A/n: This is a CS inspired fic, so it's getting tagged as CS, even though this one-shot only has Emma in it. If you want to follow this series of one-shots, you'll need to read this one for sure. Plus, it's totally fun.
Emma grimaced at the pungent scent of Sulphur as it burned in her nostrils. Her lashes fluttered, her eyes still blurred with the tears she'd fought so hard to keep at bay. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she could hear the steady thump of it in her ears.
She felt like she'd been electrocuted. Her entire body felt weighted and sore. Her skin tingled and her hair felt like it was standing on end.
Hook. She could still see his face, the pain, the fear – she had known it would have to come to this. This was what it was like to be the Savior. She didn't get a happy ending. Neither did he apparently. Or her parents. Or Henry. Emma knew she was their happy ending, as much as they were hers. But, the fates weren't in her favor.
Slowly she sat up, her eyes straining in the eerie blue light of the room she was in. The ground was warm, but the air felt cool. The walls appeared to be stone. Emma stood up awkwardly, her legs uncertain of her weight as she put them to use again. She had no idea how long she'd been out of it. That had been one hell of a shock to her system.
She reached into her pocket, pulling out her cellphone and staring at it. Of course there was no bars. Why the hell had she even expected there to be bars. The Apprentice hadn't told her where she would go, just what she'd had to do if their other plan failed. Which it had and now she was… here. She pocketed the phone, not wanting to stare at the screensaver any longer. It was a picture of her with Killian and Henry – Mary Margaret had taken it a few weeks after everything had settled down. It hurt too much to look at it. That was the life she'd let herself hope she could be afforded. But she'd been wrong.
Emma had faith in her family – they'd find her. Somehow. With Killian there, she knew wholeheartedly that he wouldn't rest until she was found. Her parents? She could only hope they'd want to find her. Did they even have hope in her? Or was she just some lost cause and they could move on with her baby brother?
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides and she stepped forward, blindly, into the darkness. She could barely see ahead of her, the blue light was more consuming than illuminating.
"Hello?" Emma called out, which she realized was probably a really dumb move. She had no idea where she was, her magic was probably on the fritz after using that much, and she had no other weapon to protect herself. For all she knew she could be in the belly of a stony monster or in a dragon's cave. Given past experiences… she could have been anywhere.
If only it had been Narnia. Somewhere safe.
Emma wandered through the darkness, following the sound of running water. That was a good sign – right? Perhaps she could follow the water to its source and find a way out of the darkness.
The darkness was never ending. She walked and walked until she came to the water. It was a slow-creeping river that vanished into the darkness at either side. It was wide. Wider than she'd imagined it would be. It sounded so quite. Yet it was a vast body of water that extended well beyond where she could see.
Emma knelt down, reaching out to dip her hand into it. She was dying of thirst.
"I wouldn't drink from that if I were you."
Emma jerked around. "Who are you?" She questioned cautiously, her back going stiff as she eyed the brunette woman. Her eyes flickered over the clothes she wore, which were distinctly piratical.
"It doesn't really matter who I am," She replied. "I'm just warning you that drinking from that river would not be advised. Unless you want to be stuck here for all eternity." The woman crossed her arms across her chest. "And seeing as you're not dead, I don't think that's what you want."
Emma's eyes widened at her words. She definitely didn't want to be stuck in this world forever. Especially if there was a chance she could escape. She was apparently alive, which was hopeful. "And you're not… alive?"
"No." She shrugged her shoulders. "Haven't been for several hundred years."
Emma cocked her head to the side. "You're… Milah, aren't you?" She didn't know how she knew, aside from the piraty outfit, but she knew she was right.
She smiled faintly. "That I am." Milah arched a skeptical brow. "And you're Emma Swan." She shook her head. "Funny how life plays out. How you and I are connected."
Emma didn't want to get into that. She was staring at the mother of Neal, her son's grandmother, but also the dead lover of her… boyfriend. Family trees were more like a game of Twister. "Why are you here? Where is here?"
"The Underworld," Milah explained, gesturing around them. "That river there is the River Styx. For those of us who are dead on arrival, we cross it by natural means. Your arrival… it wasn't planned." The woman looked away then, staring into the darkness, a look of fear etched into her face. "I have to go."
Emma stepped forward, "Wait! No. I have more questions." She reached out to grab Milah's arm, but her fingers went through her deathly cold skin and she vanished before her eyes. Emma stared down at her hand, wiggling her fingers. That was not a sensation she wanted to feel again. Like death were mist that had caressed her skin.
She swallowed thickly, looking around in the darkness. The eerie blue light was elusive. At times she could see further into the darkness, but at other times it seemed to hinder her sight. Her eyes hadn't exactly adjusted to the thick darkness that surrounded her.
"Ohhhhhhhhh Emmmma."
Her eyes widened and she froze. "Who… Who's there?"
"The host with the most," The voice remarked, before a snapping sounded (fingers?) illuminated the world around her.
Emma shielded her eyes with her arm, turning away from the source of the light. She swore she could see a thousand faces staring straight at her, before they vanished into the dissipating darkness.
"Baboom. Name's Hades. God of the Dead. Welcome to the hottest place this side of the River Styx. I call it home. Others, well, they call it hell."
Her eyes widened in shock as she stared. Disney hadn't gotten this one wrong. His skin bore a greyish-blue tinge and the tips of his hair were alight with blue flames. "What. The. Hell."