Hehehe... Look, I've been busy okay! Life is hard. But because I love y'all so much, I decided to put homework aside to finish this chapter. This weekend was an exception for sure, so expect more frequent updates. There isn't a lot of action in this chapter, but you might find some things about a certain OC... *winks* Enjoy!

"Hades' wife, that's your plan?" Emma is a bit sceptical of mine and Regina's plan, but the others seem to think it might work.

"Why not Emma? If what Rae says is true, then she should be easier to convince right?" Snow says.

"That could be true, but she is also very strict. If she decides the pirate and I aren't worth betraying her love for, then we're in trouble", I comment.

"Exactly, it isn't the most foolproof plan."

"But is also the only plan we have, so we are doing this", Regina states. Snow, Charming and Killian nod in agreement.

"That is not your decision to make", Emma replies, sounding somewhat agitated.

"Well, I'm the only one who's willing to take some serious steps, aside from maybe Raena and Snow." Regina has a fair point, we're the closest now to a solution then we've been in these last few days. It's the next morning by now, and Snow and Charming failed to find any trace of the Dark One, and to Regina's great agitation, Belle sneaked out last night as well. Emma and Henry went out this morning to see if they'd find any trace of her, but no luck. So the biggest focus now is Persephone.

"Why don't we stop with this bickering right now, and focus on the plan? It's kind of important", I suggest, getting a dirty look from Emma. I shrug my shoulders at her.

"She's right. I suggest we approach this the easy way. We just ask", Robin adds. I nod against my will, I still don't like him. But he's something I'll have to tolerate until we get back.

"We just ask? You really think that's the smartest thing to do mate?" Hook responds, giving Robin an unbelieving look.

"Why not? If we try to trick her, then we're definitely not righteous", I snap at him.

"With all due respect Raena, you don't know what's at stake. We have to get Hook back", Emma protests. I feel anger boiling inside of me. I don't know what's at stake!? WHO THE BLOODY HELL WAS HERE FOR MORE THEN 30 YEARS? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S AT STAKE, YOU FUCKING- no swearing dear, little kids might read this. I stare intensively at Emma, and in the corner of my eye I see Regina put down her head into her hand. So miss Swan speaks like this more often huh?

"I don't know what's at stake!? I think I might be the only one who knows what's at stake! I've been down here for more then 30 years, and believe, I've had enough. And the worst part is, is that I'm not even supposed to be here! I'm alive for Zeus' sake! So don't tell me what I do and don't know, because I want get out of here the most. And that is just as hard for me as for Hook", I conclude, breathing slightly louder than normal due to the rant I gave.

Emma looks at me with big eyes, and I can tell she's surprised I fell out on her. Guess she thought I'd be as calm and calculative as Regina always is. Then her cheeks flush with a little bit of red, and I can tell she's finally realized how stupid she sounds.

"I'm sorry", she murmurs softly. I nod, not entirely forgiven her, but we need to move on.

"Ahum, if we might continue, we just go up to the place and ask if she's home?" David asks.

"Yes. It sounds dumb but it's the best way", Snow reacts, and starts walking towards the door. When she puts her hand on the doorknob, she turns around.

"What are you all waiting for? Let's go", she commands. We all look at each other, and Henry is the first to shrug and follow his grandmother. So we follow him. When out on the street I walk up to Emma and ask for the pirate to leave us alone for a minute, so he joins Snow and Charming. We slow down our pace a bit to have some privacy, and I bump my shoulder into hers to make sure she listens.

"Hey I'm sorry for my outburst earlier."

"Don't apologize, you were right. I'm being selfish, and I forget that your situation is actually a lot worse than Hooks." No shit.

"Yeah, I guess. I just missed everything. Still do. And even though there are a lot of things here that might be nice, without the person that I really care about, they mean nothing to me. And same for you of course." Emma nods.

"That person, that's Regina right?" Emma turns to me to look me in the eyes, but I turn my head forwards, to eye the brunette walking further down the street. She has her arm around Henry and when he whispers something in her ear, she turns around to look at me and Emma, and whispers something back. They both laugh out loud, and I have to stop myself from laughing with them.

"She is."

"What kind of relationship did you have? You seem to be really close." I'd usually never tell someone about this, but Emma seems like a safe person to talk to without her spilling everything.

"We were. Are. Perhaps. I'm an orphan. When I was 12, the orphanage I was in threw me out. Not just because according to fairytale standards I was practically adult, but also because I was too much work. I used to have huge temperament issues, and even though I learned to control them, what you just witnessed was a part which stayed behind. Sorry." Emma stops walking for a moment to take this in.

"They just threw you out? You were a little kid!" I nod, with sad eyes.

"It's ridiculous. Just as it's ridiculous that Regina could get married at the age of 18. But continuing, I didn't just have the tantrums. Like you experienced, I have magic. Though it's different for every magic user, the average age of discovering your magic is 15. However, I found out when I was 8. The caretakers in the orphanage didn't know who my parents were, they found me in the woods. So when I started to show signs of magic, they obviously thought I was the child of the devil, sent to capture the children. I was locked up 24/7, and only allowed to eat in the evening. They threw me out at the earliest age possible, and I roamed the woods for 3 months, until I ended up at Kings City. You could call it the capital of the Dark Kingdom. It just so happened to be the first Monday of the month, on which the Royal family of every kingdom travels to the closest city to collect supplies for food and other necessities. And you know who is the only Royal in the Dark Kingdom."

"Regina", Emma realizes. I hum to confirm that, and continue.

"Sorry for the long story dear, but I have a lot of complicated history."

"Same here, but I'm really interested, please go on."

"All right. So imagine 12 year old me, skinny little kid, hair that hasn't been brushed for months and wearing rags you wouldn't give to a prisoner. Then imagine The Evil Queen's carriage, black and white, huge and gorgeous. Of course little me wants to see who's in there, and I run down the street, push through the crowd and get to the front as quickly as possible, just in time to see the Queen step out of the carriage. I don't know if you've ever seen one of Regina's dressed, but they are sensational. The Queen waves to the crowd, and remember the evil she is now hasn't come out to the public yet, they just think Snow ran off. Especially the people in Kings City were extremely loyal to the Queen."

"Why do you refer to Regina as the Queen?" Emma asks.

"Because I don't want you to get confused. From what I've seen from Regina here, the Queen is not the same person. And because you only know her as Regina and not as the Evil Queen, this is more convenient. Anyways, the Queen waves, and lets her eyes run over the audience, when they suddenly stop at a little girl in the front. She quirks her head slightly to the side, and lets a small smile escape. She motions to her personal guard to come closer, and whispers something. The guard nods and bows, then walks up to the little girl, and he gets so close to her that she can count the hairs in his beard. In the meanwhile the Queen continues accepting the supplies. The guard asks the girl one question. 'What's your name?' he hisses so loudly that she jumps up in fright, and replies. 'Raena, sir.' "

"You were the dirtiest kid I'd ever seen." Regina's voice comes out of nowhere, and I jump in fright.

"Hey hey, don't be mean", I joke, earning a smile and a slap with her hand, which I dodge of course. Emma laughs.

"Regina, you interrupted. Raena, please tell the rest!"

"It'll have to wait Emma, we're here", Regina replies dryly, still smirking lightly. Emma looks up to the house in front of us in confusion, and I have to admit I do the same. The house is just so, ehh, ordinary. Like they're just a normal godly couple spending the winter somewhere warmer.

"You're kidding right?" I ask, but Regina shakes her head.

"Let's go." Emma walks up to Killian, and they climb up the stairs to the front door. Emma hesitates for a moment, and then she knocks. The door opens in no time at all, and a woman steps out.

"Yes?" Persephone, the Goddess of spring, is wearing apron and has her hair tied up in a messy bun.

"Are you Persephone?" Regina asks carefully.

"Why indeed I am your Majesty. Can I be of service?"

Emma replies, "Yes! We need to-"

"Hush you! Come inside, and I'll make you some tea, to discuss all this because we all know you have a lot to do." She suddenly changes into more formal clothes, and then we are all inside the house, sitting around an old wooden table. Persephone walks in, and Emma tries to speak, but her mouth won't make a sound. She looks at us, terrified.

"Don't worry, that's just because I like to take things slower then you do", Persephone explains, walking in with tea and cups on a plate.

She sits down, turns her head to me and asks: "Blueberry or liquorice?"