Ok peeps, same deal different story… I don't own Disney's Hercules (unfortunately) and the original 'Havoc' and 'Mayhem' belong to Quantum Witch and I am merely borrowing the names for this fic although the characters of Hecate's minions are completely my own along with Persephone and any other original characters and places that pop-up…

This story takes things from both the film and the series while it also contains some carrying themes from it's forerunner; Plight of Persephone… Little hint: if you haven't read it (or the short story G.W.I) then you might get confused later on..

And a little reminder… Disney twisted a lot of myths for their storylines so I have to do some minor tweaking of my own to make this work… so far, it's working and I'm delighted to bring you the sequel to P.o.P…

Daddy's Little Hellraiser

Chapter Twenty-Five:The 'Window of Opportunity'

'Mom! Dad!' Hades bellowed desperately as he burst through the front door of his childhood home without even knocking, heavy pregnant Persephone followed a little more gingerly. 'Serious IX I I!' Hades waited for a brief moment as his yells echoed through the eerie house.

'Don't have a kanipshin bubeleh..' Nyx' voice sounded soothingly as the pale bluish-lilac goddess appeared in the hallway and pinched her son's cheek. The Goddess of Night paused and felt her son's face. 'Your thin, you've not been eating enough-'

'Mo-om..' Hades whinged trying to free himself from his mother's embrace and failing.

'Dag-nabbit woman quit mollycoddlin' the boy!' Erebus' deep voice sounded as the god appeared out of the shadowy recess of their hallway. 'Kid's gotta be at least thirty-thousand years old..'

'Hey!' Hades lanced a glare at his father. 'I ain't that old yet..' Persephone silently smirked into her hand at her husband's put out look, only Hades' parents could make him act like a little kid again.

'Not far off it..' Erebus sounded still smirking at his son.

'Yehhh..' Hades drawled under his breath so his father wouldn't hear. '-maybe in a few millennia..' Nyx meanwhile, frowned at her husband with her slim hands on her hips.

'I don't care how old he is!' The Goddess of Night sounded in a haughty tone. 'He's still my little hamantaschen..'

'Oh geez..' Hades groaned feeling himself go pink in the cheeks as his wife giggled in amusement.

'What about you Persephone?' Nyx instantly turned to her and examining her daughter-in-law's face. 'You look a little peaky..'

'Well..' The pregnant goddess sounded feeling her stomach rumble. '-I am a little hungry..' She finally confessed bringing a smile of satisfaction and triumph to the Goddess of Night.

'See..' Nyx whipped around lancing her husband with a firm gaze. '-I won't have anybody go hungry under my roof..' She then gave a haughty sniff and escorted Persephone into the kitchen. Erebus rolled his round grey orbs with a look of contempt..

'Last time I checked it was me who built this house..' Hades bit his lip and tried not to look too amused by his father's irritation but his slight snort and guilty leer made the God of Shadows eye him suspiciously.

'Well go on..' He sounded sternly pointing in the direction of the kitchen. '-if I were you I'd get in there before she gives you a zetz..'

'Oy..' Hades sighing shrugging and adding in a soft voice as he headed for the kitchen. '-vei is mir..'

In no time at all Nyx had whipped up a spread of Underworldly delicacies that could rival even Hestia's fine dining and there was not an eyeball, dead finger or worm in sight. The Goddess of Night did not approve of that kind of junk food..

'So..' Erebus sounded as everybody began to tuck in. '-what's this big emergency?'

'Oh..' Hades replied airily waving his fork before scooping up another helping of his mother's delicious home-cooking. '-just a little witch infestation, it ain't nothin' I can't handle..' The fiery god then jammed his mouth full as his father chuckled.

'Heh, Hecate making another play for your throne, eh?' He shook his head making his smoky grey hair spread.

'Yeh, well… the Fates love a trier..' The fiery god smirked amused.

'So if you can handle this yourself why did you come to us?' Nyx sounded confused.

'I need ya to watch my little wifeykins-' Hades gestured to Persephone who smiled sweetly as she chewed her meal. '-while I get ma home back.'

'What?' Erebus roared in horror. 'She's in your house!'

'How did this happen bube?' Nyx sounded just as appalled as her husband although she was more stunned than upset.

'Hey it wasn't my fault..' Hades sounded more to his father than anyone else. '-the witch swooped in snatched Sephy and then held her for ransom, whadda ya expect me to do? It was her-' He gestured to his wife. '-or the Underworld ok? I didn't really have much of a choice..' Persephone could see Hades' flames flicker as he was getting slightly worked up so she clutched his hand and squeezed it affectionately.

'You did the right thing sweetie..' She sounded gently causing Nyx to smile widely.

'Of course he did..' She sounded before leaning over and stroking her son's cheek. '-he's such a little punum..'

'Mo-om..' Hades sounded tetchily while slapping her hand away. '-seriously, enough with the schmooze already..'

'Pleease..' Erebus, who seemed to act oblivious to his son's whining, spoke in an almost pleading tone. '-tell me that the 'window of opportunity' has been taken care of..' He scrutinized his son with a piercing gaze. Persephone blinked mystified at these words clearly missing something important.

'Of course it has..' Hades bristled offended. '-whatcha think I did? Just waltz off after ma wife without considerin' the particulars… c'mon dad, only Zeus is that much of a schnook!'

'What's the 'window of opportunity'?' Persephone sounded as Nyx cleared away the dinner plates. Hades blinked at his wife's words before turning around and grinning at Persephone.

'It's a like a loophole in a contract babe. It's some stupid rule Zeus decreed right after the Titan War-'

'Hey!' Erebus interrupted at this point. 'That stupid rule is the only reason you haven't lost your kingdom..'

'Noted dad..' Hades intoned rolling his yellow eyes before returning his large pupils to his enthralled wife. '-anyway Sephy, this 'window of opportunity' acts like a.. like a..' The fiery god twirled his wrist searching for the right word. '-like a safeguard. Y'see, having the keys to the Underworld doesn't make it rightfully yours..'

'It doesn't?' The pregnant Queen of the Underworld blinked amazed.

'Nahh..' Hades shook his head smirking at his wife's naivety. '-only a certain object in my possession can make Hecate the true ruler of the Underworld.' He sounded impressively before adding in a casual tone. 'It's just too bad I hid it in a place she'll never find it! Hah, ain't I a stinker..' His eyes narrowed in delighted malice.

'Ooh, your so clever..' Persephone sounded seductively making her husband's flames ripple at her words, he did like it when she fanned his ego. 'So what is this powerful object you own?' The pregnant goddess sounded sweetly.

'Heh, it's that item I obtained from the Cyclopes during the Titan War..' Hades sounded in a hinted tone but Persephone merely blinked blankly. Hades sighed realising that Godly History probably wasn't his little Sephykins' strong point. 'It's the Helmet of Darkness toots, ya with me now?' He sighed plainly and the goddess made a soft 'oh' noise as she recognised the name of the item.

'Doesn't that just make the wearer invisible?' She sounded suddenly remembering something Trivia had told her about this helmet.

'Pfft… no..' Hades snorted with contempt at this statement before shrugging. '-ok, so that's one of the things it does but it can also command the loyalty of every Underworld subordinate on this side of the Styx.. and I don't just mean monsters either, souls, deities, river naiads the whole freakin' shebang!'

'Oh my days..' Persephone said horrified gazing terrified at her husband. '-you mean if she ever got hold of it she could..' The pregnant goddess tailed off unable to complete her sentence.

'-unleash Tartarus on the world?' Hades cocked a brow concluding her sentence for her. 'Now ya see why I hid it..' The god smirked a wide-fanged leer at her.

'So as long as Hecate doesn't find the Helmet of Darkness we can still get the Underworld back?' Persephone mused.

'Bingo!' The fiery god sounded brightly at his wife who seemed to be getting with the program now.

'So how do you plan to get our home back?' Persephone said looking curiously at her husband.

'Heh..' Hades' eyes narrowed playfully as he lent into his wife and uttering with a rolling purr, '-can you say secret passageway?' Before remembering something and swivelling back to the God of Shadows.

'Oh, which reminds me dad I'm gonna need ya to give me some cover so I can sneak back into the Grove of Lethe..'

'Just tell me when your ready to go son..' Erebus sounded in a dismissive voice as he looked over his evening scroll.

'Are you sure you don't need my help sweetie..' Persephone sounded in a worried tone, her pretty green eyes flickering anxiously between his eyes as she clutched the front of his chiton. She couldn't help but be concerned for her husband's safety. He had been planning out his strategy while his parents had gone out setting night and darkness out into the world above. Now that Erebus and Nyx had returned it was time for him to put his plan into action.

'I'll be fine Sephykins..' Hades chuckled amused. '-you just take care of the kid, ok?' He then curled a long blue finger around her chin and added in a soft serious tone. 'Besides, you're the only thing I got left to leave behind..' Persephone's eyes widened at his words.

'But Hades..' She started as Nyx took her by the shoulder and smiled gently at her.

'He's right dear..' The Goddess of Night sounded serenely. '-this witch needs a serious kick up the wahzoo and believe me, no pregnant goddess needs to see that.'

'I guess..' Persephone sighed heavily as she considered Nyx' words. She didn't want to admit it to her mother-in-law but she actually wanted to see Hecate and her mangy mutts suffer. The pregnant goddess turned back to the golden eyes of her husband and clutched his chiton tighter. '-just promise me you'll be careful..'

'Alright, fine, I'll give ya that one… god's honour babe..' The fiery god raised his hand with two fingers in a salute. '-and hey, I'll be back before ya can miss me too much 'kay..' The god pulled his wife into him gently so her massive baby bump was pressed right against him. '-now how 'bout little schmooze since I gotta go.' Persephone tilted her head upwards and kissed her husband hard before reluctantly letting go of his chiton and smoothing out the creases she had made. The pregnant Goddess of Life hung back with Nyx looking on sadly as the two gods disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.

'Come on dear..' Nyx sounded gently, prying Persephone away from the hall and into the living room. '-let's get you settled with a nice cup of hemlock tea..'

The pregnant young goddess soon found herself back in the living room and settled down in one of the two plush black chairs by a heavy-set black stone fireplace holding a large blue-flamed fire. She lounged back in her seat, presently surprised that they reclined by a pivoting mechanism. Nyx soon returned with a fresh steaming pot of hemlock tea and set it on the coffee table between them, but by that time the unborn baby was awake and back to it's favourite tricks..

'Is everything alright..' Nyx blinked and paused from pouring out the herbal tea as Persephone suddenly winced uncomfortable in her seat and gripped her bump.

'No..' The pregnant goddess grimaced. '-I think the baby is scorching my insides..' As the goddess spoke a very small trickle of black smoke issued from her mouth.

'Oh dear..' The Goddess of Night sounded before thrusting a cup of hemlock tea into her hands. '-here, this ought to douse it's flames..' She sounded knowledgably. Persephone coughed into her hand several times sending black smoke out into the room. She then snatched the teacup from it's saucer and downed the murky green tea in one gulp. For a few moments she sat perfectly still waiting for the tea to reach her stomach before suddenly the searing pain of smouldering organs died.

'Oh my days..' Persephone sounded blinking in amazement as all her agony vanished and the baby merely seemed to be kick lightly at her insides now. '-that's incredible! How'd you know that would work?' The pregnant goddess beamed at Nyx who chuckled warmly.

'The hemlock acts like a sedative, it numbs the baby's senses. Oh don't worry..' Nyx added as Persephone opened her mouth looking alarmed. '-it's perfectly safe in weak doses like this, in fact I used to give it to Rhea when she was pregnant with Hades..' The Goddess of Night smiled widely. '-she, like you used to be in terrible pain.'

'Really?' Persephone sounded, perking up at this information as she poured herself some more tea.

'Oh yes..' Nyx replied airily waving her hand and taking a sip of her own tea. '-she used to tell me it felt like someone was trying to rip her insides out.'

'Oh good..' Persephone sighed pleasantly causing Nyx to raise a brow at the goddess. '-I meant that I'm not the only one who thinks it's like that… not it's good that grandma had to go through it..' She uttered slightly flustered while flushing a light shade of peach. Nyx merely smiled in response.

The was a short awkward pause as Persephone let her eyes wander around the gloomy room. There was very little furniture in the room apart from a long couch which matched the two chairs and a long cabinet filled with knick-knacks, scrolls, knitting needles, wool and an old loom in the corner. The walls however were filled with undersized tapestries of Erebus and Nyx' children and grandchildren. There were a couple of Morpheus and his brother Phantosis.. there was a family portrait of Hypnos with his nocturnal brood.. a much younger Hades, Hypnos and the Fates all posing cheerfully.. a couple of pictures of kid Hades and his parents.. the teenage Fates.. teenage Hypnos, who looked just like Phantosis with Nyx' colouring.. a fair few with Hades and Hypnos looking chummy..

But it was one tapestry in particular that caught Persephone's eye, it was old and a little frayed at the edges. It's subjects were not children of the Underworld couple but of Cronos and Rhea. Zeus was standing tall and proud, his hair wasn't white it was a light shade of orange and there was a glow of youth in his face.. standing next to him was teenage Hera, who was smiling gleefully while clutching her husband's arm.. Po-Po came next, clean shaven and looking in his late teens with a wide smile, his arm was casually resting on Demeter.. her mother's blonde hair had been a lot longer, pleated with wild flowers and she was wearing a low-cut chiton that showed off her figure, it had been a lot slimmer back then.. Hestia was beside her beaming proudly, holding a clutch of herbs and wearing a neat knee-length chiton, she and Zeus were the only two who looked in their twenties.. Lastly was teenage Hades, he was the only one who wasn't smiling. In fact the fiery teen seemed to be lancing Zeus a glower of disgust. Hades was a lot weedier than he was now, barely any muscle at all and his flames seemed thicker, there was only faint shadows around his bright yellow eyes and his face wasn't quite as thin.

'I stitched that just before the war..' Nyx sounded fondly then sighed. '-but I do wish Hades had been smiling..'

'Why wasn't he?' Persephone asked softly.

'Oh, he and Zeus had been arguing. Hades was still adjusting to the fact that he was adopted and Zeus never took anything he said seriously, which was a shame because my little Hadiekins is a brilliant boy with a mind for tactics. I think a lot of the time he felt very left out of Zeus' little gang..'

'Aww..' Persephone cooed sympathetically. '-well our baby won't ever have to worry about that..' She sounded cradling her bump protectively. Nyx chuckled good-naturedly at these words before pouring out a fresh cup of tea.

'You don't have to tell me..' She smiled meaningfully. '-I am the mother of the Fates..'

'So does that mean you know what the baby's gonna be like?' Persephone asked nervously.

'Oh no..' Nyx shook her head. '-unfortunately only my girls could tell you for sure, their visions are a lot more precise than mine.. but..' She trilled brightly. '-I do know enough to help you pick out a girl's name, I know you've been having trouble with that..'

Little Notes:

Hey Peeps, I'm sure the answers to the questions I left at the end of the last chapter were pretty obvious huh? Oh well… I'm actually not sure how many chapters there will be left to write, I actually think it might be a few chapters shorter than P.o.P was. I'm going to try and stretch it until thirty-five but we'll see how it goes..

Ok, firstly Hades' Helmet was missing from the whole series of Hercules which I thought was a shame since it is just as important as the trident or the thunderbolts. It was not just able to turn the wearer invisible but it was a symbol of Hades' ownership of the Underworld.

Secondly, I hope everybody loves Nyx and Erebus as much as I do! I must admit I can't imagine the adoptive parents of Hades any other way… and writing them always cracks me up (Nyx especially as she's always embarrassing Hades!).. As I've admitted before my knowledge on Yiddish words is very limited (I try my best and research the meanings behind words) so any criticism towards that is most helpful.. and if you can think of anything funny you want Nyx to say to Hades I'll try to put it in wherever I can fit it!

See ya next time…

Lot's of Love… Ditzy x