AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.
Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, Swanfire, Daddy Charming, Mama Snow, HadesxPersephone, Mama Persephone,and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)
Please consider leaving a review. Feedback is much appreciated and vital. Reviews have dropped a bit, but any feedback you can give is much appreciated.
Also, feel free to follow me on Tumblr lilacmoon83.
Special note:
Here are the main face claims that we're dealing with right now. For other minor Gods/Goddesses/characters, see previous chapters:
Gal Gadot as Persephone
Robert Downey Jr. as Hades
Ben Affleck as Prince Eli
Drew Barrymore as former Queen Serafina
Thanks for awesomethe reviews. Again, please consider leaving feedback. I love writing this story, but a lot of hard work in my free time goes into getting weekly chapters up, so reviews are really gratifying. Unless you're a troll. Troll comments will be deleted.
I sincerely apologize about missing last week's update. Many who follow me on Tumblr probably saw my message, but just in case you didn't, I was admitted to the hospital for anemia and gallbladder pain last week. I did not have my laptop and was not up to editing and getting the chapter ready. I had gallbladder surgery on Friday so I am now almost back to normal now. :)
Here are individual responses:
gaby2019: I killed Snow for a few moments so the heart split could happen. Don't worry, I'd never actually kill her. :)
Saberius Prime: Yep, Ravenna is out of her mind, but you're right, she's going to fail. Glad you're enjoying it!
Naomi Blue: Yep, I have wanted to do a reverse of the heart split in a story for a while now and this one seemed like it was the right one to do it. Yeah, I thought both Hades and Eli killing Hermes was very fitting too. :)
Grace5231973: It was definitely one hell of a chapter! Glad I could make you speechless, lol. :)
Jennifer Baratta: So glad you're enjoying!
Number Ten: Glad you like the heart split twist. I've been wanting to do David splitting his heart in a story for a while now and this seemed like the right opportunity. Yep, Hermes deserved to be squashed like a worm. Arthur will definitely be exposed, but it's going to be a bit more complicated than expected. Yes, the helm is from the Bear King episode. Yes, he intended to use it to test her. I only took minor bits from that episode. You didn't get me mad? I just see those episodes during 4B a lot differently. :)
Beth1980: Yep, Ravenna and Gothel are the worst. Yes, I'm not sure how much she'll appear yet, but if she does, it will be a more "Tangled" version of Rapunzel. I'll probably do something different with the Tremaines if I use them. Yes, I hope for the sake of the people, they can repair the damage Ravenna did. Yeah, I decided to expand on the lore behind the author and fix it so to speak. Glad you like it. Ha, yeah I can imagine Hades lighting up his hair to make the babies laugh. No, the Dragon character is Mushu in this. They are the same. Yeah, Midas is like a big bag of hot air. Yep, and now we have a showdown with the Chernabog and I think it will surprise you. Yes, I thought it was fitting that both Eli and Hades made Hermes pay. I know, I struggled with that, but really wanted to do the reverse heart split with Snowing and this seemed like the right story to do it in. Yep, Ravenna is losing it. You're welcome. I know how important my animals are to me and know how hard it is when you lose one. :)
Dreaming Out Loud
Chapter 120: We've Always Shared One Heart, Pt 2
Hades blasted the Black God with blue fire, but his power seemed to be a mere nuisance to the raging beast and he winced, as the Chernabog swooped down and his talon grazed the former God of the Underworld's face. He glared at the monster, as he swept up again and he touched the cut on his face, as it bled. Persephone sided up to him and glanced at Ravenna.
"We need to get that flame away from her," she said, as the beast dove on them again and she chucked another lightning bolt at him. But it just made him more angry and volatile, as he roared and set his sights on Snow and David, but they held their own.
"That's what I don't understand...Prometheus' flame. It's to be wielded by heroes. Prometheus never intended the Gods to use it so I don't even know how Hermes had it," Persephone lamented and that's when he realized something.
"That's it…" Hades exclaimed.
"What?" she asked.
"Hermes couldn't wield it...that's why he held onto it for so long. He needed a mortal to use it," he replied. She pondered that and it made perfect sense.
"I get that, but Ravenna is no hero. She was never intended to be the mortal to wield it," she said and his eyes widened.
"That's it!" Hades exclaimed, as he ran toward Emma and she realized what he was thinking, as she joined him.
"Emma...you need to get that flame from her. It's meant for mortals to use, but only in the way Prometheus intended. Ravenna is merely using it to control the Chernabog, but it is capable of so much more in the hands of a hero," he explained.
"I don't understand any of that, but if getting it away from her means stopping this thing, I'm on it," she responded, as she charged toward the Queen, which only brought the Chernabog swooping down on her, as he rained fire.
"Emma!" David cried and Snow prodded him to go to their daughter. He clutched the hilt of his sword and charged the beast, but the Chernabog batted him away with one of its wings. He hit the floor and slid underneath the beast before he could be hit again.
"Give me the flame…" Emma warned, as she held her glowing hands out toward the Queen. Ravenna smirked.
"I think you'll regret asking for that!" the Queen growled and then cackled evilly, as the flame glowed at her command and sent a barrage of fire directly at the Savior.
"EMMA!" Snow cried in horror, fearing that her daughter was about to be engulfed in flames. Determination lined David's face, as he barreled toward her, hoping to make it in time. He didn't know if he would survive it, but he had to save his little girl. Emma let out a strangled gasp, as she saw her father jump in front of her.
"Daddy!" she cried, as she watched him hold his blade out and knew he was hoping it would block some of the flames.
"No!" she cried, as the Promethean flame seemed to engulf her father and she heard her mother let out an anguished cry.
"Well, I guess if I can't kill you...then I can at least make sure you're miserable by killing him," Ravenna said, in a pleased tone. But she frowned, as the flames began to swirl and the smoke cleared. Emma gasped, as she saw that her father was still standing there, completely unharmed and the entire chamber witnessed the Promethean flame circling her father's blade in a double helix-like design. He became entranced and surprised by it himself, as he looked to his family.
"Your blade, it seems, has been deemed worthy of Prometheus' flame. It's being reforged into a powerful new weapon," Hades deduced, as David looked at the blade and the flames absorbed into his weapon. It didn't look much different, but he could feel that it was. Ravenna cried out, as she noticed the flame was gone and she glared at them.
"What have you done?" she cried and Snow stepped in at that point, delivering a well deserved right cross that would ensure the Queen would have a black eye. Ravenna cried out, almost maniacally, as Lancelot moved in and shackled the Queen.
"We have a nice little spot in the Dungeon waiting for you, Queen Ravenna. You are under arrest for war crimes, treason against your own Kingdom, and the attempted murder of Queen Snow and most of the people in this room," he announced. The Chernabog roared, as he reminded them of his presence and the fact that he was free to enact his own destruction.
But David stood ready this time, as the creature swooped down upon them again. He was ready and swiped with his new, reforged blade. There was a terrible roaring from the creature and commotion erupted in the chamber, as they witnessed King David slice off one of the creature's wings. The Chernabog squawked in wounded agony and then breathed a stream of fire toward David. This time, he walked toward the fire and to everyone's amazement, he batted the attack away, sending it harmlessly to the ceiling and the creature's glowing red eyes widened in horror. David ran at him and made several more swipes at the creature. The slices he had made glowed white with power and the creature roared the most terrible screech anyone had ever heard, as it exploded into oblivion.
"He did it…" Persephone uttered in shock.
"He killed the Black God...it was never meant for a God to do," Hades added.
"It would seem that mortals have a new champion. Funny...we probably should have guessed it would be Snow's true love," Demeter mentioned.
"Prometheus was nothing if not wily and poetic in his ways. He chose his successor well," Hades agreed. As the smoke cleared from the Chernabog, Claude Frollo's now perfectly mortal form remained and though he was singed and covered in soot, he glared up at the young man that had become his ultimate nemesis.
"What...what have you done?!" he cried, as he looked at his hands and mourned the loss of his power.
"You no longer have any power and you're under arrest," David stated. But the crafty old Judge wasn't about to be taken to prison.
"Oh this isn't over, Your Majesty. You and your precious Snow White will pay," he growled, as David advanced, but the old man tossed a vial of potion on the ground, instantly filling the entire chamber with a harmless smoke. But when it cleared, he had managed to make a clever escape.
"Damn him…" David hissed and then felt his wife's hand on his arm.
"We'll get him...you saved us all, my love," she said, as she welcomed him pulling her into his arms.
"Especially me…but then you've always been my hero," she said, as her eyes filled with un-shed tears and he caressed her face.
"There was no way I could ever let you go...and my heart was already yours. Putting half of it in your chest seemed like the natural thing to do," he replied, as she crushed her lips against his. He pressed her flush against him and kissed her hard and passionately, drinking her in and praying he would never get as close as he did to losing her again, all while she prayed for the same with him.
"I hate to interrupt, but we still have the matter of King Arthur," Rumple reminded, as they pulled apart reluctantly. As all the attention turned to Arthur again, he surprised his wife and tried to run for the nearest exit. But he was immobilized by the magic of the Dark One.
"Sorry dearie...it's time for all your dirty little secrets to air," he mused, as he released him. Arthur turned and glared at them all.
"I don't have to answer to any of you! I am King of Camelot!" he spat angrily.
"Prove it...brandish the magnificent Excalibur for us all to see," Hades stated and that's when Arthur got nervous again.
"And if you won't do it...then David will," he added. David looked at him in surprise.
"It's Excalibur...I didn't think just anyone could wield it," he admonished.
"They can't, but the Promethean flame chose you and reforged your weapon. It now rivals or perhaps even surpasses the power of Excalibur now," Hades said.
"Nothing can rival Excalibur! It is my birthright! I pulled it from the stone!" Arthur ranted.
"Then why are you flipping out? Sounds like you should have nothing to worry about if that's the case," Emma surmised, as her father approached the other King.
"Stand down...one nick from the blade of Excalibur and it will kill you," Arthur warned.
"Then show me," David said, as the other man recoiled, but David managed to grasp the hilt and extracted it from its sheath. Gasps of disbelief reverberated through the chamber, as Excalibur was revealed to be broken.
"This is what you've been hiding?" David asked.
"You don't understand! Camelot is mine to rule! Merlin himself deemed that I would be King when I pulled Excalibur from the stone," Arthur explained.
"But perhaps you can understand the utter disappointment I felt when I pulled this broken sword from the stone," he added.
"So you hid it from your people and ruled anyway?" Snow asked.
"He knew he couldn't hide it long so that's where this came in," Hades said, as he held up the red dust in the vial.
"Camelot and his own Queen are currently under the effects of the sands of Avalon," he continued.
"Arthur is Camelot's true King. Excalibur is his birthright," Guinevere defended her husband.
"No...ruling is never a birthright. We just learned that in the Southern Isles. The family born into ruling there has continuously failed their people. Ruling is a privilege and one that it sounds like you have lost the right to," Snow said regally.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Persephone agreed.
"As a King, it's your duty to release your people from the effects of this magical sand. If you don't, you'll force us to do it for you," David announced. But Arthur smirked at that.
"Except that you cannot...or the Gods would have done so already, am I correct?" he questioned and Hades glowered at him.
"He's not wrong...the Sands of Avalon are beyond our power, because they were created by the Lady of the Lake. She is an immortal being as well," he admitted.
"You can't be disingenuous with your people like this. It's not fair to them," David argued.
"Then help me reforge Excalibur. Now that you possess the Promethean flame, you have the power to do this," Arthur offered.
"It's not quite that simple," Persephone admonished.
"She's right...to do so, you'd need the other half of it and reunite them," Hades added.
"And where is the other half?" David asked and Rumple answered by taking the dagger out of his inside pocket. His eyes widened.
"The dagger is the other half of Excalibur?" he asked in disbelief. Rumple nodded.
"Merlin snapped Excalibur in half centuries ago to tether the darkness to it," he explained.
"Why?" Belle asked.
"To contain it...and keep it from getting out of control. I may have done some things in my time as the Dark One, but some of my predecessors were far worse than me," Rumple answered.
"And what would happen if the dagger would be rejoined with Excalibur?" David asked. Rumple looked at him with a pregnant pause in the air.
"I would die," he responded. David nodded.
"Well, then that's not going to happen," he refuted.
"What?" Arthur questioned.
"You have the opportunity to kill the Dark One once and for all and you're not going to do it?" the other King questioned.
"The "Dark One" as you put is not only a friend, but part of our family. He just helped me save my wife and we share a grandson. I'm not killing anyone for you, let alone someone we care about," David announced. Belle smiled and leaned her head against Rumple's arm.
"And yet you have the audacity to call me a deceitful King when you protect the Dark One!" Arthur announced.
"That's right...King David protects the Dark One!" he shouted.
"My husband also just saved the United Realms from the threat of the Chernabog and he owes you nothing. If Merlin broke Excalibur...then I'm sure he had a good reason," Snow argued.
"A good reason?!" Arthur snarled, as he advanced on her, but David stopped him with a stern look.
"I'd check your tone, if you know what's good for you," David warned.
"It doesn't matter anyway. Camelot is mine to rule and if you try and stop me...it will be war," the dark haired King warned, as he and Guinevere stormed out, all while passing Lancelot, which was awkward at best.
"Is there a way to free the people from the sands of Avalon spell?" Snow asked her parents.
"Not that we know of, snowdrop...but we'll be looking for an answer," Persephone promised, as Lancelot moved into the room.
"Your Majesties...there is two people that have arrived here and are insisting that they must speak with you both," he said.
"Who are they?" Snow asked.
"I'm not sure...I don't know of them, but they have a very wild story. The woman is calling herself the Author. She says it means something," he responded.
"What is her name?" Hades asked with great interest.
"She says her name is Annie Grimm and she is with her brother, Adrian," he responded.
"Why are the Grimms in Storybrooke?" Persephone whispered to her husband.
"I don't know...but it must be important if they risked breaking the oath of the Author," he whispered back.
"The Author?" Emma asked.
"I think it will be easier to explain once we hear why they are here," Hades suggested. Lancelot nodded and went to retrieve the mysterious pair.
Claude Frollo escaped into the woods on horseback, deciding that his destination would be the only place he could go for now. Bald Mountain. He wouldn't be able to stay there long, for he was certain that Hades and Persephone would look there for him first. But he needed his research and the Cauldron if he was going to salvage any of his work. He no longer had the magic and power of the Chernabog at his fingertips. But he was still a brilliant man and he was certain science could still lead to his salvation. He seethed at his outing by that demon family, but he was far from done. He would prevail in the end. He would gather his research and the cauldron, absconding into anonymity for now. But when he returned, it would be with the power of science behind him and then he would bring justice to all the lands.
While they waited, David's parents brought the children in as it was now mostly deemed safe and they spent a few moments with their babies. He watched Snow hold their son, while he held their baby girl and felt tears come to his eyes. The fact that this almost wasn't possible; that he had almost lost her was still very fresh in his mind. They had been the worst two minutes of his life and he had lamented how he would not only have to go on without her, but tell their two small children that their mother was gone. Thankfully, thanks to the magic and incredible strength of their true love, he didn't have to do that.
"I luv you, mama…" Xander murmured, as she rocked him gently and kissed his forehead.
"I love you too, baby," she said, as she cuddled him and then met his eyes. He sat down beside her with the baby and kissed her tenderly, conveying the words he couldn't find at the moment to her with that gesture. She smiled at him once their lips parted, just as Lancelot escorted a pair of people into the chamber. And they bowed to them.
"Your Majesties…" Annie greeted, as her eyes were wide with wonder at their surreal situation. She still couldn't believe she was here.
"You're the current author?" Persephone questioned. She nodded.
"So you wrote Henry's book?" Snow asked curiously.
"Not in its entirety and not really wrote, but rather recorded. You see, the job of the author is to record events for the realms of story as they happen. It's forbidden to manipulate events to our own liking," she explained.
"The Order of Grimm goes back to our ancestors, the first authors," Adrian added.
"You mean like the brothers Grimm?" Emma questioned and he nodded.
"Exactly. The pen is passed on to a worthy candidate and not every author has been a Grimm, but many have. A lot of those authors go on to create their own versions of the stories they have recorded," he explained.
"We even had one that our father had to subvert, because he broke the oath of the author and almost manipulated events. It would have had devastating consequences," she added.
"Yes...but technically, you two are breaking the oath by even being here and someone with Grimm blood wouldn't do this lightly," Hades interjected. She nodded.
"You're right...we were brought here against our will," she revealed.
"By who?" David questioned.
"Mushu...also known out in the Land Without Magic as the Dragon," Adrian answered.
"Mushu has turned on us?" Persephone questioned in surprise. Annie nodded.
"I think he wants to free Circe and revive the Home Office," she informed them.
"And he planned to force you to use your abilities as the author to get his way, I'm guessing," Hades stated. She nodded.
"Fortunately, he let his guard down and Greg Mendell gave me the opportunity to write us an escape. I doubt he'll stop though," she warned.
"Greg Mendell...can't believe he's still wandering around. Why would he still even be here?" David asked.
"He's probably still obsessed with proving that I killed his father," Regina surmised.
"But the bones are gone. You saw to that," David recalled.
"Yes...I dissolved the remains before Zelena's curse to take care of their evidence," Rumple remembered. But Annie winced.
"Actually...that happens to be where consequences of Zelena's spell come into play," she said.
"What do you mean?" Snow asked, as the young woman opened to a page in the book that took place approximately three years ago.
"When everyone was brought back, I guess those remains were brought back too. Greg and his detective friend dug them up and sent them off to the FBI lab," she said.
"Detective friend?" Emma questioned.
"How the hell did we miss something like this?" Persephone asked her husband.
"Well, normally we don't concern ourselves much with the day to day operations of ordinary mortals," he reminded.
"And if they're sneaking around while we're dealing with all the other chaos around here...it would be hard to know. A LOT was happening at this time three years ago," David added.
"Who is this detective?" Emma asked, circling back to that.
"His name is Landon Griffin and he's the guy that got the e-mail when Derek Jefferies didn't report in," Adrian said, as he googled the guy on his phone and then handed it to her.
"Disgraced detective from Portland," Emma said, as she scanned the information on him.
"Let me guess...he's here to expose this place and make a name for himself?" she asked.
"Oh yeah...he's got a ton of footage of magic happening and surveillance," Annie regrettably informed them.
"Perfect...I want to talk to this guy now," David decided, as he sheathed his sword and Snow took his hand.
"I'm going with you...I think we should try to plead to his humanity. I doubt threatening him is going to work," she admonished.
"Not sure this guy has much humanity, Mom, but we can try," Emma replied.
"We'll go as a family. It nearing dinner time. I'll bet we can find them at Granny's," she suggested. She nodded.
"You coming?" Neal asked. He nodded.
"Yeah...I'll get Tallie and Henry," he agreed.
"Be careful," Persephone pleaded. Snow nodded.
"We will. It might do any good, but maybe if they finally know that we're onto them, they'll rethink their next move," she hoped.
"Meanwhile, we need to find Mushu and confront him as well," Hades suggested.
"There is more that you should know regarding him, or the Home Office rather," Annie said.
"What more could there be? Most of them are in prison, including Circe," Belle inquired.
"Unfortunately, the Home Office is just the tip of the iceberg. It's just a faction created by Circe of a much bigger secret group," Adrian replied.
"Grimms have been fighting against this order since almost the beginning," Annie added.
"What do they want?" Snow asked.
"They want the book, the authorship, and basically the power to control all the realms of story," she replied. Adrian nodded.
"They want to manage and control all people, places, and creatures thought to be just fictional or mythical characters.
"They go back a very long time. They're embroiled deeply in all things supernatural and even in this realm's archeological pursuits," she explained.
"Like exploring ancient Egypt and stuff like that?" Neal asked. They nodded.
"Ancient Egypt, Greece, Peru, Central America. Basically any civilization that has left behind mysterious items and culture. The realms of story fascinate them the most though and this order has been led by the same man for the last two centuries," Annie informed them.
"How is that possible? Is this person an immortal?" David questioned.
"No...he just runs his operation mostly from a realm where time stands still," Adrian answered and they looked at the Gods.
"And the only realm that isn't here with all the others," Hades realized.
"Mom...do you know what realm they're talking about?" Snow asked.
"I'm afraid so, snowdrop. It's a place called the Land of Untold Stories. Time does not move there," Persephone revealed.
"Does this group have a name? Beside the Home Office?" Emma questioned. They nodded.
"They call themselves the Order of the Jackal. Anubis is kind of a mascot of sorts," Annie answered.
"And who is this leader?" David asked. Annie and Adrian exchanged a glance.
"Dr. Henry Jekyll…" they answered.