Chapter 16: The One That Got Away
Uma's mind had gone blank and all she was able to do was blink. And blink. And blink.
"What?" she managed to get out, feeling overwhelmed and small in this woman's presence. It reminded her of how she felt with Hadie after her run-in with the son of Hercules. Though where Hadie had made her feel like an insect cowering before someone's boot, Peresephone seemed to radiate warmth and serenity. If Uma was anyone else, she would have likened it to the warmth of a mother . . .
But Uma wasn't anyone else and Ursula had never made her feel safe. Unbidden, her mother's voice crawled into her thoughts. My little angelfish, no one will ever want anything from you, not without a price. You don't get something for nothing, after all.
Uma mentally shook herself out of the intrusive thoughts and the feelings they had inspired. She had no time for useless emotions or reminders of her mother. She had a Council to conquer.
Persephone's brown eyes shined with amusement against the deep bronze of her skin as she gave Uma a conspiratorial wink. Her slim fingers reached out to trace the girl's cheek gently before she turned around to face Archimedes and Zazu again.
Uma felt some pleasure seeing the two look like stuffed birds; bodies tense, feathers all a ruffle, the power taken from their claws . . .
"I believe as Queen of the Underworld I meet the requirements to claim this granddaughter of Poseidon under your clause, correct?" the goddess asked, looking between Archimedes and Zazu with an expectant look on her face.
"Persephone—" Zazu began before Persephone raised her hand, cutting him off.
"It's your Majesty," she smiled warmly at the bird, "and please remember that you are talking to not only a queen but a goddess. Our favor can be as immense as the eternity's worth of grudges we also can hold for even the smallest of slights."
Flowers continued to bloom underneath her bare feet as she moved to sit down in the chair that was meant for Ben, green ivy instantly growing along the chair's legs and back, her serene face smiling expectantly as she crossed one leg over the other, waiting.
"What a fucking queen," Uma couldn't help but think, as a tiny impressed grin played on her lips.
"Very . . . very well," Zazu cleared his throat after a silent moment. "I see nothing amiss with this claim." Archimedes muttered something lowly but didn't speak out further.
Doc, the Council Head, took this as his sign to pull his aging body up to stand and address the Council. "Based on the proposal of Council Member Philo- uh, Phi- oh uh, Phil, representative of the hero Hercules and the kingdom state of Greece, Miss Uma of the Isle, granddaughter of Poseidon, has now been claimed by the Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring, by the Greek Pantheon under the Pantheon Clause of the Auradonian Accords. All judgement and consequences of Miss Uma will fall on the goddess and the other higher tier members of the Greek Pantheon to rule and enforce. If anyone has any reasons to believe that the requirements of the Pantheon Clause are not being met, I as the Council Head ask for you to bring forth your evidence now or to let this matter rest unless circumstances otherwise change."
Doc paused, taking a moment to dab at the sweat on his brow and to wipe his glasses on the hem of shirt. All eyes fell on Zazu and Archimedes but the two Council members remained quiet.
"Then it's decided," Doc declared, turning to Cogsworth who was typing everything down for the council records. "May the record show the Council's decision."
Uma could feel some tension slip away but she didn't let her relief show. She knew there was still much to do and there was still the matter that King Beasty-Boy and Wannabe Princess Blueberry had allowed her to walk into what could have easily been a sea witch hunt.
"Bunch of traitors."
She glared at the two when they tried to reach out to her in congratulations. Ben looked hurt as did Evie, but she didn't seem as surprised at having Uma's animosity directed towards her. After all, trust and loyalty on the Isle was hard-won but so easily broken.
Uma turned to the Council, jaw set. It wasn't over. Her gaze landed on Archimedes and Zazu who were looking at her with complete disdain. No, this meeting was far from over . . .
WLTF
"More than a compass or even his ship, a good pirate must always trust his gut," a memory of his rarely sober father whispered in his ear. Harry frowned, rubbing the thumb of his left hand against the curved cool metal of his hook. His gut twisted in foreboding. (Or maybe it was just the sight of seeing Gil practically inhale his food that was setting his stomach off. Hard for a lad to tell.)
"Careful Hook," Sammy Smee teased. "Keep spacing out on us like that and we might get ideas to draw a dick on your face. Give these AKs something to really look at."
Harry snorted, stabbing halfheartedly at the food in front of him. It was still slightly jarring to see his plate filled with so many colors instead of the usual gray and 'you-may-or-may-not-die-from-this' gray of foods from the Isle.
"Not spacing out, Smee," he stabbed a piece of sausage before shoving it in his mouth, mind so distracted he didn't even notice the rich savory taste or that he had missed out on an opportunity to taunt his old playmate.
"He's right," Gil said around a mouthful of food. "He's not spacing out." He took another bite of his sandwich before shoving some syrup-soaked waffles into his mouth with his other hand. A bit of it dribbled down his cheek and Harry barely had the energy to throw a wadded up napkin at him. "He's wallowing." (That's it. Next ship he and Uma took over, he was making Gil walk off the plank. No fucking loyalty.)
"Oh, that's so much better," Yzla muttered distractedly under her breath as she fiddled with what looked like an engine part. No one bothered to ask what poor unlucky bastard would find their engine missing and Yzla didn't bother to tell. It was plausible deniability. (Everyone at the table could already take a guess it belonged to the scooter of the teacher that had stopped her from using the girl's bathroom earlier and had forced her to use the boy's instead in front of a large crowd of gawking, snickering students.)
"I'm not wallowing!" Harry growled, the end of his dulled hook scraping against the table in an unsatisfying way.
"Sulking then?" Eddie Balthazar proposed, mousy brown hair falling in his eyes as he dealt out cards between himself, the Badun cousins, Diego (who had minutes ago slid into an open seat, throwing a parting wave at the mousy daughter of Fairy Godmother after entering with her), and Sammy. Eddie's gray eyes shifted up whenever anyone passed too close to their table, staring at them unnervingly until they walked away.
"Pouting?" Hermie Bing suggested quietly, her tiny frame practically hanging over one of Big Murph's broad shoulders, watching as he carved a small figurine from a scrap piece of wood from his Wood Cutting class. (Harry idly wondered if the shiv he was carving out was to scare those young lords that had been messing with the petite girl earlier after Remedial Goodness.)
"Bumbling?" Hadie croaked, at the same time tugging his hood further up on his head while also switching the pomegranate seeds on Claudine's tray for the apples wedges on his. (When she had seen what he had done, she playfully ruffled the back of his head through his hood, glancing questionably at Diego, who merely shook his head when Hadie tensed at her touch.)
"Are all of ye deaf?" Harry groaned, tugging at his hair in frustration. "I ain't doin' any of that! I'm strategizing! If all of ye haven't noticed, these cookie-cutter princes and princesses want us out!" he hissed.
"We're off the Isle, Hook," Diego grinned, placing a card down to the dissatisfaction of the other players. He leaned forward to pull the betting pool of loose change, candy bars, and tangled earbuds closer towards himself. He kept the earbuds but split the candy bars between Claudine, Hadie, and Yzla, the latter of whom gave a distracted sound of thanks. "You can say you're worried about Queenie. I mean, I'd be worried too having a smart girl like that constantly surrounded by people who hate us just because of who we're related to."
"I'M NOT DOING ANY OF THAT! And of course I worry about her! She's my captain!" Harry slammed his hook loudly down on the table, some heads from nearby tables turning to stare at them. He glared back at them until they all quickly turned away. Focusing his attention back on Diego, Harry kept his voice low. "It's my duty! We're crew! And is no one else worried that she may be rotting in a dungeon somewhere? It shouldn't take this long for her to chew out that damn Council!"
"The Council meeting should have just started," Claudine commented offhandedly, pulling out one of the school provided phones that they had been given the other day. The girls had seemed to have easily picked up on how to use the devices, sometimes sending texts to each other and giggling inexplicably to the confusion of their male companions. "I mean, if you look at that school poll that the genie girl put up," she slid the device over to the pirate - the screen showed a picture of the girl who had so rudely barged into his room earlier this morning, forcing a grudging Uma to follow - "a lot of people are worried that the son of Hercules was too aggressive with her," she said before pausing, looking around the table. "That's actually good here," she emphasized. "We want them to have sympathy for her."
Eddie snorted. "Too bad the same can't be said for you, mate," he directed at Harry, not deterred one bit when the pirate's glare fell on him. (Seriously, did these Anti-hero lot not have a sense of self-preservation or was Harry just losing his touch in grand ole Boradon?) "The genie poll voters are on Mal's side in terms of what happened with you throwing a fit and attacking the King."
Rolling his eyes, Harry scoffed. "Like I give a damn what that flock of sheep thinks."
"You should," Hadie narrowed his one good eye at the pirate. (Oh, how Harry yearned to pluck the boy's remaining eye out and shove it down the lad's throat.) "What good is a queen's knight if he just undoes all of her work?" He folded his gloved hands in front of him on the table, pushing his tray away, voice soft as always but still cutting nonetheless. "If you're really Uma's First Mate, adapting is not negotiable. It is an absolute must. What do you plan to do, pirate? Solve all of your problems here swinging around a hook that can't harm anyone?"
Harry shot out of his seat, seething. He really hated the nonchalant expression on the younger boy's face. "Believe me," he growled, "I don't need me hook to do harm to ye, brat."
"Hey, hey, hey," Diego tried to intervene. "We're all on the same side. We're not gonna last long here if we start turning against each other."
Hadie opened his mouth to give a cutting retort but was cut off by the bell ringing, signaling the end of lunch and the return to their different classes. He glared at Harry before getting up.
"Well, education calls," Diego grinned easily, getting up and stretching before slinging an arm around Hadie and Claudine's shoulders, ignoring the way the younger boy tensed at the contact and leading the two towards their next class.
"Damn, I was hoping to start a bet," Jace groaned to his cousin Harold as they cleaned up their card game and grabbed their bags.
"I'll put down four of those chocolate bars that you like that Hook starts another fight with someone before this day is over," Yzla murmured, tossing the small engine into the trash as they all walked away, leaving only Gil at the table to deal with Harry.
"Fucking wannabe goody two-shoers," Harry growled, kicking his chair, leaving his tray behind as he began to storm off.
"They're not so bad," Gil shrugged, about to follow after him until they both heard a voice call out to the blonde.
"Gil! Come on! We can't be tardy!" the pastel pink and teal princess that had figuratively and literally sunken her claws into Gil breezed by Harry. (The daughter of Sleeping Boring or some other mouth breather in pink, if Harry remembered correctly.)
"Oh, uh . . . okay Audrey," Gil said confusedly, shrugging at Harry as the banshee in pink dragged him off the other way. "Bye Harry!"
The pirate merely gave a V-salute in goodbye as he exited the dining hall. He pushed through, shoving people out of the way as he strode through the hall. He knew he should be trying to stay under the radar and head to his next class. After all, that's what Uma had ordered him to do but she had also ordered him to get himself in check before he did anything that would cause trouble.
Uma.
Even though she didn't mention anything about it, he knew that the dream that she had before she had woken him up with her thrashing had shaken her deeply. And it wasn't like he could hook a dream and make it go away. It wasn't like he could do much in this land of pastels and candy when the things he was good at (hooking, threatening, and sailing) weren't options... Davy Jones... maybe that walking one-eyed blue matchstick was right. He was failing as a first mate.
The last time he felt this low, Uma found a bucket of shrimp over her head . . .
Harry gritted his teeth, digging the point of his hook into his thigh to calibrate himself before turning down a hall, the amount of people in the hall drastically smaller than in the main hall. It still felt overwhelmingly claustrophobic. Harry stomped down a few more halls until he had not seen anyone for several minutes. He would feel proud about the fact that he had kept his word to his captain if his vision didn't feel hazy. If he didn't feel like his legs were turning into jelly under him . . . and bloody motherfucking buggering hell, everything was swimming around him again.
Harry slammed into a door, fumbling with the doorknob, trying to get out of the empty hallway where the walls were getting smaller and he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. Fuck, he was dying, wasn't he?
His sweaty hand finally got a good grip on the doorknob, and the door fell away under him, causing him to stumble into the room. He managed to catch himself, his back pressed against the door as he quickly closed it behind him. Harry concentrated on his breathing as he slid to the ground, eyes closed, but he still couldn't get rid of the feeling that everything was slipping through his fingers.
It was a testament to just how off he felt that he didn't even notice that the room he was in was occupied until someone nervously cleared their throat. The sound managed to cut through the fog in his mind, and he could feel his breathing ease slightly.
"Look, I don't want any trouble, Hook..." he heard the De Vil brat begin.
"Trouble?" Harry rocked unsteadily to his feet. (Whoa...when did the little runt get a twin?) "TROUBLE?" a mad cackle bubbled from his lips.
He landed hard on his side against the door, face pressed against the glass but he continued to giggle uncontrollably. It was the only thing that made it feel like he had any control over himself right now.
"Why wouldn't ye want any trouble, pup?" Harry pouted, head lolling to the side as he grinned at the younger boy before tapping the door with the curve of his hook. (One . . . two . . . fuck what comes after two?) "What's . . . what's life . . . life without a little trouble?" the pirate struggled to gasp out, his tapping becoming a little less intentional.
His head made a dull thud against the door as the room around him began to swirl. The pressure on his chest felt like that one time when he was still a wee little thing and Harriet had thought it would be funny to see Tick Tock take a nap on him (only for her to freak out when the weight of the large crocodile cut off his air, making his face turn blue - it was one of the few times he actually remember seeing his frightening sister so scared).
"Oh Dalmatians . . . You're having a . . . shit . . . Uh . . . I'm gonna...just - just wait right there. Don't move," Harry could barely hear Carlos, and then the blurry black, white, and red blob that the pirate assumed was the little runt suddenly dashed somewhere off to the side, probably to run off and make an alibi so he wouldn't be a suspect when they found Harry's body. It's what Harry would do after all if the roles were switched.
His heart pounded loudly in his ears accompanied by a deafening ringing sound. He clawed at his chest, frantically wondering if he tore out his heart if this madness would end. He also wondered if Uma would like it as a gift, sealed tightly in a jar with a blue ribbon to match her hair; a token that he was hers forever and ever and - WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT GIANT MARSHMALLOW THING COMING AT HIM!?
"Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. My scans detect that you are having a panic attack. I am here for you. You will get through this. Though frightening, what you are feeling will soon be over. "
All Harry could do was glare at the giant white round thing sitting down in front of him as he struggled to breathe, Carlos was hovering, terrified, behind the thing (or at least Harry hoped the wee runt was terrified. It would be a cold day in hell if he wasn't even pirate enough to make Carlos De Vil want to wet his pants.)
"According to the student database that I've been downloaded with, you are Harry Hook, a transfer student from the Isle of the Lost. Your father was Captain James Hook, a pirate. Would you prefer if I engaged my pirate translator for the rest of this experience?"
Harry really tried to give the two-fingered 'fuck you' to this white marshmallow demon, he really did, but his hands were tingling and numb so it came off as a weird flopping movement.
"Is that a no?" Baymax asked, tilting his head.
"I think he tried to flip you off," Carlos pointed out, scratching the back of his neck. "So I'd take it as a no."
"Alright. Harry, your heart rate is still very high and your breathing is still shallow." A soft blue light appeared on the giant fat thing's stomach, forming a circle that slowly expanded before pausing for a few seconds, then decreasing just as slowly, pausing once more before repeating. "Please breathe slowly in with the circle, then hold your breath before slowly breathing out with the circle. It might also help to focus on things, places, or people who make you feel safe, if possible."
Ugh, the white demon's calming voice was so irritating. Harry wanted to hook it, see if it would bleed those little tiny marshmallows that Gil had got excited about the other day, running all the way back to the dining hall just to bring Uma a cup because the blonde just knew she would love it (and she did). His thoughts unsurprisingly focused on Uma and then the sea and then sailing and then sailing with Uma on the sea.
Ah, what a beautiful sight.
His breathing started to follow the steady growing and shrinking of the circle on Baymax's stomach until the world no longer seemed to swim and the Tick Tock sized pressure on his chest went away and his hand, just barely grazing his hook where it laid on the floor began to register the feel of the cool metal of the item.
"Very good!" Baymax chirped, seeing that the boy's heart rate was stabilizing. "I recommend that as soon as possible, you see a mental health professional to work on the cause of your panic attack to avoid the likelihood of this happening again. Are you satisfied with your care today?"
Harry pushed away the damn mutt that followed the De Vil runt around when the creature came over to lick the sweat off the cheek that wasn't pressed against the cool surface of the floor. "Didn't need any of yer damn care, Marshmallow-man, now pop back to whatever sugary hell ye came from!"
"According to my pirate translator," Baymax said in his usual calm and non-intimidating voice as it rose back somewhat unsteadily to its feet, "that is an affirmative." And just as quickly as it appeared, the white giant disappeared, easily folding into itself until it was nothing but a small cube sitting in a nearby charging port.
Good riddance, Harry thought until he felt light kicks to the side of his boots. "What in Davy Jones's name was that thing?" he asked aloud
Carlos frowned before his face processed what the older boy was asking. "Oh uh . . . that was Baymax. He's . . . "he trailed off, as if trying to find the right words. "He's a personal healthcare companion . . . robot . . . thing. Ben's borrowing it. Thinks Baymax might be useful with new kids from the Isle being brought over. I was supposed to make sure his systems were up and running, which I guess…they are."
"Not happy to be of service," Harry drawled.
"Uh . . . are you just gonna lie there?" De Vil asked, looking like he wasn't sure if Harry was going to run up and bite him.
"What? Ye gonna make me move?" he snorted, adjusting himself so that he was sitting with his back against the wall. He kept an eye on De Vil through sweat soaked hair, somewhat pleased when the boy began to shift uncomfortably under his stare (Still got it.)
The room was quiet for a moment in some sort of tentative and cautious truce.
Harry wanted to leave but he still felt weak and tired from . . . what the hell was it called? Right, a "panic attack". Rather be in here with an enemy he knew how to deal with than out there where anything could happen. No, he'd stay here and snoop around until it didn't feel like invisible fingers were about to close around his neck at any moment.
The De Vil boy's little lab almost rivaled Yzma's shop with the whole "evil mad scientist" vibe it had going on. Harry wondered if he could "convince" the boy to make him one of them cool robotic arms that he saw once on TV when Uma and he were wee tykes and snuck into Ursula's room to see what was so interesting about her damn soap operas on the rare occasion where the older sea witch visited her sister on the other side of the Isle.
"No. I'm not building you a prosthetic robotic arm," Carlos firmly stated, not looking from the piece of tech he was working on. "You already have two working ones."
Oh, he must have said that aloud. Whatever, there were ways of making the pup do what he wanted. Just needed a little persuasion.
"Try it and I won't hesitate to Taser you, Hook," the younger boy flatly said, eyes serious as he lifted up a small device that let out a spark of electricity.
"Ooooh kinky!" Harry couldn't help but grin, despite the flare of annoyance that his mouth was bloody betraying him. "The little pup has grown a pair. How cute! Should I call you zaddy now?"
Carlos snorted, rolling his eyes, hands returning to their tinkering. "Is this your defense mechanism?"
Harry's brow furrowed. "A defense what-now?" he asked hopping onto the table, feigning innocence when he knocked some tools over.
The younger boy had the nerve to look embarrassed when Harry sat right in front of him. "Oh it's uh . . . I mean...didn't Mr. Topolino talk to you about that yet?"
"That little rat?" Harry scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down at Dude who was looking up at him expectantly for pats. Harry rolled his eyes but patted his leg, the dog managing to hop onto a nearby chair before hopping onto the table next to the pirate. "Ye actually dumb enough to believe he doesn't skitter back to that old bat of a headmistresses and doesn't tell her all of your little secrets?" he asked scornfully, scratching behind Dude's ear.
"Ah, good pirate," Dude happily barked in the limited speech he had as a leftover from the truth gummy.
Carlos shrugged, watching the way Harry unconsciously smiled down at the dog. "If it makes the voice of my mother in my head go away . . ." he trailed off softly and for perhaps for the first time, Harry felt he knew exactly what the pup meant . . .
He was going to say more, perhaps taunt De Vil a little more in hopes that it would make himself feel better and make the rolling feeling in his stomach that felt like guilt go away, when a scream that was quickly cut off startled them both.
"Dizzy," Carlos breathed, recognizing the voice. He jumped over the table and ran out the door, Harry walking with his hook raised behind him. (If he still felt woozy from earlier, he wasn't going to let that stop him.)
"Stay there, mutt," he managed call over his shoulder at Dude.
When Harry and Carlos arrived at the nearby hallway where the scream had come from, they saw Dizzy, unconscious and slumped against a wall, Sammy Smee and Big Murph standing with vacant expressions nearby.
Harry nearly choked at the thick air of pure magic that seemed to be saturated around the two.
And in front of the two dazed looking boys, kneeling next to Dizzy was a young boy wearing clothes of green leaves and a small dagger that Harry had never seen but had heard about for years in the drunken rants of his father.
"PAN!" Harry growled just before Big Murph knocked him out.
WLTF
Freddie's back thudded heavily against the locker next to Jordan. She let out a loud sigh. "You sure I can't get away with murder?" she glared darkly at Chad as he scurried away under her glare. (She hated being the one to find Dizzy crying in the hallway after Chad's prime example of how to be a Grade A asshole. Freddie never did well with tears.)
Jordan hummed thoughtfully, closing her locker. "Well you're the one with the tarot cards, Fred. You tell me. I will say though that I won't visit you if you get put into jail."
"Boo! You never let me have any fun," Freddie snorted with a roll of her eyes, leading the way down the hall of students making their way to class.
For the most part, many of the Auradon kids had gotten used to her presence before the new Isle arrivals had come, but there was a significant amount that gave her a wide berth when she got near. Freddie had learned to shrug off most of the weird looks she got. After all, it came with the territory when the shadows seemed to get darker every time Freddie stepped into the room or haunted whispers told her other's secrets that she shouldn't have known.
(Not many people knew about the sleepless nights when the shadows clawed at her dreams creating nightmares that not even the Isle could imagine. Making promises that they would drag her to a dark, dark place like they did her Daddy . . .)
"Come on," Jordan said, easily catching up with her, bringing her out of her darker thoughts. "Don't be that way," she smiled, easily slipping her hand into Freddie's, who pretended to ignore how warm her cheeks were getting as their fingers easily intertwined (how her heart stuttered before pounding full blast; how every ounce of tension left her body at such a simple touch). "You said so yourself. If anyone could make some real change happen here, it's Uma. I just know it! Besides, you read it in the cards!"
Freddie shook her head, squeezing Jordan's hand tight.
That was true, but it wasn't so simple. She still didn't understand her powers and she wouldn't be surprised if she had misread the cards. "I read that Uma would be the catalyst for something, but not what or when. So I don't know about you, but that seems vague as hell." She frowned and uncertainty was laced in her voice as she said softly, "The less we know the more things can wind up biting us in the ass later . . ."
"Sounds kinky," Jordan teased after a slight pause, bumping shoulders with the other girl.
Freddie rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips as she bumped Jordan back. "And people say I'm the bad influence."
Jordan stopped them both, placing her hands on Freddie's shoulder. "Chill, Fred. I feel good about this. My dad pulled a favor with a friend of the Council. Hercules's old trainer. Once the Pantheon Clause has been put into effect, there's only so much power the Council of Sidekicks will have over Uma."
Shrugging Jordan's hands off her shoulder, Freddie glared at Jordan for a long moment before sighing. "Just . . . be careful," she said reaching out adjusting Jordan's blazer collar, smirking as she felt Jordan shiver as her fingers brushed against the taller girl's neck. "You shouldn't try to control a hurricane, especially one named Uma. And if anyone finds out that you were the one who told the press about the fights, and not that idiot Chad, you'll be prime target for a lot of Isle kids. I don't need my tarot cards to know that none of them will listen to your explanation about how it needed to happen for the greater good or whatever other shit you say."
Jordan laughed, leaning down slightly to brush her lips against Freddie's. "Don't worry, babe," she smiled once they pulled apart. "Things will work out, now gotta go or else I'll be late for class. I'll see you after," she said, bopping Freddie lightly on the nose, (fuck you, she was not melting into a small puddle) before spinning on her heel and walking away, leaving Freddie to roll her eyes at the genie that made her heart warm.
Ugh, Auradon was making her such a freaking sap.
"Davy Jones! I knew staying with these Auradon nerds would suck the fun out of you! I think I got a toothache just watching that."
No, Freddie thought, panicked. She spun around and came face to face with her past.
"Hello, darling," CJ grinned as she pushed herself away from the wall she was leaning on.
Freddie crossed her arms, alert and aware. She knew exactly what CJ was capable of. "Thought I smelt something fishy."
"Ouch," CJ pouted, disappointed, walking slow circles around her old partner and friend. "Is that really all you got to say to me after so long, babe?" She suddenly stopped, face lightening up with excitement. CJ grabbed Freddie's hands in her own, ignoring the way that the other girl seemed to withdraw at the touch. "Let's go on an adventure! We'll be partners this time, I promise. I have a plan. I'll have a ship and Pan—"
"NO!" Freddie yelled, shoving CJ away. "No," she said more firmly. "I thought I made it clear when I last saw you that we were done. It was always about you CJ. It wasn't fair."
"Fair?" CJ exclaimed throwing her hands up. "Seven seas! This is worse than I thought. You've become one of them! Where's your sense of adventure? Where's your sense of fun? We used to be partners! We were supposed to get off the Isle and go where ever the winds took us!"
"And you treated me like I was just another one of your crew!" Freddie snarled. The shadows around them seem to darken and gain substance in the presence of Freddie's anger.
CJ clenched her jaw, still not wanting to stand down despite every inch of her body telling her to run, to get away. "Freddie," she allowed the plea to sink into her words. "We used to be friends," she raised her hand, palm open and up in invitation. "We used to be more."
A sad, nostalgic expression crossed Freddie's face and the chill and the shadows seemed to fade away with her anger. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before replying, "That was a long time ago." When she opened her eyes, her expression was neutral. "You should go before someone calls the school's guard."
And then she walked away, oblivious of how CJ's heart crumbled with each step.
"Don't be like that CJ," Pan chuckled behind her.
CJ scrubbed the back of her hand quickly along her eyes. (She wasn't crying. She wasn't!)
Turning towards the immortal boy, she was ready to hurl an insult at him when her eyes landed on what was behind him. She leaped towards him, ignoring his cries of disgust as she planted a wet kiss on his cheek.
"You, fly boy, are the best!" she squealed happily. "This is going to be the best adventure ever!"
Pan grinned, chest puffed with pride. "I know."
WLTF
"Come on," Jay sighed, tugging Mal along behind him. "The quicker you apologize - genuinely apologize - the quicker you can make up with Ben and Evie."
The purple haired girl snatched her arm out of his grasp, stopping them in their path towards the council room.
"What if they don't . . . you know . . ." Mal trailed off, worrying her lip.
Jay smirked, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well, Ben is always saying how Auradon is the land of second chances. Can't go making a hypocrite out of himself, can he?"
She rolled her eyes, but chuckled as they continued on their way.
"Mal! Jay!" a voice called out.
The two immediately looked down to see Dude rushing towards them. When Carlos didn't follow and they heard the dog's worried whine, unease quickly filled them both.
WLTF
Watching the members of the council begin to file out of the room felt surreal. Uma felt like she had been stuck in that room for years and not just mere hours. Though the battle had been won, the war was not yet over. There was still much to do to make sure that nothing jeopardized getting more kids off the Isle or the kids who were already there.
Zazu and Archimedes along with several other council members were still demanding that each child of the Isle go through some sort of individual process to determine whether they had the potential to truly become good.
They said it was a precaution.
Uma knew it was a trap.
It was a poorly veiled attempt at pretending to be fair when it was obvious that before anyone could have an opportunity to defend themselves, to defend the necessary things they had to do to survive on the Isle, their judgement would already be passed by those who looked down on them simply because of where they born and who they were born to. Thankfully, it was still too early for such a motion to be passed . . . for now.
Persephone placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and Uma was once again overwhelmed by the warmth that flowed from the goddess, like sunshine and flowers and Harry's smile all in one touch.
"I am happy that I could help you, Uma," she smiled. "Unfortunately though, I have to go. The Underworld doesn't rule itself and I'm afraid that I've been gone too long. But I'll come visit you again. I'm sure you must have a lot of questions."
Uma frowned. "You're not going to see Hadie? Aren't you his mom?"
For a second, Persephone almost looked like she was wilting before her warm smile was back on. "Unfortunately, circumstances beyond even my control won't allow that, just yet, but please, tell him that I think about him every second of every day. Please," she said with a final plea.
Seeing the unabashed way Persephone cared about Hadie made Uma shift uncomfortably on her feet before nodding. "Uh . . . yeah. Sure."
"Thank you," the goddess smiled even brighter. "If you need me, just call for me," she said in farewell before turning on her heel and melting out of existence. The flowers that had been growing underneath her feet withered away before turning to dust, the smell of mint hanging thick in the air.
Uma sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Everything that happened today . . . was a lot. She just wanted to check up on Harry and the others, take a bath, and go to bed (preferably with a certain first mate of hers curled up next to her so she could feel his heart beating underneath her fingers, reminding her that he was still there, that he was still alive).
"Uma," Ben began walking towards her, but the glare she gave him and the smell of the sea in the air made him pause.
"Don't you dare," she hissed. "You lied to me! You said you had everything to lose but you know, I was the only one being turned into fish chum up there!"
"That's not fair," Evie said as she came up next to Ben. "We told you the truth about everything else. But it was part of the agreement with the Council before you came that to even get supplies and food necessary to actually live on the Isle you had to prove that you weren't going to turn against us."
"Well life ain't fair, princess," Uma laughed mockingly before turning her glare back on Ben. "Do you even know how genies are born, Beastie Boy?" she asked, taking a step into his personal space.
The young king frowned, confusion clear on his face. "Wait. What does that—"
"Forget about it," Uma sighed pushing past them. "Like I said from the beginning, no one's looking out for me, except me." She spun around, leaving them to think about her words as she quickly tried to make it back to her crewmates and the former members of the Anti-Hero club. They needed to regroup. Figure out their next move if they wanted to make sure they stayed off the Isle. (And if they had to go back to thinking about old plans like stealing the wand, then so be it. Uma was tired of trying to play nice.)
Thoughts continued to swirl in her head from the meeting. She had managed to avoid the chopping block that those so-called heroes had tried to place her on and now out of Persephone's presence, her mind felt less lulled by the woman's almost intoxicating pull and was able to finally start thinking about the implications of what the heck just happened in that council room.
Granddaughter of Poseidon . . . Grandniece to Hades . . . and Zeus.
Her hands clenched at her side as she made a sharp turn down a hall.
Was that why that meat-headed son of Hercules tried to start something with her? A good ole' family hazing on the black sheep of the family? she thought furiously, feeling her fingertips prickle with sparks.
"I guess things have been made clear to you now, haven't they, cousin?"
Uma spun on her heels, coming face to face with Hadie. She realized that she had made her way outside to the front of the school, deep in her thoughts. The deathly pale boy tilted his head slightly, hood casting a shadow on the upper half of his face as he observed her from his place leaning against the statue of the Beast.
"No thanks to you," she frowned, hand on cocked hip. "When were you going to clue me in, cuz?"
Hadie shrugged. "I tried to. Several times on the Isle," he said in his usual whispery voice, though Uma wasn't sure if the hint of frustration she heard was there or all made up. "But even gods who have been casted out have to follow certain . . . rules when it comes to demigods like yourself."
Perhaps it was inevitable with all the bullshit that had been thrown at her today but control over her own fate felt like it was quickly slipping through her hands. Hadie had the nerve to look surprised when she grabbed him by the front of his hoodie, intending to wipe the smug look from his face.
The boy panicked, trying to pull away but his efforts worked against them both as his sudden movement unbalanced them.
"Fucking seven seas!" Uma cried, releasing him and rubbing her forehead where his head had collided with her own. She let out several more curses that would make a sailor blush (and Harry proud) as she took a step back, rubbing angrily at the area on her head where they had connected. She glared down at Hadie from where he had fallen to the ground, caught off guard by the amount of pure shock and awe he was looking at her with.
"Y-you're okay," he said disbelievingly.
"If you call having your bony skull colliding with mine 'okay' then sure, I'm okay," Uma spat.
Hadie shook his head quickly, all of his previous aloofness gone as he scrambled to his feet. "N-no. Not that. I mean—"
"Blackbeard's tits!" CJ chuckled as she stepped out from a nearby bush. "I don't think anyone has seen the mysterious heir of the Underworld this off his game since . . . well forever."
"CJ?" Uma frowned. "This has been where you've been?"
"What, jealous that I got off the Isle before you, Shrimpy?" CJ smiled wickedly, stepping closer to them.
Uma didn't respond, not falling for the blonde's bait. If Harriet was ruthless, knowing where exactly to stab her figurative and literal knife to make her enemies fall, CJ was wickedly mischievous to the point where her sudden appearance - no matter how much she knew finding CJ alive would lift a weight that had been on her first mate's shoulders for months - didn't bode well with the young sea witch.
"Get the others," Uma murmured low enough for only Hadie to hear.
"She's not alone," Hadie warned. (She didn't even dare question how he knew that. There wasn't any time to.)
"Even more reason. Go!" she ordered.
Hadie looked at her one last time, expression unreadable before he ran off.
"Ah, did wee baby death get afraid of playing with the big kids?" CJ faux pouted before grinning. "Oh well. I guess it doesn't matter," she said, playing with a lock of her hair. "This is a conversation between us captains."
She couldn't help it. Uma laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.
"You still calling yourself a captain with that little dinghy row boat you have? Girl, I'm surprised it hasn't sunk yet."
Instead of blowing up in anger like Uma expected her to, CJ crossed her arms smugly, a growing grin on her face. "Oh Uma, I've upgraded. Big time," she said, just as a large ship surrounded in glowing gold dust floated just above the treetops towards them.
Eyes wide, Uma found herself taking a step back in the presence of the ship's looming shadow.
"You like?" CJ asked, suddenly right next to her. The blonde threw an arm around her shoulder, leaning in as she whispered, "I even got myself a first mate," before pointing up to the ship where unconscious and tied up against the figurehead of the ship was one Harry James Hook.
No, was all Uma was able to think.
Suddenly, the ship's cannons BOOMED and for Uma, her world turned upside down . . .
Hello everyone!
Thank you for your reviews, favorites, subscriptions, alerts, etc. I know it's been awhile since the last update but your patience, especially since I was going through a lot of big life transitions was greatly appreciated.
Also, major kudos to my wonderful beta, elphaba_swan (kindofchaoticgood on Tumblr)!
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Until next time!