Part 4
"Robin, please. This could be extremely dangerous and I don't want to lose you. Plus you have too much here. You've got Roland and the baby…" cries Regina, trying to hold back actual tears as Robin continues to say he's joining them on their 'quest'.
"But you won't be here. I love you Regina, and I know that you are a strong woman with amazing powers but I can't be left here not knowing if you're alive or dead. I went through that once before, or so I thought, with Marion," Robin tells her hesitantly. "I lived all these years believing that my mess up on the job got her killed. She was injured and she told me to leave her there in that forest so that our son would at least have one parent. When I didn't hear that the sheriff's men had found and arrested her I truly believed she died all alone because of me. Because I left her there. Instead it was worse, Zelena found her, killed her and then took the shape of my wife so that she could hurt us in the worst possible way. Regina, I can't go through either not knowing or believing in something that didn't happen."
"I get that. I do, truly. The only thing I have to say though is that if you go that leaves Zelena here alone with your little girl."
"Our little girl. She may be Zelena's and mine by blood, but you are my love and she is a part of you too."
"Our little girl," Regina smiles down at the sleeping baby still cradled in Robin's arms. "You haven't been able to let Buttercup go for very long or let her out of your sight unless it was with someone you trusted, and even then you've been jumpy about Zelena doing something. And don't try to deny it because I have been the exact same way."
"Then what do we do?"
"I might have a solution," calls out Thé from where she's sat eating ice-cream out of the tub at Regina's kitchen counter.
Both Regina and Robin jump, swiveling to take in the ex-goddess making herself at home in Regina's house. Everyone else had left to make preparations for things that might be needed during the trip. With the exception of the purple-haired woman continuing to eat ice-cream and staring back at them.
"Why are you still in my house?" glares Regina with a scowl.
"If I'd left when that lot went," she replies, gesturing to the door the others had disappeared through several minutes ago, "there would likely have been bloodshed."
"I thought you'd rid yourself of your quandary with Rumplestiltskin," frowns Robin.
Thé rolls her eyes and lets out a humourless chuckle, "I haven't 'rid myself' of anything. I have chosen not to inflict pain and suffering on the man but it is extremely difficult keeping that choice, especially if I'm forced to socialise with him more than necessary. And between us he wasn't the one I was going to bludgeon. Snow White is a bit of an annoyance. I can only handle so much false cheer and hope and lovey dovey shit. Plus, unlike the discussion I overheard between you two, she and her 'Prince Charming' have just thrown themselves straight into this trek into Tartarus without a single thought to their infant son being left without his parents in this world."
"I am definitely beginning to like you," grins Regina.
"All it took was a bit of bad mouthing the 'perfect, true love couple'?" quotes Thé with a snigger. "I can do much better than that. Regarding your issue of leaving the baby alone, you don't have to. And from what I've heard and seen we really don't want to be leaving Zelena back here whilst we're in the Underworld. That's just asking for disaster to strike this defenceless town."
"What's your plan then?" asks Robin with concern.
"Well she comes with us and Buttercup gets taken care of by a specialist."
"What kind of specialist?" queries Regina suspiciously.
"My friend Seph's mother. Mete is fantastic with babies. She's the goddess to call on when new mothers need a little helping hand. She can take care of both your baby and the Charmings'."
"You could do that? Have a goddess take care of our child until we returned," Robin gazes at Thé in amazement.
"Technically no. I can't but I can call upon Seph, hide any trace of my being here, and then she can call upon her mother. If her Mama knows I'm here then a lot of things could go south. The other gods and goddesses might decide to call their wrath down upon you, or they could punish Mete for interacting with me."
"Aren't you concerned about the latter happening for your friend?"
"Hades can protect Seph, Regina. She'll be okay. But I'll need to hide out by the docks until you're ready to perform the ritual. Mete won't go near Poseidon's territory. So just come find me when we're ready to do this thing. I'll just call on Seph and then go find me something to drink because I have not yet toasted to Killian and I need some booze."
Regina narrows her eyes and shakes her head at the young woman. "You are not at all like the myth."
"Yeah well you aren't exactly how you're portrayed in fairy tales in this world. The myths on the gods are pretty much the same. I was not borne fully formed from my father's head. I was born of Metis and Zeus; from whom I acquired wisdom and knowledge of warfare respectively. Yes I was once quite the virginal and calm goddess, many centuries ago. I still do not rise quickly to anger, but I've learnt to hold grudges. I still only choose to involve myself in fights that have a true purpose and I try to give people courage. But I am not the goddess I once was. My years away from Olympus changed me. This world, this realm has changed me the most. In some ways the changes are good, others aren't so great. However I prefer the person I am now in comparison to who I once was."
"I think I prefer who you are now rather than how the myths portrayed you. Though is the myth regarding your prodigious affinity with the art of war and weaponry true?" smirks Regina, believing that the rumours and tales she heard regarding Athena's abilities in those areas to be naught but hearsay.
"How do you think I managed to jam the gun and stop the arrows from hitting me?" grins Thé. "Now let us summon the Queen of the Underworld!"
"Definitely not something you think you'll hear every day and not dread," Robin tries to smile.
"David are you sure this is the right thing to do? I mean you just saw Emma. She's so focused on getting Hook back that I'm a little terrified of how she'll react if it doesn't work."
"Mary Margaret you always tell her to hope. Right now she's not hoping. She's simply trying to open herself up to the possibility that she, that we can get Hook back. I would do the same for you if there was even the smallest chance that I could get you back."
"You're right," nods a worried-looking Snow. "We just have to have hope. Our family is good at finding each other, and that's kind of what Hook, sorry Killian, has become."
"When did that happen," laughs David. "I mean our daughter the princess is or was dating, or whatever, a pirate. And said pirate has become like family to us all."
"She really needs him back," says a weepy-eyed Snow.
"Well you do not need to worry on that account," a husky voice tells them, making both jump and reach out for their weapons. "And you do not need those. Hi there, I'm Seph. Thé had me bring my Mum to Storybrooke to tend to the children whilst you go on your little voyage," waves the woman clad in a spun gold chiton dress, perched on the Charmings' counter.
"Your Mum?" frowns Mary Margaret, slightly lowering her bow.
"Demeter. She isn't aware of Thé's involvement here and you won't breathe a word of it to her otherwise I will burn your eyes out with bat guano," smiles Seph cheerfully as she flicks her golden blonde mane back over her shoulder. "My mother is going to take care of Robin's baby and your little one. They're in excellent hands; she's been doing this for millennia."
"You're Persephone," comments David as he finally lowers his sword and returns it to the scabbard still hanging around his waist.
"In the flesh. Queen of the Underworld, Goddess of Spring, best friend to an idiot who loves you little mortals, and wife of an idiotic husband who I recently had to forcefully remove from a soul who was singing sea shanties to our two year old daughter. How do you do?"
"Oh you have a daughter?" smiles Mary Margaret brightly.
"'Sea shanties'?" David frowns.
"Yes to both. The sooner you get to Tartarus the sooner I can have my living room back."
"You're talking about Hook, right?"
"Killian, Prince Charming," sneers Seph, her happy mood instantly turning sour. "His name is Killian Jones, and he is a pirate but he is also a very good man."
"So we can bring him back?" asks Mary Margaret excitedly, her rounded face brightening up with hope.
"Two acquaintances, or friends, of yours did the very same thing: Princess Aurora and Mulan."
"Aurora and Mulan went to the Underworld?!"
"Sweetie, calm down. No need to yell Snow; we don't want to wake Neal."
"Yes they came into our abode, though they used Charon. They paid the price Hades requested and got Prince Phillip's soul out of the Qui Shen. Hey presto now Aurora and Phillip are here and have a little baby boy. You lot however have a much bigger advantage to the sleeping princess and her warrior. You have my incredible friend to help you out," smiles Seph.
"I would never have picked you two to be friends. Not that I don't think you make great friends, it's just you seem quite different. You're all kinds of perky and somewhat sweet whereas Thé is a biker and has a lot of rough edges," babbles Mary Margaret.
"She used to be very smooth. When we were kids we got thrown together because of our 'titles'. I'm considered a goddess of maidenhood and Athena was the virgin patron of Athens. It was a lot to deal with at our young ages, especially when so many of our siblings were getting it on with each other. We ended up being paired together because of that one aspect and she's a truer sibling to me than my own blooded brother, Arion."
"Athena is really going to help us get Killian back," murmurs David in shock and some amazement.
"She really is. But now we're going to shut up about her because my delightful mother is on her way. Remember, not a word or I'll blind you."
"Damn it!"
"Regina, what's wrong?" calls out Emma, the brunette's cursing pulling her out of her daydreaming as she sits by Killian's body in the Evil Queen's crypt.
"I have the seashells, crushed pearls, a still-living sea anemone and abysmal fog," she replies holding up the various containers, the last a clear vial with swirling white and grey smoke moving inside. "But I don't have water from Avalon. I had thought whilst we were in Camelot I might have visited and got some or that my mother would have it, but I can't find a single source of the enchanted water in Storybrooke. Without it we can't open the portal to bring the Dutchman through to our world."
"Thé might have some," suggests Henry as he climbs down the stairs and looks from one mother to the other. "She probably has all the ingredients."
"You're right," smiles Regina, the tension in her shoulders lifting.
"So does that mean I can come too?" asks the teenager hopefully.
"No Henry," both his mothers reply.
"You stay here, kid and watch over your uncle, Roland and Buttercup," Emma tells her son, pleading with her eyes that he'll accept her decision and not make any of this harder on her than it already is.
"Robin, Zelena and I will all be gone. We have a goddess looking after Buttercup and Roland but it's not the same as having family around too. Please do this for us Henry," adds Regina.
"Okay. Can I at least watch you perform the summoning ritual?"
"Be at the docks by sunset."
A/N: This chapter ended up being longer than expected so I've split it into two. I'll upload the second half tomorrow. Sorry it took this long to get you these chapters. It's not because of how long the original chapter was. Just have not had too many good days this last week; neither physically nor mentally. Thank you so much for your patience.
I named Zelena and Robin's daughter Buttercup because my friend loves The Princess Bride.
Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!
~Anna-Margaret
xx