Chapter Text
Through the drumming beat of the persistent rain outside, there was a knock on the door.
Vee had been staying with Camila in the Human Realm for a few months now and the rain still amazed her. Unlike the boiling rain back in the Demon Realm, this rain was ice cold, giving you a little shock and making you shiver when it first hit you but ultimately harmless. It could be quite fun sometimes. The cool water dripping on her scales was a nice sensation but she couldn't do that too often out of fear of being discovered. She didn't want to put that burden on Camila.
The basilisk turned to meet Camila's gaze in a silent question of whether she should answer to whoever was behind the door but Camila smiled. "I'll get it." She stated, turning off the stove so the soup she'd been making didn't boil over.
When Camila had first welcomed her into her house as Vee- not Luz- Vee had immediately volunteered to do whatever chores or errands she could find. She had wanted to show her appreciation for Camila in any small way she could since the woman had kindly taken her in And perhaps there was still a small voice in the back of her mind that told her Camila would only want her if she could be useful. She was yet to get rid of that voice.
She watched Camila disappear into the hallway to investigate the knocking and she set her attention back on setting the table. The plates in Camila's house were pretty, they were a little chipped but in Vee's opinion, that just made them more charming! It showed they'd been loved. They also had delicate little flowers painted on them which made Vee wonder how someone could have such a steady hand to paint something so small and still have it look this pretty. They must be very talented.
There were many little things in the Human Realm that Vee had come to appreciate because of her complete lack of them in her old life. Plates, cutlery, clothes, beds, not to mention showers! While Camila used them all without a second thought, Vee took the time to appreciate them and be thankful for them. Thankful that she'd finally escaped the hell she'd been raised in and been given the opportunity to build a new life for herself here in the Human Realm with someone as loving as Camila.
Vee heard the front door creak open, allowing the noise of the rain to leak through into the house a little stronger along with the sound of a surprised gasp.
And then... a voice.
"Hey, mom... I'm back."
Vee nearly didn't recognise it, the voice sounded so worn and exhausted. But it was unmistakably Luz. That was Luz's voice. Which meant...
She quickly placed the plates down on the table, making sure not to accidentally break them or add any more chips to the beautiful artwork as she did, before slithering through to the kitchen doorway to peak through into the hallway.
There, beyond the door, was Luz. And not only that but four other teenagers were behind her, currently being soaked by the rain. Teenagers covered in wounds, teenagers with pointy ears. Witches.
It took Camila a while to let go of Luz, having her wrapped in a hug so tight it was easy to tell if she didn't need to let go, she probably never would. But in the end, she did have to, so once she'd reluctantly separated from her daughter, she led the rest of the kids inside.
Vee made sure to keep her distance as they entered the house, stepping back into the kitchen in an attempt to stay partially hidden. Even if Luz was with them and clearly seemed to trust them to some extent, they were witches. Witches who had grown up and spent their whole lives under Belos' rule and heard all the propaganda he had to offer, witches who were taught to fear and despise basilisks like her. She didn't want to risk it.
But despite her best efforts, the tallest of the group, a blonde boy with a scar on his face, noticed her almost immediately and let out a small gasp. The boy immediately pushed the younger boy who had been clinging to his side, behind him and took a defensive stance, shielding the little boy with his body and staring her down.
Vee quickly slithered back and held up her hands to try and indicate she wasn't a threat but the blonde boy narrowed his eyes at her movement, body tense and ready to jump into a fight at a moment's notice.
But thankfully, Luz jumped between the two of them before he could, turning to the boy.
"It's okay, she's not dangerous." She reassured him.
His eyes flicked between Luz and Vee, trying to decide who to keep his attention on. Wanting to listen to Luz but too hesitant to let Vee out of his sight. "She's a Basilisk." He weakly protested. He sounded utterly exhausted.
"I know her, she's my friend. I promise she's not going to hurt anyone. Belos lied about the Basilisks, they're not scary, they're just hurting. You understand, don't you?" Luz tried to mediate.
At the Emperor's name, the boy flinched a little as if the name could and had physically attacked him. Vee wondered if maybe he'd also been hurt by that awful man, maybe that could be some common ground to build upon.
The boy relaxed a little, seeming to take Luz's words to heart. Nonetheless, he kept the younger boy close to his side, and have Vee a hesitant look, demonstrating that he would not hesitate to jump in if she presented herself as a threat. Vee supposed that was fair, she knew what it was like to be distrusting of people even if they were harmless.
Camila led them through to the living room and fixed the cushions on the couch- shaking them out- for them all to sit on. They hadn't had guests in a while due to Vee being a Basilisk from another realm and Camila not wanting to risk anyone discovering that, so the house was a bit of a mess, but the kids didn't seem to pay it any mind. They all seemed to be lost enough in their own thoughts to care about the state of the living room.
Luz and one of the other girls- a witch with straight, lavender-coloured hair cut halfway down her neck- both sat down on the couch, pressed close together, maybe in an attempt to find any reassurance they could or maybe just to make room for the rest of their friends to squeeze on the couch, Vee wasn't sure.
But the blonde boy sat himself along with the younger boy down on the floor, as far away from Camila as possible. The last girl, who had big round glasses and a green streak in her hair, sighed and sat down on the blonde boy's other side, linking her hand in his. He barely even seemed to register her touch, just staring at Camila across the room as if he were a cornered animal, making a last attempt to scare off a predator.
As Vee scanned the room, filled with silent, injured kids, she met Luz's eyes. Luz forced a small, tired smile and patted the cushion beside her so Vee nervously slithered over to sit beside her.
"It's good to see you again Vee, I missed you." She muttered. Luz, despite seeming like she had a lot on her mind, still made the effort to talk to her. That's something Vee admired about the girl, she always did her best to be kind to everyone she met, even if she herself wasn't feeling great.
"I missed you too Luz, welcome home," Vee replied. Her heart twinged a little when Luz's smile faltered. Was that the wrong thing to say?
"Mija," Camila spoke, catching Luz's attention along with those of the anxious witch kids, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me everything right now, but what happened?"
"No, it's okay mamá. I may as well get it over with now." Luz sighed, she slipped her eyes shut for a moment to collect her thoughts before she began to explain.
Vee only caught parts of the story between fetching medical supplies and spare clothes from various places they'd been stashed around the house. Not to mention, anytime she did find herself in the living room, she was far too focused on observing the strange blonde boy on the floor.
There was just something vaguely familiar about him. She felt like she might know him and a part of her was screaming at her that she did! But no matter how hard she thought back, she couldn't place where she might remember him from. When she looked at his face, she didn't recognise it at all, she was sure she'd remember seeing someone with a scar like that if she had but she could recall no memory of him. His voice, however, gave her a strange sensation of Deja Vu. It was kind of freaky all things considered.
"And then, we escaped through Belos' portal." Luz finished her vague retelling of the day's events.
"Where's Belos now?" Vee couldn't help but ask. The thought that he may have followed them here made her stomach do flips. He had ruined so much of her life and made her suffer through so much, but she'd finally escaped his grasp and made a new life for herself here in the Human Realm. She refused to let him ruin that too.
"He's... dead," Luz mumbled.
So much surprised relief rushed through Vee that she could help but say, "Good." She noticed the blonde boy flinch just out of the corner of her eye when she said that. She wasn't sure what to make of that.
"Because of the draining spell, he kinda turned into this huge goo monster thing? But then the Collector killed him." Luz explained.
The girl with the glasses jumped a little as if she'd been physically hit with a realisation and she quickly spun round to face the blonde boy beside her.
"Speaking of the draining spell, you have a sigil right, Hunter? Are you okay?" She questioned, her voice dripping with concern.
Vee took note that his name was Hunter and placed that information in the back of her mind. She didn't recognise the name, maybe he just sounded like someone she knew.
"I'm fine." He replied. Needless to say, his worn-out voice didn't back up his statement all too much.
"Hunter, you couldn't even stand twenty minutes ago, we all know that's a lie." The girl sighed. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull off his glove to look at his wrist but he tugged his arm away harshly.
"I said, it's fine." He repeated, a little more bite in his words this time. For some reason, that made Vee shudder.
He began to pale however when Camila approached him. She seemed to notice pretty quickly how he began shaking when he looked up at her so she sat down on the floor in front of him to be on his level instead of towering above him.
"Can you show me your wrist?" She asked, treading slowly and softly as if traversing a minefield where any misstep could cause a devastating explosion.
Hunter bit his lip, looking down at his gloved wrist, then up at Camila, and then down at his wrist again before he seemed to come to a decision and reluctantly reached his arm out to allow Camila to inspect it.
She gave him a sweet, reassuring smile before slowly taking his wrist in her hand and peeling back his brown glove, being mindful of the possible injury under it.
When his wrist was uncovered, Vee's blood ran cold.
There, under the glove, was something she would never gave expected. Something she hoped to never have to see again.
He had an Emperor's Coven sigil.
Before she could even process the information properly, her instincts kicked in and had her leaping off the couch and backing up towards the nearest exit.
Every head in the room turned to look at her other than Hunter's. He kept his head hung low, observing the floor. He knew, didn't he? He knew who she was.
"Vee, what's wrong?" Camila worried. Kind expression twisted in worry for the little girl she'd begun to view as a daughter of her own.
"Why is he here!" Vee exclaimed, it was taking all she had in her little body to fight off the increasing speed of her breathing.
Luz was quick to follow her, jumping up with her hands held up in front of her as if she were taming a wild animal. "Hey! Hey. It's fine! He's with us!" She frantically tried to reassure the basilisk, straining to try and force one of her usual bright smiles. It fell flat.
"But- But he has an Emperor's Coven sigil!" Vee wailed helplessly. She turned away from Luz to make sure she was keeping an eye on him, pinning him down in place with her gaze. She wouldn't let him surprise her with any sort of attack.
"Who are you?" She demanded. "You're too short to be one of the conformitorium guards!"
She watched him freeze with a sudden realisation before he finally turned his head to face her. "You don't know..." He muttered.
"Of course, I know!" She refuted. "You work for him! You're- You're-"
He looked her dead in the eye, daring her to make the connection, daring her to realise. And, she finally did. That voice. The reason she could only recognise his voice and not his face...
"Oh, my Titan... you're him..."
This realisation hit her harder than the initial one had. Smacked right into her like one of those trucks she'd seen on the human roads. He wasn't just one of Belos' lackeys or a scout, he was so much worse... he was...
"You're the Golden Guard..." She muttered in disbelief.
"Was." He corrected. Now she had finally understood his identity, he turned back to staring at the floor as if he might find something to distract him between the fibres of the carpet. As if he couldn't face her because they both knew what he'd done.
"What are you talking about?" Camila nervously questioned, completely oblivious to the monster before her, sitting pathetically in the middle of her living room. Someone like that didn't deserve to try and fit into such a cosy home.
"He's with Belos!" Vee quickly exclaimed, jumping in before he could have the chance to try and fill her head with his lies or to try and turn Camila against her, kick her out of the house and into the freezing rain to take her place under this roof.
"Was." He corrected again. If he said that one more time she feared she might punch him.
"He was there when I was in the cages! He tried to kill me!" Vee jammed a finger in his direction, valiantly fighting off the tears building in her eyes. She didn't want him to have the triumph of seeing them spill.
Camila jerked away from him slightly as if he could burn her if she got too close before her expression settled into one of internal conflict.
"He's not with Belos anymore! I promise he's-" Luz tried to explain but Vee had already dashed down the hall, slammed the bathroom door shut behind her and flipped the lock into place.
She didn't want to hear the excuses, the excuses for the boy that had worked with the man that had ruined her life, for the boy who had watched her behind bars, being poked and prodded and done nothing, the boy that had hunted her down and nearly killed her.
Hunter, huh?
Fitting name.