Hey Descendants,

We're back at it today. We're getting the last of We Wear the Mask edited so we can get those out, Twisted is hard at work on those questions so we can get a feel for where we are in our writing and what is being conveyed to you lovely readers. And we're going to continue to work on Cracks in the Mask. I know we said we would be taking a month between completing We Wear the Mask and starting the second book, but we're us. It won't be more than a month, but I'm pretty sure you won't have to wait more than a week or two before we start missing reviews and get the first chapter posted.

We got a few questions over the last few chapters, so Twisted is going to take it away and get those answered for ya-

For FC, (sorry if there were any questions I missed) please call me out if there are questions I didn't catch, I really don't mind responding. Chances are if you're having them, other people are too.

Yes, James is a completely original character. And in the first write-through, we dropped him a lot since we have so many other characters to keep in mind. But we wanted an 'adult' on Uma's ship that was a die-hard loyalist so that it made sense when all of them were off the ship. Without James, the SeaThree wouldn't be able to do much, unfortunately. He's a pretty quiet, kinda laid back person. It made sense that even though he's about twenty-three, he and T would just click. They both deeply care and respect Uma and can see that in each other, and James has never asked T a personal question once, so that helped a lot. Albeit there is a secret T knows about him, that no one else including the Captain knows, but it might never come out on screen.

And as for T's current mental crisis, yes, it's definitely a dissociative thing. Dissociative Identity Disorder to be exact, though it has been called multiple personality disorder or split personalities, though for the sake of everyone reading we made the decision to only make it T and Faustina because any more and the scenes with T would become a lot more complicated. And as you could imagine he's not the only one to have a disorder in the class, albeit his is the most severe and going to need the most amount of legit therapy to be okay.

Also, super glad Hyades is such a relatable character for you, and anyone else reading. If nothing else we hope we make all these kids relatable.

Random PSA.

For anyone relating to T… We're sorry and it's okay, there are definitely people out there that can help and care. You don't have to be alone. You're not the only one that feels this way, even if it's hard to see right now. Even if they don't get everything, if someone takes the time to try and understand, they care.

Lots of love from both of us!


Moments later...

Hyades blinks and laughs when she realizes where she's been running. It had been months, maybe even more than a year since she'd last done this.

She'd run home. Back to her father's temple.

A sad laugh bubbles up over her lips. Was this really where she felt the safest right now? Really? That spoke louder of her state than anything else possibly could.

Why would she come back here of all places? She frowns.

She felt safer running to her father than she did to anyone else right now. She was… Something was really wrong with her. Or at least this was the safest place she could run to.

She sighs as the laughter turns to more tears. She should have stayed with Yensid.

Her head tilts to the side when she sees her father come out of the temple. Standing in the doorway, looking amused as his eyes land on her.

"Look what the rain washed home, a soggy kitten. Meow." Hades chuckles at her. "Been a while since you came to me kid. What the hell is wrong with you? I can feel it-" He wiggles his fingers like worms. "From here." He shudders. "So what is it, hormones? Has a crush gone bad? Find out your little boyfriend is a girlfriend?"

Pain blossoms in her chest as her shoulders drop. She covers her face with her hands to muffle a cry of pain. "I already knew T was a girl." She sobs.

Hades lifts a brow, before he lets out the longest, heaviest, overly suffering sigh in the world, "You comin' in or what kid? It's raining acid and pollution out here." He holds open the door, inviting her into the temple.

Hyades slowly drags her hands down her face as she stares at her father.

"Caring parent moment over in ten-nine-eight-seven-"

She runs, throwing caution to the wind in light of his offer. He didn't act like this often, but sometimes… Sometimes he could be a decent god.

"Damn." He shakes his head. "Didn't think you were gonna take me up on it." He chuckles. "Something must be eatin' at ya kitten." He closes the temple door before he starts walking behind her, rubbing his neck. "Don't think we've had any daddy-daughter time… Ever. So what's up with you babycakes?"

"You've met T?" Hyades asks, knowing better than to beat around the tomb right now. Her father could be patient at times, but it never lasted long. She also knew the prince she was going to pay for this caring parent moment.

Hades lets out an amused laugh as he continues down the hall to his sitting room. "Yeah, that little ball of angst, rage, and religion? We keep meeting in the damndest places. I'd say the kid has got the hots for my little flame if it weren't for the complete lack of ability to do so. Well, for one of them anyway."

Hyades turns on the spot to face her father, "You know that too?"

"Oh, babycakes, the kid reeks of mental strife and reckless abandon with a sprinkle of rage. How could I not take a peak?" Hades temples his fingers together as he stares at his daughter, "But more interestingly to me at the moment… How did you figure that out?" He takes two fingers gesturing from his eyes to hers. "Huh? Did you take after dear old dad? Huh? Huh? Huh?" He walks around her, giving her a once over.

"I-" She furrows her brow and bites at her bottom lip, "It was confusing, but at first I thought T might have had a twin-"

Hades snorts.

"But then I-" She tilts her head to the side, "saw the change?"

Hades drops his head, "Lame." He sighs, "And here I thought you were a soul reader like your old man." He shakes his head.

"At least I still have my fire." Hyades glares.

"Well, there is that. Thank me." Hades chuckles before he mock claws the air between them, "And look at you, growing claws for one of yer wittle fwiends." He scoffs, "Yeesh, took ya long enough kid."

Hyades looks him over suspiciously, "Still a caring parent moment or are you over it?"

Hades blinks, "How is praising you for growing a pair making me over it exactly? I'm still the god of death ya know. It's not like I had to be raised. Just go with it kid, it's the best your getting."

"Fair enough." Hyades sighs, "So split personalities, T's the protector and he's got another person in there. Probably a girl."

"Aren't humans just the darndest creatures?" Hades' laughter barks with amusement. "Better watch out, kids got all the makings of a slasher. Mark my words kiddo, you are gonna be taken for a ride if that kid ever snaps."

Hyades blinks, "Snaps?"

Hades chuckles, "S'pose you're right, the kid's already a few bats short of the belfry. But in this case, sweetcheeks, I mean if he's ever, you know, pushed to the edge, and then off it." He whistles as he makes a plummeting noise as his hand dives in the air before ending with a splat, "He'll be giving the whole isle a ride for their money. Curious who he'll target? I definitely am."

"I'm guessing Frollo." She sighs.

Hades' lip lifts in disgust. "Ew." He shakes his head. "I shoulda known with those eyes of hers." He shudders. "Eh. That's gonna be interesting." He taps his fingers together. "Good. I foresee that kid being entertaining for days. But, my dearest daughter, when I say target that's not quite what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I'm thinking serial killer for sure with that one. So when I say target I mean-" He puts a finger to his throat, and pulls it across, "Who are his victims gonna be? The VKs or the OVs? Or just any poor sucker stupid enough to pass by. I mean, they won't even have to look at her wrong." He rubs his hands together. "No one's gonna see it coming. It'll be-" He kisses his fingers. "So entertaining."

"Then why is he saying good-bye?" Hyades shakes her head as she asks, "Or trying to?"

Hades lifts a brow, before his eyes narrow. "My best bet sweetcheeks is he's worried about confronting his ol' man with that girl of his hanging around. She really does hold him back." He rubs his hands together. "MY me!" He presses his hand to his chest, "Personally, my vote is on the OVs being his first target. It's going to be beautiful, daughter of mine, just beautiful, if he manages to put that little scrap of a girl on a leash and starts running around unchecked." He claps his hands gleefully.

Hyades looks away sadly, "But he'll lose himself, won't he? It's not easy to be human and kill someone."

"And?" Hades rolls his wrist. "What about it?"

"Pain and Panic always said the dead torment themselves over their misdeeds in life." She bites her bottom lip, "And isn't killing another human a misdeed?"

"Oh ho ho!" Hades holds up his hand. "That's the typical mortal sweetcheeks. I've met thousands upon thousands of this type. He's barely clinging on to humanity as it is," He looks his daughter over, "You and your silly little friends are probably the only thing in his life he clings too." He holds up two fingers and snips. "Take away that and he'll be ripe for entertainment."

"But he's not going to lose that." Why would T ever lose them as friends?

Hades swallows a snort. "There's more than one way to lose that. Once he figures out how easy it is, it's gonna be a slippery slope." He chuckles gleefully, "Wonder how Auradon's gonna feel if they ever find out some broken, nothing of a sixteen-year-old took out all their nightmares. Man to be a fly on the wall. The look on their faces. Priceless."

Hyades swallows hard. They'd probably label him the new nightmare

"So my little princess, what are you going to do? Be cruel enough to stop his vengeance, or watch as the isle descends into chaos?"

What the fuck kind of options were those? "No door three?"

Hades snorts, "Not at this point, my little sugar plum."

"And human minds can't be fixed?"

"Not here. They weren't concerned with rehabilitation so much as retribution."

Hyades blinks, "Would, would you help T if you could leave the isle?"

Hades narrows his eyes at his daughter, "I wouldn't be opposed to it if, say someone could get me out of this stupid spit of rock. I'm the god of the dead, not some heartless monster."

"When I can free you, will you take T with you?"

"Babycakes, you get me free I'll take all your odd little collection of freaks with me." Hades holds out his hand.

Hyades stares at his hand, "No strings attached?"

Hades holds his hands in front of him, to emphasize his transparency. "Not on my end. Dealing with whatever the heroes do to you, not my problem though kitten."

Would they be able to survive in Auradon without the heroes ever knowing? Or would they be hunted down and sent back? And what would her father do once he had his freedom? Could she live with his vengeance?

"Deal out the window in five-four-three-"

Hyades quickly darts to his side, hand sliding over his. "Deal! Deal! Deal! Deal!" She clasps his hand tightly in her panic to seal the deal. Had it been any other on the isle it would've crushed their bones to powder.

Hades narrows his eyes scrutinizing his daughter, as he brings his free hand to rub at his jaw. "Huh."

"When I free you, everyone I say gets to go too, and you'll help T."

Hades waves his hands, "God of the dead." He repeats. "Not a hero. Not a villain. Yeesh, don't know how many times I gotta say it. But I get being stuck in a place- WHERE YOU DONT FUCKING BELONG!" He hollers at the ceiling like he usually did when mad at his family.

Hyades blinks through his rage as her hand convulsively grips his.

Hades clears his throat. "So we gotta deal. My freedom, for your friends. Done."

She was having a lot of firsts tonight. Like, for the first time, she felt like Hades was trying to be a real father. Sure, flavored with some deals, but in his own way kind of caring.

"Rather work with you lot than these idiots anyway," Hades waves his hands as he continues walking into the sitting room.

"Idiots?" Hyades blinks before she hesitantly follows, unsure of how long his paternal attitude would continue.

"Don't worry 'bout it kitten." Hades waves dismissively, "Just some loose ends your dear ol' dad needs to wrap up." He chuckles mischievously, "After all, some deals were just meant to be broken."


So…

Was anyone else surprised this is where Deez' ended up?

Is anyone suspicious of Hades caring parent moment? Or can you see where it could possibly be coming from?

Anyone curious where the sudden one eighty on Senior's part came from? Think it has anything to do with his soul gaze with T?

What do you think of this new direction senior is pushing his daughter in?

Do you believe he's being genuine? Or is this just another trick?

What about the deal she made with him? Think he's going to adhere to it? Do you think she has it in her to free him?

Let us know

In the comments below!

Much love and appreciation,

-Dark and Twisted