"Hi, Mom." Pandora spoke quietly into the cell phone.
"Dora, are you okay?" Persephone asked worriedly. "Zeus said you called a few days ago, but that you didn't want to come home?"
Pandora sighed, her free hand playing with Griffin's floppy ears from where she was sitting. "Yeah, and I'm sorry for worrying all of you. I just…had a lot I needed to work out."
There was a moment of silence before her mom spoke again. "Zeus told me you know…about your father."
Pandora pursed her lips for a moment. "Yeah. I found that out the other day."
There was another moment of silence, and Pandora was sure her mother was trying to figure out what to say.
"I'm sorry, Dora." she finally whispered, taking Pandora by surprise. "I know I've made…a lot of mistakes with you. I know I've been overbearing and overprotective, and I've kept a lot of secrets from you. But I just wanted to protect you."
Pandora nodded even though her mother couldn't see her. "I get that, Mom. I mean, it's Hades."
"No, it's not that." Persephone argued, again taking Pandora by surprise. "I honestly don't think for a moment that Hades would ever harm you. I just wanted to protect you from everyone else. I know there are people in Auradon that would blame you for Hades' crimes. And I didn't want you growing up with that hanging over your head."
Pandora pondered that for a moment. "So, you don't think Hades would hurt me?"
"Hades…is a lot of things. Arrogant, short-tempered, even cruel,…but he loved me. I'd like to think he still does. He'll love you, too."
"What happened?" Pandora asked curiously. "How did…I happen?"
Persephone sighed. "I wish we didn't have to discuss this over the phone, but…Basically, when I heard what King Adam was planning regarding the Isle, I snuck on before they put the barrier up. I love Hades, and I wanted to be with him. And I lived there with him on the Isle for almost three years. But…the Isle is a horrible place. Because of the barrier, there's really no fresh air, no decent sunlight. It's was hard to grow things, and as you can guess, that was…painful for me." Persephone explained. As the Goddess of Spring and growth, it would have been emotionally painful being unable to grow things, if not physically painful.
"But on top of all that, I missed my family. I love Hades, and he did what he could for me, to make me happy. But the things I really needed, he simply couldn't provide. The sun, plants, my loved ones. If he could, he would have given me all of that, but it was simply impossible.
"And I guess Zeus was watching me and saw how miserable I was. So, he used one of his bolts to crack the barrier. It was only for a few seconds, but it was long enough for Hermes to get in, grab me, and get out again. I found out I was pregnant about a month later."
Pandora was silent for a moment. This brief explanation was changing everything she thought she knew about her father. He wasn't just some cruel, evil villain.
"Do you wish Zeus had left you with Hades on the Isle?" she finally asked curiously.
There was silence, and Pandora was relieved that her mother at least seemed to be honestly thinking about her answer. This was the most open conversation they'd ever had.
"Honestly? No. I only wish there'd been a way to communicate with Hades, but it was a lose-lose situation because of the barrier. I would have been completely miserable if I'd stayed there much longer, and I'm afraid I would have started taking it out on Hades. I might have started resenting him. And I wouldn't want to raise you there."
Pandora nodded slightly in understanding. "Well, I've made some new friends." she announced quietly. "And I'm only slightly changing the subject." she joked slightly. "Most of them are from the Isle of the Lost. It's been…an eventful week or so."
"I'm almost afraid to ask." her mother joked back.
"Yeah. We'll probably have a lot to talk about in person later. I'm at Auradon Prep." Pandora explained. "And, um,…I might be meeting my dad in a little bit."
"What? They're…bringing Hades to Auradon?" Persephone asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. I'm not allowed to really explain it in detail right now. Kind of confidential. But they're bringing Hades here to help with something."
"And they honestly think he'll cooperate?" Persephone asked dubiously.
"There's someone here who should be able to convince him." Pandora answered, glancing across the room. Herkie was waiting in the room with her and Griffin. Mal and several others were in the room next to them where Audrey was slipping away more by the moment. Hades was scheduled to arrive with several guards soon, to hopefully save her life. "Is there anything you want me to tell him when I meet him?" she asked hesitantly.
"Um,…no, not really. I feel like anything I want to say to him, I should say myself." Persephone answered hesitantly.
Pandora nodded.
"Do you know when you'll be coming home?" Persephone asked. "Today?"
"Um, well, I've kinda been invited to King Ben and Mal's engagement party in a few days." she admitted. "And it seems kind of silly to make the six-plus hour drive back to Olympus only to come back down again in a few days. You and Zeus are invited, too. If you wanted to come. I'm sure Zeus will be getting the official invite from Belle soon, if he hasn't already."
"That's wonderful." Persephone answered genuinely. "I'll be sure to attend. I'll look into booking a room at an inn somewhere in Auradon City."
Pandora nodded, feeling relieved. "Okay. I better go. I'll talk to you soon, Mom, okay?" Because this conversation was far from over. There was a lot they needed to discuss that was better left until they were face-to-face. Such as Pandora's powers, her having half-siblings, the fact she helped save Auradon last night, college,…
Yeah, they had a lot to talk about.
"Okay. I'll talk to you soon. I love you, Dora."
"Love you too, Mom." Pandora returned before they hung up. She sighed, both hands messing with Griffin's ears as she dropped her head closer to his. The dog tilted his head up slightly to bump his cold nose to hers.
"I didn't want to interrupt your call." Herkie called, making Pandora lift her head to look at him. They were currently in an empty dorm room next door to Audrey's, both sitting on different beds. Herkie lifted his phone slightly. "Jay texted me a little while ago. Hades is here. He might already be with Audrey by now."
Pandora nodded, taking a deep breath through her nose to calm her nerves. She'd known the moment Hades left the Isle. Her vision had flickered slightly and she'd seen through his eyes as he was driven through the barrier. She hadn't seen or felt anything since then.
She wasn't sure how long they waited. It could have been five minutes? But it felt like hours. It was just tense waiting, Pandora trying to distract herself with what she knew would be happening soon.
Finally, just as Pandora felt like she was going to be sick, there was a knock at the door. Pandora's head snapped up and a couple seconds later, the door was pushed up.
Mal stepped slowly into the room, her green eyes watching Pandora carefully. Despite having not slept in over 24 hours, Mal looked flawless in a light purple-pink shirt and matching skirt, her hair pinned back in a ponytail with a dragon hairclip. Pandora knew she didn't look nearly as perfect. Her blue hair was a bit frizzy and pulled into a loose ponytail, she had scratches on her arms and face from the thorns, and she was wearing a blue and green tie-dye sleeveless shirt and dark jeans. And she was sure she had bags under her eyes after the night she had.
At the sight of her sister, Pandora stood up nervously, her hands fiddling together anxiously.
Mal stepped further into the room, leaving the door open so someone could follow her inside. Pandora vaguely heard Ben telling the guards to stay in the hall and leave them alone, but she was mostly focused on the man who entered the room.
He had fair skin and stubble on his jaw. His hair was blue flames flicking above his head and he had the same blue eyes as Pandora. He was wearing a long, dark, studded leather jacket decorated with blue flames. His hands appeared to be cuffed behind his back and his ankles were also cuffed.
When their eyes met Pandora's throat went dry with nerves, and she didn't know what to say.
They were all distracted by Griffin, who left Pandora's side and approached the stranger, sniffing at Hades' jacket. Everyone watched as the dog sniffed, then looked up at the man. He tilted his head slightly before huffing and walking away, laying down at Pandora's feet. He apparently decided Hades wasn't a threat.
"Nice dog." Hades commented casually. "He yours?" he asked, looking back at Pandora.
She cleared her throat slightly before nodding. "Yeah. Griffin. He's mine." she answered quietly.
Hades nodded, his eyes scanning over Pandora's face for a long moment. "You look like your mom." he finally commented.
"So I've been told." Pandora agreed lightly. "And you look like a Bunsen burner." she added without thinking, her eyes flicking to the blue flames atop his head.
Hades smirked before Pandora could panic at her thoughtless comment. "Touché." he responded. "How's your mom?" he asked after a moment, as if silently debating if he actually wanted to ask or not.
"She's fine." Pandora answered. "I just got off the phone with her, actually. She didn't want me to say anything, because she felt like anything she'd want to say to you, she'd rather say in person. But for what it's worth, she didn't necessarily want to leave you on the Isle. It was a lose-lose situation. She wishes things could have gone differently, but because of the barrier there wasn't much she could do."
Hades nodded slowly. "I figured. And I never really blamed her. The Isle is a miserable place. Given the choice, I wouldn't have wanted her to be there, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to raise you there. Either of you." he added, glancing down at Mal at his side.
Pandora noticed Mal glance down, her green eyes glassy.
"I hear you've got powers." Hades continued, looking at Pandora once more.
Pandora nodded. "I'm still figuring them out. I thought they were just over plants, like Mom's, but I guess it's more controlling life forces."
"Dora and I were able to use the ember to save Jay's life." Mal added.
Hades' brow rose slightly, impressed.
"So, did you save Audrey?" Herkie finally spoke up from where he stood in the background.
Hades glanced over at him. "Ah, I don't have to ask who you are. You look just like Jercules."
Herkie narrowed his eyes slightly at the jab at his father.
"Dad." Mal warned, causing Hades to shrug slightly.
"Yeah, I saved the prissy princess." Hades finally answered. "And she'll likely get off scot-free, because she's one of the good guys. Meanwhile the rest of us get locked up for life for committing similar offenses."
"We're working on that." Mal answered quietly. "Ben and I scheduled a meeting with the Council of Sidekicks and the other VKs to discuss some alternatives."
Hades snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."
There was a moment of silence before Hades stepped forward and turned his body slightly so he could hold his cuffed hands out toward Pandora. After a moment's hesitation, Pandora stepped forward as well and allowed her father to pass something from his hands to hers. She looked down to see her father's ember in her palm.
"I figured this would be of better use outside of the barrier. And it should go to one of you." he explained, glancing between his two daughters. "As firstborn, it's your birthright." he added to Pandora. "But all things considered…it's probably too much power for just one person to wield."
Mal and Pandora both nodded in agreement, Pandora's eyes traveling down to the stone in her hand. Already, she could feel the power thrumming through her fingertips from the stone. While she couldn't see herself turning evil from the power, no one really did. But together, Mal and Pandora could keep each other in check.
"With or without this power, I know you'll both do great things." Hades admitted quietly, turning to look both Mal and Pandora in the eyes one at a time. "Whatever happens, whatever you accomplish, know that I'm proud of both of you."
Pandora's eyes stung with unshed tears. Unable to find words to say in response, she stepped forward quickly and wrapped her arms around her father's torso in a tight hug. It sucked that his hands were cuffed behind his back, stopping him from returning the hug. But she felt him lean over her and kiss the top of her head, breathing deeply into her hair as if inhaling her scent and committing it to memory.
Considering it was the first, and possibly last, hug she ever shared with her father, it was far too short in Pandora's opinion. But there was a knock on the door and Ben stepped in looking sheepish. Instantly four guards stepped into the room past the King and surrounded Hades. He rolled his eyes as two of the guards grabbed his arms and began to lead him from the room.
Hades met Mal's eyes as he was lead past her. "Thank you." he told her sincerely, referring to both getting to leave the Isle, even if it was only for a few hours, as well as getting to meet his other daughter.
Pandora watched from Mal's side as their father was lead from the room, and back to the Isle. Without thought, they both wrapped an arm around each other's backs. Hopefully they could figure out a solution that would get him, and everyone else, off that island prison once and for all.