10. Chapter 49: Grandmother Knows Best

Eleven years ago.

Little Luz was doing a drawing of her, her mom, King, Owlbert, and even Hooty. "And… done!" she declared.

She rushed out of her room, only to trip. When she got back up again she could hear her mom talking to another person in the living room. Following the sound of the voices, she recognized the elderly woman her mom was speaking with.

"Gwendolyn, I keep telling you-"

"Now, now, Sweat Flea," spoke the pale skinned, elderly witch. She had olive green eyes and a violet color lower lip, as well as neck-length light gray hair with brunette patches on the sides. She was about shorter than Eda in height. She wore a violet dress with short sleeves with white fur trims, glasses, and black boots. "I'm sure that if you do as the instructions on the scroll say, you'll be able to-"

"Hi, grandma!" Luz popped up between the two adults, holding up her drawing. "Look what I've made!"

"Yes, that's nice, dear," Gwendolyn said without even looking at Eda. "Just take the scroll, Edalyn."

"Is it anything like the last few remedies you tried pushing?" Eda asked while picking up her daughter. "Look, I already have a system for dealing with this, Gwendolyn. Now if you excuse me, I need to watch over my baby." She turned to Luz. "And what do you have here?"

"A drawing of me with you, King, Owlbert, and Hooty!" Luz replied showing her drawing.

"Aw, isn't that nice, isn't it Gwendolyn?" Eda said, showing off her daughter's drawing to her mother.

"Edalyn, what will it take for you to consider my alternatives?" Gwen asked. Eda frowned, bothered that she's not acknowledging her granddaughter's art or her granddaughter at all.

Little Luz looked down sadly, which Eda could not stand for. "Hooty, I think it's time for Gwendolyn to go home."

"Okay! Hoot-Hoot!" Hooty came to wrap himself around Gwendolyn.

"Edalyn!" Gwendolyn cried out before Hooty took her out of the Owl House.

"Why didn't grandma look at my drawings?" Luz asked Eda.

"Oh she's just like that," Eda replied. "But you are a good artist, and someday she'll just have to acknowledge that. She can't ignore a cutie pie like you forever." She gave Luz a kiss, making her daughter giggle.

Now

Both Amity and Luz were woken up by the alarm. They sat up in bed, stretching.

"Morning," Luz said to Amity.

"Morning," Amity replied, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek.

Luz smiled. "I wish we could just stay in bed together all day."

"Me too," Amity admitted.

But they eventually did come downstairs for breakfast dressed in their Hexside uniforms. Eda was downstairs as well, this time wearing a mid-sleeve three-toned maroon dress with a ripped hem and light gray leggings and black flats. "Good morning, kiddos, sleep well?"

"Yeah, we did mom," Luz replied.

"You girls got any plans for today?" Eda asked them.

"Me and Ams have some friends at the Oracle Track who are going to help us look for information about a portal to the human world," Luz explained. "So far we haven't had any luck elsewhere."

"Where did you find the original portal anyway, Eda?" Amity asked her.

"Well…"

"AAAH!" Lilith cried out from the living room.

The others found Lilith fallen to the ground, reaching toward them. Her hands had turned into talons with feathers coming out. "Help me…"

"Hang on, Lily!" Eda rushed to her sister's aid, holding up an elixir and helping her drink it. "Try not to let stress get the better of you, it makes the curse act stronger."

As Lilith finished the elixir, the feathers started to disappear. She gasped and then sighed. "That… was… horrible… how did you manage this for thirty years, Edalyn?"

"Well it takes some getting used to, but since we shared the curse the elixirs are at least working again," Eda pointed out.

"That's a relief…" Lilith replied, only to find her left hand missing. "GAH!"

"Relax, Aunt Lily, this is just a side effect of the curse." Luz picked up Lilith's hand, and helped her reattach it. "The upside is that if you get decapitated, you'd still be alive."

"Plus we got elixirs all over the house. So anytime you get all feathery, just help yourself to these little miracles," Eda states, handing her sister an elixir.

"Thank you, Edalyn," Lilith responded while holding up the elixir. "And I'm so, so sorry for everything."

"Don't worry about it, at least you have me if you need anything," Eda assured her.

"We got you covered, Aunt Lily," Luz promised.

"Yeah," Amity added, letting Lilith know that she was here for her too. "And uh, good morning, Lilith."

Lilith smiled. "Yes, good morning to you as well."

In the Oracle Track classroom, Luz and Amity checked on Barcus who was mixing up his potions in a cauldron.

"So what's the verdict?" Luz asked him as a cube popped out of the cauldron.

Nothing.

Luz and Amity sighed. "Well, at least you've tried, Barcus," Amity said, petting the dog demon. "Thanks."

"Arf(No problem, my friends)!" Barcus replied.

"What about you, Eve? Did you have any luck?" Luz asked the oracle goth girl.

Eve's eyes glowed as she caressed her crystal ball, her hair standing up. She gasped as her eyes returned to normal and she sighed. "Nope, the spirit world offers no answers."

"I've tried too, but the spirits say that they have no info," Selene added.

"Well, thanks again. We appreciate the help," Luz told them.

"Sorry we couldn't find anything about a portal, Luz," Amity said to her girlfriend.

"Don't worry about it, Ams. There's got to be somewhere we haven't looked yet," Luz stated.

"I can… try the library," Amity suggested awkwardly. "I may have lost my job there, but I still have my library card."

"Are you sure? I mean, I know how much the library means to you, Ams…"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I was fired, not banned for life," Amity reassured her.

"Well, if you say so," Luz replied as the two began to walk out together. "We owe you one, guys," she told the Oracle Track students.

Barcus barked in response.

"See you later!"

Amity stopped, turning to look back at Barcus. "Who said- never mind." She shook her head and continued to follow Luz.

Later after school, the Brooke home had several visitors. Skara wasn't ready to return to school yet, so her friends decided to check up on her. The group consisted of Amity, Luz, Amelia, Cat, Bo, and Viney.

"So how are you holding up, Skara?" Amity asked, watching her friend eating a steak.

"I think I'm doing better since I got home. No more headaches and the meat dad bought should sustain my condition," Skara replied while tearing off the skin of the steak with her teeth.

"We're all glad that you're safe, Skara," Willow responded, relieved that her girlfriend was back safe and sound as she held her hand. "Even if you still can't go back to school right now."

"Yeah, after everything that happened, my dad thinks I should lie low for a while," Skara mentioned. Her father, Slasher, stepped into the bedroom.

"Hey, how is everyone doing?" Slasher asked them.

"We're doing good, Mr. Brooke," Cat replied.

"That's nice, say Amity, Willow, Luz, could I talk to you alone for a moment?" Slasher asked the aforementioned three, which Skara noticed.

"What do you need to talk to those three about, dad?" Skara questioned suspiciously.

"I just wanted to set something straight," Slasher replied, but Skara wasn't having it.

"You were going to talk to them about our condition and you didn't want to do it in front of the others!" Skara called out.

"Skara, I have to. That way, they are the only ones that know-"

"While the rest of my friends are left out of the loop?" Skara asked. "I don't want to hide this from them, dad. Sooner or later, they all have to know. They just want to help me and be here for me, but they can't do that if they're being kept in the dark!" She turned to Bo, Cat, Amelia, and Viney. "I trust these girls. Even you, Viney."

"But, Skara…" Slasher was about to say something but Amity interrupted him.

"Mr. Brooke, I think this is for the best. From our own experiences, keeping secrets from those you care about can cause more harm than good," Amity advised.

"It might be better that they know, so that they can have your family's back, sir," Luz told him. "Don't you trust your daughter's judgment?"

Slasher turned to his daughter, eventually sighing and giving in. "Alright, you should all know. My daughter and I… we're werewolves."

The girls who didn't know gasped in shock.

"It's been this way since Were-Fever hit the Boiling Isles," Skara revealed. "Lycanthropy ended up becoming hereditary on my dad's side of the family. And because we were born with it instead of getting it through an infected bite, the vaccine that the Healing Coven created couldn't cure it."

"And you have been keeping this secret?" Bo asked.

Slasher nodded. "As long as we keep our condition contained and we don't cause a panic, the Emperor's Coven is willing to look the other way. But if we ever lose control… they made it very clear that there would be consequences. I have had family members who were… put down." He looked away sadly.

"But it's not your fault that you have lycanthropy, you shouldn't be punished for it!" Willow stated in concern.

"Which is why mom's part of the Beast Keeping Coven," Skara explained. "Right now she's doing damage control with the Coven, hopefully to convince the Head to be lenient. And that is part of the reason I am staying home for the moment. There is more than just the reputation of my family at stake here."

"So that werewolf that attacked Boscha… that was you?" Amelia asked and Skara nodded sadly.

"I couldn't control myself and my anger toward Boscha got the better of me. My parents were hoping that my father's condition would skip a generation, but it was just dormant until now." She sighed. "I think I might have to take a mix-track course now."

"Wow, really?" Viney asked, excited.

"Yeah, probably gonna do both Bard and Beast-Keeping," Skara revealed. "I've heard that in Beast-Keeping you can learn to not just control beast demons, but can help out your inner beasts. So I probably have to join."

"Count me in," Luz spoke up. "I have been thinking of doing a mix-track course sooner or later. So if I'm allowed to, I might be joining Beast-Keeping as well. That way you have another Bard Track girl to keep you company."

"Wow, really? That's great!" Skara replied excitedly. "Maybe we could form a band together, call it the 'Bard Beasts Girls.' You could play the drums, I could sing, and our girlfriends would help with tours around the Isles-"

"I'll think about it," Luz noted. "Though that doesn't sound too bad."

"There's still one thing I don't get," Amelia said. "Who was it that took you, Skara? Were you kidnapped at all or did you just go savage and run away?"

Skara looked down. "I-I'm not sure, but it was someone, or something that had taken the form of my mom. Whoever it was, it was a shapeshifter. Next thing I know, I blacked out and I was trapped within my own mind… facing this old bald guy."

The eyes of Luz, Amity, and Willow widened.

"Oh no…" Willow whispered in shock.

"Skara, did he ever give you a name?" Amity asked.

Skara nodded fearfully. "Yeah, he called himself the Inner Demon. He was the one who released my inner self… my werewolf side. He made me realize what happened at the photo lab…"

"Skara, that wasn't your fault," Amity assured her.

"I-I know… but there is something else you should know," Skara told them. "I learned that when Dolly found the photo, she gave it to Boscha. She wasn't forced to hand it over."

This shocked everyone in the room. "I thought something was off about her…" Cat stated.

"So if Dolly gave Boscha the photo…" Luz said while tightening her fists.

Amity's eyes narrowed into a glare. "She did this to screw with us… and for what? Just because she lost our duel during the exams? Next time I see her…"

"Luz, Amity, I know how you're feeling, and I understand," Willow told the two, patting them on the backs. "But I want you two to step aside and not worry about her for now."

"Willow…" Luz said before Willow continued.

"Because I want to have a talk with her first," Willow finished, her aura darkening as her wrath began to show… again.

Slasher, meanwhile, was comforted knowing that Skara could rely on her friends. But something troubled him. "Inner Demon…" he whispered to himself.

Luz and Amity made it back to the Owl House, just as Eda, King, and Lilith came back with Hundun carcasses.

"Whoa, you guys went out hunting?" Luz asked.

"Yup, thanks to Lily we were able to capture these faceless turkeys," Eda said. She pointed to her sister, who just rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's nothing, really," she replied humbly. "I just knew that they were attracted to the smell of gruffles."

"Hoot-Hoot, the mail's here!" Hooty popped up and burped out mail in Eda's face.

"At least you didn't eat the mailwitch this time," Eda mumbled as she looked through the mail. "Chain mail, bill, bill, junk mail, letter for Amity, bill-"

"Wait, a letter for me?" Amity asked cautiously.

"Yeah, here, with your name," Eda said as she handed Amity the letter meant for her.

The Blight girl opened the envelope, looked at the letter and was shocked. "No way…"

"What? What is it?" Luz asked her.

"This letter… it's from my grandparents!" Amity revealed.

"What?!" Luz, King, Eda and Lilith exclaimed.

"Your grandparents… wait, which side?" Luz asked.

"Only the ones on my father's side are still alive," Amity revealed as she read the letter. "They say that they are sorry to hear about my current predicament and they regret that we have never been close, so they are inviting me to pay them a visit and make up for their lack of involvement in my life while getting to finally know their granddaughter." Amity was curious, but also reluctant. She turned to Lilith. "What do you know about my dad's parents?"

"Well, I wasn't too close with Alador back at Hexside, but I do remember that his parents began to neglect him and Odalia had to step in to help take care of him," Lilith explained.

"That probably explains why my dad doesn't want anything to do with them anymore," Amity said while looking back down at the letter.

"Well, maybe you should give them a chance," Luz suggested. "There is always the chance that they might have changed since then and regret how they treated your dad. It may be too late for them to fix their relationship with him, but it is not too late for you to have a relationship with them. They are making the effort to reach out to you and if they do turn out to be crap, you don't have to see or speak to them again. And at least you'll know."

"I… I'm not sure…" Amity admitted before she felt the wind blowing through her hair. "I didn't know it'd be windy today."

"Is that a tornado!?" Lilith pointed at something heading toward the Owl House.

"I wish," Luz said as she unhappily realized what it was.

"Oh Edalyn~!" a voice called out.

"Crap-apples," Eda groaned.

The tornado, led by a hawk, came to a stop. Standing in its place was Gwendolyn, who appeared to have fur trims in her dress and white streaks in her now gray hair. The bird landed on Gwendolyn's staff, changing back into a palisman.

"Hello, little witchlet, how are you doing?" Gwendolyn asked, walking up to Eda.

"Gwendolyn," Eda and Luz both said monotonically with a bit of hostility.

"Mother!?" Lilith exclaimed.

"Wait, mother?!" Amity asked. "So that makes her-"

"Luz's grandma? Eeeeeh, yeah but we don't like to talk about her," King explained.

Gwendolyn held onto Eda's face before her daughter smacked her hand away. "How are you feeling, are you well? Did you get my messages where I told you about how I heard all about the petrification ceremony? Don't worry, I sent a very strongly worded letter to Belos. I would have come sooner, but I was busy."

"Mother!" Lilith jumps in. "I was there too, along with your granddaughter! Oh, and have you met my goddaughter, Amity?"

"Oh yes, nice to see you again, Lilith, and I also see that you are still dying your hair," Gwendolyn commented before turning to Amity. "Nice to meet you, Amity, was it?"

"Um, yeah. I'm the youngest daughter of the Blight family and your granddaughter's girlfriend. Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Clawthorne," Amity greeted, but Gwendolyn had already moved on while Luz just walked away back into the house with King. This only confused the Blight girl.

"Yes, yes, but now give me a moment with Edalyn, this is very important," Gwendolyn said, causing both Amity and Lilith to frown. The older woman continued. "Now, as for why I am here, I am about to complete this thirty year mission…"

"Oh no…" Eda said dryly.

"Your mother has finally succeeded…"

"Here we go."

"…in finding a cure for your curse!" Gwendolyn announced while slamming down her staff.

Eda just sighed. "Yeah, no thanks."

"What!?" Amity cried out in shock, turning to Eda.

"I said no thanks," Eda repeated. "I've already gotten my elixir system."

"But… but who knows what they put in those nasty things?" Gwendolyn brought up.

"Actually, I do, and would you look at the time!" Eda pulled Gwen's staff and got her to sit down on it. "I've got lots to do today. Taking care of the kids and all, so byeee!" She smacks the staff, launching Gwendolyn up high into the sky. With Gwen gone, Eda turned around with a satisfied look. "Alright Luz, she's gone!"

"Yay," Luz said as the others went inside.

Amity was flabbergasted. "What… what just happened!?"

"Oh that? Don't worry about it, mother always comes here annually with a so-called cure," Eda explained. "But every time it is just a disappointment."

"But… she's your mom-"

"Amity, I think Edalyn needs some time alone," Lilith told her while Eda went to her bedroom. "From what I've heard, mother does not have the best relationship with her and Luz."

Amity's eyes widened and she turned to see Luz on the couch, eating a bit of Hundun that she had cooked with a fire glyph. Amity walked over to her girlfriend and sat down beside her. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"Eh, just fine," Luz replied between bites. "You want some Hundun?"

"Maybe later, but um… I was wondering, and you don't have to answer…" Amity started to say.

"You want to know about me and Granny Gwendolyn?" Luz asked. "There is not much to tell. She just hasn't acknowledged me much, ever since I was a baby."

Fourteen years ago.

Hearing someone knocking on the door, Eda answered it and was surprised to see Gwendolyn "Mom!? Oh great, what do you want now?" she asked while in the middle of feeding baby Luz.

"I've come here to-" Gwendolyn noticed baby Luz. "Oh, I see you've picked up another pet."

Eda frowned. "She's not a pet, mom. She's my-"

"Sounds great, but before I forget I wanted to tell you about this cure I found!" Gwen interrupted while holding up a tambourine. "I got this from the Amazon Witches from the Jaw River, they say this can-" But Eda slammed the door before Gwendolyn could finish.

Seven years later, Luz was celebrating her birthday with King, Hooty, and Owlbert. Her mom, meanwhile, was busy trying to brush Gwendolyn away.

"I told you, mom, I'm celebrating Luz's birthday!" Eda told her.

"You can celebrate your pet's birthday later, Edalyn," Gwendolyn told her, making Luz look down with a hurt expression. "If you could just-"

"Ejection spell." Eda stomped her boot and Gwendolyn sprang up from the ground as she was launched into the sky.

Five years after that, a twelve year old Luz was in her goth phase when she opened the door to see Gwendolyn again. "Hello dear, is Edalyn-"

"Mom, she's back!" Luz shouted to Eda.

"You know what to do, honey!" Eda shouted back.

Luz turned to Gwen and slammed the door shut. She sighed in frustration. "Screw this, I'm going to see Dipper," she muttered.

"Every visit is the same thing. She comes with a claim that she can cure my mom, her supposed cure fails, and she barely even notices that I exist. She just sees me and King as pets," Luz finished explaining, much to Amity's shock.

"Which to be fair, I technically was once," King admitted.

"Oh Luz, I'm so sorry…" Amity apologized.

"It's no big deal, really," Luz assured her while taking another bite of Hundun.

"What about your grandfather?" Amity asked out of curiosity and Lilith winced as she overheard the question.

Luz looked down. "I learned not to ask about him, since whenever I do she gets really sad. One time I heard her crying in her bedroom after I brought it up."

"I'm sorry that mother's like this, Luz," Lilith said in order to change the subject.

"Hey, I already said it isn't a big deal," Luz insisted, sitting up. "Come on King, let's get this Hundun to the kitchen." King nodded and began helping Luz.

"But Luz-" Amity tried to say, only to feel Lilith put her hand on her shoulder.

"Let her be, at least for now," Lilith told her with a sigh. "I'm going to have a talk with Eda about this." She followed her sister upstairs.

Amity looked out the door in the direction Gwendolyn had flown off in. Her fists tightened.

Eda was in her bedroom, going through her nest until she found what she was looking for. The drawing that Luz had made of her family eleven years ago. Eda was smiling to herself when Lilith came in. "Eda, are you alright?" she asked her.

"Yeah, what's up?" Eda replied as she put away the drawing.

"I just want to say… mother… she had no right to just ignore Luz like that," Lilith said.

"Oh, well thank you for saying that," Eda responded. "And I'm sorry that she hasn't been contacting you. I didn't mean for her to neglect-"

"This isn't about me, Edalyn, this is about how mother is treating Luz," Lilith interrupted. "Especially how she sees her as one of your pets. Luz isn't a thing or an object, she's a person… how can she view Luz like this?"

"She is an old witch, they are out of touch like that," Eda explained. "It is also why Gwendolyn has always been trying to get me off elixirs, she doesn't trust them and believes in older, more traditional kinds of medicine. But you'd think she'd be glad to have a grandchild. Unfortunately, she took one look at her ears and made my Luz feel unwanted. Luz tried not to think about it at first, but then… the slayground incident happened. When Gwendolyn dropped by again, Luz wanted her attention and validation more than ever. But Gwendolyn paid no attention to her."

Lilith saw how distraught Eda really was and it bothered her. "My Titan… how can mother be this… cruel?"

"I wouldn't say cruel, just thoughtless and old-fashioned. She is more unintentionally insensitive than purposely malicious. But I still refuse to let her hurt my daughter anymore," Eda explained. "Now how about we both go downstairs to help get dinner ready?"

Lilith nodded, but she still felt uneasy about what her mother had put this family through.

Meanwhile, Gwendolyn was walking through the forest with a medallion in her hand. She stopped in front of a boulder that blocked a cave before she spoke up. "I know you're following me, dear."

Amity popped out of the bushes. "How did you know I was following you?"

"I raised Eda, who would always try to sneak up and scare me when she was a young witchling," Gwen answered. "So I am used to it."

"Oh, well I just wanted to have a talk with you about…" Amity noticed the medallion. "What's with the medallion?"

"This? Well, after years of searching I have finally found a curse expert who can help me cure my daughter!" Gwen replied joyfully as she held up the medallion in front of the boulder. The symbol on the medallion glowed lime green and the same symbol appeared on the boulder. This caused the boulder to move aside, revealing the entrance to a cave. "Would you like to see him?"

Amity was silent for a second before responding. "Yeah, let me see this… 'curse expert' you're talking about."

She followed Gwendolyn inside the cave, which was full of purple crystals, candles, and chimes. Sitting in front of a waterfall was an elderly blue skinned witch with a long white beard, closed eyes, a purple diamond on his forehead, and teal beads around his neck. He wore a gray-green cloak for his four arms, with one holding up a staff having a purple crystal. In front of him was a small imp with boils and itchy eyes.

"Please… it itches…" the imp cried in agony.

The blue witch waved his hand and the imp levitated up inside of a purple sphere. After a flash, the boils on his eyeballs were gone, showing his clear blue eyes.

"It doesn't itch anymore! Thank you, Wartlop!" the imp thanked before running out, passing by Gwen and Amity.

Gwen smiled as she spoke. "This is Master Wartlop, he's a traveling curse expert that has perfected next-level healing magic!"

"I see…" Amity said, pulling out her scroll while Gwendolyn rushed over to Wartlop.

"Gwendolyn, my star pupil," Wartlop said to her. "I see your aura is still shining bright."

"Thank you, sir. It may have taken me many months but I have managed to gather the sacred items you've suggested," Gwendolyn said as she brought out from her bag a copper egg, a silver dagger, and a golden chalice. "The Copper Egg from the Showing Rib Cage, the Silver Dagger of the Swamp of Toads, and the Golden Chalice from the Desert of Palm Stings."

"You are truly a dedicated mother," Wartlop spoke of her highly.

"Hey, excuse me, Mr. Wartlaff or what is it your name is," spoke up Amity who stepped in beside Gwendolyn, facing the curse expert.

"Oh, and what can I help you with, my child?" Wartlop asked her.

"So you claim to have perfected next-level healing magic, right?" Amity asked.

"Of course, I am the real deal unlike those hacks from the Healing Coven!" Wartlop declared.

"Yes, isn't he amazing, Amity?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Interesting, so can you heal burn wounds?" Amity pointed at him.

"I don't understand-" Wartlop was suddenly on fire. Gwendolyn was shocked by this.

"Wartlop!" Gwendolyn cried out and turned to Amity. "What do you think you're doing-!?"

"AAHH!" cried out an imp that popped out of Wartlop's stomach, followed by another two imps that had made up the disguise. "Help, fire! We're on fire!"

"Quick! Into the waterfall lake!" one cried out, but suddenly the three imps were all gathered up by an Abomination hand summoned by Amity, who had also grabbed the other imp who had earlier been 'cured.'

Gwendolyn was confused. "I… I don't understa-"

"I knew I've seen these imps before," Amity noted. "From the bounty boards. They have been known to commit petty scams around the Isles while spreading misinformation for profit." She held up her scroll, showing images of the wanted imps.

"Hey-hey! Come on, kid! We're just making a living!" cried out the imp that had made Wartlop's 'head.'

"Yeah, do you know how hard it is to get by-"

"QUIET!" Amity's eyes flashed pink, showing her anger. She then turned to Gwendolyn. "For someone who raised Eda, I wouldn't expect you to fall for such an obvious scam!"

Gwendolyn was taken aback by Amity's anger. "Now listen here-"

"No, you listen!" Amity called her out. "You've been so focused on trying to cure Eda's curse, you not only fell for an obvious scam, but you've also been neglecting the rest of your family by ignoring your own grandchild and your other daughter who now shares Eda's curse!"

Gwen's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Lilith is also cursed?!"

"Yes, Lilith had to perform a spell to share Eda's curse so it wouldn't grow worse," Amity told her. "She also almost died while trying to protect Luz! And Luz… how could you ignore your own grandchild like that!? Is it because she's human? Did it ever occur to you that Luz is not a pet? Did you ever think about getting to know her? Well, I'm proud to be her girlfriend and I won't stand for anyone who doesn't see her worth, even if that someone is her senile grandma! Do you have any idea how much Luz has gone through? How hard Eda has worked to care for her needs?! And what about Lilith, she had to sacrifice her job to protect her family! Or how about King, since he is your grandson too! It's not just Eda you should worry about!"

The truth hit Gwendolyn like she had been trampled by minotaurs. She stood there in silence, unable to say anything while in the background the imps struggled in their Abomination goo prison.

"I'll leave you alone to think about it," Amity told Gwen. "I suggest contacting the Emperor's Coven to have these guys arrested." She then walked out of the cave.

'My Titan… what have I done?' Gwendolyn thought as she watched Amity leave. She turned to glare at the trapped imps, angry with them… and herself.

"So you think he'd look like this?" King asked, showing Luz a drawing of what he thought his father looked like as a dragon.

"Hmm, I can see that," Luz replied. "I mean, you came out from an egg, so he could be a dragon." Then they heard a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

"Hey, um, can I have a minute of your time, Luz?" Lilith asked as she opened the door.

"Oh, yeah. Me and King are just waiting until dinner is ready and for Amity to come back from her walk," Luz responded as Lilith sat down next to her. "So what's up?"

"I just want to make sure that you're okay," Lilith spoke to her.

"If this is about Gwen's visit, I'm fine," Luz told her, looking away. But then she felt Lilith's hand on her shoulders and she looked at her.

"No you're not!" Lilith told her, before calming down. "Luz, you are a Clawthorne too, and what mother is doing is wrong, and I can tell that you are not fine with this."

"And I've told you, I'm fine!" Luz stated, only to see some scales popping out. "That means nothing."

Lilith sighed. "I know what it's like to be ignored by her. Mother never returned my calls, nor did she even bother to visit me back at the Emperor's Coven. Now I know that was because she was paying more attention to Eda, but I don't blame my sister at all. Especially since mother has been causing so much strife for you and Eda. In hindsight, this lack of her approval may have been one of the reasons I was so desperate to please the Emperor for so long."

Luz sighed as well. "I guess we are from the same boat, huh?"

"I don't want you to have the same baggage I had, Luz. But you are so lucky that you have a good mother that takes care of you and your brother, tends to your needs, and supports you no matter what. And I just want you to know that no matter what, even as you try to figure out who you are right now with all this cambion stuff, you'll still be my niece and that isn't going to change." Lilith looked away. "Sorry, you probably think that I sound so corny right now-"

Unexpectedly, Luz hugged her. This surprised Lilith as she looked down at her niece.

"Thank you, Aunt Lily," Luz told her, embracing her aunt. "I know you are trying to compensate for everything that happened before, but I appreciate it. And… I'm glad to call you family."

King gave a sniff as he wiped away his tears "I-I'm not crying over this, I'm not, but I am."

Lilith embraced Luz as well. "Yeah, I'm glad to call you family too," she commented with a small smile. But then she saw the newspaper clipping on the wall and her face fell as she remembered what she did.

She quickly let go of Luz. "Say, um, how about I check your mom to see if dinner's ready," Lilith excused herself from the room. "I'll call you when it's ready!"

"What was that all about?" King asked.

"She must be feeling feathery again," Luz responded, noticing some feathers on the floor.

Amity was heading back to the Owl House when she heard a voice calling out to her.

"Wait! Amity!"

The Blight girl turned around to face the witch chasing after her. "Mrs. Clawthorne."

Gwendolyn saw the cold look in the girl's eyes, but couldn't blame her. "Listen, dear, I want to speak with you."

"About what? About how you hurt your family?" Amity asked while starting to look away.

"I know," Gwendolyn responded, which made Amity stop. "And I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one who you need to apologize to, it's your daughters and granddaughter that you should apologize to. And King, depending on how he feels about you," Amity stated.

Gwendolyn looked down. "You're right. I've been so blinded by my worry for my youngest daughter and finding a cure for her, that I missed out on everyone else growing up. All because I don't trust those elixirs my Edalyn is drinking…"

"I don't like or trust the Coven System myself, but the individual Covens do a lot of good. Especially the Healing and Potions Coven. Eda doesn't like the Coven System either, but she still takes her prescription. And you should've trusted your daughter more," Amity told her.

"Yes, Edalyn knew more about potions but I just… it's complicated," Gwendolyn stammered.

"What's so complicated? Eda's managing her curse just fine," Amity told her.

"You said you don't trust the Coven System? Well, neither do I," Gwendolyn revealed. "But I still joined the Beast-Keeping Coven because of how desperate I was to look for a way to cure my daughter's curse, or at least tame it but they said it couldn't be tamed. Everything used to be simple back during what you youngsters call it the Savage Ages."

Amity realized what Gwendolyn meant. "So… you're from…"

"A time without the Coven System, a time where witches and demons used to do whatever magic they wanted to without restraints. I'm from the old generation who knows what the Boiling Isles was like before the rule of Belos." She sat down on a log. "Sure there was a lot of chaos and disunity, but it wasn't as bad as its current reputation suggests. It was a simpler time, but now there are so many guidelines and restrictions… it wasn't easy for me to adjust to the changes. Lilith fit in quite easily and when she ended up joining the Emperor's Coven, I knew that she would be well provided for. But Edalyn… I suppose there was just a bit too much of me in her. The Coven System was never really for her, but when she was cursed and ran away from home… I wanted to do everything I could to help her, coven or no coven. I know it won't make up for what I've done, but I just couldn't stand to see one of my children suffering."

Amity sighed. "I get that you just wanted to help Eda out. But she has been dealing with this by herself for thirty years. Lilith, on the other hand, is only just now experiencing this curse for the first time. And Luz has just found out that she's a cambion."

Gwendolyn's eyes widened. "Cambion… you mean Luz-"

"Yes, after being raised here in the Boiling Isles her whole life, she unknowingly became a Cambion," Amity told her. "Eda and Lilith are doing whatever they can to help her, and so am I. But what you've been doing hasn't been helping her or Eda, it has only been making things worse for both of them."

Before Gwendolyn could respond, Amity heard the squawking noise from Hawksley, causing her to look up and saw the palisman carrying a big bag of some kind… while flying from the Owl House...

Meanwhile, Lilith was having a hard time breathing while in the bathroom of the Owl House. She looked at herself in the mirror, looking distraught from guilt.

"You couldn't tell her the truth, could you?" asked a voice in her head. "Because you are afraid that if Luz knew you killed her mother, then she would take back everything she said and you would lose them forever. You are afraid that they will rightfully hate you, even as your guilt is tearing you apart from the inside!"

Lilith held onto her head, trying to silence the voice.

"But you would rather keep hurting yourself than confess your guilt and face the consequences for your actions," said the Baron, who was in the woods speaking to a voodoo doll with Lilith's blue hair and a few feathers. "I did say that I was not done with you yet, Lilith Clawthorne. Death would have been a release, but you still have sins to answer for…"

He then plucked off the feathers.

Lilith looked at her own arm and saw black feathers pop out. "Oh no," she muttered, stepping out of the bathroom and rushing to the living room. She searched for the elixirs that should be hidden around the room. "Where are they? Where are they? Edalyn!"

"What? What's going on?" Eda rushed to her sister's aid and saw the feathers. "Oh no, it's going to be alright, Lily, let me just-" She checked the places where she put some of the elixirs, but found nothing. "What the… what happened to the elixirs!?"

"Ugh… augh!" Lilith knelt down, feeling the feathers pop out all over her body, "AAAAAUGH!" she cried in pain, her eyes blackening, followed by a flash of electricity.

"Mom? What's going on-" Luz and King came downstairs to see Lilith. "Oh shit!"

"What's in this bag?" Amity asked, confronting Gwendolyn.

"Oh um… now don't be mad," Gwendolyn tried to ease up the tension, only for Amity to grab the bag and open it to reveal all of the elixirs inside. The Blight girl glared at Gwendolyn.

"Why would you do this!?" Amity barked in anger.

"Before I confronted you, I… may have only ordered Hawksley to… take all the elixirs out of the house so that Eda would have to try my way instead," Gwen revealed, but this didn't make anything better.

"What!? Why the fuck would you do that!?" Amity cried out.

"I didn't want my children to continue taking that stuff, alright?" Gwen stated before they both heard a beastly howl, followed by a window crashing as they saw Luz in her Cambion form being launched out of the Owl House. She hit the ground and Amity rushed over to her.

"Luz, are you okay!?" Amity asked in worry.

"I'm fine, but Aunt Lily isn't!" Luz cried out and King rushed out of the house.

"Luz, I tried the light glyphs but they're not working on Lilith! Now your mom's starting to transform!" King cried out just as Eda came out of the house covered in feathers.

"Kids… run!" Eda cried out, her eyes darkening as her featherly mane popped out. "You have to… get out of here!" She cried in agony and transformed into the Owl Beast, but was pushed out of the way as Lilith came out.

"Sweat Flea…" Gwendolyn said as she saw Lilith's own Beast form.

Lilith's form shared many of the same characteristics as Eda's Owl form, but rather than an owl she looked more like a raven. Her Raven Beast form had a longer neck and long hair. Her long ears had small ridges with no hair growing out unlike Eda's, and she was larger than Eda's Owl Beast form. There were also zigzag white lines on her body and her black wings… sparked blue electricity.

"Lulu, you have to calm down," Hooty tried to intervene.

"RAAAAWWWW!"

Lilith gasped as she found herself in her own mindscape.

"Where… where am I-!?" She then heard a growl coming from the gray void. Turning around, she saw a raven-griffin-like beast towering over her. She backed away from the beast. "No… no it… is that the-"

"I think Raven Beast is the right term."

Hearing a voice, Lilith turned around to face the figure. "The Inner Demon? I already kicked your ass once, I can do it again!"

The Baron chuckled. "Relax. I am no fan of that child predator. Think of me as a friend. A friend who happens to know your darkest secret… murderer."

Lilith's eyes widened.

Despite Hooty's best efforts, he was knocked aside as the Raven Beast and the Owl Beast charged at each other. As they began to fight, Luz tried to use a plant glyph to restrain both beasts, but they used their talons to tear through the growing vines. The Raven Beast's talons then grabbed the Owl Beast, picking her up and flew them both out of the forest.

"They'll be heading to town!" King cried out.

"I… I didn't think this would…" Gwendolyn was still in shock, but felt Luz's hands grabbing her collar.

"You did this!?" Luz shouted in anger. "What the fuck, Gwendolyn!?"

"Luz, stop, this isn't going to help your mom and aunt!" Amity got in between them. "Forget about Gwendolyn, right now we need to keep them from hurting everyone or else the Emperor's Coven might get involved!"

Calming down, Luz sighed. "You're right. We need to get elixirs to them."

"Wait!" Gwendolyn spoke out, holding up the bag with elixirs. "Let me help, please."

"You helped enough, Gwendolyn!" Luz said as she spread out her wings, grabbing onto King and Amity.

"Luz, listen!" Gwendolyn interjected. "I know I've messed up and I made you feel unwanted over the years, but I want to make it up now, by helping my granddaughter save our family!"

Luz took a deep breath. They didn't have time to argue. "Okay," she simply said, before flying up with both King and Amity. Gwendolyn followed them with the bag of elixirs with her.

The two winged cursed beasts fought all over town, the citizens of Bonesborough avoiding the chaos created by the two beasts. Watching the battling beasts was Larry, who looked to be in a panic.

"Oh this is not good," Larry said as his fellow coven guards walked up to him.

"Isn't that the Owl Beast tackling another?" one asked.

"Quick stalling! Get these people off the street and tell them to stay home!" Larry ordered.

"But shouldn't we call the Beast-Keeping Coven for this?" another guard asked.

Larry saw Luz flying overhead along with Gwendolyn. "We don't have to…"

Luz, Amity, King and Gwendolyn saw the two beasts battling each other in the skies. "We need to lure them to a secluded area," Amity said.

"I can get their attention," Luz said while dropping Amity and King down on a rooftop. She then flew up towards the beasts, tackling Eda away from Lilith. She pinned down her mother while she was in her beast form. "Sorry mom, but this is for your own good," she told her, the Owl Beast screeching at her while Luz flew away. Eda followed her and Lilith chased after them.

Gwendolyn stopped in front of Amity and King. "Get on," she said, offering them a ride.

Luz led the two beasts away from town, taking them to the outskirts. However, Lilith's streaks started to glow as the flapping of wings charged electrical static. Lilith then shot out a lightning bolt towards a tree, almost hitting Luz and Eda.

"Holy… when can you learn to do that!?" Luz shouted.

"Luz!" King waved at her, pointing to a spell circle that Amity had created with her Abomination goo, forming a light glyph symbol. Amity, King, and Gwendolyn were standing by it.

Luz quickly glided down to where they were, while the two beasts chased after her. Luz touched the symbol while picking up King and Amity so she could fly away from the circle. They along with Gwendolyn got to a safe distance as the symbol made of Abomination goo was engulfed in light, just as Eda and Lilith flew in its path.

"Will it work?" Luz asked.

"I'm not sure, I've never mixed light with abominations before!" Amity responded.

"Then cover your eyes!" Luz shouted as the purple burst of light hit the two bird beasts.

They screeched out as they became blinded and fell down on the ground. Lilith and Eda were twitching while in their beast forms as Gwendolyn came up to them.

"Edalyn, Lilith!" Gwen shouted as she flew down, patting the two knocked out creatures. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for the grief I've given you two for all these years," she told them. "I'm sorry Edalyn for not trusting you and for still treating you as a child even after you became a parent, for dismissing your daughter and for forcing my solutions on you."

This calmed Eda, who blinked and her eyes returned to normal. "M… Mom?"

Gwendolyn nodded. "And Lilith," she patted Lilith, who growled and snarled. "You were so self-sufficient, but I should've paid more attention to your needs. I never loved Eda more than you, but I should've still been there for you more. I never meant to make you feel like you mattered less to me than Eda. I am so proud of you…"

Lilith, even while in her Raven Beast form, started to cry.

Gwendolyn nodded. "Now!"

King jumped over and stepped on each of their ears.

"RAAAAHH!" Eda and Lilith yelled, giving Luz and Amity the chance to pour the elixirs into their mouths. This caused a golden light to engulf them, followed by static electricity. Gwendolyn backed away as she saw the two sisters vanish in the golden light. King rolled back but Amity caught him as they all shield their faces. The light formed into that of a bird, almost like a phoenix spreading its wings. Then the light dispersed.

The two were back to normal and Gwendolyn was there for them, letting them rest onto her as she sat down with them.

"Oh… about time, mom," Eda commented with a groan.

Lilith was sobbing. "Mother… mom… I heard you and I couldn't stop myself… I didn't know what I was…" She cried into her mom's shoulders and Gwendolyn patted her on the back.

"There, there, it's alright. Everything's okay now." Gwen hushes as she hugs both her daughters "I'm here for you both."

Luz, Amity and King watched from afar. Luz looked conflicted, but Amity nudged her and gave her an encouraging smile. Luz sighed and walked over to the reunion. "Hey um… Gwen… I mean… crap, okay," she was stammering in front of her grandmother. "Mom can… Grandma Gwen come home for dinner?"

Eda nodded. "I think we can give it a try. What do you say, mom?"

"I'll be honored." Gwendolyn replied with a nod.

Inside one particular home, there were a bunch of trophies on the wall. Along with the trophies were photos of the former oracle-track student, Dolly Temple, who was shown to be a happy Little Ms. Witch pageant girl from the age of three.

But the current Dolly was very unhappy-looking as she passed the wall with all the memorabilia of her achievements. The petite girl was growing restless. "Max!"

A very large man in a black suit came into view. He had stitches around his cranium and yellow eyes "Yeees, Doooolllyyyy?" he spoke with a slow voice.

"We're going out, I'm feeling too cooped up in my room and I want some fresh air," Dolly replied, while Max followed her, each step making a loud stomping sound.

Dolly stopped at the front door. "The door please, Max."

"Yeees, Dooooolllyyy," Max replied and he grabbed the door to open it, showing a small group in front of her house, causing Dolly's eyes to widen.

"Hello, Dolly," Willow greeted. With her were Viney, Cat, and Amelia. "We're here to have a talk." Her eyes glowed green.

Dolly was taken aback. 'That girl's aura…' she thought, before turning to her butler. "Max! Take those intruders down!"

The large butler raised his large fists at the girls, who jumped back as his fist pounded the floor. He left a small crater on the porch, causing them to look worried.

"Shit, this guy's crazy strong!" Viney declared.

"Don't worry, we can still take him," Cat responded, sticking out her fingers as her eyes glow icy white. "Amelia, you know what to do?"

"Yeah," Amelia responded, holding up her clipboard.

"What are you going to do? My Maxy was built to destroy anyone that tries to harm me!" Dolly proclaimed while hiding behind her butler.

Max picked up a porch chair, swinging it at both Cat and Amelia. The two girls were saved by Willow's vines while Viney summoned her griffin, Cuddles, to attack the butler. Puddles tackled down the brawny butler. He grabbed Puddle's wings to pin the griffin down, but then he felt Cat point a pressure point to his left leg. "Raaaaahhh!" he cried out, feeling his leg becoming cold and numb, followed by his left arm.

Amelia slid down in front, holding up her clipboard. "Wood Spell." She inserted her magic on the clipboard, then hit Max directly in the face with it. This launched him back through the air, away from the griffin.

"What!?" Dolly exclaimed with her jaw dropped to the floor. "How can a clipboard be that tough!?"

"It's made of mahogany." Amelia simply answered. "Wood magic is my specialty, but compared to Willow's magic…"

Vines sprout out to wrap around Max's arms and legs. They were controlled by Willow and as the brawny butler tried to use his free arm to rip the vines out, Viney shot blow darts at his backside.

"Gaargh!" Max cries out, feeling the darts on his back. He turned to glare at Willow and Viney, but got distracted when he felt his side poked by Cat. His torso felt cold, as if his body was starting to fall asleep. Willow then sprouted out more vines, with the larger ones wrapping around Max's neck. He struggled but to no avail. The darts were starting to take effect, causing him to feel drowsy.

"Those darts made to bring down a Slitherbeast, and a grootslag," Viney explained as Max drifted off.

"Good, so that means we can have that talk with-" Willow snapped her fingers, a bloom sprouting out to reveal a tied up Dolly, who earlier tried to escape.

"You… you can't do this to me! Do you know who I am!?" Dolly cried out.

"Yeah, you're the one who hurt our friends and tried to ruin their lives out of spite," Willow said while her voice filled with venom.

"And we don't take kindly to that," Viney said, cracking her knuckles.

"Don't worry, we'll leave you some band-aids…" Cat adjusted her glasses.

"After we teach you a lesson." Amelia's eyes beamed.

Dolly struggled as the girls walked towards her. "No, please! I know someone who will make you pay if you so much lay a finger on-"

Dolly received a punch in the face from Willow, followed by another punch from Viney, and two kicks by Cat and Amelia. Dolly had received a beating like this… and she had it coming.

Afterward the four friends left the estate. "Man, that felt good!" Cat declared.

"Yeah, I normally don't engage in violence but for her I was willing to make an exception. Our friends suffered so much grief as a result of her actions," Willow said as they walked away. She remembered how miserable Amity was after the breakup, how Luz almost died later that same day, and how Skara blamed herself for what Dolly did. All the while Dolly played innocent and let Boscha take most of the fall.

"Yeah, all this payback is making me hungry," Viney commented.

"Yeah, better get home for dinner," Amelia said as the four split up. "See you guys tomorrow!"

"Same!" Willow replied.

Left behind in the front yard was a beaten up Dolly looking swollen and a little bloody while hanging upside down from a vine tied to a tree. Her butler Max was still asleep.

"Master…" Dolly groaned.

Later in the Owl House in the evening, the sun was setting outside while the Clawthornes were having a family dinner. Gwendolyn was getting caught up to speed on everything that had happened.

Gwendolyn patted Luz on the head. "You poor little owlet, after everything you've been through, I should've been here for you sooner."

"Yeah… but I forgive you… Grandma Gwen," Luz responded awkwardly. "Though it is going to be a while before I get used to this." A part of her was still mad at Gwendolyn, since she was just used to it after so long. But she did want to give Gwendolyn a chance, even if her negative feelings toward her grandmother wouldn't disappear overnight.

"I understand, and again I'm sorry for how I've treated you all these years and for making you feel unwanted, Luz," Gwen assured her. "I was so unfair to you and I know that I can't undo that. But you are a part of my family and from now on, I am going to be better."

Luz smiled slightly. "Thanks, Grandma Gwen."

"Oh, just call me Gwendma, simple enough," Gwen said as she turned to Amity. "And thank you, Amity. For helping to get me straight.."

"No problem, Mrs. Clawthorne," Amity replied.

"But you know, this is nice," Eda commented. "I can't remember the last time you, me, and Lilith had a meal together."

"Probably thirty years ago," Lilith recalled.

"I know, and Lilith I'm sorry for everything that happened with you and the Emperor's Coven. I am definitely going to write them another strongly worded complaint about it." Gwen patted Lilith's hand. "And I am not mad at you for cursing your sister, especially after everything you told me. It sounds like you have already punished yourself enough for it and I blame myself for it more than I blame you. If I had done something sooner…"

"Don't fret over it, mom. I don't want anyone else taking responsibility for my choices," Lilith assured her.

Gwen nodded. "Yes, how responsible of you. But perhaps maybe, if you would like, you could come back home with me so we can make up for all the time we lost. You could even see your father again."

Eda noticeably looked down shamefully at this, which Lilith noticed. She smiled back at her mother, but shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I can't. Not at the moment, at least." She glanced over at Luz, her niece, and Amity, her goddaughter. "I just believe that right now, I am needed here more. Plus Hooty would be heartbroken if I left."

"Don't even joke about it!" Hooty wailed.

"I see, well… maybe I could spend a few nights here if it's alright for Edalyn," Gwen suggested. "I just want the chance to make it up to all of you, especially my granddaughter."

"I'm fine with it if Luz is cool with it," Eda said while turning to Luz.

Luz thought about it, then nodded. "Sure. You can stay, Gwendma."

Gwendolyn smiled. "Excellent. Perhaps we can even go on an adventure together." She looked over at King. "And I would like to spend some more time with you as well… grandson."

King gasped in delight. "First, I found out that I have a dad. Now I learn that I have a grandma too!" He squealed happily, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

Everyone except Amity, who had pulled the letter from her grandparents out of her pocket and was looking at it underneath the table. She thought about how Luz was willing to give her grandmother a second chance despite their bad history. So perhaps she should give her grandparents a chance as well.

After all, what was the worst that could happen?