The Amazing Spider-Luz (Owl House AU)

Issue 41: Philip Wittebane

Luz's eyes shot open as everything that happened came flooding back to her brain and she shot up, only to see that she wasn't drowning, but inside of an all too familiar mansion.

Then, the door opened and her now brother in arms walked in, still in his Golden Goblin armor. He shut the door before gasping. "LUZ!"

"Hunt...?" Luz asked before seeing she was still in her spider suit, which was now dry thankfully. "Hunter, w...what happened? I-I was just at-"

"The Raft. Or...what's left of it." Hunter said as he walked over. "I heard of the breakout on the news and went to help...just barely made it when I saw that guy toss you into the water."

Luz's eyes softened. "I take it you didn't go after them?"

"While my best friend was drowning?!" Hunter exclaimed before being hugged tightly.

Luz then smiled weakly. "Thanks, big bro..."

Hunter's eyes softened as well and he hugged back. "How are you feeling anyhow?"

"Still kinda processing..." Luz said, breaking the hug. "...that guy. With the tentacles...he's the one that's been causing all of this. Who turned you into-"

"Golden Goblin." Hunter said. "Yeah. The tentacle-themes match up."

Luz then picked up her mask. "I gotta go after him. He's planning something big, especially if he's been waiting this long."

"Whoa now! What fight did you just win?" Hunter scoffed. "That guy has almost every supervillain you've ever fought working for him! And they kicked the snot out of you!"

"What do you expect me to do?! Sit and do nothing!?" Luz cried.

Then, the door opened again. "No. We don't."

Luz turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Hunter's father and family friend, Caleb Wittebane.

Hunter turned to his father before turning back. "Yeah. He found out the moment I brought you in...apparently, he knew for a while."

Luz groaned. "Does everyone know my secret identity!?"

"No. I've just been exposed to The Boiling Isles and its magic before." Caleb said as he walked over. "Hunter, do you mind getting Luz some tea or a drink? She may need it."

Hunter nodded, also getting the sense that Caleb wanted to talk to Luz alone as he left the room.

"Look, Mr. Wittebane, I get you wanna talk, but if I don't hurry, all my villains are-"

"I know what Belos wants to do." Caleb said suddenly.

Luz blinked and turned towards him. "...Belos? Is...is that his name?"

"It's his fake name or his 'villain name' so to speak." Caleb sighed. "It's the ancient Boiling Isles word for 'executioner' before they started speaking English."

Luz then walked over to him. "You know about The Isles...?"

"Possibly even more than you do." Caleb said before sighing. "Take a seat. It's a long story."

Luz looked back at the window she was about to swing right through, but she sighed and sat down. "...okay."

"Many know me as the sole-founder of Wittebane Enterprises...but that's not true. This company was started by me and my brother, Philip."

Luz's eyes widened. "You had a brother? Hunter has an uncle?!"

"Yes. Philip was my younger brother and needless to say, we...did not grow up in a very affectionate home. Our family was very religious, almost in an outdated sense. As if they had never left the 1600's when 'witch hunts' were still a thing." Caleb sighed. "I hated it there, and it's one of the reasons I turned to science. I didn't want to believe in a greater power that had been forced down my throat at such a young age...and once me and Philip graduated, I took him and ran. We were brilliant, so it was not hard for us to get into a good college."

And then...a small smile began to creep onto his face. "Once we got out of there and got all those degrees and PHD's, we started our own little laboratory. Nothing like the company I have now."

"...so...where is he now?" Luz asked.

Caleb's smile then immediately faded. "...I met a woman during my college years and she often visited. Her name was Evelyn Clawthorne...while she disguised herself as human, she was actually a witch from The Boiling Isles. A realm you've no doubt seen."

Luz's eyes widened. "Clawthorne...? Like...Eda Clawthorne? With the owl symbol that Hunter wore?"

"Correct." Caleb said. "Eda and another named Lilith were her siblings. Evelyn was always so fascinated by the human world that she made a life for herself here...needless to say, we fell in love. She showed me everything about her world, and I showed her everything about ours. And eventually, she grew pregnant."

Luz's eyes then widened even more. "...Evelyn is...?"

"Hunter's mother." Caleb confirmed. "...but once Philip found out what she truly was, all those old teachings from our childhood came back to him. In fact, I'm pretty certain he always had them in mind. Philip despised magic, Evelyn, and everything her home stood for. I...I tried everything to convince him otherwise once our company started to improve into an actual company, but he refused to listen. He left before I could even open Wittebane Enterprises with him."

"...is...is Philip...?"

Caleb didn't answer directly, he just continued. "But once he found out Evelyn was pregnant, he came back...and tried to kill her and Hunter. I was lucky to have arrived and stopped him before he could. But Philip had become so filled with hatred that he somehow...cursed himself into a monstrous being."

Luz nodded slowly, with that being enough. Belos was Philip.

"I just barely managed to shove him right out our window, where I thought he met his end...but part of me knew he would come back eventually. And Evelyn thought the same...because once Hunter was born, she didn't feel safe. She could hardly hold our baby boy...she had to go home...and out of fear for not being able to properly care for Hunter, he stayed with me." Caleb said, tears building in his eyes before he wiped them. "And while I raised him, Belos has only begun to study more and more of The Isles so he could figure out how to destroy it."

Luz then stood. "And I have magic from The Titan...but what about the other villains? Why are they working for Belos? Heck, some of them blamed you! Like Maestro!"

Caleb sighed. "Well, some of them are no doubt mercenaries such as Snapdragon and Shockwave. Warhammer...was a failed experiment that Belos brought back. He must've trapped a poor man in that suit we worked on years ago and put the blame on me. Oracle already had a vendetta against you."

"...and Maestro must've been working for Belos instead of you???"

"...no, that time it really was me. That man was not very mentally stable when pitching his tech to me." Caleb said.

Luz sighed. "So, why did he wanna go after me?"

"He must've originally assumed you were an agent of The Isles." Caleb nodded. "And now that he's finally back, he no doubt has plans to go back there and destroy it...but I don't know how. The only way he could would be the power of their god, The Titan. But their kind went extinct long ago."

Luz's eyes suddenly widened in horror. "...KING..."

She then threw on her mask and quickly swung out the window, knowing exactly where Belos was going next.

Caleb was startled before seeing his son enter the room. "Hunter! Go with her!"

Hunter was about to say something, even dropping the tea out of surprise.

"JUST GO!" Caleb cried.

"R-right!" Hunter said as he put on his mask and quickly flew out the window after his friend.

Caleb watched his son fly out with fear in his eyes. "...be careful..."