This is basically my re-write of 5x21. I disapprove of what Adam and Eddie had done to Hades and Robin. Because seriously?! Hades is amazing and wasn't given a chance! He is my favorite character on that show. Zelena never got enough time with him! And Robin was loved by many despite his uselessness in the recent episodes. My disappointment in OUAT right now is overwhelming. There were major plot holes so I tried to fill in the holes before Adam and Eddie completely destroys everything (oh wait, they already did).
Also, the ideas displayed in this story were inspired by posts from Tumblr, especially those from handsome-trainwreck. So my many thanks go out to you. And clearly, I wouldn't be making this story if OUAT was mine so yeah (disclaimer).
Anyways, please enjoy.
Captain Hook and King Arthur searched the vast room of the Lord of the Underworld's sanctuary. Arthur, tired of searching aimlessly around the room, asked his newfound companion, "Are you even sure he hid it here? You said it yourself, this is his kingdom. Don't you think it's possible he hid it somewhere else?"
Killian flipped books and swiped papers off the table in frustration. "The pages have to be here! Emma is - They couldn't - Argh!" He slammed his fist down on to the table. "I have to help her. I can't move on while knowing she's in danger and I could have done something to help her."
"Ah, true love... So sickening." Arthur rolled his eyes at the display of frustration. Though he could somewhat understand the sentiment, the pirate's declaration of love was too sappy for him to handle.
All of a sudden, the ground shook. The walls shuddered and a loud boom could be heard as the Underworld quaked.
Arthur grabbed on to throne to avoid falling over. Hook cursed, "Why won't it stop?! The bloody portal's been closed for half a day now and last I checked Cruella and the Blind Witch seemed to be having fun keeping other souls from leaving."
Arthur looked at him inquisitively. "Portal? What does that have to do with anything?" Hook shook his head and sighed, "It's a long story, just forget about it."
Another quake hit.
Killian's eyebrows furrowed, "That's strange." Arthur looked back at him from his crouched position by the pool table, "What?"
Hook looked around, his eyes stopping at one of the few large dark cave-like halls of the throne room. Slowly walking towards the opening of the hall with eyes narrowing in suspicion, "The tremors, they seem to be stronger down here than anywhere else." The whole room shuddered once more, but much stronger than the first one. "Alright, that's it. There's something over there that must be causing the quakes. Let's go!"
"I'm sorry, did you just say that we should go towards the possibly dangerous source of massive earthquakes? Is this because you have something to prove? Look, I may not be one with my cycle of death just yet, but I don't think this is a healthy mentality. I'm sure you've proven to your Emma that you were worthy of her love, get over it. I refuse to go somewhere that could kill me even more than I already am." Arthur protested as he looked at the pirate incredulously.
Killian glared at the former ruler, "Do you want to be redeemed or not?! We're going over there. After living in Storybrooke for the past few years, I've learned a thing or two. If something seems strange, it almost definitely involves magic which could mean good or bad news. We're going." He turned his back to his reluctant ally and moved further down the big hall. Arthur groaned in annoyance but followed along anyway.
The shaking and trembling of the earth increased in frequency as the pair got closer and closer to the end of the hall. A golden door stood ominously at the end of the long hall, but Killian and Arthur could practically feel power and magic radiating out of it.
"Well, if the ex-king of Camelot somehow dies a second death here in hell, let it be known Killian Jones that it was entirely your fault. I've already told you that going over here is dangerous." Hook rolled his eyes at Arthur's drama.
At this point, the quakes seemed to have taken a break and the hall stood quiet. Hook took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.
Zelena.
I'm sorry.
I should have known this would happen.
Hades stared at the white transparent walls of his new prison, as if being banished and stuck in the Underworld wasn't enough. Anger and pain burned inside him. After seeing Zelena after all those years, after kissing her and finally restarting his heart, after everything... This happens. Hades growled and his hair flared with blue flames. He needs to get out. Zelena and her baby are in danger. Not to mention an entire town full of ignorant heroes and their subjects, but they weren't as important as Zelena and her Sweet Pea.
He glared at the wall separating him from his true love. He will get out. Determined, Hades closed his fist and punched it. The white barrier and all of the Underworld shook once more. But what was more noticeable to Hades was the small crack that began appearing on the wall after a day of godly punching.
I'm coming Zelena.
Just wait a little while longer.
My brother will pay for this.
"Hades!" Killian took a step back as he saw what, or who, was behind the golden door. Arthur's own eyes widened as he saw his killer's face.
Hades looked up from the small crack on his transparent prison to see the oh-so-familiar pirate and a man in a suit of armor. When he unconsciously asked the other gods for help, this wasn't exactly what Hades had in mind. He got the One-Hand Wonder and Sir Stubble. They don't look like much, but he'll take whatever he could get. The crack on his prison gave Hades some hope, but it's obvious he won't be getting out any time soon unless he got help.
Soon, Arthur and Killian calmed down enough after their minor heart attack to notice that one) Hades wasn't going to attack them and two) there was a huge barrier separating them that stretched across the room of what looked to be like a prison cell.
"Oh, good. You need to get me out of here."
"Get you out of what looks like your prison? Ha. Don't make me laugh. Emma must have defeated you already for you to be here. If you ask me, this is a lighter punishment than you deserve." Killian smirked at the sight of Hades trapped in a cell.
"Huh, does this mean my help isn't needed anymore?" Arthur tilted head, "Also, is it still possible for me to still kill him? I don't appreciate being killed."
"What? What are you talking about? You know what, never mind. Zelena and the others are in danger!" Hades slammed his fist against the barrier that separated them. If they don't let him out, then forget about reform and having a beating heart. He will throw the both of them into the River of Souls once out.
Hook shook his head and said, "They were in danger because of you. Considering you seem to be trapped here, I know that they must be safe. C'mon Arthur, our mission is done." Hook and Arthur turned around and were about to head for the door when Hades called out to them.
"Wait! Just listen! My brother, Zeus..."
He came to my throne room while I was finding that satchel that I gave Emma during your true love quest. He found out about Zelena and her... connection to me. Our True Love's Kiss resonated up to Olympus. Zeus was not happy.
"I'm so disappointed in you, Hades. I gave you this job because I thought you could handle ruling over the dead."
"Gave me this job? You practically called dibs on the sky and everything else. Sorry if I'm not as enthusiastic as you want me to be while ruling a realm that I didn't want in the first place."
"Well, at least I gave you a realm, didn't I? If it wasn't for me, you would have nothing right now. In fact, you should be thanking me brother."
"Thanking you? For what, exactly? Banishing me here? Stopping my heart? Yes, brother. I have so much to thank you for." Sarcasm, after all, is the best way to deal with him without losing brain cells in frustration.
"I did it to protect you! But due to your foolishness in allowing that witch to kiss you, everything is unraveling! This, Zelena Mills, and the other mortals that you allowed into your realm need to be stopped. I refuse to let your petty crush for her to ruin our rule of Olympus!"
I scoffed at my brother's words. "We're true love! You told me yourself that only True Love's Kiss would break the curse and start my heart again. That's what happened! Look, considering that I am in a rather... happy... mood, I will let you leave here without even a single punch in the face. But, of course, the next time that I see you... I wouldn't be as nice." I turned my back to him in order to grab the satchel from the top of the cabinet. That turned out to be a bad decision.
"Then you leave me with no choice, Hades."
"... The next thing I know, I'm here. Whoever killed you was not me. My brother must have disguised himself or made someone else do it." Hades paced back and forth in the room. Fists clenched and head tilted forward. He sighed and looked back up to Hook and Arthur, "Gods, I hate saying this... I need your help. Get me out, I have to stop my brother or else you would be seeing your friends down here sooner than you think. I'll even bring you back to life if that would help you make up your mind."
Hook stared at the god in contemplation. Arthur shook his head, "Please tell me you honestly aren't thinking about letting him out of here. From what you've told me, he's a worse king than I was, cutting that tree so you wouldn't be able to leave, locking your friends down here and all that. And he also killed me!"
"Oh, get over it! I just told you it wasn't me! As for the tree, think about it! I never had a true love before Zelena, how could have I possibly gotten into a chamber where only true love could pass? Unlike me, my brother has had his true love, Hera, for millennia."
Killian was conflicted. He wanted to help Emma, but should he really risk letting Hades loose? But then again, Zeus was apparently worse than Hades. Better the devil you know. "If I let you out of there, you have to swear not to harm Emma and her family or friends. If not..."
Hades didn't have time for this, his brother could be hurting Zelena at this moment. "Yes. I swear not to harm your girlfriend and everyone else. Happy? Or perhaps you'd like me to swear my undying love for you as well?" He pointed to the corner of the room on their side of the wall. At the corner was an ornate white marble pedestal with a dark gleaming sword. The sword's obsidian blade was embedded in the pedestal, its silver and gold hilt sticking out. "Take the sword out and stab the barrier with it. It should break this."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, "That's it? No magic, no spell. Just a sword? If your brother was so evil, then why would he leave a key to letting you out so near you? That's a foolish thing to do." Killian walked towards the pedestal that Hades indicated, but still cautious in his approach.
"My brother may be the king of the gods, but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of being stupid sometimes. He figured no one would ever care about the Lord of the Underworld, so he left the thing to taunt me." Hades explained impatiently.
Killian took the sword and handed it over to Arthur, "Here. I figure you still need to go through your anger phase of the death cycle. Why don't you give the wall a go?"
Arthur grinned as he weighed the sword in his hands. He looked over the god and sighed, "Considering I'm trying to get some redemption, I won't try to kill you. But if the pirate ends up being wrong about trusting you, I call being first to stab you... Now stand back."
Hook looked at the scene in amusement. "I'm afraid you would need to get in line, mate. He has a rather long list of enemies."
Hades rolled his eyes at the threat and sarcastically said, "Would you like me to leave you two alone for a while? The bromance is just so overwhelming."
The blade of the sword hit the white transparent wall. A bright filled the room. A loud crash was heard and the wall that trapped Hades quickly crumbled to the ground. Hades took a deep breath and stepped over the rubble. He cleared his throat, "Thank you."
"Now, let's get to Storybrooke. Surely you're able to make another portal." Hook looked over at the released god for confirmation. Hades nodded curtly, "But first things first, we have matters to settle. I refuse to leave this place with no leader, or at least without someone I can trust to not be idiotic." Not minding if the other two followed, he walked out of his sanctuary and headed towards town.
As they walked out and back to what many dubbed as Underbrooke, Hook replied to the god, "Well, your brother left this place in the hands of Cruella and the Blind Witch. Cruella seems to be continuing your previous efforts of keeping the souls here." Hades scoffed. Just then, whilst at the center of town, Arthur noticed that there were a growing crowd of people watching them, one of which were coming towards them. "Incoming."
"Lord Hades! What ever are you doing here?" said Cruella, "We thought you went over to the land of the living." Hades rolled his eyes at Cruella's efforts to kiss up to him, "Obviously you thought wrong," Looking around at the crowd of people around him, his eyes landed on Arthur, "You know, I think some new management is in order."
"But - but, you left Underbrooke to me. I've been doing quite well in not letting any souls leave!"
Hades chuckled, "Ah, yes. Perhaps. But it wasn't me who gave you this town or that order. It was my brother. And, quite frankly, I hate him. Anything he does pertaining to me, is definitely not appreciated. So," He waves to Cruella, "Bye-bye."
He turns his back to her and looked over the crowd. Hades smirked and in a boss-like fashion said, "Residents of Underworld, I would like to introduce you to your new mayor... Arthur of Camelot."
Arthur and Hook looked at him in surprise. Tilting his head towards the previous king of Camelot, Hades' eyes glimmered dangerously as he whispered to Arthur, "Consider this my apology for my brother's actions and since you were a king, you should do nicely in ruling people. This is your second chance, don't waste it."
"You're giving me your kingdom. Just like that?" Arthur asked incredulously.
Hades raised a brow, "Oh, you think I don't have conditions? I know what happened to the last place you ruled. So, no. It's not just like that. I'll be sending you some help. Although," He looked at Arthur up and down. He determined, "I doubt she will be impressed by what she's going to see." With that, Hades walked away and Hook followed after. "But rest assured, if you ruin my kingdom, I will hurt you."
"Wait... She? Who are you sending me?!"
Alas, Arthur's question was not answered.
Storybrooke and Zelena would be featured in the next chapter, so please bear with me. I would also like to know your thoughts and any ideas you might like for me to incorporate into the story. Review or PM me if you'd like.
