as he was pulled into Hexside. Even Eda had to let out a chuckle at how Luz was able to drag Lily's stronger kid around. Maybe all the chores she had to do were finally paying dividends.
"Ehem!" The loud cough reminded Eda who was in front of her right now as she returned to glaring at Lilith. At this point, it may as well have been a game; whoever broke the glare first lost. After Titan knew how long, Lilith finally spoke up, "Sister," she began, "You certainly look retched. What idiot tailored that suit?"
"Hey! I'll have you know King helped me tailor this suit," she crossed her arms, "And he happens to be the...okay, he's not the best tailor on the isles, but he's the most adorable."
"That explains a lot. Guess that's what happens when you're a dusty old hermit," Lily snarked, with Eda now having the sneaking suspicion she was trying to provoke her. So Eda decided to turn the tables.
"And just what are you doing here anyway?" Eda fired back, "I'd have thought that the oh so mighty leader of the Emperor's Coven wouldn't have time for crap like Grom."
"I'm here because my son is attending and he wants to support Grom's opponent," she answered with restrained anger, her temper clearly as bad as ever.
Eda smirked and said, "Nice to know that your kid's here to support my kid."
Lily's eye twitched, "Isn't Grom's opponent supposed to be Amity Blight? And a student at Hexside for that matter?"
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Eda started having fun as she flicked her hair back, "Luz offered to take Mini Blight's place. And for the record, she's been a student here for a while now."
"And just how did someone like you manage that?" Lily seethed, clenching her fist.
Gotcha hook line and sinker, Lily, Eda gave one last grin, "Just some good old fashion charisma, wit, and an affinity for cleaning up my own messes. Y'know, all the stuff you aren't good at."
Lily's eyes went wide for a split-second before she bared her teeth, "Alright, THAT'S IT!" in an instant, she had her staff out, Coronis burning bright and aimed right at her, "You want to go, bitch!?"
"Try me, sister," Eda drew power into her staff and took a stance now that she had her excuse. But before either of them could make a move, a sudden wall of Abomination sludge got between them.
"That's quite enough," the voice of ol' Bumpikins came in from behind Eda as he walked up and lowered the wall, stepping between them, "Now listen here, both of you. While I understand there is a lot of tension at the moment, you should both understand that Hexside is neutral territory," he looked to Lily, "There will be no attempts to arrest the Owl Lady while on school grounds," and then to Eda, "Nor will there be any provoking of Coven authority. Most importantly, there will be no unsanctioned fighting. Is that clear?"
Eda looked to her sister and for a second, it seemed like prissy Lily was going to ignore the authority figure's words. However, she relented at the last second and withdrew her staff, "Fine. I will adhere to your rules, Principal Bump."
"Thank you," Bumpikins smiled and walked back for the school, "Now please, come inside. Grom is in full swing, and I do believe you're both chaperoning tonight."
As soon as he left, Eda returned her gaze back to her sister, who surprisingly looked down with guilt evident in her eyes, which made Eda feel a tinge, just a tinge, of guilt herself. For once, Eda swallowed her pride and sighed out, "Listen, Lily, I want to say I'm so-"
"No, it's..." Lilith breathed out, "It's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my son," she walked past her, not even sparing a glance as that tinge of guilt Eda felt earlier grew worse. As Eda turned to walk in, she saw Lilith open the front door and stop just before she entered, "Edalyn," she began without looking back, "Tell your pet...I mean, your apprentice that I said good luck."
Without waiting for a reply, Lilith closed the door behind her, leaving Eda alone outside. Not wanting to stay out here any longer than she had to, Eda put her hands in her pockets and walked through the front door, looking up for a second to see that the halls were sparse with few students. Figuring most of them were gathered at the gym for the big fight, Eda trudged her way there for when she had to bail inevitably bail Luz out.
"Good luck," Amity whispered as she watched Luz step forward into the gym. The crowds continued cheering as Amity walked over to the bleachers where she saw her older brother and sister sitting. As she took a seat between them, she briefly looked behind her to see Nero and his mother seated just a few rows back. Ignoring her still present dislike for Miss Lilith, she refocused her attention on Luz, watching as the floor opened up to reveal the Grom battle arena, twin armories rising at the entrance. Luz looked at both and was about to select a weapon, but a sudden dark blue blur jumped down to where she was, revealing itself to be Nero.
"Hold up!" Nero shouted as he picked out a weapon from the racks; a large silver blade with a winged, draconic pommel. He then ran back up to the bleachers and re-seated himself just behind them, holding the sword at the ready like he was preparing for something to attack him. Amity, her siblings, and Nero's mother all looked at him questioningly until he replied, "Its just in case."
"Ah, that makes sense," Edric and Emira said in sync while Miss Lilith gave her son a concerned look. Amity wondered if this had anything to do with Nero's last Grom. She wasn't there to see it, but her brother and sister were. Yet despite them being the biggest gluttons for gossip she knew, whatever happened on that Grom night was something they refused to talk about no matter how much they were prodded. Still, seeing Nero nervous just made Amity even more worried for Luz than she already was.
Luz, please be safe, Amity turned her attention back to the arena as Luz chose her weapon; a spiked flail that she augmented with an ice glyph. Even with how simple the magic seemed on the surface, it never ceased to amaze Amity at how creative Luz could be with what she had. How even against overwhelming odds and despite what a klutz she could be, she was also so brave. Not to mention sweet and pretty and-
Amity flushed and shook her head as she watched Luz descend into the arena, No Amity! Support Luz now, admire her later.
"Looks like Grom's come out," Nero whispered from behind, his tone incredibly tense, as the oozing mass that was Grometheus manifested behind Luz. The blobs split and morphed into a trio of those weird cat-human things that Luz mentioned earlier. After a brief pause, Luz sent them all flying with a single, ice-enchanted swing of her flail. The crowd cheered and the small illusionist kid, Gus if she recalled right, commented on the fight, but Amity paid none of it any mind, instead finding herself completely drawn in by Luz's battle.
"Eat this, Grom!" Luz shouted, slamming down a glyph that wrapped a giant debating phone in vines before throwing it into another trio of cat monsters, splattering all of them away. Amity felt another blush creep its way onto her face as she watched Luz courageously battle against her fears. She was so...so...
Unlike me, Amity faltered for a second, pulling the magenta paper from her pocket and running her thumb along its edge, thankful that Edric and Emira were too enthralled by the battle to ask or even notice it. Luz was out there fighting Grom in her place, all because she was too much of a coward to face her biggest fear; asking Luz to be her date (possible more than that), and being turned down.
"You okay sis?" Amity heard her sister's question despite how loud the crowd was. She looked to see Emira giving her a concerned glance.
Amity quickly pocketed her love note, "Y-Yeah, I'm good. Just worried is all."
Emira looked skeptical, but didn't question beyond that as she turned back to the battle, Amity doing the same just in time to see Luz destroy another floating phone with piercing ice. Amity once more found herself enthralled by Luz's skills with her magic, her beauty, and her excitement at conquering her fears. She also noticed a distinct lack of commentary from Gus and King, though she just assumed they decided to call it a night.
However, amidst Luz's excitement, Amity watched as Grom reformed behind her, its body pitch black with a face that greatly resembled the Owl Lady. She felt her breath hitch, realizing this was it; the true fear. But Luz had conquered everything so far, and she'd always met every challenge that came her way with that same lustrous smile, as if to tell the world that nothing would keep her down. She didn't back down before, and her posture made it clear to all that she was ready to face what was to come.
Calm down, Amity, she clutched the hem of her dress as she watched Grom's new form loom over Luz. Suddenly, one of its tendrils launched forward and made contact with Luz's forehead. For a second, it and Luz's eyes glowed an ominous bright blue before it swirled, reshaping itself into a door with a large eye. Before Amity could question what was happening, the door opened, and out walked a woman in glasses wearing a turquoise outfit. More notably, her ears weren't pointed, and with how similar she looked to Luz...
"MOM!?" Luz shouted loud enough for the whole gym to hear, confirming Amity's suspicions. She watched as the apparition of Luz's mother walked forward, her words too quiet to hear from this distance, but whatever she was saying left Luz trembling and dropping her weapon. What happened next became a blur, as the apparition mutated into a pulsating, multi-eyed beast with Luz's mother on its back before chasing Luz all over the arena. All Amity could do was clutch her seat as tight as she dared, resisting the growing urge to rush headlong at that monster.
I have to do something, she panicked, Luz needs help!
But if Grom gets to you, everyone will know what you fear most, especially her, she reminded herself, You think Luz will ever feel the same way, you pathetic coward?
Amity shut her eyes and clutched at her head, That doesn't matter anymore! It shouldn't have mattered to begin with! I shouldn't have let her take my place. If I just sit here then Luz will-!
"WWWWWWWAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Luz's scream snapped Amity out of her turmoil as she watched her crush barrel out of the arena and through the gym doors, Grom quickly chasing after her. The entire audience got up from their seats in a frenzy now that the monster was free from its den, many even running out of the gym in the process. But Amity didn't pay any attention to the crowds that continued to exit the room, instead staring straight forward as a ringing enveloped her ears.
Grom was free.
The isles were in danger.
Luz was in danger.
And all of it was her fault.
"AMITY!" Edric and Emira jostled her shoulders, shaking her out of it as she looked between them, Emira continuing, "Sis, we need to get you out of here."
Amity shook her head and stood up, "No, it's my fault this happened, and I need to fix it!"
She didn't even wait for a response as she jumped down from the bleachers and ran out the gym door, meeting Luz's teacher just as they entered the halls, stopping in time to see the crowd of students and teachers run after the ensuing chase. Amity looked up at the Owl Lady, seeing that they both shared the same worried expression before shifting to a determined one.
Luz, just hold on! Was all that ran through Amity's mind as she ran after Grom alongside Miss Eda, and for those first few moments, her fear was completely forgotten.
Dammit! Mom, let go! Nero struggled out of his mother's grip as she tried to pull him in the opposite direction Grom went, away from the crowds that followed the beast, and away from its current victim.
"Nero, you need to get somewhere safe," Mom replied, voice strained as she tried to drag him off, "Don't worry, I know every safe place in Hexside where Grom cannot reach you."
"What about the others?" Nero asked. Mom stopped and went quiet for a second before she took a deep breath and turned to him.
"As soon as you're safe, I'll go deal with Grom myself. The entire student body of Hexside should know to keep away from Grom when it's loose, so they will be fine for now."
"What about Luz?"
His mother looked perplexed at the question, "What about her?"
"MOM!?"
"Look, if she's still alive, I'll help her, but first let's get you to-"
"No," Nero firmly replied and snatched his hand out of her grip, "I'm going to help her now."
"WHAT!?" Mom shrieked just as he turned to head after Luz's chaser, only to be blocked when she teleported in front of him in a burst of blue flames, "Nero, no! You are not going anywhere near that monster!"
"I've fought it before!"
"And look what happened last time!" Mom took a deep breath and calmed herself, eyes shimmering with worry, "After that fight, I watched you isolate yourself for three years. I tried to help you open up, but it felt like no matter what I did, you would always return to closing yourself off soon enough. Now, I know you've made a lot of progress in the past year, but if you fight that thing again and it gets to you..." she stopped herself, unable to finish before she looked deep into his eyes, "Please don't let me go through it again."
Nero looked to the floor, trying not to cry as he remembered every detail of his fight with Grom. But the more he remembered it, the more he thought of Luz's fight; being attacked by an apparition of her own mother for lying and fighting without their knowing. It all just hit too close to home. Seeing Luz run away from it reminded him of how he'd been doing the same thing, even now.
With a sigh, Nero gave his mother a determined glare, "Look, I get that you want to protect me, but if I wait any longer, Luz could die. I'm not just gonna sit back and let it happen."
He walked past her, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder, "No, I won't let-"
"Mom," Nero glared at her and shrugged her hand off, "I love you, but with all due respect, get out of my way and let me go help my friend."
"Nero-" He didn't let her finish, instead bolting as fast as he could after Grom, down the halls and out of the school itself. Seeing small bits of black sludge travelling in one direction, he followed, crushing said sludge underfoot as he ran through the forests. He lost track of how many trees he brushed past and how long he'd been running, as it seemed like the forests went on forever. It wasn't until he heard what sounded like screams that he knew he was getting close.
This is it, Nero drew the borrowed lightning sword from his back and charged into the direction of the screams, mentally preparing for the inevitable. There was no turning back now, no more running away, no more letting this beast control him. He was going to stand tall, look it dead in whatever eyes it had, and beat the ever living shit out of it no matter what form it took. He was ready to face what had haunted him these past three years.
But as he continued forward, he slowed down slightly and listened closer; the screams sounding more like cheers. He ran past one final set of bushes and into an open clearing leading to the boiling seas, but what really drew his attention was the giant tree that sat at the edge of the cliff. Taking a few steps closer, he watched its pink leaves flow in the wind, a number of them fluttering to the ground as if in a dance. However, his attention shifted as he heard the cheering again, turning to see the other Hexside students carrying Luz and Amity, both of whom had Grom crowns on their heads.
"Did I miss the whole thing!?" Nero shouted as he watched the group head into the forest, likely heading back to Hexside.
"Sadly, looks like you did," hearing his aunt's voice behind him, he turned back as she walked up, staff rested on her shoulders, "May be for the best, actually. Didn't know if she could actually do it, but she did great."
"Yeah," Nero smiled as he stood beside his aunt, watching the two Grom Queens get carried off back to Hexside. As they left his sight, he couldn't help but let his smile fall just a tad. He'd felt like he was ready to finally face Grom and all his problems, yet after psyching himself up, telling his mom off, and rushing through the forest with sword at the ready, he wound up doing nothing. While Nero was happy for Luz and Amity overcoming their fears together, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that he didn't have a chance to do the same.
"You okay there, kid?" Eda snapped him out of his melancholy.
"Huh," Nero turned to her, "Yeah, I'm good. Just-"
"NERO!" Looking up, Nero and Eda saw his mother swoop down on her staff, landing so fast she kicked up a cloud of dust in their faces. Whatever coughing fit they had was interrupted when Mom waved the dust away and proceeded to check on him, "Nero! Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened? I don't see any scars. Did you fight Grom? Is-"
"Mom, could you please just lay off!?" Nero shouted, getting his mother to back down before he sighed, "Sorry, just...too many questions. Either way, I'm fine. Didn't even get to fight the bastard anyway."
"Y-You didn't?"
"No. Got here just as the fight ended," If there was any disappointment in his tone, Mom didn't hear it as she sighed in relief. His aunt, however, gave him a look, but didn't say anything.
"Anyway," Eda said, her tone sounding like she wanted to change the topic, "Why don't we all head back to Hexside for the afterparty? Night's young, and the whole "Fighting Grom" part is stressful for everyone, so unwinding sounds good to me," she then looked to her sister, "Besides, we're still chaperoning, so it ain't like we got a choice."
Mom looked like she wanted to argue, and at this point Nero was convinced that arguing was as easy as breathing when it came to the two sisters, but she thankfully relented and looked to him, "Nero, what about you?"
He shrugged, "Eh, not like I have anything better to do," he looked down at the sword still drawn in his hand, "Plus I'm pretty sure I need to return this anyway."
"Sounds great! Race ya!" Eda ran down the path the other students did, briefly looking back with a smug look on her face, as if to say she was giving them a chance to catch up.
Nero felt an eager smirk return to his face, "Oh, it's on Aunt Eda!" he started running just as his aunt turned and continued her sprint. However, after noticing the lack of footsteps behind him, he turned back to face his mother, who looked rather downtrodden, "Something wrong, Mom?"
"No, i-it's nothing," she stammered out and forced a smile onto her face, "You two go on without me. I'll catch up later."
"Nero! I can see Hexside from where I am!" Aunt Eda taunted, her voice echoing throughout the forest. Not wanting to get too far behind, he looked back to his mother and nodded before turning to try and get ahead of his aunt. Unfortunately, she'd already left him in the dust to the point where no matter how fast he ran through the woods, he was already certain she'd beaten him. Sure enough, by the time he got back to Hexside's entrance, his aunt was leaning against the doorway with a smug smirk on her face, "And the winner of the Great Clawthorne race is I, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. Not too shabby for a gal in her forties, am I right?"
"You got a head start and you know it!" Nero shouted.
"HA! That's exactly what Lily would say," Eda looked behind him curiously and asked, "Say, where is she anyway?"
"She stayed behind and told me to go ahead," Nero answered as he walked through the door, his aunt following beside him, "But she looked kinda sad when I ran off. I think something's bothering her."
Eda shrugged, "Wish I could help you there, but I don't really know what goes through my sister's head these days for obvious reasons," as they approached the gym door, where the music and festivities could be heard, "Either way, I think today's had enough emotional or heavy crap, so why don't you go unwind with your friends. I'll hang out around the entrance here and wait for your mom."
"Kay, see you around, Aunt Eda," Nero waved as he entered the gym, seeing everyone dance and have a good time. After he returned the sword to the armory, he looked around and saw Amity hanging out with Luz and her friends, giggling as Luz tried to fit into what looked like an otter costume. Before he could walk up to congratulate them, however, he saw Edric and Emira out of the corner of his eye, both of them sitting in high in the bleachers and looking rather pissed. Nero wondered what was up with them and walked up the bleachers, getting their attention and ire.
"Piss off, Nero," Emira grunted.
Huh, so that's what that feels like, Nero mused before answering, "Sure, after you tell me why you look like me on a bad day."
Edric snapped, "You look like this on a normal day."
"Yeah, so stop stealing my schtick and tell me what's up."
The twins looked to each other and gave the same frustrated sigh as Emira said, "We got stood up. Our dates didn't show, so feel free to laugh now."
"And why would I laugh at that?" Nero asked.
"Fine, don't. See if we care," Edric huffed and stared at the ceiling, "Guess we're all stuck alone for Grom, huh?"
Rather than answer, Nero sat next to the twins, figuring that he might as well keep them company. The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence that was slowly giving Nero a bit of perspective on what it was like interacting with him. At least the twins knew, for better or worse, how to break the ice and get a conversation started. He had no idea what to say or do to try and smooth things over, so he wound up watching the students out on the dance floor, all of them enjoying themselves.
Seeing all the students happy gave him an idea, "Say, since you guys don't have dates, how about I take both of you to the dance?"
"Eh?" "Say what now?" came Edric and Emira's respective responses.
"Yeah, can't believe I'm saying that either," Nero admitted.
"So...this a date or something?" Emira asked.
Nero shrugged and replied, "Not really. More or less just hanging out together. Besides, we're already here, so why not?"
They looked between each other, then back to him before regaining their usual mischievous smirks as Edric said, "Y'know, you're starting to sound a bit like us."
"Joy, you're back to your old selves again," Nero groaned, though he still couldn't help but let out his own smile after the fact. Standing up, he asked, "So are we gonna do this or what?"
The twins stood up, both flashing more lighthearted grins as they all made their way down to the dance floor and proceeded to bust a move, which didn't take long to turn into each of them trying to outdance each other. He wasn't sure how long the impromptu dance off lasted, only knowing that it stopped after his aunt tapped his shoulder and told him she, Luz, and King were heading home. Something about the otter costume getting Luz kicked out. Unfortunately, since he stopped dancing, that meant one thing...
"Ha! Blights take home the gold, Claw Boy!" Emira cheered as she and her brother did a victory dance, much to his annoyance and bemusement.
"Oh ha ha!" Nero snarked, "You only won cause I got distracted."
"Exactly what a sore loser would say," Edric replied. Nero was about to give a reply of his own, but was stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw his mother, who looked both tired and sad, though for what reasons he didn't know.
"Nero, it's getting late. We should head home soon," She said, sounding like she didn't want to argue about it. Nero looked back to the Blight twins, who looked understanding and nodded that they were fine with him heading out now. With one final wave goodbye, Nero and his mom walked out of Hexside and flew off into the night sky.
"So," Nero began, wincing at how awkward it sounded, "That went better than expected."
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, my son," Mom replied, though like her smile before, it sounded forced.
"Mom, you doing alright?" Nero asked.
"Yes. It's just been a long night is all."
"Hm," He hummed in response to her answer before he let out a yawn. While he wasn't lying about finding things more fun than he thought they'd be, he still couldn't help but feel a bit miffed that he didn't get to face Grom, as that meant he hadn't had the chance to fully get over his fears. But at the same time, he also thought back to his time at his aunt's place and what he considered doing, I mean, no time like the present, so just rip that band aid off and tell Mom the truth now.
"Hey, can I talk to you about something?"
"What is it, my little raven?" Mom turned her head slightly to look him in the eye, and suddenly Nero found it a lot harder to get the words out. He tried forcing them out for several seconds, only for nothing to come up but stammers and sighs.
"Never mind," Nero grunted, "Maybe some other time."
"Alright my son, but know that if you wish to tell me something, I'm here," his mom said, and that was the last thing spoken as they flied home. Much as Nero hated himself for not being able to tell the truth, he made a promise to do so when he felt ready. He just hoped he'd be ready sooner than later.