Chapter 17

Saving her

Regina bends over holding her stomach with shear nausea hoping she can vomit what she's already ingested. She doesn't know what is making her more ill, the fact that these people are being drained and tortured alive or the fact that she drank their blood.

"Yes I gave you wine with blood. Big deal! You've taken so many lives and shed so much blood. But you never learned the true pleasure of your spoils my darling."

"I'm going to be sick." Regina leans over as the bile starts to rise.

"Why? Do you not see the energy and vitally it restored you with?"

He runs to her and lifts her upright. "Regina I want you to be who you are. Embrace the dark, the cravings that run through your blood. Do not deny yourself who you really are. For I love all that crawls through you. All the hate, the fury, the passion, the dark and the anger. All of it. Drink with me, laugh with me and love with me and together we shall rule the underworld and you shall be my Queen.

"These people are alive. Alive!"

"Yes well the wine stays fresher that way."

Regina looks upon Hades now completely stripped of his charm. She sees a demon, a monster, an abomination of a creature.

"Oh Lole calm down now. We're not cannibals here. Besides look up." He harshly grabs her face and points it up to the bodies. She tries to look away.

"No, no, no! You don't get to close your eyes. What in the name of the gods have you become?! They have made you so weak!"

Regina can barely stand.

"Look at them!" He yells. "They are the faces of the dozens that betrayed you. Those who didn't heed your command. Do you see now? Do you see how well I love you."

"Let them go!" Regina is fighting with all of her might to stand up to him.

"Why? Did you not enjoy their juices?"

She casts her eyes down again wondering how he has managed to take living people and bring them to Tartarus. "How?"

"I have my ways. Lole, these people cannot be brought back anymore. I'm sorry. But don't think of them as a waste; think of how well they quench our thirst. Who needs ambrosia when you have human blood."

"If you truly love me as you say you do then you will release them."

"No, no darling. You know not what you say. As a matter of fact I intend to add to my collection."

A sense of dread washes over Regina as Hades whispers in her ear, "You see...your Savior shall be savored." He laughs a guttural sick laugh.

"You will never touch her!" The fires of hell rage in Regina as she swears to herself that she will destroy this god of the dead.

"If Emma Swan comes back here and tries to take you from me again or if you decide to leave here with her she will become the sweetest wine of all. And you shall have to watch her for all eternity...in a state of suspended life, naked for all to see, being drained of all her blood."

"I will kill you Hades. I will end you if you lay one finger on her!" Regina's hands light up becoming fire itself. Hades quickly waves his arm, putting out her flame and harshly grabs her by the wrists.

"Yes! That's the fury that turns me on! Why couldn't you put that to better use instead of wasting it on that pathetic excuse for a human?"

Regina feels a burning pain enveloping her wrists. She moans from the pain but continues to fight Hades with all her might of the Evil Queen within her, "You will not harm her! Do you hear me?!"

"Well, that depends on you entirely doesn't it now? As a matter of fact I will make you a deal. Emma Swan for all of these people. I will release each and every one of them for Emma Swan."

"Never! Over my dead body you piece of shit."

"Well then, so be it." Frustrated with not getting the answers he wishes to have from Regina Hades calls out to his slaves, "Ladies!"

Regina is surrounded within the blink of an eye by his three slave women.

"Do what you do best. Accelerate the process so that my Queen may join her King for all of eternity once and for all."

The group has been walking through the empty corridors for a while now and they have finally come across a hallway leading to a door.

"So other than using our yoda powers what's the plan? Emma always turns to jokes when she's truly terrified of what lies ahead."

"Hades still believes you are in the Elysian Fields."

"How would you know that?" Emma eyes Cora suspiciously.

"Because no one ever returns from there Emma. He used your magic against you to send you there permanently."

"Thanks for the stone then."

"The stone isn't what brought you back."

Both Cora and Emma pause looking at each other. Each knowing how loaded that statement is but none ready nor capable of addressing the elephant in the room at the time.

"Because he believes you are still there I'll have plenty of time to distract him. Actually to be precise Hook, Mila and I will distract him while you and Rumple save my daughter."

"Um...doesn't this sound a little too easy for you?" Emma is desperately trying not to panic.

"Swan it's alright." Hook moves up alongside Emma. "We came up with a decent plan. Just trust us."

"Killian I don't want to hurt anyone else. If this plan will further hinder your escape..."

"It's alright love. Please just let us help you get out of here."

"Just us huh?" Emma can't help the melancholic disappointment in her voice.

Hook looks down and turns to the dark haired woman patiently lagging behind He hates seeing such pain in Emma but he's not about to hurt Mila either. As long as he has been in Tartarus, sweating and painfully laboring away, it is now that he feels truly in hell. For whatever choice he makes he cannot win.

Cora walks briskly by Emma and takes her by the hand, "This is it. Beyond that corridor there is a large cavern...Hade's throne room. You may witness horrors in there but I need you to focus and find her. Once you have her the three of you will imagine the shores of Tartarus where you arrived as you hold the stone. I will meet you there with the others so you may all return to Storybrooke. Do not let his slaves near you. Use your magic if you have no choice. Rumplestiltskin knows what you're up against and he will help you."

"What if Hades finds us?" Emma can't shake the feeling that she won't just be able to walk in there and take Regina away.

"Let me worry about Hades."

Emma begins to walk away.

"Don't fail me savior like I failed her. Save my daughter.