Hi guys. Here is Chapter 6 for you. As always a MASSIVE MASSIVE THANK YOU To my Beta xez2003 for your AMAZING editing skills! A HUGE thank you must go to Harry Potter Fan 1994 for your help with Hades backstory. And last but certainly not least a HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for your reads, reviews, follow and favs. Well I won't hold you guys up anymore. Take it away Chapter 6!
DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN DESCENDANTS ALL RIGHTS GO TO DISNEY ANY DIOLOGE YOU RECONISE BELONGS TO DISNEY I OWN NOTHING!
"He would if he was your father."
Mal could not believe what she had just heard. Her senses came to a full alert and her world stopped spinning with a sudden halt as soon as those words left Hades' mouth. How could he be her father … that was not possible. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she tried unsuccessfully to swallow hard to get rid of it.
"But-but…that can't be right! Mother always said my father was weak and useless." She managed to finally stutter after a few moments.
"I'm not surprised. Maleficent thinks anyone who is unable to conquer the world is like that." Hades retorted.
Mal could only stare back at Hades with shocked eyes. But as the shock started wearing off, her numbness started being replaced by an uncontrollable anger and she suddenly felt the urge to leave this place and get away from her 'father'. She abruptly turned and tried to get up from the bed only to feel herself start to crumble to the ground as soon as her feet touched the floor. Ben caught her just in time and cried "Mal, What are you doing?"
"Wait! You still need to rest." Hades tried to reason with her calmly. "My magic might have healed your wounds but it still has its limits. Maleficent used very strong magic and you still need a few hours of rest before your body fully recovers from the effect of the iron in your blood."
Mal could no longer control her emotions and with shaking hands turned to her father. "Oh yeah? You almost sound as if you care about me. Then if you care so much about me, where were you all this time? Why did you let her hurt me? You're a god! You could have taken me away from her!"
"Mal, calm down sweetheart-" Ben started soothingly.
"No Ben. I want to know the reason why my so powerful dad let me be beaten and manipulated my whole life! If it wasn't for you I wouldn't even know what love is!" She shouted firmly. "Why did you leave me with a monster?!"
Hades could only stare into Mal's angry and hurt eyes at her outburst. This was really his daughter. He hadn't seen her since she was two days old. As the realization hit him, that strange and unfamiliar feeling at the bottom of his stomach, the same one he had felt that day all those years ago, resurfaced again. She looks beautiful! he thought to himself, before once more pushing those feelings aside, still not ready to deal with them.
"May I remind you who you are talking to!" Hades' voice boomed in the chamber. "I AM A GOD! I don't need to justify my actions to anyone! But if you must know, at the time you were born I wasn't as powerful as I am now. My powers had been dulled by Zeus before I was put on the Isle. All I cared about at the time was getting my powers back. So I was easily tricked by your mother but when I found out about you, I did confront her. She insisted she wanted to keep you. And what did I know about raising a child, so I left you with her."
"Well it seems you got your powers back. Well done!" Mal spat back in anger. "But why did you decide to help me now then?"
"It was something Ben said to me. About me knowing what Maleficent was like. You see after all this time I finally had a chance of payback against her for tricking me all those years ago so I took it." He answered her calmly.
At this, Mal suddenly felt deflated. She really didn't know what to think. As the implications of what her father had told her started to sink in, she felt a new wave of pain rise within her. What did she expect after all…there had to be a reason her father was not present all of her life.
She slowly turned towards him and paused, locking gazes with him before she replied. "Well I guess mother was right about something for once in her life. You really are weak." She paused, taking a steadying breath as she sagged further into Ben. "Okay look. Thank you for healing me but could you leave now. I'm tired." she muttered visibly calmer. But deep down it was a different story. She could feel all her emotions collide into each other so all she needed right now was to run away from it all and curl into Ben's arms … the only place where she felt truly safe and secure.
Hades nodded in understanding. "Call me if you need anything." he replied giving Mal one last look before he turned and slowly walked away, closing the door behind him as he left.
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As Hades left the room, Ben shifted to look down better at Mal, who was still leaning heavily against him. He could feel her begin to shake against him from the effort of being on her feet so he softly turned to her. "Come sweetheart. You heard what he said. You need to rest. Maleficent is still out there and you will need to be at your full strength if we want to face her and defeat her once and for all."
Ben slowly lifted her up in his arms and carefully sets her back down on the bed. He felt her tremble again as he slowly let her go until her hand flew up to touch his arm, stopping him in place. No words were needed as Ben looked into Mal's eyes. So he took off his shoes and climbed in the bed next to her. A concerned look crossed his face as he placed a comforting arm around her shoulder while she curled to his side gripping a fistful of his shirt in the process.
Mal curled into Ben's chest still reeling from the shock of Hades' revelation. Her dad was a god. She felt so confused. She remained in this position for a few long seconds, letting the feel of Ben's strong arms around her lull her into a comforting state of security. "Ben!" She finally spoke in a soft whisper "Why didn't he fight for me? Surely, even with his dulled powers, he should have been more powerful than my mother."
"I don't know sweetheart". He paused. "But what I do know is that as long as I am breathing, I will always fight for you!" Ben murmured as he started stroking her hair in comfort. "I will never let her, or anyone else, touch you ever again. I promise. You're safe!"
Mal looked up to smile weakly at him. She once again wondered what good she had done in this world to have someone like Ben in her life. At that moment she came to the realization that the truth about Hades did not really matter anymore…Ben was all the family she needed.
Apart from situations where she was scared of losing Ben, the love of her life, Mal never really considered herself as a person who let her emotions get the best of her. After all, she was born on the Isle and showing emotion was considered to be a sign of weakness. On the Isle, showing any kind of emotion meant that you faced certain doom. But here it was just Ben and her. He was the only person she could really be herself around. Here with him, she could just let go of all her emotions, without the fear of being judged. So as she listened to his soothing and reassuring words, the events of the last few hours with her mother finally caught up with her full force and before she knew it she had begun to cry. Oh…but it felt so good to cry!
Ben felt Mal's arms tighten around him, feeling her composure abruptly change to one of fear before she suddenly broke down in sobs. He tightened his arms around her in response, pulling her even closer to him. "It's ok. Cry it out sweetheart. Let it all out. It's ok. I'm here."
"I was so scared." she managed to say in between her heaving sobs and heavy tears.
"I know love. But you're safe now. You were so brave!" he continued to sooth her while stroking her back gently in a comforting manner.
"I knew you'd come. I just didn't know if I could hold on until you did. I was in so much pain that I didn't know how much time had passed since she had taken me. I was so terrified but I also knew what would happen to you if I died." she said as her tears continued to fall.
"But you didn't sweetheart. You held on for me, for us, and I am so proud of you." he cooed.
Mal continued to sob into Ben's chest, letting go of all her pent up fears and pain. Ben continued to hold her tenderly while she did. She hung onto him like a lifeline, as she let the gentle feel of his arms around her offer her that sense of peace and security that she so desperately needed at that moment. And as her cries slowly quieted down, she was engulfed by an incredibly warm feeling that wrapped around her protectively like a blanket.
"I love you Mal." was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep exhausted, a tiniest of smiles gracing her lips.
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Hades could only sigh heavily as he walked down the hallway, deep in thought. Truthfully, he didn't really blame Mal for being angry with him. She was right after all…he wasn't in her life when he could have been. But did he really care? He was a God after all and he was above human matters. It is true that her birth had been what had ultimately led him to his surprising redemption but he had made a choice all those years ago and he had stuck to it, never turning back. But that strange unfamiliar feeling he had felt so many years ago suddenly resurfaced unexpectedly, as his thoughts wandered back to the events leading to her birth and the change it had brought about.
Flashback
The Isle - Sixteen Years Ago
Hades chuckled as he spooked the other villains with moving shadows and flames, before frowning as he looked down at his hands. 'I used to be able to do so much more than this. I am supposed to be a fully powered god and instead I am here stuck doing these merger tricks!' he thought to himself as he walked down an alley sticking to the shadows.
He suddenly stopped when he heard a voice shout "Fools! Idiots!" before there was a noise of frantic scrambling to get away. Curiosity got the best of him and he turned to find out who the owner of the voice was and discovered with an amused smile that it was Maleficent who continued to mutter angrily, not noticing his presence. "Oh. Why is it so hard to find good help these days?"
Amused by the situation, Hades decided to make himself noticed. "Oh. I know" he said coming out of the alley.
"Hades." Maleficent said turning round.
"Maleficent." he replied. "What's the problem?"
"My knuckleheads are a disgrace to the forces of evil." she griped. "Oh when I get off of this wretched place those pesky heroes will pay." She vowed angrily.
Hades studied her carefully. Normally he wouldn't even consider a partnership with anyone. He was a god and didn't need anyone's help. But they were all in the same boat so if he was going to work with someone to get away from this gods forsaken place, who better than the 'Mistress of All Evil'?
"Well Maleficent. Today may just be your lucky day. I have a proposition for you…"
Over the following months, Maleficent and him met regularly discussing plans to get themselves off the Isle. They had become unexpectedly closer than he had anticipated, he mused one night, as he left her castle. But still, he didn't give what happened between them much thought. 'I mean nothing would come of it' he concluded or so he had thought…
And then suddenly, without warning, as they were making the final touches to their plan, Maleficent informed him in no kind words that she did not need his help any longer and their partnership fell through as quickly as it had started.
So Hades remembered of how he was totally surprised when out of the blues a few months later he received a message from one of her goblins that she wanted to see him. So out of curiosity he decided to accept the invitation and headed to her castle.
As they come face to face, Maleficent had this strange look on her face but before he could ask what was wrong and why she had summoned him, he heard a small cry coming from a nearby bedroom.
"What was that?" he asked going past her and into the room, but froze when he spotted a small bundle laying in the middle of the bed.
"That is the fruition of my plan." Maleficent said smugly from behind him.
"What?" Hades turned to her stunned.
"I admit. I wasn't very keen on the idea, particularly with how much pain it took to get her here but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. With our magic combined, she will suppress even me in power."
Hades slowly walked slowly over to the bed as Maleficent's words start to sink in. He peered down at the little purple haired baby girl…she couldn't be more than two days old he mused. She stopped crying for a moment as her green eyes stared right back at him and a strange unfamiliar feeling came over him.
"You used me to get her." He turned back to Maleficent in understanding.
"I'm the 'Mistress of All Evil'. What did you expect, Hades?" Maleficent laughed.
That strange feeling continued to invade his body and before he knew what he was doing, he subconsciously reached out to pick up the baby but stopped mid-air before he could touch her as Maleficent continued "I have so much to teach her. She will be one of the most evil villains in history when I'm done with her."
Hades didn't dare protest at her plan not wanting to admit to her but especially to himself that this baby, this innocent baby, had stirred something deep within him. Him, Hades, the great GOD of the underworld who had not thought twice of killing Hercules, his nephew, to achieve his goals.
"Tell me her name at least." he demanded.
"Oh alright. I suppose you did help me get her. Her name is Maleficent Bertha Fairy but until she can earn that name she will be known as Mal." She paused. "Now. I believe you have no more business here." Maleficent concluded firmly walking away as Mal's cries reverberated around the castle. "Oh! Stop that infernal noise you abdominal creature!
But as he left Maleficent's castle, his daughter's last cries kept echoing in his head. It was driving him crazy as if it was trying to painfully remind him that all that happened to him was all his own undoing. Once upon a time he had it all…he was the supreme ruler of the underworld…that is until he let his greed and jealousy lead him to betray his own brother and try to kill his own nephew. And now he was punished here on the Isle of the Lost with no way out, and what's worst, he was unwillingly tricked and, because of him, another innocent life was about to suffer. Enough…he didn't want to be part of it any longer.
"ZEUS! ZEUS! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU BROTHER!" Hades started to shout out in the air while looking up in the sky.
"What do you want, Hades?" Zeus growled, as he appeared in a flash of bright lightning, having decided to hear what his brother had to tell him.
"I wish to repent for my crimes brother. I now know that taking your son away from you and trying to kill him was wrong." Hades said as felt that strange feeling, brought about by the sight of his daughter, take control over him. "I am willing to serve as God of the Underworld on the Isle. To repent for my sins, I will distance myself from the mortals, only seeing them at their death."
Zeus looked surprised at Hades's request but asked "Are you absolutely sure of what you are telling me brother? You will not be allowed to leave the underworld for whatever reason. You may say you want to repent but I don't and can't trust you, not after what you have done in the past. I will be watching you closely this time and if I find out you have left the underworld for whatever reason, I will show you no mercy and my punishment will be terrible."
Hades nodded in response.
"Very well, brother. So be it. I will give you another chance." Zeus waved his hand and Hades found himself back in a familiar black stoned room. He waved his hand testing his powers and a polished throne appeared.
He hummed in approval at having his powers back to full strength before going to sit. Thoughts of his daughter came back to his head but he shook it quickly to clear it. He buried those feelings deep down inside him where he would no longer dwell about them. After all, he would have no more contact with her, or any other mortal, for that matter. Whatever Maleficent did to her did not concern him any longer. He was the GOD of the underworld once more and this time he would not waste the second chance that had been given to him.
Flashback Ends
Hades sighed as he returned to the present. He was so lost in thought that he did not even realize that he had arrived back to the throne room. He sat in his throne and conjured a viewing mirror to check-up on his daughter and discovered that she had finally fallen asleep with Ben's arms around her, a little peaceful smile adorning her face.
He paused to look at her for a few more seconds, his heart starting to hammer in his chest as he was enveloped by that strange feeling he had felt all those years ago. He threw the mirror across the room in fury, breaking it in many pieces. After all this time and all he had done to repent for his sins, that strange feeling still continued to torment him. He needed to get rid of it. And as he put his head in his hands frustratingly, he decided that he could no longer hide from it and that it was finally time to face it and understand it if he ever wanted to truly free himself from it. The only thing he was certain was that it had to do with his daughter and that she was the key to everything…
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Maleficent could only watch dumbfounded as the dragons who were presently attacking their cabin disappeared from view as quickly as they had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. She turned at the sound of someone yelling and her shock quickly turned to anger as she spotted that wretched boy holding her now free daughter in his arms. But before they could disappear in a puff of smoke, she noticed a very familiar blue aura of magic surrounding him.
As realization hit her that the blue aura could only belong to Hades, she felt rage engulf her and she stormed back into the cabin, nearly breaking the front door in the process. Hades never cared about his daughter before. So why now? It must have been Benjamin who somehow convinced him to help him. Glass shattered as Maleficent screamed in fury breaking everything that was in sight.
"Your Evilness-" Celia tried to interrupt.
"I do not believe this! Once again that boy is in the way of my revenge!" Maleficent continued to scream. "This is all his fault! But I will find a way to make him pay for it, if it is the last thing I do."
"They can't have gotten too far. Let's go after them." Chad suggested.
Maleficent took a long steadying breath trying to calm herself. She had only lost one battle for now but she was still free and at full power so there was still time for her to carry out her revenge. She also suddenly realized that Hades, who was effectively the only one strong enough to stop her, had not intervened personally, which meant that maybe he was confined to the underworld, which made her smile as a result. Mal was no match for her magic. Maybe not all was lost after all.
"That wretched boy was helped by Hades. I could sense his magical aura. They will be in the underworld by now! Hades would be at his full power there so it would be suicide to attack him, even with my magic restored to its full strength."
She glanced at Chad again, as if she had just noticed him for the first time, and turned to address him. "Tell me Chad. Why were you so happy to kill your own parents? I have never heard of a 'hero' doing that."
"They replaced me." Chad growled in anger crossing his arms before continuing "My whole family loved Mal more than me. I wanted to show Hailey and her new 'sister' what it's like to be abandoned!"
Ah jealousy! Perhaps he would be more useful then I first thought. Maleficent pondered as she paced the now destroyed cabin, thinking of a new plan.
Her trail of thought was suddenly interrupted as Audrey suggested. "Celia. Couldn't you use your voodoo to haunt Mal's sleep? I mean she may be away from us but we can still hurt her."
Maleficent froze in her tracks as the word 'sleep' echoed in the brain. That was it! What am I most famous for after all? There was still a way to get my revenge. Maleficent started to smile evilly as a plan started forming in her head.
"Audrey my dear. You have just given me an idea."
Maleficent continued to grin evilly as she raised her staff preparing to cast the strongest sleeping curse any kingdom had ever known…
Oh it looks like trouble is coming for Auradon! And it seems Mal didn't take the news about her dad very well huh? Poor girl she's been through a lot but at least she has Ben. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Review? Pretty please?