Killian's Inferno

Chapter Two

Emma and Mr. Gold both stood on the bank of pond as she glared at him and finally spoke to him as she stated coldly, "Do it."

Rumpelstiltskin sighed as he raised the newly formed Dark One dagger, once again with his name on it, and cut a deep gash into his palm, but cupped his hand in order to prevent his blood from dripping into the pool of water as he looked back at the determined woman, then even though he already knew her answer, he asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Do it!" the Savior replied with more force than before as she continued to stare at the evil man before her, lowered her eyes to watch as he allowed his blood to drip into the pond beneath them, then watched as the portal opened and fog appeared making a path for the boatman of the Underworld to enter into Storybrooke.

"Hook, I will find you," Emma said to herself out loud as she stepped out into the bloody and murky water when Charon neared, followed closely by her family and closest friends. "I will always find you."

As they reached the cloaked figure holding the oar to the boat, he held out his cold, boney hand as he spoke up in a low, raspy voice saying, "Payment, if you truly wish to enter into the Underworld, though I wouldn't advocate your thoughtless decision, seeing as you are all still among the living. If you die there, there is no way to return. Even if you do not, I cannot guarantee safe passage back home either."

Emma looked back between Regina and Gold in confusion, ignoring the threat for the moment as she uttered, "Payment?"

"The boatman's payment in order to cross into the Underworld," Henry responded as he pulled out a single gold coin from his pocket to show his mother before the others could answer her. "Charon requires a gold coin from everyone who wishes passage. If no payment can be made, all souls are forced to spend eternity as ghosts among the living."

"Can you duplicate enough coins for each of us?" he quickly added as he turned to Regina.

She took the money in her own hands and did as her son requested, then looked at him as she asked, "Exactly where did you get a gold coin from?"

Henry smiled as he answered, "It's a trinket that I happened to pick up while I was trapped in Peter Pan's camp in Neverland. They had more than enough and I though a gold piece might come in handy one day. I didn't ever think it would be to trade for passage to Hell."

"I know what you mean, kid," Emma replied nervously as she took the now seven coins from the Queen, then handed them over to the daemon as she looked at the creature of the dead sternly. "Seven gold coins as you requested. Now, take us down. Our decision is final."

"Very well," Charon responded smugly. "But do not deny I tried to warn you when your pain and torment begins."

As the boatman and his passengers descended downward through the bloody river into Hell, both Emma and Regina wrapped their arms around their son to comfort him as a coldness swept over them all when Storybrooke disappeared and the darkness of the Underworld appeared all around them. David placed his hand down on his daughter's shoulder while he wrapped his free arm around his wife in a firm embrace, while Robin held Regina. Rumpelstiltskin simply turned his back to them, wanting nothing to do with any of these heroes' love they shared for one another.

After a few minutes, Regina broke the silence that had fallen over them all as she looked down at her son as she asked, "So Henry, you seemed to have learned a lot about Charon in your studies. Did you happen to learn anything at all about Hades that might be able to help us? I could ask Mr. Gold or the boatman over there, but it's not like I feel exactly comfortable with trusting either one of them at the moment."

Emma said mockingly, "I'm guessing he isn't a bald, blue skinned God with blue flames for hair that can easily be blown out like he appears in the Disney movie?"

"I don't think so," the youngest member of their expedition answered. "For all we know, he could look like any one of us, or he could be a giant. As for who he is, according to the books I've read on Greek Mythology, he's the brother of both Zeus and Poseidon. The three Gods drew lots in order to figure out who would rule each part of the universe. Hades drew poorly and he was forced to become ruler of the Underworld, which history shows he always resented and hated his brothers, as well as the rest of the Gods. He split the Underworld into three, parts, for lack of a better word. The souls who were good in life were granted passage into the Elysian Fields, or Heaven, while those who were evil were sentenced to an eternity of torment and damnation, in God knows where."

"And what about the souls whom he might consider only so, so?" Robin asked nervously, wondering what this so called God might think of a former thief if he were to die down here.

Henry looked at the man who loved his second mother as he replied, "No one knows. He might ask them questions in some form of judgement and if he likes their answers he sends them to the paradise and those he doesn't like the answers from…"

Emma finished for him, "Hell and damnation, right. I can only imagine he would love all of us."

"Quite so, Miss. Swan," Mr. Gold stated as he finally talked. "I think that we all know which part we shall find your bastard pirate in."

"Watch your mouth!" Emma responded angrily as she glared at the Dark One when he spoke cruelly of the man she loved. "I will not allow you to soil his memory. Killian sacrificed his life to save your life too in case you don't recall, not to mention has made it possible for you to regain your power after all. If you won't help us to save him out of whatever love you might actually have for Belle, then at least do it to say thank you."

Gold remained stoic as he answered, "I never did conceal my hatred for Hook from you before, dearie, and so I shall not begin to do so now just because he did one good deed before he died."

David stood between his daughter and the monster as she stepped forward in attempt to strike out at him, then he turned to Rumpelstiltskin and spoke again saying, "I don't care about your reasons for really coming down with us, but if you do anything to get in the way of us saving Hook, we will stop you."

"And how would you do that?" the Dark One asked the Prince smugly.

"We will find a way," Mary Margaret said for her husband. "Good will always win over evil. You know that better than anyone."