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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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

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 leaning toward Ben Affleck

I am working on a second poster artwork for this story too, but I have a question for my readers:

For Hades, I am down to choosing between Henry Cavil, Robert Downey Jr., and Rami Malek. Tell me who you'd like to see as Hades! Please leave your answers in a review!

Thanks for awesome the reviews. Here are individual responses:

Baratta Jennifer: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Yep, trouble is definitely ahead. :)

Naomi Blue: Yep, they are not bright. They did wrong and then blamed others. Unfortunately, there are lot of people like that in this world. Yeah, they were really stupid to identify themselves, but then they don't know how close knit this family is due to the dreamscape. Still dumb of them though and a well deserved beating is coming.

Grace5231973: Yes, Kevin is getting a well deserved beat down! Yeah, there will be a conversation about this time in Emma's life between Neal and Emma soon. It didn't make it into this chapter, but it's pretty poignant I think. I despite Deimos too, but I actually enjoyed his goading of Eli and Leopold too. :)

Saberius Prime: Yeah! David is giving him a well deserved beat down! Glad you enjoyed it!

Guest: Thanks for the input, but Bloom I think was okay for young Eli. But now I need someone a bit darker and more arrogant, which is why I'm leaning Affleck. Hope you can still enjoy.

Number Ten: Yeah, those were intense flashbacks. Glad you think the cult idea is interesting and I know, the scene in the dreamscape was a tearjerker. Cults are terrifying. Yep, Storybrooke is about to get even crazier. :)

Theinferno1536: I would take what they said in the dreamscape as too literal. People say they're going to kill people all the time and rarely do it. David may begin to go too far, but this is Snowing we're talking about and love always pulls them back. Yep, his hacker friend is a Disney character. That's just me putting Easter eggs in the stories. As far as how deep Circe's power goes, that's explained a tad more in this chapter. It's complicated. :)

izzypirelli: Aw thanks! I liked that summary too. It described the "father" figures surrounding Snow pretty perfectly. Yes, I daresay there isn't a whole lot that science can't do anymore and I wanted to show a scarier side of that. And we know if the wrong people are in charge, then Storybrooke will be like a zoo. Spectators and people in cages. Shudders. Yeah, Hades is definitely struggling in some ways in this new land. I think people expected him to come to Storybrooke all-powerful, but I never intended that. I wanted to show that outside the Underworld, his magic is on level with Persephone's and Regina's. And in many ways, Gold exceeds his power, at least in the living world, so that's not easy for him. Here he can't just toss people in his rivers. He has to actually deal with them and work for it a bit. Lol, I'm loving him in Storybrooke too. I loved that line about torture then him having to admit it's not his go to anymore. Glad you liked that little Snowing exchange. It was cute and kinda flirty. Hmm...I'm not sure Hades/Persephone has a ship name, but it is interesting that both couples have similar responses. Yeah the merchandise is taking a page from reality, lol. But yes actually terrifying for the characters. Ha, yeah I'm looking forward to Snowing's reactions to their dating too. Tacos! Snowing tacos! I think it's around the same day, though they went to bed and had tacos, so the stuff happening after that scene in the last chapter is a new day. I know, time is passing really slowly. But I agree and I'm all for more Snowing tacos. Yep, you're not going to like this flashback. I wanted to make them different since I used them in FYA, but they're still bad. Yep, at first Kevin is super laid back and Jessica is too neurotic to handle a child like Emma. And then yep, Kevin snapped. Yes, he will have to die some horrible, painful death. Yeah, they were clearly never meant to be parents, but unfortunately there are so many people out there that do bad things and then blame others, even children so that's what I was going for here. Fortunately, the daycare actually did their job. Yeah, I know, the dreamscape scene was a tearjerker. I'm glad I hit you with the feels though. That scene was meant to be ridiculously heart wrenching so glad to know that I nailed it. Yep, David is about to lose it and if Hades can, I'm sure he'll throw them in. Yep, Hecate is in big trouble and here will come the part about Hades oversight regarding the Olympian crystal in this chapter. Things are about to go to hell, quite literally. I hate Deimos too, but thought it was appropriate for him to point out Eli's moral dilemma and be quite nonchalant about it since we know he has no morals. When Eli finally comes face to face with Persephone and Snow(and yes, that's coming) they are not going to react the way he wants to him. It did get long, but I love it so thanks so much! I agree, Bloom is too baby faced now for Eli. Affleck can be unlikeable and that's where Eli is now. I like Henry Cavil too, though I am teetering between him, Robert Downey Jr.(he just has that arrogant charisma that is appropriate) and then an odder choice, but hot one and that's Rami Malek. I'm still in debate on him. I like Greg, but he doesn't quite fit with Gal Gadot and is a bit older. Anyway, thanks for the input and awesome review! I should be making my final decisions soon on face claims. :)

Beth1980: Ha, yeah I think everyone enjoyed Emma's yelling at Greg. Totally deserved. I liked Neal and Emma discussing Snow and Rumple's reactions too. Yes, Deimos is dead, but it might not matter for what's to come. I know, Hades is confusing. He's definitely walking the line between light and dark. Ha, believe me, I had to look up some stuff too when it came to mythology. Yeah, we never got the real story on her first family and they did us another injustice. I like to fix things. :) Yes, I loved Snow's internal thoughts too. No matter how torn she is, she knows Emma and their baby won't have the same problem with her husband. :) For now, Neal's friend is just a random person. It may or may not stay that way. Yep, Snowing's reactions to a date were spot on. Yeah, the Swans were not smart and evil. They'll probably have a fitting end. There may be some retrospective for Regina and Gold about what Emma was put through because of them. Eventually. For now, there are bigger fish to fry and the Swans may be those fish. Glad you're enjoying :)

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 75: Heathens

David punched Kevin Swan repeatedly, completely blinded by his rage. The moment this man had revealed his identity, all David could see was his precious three-year-old daughter marred with bruises and welts from this man's abuse. Rational thinking had gone out the window and all he could think about was making this man hurt the way he had made Emma hurt.

Jefferson and Neal finally managed to pry him off the other man and pulled him back, as Jessica helped him up.

"How dare you?!" she cried.

"How dare I? He's lucky he's still breathing after what he did to Emma!" David screamed, as Snow got in his line of vision.

"David...please…" she pleaded.

"That's him, Snow…" he growled and she cupped his face in her hands with a sorrowful look.

"I know," she said tearfully.

"I want him arrested!" a bleeding Kevin Swan cried.

"You abused our daughter!" David shouted, as Emma got in his line of vision.

"Dad...I'm okay," she promised, as he still struggled to get free.

"Daddy please...he can't hurt me anymore and the last thing I want is for him to take you away from me and Mom," she reasoned, as he started to calm down.

"You're the best Daddy any little girl could have and Mom and the new baby need you too," she pleaded, as his rage finally deflated and he relaxed somewhat, as Snow put her arms around him.

"You're the ones that dumped her into this world! I tried to be her father...but all she could talk about was her Daddy...Prince Charming," Kevin shot back.

"We did not dump her in this world. We sent her so she wouldn't be cursed...or worse killed! We would have given anything to be with her all the time," Snow argued.

"Oh yes...we know all about the curse. Madam Keres told us everything about the curse, yet the person responsible for that is walking free," Jessica said, eying Regina.

"I don't give a damn what she told you. You abused our little girl…" David retorted hotly.

"Don't lecture us! You weren't there and we were saddled with your precious little girl, who was as troubled as they come. She was unruly and threw tantrums when she didn't get her way. We tried to be her parents, but she would just keep going on and on about Snow White and Prince Charming. She was severally disturbed," Kevin hissed.

"She would make the lights flicker on and off all day and light bulbs explode around her. We didn't know what to make of it until later when we met Madam Keres and she told us the evils that possessed her," Jessica added.

"Emma is not evil...because the only evil standing here is you two," Snow argued, as she stood in front of her daughter.

"Emma is special, but you two were too evil to realize the gift she was," David added.

"Gift? She cost us a chance at a real family!" Jessica growled.

"I was three...how the hell did I do that?" Emma questioned. The two grew quiet and Persephone instantly had a theory.

"Social services barred you from adopting or fostering after you abused Emma, didn't they?" she asked. Snow's mouth opened in disbelief when she saw the answers on their faces.

"You abused my daughter and then have the nerve to blame her for anything?!" Snow growled.

"It was a mistake! I lost my temper, but she just wouldn't give up this ludicrous notion that she was seeing her real parents in her dreams! We gave her everything and she refused to call us Mom and Dad!" Kevin shouted back.

"Yeah...well it wasn't ludicrous. Instead of believing her, you abused her and tried to force pills down her when everything she told you was true," Persephone interjected.

"What are you talking about?" Jessica questioned.

"How do you think Emma knew her parents? She was a baby when she came to this land," Persephone said. He shrugged.

"We really didn't think much about it. Why would we? We just thought she was an imaginative little girl that wanted fairy tale characters as her parents," Kevin surmised.

"Well...you were wrong. What you call evil was magic I gave my family so they could at least be together in their dreams. You could have still been parents to Emma, but instead, you chose to blame your own shortcomings on a child," Persephone spat.

"We don't care what witchcraft or sorcery it was. She didn't belong here in this world...none of you do," Jessica refuted.

"Well, we're here now and you can't just barge into this town and take control. We're people, just like anyone else in this land," David retorted.

"Well, then we can just come in. If this is just like any other town in this land, then there's nothing saying we can't come here. Think of us as tourists," Kevin jabbed.

"Yes...we're here to visit a dear friend, so maybe you can take us to her now," Jessica added.

"Sorry...she's not accepting visitors right now and won't be for a very long time, you know because she tried to blow up the town. That carries quite a sentence," Emma retorted.

"Really? I'm so glad you brought up crimes then, Sheriff," Kevin countered, taking note of her badge.

"I'm not arresting my father for beating the crap out of you, because we all know you deserved it and no one in this town will testify to seeing anything. For all we know or care, you came to town looking like that," Emma shot back. He smirked.

"I figured as much, but that's not actually the crime I'm talking about. You see, we have acquaintances with the FBI and a couple of them are here to investigate something else. Greg Mendell filed a case concerning his father's disappearance over twenty-eight years ago and they're here to investigate that, among other things," he said, as his eyes locked on Regina again.

"You know, if there was a murder and a cover up, the FBI will make arrests and send those responsible to federal prison. That won't be a very happy ending at all," Jessica added.

"I will give you one final warning...none of you have any idea what you're getting yourselves into here. If you care at all about your lives...then you'll leave now," Hades warned. But they only smirked.

"We'll take our chances. Time to see what this lovely town has to offer. Like I said, we're just tourists," Kevin countered, as he and his wife made their way to the diner.

"This is bad...this is really bad," Emma lamented.

"It is...which means it's time to call for backup," Persephone stated.

"What do you mean?" Snow asked.

"She means my siblings," Hades answered with disdain.

'It's not like we have a choice, you know. Mother will come for certain, as will Athena and Artemis is already here. Poseidon will be a much harder sell and I doubt Zeus can be bothered, but we have to try," Persephone replied. He sighed.

"Fine...we can use my Oracle," he agreed, as the two of them disappeared in twin puffs of smoke.

"What now?" Henry asked. But no one really had any answers. They wouldn't need to though, for another car drove slowly toward them. It parked and two people got out and they were wearing FBI jackets.

"What do you want?" Emma asked, as she crossed her arms over her chest. David stood with her and Snow hooked her hand on his elbow, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"I'm agent Smith and he's Agent Johnson," the woman said. Emma quirked an eyebrow.

"Smith and Johnson...that's really what you're going with?" she questioned, but her quip was ignored, as the brunette agent opened a case file.

"We have information regarding the murder of Kurt Flynn and a tip that he is buried in the woods around this town. Right now, we have a team digging in the woods in the vicinity described by an anonymous tip," Agent Johnson stated.

"Anonymous tip my ass. Greg Mendell is your tipper," Emma retorted. Agent Smith smirked.

"He is a victim in all this...Miss Swan, is it?" she asked. Emma glared at her and wanted nothing more than to never be associated with those people. She had kept Swan all these years simply because it was what her paperwork said. But she was not a Swan. She was a Charming and in this land she was a Nolan.

"No...it's Miss Nolan. Sheriff Nolan, actually," she corrected, surprising David and Snow smiled, as she squeezed his elbow.

"That's not what your paperwork says," Agent Johnson argued.

"The paperwork is wrong. Trust me...I know who I am and it's not related to those people," Emma snapped in return.

"Fine...Sheriff Nolan then. Anyway, we need a place to work. I assume this spot of a town has some sort of Police station?" She asked.

"You're not seriously asking to use our station," David growled.

"Well, I'll excuse your ignorance since you're not of this world, deputy, but it is customary for local law enforcement to allow their resources to be utilized by the FBI when they need them," Johnson replied.

"More like the FBI just barges in and does whatever they want. I'll let you find your way to the station yourselves," she said.

"Good...once we find the body, we'll be sending it out to the FBI lab for identification and then we'll proceed with our case," Smith said, as the two agents headed off. Emma sighed.

"Not to sound like a broken record, but this is bad…" Neal muttered.

"Yeah...they get that body and you're going to federal prison," Emma warned, as she looked at Regina.

"And you seem really broken up about that," the former Queen shot back.

"Okay...this isn't the time to argue. We're not going to let them get that far, right?" Snow asked. Emma nodded.

"I hope not...but this is the feds were talking about. I hope your Mom can bring in the back up, because it's going to take an act of the Gods to keep them out if they find that body," Emma said gravely.

"Perhaps acting as everything is normal isn't the way to go then," Rumple interjected.

"What do you have in mind exactly?" David asked.

"They may find a body, but it does little good to them if it disintegrates before they can do anything with it and their cameras just happened to get destroyed," he replied.

"I like that plan...let's go. Time for a field trip to the woods," David said, as they headed off in that direction.

Hecate dug her heels in, as she was dragged into the Throne room that had once belonged to Hades. But the person sitting on that Throne now made Hades look tame, even in his more savage days. And Cronus looked very pleased by her capture.

"You've done well, Deimos…" he praised, as Hecate was deposited at his feet.

"You may as well just toss me in that river, because I will never help you," she hissed defiantly. But Cronus only smirked.

"Oh I know...you'd rather suffer a thousand and one tortures before helping me with my cause. But I don't need your willingness, Hecate...only your power," he responded.

"Which you shall never have," she refuted. But he only smirked again.

"Oh...I think you will once you forget everything you think you know," Cronus surmised and a cold chill slithered down Hecate's spine. Pain and Panic grabbed her arms and began dragging her toward the rivers.

"A little dip into Lethe and you'll think whatever I tell you. Then you'll do anything I ask," he said.

"No...NO!" Hecate screamed, but it was in vain, as she was vaulted into the river of forgetfulness…

Persephone closed her eyes and willed Hades' crystal ball to give her what she wanted most and that was to speak to her mother at the moment.

"Sweetheart...I'm so glad to see you again. I trust things are well?" Demeter inquired.

"I'm afraid they are not well at all, mother," she replied.

"But the curse has been broken and last we spoke, you said Snow has accepted you and that's she with child," Demeter said.

"All those things are true, but I'm afraid Storybrooke is facing many outward problems that could destroy us all," Persephone revealed.

"I don't understand," Demeter stated.

"It's Circe...she's here with Calypso and a hoard of followers that she has recruited to her cause. They threaten to expose us all to this world and I don't think I have to tell you what the ramifications of that could be," she explained.

"My God...Circe and I suppose Hecate has not been about to reason with her?" Demeter questioned.

"Hecate is dead...killed by her own daughter in cold blood. The situation is grave...but not only because of Circe," Persephone replied, as she looked at Hades, who walked into view.

"Hades...how the hell did you escape the Underworld?" She hissed.

"Nice to see you too, dear sister. But I'm not the enemy you should fear...for I have been ousted from my Throne by none other than our very own father," he informed.

"That's impossible...Cronus cannot be free!" She refuted.

"Well he is...and I barely escaped the Underworld with my life. Fortunately, he's still trapped there with no foreseeable escape, but you know he won't stop looking for a way. He wants revenge on all of us," Hades responded, as he watched his sister sit their in disbelief.

"Even our idiot brother that sits on his undeserved Throne won't be safe if Cronus has his way," he added.

"I will inform Zeus and the others at once to what has occurred. I will have Athena search for a way to get us to that land. As you know, it's not an easy land to reach, even for us," Demeter responded. Persephone nodded. She had to utilize the help of Ariel to get there and knew Poseidon or other Mermaids were the only other way to really accomplish the journey.

"We shall see you soon, Mother," Persephone said, as she disappeared from their view in the globe.

"Well, that was pleasant, as always," Hades quipped.

"I'd say for you two that was tame," Persephone commented. He tilted his head in a nod to agree. Usually he and Demeter devolved into screaming tirades when they spoke. She still hated him from taking Persephone from the meadow that day, so very long ago. But he didn't regret it and things had actually been very good between them in the beginning, even after she ate the pomegranate seeds due to his trickery. He sighed, as he gazed at her out of the corner of his eyes. Gods she was beautiful...and it pained him that things had gone so badly between them. He could never make up for it all, but he was certainly going to try. He had planned to use Zelena's scheme to his advantage, but things were extremely complicated. Not to mention, they had to survive that long. Snow was still in the first trimester of her pregnancy, which meant months before Zelena could even think about enacting her spell.

And then there was a feeling of guilt within him and that was something that was quite new to him. When he had joined Zelena in this plot, mere months ago, none of that would have bothered him. He still found that he wanted to go back though. He felt that he could truly make everything better and fix the damage he had done to this family. Not to mention, it would get them out of this current predicament. The ends would justify the means. Still...he felt guilt about that. He knew how Persephone would feel about it, but he did truly love her and her family. And turning back the clock could help him right all the wrongs, as well as fix the problems they were facing.

"Hey...you were a million miles away," she said, breaking through his contemplation. He smiled.

"Sorry...it's just been a very long time since I've seen any of my siblings and we're going to have to work together when they get here. It will be...challenging," he said. She smirked.

"It will be interesting for sure," she agreed, with a chuckle.

Demeter marched toward the Throne room on Mt. Olympus. It had been a very long time since they had all sat here together and she only hoped they all took the urgency of her summons seriously. She spied Hephaestus there already, waiting for orders, which meant Zeus was around. Then there was Aphrodite standing there, glaring at Ares.

"What are you doing here?" Demeter demanded to know.

"He followed me, even though I told him not to bother," Aphrodite told her.

"I'm here...because you said there was a crisis," Ares answered.

"You not only allowed Deimos to torment my granddaughter, but you encouraged his evil! Then you helped Hades revive him!" she shouted.

"And in the process, you murdered my precious Phobos!" Aphrodite added.

"Phobos was weak…" Ares growled.

"No...he was my wonderful son. Deimos has been lost to me for years and I accepted that. But then you went and took Phobos from me," the blonde growled angrily.

"And if the mighty Cronus has returned, then you'll need the God of War on your side," Ares reminded.

"He's not wrong," Zeus interjected, as he appeared and Demeter glared at him.

"Cronus isn't the only problem. You do realize that if Circe gets her magic back that no realm will be safe from her quest for revenge? And she'll come after you first," Demeter said.

"Do not lecture me, sister...you have broken plenty of rules. And for what? Your daughter's mortal family?" he shot back.

"Enough!" a voice of reason chanted, as Athena appeared.

"Fighting amongst ourselves will ensure our defeat," she stated, as she swept into the room with Hera and Hestia following her. They were not alone either though, as Apollo followed as well.

"We will need Poseidon to get to the Land Without Magic. My sister is only there, because Triton agreed to transport her," Apollo reminded. As he said, that, a wave of water splashed over the entire canopy covering the Throne room and Poseidon appeared in all his glory.

"I received your summons, dear sister," he said. Demeter smiled.

"Thank you for coming, brother," she replied. Zeus rolled his eyes.

"I call you to come and you refuse every time. One call from her and you drop everything," he complained.

"I like her. I don't like you. There is a difference," Poseidon quipped, as he looked at her.

"When you said your child and her family were in dire straights, I knew I had to come. I will not fail Persephone the way I failed my own child," he lamented.

"Oh here we go…" Zeus complained, as there was another splash and they saw Ursula arrive and she was not alone.

"Ursula…" he uttered.

"Hello father…" she said coldly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I heard you were traveling to the Land Without Magic and I want in," she replied.

"Why?" Demeter asked.

"Because the pirate that stole my voice, the one you conspired with, is there," Ursula answered.

"This is not the time for revenge...the fate of all the realms could be at stake," Athena chided.

"Then you'll need all the help you can get," Ursula countered.

"Fine...you can come and perhaps I can right the wrong I committed against you. But why is she here?" Poseidon questioned to the mortal in their presence.

"So this is Olympus...I must say, I thought it would be...more grand," a woman with two toned hair and a gaudy fur coat said.

"You are among immortal Gods, you peon...show some respect," Aphrodite snapped, but the woman only smirked.

"Cruella...I told you to stay back," Ursula chided.

"Oh dahling...I want in on the fun and away from that damn forest. A girl like me belongs in that fine world with all its amenities," she responded.

"She's my friend and she'll be coming too," Ursula said, as she dragged her away, before she opened her mouth and managed to get herself zapped.

"We don't have time for this foolishness. We must be on our way," Demeter stated.

"Agreed...this will require a grand vessel," Poseidon stated, as he waved his trident and a mammoth ship, encrusted with gold and jewels appeared.

"At least we'll be traveling in style," Aphrodite stated, as the Gods all boarded the vessel and it sailed off. They would have to journey to the edge of realms and then cross into the Land Without Magic…

As they trekked into the woods, hand in hand, Snow felt reminiscent of their days when they were taking back the Kingdom. In many ways, this situation was extremely similar. They were fighting an evil again that threatened to, perhaps not kill them, but rather take their freedom and control their lives. Snow was determined to stop them and knew that with David by her side, they could do anything.

Regina led them to the campsite and sure enough, Circe's people were already excavating the site.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop what you're doing and step away," Emma said, as they came face to face with the two agents again.

"Sorry Sheriff, but these are the woods and we can dig anywhere we want," Agent Smith argued.

"Actually...you can't. You see...I own this town and everything around it. And correct me if I'm wrong, Sheriff. In that case, wouldn't they need a warrant?" Rumple asked. Emma smirked smugly.

"Indeed they would, which means they're breaking the law," Emma agreed. Agent Johnson rolled his eyes.

"You really expect us to believe that you own all these woods?" he asked.

"I don't need you to believe anything, you simpleton. The fact is that I do. I am a man that deals in contracts so perhaps you'd like to see the proof," he hissed, as he raised his hand and it appeared in his hand. The workers and agents jumped back, startled by it.

"Sorcery…" one of them uttered. Rumple shrugged nonchalantly.

"More like a mere parlor trick. Even an amateur magician can do that. Hardly proof that magic exists," he argued and Belle smirked smugly. Rumple loved to exploit technicalities and this was one time she was actually enjoying watching him do it. Agent Smith snatched the contract and started looking it over. She narrowed her eyes and was silent, as she found it to be legitimate. David smirked.

"You know, for us not being of this world, I would say we certainly understand your laws well enough. And judging by this little illegal expedition, I'd say better than you," he said smugly.

"He's right and as Mayor, I have the power to order this to cease and detain all of you," Snow added.

"Yeah...thanks again, buddy," Neal said, as he returned and hung up his phone.

"More than you think," he said, as he glared at them.

"What did your friend find?" Emma asked.

"Circe does have power...she's made a lot of important connections. But her causes are seen as fringe beliefs. Any of those connections that don't want to be ousted from their cushy jobs in government and state have to keep their funding of her operation on the down low," Neal informed.

"Which means what exactly?" David asked.

"It means that those actually following her, like these two, have lost all credibility in their fields. These two were fired from the FBI more than five years ago for following Circe's orders rather than the bureau's," Neal revealed.

"Well, since you know the truth, there's no reason to stop digging. We don't follow this land's laws or yours. There is only one way...and our cause is just. Madam Circe is the only one fit to rule and once she has what she needs, a new era will begin," the female agent boasted.

"Then why all the subterfuge with this? Why do you care about digging up a body?" David questioned. She smirked.

"Because all the secretive operatives devoted to our cause are waiting for a sign. A sign that will tell them it's time to rise up and bring about a new reign upon this land. And exposing this town and magic to the entire world will be that sign," she revealed.

"Well...that's not going to happen," Emma retorted, as the diggers hit something.

"We've got something!" they called, as they extracted a skull. But it promptly disappeared from the man's hand, as did the rest of the bones, thanks to Rumple.

"You shouldn't have done that," Agent Johnson hissed, as they extracted their weapons; the same kind of ray-type weapon they had encountered with the first batch of outsiders. Snow threaded her bow and Charming drew his sword, as Emma leveled her gun at the agents.

"You really think that gun and those medieval weapons stand a chance against our tech?" Agent Smith asked smugly.

"And do you think your sorcery can protect all of you against this many of us?" Johnson added.

"Maybe not...so let's even those odds!" Persephone called, as she blasted the man with her lavender magic. Blue blasts of energy from the ray guns exploded around them. Rumple guarded Belle, as he unleashed several fireballs that turned three of the men to ash in an instant.

"Well...if you want to play it that way…" Agent Johnson growled, as he opened a case and they took out two of the ray guns, but they were the size of rifles.

"No amount of Sorcery can hold up against these things," the female agent hissed, as she pointed hers at David. Snow gasped and put her arms around him.

"Mom! Dad!" Emma cried, as the woman fired at them. Hades, Persephone, and Gold countered the blast with their magic, intercepting it and they battled the blast. But even with the three of them, it was proving difficult. Agent Johnson aimed his weapon and Emma and Regina unleashed her magic on him, meeting his blast.

"Get Henry out of here!" Emma called, as Neal threw their son over his shoulder and looked for an exit, but the rest of the people with the agents blocked his way.

Suddenly, like they were nothing, the people and their weapons, including the agents evaporated into thin air. Hades and Persephone sighed in relief, as they ceased their magic, as did the others.

"What the hell just happened?" Emma asked.

"Well, evaporating like water into air is a unique trick, so if I had to guess...it would be one of my brothers," Hades replied. Sure enough, as they looked up, they saw the source of their rescue and he was not alone...