#Willow keeps trying to insist to herself that its just messing around. nothing serious. they find each other hot. its fine to kiss a little | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thegoodgayshit · 3 years

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Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter Twenty-One: Amity’s Dad and I Talk Serious Strategy

Luz’s anger hadn’t quite settled when Willow escorted her into a room down the lavish halls of Blight Manor, and when the door clicked shut behind them, she was quick to comment on it.

“What a total witch!” She said to Willow, outraged, and the daughter of Demeter winced.

“That probably could have gone better.”

“I’m guessing you met my mother then?”

Luz jumped, she hadn’t been aware anybody else was in the room, to overcome with anger to think of anything besides Amity’s terrible mother. But now, as she looked around, she realized they must be in the study Amity mentioned in her bedroom earlier.

The room was a lot less like a study and more like a war room. The walls were covered in deep maroon wallpaper and wooden trim, there was a large mahogany desk and leather chair on the left side of the room, and a huge bookshelf behind it piled with old books Luz was certain belonged in a library. On either side of the desk were two bronze figures dressed in Greek armor, the one on the left having a huge falcata strapped to its belt, and the other being armed with a spear. On the right side of the room, there was a marble fountain, spewing a trickle of water that created a rainbow. An Iris Message station. Luz figured this was an important staple of the room. Amity’s parents did work for Olympus after all.

There was a huge table in the middle of the room, with a shimmering blue map that looked a lot like downtown Denver. Luz could pick out some of the skyscrapers they’d drove past, as well as the market near the workshop. But as Luz watched, the table shifted, now taking on the topographic shape of a mountain range. It looked like a device that belonged in an American military base, not a study like this one. Amity and Gus were standing behind the table, Gus with a gleeful look on his face as he fiddled with the controls on the war table, and Amity watching Luz with a dry smile.

Luz felt her cheeks heat up as she realized Amity had just heard Luz trashing her mom, but thankfully she didn’t seem too bothered by it. Her arms were crossed, and Luz realized with a jolt she hadn’t responded to her.

“Uh…” Luz stuttered out, and Amity’s grin widened. Luz was sure her face was fiery with embarrassment, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she got caught, or that she was face to face with Amity again. Willow saved the day, cutting her off before she could say anything else too stupid.

“Yeah, we ran into her in the halls,” she said, summarizing their conversation as quickly as she could. When she finished, Amity’s face had darkened, and she fiddled with the strap of her belt where her sword was resting.

“I’m really sorry about her,” she said quietly, biting her lip. “And I’m sorry I messed up and put you on her radar. She can be… pretty intimidating.”

“Amity, you’re not the one who needs to apologize,” Luz insisted, the previous anger she’d been feeling returning. “What she said was completely unfair to you. You didn’t mess up. She was being overly critical.”

Amity just gave a halfhearted shrug, and Luz opened her mouth to protest again until she felt Willow’s hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s just focus on the quest,” she said, giving Luz a look that she was pretty sure meant not right now. “What have you guys been working on?”

“I think I’ve found us the best way through the mountain range to Mount Elbert,” Gus said, swiping his hand through the hologram so if shifted again. Now, there were a couple of patches of red mixed in with the blue, and Gus pointed at one section of it.

“This is the trail from Leadville up the mountain. It’s not an easy hike… it would take us at least eight hours to climb the mountain.”

“How is that the best option?” Luz exclaimed in shock, her calves already burning just thinking about it.

“Well, the bus will only take us to Fairplay, and if we do that we’d have to walk all the way up Mt. Lincoln to get anywhere close to Mt. Elbert,” Gus said slowly drawing his hand through another red section, and Amity nodded, pointing just to the west of that.

“We don’t want to do that unless we absolutely have to. We should stay as far away from Granite as we can. Mt. Harvard has a den of monsters that live away from the centaurs on Mt. Elbert. We’d be taking a big risk.”

“So we have no other choice then,” Willow said, her mouth twisting into a firm line. “We’re hiking.”

“Great,” Luz said with a groan. “But at least we have a plan. How are we getting to Leadville?”

“That’s the other problem,” Gus said with a frown, zooming in on the map to where they were right now in Cherry Hills Village. “The cab there is three hours long. It’s going to take every dollar we have to get there.”

“So we’ll have no way back once we arrive,” Willow realized, and Luz’s stomach dropped with dread.

They would be stuck there, no going back. Luz was praying to every god she could think of they wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to Denver when they were done their quest.

“We don’t have any other choice,” Amity said reaching over to swipe her finger back to Mt. Elbert. Luz nodded, making eye contact with Amity. The daughter of Aphrodite was watching her with a bleak expression on her face, and Luz wondered momentarily if she’d had this exact same conversation with Boscha and Skara the first time she’d left camp.

They hadn’t made it to the mountain before they’d been stopped by Achilles, and just by the look on her face, Luz knew it was really bothering her. Luz had a feeling Amity wasn’t going to just roll over and let a thing like money stop them from moving forward. Especially after she’d just heard what her mother had said about her. So, Luz reached forward and poked the little red circle on Leadville, and it lit up green.

“Amity’s right, if we don’t go Hestia is going to be stuck there and Belos will keep on using his portal to revive the dead. We have to stop this. Leadville it is.”

There was a brief silence over the table, as Willow and Gus looked at one another before they nodded.

“Alright, then we better leave tomorrow morning,” Willow suggested, peering down at the map. “If we get to Leadville before noon we might be able to make it up the mountain before nightfall.”

“If we don’t run into any trouble,” Amity added with a frown.

“Yeah, and when have we ever been that lucky?” Gus asked, and Luz couldn’t help but chuckle. As crazy and dangerous as this whole situation was, there was nothing she and her friends couldn’t handle when they worked together as a team. Luz reached over and threw her arm around Willow’s shoulders, shooting Gus and Amity a beaming smile.

“We might not be lucky, but we’re the underdogs remember? We’ll make this work, I know it!”

Luz wasn’t sure if her pep talk was enough to encourage her friends, but she didn’t get the chance to find out. There was a firm knocking at the door, and Luz turned her head to look and a man slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

Her first thought when she saw him was that he looked exactly like the Blight Twins. They had the same curve of their cheekbones, the same shape of their eyes, the same bend in their eyebrows, and the same straight shoulders. In fact, if the man hadn’t had auburn hair, Luz would have thought this was an older version of Edric.

Then, she saw his eyes, and she changed her mind. Now, he looked so much like Amity it was freaking Luz out. But this wasn’t an Aphrodite situation, the man looked like Amity in a way that was… human. Not in a way to scare Luz and “reveal herself” to the goddess. His hair was the same color as the roots of Amity’s. His eyes were gold, and the exact same shade and color. He stood like Amity too, with a regal posture that reminded Luz just how important the Blight family was.

How it was a very, very, bad idea to get on their bad side.

She didn’t need the pinch on her shoulder from Willow to let her know that this, without a doubt, was Amity’s father.

As the man stepped inside, Luz got another chance to look at him, and realize just how different he was from the rest of the Blights. He was, and there was no other way to say it, jacked, while his children and his wife were toned. He was wearing a white dress shirt and a navy blue pinstripe vest, but the sleeves were rolled up to reveal massive muscles in his arms. He had broad shoulders and a sharp jawline, and as he stepped forward, his oxford shoes made muffled clicks on the marble floor.

Luz could also tell that while he was clearly well respected, he wasn’t trying to appear flawless the way Mrs. Blight had been. There were a few streaks of grey in his styled hair. His goatee was clean and styled but had a couple of patches on the underside of his jaw. He had a few aging lines in his face, whereas Mrs. Blight’s had been tight and smooth. Luz was both startled and worried about these things. She didn’t know if she should let her guard down, or be even more terrified of Mr. Blight. The sight of imperfection unnerved her in a way that Mrs. Blight hadn’t.

Luz and her friends straightened as Mr. Blight looked around the room, revealing nothing on his face. He looked briefly to the holographic table, before he hummed, and fixed his eyes on Luz.

“I see you are making good progress. I was told by my wife that Miss Noceda was awake, and came by to introduce myself.”

Luz swallowed. She remembered Amity saying that Mr. Blight had wanted to talk to her, and she wasn’t exactly excited. But she steeled herself and stepped forward, making eye contact and extending her hand out to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Blight.”

Something glittered in Mr. Blight’s eyes, something Luz had no idea what to make of. Behind her, Luz could feel Amity’s eyes on her back. But then, he stepped forward, and took her hand, shaking it. It was firm, but not too hard like Mrs. Blight’s had been.

“The pleasure is all mine. Please, ignore the formalities. You may call me Alador.”

It felt like Luz’s whole body exhaled, and she was shocked her hands weren’t shaking. Behind her, she didn’t miss Amity’s feet shuffling.

A first-name basis. This was good.

Amity’s father looked around the room at her friends, before clearing his throat.

“My apologies for the interruption, I know how important this quest is, but if it’s alright with you three I would like to have a quick word with Miss Noceda. The chef has prepared meals for you in the kitchen, and when we are done you can get right back to your work.”

Luz’s heart did a little jump as she realized what was happening. She was about to be alone with Amity’s father. What did she do to deserve this? For a quick second, Luz panicked thinking he somehow knew about what happened at the prom. Was he going to give her a talk? Forbid her from seeing Amity again? It wasn’t like they were… a thing. Luz guessed that they weren’t just… nothing, especially based on what had happened, but her memory about the whole situation was still foggy and, oh no, she was starting to spiral.

She wasn’t sure exactly how it happened, but soon Willow and Gus were leaving the room, and Amity was right next to Luz, gently putting her hand on her shoulder. Luz’s attention was quickly shifting to the feeling of her hand, and it jolted her back to reality. She did her best to focus on Amity, and calm her rapidly beating heart.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Amity whispered to her after a moment, and Luz knew this was the best Amity could get to encouragement in front of her father. “I’ll bring you something to eat.”

“Thank you,” Luz said, doing her best to express just how grateful she was. Amity just smiled and nodded, before slowly exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

Alador Blight stood there for a moment, and she caught him shuffle his feet once. Luz looked up at him curiously. She still wasn’t sure what to make of him, but now that they were alone Luz was a lot less afraid of him. He wasn’t as tall as his wife was, but maybe that was because of her heels, and because of that he looked… a lot more human now that they were alone.

“I don’t want to keep you too long Miss Noceda-”

“Luz is fine,” she said quietly, not wanting to interrupt him but also unable to stand another moment of the awkwardness of Amity’s parents using her last name. Thankfully, he didn’t seem bothered by it, instead just nodding slowly.

“Right, I don’t want to keep you too long, Luz, but I felt obligated to have a conversation with you after what I overheard on Olympus this last weekend.”

Luz blinked. She really wasn’t sure she understood what he was saying. “Pardon me?”

“Do you have a plan for stopping Belos when you arrive at Mount Pelion?” Alador asked seriously, and Luz felt her palms beginning to sweat.

She realized she didn’t. She didn’t have any kind of plan at all. All she’d been focusing on so far was getting there.

“I guess… I guess we’re trying to destroy the portal he’s created to the Underworld. Hopefully, it stops him from reviving dead demigods.”

Alador nodded, walking around Luz to head over to his desk. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a notepad, opening it and flipping to a page.

“I am a battle engineer on Olympus, and I work alongside my wife to fortify the palace and ensure the safety of everyone who lives there. I often work on blueprints with some of the other gods, and my father slipped something to me that I felt important for you to hear.”

He picked up the notepad and walked around and back over to her. He leaned against the desk, flipping another page, and gesturing with his hand for Luz to come closer. As she stepped near him and looked down, she realized he had drawn a little graph on the paper. A circle: with three lines splitting down the middle. In each space, a tiny flame.

“He said that Hestia was not just the glue to Olympus, but the key to the balance of worlds. What opens on one side must close on another. I think there is more to stopping Belos than just destroying him. If he dies, he will simply return to the Underworld and start again. If you can decode how he rose to power, you can stop him from doing it again.”

Luz’s brow furrowed, and she leaned in to examine the paper further. She felt like gears were turning in her head. “Eda told me that every hero has a fatal flaw. Achilles’ heel, Theseus’ recklessness. But what about Belos? What’s his flaw? Maybe that’s the best way to figure out how to stop him.”

Alador was watching her, and when Luz looked up, his eyes were unreadable. Luz swallowed nervously and leaned back away from the paper. When he saw her do this, he chuckled.

“I can see why Olympus has taken a liking to you, Luz.”

Luz felt her cheeks heat up, and she nervously ran her hands down her shorts. She just couldn’t figure out Amity’s father.

“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

Alador tilted his head, before ripping the page out of the notebook and handing it to her. Luz took it, her hands shaking nervously as she folded it and tucked it into her pocket.

“Heroes for many years have followed a very similar formula. They are claimed, they kill monsters, they save Olympus, and then they die. When it comes to being a half-blood, a lot of us know no other way. It is in our nature to do this.”

Alador walked over to the hologram and ran his finger through it, and it suddenly pulled up a map of Camp Half-Blood. It was so detailed, Luz’s heart began hammering in her chest. She missed this place so much. But as she peered in, she realized it was more than just a map. The names of campers were popping up all over the place, moving in real-time. Luz’s eyes widened when she saw familiar ones appear on the table. Viney and Emira were together outside the sword fighting arena. Jerbo and Luz’s siblings were on the beach. Eda and Lilith were together in the Big House. It made Luz’s heart hurt, reminding her of all her friends back at camp she was missing already. When Luz looked back at Alador, her eyes widened again in shock. His face was wearing a very similar expression.

“I lived that life too, Luz.” He said quietly, reaching out his hand to hover over the hologram. “The claiming, the training, the adventure. Then, when I grew up, I got to live it again through my children. I know things aren’t always easy for them, and I know how much pressure they are under. A lot of that is my fault, with the expectations and the need for success. But it is just who we are. It is what we do. A half-bloods nature is to defend Olympus.”

Alador turned to Luz, and reached down, adjusting his vest. His soft expression had vanished, instead been replaced with curiosity.

“And then, there’s you. Olympus has kept its eyes on you for some time. Hermes children are not often the big heroes we expect. They are companions, they are sneaky, they are often miscellaneous by nature. But here you are, favored by gods in a way none have before. They admire your energy, your heart, and your instinct. So when you ask me what I mean, Luz, that is what I mean.”

Luz had no idea what stupid thought had encouraged her to ask, but before she knew it, she was already talking. “You’re talking about Aphrodite, aren’t you?”

There was a stony silence. A couple of expressions crossed Alador’s face. Surprise, discomfort, annoyance, and Luz was quick to correct herself.

“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean too-”

He held up a hand, and Luz was silent. She bit her lip nervously, and Amity’s father took a breath before he looked up at her again, his face neutral.

“It’s alright. To answer your question, yes, I was referring to Aphrodite, among a few others. Your father is one, and Athena and Demeter are watching you closely as well. Even my father admires your strength, as displayed with your fearlessness against the Caucasian Eagle. Though, forgive him if the god of war keeps a stronger eye on his granddaughter. He believes Amity has a score to settle.”

Alador chuckled again to himself, which was a really weird thing for Luz to hear. She wondered how often he acted like this. It was hard to picture him being soft around Mrs. Blight.

“Regardless, you are trusted by Olympus, Luz. It is rare that the love goddess would visit a hero, never mind gift them with an item like Peleus’ shield. I was quite shocked when Amity showed it to me earlier. I never pictured my daughter holding an item of such power.”

Something about his comment stirred up feelings inside of Luz, and she couldn’t help it before she rushed out another comment. “Amity is worthy of using Peleus’ shield. She’s saved my life more than once.”

Alador looked surprised at Luz’s outburst. “Of course she is. I never said she wasn’t.”

Luz felt her cheeks begin to heat up. “I… sorry sir, I didn’t mean-”

“You needn’t apologize,” he said, and Luz thought that Alador Blight was also not entirely unaware of why Luz had jumped to defend Amity. He cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

“I must confess to you, Luz, that I harbor quite a bit of guilt over the last time I saw my daughter. I gave her the map through the mountains, and it did nothing but lead her astray, and result in fighting amongst the gods when she was taken. She was blamed for my actions, and Odalia has not entirely forgiven her for it.”

Luz was surprised at Alador’s confession, and it struck her than just how alike he and Amity were. Amity was also the kind of person to take the blame for something that wasn’t her fault. Alador wasn’t a perfect man, Luz knew that just from the ways Amity had explained her situation at home and the endless expectations that were put upon her, but Luz was starting to think she understood Alador better and better the more they talked.

“With all due respect, it’s not your fault sir, and it’s not Amity’s either,” Luz said slowly, and Alador looked up, tilting his head curiously. Luz didn’t want to impose too much of her opinion of Alador, but she also wondered if maybe she could help Amity by talking to her father.

“The only ones to blame for everything that has happened is Belos and his revived demigods. That’s our mission, after all, to stop them from causing more damage. There’s no reason for you or Mrs. Blight to worry about Amity’s standing with Olympus.”

Alador hummed, “you are right about that, but unfortunately things on Olympus are never so black and white. My wife is right when she says it is in your best interest to succeed. There is always a person to be blamed when things go astray.”

Amity’s father closed the notebook and set it back on his desk. “I won’t keep you. I know Amity cannot relax until every plan has been made and set. But think about what I’ve told you about the balance of the world. I do believe this is the only way to save Olympus.”

He headed for the door and opened it, and Luz couldn’t stop one final question from flying out of her mouth.

“When you were talking to Ares, did he tell you anything about my dad?” The second she said it she cringed. Gods, she sounded like an anxious little kid. She didn’t want either Alador or Hermes to think she was desperate for his attention.

Alador paused, turning back to Luz with what only looked like sympathy. Luz realized maybe Alador had a point when he said a lot of demigods were the same. Loving and present parents were not a universal experience for them.

“I’m sorry, Luz. He didn’t.”

Luz couldn’t help but deflate, and she silently cursed herself for feeling so disappointed. He was a god, after all, Hermes couldn’t be always there looking out for her. Alador seemed to catch this because he smiled softly. The second he did it, Luz’s stomach flipped. It was the same smile Amity just gave Luz to offer her encouragement.

“I know it’s not the same, but if it’s any solace, your father has been looking out in more ways than one. Try and think about it.”

With that, he closed the door, leaving Luz alone in the study with her thoughts, the small trickle of water from the fountain echoing around the room.

#the owl house #Percy Jackson AU #lumity #luz x amity #shelby speaks

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atomicblasphemy · 3 years

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Chamomile {Part VI}

Eda and Amity share a cup of tea

“Well, be my guest. You technically already are my guest, but… Anyway, whenever you’re ready.”

“Right. As I said, mother does it herself, she doesn’t call for a servant to do it, or a professional. No, that’s our little mother and daughter time, as she calls it. And she always goes on and on about how nice I look next to my siblings when we all have the same color afterwards. Looking like a Blight, she says. She’s there messing with my hair and she won’t even say a word, not a single word. We both just stay there silent as she goes through the motions. Have you ever done it? Have you ever dyed your hair? The first thing you’re supposed to do is bleach it, that’s important. Especially if you are going to put a light tone like this. I never really got it, her hair is a darker shade than this, Ed and Em’s too. But she always went for this light green. You’d think she’d make father dye his hair to, but its actually more like she forbids him from that. Anyway. To be fair, I actually prefer this over their tone. Anyway, I once asked Lilith, back when she was still my mentor, if your scalp was supposed to itch after you bleach it. She said it never happened to her. That was the end of it. But I guess it kind of changes with time, either that or I’ve gotten better at controlling the itch. After mother is done and the dye dries she will always shower me with compliments, the name Blight thrown every other sentence. She’ll keep this up for like a couple of days, give or take. Then, when it starts to fade or it just generally becomes old news, then its back to the cold shoulders. When the brown roots start to ‘spoil the look’, as she puts it, she’ll make sure not to let me forget it. The word Blight completely absent from her mouth when it comes to me. That will go on until our next mother and daughter time. Then she’ll call me a Blight again. Until then I’m hardly Amity anymore. She’ll do this kind of treatment with Ed and Em sometimes too. But their hair is naturally green, and they are better than me at avoiding giving reason to it, I guess. I used to think that it was favoritism or something like that. We talked, the three of us, I don’t think that, not anymore. Luz told you about that library fiasco, didn’t she?”

“Yup, she did.”

“So, what prompted that was the… let’s call it the broken vase mystery. A porcelain vase, I thought it was something passed down from generations, some sort of Blight heirloom. Nope, she bought it the week before. Those things all look the same, to be honest. Pretending to be ancient and more valuable than they actually are, way too needlessly intricate for you to actually appreciate the details. Honestly, I don’t even think there is something to be appreciated in things like that, once glance and you’ll get all that it has to offer. In any case, one morning the thing is on the floor, completely shattered. Obviously, we were the three main suspects. Well… those two didn’t accuse me. But they didn’t exactly took responsibility either, and I knew for a fact Ed snucked out the night before and Em was covering for him. Some accident must have happened in the process and the vase was the victim. As I said, they didn’t take responsibility. So we all got grounded. I was livid. Three weeks, with another one of probation.”

“Probation? Seriously? Your parents gave you all a rap sheet?”

“I… I know… It really is worse than it sounds. Anyway, two weeks in, I storm into father’s office and tell him everything I knew.”

“Snitch.” Eda snickered.

“I’m not proud of that, but in the end I guess it was for the best, really. They were proud, apparently, of what did, and the amount of evidence I had to support my innocence. So I was back to being a Blight. Ed and Em weren’t anymore, not until their sentences were done with, that is. They got two months added to it, eleven weeks in total, with the possibility of appeal after the sixth week, not counting the first sentence. Mother and father said: obstruction of justice is a serious charge. Technically they are still serving it. But they are veterans, they know their ways around surveillance and all that, why do you think they chose to go to the illusions track? So yeah, it was their turn to be mad. Their plan was to leak my diary on school, to make me lighten up somehow, not take things too seriously, whatever that means. Well… Luz probably told you how that went down. Now we can see eye to eye though, because of that, because of what Luz told them that night. It was a shock to them, I think. The three of us talked that night, we talked a lot that night. Turns out we all truly are those two’s children. Turns out their stories weren’t that different from mine. They just knew better than me how to do stuff in a way those two wouldn’t notice. The impossible even happened that night. They apologized, and something even more unlikely: I forgave them. We felt like family for the first time in… ever, I guess. It was the first time the words mittens didn’t sound just like mockery. One of the things they told me, about the hair, was that they would do that sort of stuff with them, both mother and father. It was with extra-credits though: Ed wanted ballet, Em wanted wrestling. Ed took up wrestling, Em took up ballet. They lucked out, they could teach each other in the wee hours. There was other stuff too, but that’s what I can remember off the top of my head.”

“Amity, your siblings sound lovely, and they seemed really nice when they came here the other day, and that day at the knee. But I don’t see how this has anything to do with your hair.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure myself. But… I think what I’m trying to say is that our parents are building us, and they are very specific about every single detail. Little miss perfect. Now that I think of it that nickname fits like a glove. The three of us really. Perfection was always the lowest bar acceptable to all three of us. No diversions, only perfection, only then we would be worthy of the Blight name. We didn’t ever really know what that perfection word meant, only mother and father could tell. And, well. My hair… It just so happens that this was the biggest flaw, the biggest and most glaring imperfection.”

Amity lifted her hand, she didn’t tuck in an lose strands of green this time. She just pointed her finger at the creeping light shade of brown. The line between kin and strangers laid so blurred.

“You were born with that, they are the ones who gave it to you. Is this how you see it? I mean, that, on your roots. That looks a lot like Al’s color, from what I remember. Is this the word you would describe it with?”

“Of course not, but it isn’t like that ever mattered. And yes, I did get my hair from him. But then again, he took up the name, not the other way around. He is the outsider, mother doesn’t say that out loud, but I’m sure that’s how she feels. You know, I think there are days they don’t even see each other. With all that you told me about them, he sounded so eager to take up the name. You said he was ambitious, right? Anyway. Dying my hair now, after all we talked about tonight, it just sounds like her way of showing me how thin the blightness sheet of ice I always stood on has been all along. I have at least that in common with father, I suppose, this kinship, if nothing else. I actually think that’s why I decided to follow his path with the abominations, even if I wouldn’t put in these words back then the way I’m doing right now. But then again, I guess that if dying my hair is what I need to do in order to be a Blight, I always thought that’d be worth it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, he’s the outsider, I’m not a Blight all the time. It felt right to follow his track. At least that’s what I thought. I always thought I looked more like him than her. I suppose she would agree.”

“I’m not so sure about that. You have his hair, his eyes. But I also see a lot of Odalia in you. Yup. You really are your mother’s daughter. Physical appearance and personality alike.”

“Wha-What do you mean by that?”

“I mean what I mean, and we both know you are clever enough to know what that is. I mean that at end of the day, you are still a member of the Blight family. There’s no changing that, at least not yet.”

“Really? I… thought I was managing to change any bad first impressions gave you, but...”

“But you did. Look at me, Amity. You did. And I don’t just mean that because of tonight. Honestly, I’ve have a hunch you were not a bad person since that day at the knee. Your siblings too actually. But that doesn’t mean you’re good either, but you have all the time you need to walk down that particular rocky road. You and I both know what your parents are like, what they are capable of. But the fact of the matter is, this is who you are, for now. You were raised by Odalia and Alador. And for good or for worse, mostly worse, they are a big part of who you are right now. You are a Blight. But, I’ve seen with my own eyes you take first few steps to go past the Blight. This is why I’m being so insistent on telling you that you absolutely need to make amends with Willow. As a matter of fact, I believe you should apologize for trying to murder Hooty, and bake King a few indemnisation cupcakes. I mean, you’ll probably be visiting more often so it would be better for you to change the bad first impression you did give the two of them. Trust me. Anyway, getting off track. Let’s make a little mental experiment. Shouldn’t be too hard for you, but imagine you marry Luz and become a Noceda. Hey, Hey, Hey. Focus, Amity. This is important, get your feet back on the ground. Now, sure, you’d not have people calling you Blight anymore, but that part of your past would still be there. That won’t just disappear with the name. The name on its own means nothing, but the past associated with it means everything. You have to choose, really choose not to be a Blight anymore. Assuming that’s even possible, that is. At the very least you can more Amity than Blight though. Really fixing things with Willow, making sure you’ll never do anything even remotely like that, willingly becoming a better person. Moving over being a Blight passes through all that for you, it won’t just come out of nothing. It depends on you. Tell me, if I were to give you a room in this house, tell you don’t need to go back to the manor ever again, would you dye your hair back to its natural color?”

Amity’s eyes grew wide. Eda’s grew morose.

“Would you really?”

This had little to do with Luz. Amity and Eda both knew it.

“I’m sorry, kiddo. I really am. But I can’t do that, this is just a hypothetical scenario. Honestly, when I saw that you and Luz were becoming friends I just knew you couldn’t be like Odalia and Alador, that you weren’t too far gone yet. That you at the very least were trying to be a good person… Well, I started running some scenarios in my head. Contingency plans, if you will. Should push come to shove, I could try and act on it. That was when I still had my magic. But even then, I don’t think it would work out. Petty theft, wild magic, that’s one thing. Abducting a kid, a blue blood at that… That’s something entirely different. All those scenarios ended with you getting sent off to one of those boarding schools they have at the left shoulder. And you need to keep it in mind, Luz is not from this realm. If she ever decides and manages to go back to her home neither of us will have any right to fault her, to try to stop her. If that happens, odds are you’ll never see her again. And I doubt you would like that, would you?”

“No… No, I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah… But hey, for what it counts. You and your siblings are welcome here anytime. And I do mean anytime, if you come knocking at four in the morning the doors will be open for you, and a cup of chamomile ready to go. And if you really need it, if you’re really fearing for your safety or something like that, at least I can promise you to put up a hell of a fight. Your father won’t be seeing my back this time around. And I’ll even drag Lily into it. I can also try to help you plan to leave that place as soon as possible. Beyond that... I’m really sorry, Amity, but my hands are tied.”

“I… That’s ok… Thank you… Really.”

“Don’t mention it.”

She didn’t meet Amity’s eyes. Trying to put up a front, she continued.

“Now, moving on. Who is this brown haired girl you seem to like so much?”

“She’s… a lot like Luz, or the Luz I see at least… Or maybe just like what I remember from when I was still friends with Willow. I don’t know which one, maybe she’s both, probably someone else entirely. I don’t know who she is, I never met her. But I think about her a lot. I like her more than this green haired Blight girl. I think… I think that’s all I can tell you about her. Its like you said, at the end of the day, she’ll be a Blight and there’s I can do about it.”

“I’ve never said that.”

“What?”

“I’ve never said that. All I said is that you are a Blight, and that you have time on your side. That’s not the same as saying that that’s all you’ll ever be. Didn’t Luz show you proof that what you’re saying just isn’t true? But yeah… This girl you just described, I don’t know if she will ever exist. Because even if you don’t think so, to me it sounds like she never really was a Blight, she never had to make the choices a Blight needs to make on a daily basis. In this sense she really is a lot like Luz. I’m not discouraging you from trying to be her though. She sounds lovely. She really does. You should aim for her, in my opinion. But don’t expect to become her. If anything, I can picture an Amity with brown hair and green roots.”

“What if I chose wrong?”

“Aren’t you used to it by now?”

“Ouch, you really are brutal, aren’t you?”

“Heh, sorry. But I mean it. Aren’t you? Wouldn’t you do exactly what you’ve been doing? Try and fix it?”

“I guess.”

“So, what’s stopping from asking Luz out? A proper date, that is.”

“Because if rejects me, she’ll be rejecting both my brown and my green hair. I can take it if she rejects the green... The other one… that’s a different story.”

“Ahh… Finally.”

Eda smiled as she saw her goals accomplished, Amity couldn’t help but to do the same. Her hair, falling over her face didn’t call for the same hiding anymore, however. Eda just looked at her, their different eyes sharing the familiarity absent before. She felt though she had, in a sense, just been defeated. For someone as competitive as her that should be a terrible emotion, but with a chuckle Amity continued.

“Heh… I’ve actually been postponing mother and daughter time, letting my natural color show, on purpose. I was doing that even before Luz showed up, but as the feelings grew, my feelings, no one else’s, it was only more reason for me not to want it dyed. Mother has been relentless about it. But I’m liking the way it is now. I don’t think its perfect. But maybe its better this way. I didn’t want Luz to know me just with this green, if she rejects me now, she’ll be reject both the colors. But yeah… Looks like you cracked me, finally.”

“Maybe it is. Look, Amity. I’m not telling you to go for it. You are wanting to ask my daughter out after all, and I shouldn’t get more involved than I already am. So all I’m going to say is just my own personal opinion. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a good kid. I didn’t ask all of that because I’m vetting you or anything like that. Well, not only that at least. But the main thing for me is that I just can’t bare to watch someone who has so many possible roads ahead stick to one she didn’t even choose herself, not after I learned how to be a mother. Not since Luz taught me that. And if this fear of her rejecting the same parts of you that your family rejected is what’s keeping you from acting on what you really want. Well, that just doesn’t seem fair to me. And you never know. I mean, I don’t think Luz ever had someone confessing their feelings to her, odds are her standards aren’t really all that high. I don’t know why she’d say no.”

Amity laughed, she had just been insulted but she just laughed. She should have been mortified, but she just laughed. Eda had once more made her laugh at herself. She felt vulnerable, as vulnerable as the sleeping Luz upstairs, but as long as she was in this home she felt as though no harm would ever come to her. She couldn’t explain this feeling, nor could she find it in her to avoid it.

“Well, that’s a pretty harsh way of putting it.”

Chuckling, Eda responds.

“You’re welcome. But you know, there’s another reason why I’m saying that. Remember that story I told you? That one about me, my sister, your parents. Well, I see a bit of everyone there in you. You have this strange shrewdness, bordering on cruelty sometimes. That’s Odalia’s. You have something about the way you talk, the way you carry yourself, even this mostly unvoiced self-depreciation. Alador was a lot like that when we were kids. You are gullible, you can just go with the motions set by others, like my sister. But you don’t want that, you want something else, you are taking your time sorting things out. That’s what I see of myself in you. But you know in who I don’t see anything of anyone in that story? Luz. She’s not exactly trying to replace her reality with a better one. Granted, I don’t know exactly why she chose to stay here and not go back to her world, I suspect there was something very much amiss in her life there. But whenever she talks about that place its not really with resentment. At least that’s how it feels like to me. She really is the wild card. If she had been there when all of that was happening, even if in the sidelines, most likely the stories of the four of us have been a lot different. What I’m trying to say is that all you have for trying to predict how she’d respond is the way she’s treated you so far. I’ll let you sleep on that. But for what it counts, and I’ll cut your tongue if you ever tell her I said this, I’m rooting for you. She deserves someone who cares about her. And tonight you convinced me that’s the case with you, you hit the last nail on that question.”

“You really think so?”

“I do, Amity. I do… Look, as far as I’m concerned, you, Willow, Gus. You’re all part of the Owl family, now. You care about Luz, she cares about the lot of you, that’s really all I could ask for. By the way, wednesday is Monopoly night.

“Monopoly?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. Its this game she found in the human garbage the other day. Kinda boring if you ask me. Just a heads up” Her expression suddenly grew dark. “Luz can get… Pretty intense… Now...”

Standing up, Eda left out a yawn, a clearly forced one, a hand covering her mouth, the other thrown way behind her back as if stretching. Of Eda’s many talents, acting was not one. Placing a hand on Amity’s shoulder again, she proceeds.

“Its pretty late. And Luz wouldn’t stop going on and on about her plans for the two of you. You’ll need some sleep, trust me. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. You can just leave those teacups there, I still have some reading to catch up to. I’ll wash it before I go to bed. Good night, kid.”

#ten #the owl house #edalyn clawthorne #luz noceda #amity blight

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atomicblasphemy · 3 years

Text

Chamomile {Part VI}

Eda and Amity share a cup of tea.

“Well, be my guest. You technically already are my guest, but… Anyway, whenever you’re ready.”

“Yup, she did.”

“Probation? Seriously? Your parents gave you all a rap sheet?”

“I… I know… It really is worse than it sounds. Anyway, two weeks in, I storm into father’s office and tell him everything I knew.”

“Snitch.” Eda snickered.

“Amity, your siblings sound lovely, and they seemed really nice when they came here the other day, and that day at the knee. But I don’t see how this has anything to do with your hair.”

Amity lifted her hand, she didn’t tuck in an lose strands of green this time. She just pointed her finger at the creeping light shade of brown. The line between kin and strangers laid so blurred.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not so sure about that. You have his hair, his eyes. But I also see a lot of Odalia in you. Yup. You really are your mother’s daughter. Physical appearance and personality alike.”

“Wha-What do you mean by that?”

“Really? I… thought I was managing to change any bad first impressions gave you, but...”

Amity’s eyes grew wide. Eda’s grew morose.

“Would you really?”

This had little to do with Luz. Amity and Eda both knew it.

“No… No, I wouldn’t.”

“I… That’s ok… Thank you… Really.”

“Don’t mention it.”

She didn’t meet Amity’s eyes. Trying to put up a front, she continued.

“Now, moving on. Who is this brown haired girl you seem to like so much?”

“I’ve never said that.”

“What?”

“What if I chose wrong?”

“Aren’t you used to it by now?”

“Ouch, you really are brutal, aren’t you?”

“Heh, sorry. But I mean it. Aren’t you? Wouldn’t you do exactly what you’ve been doing? Try and fix it?”

“I guess.”

“So, what’s stopping from asking Luz out? A proper date, that is.”

“Because if rejects me, she’ll be rejecting both my brown and my green hair. I can take it if she rejects the green... The other one… that’s a different story.”

“Ahh… Finally.”

“Well, that’s a pretty harsh way of putting it.”

Chuckling, Eda responds.

“You really think so?”

“Monopoly?”

TEN

The girl didn’t respond. Her head was still going a million miles an hour after hearing Eda’s closing words. After everything she herself had said. This woman, this perfect stranger for the most part. She had told her things she never fathomed she would ever tell anyone. She had been content with the idea of having Luz as a crush, she convinced herself that that would be all she could strive for. All she deserved. Pining from afar. She made peace with being a Blight, with her green hair, and all that this name represented. Still, this woman showed that this mask was but a thin veil. And when the girl herself looked into her very own abyss whilst standing next to Eda, she couldn’t feel the expected repulsion. Eda showed no signs of feeling such things, so why would her? She looked into her own abyss, but it was empty, there was nothing there whatsoever, nothing to look back at her. She looked into her own abyss and couldn’t help but feel as though she should have been looking someplace else all along. Then, through Eda’s help, she realized that that chasm wasn’t everything there was.

Eda was almost leaving the kitchen. The sound of her heels clacking on the wooden floor, further driving the point that their conversation had ended. All she knew about her were the tall tales she had heard scattered here and there, nothing substantial and, specially after tonight, nothing she could vouch for. The footsteps growing ever more distant.

Yet, her mind was made. She felt something for the woman, a kinship she unsuccessfully looked for in her own flesh and blood for all of her fourteen years. She hadn’t forced the girl to say anything, There was no blackmail, no backhanded tricks, none of the familiar coercion. Eda was supposed to be a criminal, the scum of society, but she did none of the tricks the girl would have associate with one fitting this description. On the contrary, what the girl said, she said it willingly. What the girl said, she meant all of it. What the girl said, it needed to be said. She needed to voice the thoughts and clear her throat, clogged for so long, turning her into a gunpowder keg on the edge of exploding if even the slightest extra pressure was added.

Eda was the first one who offer to listen, maybe the first one capable of that. And that’s all she did. The girl knew no explosions would come. She wouldn’t have to meet any dramatic fallout, no blood and guts to mourn when the next drop becomes one too many. That woman, for some uncanny mysterious reason, made sure that would not be the case. The girl couldn’t remember any kindness of this sort.

Eda saw Amity. She saw the Blight too. Not because she had to show her either, not for any tacit obligation but out of pure volition. And she only left when it was for the girl’s own benefit.

In the girl’s mind, although justifications for Eda’s generosity were still foggy, the older witch’s kindness was something to be cherished. Something she was grateful for. She grew so used to the cold that the warmth, first from the daughter then from the mother, felt addictive, she would need more of this. And perhaps this was something she could dub a choice. The ones Eda had pointed out over their conversation stemmed from guts, maybe even from a not yet quite developed rebellion against the greenness of her being. This time, however, the meaning and intention were much clearer to her. It was possible, and that’s the gift she received, first from a daughter, then from a mother.

She jolts up, a long kept storm brewing. A girl, liberated from merciless fate, ran. Eda stood at a juncture at the bottom of the stairways, a path leading up, the one the girl was to take; another leading to the house’s small library and to the living room. For now, the one the girl looked for stood in the crossroads, much like herself. A tall woman, elegant, if uncompromising, youthful, if having had seen so much more than the girl, kind if having no reason to be so. It was as if she expected the girl, as if their last meeting for the night was to take place at that juncture and nowhere else. She showed no signs of being bothered by having the daughter of a pair of life time rivals sullen her dress with what she still had failed to voice, despite the long conversation. Years materialized in a pair of everflowing streams from the girls eyes as Eda held her, the difference in their heights never more evident. She really saw a lot of herself in that girl. She would let her sob and tarnish the dress, that didn’t matter. Maybe it was Eda’s imagination, but she could have sworn to have heard a few “thank you”s in between the visceral sounds reverberating in her womb.

But eventually even that was to run its course. Pushing her away, Eda knelt in front of the girl their eyes leveled at the same height. Holding the girl’s face between her hands, wiping away with her thumbs those few tears that resisted the fabric of her dress. She had nothing else to tell this Amity. She could only repeat her final closing words.

“Go get some rest, you need it, you need a break. You’ll have a big day tomorrow, Amity Blight.”

Seeing the woman’s back disappear into the the bowels of the house, the girl turned to face the stairway. A narrow path leading upwards, to what may just be the biggest decision she had to make so far. She had no name, not here, not now, not yet. But she had her feet, and she could take the first step. The ones following coming more naturally as she shortened the distance between herself and the destination she had chosen.

Luz still laid there, the same relaxed smile on her sleeping face, her hand still open midway between herself and where the Blight had lied earlier. Eda was right, she had a big day tomorrow, she would need as clear a head as she could afford. The girl, the young witch, laid back down again facing the human. She would reach out her hand, shorten the distance even further. But only eventually, not now. She’d need a name before that could happen.

“I thought you left.”

Luz’s eyes sluggishly opened. The girl feared that the girl may have overheard her conversation with her mother. A short emotion that she quickly got the handle of. A warmth stubbornly rising to her face nonetheless.

“Of course not. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, why would I leave?”

To her surprise, her normal abashedness in front of the most powerful human in the Boiling Isles was starting to give way to something else. The familiar burn to her cheeks still unrelenting now.

“I thought you went with King to steal that helicopter he was talking about. Then you’d go to Alcatraz rescue Katara.”

“I… have no idea what no idea what any of that means, Luz.”

The girl answered, particularly curious about the word helicopter. In the morning, she’d have to ask Luz what that was, or maybe King. Maybe that would be more effective than a handful cupcakes for getting into his good graces. Her hand, but a few inches from the one she wanted to hold. What insecurities she had regarding Luz’s knowledge of her conversation with Eda gone altogether. But holding it now was not what she truly wanted, she’d do it only when she knew for certain she herself was the cause for the human’s smile.

“That’s nice, really nice. I’m glad you’re here though. Good night, Amity.”

Luz’s voice falling to a barely audible whisper at the last word. Still, Amity could hear it echoing in her skull. Her mind was clear.

“Good night, Luz.”

Amity finally closes her eyes, slumber fast approaching as she realizes how tired she had truly been. This was a promise of a dreamless night. Just as muscles she never knew were so long started relaxing after so much time, realizing the impossible lightness on her shoulders. Amity needed the rest.

She feels fingers tightening around her own, just as consciousness started to be blur. She doesn’t open her eyes, she knows who they belong to. She was still awake, if barely. She could already dream, she was already doing that. A smile on her face and her belly full of their favorite tea, sleep at last reaches Amity Blight.

{THE END}

#ketsu #amity blight #luz noceda #lumity #edalyn clawthorne

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