Here is the next chapter!
Thank you so much for all the favorites, followers, and reviews! I didn't expect so many for this story with only the first chapter. I sincerely hope all of you enjoys this story and chapter. I will try to update on either Tuesdays or Wednesdays; that means if it's not updated on Tuesday, I haven't finished the chapter yet and will update Wednesday.
These next couple chapters will probably be little tidbits of their relationship growing, as the main plot will start to pick up maybe during Maleficent's pregnancy? I'm not entirely sure yet. I do know that I have an extremely cute idea that will appear in this chapter. Let's just say Maleficent has a small fear that Hades helps her get over, sort of.
On a side note: I'm PISSED! You know how they had the beginning and ending dedications to Cameron Boyce in Descendants 3? They edited it out of the TV airings! You don't see any other film editing out their dedications to the main actor or actress of their film! It's disrespectful!
Anyways, once again, thank you so much and I hope this story doesn't disappoint.
Enjoy!
Hades and Maleficent made plans to tour the marketplace the next day. Depending on how Maleficent felt with all of her opened injuries, they would spend the rest of the week touring the island. Since they wouldn't be going on their 'date' until tomorrow, Hades left the house for half an hour to get medicine, bandages, etc. for Maleficent's wounds.
"It is not a date!" Maleficent defensively shouted when the god returned. "I wish you would quit saying that!"
Hades snickered at the fairy's brash reaction. He's only known her for less than two hours, but he already loved teasing her. "Sorry," he apologized insincerely with a small handsome smile. "It's just so much fun."
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Maleficent struggled to change her position on the cot. Hades wordlessly lifted her in his arms bridal style before carefully setting her on the worn-out couch. Out of instinct, the fairy smacked his arm for doing such a thing without asking, though she had something else on her mind at the moment.
When the god moved her, he briefly touched some of her gashes. In the days that she's been on the Isle of the Lost—twenty-three at that point—they've been aching nonstop, giving her not an ounce of relief. However, when Hades grazed them for only that short period of time, the pain went away momentarily.
Why?
Although she was deep in thought, Maleficent managed to grab the roll of bandages the god threw at her without looking his way.
"Nice catch," Hades complimented as he sat the rest of the medical supplies on the coffee table in front of her. "While you patch yourself up, I'm gonna start dinner."
Maleficent raised an amused eyebrow. "You are going to cook? Do you know how?"
"I'm a god," he reminded for the fifth time that day. "I know everything."
"Except when you are not wanted," Maleficent retorted.
Hades scoffed. "If you wanted me to leave, you would have kicked me out a long time ago. You are caving instead."
"Looks like you truly do not know everything," Maleficent bantered, though she rolled her eyes in defeat. "Try not to burn anything down. This building is all I have."
"You have me," the god reassured offhandedly, flashing the famous smile that made the fairy's heart skip a beat yet again. "Food will be ready in twenty."
"Help me to my room first," Maleficent ordered, though she didn't sound or look so menacing in her current condition.
With a light shake of his head, Hades helped the fairy stand. Once Maleficent—though unbalanced—was on her feet, the god offered his arm, as though he was about to escort her to a royal event. Hesitating for a moment, Maleficent entwined her arm with his, allowing him to lead her away.
Right as Hades finished the meal for two, he barely heard Maleficent calling his name, requesting his assistance to bandage a wound she could not reach. When he entered her bedroom, his heart dropped in sorrow while his blood boiled in fury.
Maleficent—with her back facing the door—had raised the back of her shirt just above her largest laceration. Her gorgeous brown hair was draped over her left shoulder so Hades could get a clear look of what he was dealing with.
Remember those 'nubs' he described before?
They were much larger than he originally thought. They started at the top of her shoulder blades and melded flat with her skin just above the lower back. The wound Hades saw before was merely a small portion of the worst disfigurement he's ever seen.
"The more I see of what that bastard did to you," Hades growled as his anger continued to grow, "the more I want to kill him."
For the second time that say, the god had his breath taken away by fairy yet again.
Maleficent had peered over her shoulder, her green eyes glowing a much brighter and vibrant hue, with an amused smirk on her face as she cooed, "Not before I do . . ."
Oh, how Hades wished she would just cave!
Within the first month of knowing each other, Hades and Maleficent learned a bit more about each other.
With Maleficent, Hades learned the reason why she wears that strange head-piece that hides her hair. Apparently, that is actually a crown to prove that she is a queen; the Mistress of Evil. When asked why she doesn't wear the crown around him in her home, Maleficent insisted that—although he's annoying—she trusts and respects him.
With Hades, Maleficent learned about his strange taste in music. On a random afternoon, he started playing loud, obnoxious music from a foreign contraption Maleficent never seen before. After one complaint, Hades reluctantly agreed to only play the music at his 'lair', since he was staying in the extra room in her home.
However . . . Maleficent really learned about his traumatic past.
One night, about a month after the two initially met, Hades had been thrashing around in his bed from a terrible nightmare. Suddenly, he gasped awake. With his heart pounding, the god slowly rose to a sit-up position, covered head to toe in sweat. Seeing movement from the corner of his eye, Hades turned his head slightly to see Maleficent leaning against the doorway with a blanket wrapped around her frail figure.
"You were screaming in your sleep," she informed as she laid her head against the door frame. "Bad dream?"
"Just the same dream I've been having for the past four or five eons," he corrected after catching his breath. "I've lost count."
"Well . . ." Maleficent began as she slowly strolled forward, taking a seat at the edge of his bed, "it's only a few minutes pass midnight and neither one of us will be going back to sleep soon . . . do you want to talk about it?"
Hades sighed, hoping it would help lift an unbearable weight off his shoulder. "Might as well. It will make us even for you telling your story. Mine starts with my father, Kronos . . ."
Turns out . . . the god had it worse than the fairy ever did.
Hades's father—Kronos, the King of Titans—feared that one of his children would eventually overrule him. To prevent that from happening, he swallowed his children one by one every time one was born—which was the nightmare Hades had been dreaming. Hades's youngest brother—Zeus, King of Olympus—managed to trick their father into regurgitating Hades and his four other siblings. They managed to defeat their father and prevent him from terrorizing them ever again.
A short time later, the three brothers—Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus—basically raffled for control over different realms. Zeus won the sky, making him the god of sky, lightning, and thunder and gained the title of King of the Gods. Poseidon won the sea, making him the god of sea, storms, and earthquakes and gained the title King of the Seas.
Hades received the leftover territory, the Underworld, despite being the eldest brother. As King of the Underworld, he was forced to oversea the lost souls that died in the realm of the living and sometimes helped to determine if a soul should be reborn or live in a place equivalent to heaven and hell. Although he became known as the god of the dead, Hades somehow became the god of riches and the wealth of the earth; for example the jewels and gems that lived under the surface of the earth.
As time passed, Hades felt exiled from his siblings and the other gods. The only time he was allowed to visit Olympus was on the summer and winter solstice. He was not allowed a seat on the Olympian Council, even though he was one of the eldest gods in existence.
To make matters worse, his nephew—Hercules, the son of Zeus—lied about what happened between them. Hercules made Hades out to be a villain that attempted to turn him mortal. In reality, Hercules lost his immortality after he killed his wife while being possessed. Hades had been the one to help him regain his immortality and even offered his three-headed dog, Cerberus, to help the 'demigod' with his impossible tasks. Once he was a god again, Hercules told everyone—immortal and mortal—that Hades had been the one to take away his powers and attempted to murder the new mortal woman he so-called 'loved'.
Sadly, everyone believed the child of Zeus over the King of the Underworld. Well . . . almost everyone. Zeus and Poseidon did not believe such horrible accusations, considering all the times their eldest brother helped them in their times of need. But what could they do? Their doubt and disbelief were overshadowed by the tale of the 'Great Hero of Olympus'. To keep the peace among the Olympian Council and the mortals in Auradon, Hades willingly volunteered to live on the Isle of the Lost, though he believed the gods would be running to him for help with maintaining the Underworld.
"There is one last secret that you should know about me," Hades added after a brief moment of silence. " 'Hades' was not my first name."
Maleficent tilted her head in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"Back when the mortals first came into existence, they changed the names of all the gods," Hades informed. "Though, no one really knows why they did. Some of the gods believed their simple minds couldn't yet pronounce our real names. Since those mortals helped to spread our stories, we decided to use the names they gave us. The very first mortals, which was a small handful at the time, were the only ones that knew our real name."
Hades smiled playfully at the fairy. "Since I want you to cave before me, I guess I will tell you my real name; that way only you can call me it."
Maleficent raised an eyebrow at his somewhat-bold flirtatious implications. "As if a name could change who you are or anything between us."
The god chuckled at her stubbornness. "Aidoneus," he declared. "That is my first name."
The fairy blinked in surprise at hearing it. "Fine," she admitted reluctantly. " 'Hades' does make you sound like a villain while 'Aidoneus'—"
"Makes you want to give us a chance?" Hades teased, though there was a hint of hope in his tone.
Maleficent rolled her eyes. "Not a chance."
BOOM!
The fairy jumped at the loud clap of thunder while the god hadn't even noticed the frightful storm brewing outside. When another, yet smaller, thunder sounded, Maleficent flinched, helping Hades to draw an amusing conclusion.
"You," he began with a mischievous smirk, "the great 'Mistress of Evil', is scared of a thunderstorm?"
"I've never experienced one before," the fairy confessed almost bashfully. "I had created a small rainstorm in the cottage to create chaos among the three good fairies, but it was nothing like this."
Maleficent flinched again at another shout of thunder, causing the god to snicker. He found it adorable! The most feared villain on the Isle was afraid of something that comes and goes naturally—or whenever his brother had one of his temper fits.
"You can stay with me in my bed if you'd like," Hades offered good-naturedly, but added with a dramatic and exasperated sigh, "And I promise I won't try to do anything that will make you fall absolutely in love with me."
Maleficent bit back a snarky retort and instead barked, "Get to your side."
With another snicker, Hades moved to one side of the bed so the fairy could have the other. He even gave up his favorite pillow and his extra blanket to make her feel comfortable. However, Maleficent continued to toss and turn, not finding a suitable position that made her feel content or relaxed.
Eventually, the fairy turned toward the god, accidentally nudging his arm. After a moment or two, she unconsciously scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she laid a hand on his chest.
Hades chuckled at the action, and took a big risk by wrapping his arm around her frail figure. " 'Not a chance'?" he reminded questionably as he felt her move even closer to him.
With a soft sigh, Maleficent mumbled sleepily, "Good-night . . . Aidoneus."
The fairy fell 'asleep' moments after while the god slowly started to drift off, thinking about how much he loved hearing her say his name.
On instinct, Hades kissed the top of her head, muttering, "Good-night . . . my queen. . ."
The god fell into a slumber soon after—
Not knowing Maleficent had smiled at her new 'name'.