As Hades was running through the castle with the creature he forged from magic not far behind, he was practically cursing himself and screaming in frustration and fear. He didn't know what to do in a situation like this. Whenever he was in a deadly predicament like a monster attack, he always knew that he would be okay. But now that he was mortal, he was now certain he was going to die.
"Oh Gods, oh my Gods! What have I done?! What was I thinking?! Have I lost my mind?!" He ranted before he made his way outside.
He turned around to see the creature was now towering over him, its claws and teeth were somehow sharper than before, and the eyeball was practically bulging out of its slimy black body. Hades held the scepter tight in his grip as he stepped back away from it; it was that day from his childhood all over again. Only this time, he felt helpless. He took another step backwards, but he tripped over his robe and he fell onto his backside.
"Oh, why did I have to recite that stupid spell?!" He cried, squeezing his eyes shut.
That was when he heard a familiar sound; it was a monstrous screech, but he knew it. Hades opened his eyes and looked up to see his chariot flying towards him and Maleficent was driving it with Pain, Panic, and the Fates riding with her. With a bit of a rocky landing, the chariot stopped right next to Hades and he quickly got back to his feet. He stared at Maleficent with wide eyes, not sure what to make of the situation. He gave her an incredulous look before she turned her attention to the creature wreaking havoc before them. Her eyes widened as she climbed out of the chariot.
"I've seen a lot, but I haven't seen this before! What did you do?" She shrieked.
"I-I-I-I don't know! I was trying to practice a bit of magic, I cast some kind of animation spell, and then this happened! I don't know what else to tell you!" Hades argued.
The creature roared and everyone covered their ears to block out the sound. It slowly slithered closer, but they ran further away. Pain and Panic jumped into the bushes to hide while the Fates hid behind a large stone pillar. Maleficent and Hades stood at the edge of the drawbridge as the creature grew closer.
"If you don't fix this soon, this monster will grow bigger and bigger until it has swallowed up the entire planet… and all of us with it." Maleficent said.
"I tried EVERYTHING I could, but nothing is working!" Hades said. "But I am glad you're here. Now you can help me get rid of this thing."
"Pardon?" Maleficent asked.
"You're a goddess now! You can do anything, hello!"
"I cannot undo this!"
"Excuse me… WHAT?!"
"A spell like this can only be undone by the one who has cast it! You cast the spell, so you have to get rid of it! It has to be you, Lord Hades!"
"I-I-I-I-I…" Hades looked at Maleficent, then back at the creature before he fell to his knees, gripping his hair. He screamed in frustration. "I CAN'T! I can't do this! I can't do anything right! I was wrong, Maleficent! Your job is SO much harder than I thought! You have to control monsters and work in the darkness and do it all alone! It takes such a strong, smart being to do what you do!"
Maleficent paused, then she knelt down next to him. "And that being is you. I walked a day in your shoes. I thought all you had to do was sit on a throne, smile, and be feared all the time, but I was wrong. I see that now. There is so much more to it than that."
Hades looked at Maleficent and he smirked at her, almost entranced by her bright yellow eyes. That was when he noticed a large fraction of stone wall hurtling towards them. He gasped and pulled Maleficent out of the way before taking the scepter and forming a ring of blue fire around them, just like he did at Aurora and Phillip's coronation. Maleficent blinked a few times in surprise and gazed at Hades; that was when she noticed how unusually handsome he really looked. Then they turned their attention back to the creature; it snarled at them through the flames.
"Listen to me. In order to defeat this beast, you need only to trust in your strength… as I do. And I think these spells might be helpful. Come close." Maleficent said before whispering something into his ear. She gave Hades a smile as he paused, nodded his head, and smiled a determined smile back.
He looked back at the monster, tightening his grip on the scepter. The gem glowed brighter than before as well as his eyes; his brow furrowed and he bore his sharp teeth in a snarl of his own. He pointed the scepter at the monster and took a deep breath.
"Make the high and mighty low!
Arrogant creature down you go!"
And with that, a huge beam of dark magic shot out from the gem and hit the creature right in the eye. It shrieked in pain, then Hades noticed that it was shrinking. He recited another spell as it grew smaller and smaller.
"Return the power paid in tar, your terror is no more!
Revoke the strength that comes in floods and rest forevermore!"
And with one final blast, the monster was reduced to nothing but a puddle of tar once again. The flames around Hades and Maleficent went out and Hades fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Pain, Panic, and the Fates slowly peeked their heads out from their hiding places to see what had just happened.
"You did it!" Maleficent cheered as she hoisted Hades back onto his feet.
"Heh, only because you were here to help." He said with a chuckle. He sighed and glanced at the scepter, the light in his eyes vanished. "Man, dark magic is A LOT more unpredictable and MUCH harder to control than I thought." He turned back to Maleficent. "It's kinda crazy. I honestly have NO IDEA how you do any of this alone, especially on something of a daily basis."
"Well, it takes a lot of practice." She replied before giving him a sly smirk. "So let me just ask… did you talk to yourself?"
Hades paused and smirked in embarrassment. "Uh, a little."
They shared a quick laugh before the Fates stepped forward; the two beings turned around to face the three crones.
"Let this be a lesson to you both. Think twice before making such overblown claims. Your own pride ruled out your sense of reason." They said.
Hades and Maleficent faced each other.
"I guess they make a good point. Being a dark fairy is a lot more strenuous than I thought it would be." Hades said.
"I understand. And I had no idea how difficult being a goddess can actually be." Maleficent replied. "And between you and me, I would just like to go back to being my old self."
"Ugh, me too. I've had just about enough of this craziness. So… you wanna call this stupid bet off early?" He offered his hand to her.
"Nothing would make me happier."
She smiled and shook his hand. Their eyes and veined glowed white again, only they didn't fight it this time. Maleficent's flames for hair turned into a head of long black hair and her horns had grown back while the horns on Hades' head had disappeared and his bright blue flaming hair had returned. After a few moments, the light subsided and Hades and Maleficent had transformed back into their old selves again. They let go of each other's hands and looked at each other.
"We're back." Hades said, looking down at himself; he was wearing his original gray shirt and black chiton again.
Maleficent looked and saw she was wearing her black and purple robes again; she smiled and sighed in relief. "It feels good to be back in my own skin."
"I know what you mean. Oh! And, uh, this is yours."
Hades handed the scepter back to Maleficent and the moment it touched her hand, it glowed and turned back as well. She smiled.
"Thank you." She said.
Maleficent then heard a familiar noise. It was Diablo's cawing. He flew out of the castle and landed on the scepter, nuzzling his mistress's cheek; he was very happy to have her back. Hades glared at the raven.
"Geez, that bird is nothing but a troublemaker. You know that?" He said.
"Ravens are very clever birds." Maleficent said, stroking her pet's back.
"Wait a minute… was this your plan the whole time?" Hades asked, pointing a finger at Diablo accusingly. "You showed me that book, knowing I would mess up. And when I did mess up the spell, you knew that your mistress would just so happen to show up to the rescue." He and Diablo narrowed their eyes at each other; Maleficent chuckled.
"What book?" She asked.
"Something called 'Discoveries of Dark Magic'." Hades answered.
Maleficent paused and turned to her pet. "You showed him my father's spell book?"
"Wait, your father? Your dad owned that book?"
"He wrote it! Diablo, what in the world were you thinking?"
"He was just trying to help." One of the Fates, Clotho, said.
"He saw how much Hades was struggling with his magic and the bird wanted to help." Another Fate, Lachesis, added.
"But it didn't go as planned, obviously." The third Fate, Atropos, chimed in.
Maleficent thought about it for a moment before relenting. "Very well. However, that still raises the question…" She turned to Hades. "Why have you created a hulking sentient glob of tar in the first place?"
Hades tensed up. "Oh, that! Uh, that's a funny story." He said, trying to think of a convincing cover up. "You see, I… I-I-I, uh… I wanted to spruce up your castle a bit as well as… re-tar your driveway!"
"Really?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it, bada-bing." He gave a nervous grin, hoping that she would believe him.
"I see." Maleficent narrowed her eyes. "That's… a horrible lie."
Hades froze again; he was so busted.
"But lucky for you, I'm too exhausted to care. I need a nap." She sighed and put a hand to her head.
Hades relaxed and sighed in relief. "Okay, good. By all means, you do that. If that's that, then… I guess I'd better head back to the Underworld. Work is never done. Pain, Panic!" The two imps reported to their boss's side and gave a salute. "Let's go."
Just as Hades was about to climb into his chariot, Maleficent stopped him.
"Wait. You… don't have to leave just yet." She said.
Hades stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face her. He raised an eyebrow. "Say huh?"
"I said you don't have to go." She started. "Like me, you must have had a long day today and you're probably exhausted. It must also be a long way back down to the Underworld from here. Why don't you stay here for the night? I have a few extra rooms; they're not much, but one of them is yours if you want it."
Hades paused, giving Maleficent a very confused look. He furrowed his brow at her. "Is this some kind of trick?"
"No. Why in the world would I wish to trick you? You opened your doors to me, as it were. I feel it would only be fair for me to do the same for you."
Hades opened his mouth to speak before he paused again; no one in this world has ever offered to let him stay with them. Even his own brothers hardly invited him over to stay. He turned back to Maleficent.
"…Okay, I'll stay. But just for tonight." He said after a bit of hesitation.
"Of course. Now follow me, my lord. I'll even give you a tour." Maleficent replied, gesturing for Hades to follow her.
"Wow, thanks. I have to say, this is… really nice of you." He said before she quickly covered his mouth with her free hand; she now had a rather desperate look on her face.
"Shhh!" She hissed. "Don't say that! PLEASE, I beg you. DON'T tell anyone about any of this, alright? Everyone in this kingdom believes I'm dead and I don't want to ruin my reputation."
She slowly removed her hand from his mouth, allowing Hades to speak. "Oh, gotcha." He whispered, nodding his head; he understood her reasoning. She was probably the scariest and fiercest being in the land and if word got out that she was being nice to someone else, no one would fear her anymore; he would do the exact same thing if he had to.
"Just promise me you won't speak a word of this to anyone." She said.
"Don't worry about it, I promise. My lips are sealed. And besides, when a god or goddess gives their word, they're pretty much bound for all eternity. So you have nothing to worry about." Hades said, crossing his heart.
Maleficent mildly calmed down and let out a soft sigh. "Very well, my lord."
"And one more thing. You don't have to keep calling me that. It's WAY too formal. You can just call me Hades. Everyone does."
"You're quite sure?"
"Well, yeah."
"Hmmmm… very well, Hades."
They shared a laugh before Maleficent had an idea.
"You seem to be interested in dark fairy magic, yes?" She asked.
"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah I guess so. Why?" Hades asked.
"Well, I just had a thought. What if I teach you?"
Hades' eyes widened in surprise. "Teach me? How to use your kinda magic?"
"Of course. You're a God and you already have so much potential. Now I do admit it certainly will not be easy, but it will all be worth it. You will be able to do extraordinary things no other God has ever done before. However, it's all up to you. What do you say, Hades? Would you like to learn?"
Hades paused and scratched his chin in thought; nobody has offered to teach him anything in so many years. The only lessons he remembered was his father begrudgingly teaching him how to drive a chariot, but that was when he was a teenager. Learning magic was something that had never crossed his mind before, but she was offering to teach him what she knew and being able to do dark magic did sound very tempting. If he could do the incredible things Maleficent can do, he could easily outshine Zeus and take over Olympus. He turned to the dark fairy and gave her a smile.
"Okay, I'm convinced. I want to learn all I can." He said.
"Then lessons shall begin at once." Maleficent said as she started to walk back into the castle with Hades right beside her. "You're free to visit at least once a week and as a start, I will teach you the basics. Then we'll be able to move on to more powerful spells and enchantments."
"Sounds a lot like school."
"To some extent, yes. But you will NOT grow bored with our lessons, I assure you."
The moment Hades and Maleficent disappeared into the castle, Diablo flew inside after them and Pain and Panic looked at the Fates with shocked expressions.
"Uh… what just happened?" Pain asked.
The Fates merely shrugged and said in unison, "If only he would know where this was going to go."
Then all three Fates disappeared with the help of their magical eyeball; Pain and Panic quickly disappeared soon after them… just as a tiny blue light flew away from the Forbidden Mountain and vanished into the forest beyond.
