Hell Hath No Fury Like the Devil Scorned

Chapter Ten

Emma continued to watch and listen through the enchanted pearl as Cruella De Vil spoke up saying, "Take it easy, darling. Hades doesn't want us to begin our fun just yet. We're supposed to wait for everyone else. It's a pity the rest of us are late."

An unknown enemy walked around Hook to face him as he sneered cruelly, "Captain Killian Jones… At long last. You're finally suffering for all your wrongs in life and seeing as it took two centuries for you to arrive in this hell you deserve, I'd say you've many transgressions against so many. Have you seen your brother yet? Did he tell you Gisbourne and I held him prisoner and tortured him nearly a year for your treason against my Naval fleet before we got bored with him? He confessed he would have become a pirate himself if he had survived your journey to Neverland. He deserved to suffer, but the whole time all I saw in him was the vile man who slaughtered most of my armada, then murdered me and all that was left of my men when we left Longbourn to try to get the dreamshade from that land as you failed to do."

"I planned to kill you ever since Liam died because of your treachery against our kingdom and you dishonored your own people by plotting to kill our enemies in such an unthinkable manner," Killian answered darkly as he glared up at the cruel man standing above him. "But I knew taking everything else from you first would make you suffer far worse than if I were to simply take your life. My brother died because he believed you to be a man of honor and refused to trust in me when I pleaded with him to see sense. He was devoted to you. You betrayed us all! I saved an entire race of people from your treason, enemies or not. Forgive me if I don't see the error of my actions. I only regret that they abetted in turning me into the monster I had become for all those years."

"That was the beginning of a glorious reign of terror," Hades replied haughtily when he suddenly appeared among the villains within a bout of flames, then a small troupe of pirates including Edgar and Barnaby entered as well. "And what a reign Captain Hook sustained. Many souls are down here thanks to you, Captain. It's a real pity you had to meet Emma and the rest of those goody goodies out there foolishly risking their lives to look for you."

The God's prisoner questioned snidely, "Don't you ever tire of beating a dead horse?"

Hades chortled and then responded, "Perhaps I do… But then, you're one of my livelier dead horses and I will not stand for it any longer. Like you, I'm trapped here. So, I've had to come up with new and inventive ways to torment those under my charge. You still have hope in your eyes like we spoke of during the last time I visited you as my prisoner. You've left me no choice, but to snuff out what's left of it by a much crueler force. You should be grateful Liam won't share in the pain I have in store for you."

"Emma… watching the man you love suffer the torment those villains are all inflicting upon him isn't going to do anything to help you," Snow whispered after watching once she saw tears begin to fall from her daughter's eyes, as she gently closed the shell that encased Poseidon gift to them, then tenderly pulled Emma into a hug while she held her. "Don't torture yourself because of this. None of this, is your fault. I know that you're scared for him. We all are, but we'll find Killian again and it's going to be before he's lost to us forever."

"Your mother's right," David added worryingly. "Look, like Poseidon said… we can try to get a reading on Hook's prison. We can also head into town as we planned to do before to see if anyone might recognize it. The Blind Witch seems to know a lot of what's going on down here. Maybe we can convince her to help us."

Regina scoffed and then said, "I'm sorry. But I really doubt that. We'd be better off asking Cruella for information and even then, getting her to cooperate with helping us save Hook is unlikely. She's only helpful when she sees something in it for her. And thanks to Henry, we know all she really wants is free passage back upstairs."

Emma shook her head and looked at Regina with anger in her eyes as she answered coldly, "Cruella is one of the villains in that cavern persecuting Killian. She's a part of what's happening to him and she kidnapped my son. Nearly killed him, or would have if she could. She doesn't deserve any kind of mercy from any of us."

"I couldn't agree with you more, believe me," Storybrooke's Mayor replied with all honesty. "But uh… whatever we're doing, we should get going."

"Wait…" David quickly stated when Regina picked up her coat from the arm of the couch where it rested and the Prince saw Hook's satchel on the floor as he was reminded of his promise to their missing friend.

He walked over to the bag so he could pick it up, then pulled out Brennan Jones' bloodied shirt and held it out to the Queen as he continued, "This belonged to Hook's father."

She nodded sadly as she took it from him and then responded, "I recognize it. I should have known this was what he meant when he mentioned he still had something that belonged to him."

"Can you cast a locator spell over it to find him?" David questioned again.

"That shouldn't be a problem, unless of course locator spells don't work when trying to find someone trapped down here," Regina answered, then she looked quizzically at the Prince again. "But what does this matter now? We need to find Hook."

Charming replied, "We do, but we also need to find Brennan Jones like we promised Hook we would do. And we need to do it now before anything else happens. I hate to say it, but we need to split up again."

Emma looked at her father as she responded, "Dad… if you're thinking that what happened to Killian was your fault just because he was taken while you and Robin were out there with him, you're wrong. Robin, the same goes for you. Neither of you are to blame."

"Maybe not," David answered when he turned to her. "He threw his bag to me before he was grabbed, not just so that his father's shirt wouldn't be destroyed if found by Hades, but because he wanted us to help his father now. Regina, he said you would know what to do. You can find him. Convince him that his son isn't the man who killed him anymore."

"And you really believe I'm the best choice to talk to him?" she replied in disbelief. "Do you not remember what I said last night? He won't trust me. I'm the last person to…"

Henry cut her off as he responded, "You can do this, Mom. And I'm coming with you so that you won't be alone. You helped your father move on. If you can do that… you can certainly help someone else's father too."

Robin smiled at the boy and then added, "And I'll come with you too. We can do it together."

"I have a feeling the three of you will have an easier task than the rest of us going up against my uncle and the rest of the villains down here wanting to make all of you pay for sending them here," Ursula answered, as everyone turned to face the Sea Witch again, then noticed that her father, the God of the Seas, had already disappeared again while they had been distracted by the conversation going on between them all. "I'll stay with Emma and her parents to help keep them safe."

"Thank you again," the Savior replied in sincerity as she looked over at their former enemy.

Poseidon's daughter smiled at Emma and responded, "You really don't have to keep saying it. I told you, I don't approve of what Hades is doing any more than you do. And I can't stand Cruella. Never could. I only worked with her before out of necessity. If I can finally have a chance at a fight against her, then I'm more than ready to face the rest of these villains I haven't had the pleasure to meet. Besides, I've got eight hands. You need me."

Snow nodded as Regina cast her spell over the bloodied shirt, and Snow spoke again saying, "Let's go find our friend."