"The Crystal Gems?" I ask.

"That's right. You haven't lived long enough to know about them." Peridot stares at the ground.

"Who are they?"

"They were some of the most skilled and brilliant gems of all time. They fought the Diamond Authority for all of the gem's freedom. In the end, they wanted to protect the earth enough to stay on Earth. There were originally only two of them: a Rose Quartz warrior and a lowly Pearl. After the war, there were only three of them. Rose Quartz and Pearl were still alive, and they were joined by a disformed Amethyst and a permanent fusion, a Garnet. Soon, Rose Quartz fell in love with a human and had a son. She lost her physical form, though."

"They sound amazing." I whisper.

"They were."

I smile. "Will you let me go now?"

"Indeed" Peridot picks up a remote and presses a button. The metal bands that are fastening me against the wall disappear in a flash of light and I stumble forward. "Now that I've done something nice for you, you have to do something nice to me," Peridot declares.

"And what would that be?" I ask, rubbing my wrists.

"Help me track down the location of the Crystal Gems!"

"And how would you expect me to help you?"

"You're the first living creature that has entered our house in decades. Well, besides us. But no other gems can know of our existence! They'll tell the Diamonds!"

I give the green gem a puzzled look.

"So Lapis has kind of been hated by Homeworld ever since she, well, existed. She was the first Lapis Lazuli that we ever tried creating and Blue Diamond had extremely high standards for her. When we brought Lapis to Blue Diamond, she was outraged. Lapis didn't have any sort of power. Later on, when we fought the Crystal Gems, we brought Lapis to battle, hoping that we could just leave her on Earth."

"Did she?"

"Well, she did stay on Earth, apparently trapped in a mirror. When she returned to Homeworld shortly after, we didn't know what to do with her, she was just a worthless pest of a gem. So we threw her on the ship back to Earth. After that, well, she didn't come back."

"So you all hated her for something that wasn't her fault?"

"It was her fault! When she returned to Earth the last time, she nearly drowned one of our best Jasper soldiers!"

"So?"

"So she was a complete rebel!" Peridot screams.

"Well, so were the Crystal Gems, but you praise them," I point out.

"She was a bad rebel!" Peridot screeches.

"And how did you get here?"

Peridot falls silent.

"Okay, I don't need to know. But how do you want me to help you find the--"

"Stop asking me that exact same question over and over again, you clod! I don't know, alright?"

"I'm not a clod, I'm just trying to help. You're the clod for not telling me the answer to my question." I tell the short gem.

"I'm not a clod! Just help me, you bratty human, I'm desperate!" Peridot is on the verge of tears.

"Okay. Peridot, I hardly know you. Before I met you, I was running away from other gems who kept telling me something horrible was going to happen. I just want to get back to my brothers."

"I don't need to know your backstory, will you do it or not?"

I shake my head. "I want to head back home and stay there." I walk toward the door of the cabin, but I feel a cold hand grasp my shoulder.

"What if your brothers can help find the Crystal Gems?" Peridot offers.

"Nope."

"What else do you want?" Peridot exclaims.

I glance at her. "I want to bring my brothers, three other gems that I met before, and you need to teach me everything I need to know to fight off gems."

"Deal."