After a mysterious incident gets Luz expelled from school, Camila decides that it's time she learned about her father.
Tropes That Appear In This Chapter:
- Aliens Speaking English: Played with. While Belos can speak English, with it being the native language of the Boiling Isles, he doesn't understand Spanish, which he refers to as "That Human dialect."
- Cheap Gold Coins: Discussed. Belos notes that while the gold and diamonds that make up snails (the default currency of the Boiling Isles) are pretty commonplace on the Isles, he knows that they're the exact opposite on Earth, so he gifts her a chest full of them.
- Crazy-Prepared: Belos gifts Camila a chest full of treasure to ensure she and Luz could live comfortably, as well as an orb that can open a portal to the Boiling Isles if she ever does want to return, both of which he had ready in the event that Camila turned him down.Camila: ...You planned this, didn't you? In case I said no?
Belos: Well, yes... sadly... - For Want Of A Nail: Instead of a book report gone wrong having the principal suggest she be sent to a correctional summer camp, Luz trying to stop a bully causes a magical mishap that leads to her getting outright expelled. As such, Camila decides that both she and Luz should permanently move to the Boiling Isles so Luz can finally meet her father and learn to control her powers.
- How Dad Met Mom: Camila tells Luz about how she met Belos, by way of stumbling through a portal into the Boiling Isles and right into his throne room.
- I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Belos blatantly admits that he fell in love with Camila because she treated him as an equal, having grown complacent and lonely with his authority as The Emperor.
- Meta Guy: When Camila tells her about the time Belos came to the human world, Luz describes it as a tragic love story with her as a "plot point."
- My God, What Have I Done?: While she was trying to stop a bully, she most definitely didn't plan on things escalating the way they did.Luz: Maybe I'm the freak accident... I didn't want to hurt anyone, I just want to help...
- Power Incontinence: The story begins with Luz accidentally setting a bully's hair on fire and making snakes appear in her clothes, before nearly drowning her in a torrent of water when trying to put the flames out. Magical flare-ups like this have been a recurring problem all of her life, making her come across as some kind of delinquent. To put things into perspective, the fic's inciting incident is one of the better years she's had.Luz: Mama, I- I'm so sorry that I got myself expelled! I- I didn't mean to set that girl's hair on fire, it was an accident! I- it's just that- things just happen! Like, like when I was taking a test and I didn't know the answer! And the smart boy's paper appeared on my desk!
- Rejected Marriage Proposal: Camila rejects Belos's proposal, not because she doesn't love him (she absolutely does), but rather because she wants Luz to safely grow up on Earth, rather than in the chaos of the Boiling Isles.
