AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.
Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)
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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
Special note:
I am also now on Ko-Fi. So feel free to follow me there too and any support anyone can spare will be greatly appreciated. Just look up Lilacmoon83 there too.
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!
For another, my face claim reveal for Artemis is Natalie Portman! I have also been asked by one reader for a face claim for Eli and I am stuck between Ben Affleck and Orlando Bloom, so voice your choice!
I am working on a second poster artwork for this story too, but I have a question for my readers:
For Hades, do you want his face claim to remain like the show, meaning portrayed by Greg Germann or would you prefer a new(maybe a tad younger) Hades? If so, who do you see as Hades? Please leave your answers in a review!
Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:
mrhawkprime: Glad you're looking forward to Swanfire. As for Hades and Persephone, time will tell!
Number Ten: A flashback in this chapter reveals how she "prevented" them from having a family. And I put prevented in quotes, because you'll probably find them to be horrible when it's revealed. Yep, Hades finally came clean(for the most part) and it is very difficult to dislike him right now. He is definitely more than he seemed at first. Maybe if he gets power back, he'll be a jerk. Then again, we know from experience with Regina that people can change if they want to. We shall see. Oh yeah, Storybrooke is about to go to hell, lol. :)
Grace5231973: I have some ideas concerning the Hades and Zelena angle. Will Hades change his mind at the last minute? Or will he go through with it for his greater good plan? Or will something altogether different happen? Time will tell, but I can promise it's going to be interesting. Yep, Eli has a right to be angry...but yes he's not completely innocent in this and that's what I'm trying to show. Back when I first introduced him, we barely saw anything of him and I was vague on purpose so I could add layers to him later. He's not all good and Hades isn't all bad, which makes it fun. Yeah, blah on Deimos, but that end was too easy for him, unfortunately. Will Eli move on? Ha, well it kind of is about to get more complicated than that. :)
Naomi Blue: Yep, Hades has been through a lot and while I think he'll always be a character in the "gray" area, he may end up surprising everyone like you said and choosing the right side in the end. We shall see. I know, Deimos is the worst. :/
Saberius Prime: Yes, so many story threads! It's getting interesting! Here comes the action!
Theinferno1536: Zelena will pop up again soon, eventually. I like Hades too. He is definitely a "gray" character, but has surprising moments of morality. It should be interesting to see how it all ends up playing out. :)
Baratta Jennifer: Oh yeah trouble is here. Glad you're enjoying it!
Izzypirelli: Yeah, I'm going with a bit more menacing Pain and Panic here. It works better with the darker themes, as much as I enjoy comic relief. Glad you didn't see Cronus coming. I'm glad I kept that one pretty secretive. Yep, Hades is coming full circle. I never understood how anyone could hate Snow either. I love her so much. And Hades sees so much of Persephone in her so he's realizing there is no way he can hate her. That will be explained later. Hades probably knew it was a risk, but he's still thinking the Underworld is the place for him since he thinks Cronus can't get to them as long as they're in the living world. He thinks the only way for him to get to them is the Olympian crystal, which he thinks can't be repaired. So his intentions with Deimos actually are noble, even when he finds out he's going to be wrong about the crystal. I know, I'm always on the fence with Regina too. It's going to be tricky for a while I think. But yes, Regina will be doing a lot more apologizing than she ever did in canon.
Oh yes...you just hit the nail on the head with the Swans. If you think you hate them now, you're going to hate them more after the flashback in this chapter. I'm glad to know I'm good at creating villains. You never know how OC villains are going to be received so I'm glad I seem to be pretty successful with that. Glad you like the set up with the explanation for the rivers. I felt that was the best way to lead into what was going to happen. Glad it worked. To answer your question, yes, Persephone will be sending word to the other Gods, just not in this chapter, because she doesn't get a chance. But she will, thus why I'm working on face claims for the Gods. Yes, I'm toying with Ben Affleck or Orlando Bloom for Eli so voice your choice. Oh, Henry Cavil as Hades. I like that too. I am toying with a younger Hades. I like Greg Germann, but he looks a little mismatched next to Gal Gadot. So that's a good choice and any other choices, please suggest away! Yes, to be fair, Hades is the reason Eli has no clue about the kind of person his daughter is. I know, I never miss an opportunity to sing Snow's praise(or Charming's for that matter). Yep, Hades is wise despite everything and Eli is in many ways insane now, even if it's not his fault. Yep, Hades thinks Cronus isn't powerful enough to mend the crystal, thus why he sent Deimos there. But there is someone that is and it will actually be an innocent oversight on his part. You'll get a hint as to who in this chapter. Glad you liked the last paragraph. I wanted to show, that despite her reservations about the man that sired her, the man that raised her, and the man in love with her mother, she doesn't have any of those reservations when it comes to the father of her children. So glad you're continuing to enjoy.
Dreaming Out Loud
Chapter 74: Scars of the Past
"It's open," David called, as Rumple arrived at the loft with Belle and Neal in tow.
The looks on their faces didn't seem to yield a lot of positivity, but David asked anyway.
"Did you find anything?" he asked. Belle shook her head.
"There is no magical reason Rumple's barrier spell shouldn't have worked. Or Regina's for that matter," she said regrettably.
"Because the problem isn't magical. She's done something...something we don't understand to the town line," Rumple replied in a growl.
"You couldn't get a barrier up?" Persephone asked. Snow nodded.
"That's the other thing we needed to talk about when I texted you," she answered.
"Banishing her to this world was careless on my brother's part. All he cared about was being rid of her and he was short sighted thinking that a Land Without Magic would stop her," Hades spat bitterly. Persephone sighed. She was inclined to agree with him. Zeus often made unilateral decisions like that. He cared little about any consequences as long as they weren't effecting him.
"Especially since this world has its own magic per se. So...maybe it's time use some of that to our advantage," Neal suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" Emma asked.
"I have a friend back in New York...top notch hacker. I could give him Circe's alias that she goes by in this land and see what he comes back with," Neal replied. They all exchanged a glance.
"It's definitely worth a shot," Persephone voiced for them, as Neal left the room to make a call.
"So there's no way you know to keep them out?" Snow asked. Hades shrugged, not liking the feeling of helplessness.
"If the Dark One's barrier spell, nor the Queen's worked...then I'm afraid there isn't much I can do either. My spell would be similar to theirs, as would Persephone's" he answered.
"Then we start planning on how to deal with outsiders in town," David stated, as he looked at his daughter.
"That means we should limit the use of magic and try to do everything by the book," Emma proposed.
"If they're here to make trouble, we may need magic though," Hades said.
"Yes...but as a last resort. If this group or cult or whatever they are expose magic to the outside world, then we really will have tour buses driving up and down Main Street," Emma warned. Snow shuddered at that.
"I wish we could get her followers to talk. At least then we might know what we're looking at," David lamented.
"Perhaps there are ways that we can," Hades offered.
"You can't torture them," Emma commented.
"Believe it or not, torture isn't my first go to," Hades retorted, as they all looked at him skeptically.
"Anymore," he added.
"Then what are you suggesting?" Persephone questioned.
"We know the higher ups won't talk...they're too close to Circe. They probably are so indoctrinated that they would gladly die for her or their cause. But maybe the lower operatives can be persuaded," he suggested.
"It's definitely worth a shot. But I think we should pick someone non threatening that they might respond better to," David said.
"I take it you have someone in mind," Hades replied.
"As a matter of fact...I do," he said, as he looked at his wife.
"Me?" She asked in disbelief. He nodded.
"I can be threatening," she insisted haughtily. He chuckled.
"I know...you can be lethal, in fact. There is no one else I'd want fighting with me and watching my back in a battle," he confirmed.
"But I also know how sweet and kind you are most of the time," he said, as he kissed her hand.
"You have this way about you. You give people hope and you make them believe in themselves. Circe has probably preyed on vulnerable people that felt like they were nothing and had no hope. But maybe some aren't too far gone. And I think if any of us have a chance of getting through to one of them...it's you, my darling," he told her. She felt her heart flutter, as he looked at her with such love and awe that it took her breath away.
"I don't really like that you might have to talk to any of these people, but Em and I'd be watching in the other room the whole time," he said. She nodded.
"I'll be fine and we need to try this. For our family," she said. He smiled and put his hand on her belly, as he kissed her, just as Neal returned.
"Okay...my friend is on it. I told him I'd wire him a nice chunk of change if he could start now, so I hope you don't mind floating me the money," he told his father.
"It's not a problem. Money well spent if he's able to get us anything," Rumple agreed.
"We still need to discuss worst case scenario though. If none of this works and the town is overtaken, they may have ways to subdue us, even with magic," Hades warned.
"Well...there are the beans. If things get too dangerous here...then we return to the Enchanted Forest," David suggested, as he squeezed Snow's hand.
"As many advantages as this world has and as much as we'd rather stay here...those advantages do none of us any good if we lose our freedom," he added.
"Except that it would still leave magic in this world, even if we left with a bean," Regina warned.
"She's right...we'd be dooming this land to Circe's control," Persephone confirmed. Hades sighed in exasperation and his wife glared at him.
"Don't say it…" she warned.
"Why? We owe these people nothing. We're talking about the same people that will gladly line up and pay admission to see the magical freaks if we allow it to come to that," he spat.
"That's too many innocent people to sacrifice!" She protested.
"I agree with Hades...our families over them," Rumple agreed.
"Rumple…" Belle chided.
"Okay...I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. First we try this plan. We resist and find ways to drive these people out of our town. And we focus on neutralizing Circe. If we figure out a way to do that, maybe we can figure out why we can't put a barrier up," he said.
"Dad is right...if we can figure that out, maybe whatever she did can be reversed. Then we drive the outsiders out and up goes the barrier," she said, as she looked at Neal.
"We'd probably just never been able to leave Storybrooke again," she said. Neal shrugged.
"I don't have anything left out there...never had much to begin with. Everything important to me is here now," he confirmed, making her and Henry smile.
"Then I guess there isn't much else we can do tonight," Snow said. They nodded and decided to disperse for the evening. Hades left first with a quick goodbye to the family that was slowly accepting him, the family that he was determined would be his soon. Rumple and Belle were next, while Neal hung back to tuck Henry in. He and Emma allowed Regina to tuck him in and watched from the doorway.
"Thanks for letting me do that," Regina said, as she came out of the room. Emma nodded.
"Then we'll see you at Granny's for breakfast in the morning?" She asked. Regina nodded in agreement, as she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Neal shook his head.
"My dad and she might both have to get used to getting around without magic soon," he mentioned. She nodded.
"Yeah...we might have to try and sell Storybrooke as a normal town with nothing to see if we get tourists," she replied, with a shudder.
"I can see it now...Granny's diner t-shirts and Prince Charming action figures," Neal joked. She gave him a look.
"Very funny," she replied.
"I'm just saying...your parents would make good action heroes. Like serious comic book stuff," he mentioned in amusement.
"You sound like our son," she said, though not without fondness.
"Well, we kind of have our own little band of Avengers if you think about it," he replied. She chuckled.
"Yep, we have our own little comic book worthy group, I guess," she agreed, as she saw him out.
"So...I'll see you and Henry in the morning," he said. She nodded.
"And I know we have a lot to worry about with all this...but I'm hoping we're still on for that date as soon as we can manage it?" He asked. She nodded with a smile, as she closed the door.
"Date?" David asked with scrutiny.
"Oh a date…" Snow added in a sing song tone.
"Oh honey...that's wonderful," she said.
"Mom...we are not talking about this now. I love you both, but goodnight," Emma said, as she hugged them quickly and ascended the stairs.
"Oh Charming...she's going on a date," Snow swooned and he grunted beside her.
"He better not hurt her again," he muttered.
"Oh, I don't think that will be an issue this time," Snow replied, as she led him to their bed behind the curtain.
"But I think right now...I'd much rather focus on us," she purred, as he pulled her flush against him.
"Me too," he agreed, as he kissed her passionately. She hummed in her throat, as he kissed her deeply and then lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and became lost in him and their love…
Twenty-five years ago
Boston
Kevin Swan entered his home and heard his wife stomping toward him.
"I can't take it anymore...she's doing it again," Jessica complained, as they watched the lights in the house flicker on and off. He followed his wife into the living room and eyed their foster daughter sitting on the floor with her blanket and coloring a picture. He sighed.
"Jessica...I don't think she even knows what's she's doing. We don't even know how she does this stuff," he reasoned, as they heard the girl giggle at the cartoon on the television. It was the same thing again. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie.
"I thought we weren't going to let her watch that anymore," he said.
"She threw a fit when I wouldn't let her and I couldn't take it. So I put it in. I don't even know why she wants to watch it. She keeps saying it's wrong and not the way...her mommy and daddy fell in love," Jessica complained. He sighed.
"She just has an active imagination," he reasoned.
"Kevin...this goes beyond imagination! Look at what she's drawing!" she hissed. He looked at it, seeing that it was a crude drawing of a blonde man that was dressed like a prince and a raven haired woman in a long white gown, with a little girl between them. The names "mommy" and "daddy" were scribbled beneath them.
"That's not how mommy and daddy met," Emma commented.
"If you don't like the movie, Emma...then why don't we turn it off," Kevin said, as he moved to turn it off.
"NO!" Emma cried, as the lights flickered more.
"It's time to stop the movie and wash up for dinner," he said sternly, as he turned it off.
"But I don't want to! I wanna see my mommy and daddy! And this is the only way I can until I go to sleep!" Emma cried.
"Enough of this, Emma! Those characters are not your parents! We are now and you're going to stop this nonsense!" he shouted, losing his temper. Tears filled Emma's eyes.
"You're not my parents! You don't even like me!" she cried, as she picked up her picture and started to leave. But Kevin snatched it out of her hand and tore it up.
"No! NO!" Emma screamed, as his anger boiled over and he grabbed her arm, before dragging her into her bedroom.
The minute he was done with his version of discipline, he realized what a horrible thing he had done. But it was too late. He had beaten a child and despite hoping they could hide it, daycare reported the marks on Emma and that had been it. She was removed from their care and they were banned from ever adopting any children, thus ruining their chances at a family.
The Dreamscape
Twenty-five years ago
David boded his time in the dreamscape, as he usually did, sitting by the water in the meadow. If his time keeping was accurate, he knew Emma would be there soon and then Snow. He longed for those precious hours when they were together as the family they should be. Emma was growing so fast and he hated that they couldn't be there. He knew it could be worse and they were lucky she had them at all...but it wasn't enough.
Finally, he saw Emma appear, but immediately sensed that something was off. Usually, she was running to him, but instead, she just sat there in the grass with her head down.
"Emma?" he called, as he slowly approached.
"Princess?" he asked, as she kept trying to hide her face from him.
"Sweetheart...it's daddy. What's the matter?" he cooed. She sniffed and finally looked up at him. His blood ran cold, as he saw what looked like hand marks on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she had been crying for hours and there were dried tear tracks on her face.
"Emma…" he uttered.
"Daddy…" she cried, as he scooped her into his arms and let her cry anew.
"Princess...what happened?" he asked.
"Mr. Swan says that I was bad and had to be punished," she choked out between sobs. His blood boiled at that and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. It was his worst fear. Someone had done this to her. Someone had abused his sweet, perfect baby girl. Tears filled his own eyes when he realized there was nothing he could do about it.
"I'm so sorry princess...I'm so sorry," he sobbed.
"I wanna be with you and mommy all the time," she cried, as she rested her head against his chest.
"I know...mommy and I want that too. I'm so sorry that we couldn't stop the curse," he said. She sniffed.
"It's not fair…" she whimpered.
"No...it's not," he agreed.
"Charming?" Snow called and the minute he looked up at her, he knew her heart plummeted into her stomach.
"Charming...what's going on?" She asked, as Emma pulled back and Snow gasped in seeing the marks on her arms and face.
"Mommy…" she cried, as Snow pillowed her against her chest, while David put his arms around them both.
"Oh baby...mommy's here now," she said, as she cried with her.
"Who did this...who did this to our baby?" She asked.
"That man...Mr. Swan. Our daughter's adoptive father," he whispered quietly in her ear. And neither of them had ever wanted to kill someone as badly as they did in that moment. Once Emma finally fell asleep against her mother's chest, she watched her husband march into the indoor residence that existed for them in the dreamscape. Her already shattered heart broke further, as she heard him yell out in frustration and anger. She heard him banging on something and knew it was his fists hitting something as a substitute for the man that had harmed their precious baby. When there was silence, she took Emma in with her and lay her on the bed, before going to her husband. He was crying almost uncontrollably and she took him in her arms, as she began to cry with him.
"If...if I ever get my hands on these people that are hurting her...I'll kill them," he said through clenched teeth. She nodded.
"So will I…" Snow agreed, as they gazed down at their baby. Gently, Snow lifted her up and pulled her into her arms, as she lay down with her. David joined her, as they cradled their baby between them and gazed sorrowfully at each other. Their baby was in pain and there was nothing they could. They also couldn't stop her from being hurt again and never had they felt so helpless…
The next morning, David leaned against the bathroom door, as Snow brushed her teeth. He always felt bad about the morning sickness during her pregnancy with Emma and that was the same with this one. He knew he couldn't really make it better, so he settled for trying to pamper her. She spit the toothpaste out and rinsed, before wiping her mouth.
"I'm fine…" she promised.
"I know…and I know I can't make it stop, but I made you some tea and got some crackers out," he offered. She smiled and kissed him tenderly.
"You are so good to me…" she said fondly, as he put his arm around her and led her out into the kitchen.
"Nothing is too good for you, my darling," he replied, as he poured the tea for her and kissed her forehead.
"Are you sure you're up to Granny's?" he asked.
"Yes...I promise. We have a lot to figure out and I'm Mayor of this town. How do I explain to our people that there is nothing keeping the outside world out anymore? We could have a town wide panic on our hands," she fretted.
"Hey...we are going to protect this town and if they're going to bring a fight to us, then we'll fight," he said.
"I wish we didn't have to, because I know how much you just want to settle down into a quiet life, but I am going to fight to make that happen for us," he promised. She nodded.
"I do...but I'll fight for that too, always, with you by my side," she promised in return. He smiled and kissed her tenderly again.
"We took back a Kingdom together, my love...I daresay there is nothing we cannot face, as long as it's together," he said. She smiled at that and she finished her tea, before they cleaned up for the day and headed to Granny's with the rest of their family.
The caravan of cars and trucks pulling trailers slowly moved in on the small town that no one knew existed. But all that was about to change, for they would expose this secret to the world and prevent magic from being so carelessly used. For many of Circe's followers, this was simply about order and what they believed to be just. That the occupants in this town from another world could not be allowed to enjoy anonymity while the world remained ignorant of the real danger they posed. But for the Swans...this was about justice. This was about making those that had ruined their lives pay. One mistake had cost them everything and though they blamed one little girl for that, they also blamed the people responsible for even bringing her into their lives. Retribution would be at hand for them at last and justice would be served. No, this supposedly sleepy little town of Storybrooke truly had no idea what awaited them.
Just as they were finishing up breakfast at Granny's, Neal burst in with Belle and his father trailing him. They looked up at him expectantly, as he sat down at the table they had already pulled over to join to the booth, for Jefferson and Grace were joining them this morning.
"Did your friend find anything?" Emma asked.
"Yeah...and none of it's good. In her time in this land, Circe's made friends and allies with a lot of important people," Neal replied.
"Important people?" David asked.
"Like people that have jobs in the government and even the FBI. That woman with her, Cali, is a lawyer even," he replied.
"Cali is really Calypso though. My guess is these other people are as ordinary as any from this land though?" Hades surmised.
"You'd be right. Cops, FBI agents, lawyers, teachers, just average people that have somehow fallen in with Circe over the years. While we've been blissfully unaware, she's spent the last twenty-eight of her immortal years recruiting people to her cause," Neal said.
"Damn my idiot brother and his short-sightedness. Merely banishing Circe to this world didn't fix the problem...it only made it bigger. Leave it to Zeus to screw us all over," Hades growled.
"Do you think he might come here to help deal with all of this?" Emma asked. Hades snorted derisively.
"Not a chance. If it doesn't affect him or any of his conquests, then he doesn't give a damn. If you thought I was a cold bastard...I've got nothing on Zeus," Hades answered.
"We can agree on that," Persephone said, as they shared a glance.
"So...you think they're basically going to come in and put Storybrooke on the map for all to see?" Snow asked, trying to understand.
"It's possible," Neal replied.
"And I don't think I have to tell you the problems that could cause," Rumple added, as Leroy burst into the diner with Red in wolf form. Granny quickly put her red cloak over her and she changed back into her human form.
"They're here…" she announced.
"How many?" David asked.
"There's truck loads of people, but only one truck is heading for town proper. The rest of the vehicles and trailers have encircled the town and the people appear to setting up camp in the woods for now," Red reported.
"Then whoever is coming into town...we need to head them off and face them directly," David said. They agreed, as he took Snow's hand and they filed out of the diner. Regina and Neal kept a tight hold on Henry's hands, as they followed Emma and her parents. Jefferson kept Grace close, as he followed Gold and Belle as well.
Curiously, they watched a truck park at the Inn and were a little puzzled when only two people emerged. They walked closer as the two strangers approached them as well and Emma gasped when she saw them. Suddenly, she was three again and that last horrible night in their care came crashing back to her.
"Emma?" Snow asked, as she saw the look of disbelief on her daughter's face.
"Do you know them, Mom?" Henry asked. She swallowed thickly.
"Yeah...I know them," she confirmed.
"Then you remember us," the woman said.
"You certainly have grown up," the man added.
"Emma...who are they?" David asked. Emma looked at her parents and instantly knew how bad this was going to go when they found out. Unfortunately, the two outsiders would be stupid enough to introduce themselves.
"I'm Kevin Swan and this is my wife Jessica," he said. There was no extension of his hand though, as this was definitely not a social visit.
"We demand to see our leader, whom you have illegally detained. Her name is Becca Keres," Jessica demanded.
"Her name is Circe and you're just two more of her gullible stooges that she's fooled into helping with her cause," Hades commented, as they looked to him.
"And you are?" Kevin questioned. He smirked.
"Unless you get back in your truck and leave here now, I can be your worst nightmare," he threatened. They smirked.
"Your magic or whatever power you have doesn't frighten us. We know all about magic and exactly what this town is," Jessica replied. Since the moment they had introduced themselves, Charming hadn't heard anything else. All he could do was stare at them, as the rage swelled inside him.
"You're the Swans?" he interrupted with an edge in his voice.
"Dad…" Emma started to say.
"David…" Snow tried to warn, but not even they could get through, as he charged Kevin Swan and proceeded to work him over with his fists, causing chaos to erupt between all of them.
Hecate looked behind her, as she ran through the woods that surrounded Underbrooke. She couldn't have imagined the danger that awaited her in the Underworld. Being dead was no picnic, but she hadn't expected to be trying to escape just to keep her very existence in tact. But when she learned who was now in charge of the Underworld and he had realized who she was, he had sent the fearsome Deimos after her. She knew what Cronus wanted and she couldn't allow him to use her powers for his own gain. She was the Goddess of witchcraft and even dead, she held immense magical power; enough power to repair the Olympian crystal. But she would refuse to help him, which would mean she would be tortured until she finally broke. But if she allowed herself to be broken and made the Olympian crystal whole again, it could doom all the realms to Cronus and what she was sure would be a tyrannical reign.
"End of the line, Hecate," Deimos hissed, as he appeared in her path before the well of Cocytus.
"Stay back, monster," she growled, as she launched a fireball at him, but he batted it away like nothing. She cried out, as Pain and Panic grabbed her arms. She struggled, but she was put in magic resistant chains.
"Lord Cronus has requested an audience with the great Hecate…" Deimos stated.
"I will never help Cronus," she refused. He chuckled.
"Well...then I'd say you're in for a very unpleasant afterlife. Take her to our King," he ordered to the two smarmy creatures and she was dragged away. Deimos smirked evilly and returned to town proper, only to come face to face with two other souls that he had been told were surprisingly working for his King as well.
"Well, well...Prince Eli. Whatever would your beloved, sickeningly good Persephone think of you now? Working for Lord Cronus? I daresay, she would be highly disappointed," he goaded.
"You're him...the monster that hunted my daughter," Eli accused.
"Well, she is the fairest of them all. I'm sure you agree, Leopold," he said, eyeing the former King.
"You're a monster," Leopold hissed. He smirked.
"I'm in good company then," Deimos retorted, as he kept walking.
"You're struggling with a moral dilemma, I assume?" the God of terror questioned.
"Working with me and our King means betraying your precious Persephone and fair little Snow. But in the end, it's the only way you'll ever get back to them and truly make Hades pay for all he has done," Deimos stated.
"He has stolen your family...he knows more about your own daughter than either of you ever could. And yet...it's the only way you have a chance of getting them back. Quite the conundrum," he mentioned, as he walked away.
"So glad I don't have pesky things like morals to hold me back," he added. Eli glared at his back, as he walked away, furious that he was right. Working for Cronus was the only way for absolution, but he had to wonder how he would look in the eyes of Persephone and their daughter once they discovered all that he would have to do in order to get back to them...