I must warn you the story will progress to rating M from here on out. It will be a mix between adult content as well as horror material. Please be advised if you are a minor or do not wish to read this kind of material to refrain now from continuing. Hope you guys like it. :)

Chapter 15

The Throne Room

Regina is slowly waking up. She wishes she didn't have to open her eyes. She's so very tired but she hears a faint piano playing in the background. 'Bach? No Beethoven,' she thinks. It's beautiful. As she rouses herself the first thing she feels is that her feet are cold and bare. She rubs them together as her hands slide over her thighs. She's no longer wearing her pants or shirt that she came here wearing. This feels like a laced but very thin dress. She can't feel any of her underwear on either. She presses her hand down to turn but she's lying on something hard and cold like a large stone and she feels incredibly weak. Finally bracing herself to open her eyes she does. It's very dark and looking above she can barely see what may be a cave of sorts. There are multiple corridors and passageways adorned with real spider webs and bats. There are creatures everywhere. She wants to sit up but she hasn't the energy. Her mouth is as dry as the desert and the only thing she can reach around her are candles. She knew they were there because she could smell the burning flames. She must sit up and find water. She attempts to roll herself off her icy tomb only to be halted by Hades; who has now sat next to her helping her up. He is offering her a cup with liquid and Regina can't fight it when her body is in need of such a basic necessity.

"There there. Drink." She greedily gulps down the liquid. He's given her wine. She much had preferred water but right now she wouldn't complain.

"I do apologize for the after effects of Gwen's touch."

Regina can't stop drinking, her thirst is insatiable. He pulls the golden goblet away from her and wipes at the dripping red fluid that escapes the corners of her mouth. Her weakness is unwavering; she unable to even keep herself up.

"What have you done to me?"

"It wasn't me darling. Like I said, my servant, became overzealous with her mission. She has been properly reprimanded, I assure you. My sincerest apologizes my Queen. In a few minutes you will be right as rain."

Regina feels her heart racing as her lungs expand, taking in more air than she ever has before. She must be hallucinating as she can feel the cold oxygen particles passing through her nostrils and filling her lungs. Her pupils are dilating and shrinking quickly like an advanced telescope. She feels as a predator focusing it's eyes on its target. Her eyes land on a beautiful Hades. 'My prey' she hatefully thinks to herself.

"What did you just give me?" She speaks to him as if she was spraying him with venom.

"Nothing a woman of your caliber doesn't deserve."

"Hades!?"

"Come. I will show you my glorious wine cellar." He extends his hand out for her to take.

She will not let him terrify her. She will use this altered state he has given her and anything else she can get her hands on to defeat him and get back to Emma so they can go home to their son. Regina doesn't want to follow this monster anywhere but she knows she needs to find a weakness in him. Anything in order to free herself of this situation for she is certain he will not let her go. She hesitantly extends her hand and follows him.

Regina can't see herself and although she feels vulnerable in her white gown Hades looks at her adoringly. She looks ravishing to him with her hair wild. Her beauty highlighted by the soft candlelight.

"Why do hate me so?"

She doesn't respond.

"You know there's a thin line." He smiles charmingly at her as he leads her through the giant space.

There are other souls like the ones she saw before working in this area. This space is different from anything she has seen thus far. The walls are damp and dark with insects crawling about them. There are strange and unpleasant smells emanating from murky waterways that run along the sides of the cavern. It's both unbearably hot and cold depending on where you stand. She looks down her white dress at her bare feet watchful of her step but the insects part like the Red sea when Hades and her walk through. The other souls don't make eye contact with Hades and pull away as he draws near to them. She looks around the room because she can almost sense the slave women in there but she can't see them.

"What is this vile place?"

"Vile?" He fakes insult. "Why this is my lair, my throne room, my favorite place. This my Queen, is where I feel at my most comfortable."

"How pretense has fallen."

"Yes, well, do you and I really need all those smoke and mirrors? Old friends like us should have no need to hide our truths from each other."

"And what truths are those Hades?"

He smiles wickedly at Regina. "My darling, you and I, thee and me, are creatures of the night. We have long venerated that which others believed vile or corrupt. We understand it and even admire it. We don't need to be surrounded by white porcelain ornaments and beautiful green, colorful gardens. You and I appreciate the solemnity and depth that only the night can bring. You, like myself are a sensitive soul. Only creatures like us are worthy of their beauty. The simple-minded, the feeble will never see it's true essence."

"So why the smoke and mirrors to begin with?"

"To show good faith. Because unlike you, they would expect hell to be dark and dreary because they believe those things to be unpleasant. I refuse to be so predictable."

Regina huffs. 'This guy is full of such shit.'

"You and I are different." He tells her.

"You and I? Thee and me? I am nothing like you Hades."

"Are you certain of that Regina? Did you not once, not so long ago, pledge fealty to me?"

"To you? Never! I didn't even know you existed." She mentally strikes herself for biting. Clearly Hades is trying to get a rise out of her.

"No but you embraced evil in order to yield the incredible power that you have did you not?" Regina cringes inwardly every time she is reminded of those days.

"I no longer embrace evil."

"That's too bad. You were so good at it."

A few moments pass and Hades says nothing. Regina finds it strange he dropped that topic so easily.

"What do you want with the Savior?"

"The Savior?" Hades laughs, "Nothing Lole. Nothing at all. It is you I have always wanted. It is you I have been waiting for all this time. It is she, the savior, who has corrupted you. Making you into something you are not. Can't you see that? Lole you were..."

"Who the hell is Lole?"

"I prefer to call you by your first name."

"What?"

"You didn't actually think you've only had one incarnation did you?"

Regina looks at him quizzically.

"Did you think that this was our first meeting?" Hades stops and turns directly in front of her.

"No, my love, we've known each other for a very long time. Lole...Regina. I've been waiting ever so long to hold you in my arms again. You may not remember this now but you once loved me. When you are rid of your human form you will remember that I am your one true love." He pulls her into his arms.

Regina quickly wiggles her way out of his embrace. She's hyperventilating and panicking now. 'Could this be true? Dear God! What is happening? He speaks as if it's truth,' she thinks.

"Hey...calm down. It's ok. Did you think I would ever harm your soul? No, darling. You have nothing to fear; I do admit I never expected you to look this beautiful in your re-incarnated body. You are absolutely ravishing."

Regina realizes she needs to come up with a game plan. Now that she understands she is not a decoy she needs to be ready to fight when Emma comes to get her. The sooner the better she hopes. She doesn't like the familiarity she feels with him. She needs to get back to Henry.

"I know. I know this is a lot for you right now. I'm sorry I am being impatient." Hades takes her hand and gently kisses the inside of it. Regina fights the urge to close her eyes as he does this. 'Why does he affect me so? It's whenever he touches me. His touch has some sort of power. I can't let him touch me!'

"What if I don't want you? Will you force me?"

"No. I have never been able to force you Lole. I wish for you to come to me of your own free will. Realize who you truly are. I want to be your choice. I admit I've created certain distractions to buy us more time. To help you remember who we are. Lole...Regina you never denied me before." He draws her in and runs his hand through her hair. She can't stop him.

"Remember how it felt when we had the world at our feet?" He has now pulled her in, slowly dancing to the music. Regina wishes with all her will that she would pull away. Especially because of how thin the material of her dress is; she can feel her breasts pressed up against his chest. It almost feels as if they were both naked. He sways side to side and she finds her eyes closing on their own. She feels so damn good; a mix between turned on and being soothed at the same time. The longer he holds her the less guilt she feels because she doesn't want to let go.

He gently speaks to her, "When you were Queen I stood by you. It was always me. Rumplestiltskin was nothing. He was lead by me. They all were. Your mother, your father...all of them. They failed you. I know this and for that I will punish them all. Some, I already have. Do you think I would have had them marry you to that disgusting old King?! Never! She took matters into her own hands, your mother."

Regina can't stop a moan from escaping her lips. Hades is telling her everything she would have wanted to hear back when she was still Queen.

I have always known your potential. I have always loved you for who you truly are. I loved the dark in you as much as anything else. Can you tell me if any other person ever has? Has anyone else dared love you entirely for who you are? No! They cower at your gifts, your power. They wanted to make you something you were not... that which brings the weakness out of you. They've all done it. No one better than your savior. I rejoiced with each kill, each act of conquest. I wished your enemies dead more than you could have imagined. I never wanted anything for you but what you deserved."

Hades stops their dance and lovingly gazes into her eyes. Regina continues to feel drawn to him as he pulls her into a barely lit room. Upon closer inspection she sees it is a wine cellar. There are enormous wooden barrels all around them and it smells of fermented grapes and old pine.

She turns to him as he stands there proudly with his white open shirt. She half smiles at him trying to remember the last time someone tried so hard to win her affection. She keeps reminding herself this is only a spell. A dark, romantic daze she is slowly succumbing to with each touch from Hades. She cannot allow herself to give into the darkness nor the longing the air has created. She must find a way out but a part of her wishes to pretend for a little longer. If only to feel that sensation of freedom and power again. To have complete absolution for who she once was. As much as Robin loves her she doubts he would have stuck around if he ever got a real taste of her former cursed self. But she cannot think this way! She has Henry! Henry means more to her than all the power in the world. Henry is her absolution. As difficult as it is to walk the righteous path after everything she's been through she found her way back to it. Because of Henry and because of Emma. She cannot allow herself the easy way out again as tempted as she is right now. She has a life back in Storybrooke. She has Robin. Her mind is betraying her as she thinks that she will never feel this good with him.

'But no, Hades is wrong! I don't belong with him. I can't belong with him. I need to find Emma.'

In her stupor she thinks of Emma's bright white smile. She seldom smiles but when she does it's genuine and Regina can't help but feel as if her soul is lifted just a little when Emma smiles. A common sentiment between friends she assures herself. She begins to feel more alert as her thoughts dwell on Emma as if the very gold of her hair brought forth the warmth of the sun. Their white magic is healing to her. Regina is trying to hold onto that desperately but suddenly, she hears a whimpering sound.

She looks all around trying to locate the painful plea. She takes her eyes up where she finds to her horror that there are people! Dangling by their feet from a hook, striped of all their cloths as they bleed over the wine barrels. There are dozens of them if not hundreds. For a moment she prays they are already dead but too soon she realizes that no, they are alive.