A month went by and Hades became a frequent visitor to Maleficent's castle. She would activate the portal spell she found to allow him to enter her domain and he would come to see her one day every week and as promised, she would teach him a bit of simple dark fairy magic every time; either casting an easy spell or even brewing a potion or two. And when lessons were over for the week, Hades would study and practice what he learned down in the Underworld. Luckily, Hades has always been quite smart and a fast learner and he got the hang of it quite quickly. However, he still couldn't do most of the things his tutor could do, but he was willing to learn what he could all the same. And during that time, Hades and Maleficent had grown rather close and they started to become very good friends; he looked forward to his weekly lessons with her and she looked forward to his regular visits.

But since the day their lessons began, Maleficent had started to have very strange dreams almost every night. These were no ordinary dreams, however; they were unimaginably vivid and seemed very, VERY real and the dark fairy saw things that would frighten even her. She didn't like that, and that frightened her even more. She didn't think to talk about it with Hades, either because she didn't know how to bring up such a subject or she feared he would mock her for being afraid of her own dreams; the last thing she wanted was to be laughed at by someone she genuinely enjoyed seeing and having around. So she kept these thoughts to herself.

She had just woken up from another unnerving vision when Hades was due to visit. She quickly opened the portal and the God of the Dead entered the library, eager for another lesson.

"Sorry if I'm late, teach." Hades said as he came in, the portal closing behind him. "I was just handling a few extra things down under and I…" He turned to Maleficent and noticed she looked like she had just been woken up. "Hey, you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Yes, I'm fine. Why would I not be?" She yawned. "Oh, excuse me." She turned to her bookshelf, took out a book, and opened it on her desk; it was a potion recipe book. "Now let us begin today's lesson, shall we?"

"Maleficent, is something bothering you?" Hades asked suddenly.

Maleficent paused. "…Why do you ask such a thing?"

"Well, correct me if I'm way off here, but you seem a little out of it today."

"I… I'm not certain what you mean."

"You know; unprepared, a bit rushed, looking pretty tired."

She turned her head away from him. "I haven't any idea of what you're talking about."

He gave her an incredulous look; he didn't believe her. "Please, we've known each other for a while now. I can tell when you're lying." He paused and took a step closer to her; she stayed silent. "Oh come on, you can tell me. I bet you'll feel a lot better once you get it off your chest."

Maleficent paused before turning back to face Hades. "Do you promise you will not judge or mock me?"

"Of course." He crossed his heart.

She let out a sigh and sat down in her desk chair. "Very well." Hades pulled up another chair and sat down next to her.

"Okay, now what's on your mind?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I… I've been having dreams for the past several days."

He raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"…I NEVER have dreams. Not the ones I've been having recently, to say the least."

"Oh yeah? What kind of dreams?"

"Visions of my own demise; however… it would be different every time. For example, I would be chased through a burning forest, I fall off of a cliff, I would be impaled, dismembered, disemboweled, beheaded, crushed, devoured from the inside out, and even unwillingly transform into a putrid pile of moss and swamp muck. I would see it all unfold, and there is never anything I can do to stop any of it. And I cannot explain it, but I always felt afraid in these visions. And I fear nothing… until now, that is."

Hades paused; he had only known Maleficent for a few weeks, but he already knew she took great pride in being afraid of nothing. But after hearing what she had just said, he realized she was being genuine with him. "Wow… I guess Phantasos must be having quite the creative boom."

"Phantasos?"

"He's the God of Dreams and the brother of Morpheus, the God of Sleep."

"Ah."

"But what he's doing to you is super weird. I know for a fact that he promised Zeus the dreams he creates wouldn't be too scary or threatening for mortals. And if he's scaring you, then he must be getting too daring and overzealous; or maybe he's too caught up in his work to realize what he's actually doing or something. I should have a talk with him about this. And don't worry, I won't mention your name."

"Will he cooperate?"

"He may be a bit awkward and I'm sure he'll deny it when I confront him, but I'll get him to talk. I always get people to do what I want."

Maleficent gave a tiny smile. "And that's a fact."

He chuckled. "Feeling better?"

She paused. "Perhaps, just a little."

"Good." Hades said before taking a glance at the open book on the desk. "So what do you say we get started on today's lesson before this evening gets any sappier, shall we?"

"Yes, yes. Excellent suggestion." She turned her attention back to the book. "Today, we are going to be brewing a very complicated potion. I say complicated because this will be quite different from the other potions we've brewed together. You must follow the instructions to the letter, no additions, no substitutions, and no mistakes. Because if you don't follow the recipe exactly, then the potion won't work and it will be ruined; it must be absolutely perfect. Understand?"

He nodded.

"Good. Now let us begin."

Maleficent waved her scepter, levitated the open book off of the desk, and walked to another corner of the library with Hades following close behind. She moved to a farther section of wall that was covered by a black and green curtain; she removed it and a tall open doorway was revealed. They entered, but before Maleficent could wave her scepter, Hades stopped her.

"Allow me." He said before he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, every candle in the small room lit up with a bright blue light. Maleficent gave him a smirk before setting the book down on a pedestal.

"Now I understand you have been brewing potions before." She inquired.

"Yeah, but only for emergencies." He answered.

"Then perhaps you would be willing enough to fetch the ingredients while I prepare the pot?"

"Sure thing. What do we need?"

"We're brewing a potion that will grant good fortune. So we'll need Candy Coriander, Heart Ivy, Tiger Borage, Void Vanilla, and Spring Rosemary."

"Got it."

Hades made his way to a shelf filled with bottles, jars, and containers of all colors, sizes, and shapes, which were carefully labeled and organized. He found the Void Vanilla, Spring Rosemary, Candy Coriander, and Tiger Borage with ease. But when he found the jar that was supposed to contain the Heart Ivy, it was empty.

"Uh, Maleficent?" He said.

"Yes?" Maleficent said before she was about to start a fire under the black pot hanging in a nearby hearth. Hades showed her the empty jar and her face fell. "I've run out of Heart Ivy? Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Hades set the jars he grabbed on a nearby table.

"Heart Ivy is the most important ingredient for this potion. If the potion has none, then it will be worthless." She heaved an annoyed sigh. "I do apologize for such an inconvenience, Hades. I'm afraid we must find a different lesson to do tonight."

"Wait. Why don't we just get some more Heart Ivy? There has to be a way to get more."

"Well… yes, there is. The Ivy itself grows somewhere in the forest, but it is too close to the village and miles away from my castle." Then she remembered something, but she quickly dismissed the idea. "No, we couldn't possibly…"

Hades caught on. "Couldn't what? What is it?"

"Well… there is a patch of Heart Ivy growing in the flower garden behind my old home."

"Old home? You mean… you lived somewhere else BEFORE you came to the Forbidden Mountain?"

"Yes. Did you honestly believe I lived in this castle my entire life?"

Hades didn't respond.

"Wise of you not to answer that question." She said. "But going to my old home is out of the question."

"Why?"

"…Because it's dangerous."

"Even more dangerous than a village full of people and a huge army of armed guards? Come on, we're two of the most power beings on Earth. What could happen? We could just head out real quick and be back here in no time. What do you say?"

Maleficent paused and thought for a moment; she really didn't want to go, but Hades was being rather persistent and he did make a very valid point. She certainly admired his determination and persuasive personality.

She sighed in defeat and headed towards the door. "Very well, you convinced me. Let's go."

"Now?"

"Yes. Better now than later, wouldn't you agree?"

Hades stopped, then nodded. "Good point."

"Then let's go."

She then took his hand and led him out of the potion room. They exited the library and soon made it to the front doors of the castle where Diablo was perched on a crumbling statue waiting for them. He cawed.

"Do not fear, my pet." Maleficent calmly said to the raven. "Hades and I will only be gone for a short period of time, but you must look after things until we return. Can I trust you to do that?" Diablo nodded his head; she smiled and stroked his back. "Excellent."

And with that, Maleficent and Hades made their way across the drawbridge and towards the forest, leaving Diablo with a curious expression on his face.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The moon was full and the stars were out, but the tree branches and leaves were so thick and close together that it nearly blocked out the moonlight almost completely. Luckily, Hades' fiery hair was bright enough to light his and Maleficent's path as they walked through the forest that night. The trees towered over the pair, gnarled thorny branches lined the path they were taking, the wind moaned eerily which made the leaves rustle all around, and they could even hear wolves howling in the distance. Even though he wasn't familiar with the area, Hades felt comfortable in this spooky forest; he was used to the dark and creepy atmosphere of the Underworld, but this was a different kind of gloom. It was clear and out in the open and he liked it. Then they came across something that made Maleficent stop dead in her tracks; Hades stopped, looked, and saw that she was staring downward with a frightened look in her bright yellow eyes, as if she were trapped in a thousand yard stare.

"Maleficent? What's wrong?" He asked.

"…THAT. That is what's wrong." Maleficent replied.

Hades turned his head and saw a rushing river ahead of them. He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… it's just a river. We can cross this thing no problem." Hades said, stepping onto a large rock poking out of the water.

He turned back to face his companion, but Maleficent wasn't moving. She stayed rooted to the spot, almost too scared to take another step. Hades paused and put two and two together.

"…Are you afraid of water?" He asked.

Maleficent remained silent, but that was enough to confirm Hades' hunch; she WAS afraid of water. He wanted to take her hand and drag her across with him to get it over with, but he knew doing such a thing could very well spell his doom, even if he was immortal. Then he got an idea to help make things easier for her.

"Hold on, don't move a muscle." He said, making his way back to his friend. He made it back to the bank and gently moved her head to turn her attention away from the river and over to him. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to be so afraid."

"I'm not!" She lied. "How dare you suggest such a thing?! I just, um…"

"It's okay, calm down. I have an idea, but I have to ask you an important question. Do you trust me?" Hades asked.

"…What?" She asked, slightly confused.

"Do you trust me?" He asked again.

"…Yes."

"Then hold on tight."

And before Maleficent could say another word, Hades suddenly picked her up off the ground bridal style and started to carry her as he stepped onto the stones to cross the river as if they were a bridge. Not knowing what else to do, Maleficent wrapped her arms around Hades' neck and squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bring herself to see; she could hear the water rushing by as Hades carried her across. As he walked, a strange unknown scent suddenly wafted through Hades' nose; it was like a mix of ivy and something fruity, maybe some kind of berry. It must've been coming from Maleficent; it was nice. Then a few moments later, he stopped. After a long moment of silence, she slowly opened her eyes and saw that she and Hades had made it to the other side of the river. She looked up at him and he had a calm look on his face.

"See? Nothing to worry about." He said.

"I, um… thank you. But… would you mind letting me down now?" She asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, right! Of course, sorry." Hades quickly said as he set Maleficent back on the ground.

She cleared her throat. "…Thank you. Now let us continue on, shall we?" She quickly walked off away from the river, desperately trying to hide the blush forming on her pale cheeks.

"Uh, yeah! Yeah, good idea. Let's go." Hades said, following after her. He was trying to hide his blush as well as keep his hair from flaring up… and hoping Maleficent wouldn't notice.

They continued walking and soon they came across an area of the forest that seemed to be more familiar to Maleficent, but also different at the same time. Maleficent then noticed the few bushes of blackberries lining the path and she paused. She slowly knelt down in front of one bush and carefully inspected the berries; they were big and had a very dark purple color that almost looked black, which meant they were ripe. Reaching out her hand, she picked a berry and popped it into her mouth; she smiled as the familiar flavor swirled around in her mouth. She had forgotten how much she truly loved blackberries; they were dark, juicy, and sweet with a tiny hint of sour. She picked some more berries and offered them to Hades.

"Have some." She said.

Hades reluctantly took a few berries and ate one. "Hmm, not bad."

"We're getting closer." She said, finishing a few more berries and standing up.

"How can you tell?" He stood up as he finished his handful of berries.

"When I was younger, my father took me to this very spot to collect blackberries. So if my suspicions are correct, the house should be within a few meters away from here. Follow me."

She turned and continued walking forward; he followed. After a few more minutes of walking, the pair finally came across a large stone structure. It was an elegant looking house with gray stone walls, a few broken windows, a tattered thatch roof, a pair of wooden double doors, and clusters of ivy vines growing all over the walls. Maleficent stared at the building; it's been many years, but she recognized it immediately.

"My home. We've made it." She said in a whisper.