Chapter 13
As the boat floated down the River Styx, Belle heard Hades call her name, and she almost turned back. She'd never heard him call out to her that way, hurt and alone. But being away from Hades wasn't going to be the hardest part. That would come when she would have to face Hercules and Meg. Papa will understand though. He'll know I'm telling the truth when I tell him that I love Hades and that he needs me.
As the boat docked, Belle couldn't help but crying softly. Would Hades really be alright without her? He had been heartbroken when she left. Suddenly, Charon, the skeleton that had been rowing the boat began to speak. According to Hades, he almost never did.
"Miss, I hope you don't think I'm being too pushy, but it is vital that you come back as soon as possible, tomorrow if you could. The boss needs you, and he won't take it so well if you're gone for a long time."
"I promised him that I would be back soon, but why tomorrow? When I mentioned possibly being gone a week, Hades didn't say anything against it." Belle said, confused. If Hades needed her back sooner, wouldn't he have told her?
"Well, uh, tomorrow is his birthday, and I'm sure the day would be much better for him if you were there." Charon said nervously. Hades' birthday was part of the reason, but the truth was that if Belle didn't confess that she loved him tomorrow, all hope was lost for everyone. And most likely, Hecate, Queen of the Night and an evil witch, would take over the Underworld instead. Hades was better than Hecate any day. After all, as Pain and Panic had once said to Hercules, "the devil you know is a lot better than the devil you don't." Charon didn't know Hecate well, but he had heard enough about her to know that she was trouble.
"Charon, I will do my best to be back tomorrow. And something tells me it is not just his birthday that is important about tomorrow. By the way, do I owe you a coin for this?'
"No, miss. You ride free, always. Hades' orders."
"Well, tell him I said thank you. I will see all of you again soon."
When Belle got to the forest, she found her father lying in the snow, cold and weak. Suddenly, she wished that there was a horse that they could ride back to town on. Otherwise, it would be a long walk for both of them.
Suddenly, a black stallion came trotting through the forest. Belle smiled. Hades. Thank you. She would have to remember to thank him again when she got back home. Belle startled at the thought. The Underworld was home? No, she decided, home is where Hades is, which just happens to be the Underworld.
Belle and Maurice rode the horse through the forest and back to the cottage. Once there, Belle helped her father to his room and gently placed some blankets over him.
"Belle, you're back!" He exclaimed and sat up in his bed as Belle hugged him.
"I missed you so much, Papa!"
"I thought I'd never see you again, Belle!"
"It's alright, Papa. He let me go."
"That horrible beast?" Maurice immediately became angry with the very mention of Hades.
"Hades isn't a beast, Papa. He's kind and gentle now. Actually, he's the reason we got back to the cottage at all. That horse we rode back was from him. We're actually…"
But Belle didn't get a chance to finish. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. When Belle opened it, Hercules and Meg walked in.
"Oh Belle, I'm so glad you're here. Papa said you were in trouble and that you were trapped with Hades. How did you escape?"
"Meg, I'm glad to see you too. I didn't escape. He let me go."
"Belle, are you talking about the same Hades that I fought for all those years? He would never just let anyone go. Not without making some kind of deal." Hercules said.
"We didn't make any deals, Hercules. But I promised that I would come back to him."
"I knew it. Don't worry, Belle. If you take me with you to the Underworld, I can fight him again and you won't have to go back permanently."
"Hercules, do you always have to rush right into a fight? I am choosing to go back because I love him."
"Belle, that's impossible. Hades can't love. He can't feel anything except hatred. Everyone knows that."
"Hercules, you don't know him, not like I do. Maybe if you weren't always fighting him and actually talked to him you would understand. He loves me too and he needs me right now, no matter what you say!"
After she said that, she swore that she'd never seen anyone's jaw drop lower. Meg looked away, as if she were going to be sick. Typical reaction of her, yet overly dramatic of Hercules. Maurice looked shocked as well, but his reaction was nothing like that of the other two.
"Belle, I can't let you put yourself in danger by going back. And besides, he's tricked you, I'm sure of it! Who would willingly want to be with him?"
"I do. Look, Hercules, now is not the time to be a hero. Especially because I don't need one! I'm sorry, but since none of you will listen to me, I'm leaving."
"Belle, wait. I believe you. And I will go with you. If you say you love him and that he loves you back, that is all I need to know." Maurice stood next to Belle, proud that for once she was standing up for herself.
"But sir…" Hercules started.
"Hercules, I have made my choice. You and Meg may come with us or you may stay here. But I am going with Belle." Belle smiled and hugged her father. She knew he would understand. But suddenly, the moment was ruined, and Gaston walked in.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. You've finally come back home, Belle. Now we can finally be married, just as your father promised."
"I'm sorry, Gaston, but I can't allow you to marry Belle. I said you could marry her when you rescued her from the Underworld and since you didn't, I don't see why Belle should have to marry you."
"Maurice, surely you are joking. There's no one in town who could be a better husband to Belle than me."
"Gaston, I am quite serious. And as for marrying someone in town, I don't think Belle has someone from around here in mind, do you Belle?" Maurice asked.
"Oh Papa, are you serious? You will allow him to marry me?"
"If he has truly had a change of heart and can prove that to me, then I see no reason why not."
"Sir, you're not serious! You would rather have that monster Hades for a son-in-law? You are even crazier than I thought you were!"
"Maurice, you can't be serious. This is Hades we are talking about. He is not the right person for Belle. He's dangerous." Hercules agreed stubbornly.
"I will let Belle be the judge of that, Hercules. And if you're not going to help, then please stay out of this!" Maurice said, frustrated. Even though Hercules had married his daughter, sometimes he just frustrated him to no end with his heroic attitude.
"Hades is far better than you will ever be Gaston! At least I will be happy with him! I could never be happy with you. He's kind and gentle. And I love him."
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you have feelings for this monster."
"He's no monster, Gaston, you are!"
"Belle, I can't allow you to go back to someone so horrible. I refuse to let Hades win! Now hand over that mirror!" Gaston yelled.
"What makes you think I'll give it to you?" Belle demanded. She couldn't give the mirror to Gaston. It was the only thing belonging to Hades that she had to hold on to.
"If you don't give me that mirror, you and your family father will never leave the cellar again!" Gaston yelled as he threw Belle and her father in the cellar where all the inventions were stored and locked the door. As everyone fell in, Gaston took the mirror away from Belle.
"Gaston, let us out!" Belle pushed furiously against the cellar doors.
"Sorry Belle, but I can't release any of you until Hades is defeated. I can't risk anyone warning him!"
"In that case, you and your family will be in there a very long time. Meanwhile, if Hades wants a fight, he's going to get one." With that, Gaston grabbed the magic mirror, got on his horse, and rode off towards the entrance in the black forest with the magic mirror showing him the way. It wouldn't be long now before he had his revenge on Hades. No one stole anything that belonged to Gaston, least of all his girl. Hades was going to pay for this.
"Oh Papa, what are we going to do?" Belle asked.
"Don't worry, Belle. We'll think of something." Maurice reassured her. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Hercules, with your strength you could break down this door!" Maurice said.
But Hercules just stood in a corner of the room, arms folded across his chest.
"No. Why should I? Hades has never been kind to me. Or to Meg. If I break down that door, that means he'll win."
"Hercules, stop being so stubborn. Trust me on this, it is far better for Hades to win than for Gaston. Just put aside your own pride and anger for once and help us." Maurice pleaded.
"Hercules, please. He needs me. He thinks I'm not coming back, which means Gaston could kill him." Belle said sadly.
"Belle, Hades is immortal. He can't die. Therefore, he doesn't need any help."
"Hercules, he isn't immortal anymore. He didn't explain it, but he barely has any magic as it is."
Suddenly, Hercules stopped sulking and looked up at Belle. If Hades doesn't have his powers, that means I could finally defeat him, and everyone would be safe. But Belle doesn't have to know that I'll go after him.
"Alright, I'll help you. Just this once." Hercules agreed.
"Herc, what are you doing? We can't help Hades." Meg said quietly.
"Trust me on this, Meg. I'm not exactly helping him." Hercules whispered quietly. Meg nodded. After all, they had to do whatever it took to protect Belle. She would thank them later.
With one strong push, Hercules broke down the cottage door and everyone raced to their horses. Hercules and Meg on Pegasus. Maurice and Belle on the black stallion. I'll have to remember to name this horse when I get back home. Belle thought.
Soon, everyone reached the entrance to the Underworld. Belle saw the hoof prints of Gaston's horse indented deep in the snow. He was already inside and probably very close to Hades by now. They had to hurry.
"Belle, I'm not going." Meg said.
"Meg, you can't just stay out here, you'll freeze." Hercules said.
"I am only going as far as where the boat stops, but I have no intention of going any further. This is not my fight. I've already gone through that." Hercules remembered almost losing Meg because of Hades, and understood why she wasn't coming. He sweetly kissed Meg goodbye and flew off in the direction of Hades' castle, already planning for the real reason he was here.
As they stood at the edge of the River Styx, Charon and his boat came forward. Seeing Belle, the ferryman was glad to see that she had taken his advice.
"Charon, I need to get back to Hades as soon as possible, and so does my father." Belle climbed in the boat quickly, but Maurice held back.
"Papa, we have to go!"
"Belle, do you realize that this is a skeleton?" Maurice stared in fear at Charon.
"Papa, it's fine. He works for Hades. There's nothing to be afraid of. But you should probably hand him a coin."
"No need, miss. If he's your father, then I'm sure Lord Hades won't object to him riding for free as well."
Charon took them swiftly across the River Styx and within minutes, they were at the castle. Maurice looked up in awe. Out of everything that he expected in the Underworld, a magnificent castle was certainly not one of them.
"Go on without me Belle, I'll catch up. Hades needs you. By the way, have you seen Hercules?"
"No, I haven't. But I'm sure we'll find him soon enough." Belle raced into the castle, only to nearly trip over Pain and Panic standing in the hallway.
"Belle! You're back!" Panic exclaimed.
"And you brought your father just like you said you would," Pain said.
"See, I told you she would be back. You owe me a drachma." Pain said.
"Oh, fine. I hope I get my paycheck from Hades soon." Panic sighed and handed him a coin, but said to Belle, "We missed you a lot. But were not the only ones." Pain chimed in.
"I missed you both too. But right now, I need to find Hades. Do you know where he is?"
"The West Tower, but you'd better hurry. There were two others on their way up there as well." Rhea said.
"Oh, Rhea! I'm so glad to see you!" Belle hugged the elderly woman and Rhea smiled back. It was wonderful to have Belle back.
"There'll be time for that later, dear. Right now, Hades needs you, and I suggest you hurry!" Rhea said, worried.
"I will. Don't worry!" Belle exclaimed as she raced to the garden and the path leading toward the tower.
Gaston stealthily entered Hades' room. He saw someone leaning gloomily over the balcony. That was definitely Hades. The blue flames for hair were a dead giveaway. Ironic that he should think "dead" giveaway while being the Underworld. But he could compliment himself on his fantastic wit later. Right now, he had a monster to kill.
As Hades leaned against the balcony, he was already aware of Gaston's presence, since he still had a little bit of magic left in him. But what was the use of fighting back? Belle was never going to return. He had known she would never come back, yet he let himself foolishly have hope.
Belle raced up the tower steps. Was she already too late? Suddenly she heard the sound of an arrow being shot through a bow, as well as a loud scream of pain. Hades. I am too late. But the arrow that had been fired hadn't been from Gaston.
"Finally, after all these years, I finally have a fighting chance." She heard a voice say.
Hercules. I wondered why he agreed so easily. I won't let him kill Hades. He can't have his revenge! Even though Belle knew Hercules wanted to fight Hades and had fired the arrow, Hades didn't know, and for years to come, he was to think that Gaston had fired it.
"Do you mind Hercules? This is my fight." Gaston said irritably.
"Gaston, why don't we both fight him, as a team? That way both of us will win."
"Alright, Hercules. It seems like a good idea, since we both want the same thing: Hades finally gone." Belle gasped in horror as she saw Hades wince in pain as Gaston and Hercules continued to go after him.
"Were you in love with her, monster? Did you honestly think she'd want you when she had someone like me? Come out and fight!" Gaston yelled. As Hercules slashed his sword, Hades began to climb up to the roof. It would be harder for them to fight him up there. But that was where he was wrong. Gaston and Hercules continued to follow him, and both had swords and arrows ready. He wanted to fight, but he just didn't see any point to it. Not if Belle was gone. He had nothing left to live for. It was over.
"Prepare to die, monster! Belle is mine!" Gaston shouted as he slashed his sword. As Hades lay on the balcony waiting for Gaston to strike again, he heard a voice.
"Gaston, don't!" Belle screamed, hoping Hades could hear her. It was all the motivation he needed to fight back. Hades pushed Gaston back and grabbed his old sword. Gaston was immediately startled at this sudden change in strength. Hades was winning! Hercules went forward to fight as well, but held back. If Hades was winning, then he had lost his chance. For today, anyway. There would always be another time to fight Hades. He would just have to be patient. Hercules left with Pegasus to go find Meg and head home. He had lost the battle today, but another victory would come later, he was sure of it.
Hades grabbed Gaston and was about to throw him over the balcony, when Gaston started begging for mercy.
"Please don't hurt me! I'll do anything. Anything!" Hades remembered when Belle had begged him to save her father. No matter what Gaston had done, could he really kill him after all that he had gone through to change? Even before Belle came, he'd never killed anyone. Technically the Fates had killed Meg when they cut her thread of life, and she was alive now anyway, so it didn't really count. Hades forced Gaston onto the floor of the balcony and issued a heavy threat to him.
"If you ever come near Belle or her family again, I will kill you. Get out."
"Hades!" Belle cried out.
"Belle!" As Belle rushed towards Hades, he held out his arms and Belle leaned into his embrace. He had missed her so much. There were so many things to tell her, but there would be more time for that later. For now, he just wanted to hold her and enjoy this moment. Suddenly, Hades felt a sharp pain in his side as Gaston stabbed him. As Hades turned around, Gaston fell over the railing of the balcony and to his death. Hades started to slip, but Belle grabbed his hand and helped him climb back over the railing. Immediately, Hades was dizzy, and Belle helped him to the bed to lie down and soon began sobbing.
"Oh Hades, this is all my fault. I never should have left you. You needed me, and I abandoned you." Hades stroked her cheek gently, wiping away some of her tears.
"You didn't abandon me, Belle. You needed to help your father. But now you're here, and I get to see you again, one last time." Hades said with shallow breaths. He could barely talk, but he needed to tell her. If he didn't, there would be no other time.
"Don't talk like that, Hades. We're together now, everything's going to be fine, you'll see." Hades reached up a hand to caress Belle and she leaned her head into it, looking at her love with sorrowful eyes. She couldn't lose him now. There were still so many things to tell him.
"Belle, I love you. I meant to tell you sooner, but I just couldn't."
"I love you too, Hades. But please," she sobbed, "please don't leave me."
Hades drew his last breath and closed his eyes. It was over, and he had lost, but at least he had been with Belle in the end. Belle laid her head on Hades' chest and sobbed. Rhea, Maurice, Pain, and Panic all entered the room. They had arrived just in time to hear Hades declare his love for Belle, but too late to say goodbye to him. Rhea cried softly. Her son was gone. Suddenly, blue sparks shot down from the sky.