"Well, well…" Hades said, sounding coy.

Maleficent turned her head and smiled as she saw Hades approach her. She quickly hid the Ember of Blue from his view in the folds of her skirt, not wanting to spoil the surprise she had planned for him. She stepped down onto the floor and gave him a curtsy.

"My liege." She said.

"Milady." Hades greeted with a bow.

After a moment, the two of them burst into a fit of giggles before they stood straight.

"I'm so glad you made it. For a minute, I thought you wouldn't show." Hades said with a grin.

"Are you joking? I wouldn't miss this for the world." Maleficent replied before she got a better look at Hades' outfit. She smirked, looking impressed. "My, that is quite the ensemble you're wearing."

"Oh this? Thanks. A friend made it for me. And you… you look… Wow."

"What? Do I look silly?"

"What? No! No way! I-I mean, you look… amazing."

"I do? Why… thank you." The dark fairy smiled as a blush started to form on her cheeks.

Hades cleared his throat as the redness in his face started to fade. "So, uh… you, um… you, uh… you wouldn't wanna dance… would you?"

"I wouldn't?"

"Eh, I didn't think so."

"No, no. I mean… yes, I'd love to."

In a gentlemanly manner, he offered her his hand which she promptly took, and he slowly led her out onto the dance floor; some of the guests who were watching the exchange even moved out of their way to make a path for them. Nyx quickly took notice and whispered something to the Muses and her band. She snapped her fingers and, as if on cue, the Muses and the Charites started to sing as if they were in a choir while the band, led by Erebus, picked up their instruments and started to play. Hades led Maleficent to the middle of the dance floor; they faced each other and he held a hand at her hip as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Then as the music slowly progressed, the pair started elegantly moving across the floor with her in a waltz. Hades hadn't danced in centuries, but that didn't seem to stop him from practically gliding across the ballroom with Maleficent at his side. Their movements were so graceful and in sync that it was almost like a dream.

As the pair of them danced, the other guests watched the couple with curious expressions; they were all whispering to each other about who this stranger was, how the Lord of the Dead knew her, and why he wanted to dance with her. But they either didn't notice or didn't care; Maleficent and Hades just tuned everyone else out and stared into each other's eyes as they got more and more into their dance. From their view, Zeus, Hera, Herc, Meg, and Rhea were watching Hades dance with this beautiful stranger in astonishment.

"Would you look at that…?" Zeus whispered to his wife in awe.

"I know. She must be the one." Hera quietly gushed with a proud smile.

"Well, what do you know…" Meg commented.

"Yeah, who'd have thought it?" Herc said, taking a hold of his wife's hand.

Rhea just stared at her son and his mysterious dance partner with a look of skepticism and distrust. She said nothing and narrowed her eyes, which were now like burning embers. As the music slowly faded to a stop, Hades and Maleficent gave each other a bow as the audience clapped their hands in applause. They shot up in surprise and looked around.

"Everyone is staring at us." Maleficent said.

"Yeah… I kinda forgot anybody else was here." Hades chuckled before turning his attention to the guests. "Hey, what are you all waiting around for? How about another dance? Maybe something a bit… jazzier?" He gave Nyx a wink and she quickly understood. "Now let's rock this joint!"

And with a nod of approval from Nyx, her band started to play a very jazzy tune. The crowd started moving to the beat as it picked up. And soon, the beat dropped and Hades and Maleficent were dancing yet again. But this time, a few other couples started to join them on the dance floor; even Zeus, Hera, Meg, and Herc ran out and started to dance too. By the time the song was coming to a close, Hades pulled Maleficent in for a dip and the crowd applauded and cheered. The pair gazed at each other and smiled as they caught their breath.

"Aww yeah! Now that was sssmokin!" Hermes cheered, holding Iris's hand.

"Nice moves, Rex!" Meg exclaimed as Herc held her close.

"That was wonderful, Hades! How about another dance?" Zeus asked as Hera nodded in agreement.

"You all can, we're taking a break." Hades said as he walked off with Maleficent at his side.

Zeus was slightly confused, but he agreed nonetheless and he nodded his head at the band to give them the okay to play another song; they did just that. As more Gods and Goddesses started to go out and dance, Hades and Maleficent made their way to another corner of the room to talk amongst themselves.

"I must say, I've never danced that way before. You were magnificent." She told him.

"Thanks. Listen, it takes two to waltz." He joked before they shared a chuckle.

That was when they heard someone clear their throat; Hades and Maleficent turned their heads towards the sound to see Rhea standing before them with her arms folded over her chest and an unhappy expression on her face.

"Uh yes, mother?" Hades asked.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Hades?" Rhea asked.

"…Do I have to?"

"Hades, it's alright." Maleficent said, stepping forward. "I am Maleficent, a friend of Hades. Now you must reciprocate the introduction. You are?"

"I'm Rhea, Hades' mother." She said coldly.

"I see. Well… it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"…Charmed, I suppose. So tell me… who are you really? Where are you from? What are you the goddess of? Are you even a goddess at all? What are those things on your head? And how long have you known my son?"

"Uh okay, mother! I don't think all that is necessary, but thank you! Now why don't you go out and mingle with a few people? And leave us alone?" Hades said through gritted teeth as he tried to push his mother away.

"But I only want to know more about your special friend. What's wrong with that?" Rhea argued, squinting her eyes at Maleficent.

"I don't wanna keep you here all night! Go on, have fun! Talk with Poseidon or Zeus or basically anybody else! Okay, bye!"

And with one last shove, Hades was finally able to get Rhea to leave him and Maleficent alone. But before she left, she flipped her hair and gave a tiny 'humph' before walking away in a huff. Hades turned to Maleficent and gave an embarrassed grimace.

"Sorry you had to see that." He said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"Jealous and overbearing mothers; a concept I personally understand quite well." She replied with a smirk.

"Me too." A new voice said.

Hades jumped in surprise to see Nyx, Erebus, and Thanatos standing near him with rather eager expressions on their faces. He cringed as his face turned bright red, silently hoping and praying this humiliation would end sometime soon.

"So Hades, is this the Maleficent we heard so much about?" Nyx asked.

"Um… yes, I suppose I am. And I take it you are friends of Hades." Maleficent assumed.

"Oh yes. I'm Nyx, the Goddess of the Night. And this is my husband, Erebus, the God of Shadows and Darkness. And you already know my son, Thanatos." Nyx greeted with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again, Maleficent." Thanatos chimed in, shaking her hand.

"Likewise." The dark fairy said.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, child. And I must say, you're even lovelier than Hades told me." Erebus said.

"Guys, what are you doing?! Shut up!" Hades hissed.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" Nyx asked. "And if I remember correctly, I heard you call her something along the lines of 'evil personified' and 'extraordinary'."

"Oh really?" Maleficent said before she noticed the mortified look on her friend's face. She cleared her throat. "Well it has been lovely to meet you all, but I believe Hades has felt flustered quite enough for this evening. So if you don't mind…"

"Oh, okay. If you insist." Nyx said, catching on to what she was saying.

"Of course, so sorry." Erebus added with a nod.

"We'll leave you to… whatever it is you're doing." Thanatos said.

"And just so you know, if you have a request for a song to dance to, all you have to do is ask." Nyx chimed in before she and her family walked away in a different direction.

Hades heaved a deep sigh of relief the moment they were out of earshot. "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for handling that so well. And again, I am SO SORRY for my friends. I love them, but they can be… kind of overwhelming sometimes."

"I see. Their enthusiasm is… unusual, I will admit. But at least they are nothing like Macaria and Melinoe; as I recall, those girls were quite troublesome." Maleficent commented, remembering the time she met the two girls after she left that meeting of the Gods.

"Macaria and Melinoe? You met them?" Hades facepalmed. "Oy vey, geez! Did they tell you they were my daughters? Well they're NOT. They're just a couple of pesky air nymphs who like to play tricks on everyone. And their demigod friend, Zagreus, is just as bad as they are. I don't know why they keep saying they're my kids, but apparently that's their favorite joke."

"So… they are not related to you in any way?"

"No, of course not. They just really like to grate on my nerves." Hades said before he let out a nervous laugh.

"But you needn't worry. I put the girls in their proper place."

"You did? Nice." He paused and decided to change the subject. "Hey, you hungry?"

"Perhaps, just a little."

"Me too. I think I saw some Golden Apples somewhere near the buffet table."

"Golden Apples? As in, from the garden of the Hesperides?"

"The very same. They brought a whole basket of apples to the party. You have to try one; trust me, you'll love them. I'll be right back."

Hades then walked off to fetch some Golden Apples, leaving Maleficent by herself. As she gazed out at the crowd of dancing and mingling deities, she failed to notice a somewhat older God stumbling towards her. He was short with silver hair, swamp green skin, and a long pointed nose and he was carrying a cane in one hand and a tall glass of wine in the other. He cleared his throat to get her attention; she looked down and immediately cringed as she took a step away from him. He smiled and bounced his eyebrows at her.

"Hello, lonely maiden. Quite a bash, huh?" He greeted, trying to sound smooth. "I'm Geras, the God of Old Age." He smiled an unflattering, gap-toothed smile and offered her his hand for a handshake, but she stayed silent and refused to even speak to him. She rolled her eyes in annoyance; she was clearly not interested in talking to such a man.

"Ahem. Can I help you?" A familiar voice asked.

"Nah." Geras said dismissively before he recognized the voice. He turned around and looked up to see Hades standing there with a basket of Golden Apples in one arm and a grumpy expression on his face. He tensed up and gave a nervous grin. "Uh… hi?" Maleficent smirked at her friend.

"Back off, Geras. She's with me." Hades demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Sh-she is? Oh, uh… I didn't know, I swear."

"Sure you didn't. Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Uh… nope! I'm good."

And with that, Geras waddled off as fast as he possibly could, leaving Maleficent and Hades alone once again. They shared a laugh as he offered her a Golden Apple.

"Nicely handled." She said before picking up an apple and taking a mouthwatering bite.

"Thanks." He grabbed an apple for himself, polished it on his shirt, and took a big bite.

They smiled.