"'Cause you're a sky, you're a sky full of stars,
Such a heavenly view,
You're such a heavenly view…"
-Sky Full of Stars, Coldplay
It's the fourth night in a row that Zelena and Hades wake up to their door opening in the middle of the night, hearing tiny footsteps attempt to quietly cross the creaky floorboards to reach the bed. There's a dip in the bed on Hades' side, and then two little hands are resting on his face, one of them tapping his cheek.
He opens his eyes slowly to see a tumble of red curls and bright blue eyes staring down at him.
"Daddy," Helena attempts to whisper. "Are you asleep?"
Hades has to summon all his willpower not to groan aloud. Turning his head, he glances at the clock on the bedside table. 1:47 AM. Zelena shifts next to him, still blissfully asleep (or cleverly pretending to be) and unaware that their daughter is once again out of bed.
"…No," he finally whispers back. "Honey, why aren't you sleeping?"
Helena moves to sit on his chest, knocking the air out of him. Her bottom lip trembles a bit. "The bad thing is back, Daddy. Can you go look under my bed?"
The bad thing. Ah, yes. The unknown entity that's been keeping her from sleeping soundly through the night. Zelena had mentioned it to him the previous week—Neal had been having nightmares about a "bad thing" in his closet and on his last playdate with Helena, he had divulged all the details about it in a way only five-year-olds can: by extreme exaggeration.
It was that same night that Helena had crept into their room for the first time, sniffling about something under her bed.
Hades resists the urge to sigh and instead sits upright, his feet hitting the cold floor and sending a shiver up his back. Helena loops her arms immediately around his neck in a silent plea to be carried and he complies, and despite the late wake up call, he smiles warmly and holds her close as he stands quietly and leaves the room.
"Did you see it this time?" he asks her in a low voice as he pads across the hallway and through her doorway.
Her little head shakes emphatically against his neck. "No, but I know it's there, Daddy. I know it's there."
Her bedroom is softly illuminated by the pink lamp by her bed, the floral quilt askew where she tossed it aside in favor of jumping to the floor. When his feet hit the plush carpet of her rug he stops and sets her down on the mattress.
"Okay, sweet pea," he says, getting down on his knees so his face is level with hers. "I'm going to check, and if nothing's there, you have to go back to sleep. Sound like a deal?"
Helena's reluctant to agree. He watches her tiny nose wrinkle in worry—an unconscious imitation of her mother. "But what if it comes back?" she asks fearfully.
Hades smiles reassuringly at her, taking her hands in his. "Remember what I told you about monsters?"
"They only have power if we give it to them," she rattles off automatically, then frowns. "But Daddy, you have magic. You can protect yourself from the monsters."
"Do you think you need protection, sweetheart?" Oh, little one, you have more protection around you than you'll ever know.
"Yes!" She nods energetically at him. "I need a guard doggie, like Seahorse!"
"You mean Cerberus, sweet pea. And I told you, he had to stay in the Underworld." He neglects to tell her the details of why he's not in the land of the living…
"Why can't he come here?" she whines. "He can sleep in my bed and I promise we'll be quiet! Pleeeease?"
Hades lets out a laugh. "I can't bring Cerberus here, honey." His gaze drifts up to the ceiling, to the light fixture and the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars surrounding it. He suddenly gets an idea.
"Tell you what," he says to her. "How about I make another Cerberus? One that only comes out at night, just for you."
"Just for me?" Her little round eyes widen.
"Just for you." Hades stands and raises one hand, summoning his magic. His hand starts glowing blue and soon the ceiling matches the color, wave-like energy spreading through the room.
When he takes his hand away, there's a galaxy of stars above their heads, slowly rotating around, comets occasionally shooting by and disappearing through the swirling eddy in the middle of the spiral.
Helena gasps and Hades looks down at her delighted little face, feeling a swell of joy fill his chest. "Daddy, are those real?"
"Not quite." He raises his hand again, index finger pointing to a particular constellation hovering above her bed. "But this one…this one is."
As if attracted like a magnet, one of the stars follows the tip of his finger as he retracts it backwards, and a shape starts to take on dimension. In the next moment, there's a wolf made of starlight perched on her bed, its head bowed to her tiny body.
His daughter's eyes grow impossibly wider as one hand reaches out. "Can I touch him, Daddy?"
"Yes, you can, sweetie. He's yours." And as if acting on cue, the wolf pushes his nose into Helena's palm and she squeals with glee.
"He's so pretty…" she says in an awe-filled tone. And Hades readily agrees with her. The wolf's coat looks like it was pulled directly out of the night sky itself, patterned with hundreds of stars scattered through the inky darkness.
"He's going to protect you from the bad thing from now on, okay?" Hades tells her and Helena nods once, all her attention focused on hugging the animal on her bed. "So let's lay you down so you can go to sleep."
She lets out an involuntary yawn and complies with her father's instructions, climbing under the covers and laying her head back with a soft thump as Hades tucks the quilt around her. The wolf takes that as his cue to lay down next to her little body, his head half-resting on top of her chest.
Hades smiles at her, smoothing the curls around her forehead and kissing her temple. "Goodnight, sweet pea," he whispers. "I love you."
"Love you too, Daddy," she whispers back. Helena's eyes flicker shut, one hand lightly resting on the starry fur next to her. He watches her face for a moment, his hand lingering on her head, before he turns and walks quietly to the door.
Just before Hades turns out the lamp light, he pauses in the doorway and turns back to see the wolf watching him, its celestial eyes boring into his with an understanding that's impossible to miss.
Nonetheless, he murmurs his thoughts aloud. "Watch out for her."
The wolf blinks once, slowly, before its regal head finally relaxes and its eyes close. Finally satisfied, he closes the door and heads back to their bedroom, letting out a yawn and climbing underneath the warmth of the comforter. When his head hits the pillow, Zelena shifts and curls into him and his arms automatically wind around her.
"You got her back down?" she asks sleepily. Hades nods and kisses the top of her head, closing his eyes.
"I think she'll be just fine from now on. She's got a guard dog with her."
Zelena lets out a sleepy chuckle. "I'll just go ahead and pretend I know what you're talking about." She snuggles closer, putting her head into the crook of his neck. "Go back to sleep, love."
Don't have to tell me twice, he thinks. And that's the last thought he has before sleep claims him for the second time that night.
END
Notes:
Yes hello, I am shakenspeares and I am hardcore addicted to the Dad Hades headcanon. Please leave all complaints in the box to your left. Death threats are only accepted on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and must be typed in APA format using Times New Roman 12-point font.
In all honesty though, I cannot get the image out of my head of Hades completely embracing the role of parent when they make it to Storybrooke. We lost a phenomenal opportunity...
As always, thank you so much for reading. :)