AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.

Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)

Please consider leaving a review. Feedback is much appreciated and vital.

Also, feel free to follow me on Tumblr lilacmoon83. In an effort to grow my Snowing fanfiction blog on Tumblr and get more visibility for my writing, I invite anyone following my stories here on to follow me on Tumblr.

For one face claim reveal, I will tell that I chose Gal Gadot as the face claim for Persephone...cause she's perfect as Persephone!

Please consider leaving a review if you're reading. It is very much appreciated!

I was asked to give a rough estimate of exactly what month/year it is, like I do with Finding You Always. So since it's estimated that the curse was broken in late February 2012 and it's been a few weeks since, it is now early April 2012

Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:

randa180: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Madam Keres is Circe's Land Without Magic identity. It was mentioned a few chapters ago.

Saberius Prime: Hades is trying to make up for things and maybe a few other things. I can tell you that much of Hades' machinations are revealed in this chapter. We finally see what happened! :)

Susan Viktorija: When it comes to Hades, I have to say, it's complicated, lol. :)

Baratta Jennifer: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it! Yep, we finally get Hades' story in this chapter. Enjoy!

Grace5231973: Me too! I'm glad Deimos is dead. I can't really say he's completely out of the picture though. That would be too easy. Glad you enjoyed the Swanfire! It was a fun scene. Yes, Emma will be doing things by the book, which will be important if they get more outsiders. Yep, it's the Swan's! They wronged Emma in a big way and Snowing is going to want to rip them apart. It should be fun! :)

Naomi Blue: Yep, Emma's foster parents are a part of this. It will be a very interesting confrontation. Yep, Swanfire has begun. As for Hades and Persephone, a lot about what happened to him is revealed in this chapter. :)

Theinferno1536: I'm glad you realize the violation that reading a diary is. Apology accepted.

Number Ten: Nope, no longer clear. I just muddied the waters pretty thoroughly, lol. The Swans are in on it...and Snowing is going to want to rip them apart. Yeah, Deimos is in the Underworld now if that tells you anything. Hades does have an agenda, but the agenda has changed a bit. It's all revealed in this chapter, or at least, most of it. :)

Cassie: Glad you enjoyed it! I know, the Swans will be an interesting confrontation.

Izzypirelli: I so look forward to your reviews. They are so wonderful and complete, so thank you for taking the time to be so detailed. Yeah, this guy is talking retribution on innocents. His speech is akin to someone who has been brainwashed by a cult. Circe may not have magic, but she still has her powers of persuasion for sure. Oh yes, Snowing are relationship and marriage goals. Glad you liked the Swanfire scene. It was a fun one to write. Persephone does notice everything and I have to say that you're finally going to get to know much of what happened to Hades. It's time for the big reveal in this chapter! Yeah, I would have to say not so fast with Deimos. The new King is going to see him as very useful. So glad you like the dynamic between Persephone and Hades. I've come to really enjoy it too. Eli and Deimos will come face to face, not yet though. I haven't 100% decided on a face claim for Eli, but I keep seeing Ben Afleck, probably because I've seen him alongside Gal Gadot. So if you have suggestions, please feel free to share on him or any character, including Hades. I'm okay with Greg as Hades, but someone a bit younger looking would be good too. I would vote for Snow too and she's going to show them that they don't have a place in her town. Yep, all the Snowing feels! It was so intense, so I knew I needed to end with some Snowing feels, especially since there is more heavy stuff in this chapter. Enjoy! :)

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 73: Pathos of Hades

One moment, Deimos was experiencing the pure hell of the river of lost souls and the next, he felt himself being pulled from it. In mere moments, it had reduced him to a quivering mass of fear and anxiety. As he began to get his bearings, he noticed the hooded figure before him.

"Who...who are you?" Deimos questioned. He recognized the demonic creatures, Pain and Panic beside this figure and saw them approach.

"You shall not speak in such a manner of disrespect to the King!" Pain slithered.

"Yes...bow to the All Mighty King of the Underworld!" Panic ordered.

"I just saw the King of the Underworld...he sent me into that river!" Deimos cried.

"Hades is no longer the King…" Pain shouted sharply.

"Yes...Hades has been dethroned…" Panic slithered. Deimos found that very interesting, for Hades had naturally failed to mention that little tidbit.

"So...that's what has changed," he growled.

"I knew he had an agenda…" the God of terror muttered.

"Yes...and Hades was not supposed to escape me. His punishment was to be eternal…" the figure said in a deep, gravely voice.

"Who are you?" Deimos demanded to know. The figure finally dropped his hood, revealing a man with a beard and salt and pepper colored hair. His eyes were a sickly yellow color and his features, sharp and rigid. Upon his head rested a jewel encrusted crown and beneath the cloak, he wore golden robes in the style akin to ancient Greece. And finally, in his hand, he held a golden staff with a scythe on the end of it.

"Lord Cronus…" Deimos uttered in disbelief, as he was suddenly on his knees.

"You have been a loyal servant to the ways of old, Deimos...and I believe you could serve me well," Cronus stated, as he paced before his Throne.

"It would be an honor to serve you, my Lord. Am I to assume that you are seeking revenge on Hades for his escape?" he asked.

"Oh not just Hades. No...he's only the beginning. Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hestia...all my children must pay for dethroning me. And this...Storybrooke will be the beginning of my revenge," he stated.

"Forgive me for being ignorant, my Lord, but how do we acquire passage back to the Land Without Magic?" Deimos inquired.

"There is a way...a very dark ritual that requires specific ingredients and I need someone to assist me. I have other minions helping in our cause...but they are hopelessly mortal and some of the ingredients require a certain...savagery," Cronus answered. Deimos smirked.

"Then I am your man...please tell me more, Your Majesty," he requested.

Snow found herself lost in him once again, as he kissed her passionately and deeply. Her husband always knew exactly what she needed and his smoldering gaze made her knees weak. She pressed her forehead against his, just as her mother and Hades entered the diner. And as much as she just wanted to go home and lose herself further in the man she loved, she knew it was time to discuss what they were up against, especially if they couldn't figure out a way to seal the town off from the outside world. She pulled apart from him, but only slightly, as she was content to remain in his arms.

"Mother...is everything okay?" Snow asked, as they slid into the booth across from them with Hades.

"Yes...actually it is. We went to make sure the trigger didn't weaken the integrity of Prometheus' chains," she said. Emma, Regina, and Henry took interest in this and joined them at a table, which they pulled closer to the booth.

"And did it? Don't tell me Deimos is free?" David asked, with trepidation, as he tightened his arm around Snow's waist.

"No...he was still trapped indefinitely, but none of that matters anymore," Persephone replied, as she looked to Hades.

"What does that mean?" Snow asked tentatively. He looked at the Princess and marveled at how much he actually didn't loathe her. From the day she had been born, he had sworn to obliterate her from existence. She had been the symbol of his failed marriage to the woman he actually loved very deeply. He had made it his mission to see to her demise to punish Persephone for her betrayal. But actually meeting her had forced him to see how much like her mother she was. And that made it more difficult to hate her.

"I'm responsible for unleashing that monster on you for the first place...and nothing I say or do can make up for his terrorizing of you," Hades stated.

"We definitely agree there," David muttered.

"But I had the power to make sure he couldn't come after you again...Deimos is dead," he revealed. Their eyes all widened in disbelief.

"You killed him?" Emma asked with great interest.

"I thought he could only be killed during a blood moon," David stated skeptically.

"If you are a mortal, then yes...that is the only way. But if you're an immortal...there are a couple ways we can be killed. Ideally, I would have rather used the Olympian crystal on him, but I wasn't able to escape the Underworld with it. And it's a bit useless anyway since Zeus snapped in half centuries ago," Hades explained.

"What does this Olympian crystal do? Kill immortals?" Snow asked.

"Better...it would have erased him from existence, body and soul. No Underworld...nothing. He would have just ceased to exist," Hades replied.

"Instead, I used another method. When I escaped the Underworld, I brought a tiny bit of water from the river of lost souls with me. I used the water on him. He was dissolved and is now trapped in that watery hell in the Underworld," he revealed. The relief on Snow's face was palpable and David grinned at her, before pressing a kiss to her hair.

"You...you did that for us?" she asked.

"And your mother…" Hades replied, as he looked at her.

"I am trying to right what wrongs I can. I know it's not enough…" he said to Persephone.

"My vengeance is the reason you had to give her up and hide her away," he said, as he gently took her hand and was surprised when she actually didn't pull it away.

"If...if I could go back to that moment, I would do things differently. I'd give just about anything to go back and change it all. If I could go back, I wouldn't seek revenge. I wouldn't have killed Eli...I would have even let you go if that is what you wanted. I...I would have raised your child with you if you had chosen to stay with me," he confessed.

"We can't go back," she said softly. He paused for a moment and thought about Zelena's plan. If it worked, then they could go back. He'd make it all right. He would show her Eli's true colors when he ultimately failed their child, for Snow would have never truly been accepted by Eva's Kingdom if everyone had known the truth of her origin. He didn't know if Persephone realized that or not...but she would if they went back. He would show her that he could love her child where Eli would fail. He could fix this all...he would fix it all. He glanced at Snow and Charming. Yes...he'd even see to it that Snow met her shepherd and the Savior and her unborn sibling existed. Zelena could do what she wanted with Regina...but Persephone's family and ultimately her love would be his. They would be the rightful family they were supposed to be and Eli would be the villain in their story. And it was time to plant that seed. It was time to tell her what her beloved Eli was up to in the Underworld.

"I know we can't go back...that is why I am doing what I can to make it up to you all," he said.

"Then I must know the why. I must know why you have changed so much...you haven't been like this in centuries. I have known you to be vengeful and angry for centuries...but there was a time you weren't. There was a time you were like this...very early on," she confessed, causing Snow and David to exchange a glance. They had never heard of her speak of that time in their marriage.

"The change is drastic...and we deserve to know why," she added. He nodded.

"You're right...you do, but perhaps we can go somewhere a little less public?" he requested. He would allow them to choose. His house was formerly Deimos', after all and knew they probably never wanted to set foot there.

"We can go to the loft," Snow suggested. Persephone nodded, as they began to file out. Regina stopped for a moment, unsure if she was welcome when Henry and Snow turned back.

"Aren't you coming?" Snow asked.

"Yeah Mom...come on," Henry called.

"I...I wasn't sure I was welcome. Hades isn't the only one that's done terrible things…" Regina admitted. Snow cautiously approached her and took her hands.

"You did...and some of those things I will never forget. But we were close once...before your mother tore us apart," the raven haired beauty said.

"I'm tired of the hate, the fighting, and the strife between us. I have wanted to love you again for so long...and I know you may never love me again. But...you're family and I want you to be a part of us," she confessed.

"Please Mom…" Henry pleaded. Family...it was all Regina had ever really wanted and she wasn't yet sure if she could trust it. But she would accept what they were offering, for the thought of being alone was terrifying. Could it truly be possible? Could they truly be a family?

"We're meant to be a family...Cora ruined that. But she's gone now…" Snow reminded. Yes...her mother was gone and she found that she wasn't as sad as she should be about that.

"I'll come," Regina agreed, as they followed. They hadn't even yet broached the subject of the town line and she definitely needed to be there for that. She had a good feeling that it was going to be a long night, but she found that she didn't mind that at all, for she wouldn't be alone…

Their trailers and trucks took up most of the parking lot at the motel they had found in a smallish town in the middle of Maine. But the owner of the establishment didn't mind, for they had dumped enough cash on his counter to appease him. Most of their subordinates were in their rooms, getting some sleep, for tomorrow, they would be moving in on Storybrooke.

Kevin and Jessica were in their room, but they weren't sleeping. Rather, they had a map spread out on the table and were going over what they knew about the town.

"There is enough woods around this town to provide significant cover and hiding places," he mentioned.

"Yes...this is one time being in the middle of no where won't help them," she said, as she took out a file and opened it, before tossing it onto the table.

"Cali finally came through with that information. She had to hire a hacker to get it, but did it," she mentioned, as he picked up the file

"And the pictures?" he asked.

"Sent to us by Jarvis before they arrested him," she replied, as they looked at the information.

"David and Mary Margaret Nolan...you're sure this is them?" he asked.

"Yes...they're responsible for that demon girl," she replied.

"And you believe they are who Emma claimed they were when she was only three?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Whether they are or not is irrelevant. Their daughter is dangerous...they're dangerous. They dumped that little demon into this world and we were stuck with her. Do you remember the nightmare she was?" Jessica asked bitterly. He sighed.

"Yes...very much so, but do you really believe that her magic is responsible for...you know?" he asked.

"Madam Keres told us it was...magic stole our chance at a real family. Emma...Emma Nolan did that and her parents need to pay for it. They need to know our pain…" Jessica said bitterly. He nodded in agreement.

"It's just hard to believe that these are her parents...they look no older than she is," he mentioned.

"You know how unnatural that place is. Stopping the natural progression of time is its own evil," she reminded.

"Well...we better get some sleep then. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day…" he said. She agreed and they retired for the night.

They arrived at the loft and quickly got settled in. Snow served coffee and cocoa, as Hades prepared to share his story. As she sat down across from them, she curled against Charming and he put his arm around her.

"I know that my behavior must be incredibly puzzling for all of you," Hades said, as he looked at his wife.

"When you escaped to this land a few months ago...I was livid. I was determined to make you pay and concocted a plan to come here to punish you...and your family. But something happened...an experience that made me see all the horrors I had inflicted upon so many," he said. Her brow furrowed. He seemed to be speaking so literally and there was only one way she knew of that a person was forced to relive their sins. Each river in the Underworld had its ways of punishing the unjust.

Styx was a river of hatred. It was hard to say what could happen to a soul if it spent any amount of time in there. Then there was Archeron, which was a river of pain. Some of the realms worst evil had been condemned to the fate of Archeron. It was fitting for those with evil hearts, for it often forced them to relive the pain they had caused their victims. Then usually those evil beings, after the torture of Archeron had driven them insane, were then tossed into Phelgethon, the river of fire, which resided in the depths of Tartarus. Lethe was the river of forgetfulness and likely not in play here and then there was Cocytus, the frigid river of wailing. Was that it? Had Hades been subject to the punishment of his own rivers. And if so, by who? She couldn't think of anyone capable of overpowering him with Cerberus at his side.

"When you say you that you experienced the horror that you inflicted...you're speaking literally, aren't you?" she asked. He nodded and swallowed thickly.

"Yes...I was overthrown and punished," he admitted.

"By who?" Snow asked curiously.

"By my father...Cronus," he answered. Persephone's eyes widened.

"Cronus is free?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded.

"But how?" she questioned. He shrugged.

"I don't know...but he's back and he is the new King of the Underworld. And I was only the first he punished...all his children are in danger with him free. The Underworld isn't the Throne he really wants. Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, your mother Demeter...we're all in danger," Hades responded.

"Cronus...he threw you into one of the rivers, didn't he?" she asked.

"No actually...if it had been him, he probably would have just tossed me into Phlegethon and if that were the case, I wouldn't be here. There is no escaping the depths of Tartarus. Instead...he decided to let me victims decide my fate. But since so many of them are in Styx...he used his immense power to retrieve many of them," Hades replied. Snow gasped and David clutched her hand.

"He revived Eli...didn't he?" Persephone asked. He looked at her.

"Yes...and it was Eli that chose to torture me by putting me in Archeron. That's when I saw it all...the pain I inflicted and evil I had wrought on people. I deserved it," Hades replied. No one denied that fact, but Persephone was having a very hard time getting her mind around it that it had been Eli that had done that to him.

Flashback

"Again…" Eli hissed, as Pain and Panic held their former Master's arms and forced his head into the river Archeron again. Eli smirked, as his greatest nemesis' watery screams of agony filled the entire chamber. His pain seemed to please Cronus greatly as well and he imagined that his father was looking forward to seeing that his other children were punished in much the same way Hades was being now. They pulled him out again and Hades sputtered and coughed violently. Eli grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back, as he glared at the God with a fiery hatred like Hades had never seen in anyone.

"This is just a small taste of what I went through. I spent decades in eternal torture, because of you. Stealing my life wasn't enough...you had steal my sanity too. But why not? You stole the woman I love...you took her to your bed, when you knew she belonged with me!" Eli growled, as he pushed his head into the water again for several more agonizing seconds, before pulling him up again.

"And I've been told you have sought to kill my daughter...that you have some monster hunting her. I wish she could see this...I wish she could see that I am avenging the wrongs you have committed against her. I believe she would be enjoying this as much as I am," he raged.

"You're wrong…" Hades choked.

"Excuse me?" Eli growled, as he threw him down and kicked him repeatedly in the stomach and chest.

"I am wrong? You are the only thing that's wrong...your very existence should be considered a crime!" the hate filled man shouted.

"You're right...I am as bad as you say. I probably even deserve all of this...but I know for a fact that if your daughter were here, she would be horrified by you," Hades claimed.

"Oh you think so? And how is that?" he questioned.

"Your daughter is good...even with all I've done to her, she would never seek revenge and would be horrified by you...both of us really. We'd both be monsters in her eyes," Hades warned.

"No...she would relish this revenge. She would have every right to! I've been told all the things that have been done to her! There is no way she'd let your crimes go unpunished," he insisted. Hades managed a chuckle, which earned him a kick in the head.

"Wrong again...you simpleton. Your daughter is far better than either of us. She has the capacity to love and forgive in a way that men like us simply do not understand. She has hope that there is good in everyone...something I use to spit at. Men like us are weak and so we seek revenge. But Snow White is strong...like her mother. She would want none of this and we both would be monsters in her eyes," he hissed in satisfaction, as disbelief crossed his features. Hades knew that Eli could feel he was right, for they both knew what Persephone would think about this situation right now.

"Nice try...you'd do anything to end your own suffering," Eli said, as he had Hades dragged back toward the river.

"True...but you know what I say isn't wrong. I know more about your daughter and my wife than you ever will," Hades goaded. Those words earned him yet another agonizing dip in the river.

"I...just never thought he'd be the type to seek revenge," she said despondently.

"My dear...you must realize that he is not the same man you once loved. Thanks to me...he spent almost six decades in a river of hate. That is on my shoulders too...I put him there," he replied regrettably, as he took out the small orb that had been a gift from the Oracle.

"See for yourself…" he offered, as he placed it in her hands. Tears filled her eyes, as she gazed upon him for the first time in many years. She saw him occupying the Mayor's office in Underbrooke and then heartbreakingly kneeling obediently before Cronus, who now sat on her husband's former Throne.

"He serves Cronus loyally now," Hades said, as they saw someone else kneeling beside him and it caused Snow to take a sharp breath. David squeezed her hands in his own.

"Seems like he's not the only one," Regina mentioned, as she spied her dead husband.

"Why would they help Cronus?" Snow asked in shock. He looked up at her.

"Self preservation mostly...though I'm sure he has promised revenge for their loyalty. It's hard to say where they fit, but my father needs many minions if he really plans to take on Zeus and Poseidon for control of their realms," Hades answered.

"But his minions are dead...they can't leave the Underworld," David said.

"No...they can't. I mean, the Olympian crystal could give him unlimited power to do anything, but it's broken; a fact of which used to anger me, but never have I actually been so grateful that Zeus broke it. Even Cronus isn't powerful enough to mend it," Hades replied.

"How did you manage to escape Archeron?" Regina asked.

"That was Cerberus...my loyal friend. When Cronus returned, he surprised me and Cerberus was contained. However...he managed to break free of his bonds long enough to snatch me away from Eli's...torture sessions and he got me to Charon. Because of Snow's blood, I was able to cross Styx and Oceanus and finally to Storybrooke," he said.

"Unfortunately, Cerberus paid for it with his life and was tossed into the depths of Tartarus," he said sadly.

Flashback

Cerberus roared angrily, as he managed to evade Cronus' staff and the golden strikes his Scythe was emitting. Hades, weak and lethargic, managed to throw himself onto the loyal beast's back.

"He's escaping! Do not let him go!" Cronus roared, as Cerberus deposited him on Charon's boat.

"I take it Hermes has obtained my passage?" Hades asked weakly. Charon only nodded curtly, before manning the ferry across Styx. But just as they crossed into Oceanus, Cronus managed one last strike before they were out of reach. Cerberus was struck and plunged into Styx. And Hades could only watch in horror, as his loyal friend's flesh was eaten away until he was nothing and only his soul remained, doomed to the river for eternity.

"I will understand if you still doubt my intentions even after all that. I would deserve it, but had Hermes not obtained Snow's blood...then I would probably be in the river myself. I actually owe my life to you, dear step-daughter," he said, as he met her eyes, which were wide with many emotions over all that she had just heard. Snow looked at her mother, who still sat there, too stunned to speak as well. She didn't know this man that had fathered her, so it was difficult to know what kind of emotions she was supposed to have. Hades was right though. She liked to think that no matter what she had been through, she would never be okay with someone being tortured, whether it was believed they deserved it or not. And her heart broke a little for her mother, for she couldn't imagine what it was like to learn that a person you loved had devolved into something akin to a monster.

She put her head on Charming's chest and he kissed her forehead. She did know a bit about that, she supposed. She had watched it happen to Regina, after all and then she shuddered. They both had been through so much, but more than ever, she realized that their love had saved them both from turning bitter and possibly seeking revenge for all the wrongs committed against them. And there were plenty of wrongs to list. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to feel about Eli. She knew what she had been feeling about Leopold lately since learning of his sordid history with Cora and none of that was good. To know he participated in the torture of another person, even if it was Hades, didn't sit well at all. Then there was Hades himself. He acted nothing like she had been told. He didn't even seem like the same person or rather hadn't been this gentler version of himself in centuries. It was all very confusing and disconcerting. She felt her daughter in the other side of her, as Emma rested her head on Snow's back, letting her mother know she was there. And she was so grateful they were as solid in their relationship with their daughter as they were and she was eternally thankful that Emma did not have to struggle with a sordid and problematic father figure. Emma had her husband, the best man she had ever known and their baby would too. She didn't have to worry about her children ever struggling with the image of a father, for they had the best possible version. She was sure she could eventually come to terms with who these men were and maybe even reconcile her feelings. But she was grateful that her children and grandchild wouldn't have to ever do that with David.

Her thoughts on anymore of that would be put on hold though, as there came a knock at the door.

"It's open," David called, as Rumple arrived with Belle and Neal. It was time to figure out a solution to the dire situation facing them in the immediate future. There town had no barrier and the outside world posed possibly the more danger than they could yet imagine...