The very next morning, Maleficent and Hades rode the ferry through the River Styx; they were going to speak with the Fates about Hades' vision the night before. Charon stayed silent as he rowed the boat down the river, Maleficent sat with her hands folded in her lap and her long sleeves covering her baby bump, and Hades stood at the front and kept a watchful eye.

"You didn't have to come with me, you know. It might not be safe." He commented, glancing back at her.

"I refuse to let you walk through this alone. We do this together." She replied, reaching out and taking his hand.

He happily smirked in response. They soon arrived at the steps leading up to Hades' palace. He helped hoist his wife out of the ferry and onto the dock, readying himself to catch her if she stumbled or fell. She leaned in closer and whispered into his ear,

"I am pregnant, not helpless."

Hand in hand, the couple then ascended the stairs and entered the throne room to see the Fates waiting for them; they were just about to cut another thread of life.

"Hold it good and tight, that's it." Atropos said before she finally made the snip.

A male scream could be heard from above and soon enough, the ghostly soul of a dead man flew into the throne room through a hole in the ceiling, whooshed past the evil couple, and made its way down another set of stairs where the soul counter above the door changed from 49,999,999 to 50,000,000. Hades rolled his eyes.

'There goes another one.' He thought before turning to the trio of crones; he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Yes, Hades?" Clotho asked, sounding annoyed.

"You wanted to speak with us?" Lachesis added.

He was very reluctant, but Maleficent giving his hand a gentle squeeze was what he needed to press onward. The pair approached.

"Ladies. I'm sorry to summon you like this, but… my wife and I have something very important to discuss with you three." He started.

"Does it have something to do… with your unborn child?" Atropos asked.

Hades and Maleficent's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"…You already knew?" Maleficent asked.

"Of course we did! We see all, remember?" Lachesis said mockingly while Hades pinched the bridge of his nose; he knew there was no point in arguing with them anymore at this point. "You're worried about your child's well-being, and we understand."

"We also understand you had a vision the night before, right Hades?" Clotho asked.

"Yes." Hades answered. "In my dream… I saw her mother and my father. They said they wanted to take my…" He glanced at Maleficent. "I mean, our baby away from us. I have no idea what this would mean, but I wanna be on the safe side. I just have to know… is there a possibility that this vision could come to pass?"

Clotho was about to say something, but Atropos quickly stopped her. "Don't you remember what happened the last time we revealed the future for you?"

"Yes. It's forbidden for a reason. And we're not making THAT mistake again." Lachesis added, folding her arms.

Hades felt so desperate that he could've very well snatched the eyeball from the three hags so he could see for himself, but Maleficent quickly stopped him and stepped forward.

"Allow me, love." She turned back to the Fates with her eyes narrowed. "Ladies, I understand gazing into the future is forbidden, but PLEASE. Can you not make just one more exception? Hades and I just fear for our child's safety." She placed one hand on her abdomen.

The trio of sisters paused in thought before huddling together to whisper their thoughts to one another. Hades and Maleficent couldn't hear what they were saying, but at the same time, they had a good idea of what it was. After a few moments, the Fates turned back to the couple.

"Well… we talked it over and we've decided that we can't give you an entire vision. But what we're going to do is let you see only a fraction of a vision. Nothing more." Atropos said as she removed the shared eyeball out of her socket.

"And since we're breaking the rules here, we advise you two to take this with a grain of salt, at least. You know how it is." Lachesis added.

"If it'll help keep our kid safe, then just show us already!" Hades shouted.

"Alright, alright! Just give us a second." Clotho said as she took the eyeball from her sister.

She held the eyeball in her hand, it started to glow, and after a moment, a vision began to appear before the couple. They saw towering flames that were bright purple in hue and a dark silhouette emerged from the inferno. The figure opened its eyes, which glowed a bright emerald green, and let out a horrible roar combined with a guttural scream before transforming into a winged dragon-like creature. The image quickly faded and the eyeball fell back into Clotho's open hand. Hades and Maleficent blinked a few times, unsure of what they had just seen.

"…What was that?" Hades asked.

"You'll find out… in the future." Lachesis said.

"And one more thing, Hades. You should drop in on your father, just in case." Atropos said before she and her sisters disappeared.

After a few long moments of dead silence, Hades turned to his wife.

"Well… that wasn't much help." He commented.

"You're right, I suppose it wasn't." Maleficent replied before she remembered what Atropos told them. She glanced at him. "…Should we do as they say?"

"No, already out of the question! I swore I would never speak to him, look at him, or even go near him again." Hades quickly said, his hair flaring up.

"Would you rather have me speak to him instead?" She raised an eyebrow.

"NO! No way, never!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eye, a glint of raw terror and anger in his bright yellow orbs. His flaming hair flickered and sparked as he spoke. "I can't! I won't let you! Who knows what he'll do if he finds out about you? …Or the baby?"

"But Cronus is imprisoned and powerless, you've said so yourself. What terrible things could he possibly do in his current situation?"

"Yeah, but…"

Hades paused and thought long and hard. The last time he had seen his father was centuries ago and he was battered, beaten, and in chains along with his brothers as they were taken to Tartarus. They all looked weak and pathetic, especially Cronus. And if Maleficent was right, then the Titans should still be in their own respective cells the way he left them. He looked at her and glanced down at her pregnant stomach. If he wanted to keep his child safe, he realized his wife and the Fates had the right idea. He sighed and pulled her close.

"Maybe you're right. I'll go check, but on two conditions. I'm just gonna check his cell to see if there's anything outta place, I won't talk to him or even glance his way. And you have to stay outside the gates where it's safe, okay?" He asked.

Even though she wanted to stand by her husband, she reluctantly agreed. "Very well. But if he attempts to do anything foolish like a fruitless escape plan, I would be more than happy to place a curse upon him for you… if you'd like." She gave him a mischievous smile.

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "We'll see." He unconsciously placed a protective hand on her abdomen.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Wait here, babe. This won't take long." Hades kissed his wife's hands and reluctantly walked through the gates of Tartarus, leaving Maleficent alone in the ferry at the dock to wait for him.

"Take care." She whispered as she unconsciously placed a hand on her belly.

Tartarus was known as a prison with the highest security in all of the Cosmos and it was reserved only for the worst of the worst. The most evil and ruthless creatures and deities were locked up in here, including the most evil of the original Titans, Cronus. It was a miracle in itself that Hades himself didn't end up here along with them. As Hades made his way through the fiery halls, he kept his eyes forward and blocked out the incessant screaming and pained crying coming from the prisoners to the best of his ability. After walking for what felt like hours, he finally made it to his father's cell. It was a simple square room with three stone walls for the back and on the left and right sides and a wall made of thick iron bars was in place of the fourth. Cronus was right in the center of the cell, chained to what looked like an operating table leaning up against the wall adjacent to the glass. He also wore a leather mask that covered his mouth and nose, but still had a handful of small holes in it so he would breathe. Hades took in a shaky breath; being anywhere near Cronus was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but the safety of his wife and unborn child was his main priority, so he came anyway. Cronus' black hair and beard were a knotted mess, his complexion was a paler shade of green, his breathing seemed shallow, and his eyes were shut; he must've been asleep.

'Perfect. Hopefully he won't notice me.' Hades thought as he started to quickly inspect the cell for any little breaches, gaps, holes, or crevices Cronus could possibly use to his advantage.

But as he was scanning the enclosure, a violent shiver ran down his spine as he heard a faint, but haunting chuckle from behind him. A craggily, weak voice croaked out,

"Hello, little bonfire."

'No. No, no, no, no. Not now. Anything but this.' Hades thought, not daring to turn around or even speak.

Cronus tricked his son by using his oldest idea in the book and yet, the flame-headed God fell for it every time. This greatly pleased the former King of the Cosmos and even though his mask obstructed it, he gave a wicked smile.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to greet your old man?" He asked mockingly.

Before Hades could even draw in a shaky breath, a familiar voice confidently bellowed,

"He has nothing to say to you."

Hades turned his head to see Maleficent calmly walking towards him and Cronus' cell. Her brow was furrowed, her yellow and green eyes were burning with anger, and if looks could kill, her furious glare would've made Cronus croak within seconds. Hades quickly ran up to his wife.

"Babe, what are you doing? I told you to wait outside." He whispered.

She didn't speak; she merely stroked his face with her free hand and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek to comfort him before turning back to the task at hand. She stopped a few inches away from the cell; she could feel the heat radiating from the iron bars. Cronus was very confused, but he remained silent; whoever this woman was, he believed she was no match for him, even in his current state. And it was clear to him that she and Hades were together. The wicked Titan snarled at her through his mask, but Maleficent remained calm as the orb in her scepter began to glow.

"If you dare to escape and come near me or Hades, I will not hesitate to tear you apart limb from limb and burn the pieces until nothing but divine ashes and dust remain." She said before closing her eyes. She then started to speak, but it was merely a very soft whisper so neither Hades nor Cronus could understand was she was saying.

As Maleficent spoke, a purplish blue colored mist slowly appeared from her scepter, flew over to Cronus, and swirled around his head until it was completely engulfed in the magical fog. A few moments passed and she stopped whispering. After a few long moments of silence, the mist disappeared… and Cronus was completely silent. Hades cautiously approached his wife and he soon noticed that his father was asleep, but he didn't look peaceful. He looked at her.

"What… did you just do?" He asked.

Maleficent then took his arm and led him away from the cell before saying, "A death-like sleep spell coupled with a special dose of a nightmare hex. Nothing to brag about, but it should keep him occupied for quite a while." She smiled a wicked smirk.

He grinned and held her close. "Babe, you… are a true evil genius."

She blushed.