Hook… I Will Always Find You

Chapter Thirty-Three

Lila sat down across from Emma while Graham, David, Alice, and Liam all remained nearby as the witch continued to talk with them about all she knew of the dream root and how she could guide the Savior for as long as she was able. After she finished, she and the others left Emma alone with Killian so she could finally try to get some sleep before she moved forward with using the root, then laid down again beside the man she loved and held him close, for his comfort as well as for her own.

The older of the Jones brothers took his place again against the wall to continue to keep watch over them, though he allowed himself to sit down on the floor so he wouldn't have to remain on his feet. Alice on the other hand, walked over to stand over him as she told him she was going to step outside to get some more fresh water from the brook, then picked up the flask and left the cottage.

While she was kneeling down over the brook and holding the carafe in the water so she could fill it, Hades suddenly appeared above her after he walked up behind her, then spoke nonchalantly saying, "Hello, Alice. I've missed you."

The God's sudden voice startled her, as she dropped the flask in the brook and immediately stood again while she turned around to face him with anger in her eyes, then Alice darkly responded, "Hades… What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might be happy to see me," he replied smugly, then reached out and seductively began to caress her arm until the dark haired woman pulled away from him as she took a few steps back. "I'll admit, it's been awhile since I've come to see you. But I have been busy. I'm the ruler of this realm after all and I have responsibilities to all my subjects you know."

"Whatever twisted thing there was between us before… I'm done, Lord Hades," Alice retorted brusquely, but then turned her head towards her cottage in worry, hoping that the protection spells put in place truly were powerful enough to keep the deity from breaking in to recapture her youngest again. "We both know why you've really come here and what you've done to my son. How could you do this? How could you torture Killian like that? You gave me your word you would keep your eyes on my boys and protect them from harm. I gave in to you and became another of your mistresses so you would!"

Hades stepped towards her again while he answered smugly, "And like you did, I kept up my end of our deal, darling. I told you I would look after your two sons for as long as they were slaves to that bastard pirate, Captain Silver. Which I did. They both survived their sixteen years of servitude, didn't they? And then I even saw to it that Silver and his crew paid the price for their cruelty. I didn't have to do that, but I knew you would appreciate it. Although… you might not be too happy about how I pulled it off. I did have to manipulate your oldest into making a deal himself. But it did allow for him and the younger one to become free men, and officers within the Royal Navy on top of that. Captain and Lieutenant no less… for awhile. Liam's death a few years later was his own fault."

The God held his hand out and snapped his fingers as a large glass jar containing just a hand within the fluids which kept it preserved appeared, then he continued, "This is this realm's replica of the hand which once belonged to the dreaded Captain Hook. I borrowed it from the Dark One's shop… the very villain who stole it from him that is. It appears this was one of the punishments well deserved for your youngest son's many sins in his life. Two hundred years is a long time."

"Liam is a good man, who has more than made up for his mistakes in life," she retorted angrily. "And so has Killian. That woman in there who calls herself the Savior? She's come down here to save him from you. I believe she will succeed."

"You're very naïve if you really believe that," Hades responded once he made Killian's hand disappear again. "But that doesn't matter right now. Let me guess… Emma Swan has told you some fairytale about how much she loves your youngest son and that she'd do anything to save him from me? Is that right?"

While Alice looked at him in confusion without saying anything, the deity haughtily continued, "Well… you ought to know, I gave her the chance to spare Hook anymore pain. The chance to save him, at least from my wrath. If you don't believe me, go ahead and ask her for yourself. I offered her a deal so long as she would willingly offer up her heart and yet she refused. Now… I've had to find myself a new way to restart my own heart no thanks to her and my own younger brother, Zeus. Who stopped my heart centuries ago to punish me for trying to be the ruler I rightfully should be… up there on Mount Olympus. But that's where you come in now, Alice. I need you to do me a little favor. There's only one other way my heart can be started and that's going to require me to rekindle an old romance from years ago. However, to do that, I need her to join me here in the Underworld and I can't bring her here from the land of the living without help from the Evil Queen… Regina that is. I need you to draw her out here beyond the protection spells put up around your cottage. Do this, or I will not only take away this life of luxury which I created for you, but I will send in my furies, who can harness enough power to break the barriers, and they will rip both of your sons away from you. Then I will punish them severely for your own bad choices. What will it be?"

She looked towards her home again with fear in her eyes while she whispered, "I don't think I can do that."

"Come on, Alice…" he uttered cruelly. "I know that you have a dark side in you. Or have you forgotten what you did to your husband after his arrival down here with my help? All for the sake of your boys?"

"I remember," the woman still standing in front of him stated darkly when she looked into Hades' eyes again and then nodded. "I'll do it. But I need you to promise me something in return."

Hades shrugged while he questioned, "And what's that? I think my days of doing you any favors is finished."

Alice stepped closer to him and reached out to place her hand over his chest while she replied crossly, "Just promise me that you won't hurt my boys any further. Or the Queen."

"I promise," the God answered coolly with a lie and then leaned in to kiss his mistress while he stroked her cheek almost tenderly, until he finally pulled back and started to walk away with his back to her. "For whatever it's worth… I have missed you, Alice."

"I've never missed you," she whispered to herself as soon as the deity suddenly vanished from before her within blue flames, then she turned back to the cottage and walked back to return inside while she struggled to come up with a way to draw Regina out for Hades.