Hook… I Will Always Find You
Chapter Forty-One
Zelena was sitting down at an elegant table setting which Hades summoned up for her within his throne room so they could share a meal together while they talked, which brought the Wicked Witch into the back of her mind after the God vanished to collect something, while she remembered the last moment shared between them, as Hades had prepared dinner for her then too in hope of showing her just how it was he truly felt for her. Or at least, how he supposedly felt towards her in his own mind.
Some time ago in Oz…
When the Wicked Witch returned to her castle within Emerald City upon finally succeeding in taking the Scarecrow's brain and defeating Dorothy, she was surprised to find the man she had to admit she was coming to care for, as he was for her, standing before her with an elegant feast prepared, while the God stated, "There you are."
She looked at him anxiously as she questioned, "What's this?"
"Dinner," he answered straightly and blew on one of the candles in his hands to ignite a flame, then did the same with the other. "To celebrate."
"You saw?" she asked smugly as she smiled up at him.
Hades placed the candles on the table and proudly replied, "Of course I saw. You were wonderful. I knew you'd succeed. Come. Sit."
Zelena walked towards him and took the seat he offered to her with his help as she responded, "So… is this also a farewell dinner… before you return?"
"No," he answered plainly. "I'm not going back to the Underworld, Zelena."
"But you said you needed…" she began upon feeling confused by his answer, until it dawned on her what the deity was trying to tell her, and she blushed at the thought. "Oh."
Hades saw that she understood as he stated, "Yes."
The Wicked Witch questioned him again while she nervously asked, "So, you think that you and me are…"
"True love," he quickly replied to her as he walked around her so that they could look into one another's eyes. "You can't tell me you don't feel something, too."
"Yes, but we just met," she responded in confusion.
The God of the Underworld knelt down in front of her, and she just stared at him while he answered, "I know, I know. But when we were on that bicycle… and I had my arms around you… I felt something I haven't felt in eons. My…"
Hades let out a nervous sigh and then he continued, "…my heart… fluttered. Just for a moment. And I truly believe… once we kiss… my heart will start again. I'll be free. And we can be together."
He then leaned into kiss her as she started to lean towards him as well upon falling for his charm for a brief moment, until Zelena suddenly pulled away and stood up while she uttered bitterly, "No!"
"No?" the deity questioned out of confusion as he stood as well when she stepped away from him. "What?"
"How could I be so stupid?!" the witch with green skin rhetorically asked herself.
Hades shook his head while he asked, "What… what are you talking about?"
Zelena chuckled and replied, "I almost believed you."
"It's the truth," the God tried to assure her. "I promise!"
The Wicked Witch glared at him coldly and then angrily responded, "You want me to kiss you to free you from the Underworld! And then you'll have the power to steal this brain and enact my time travel spell… for you! And only you!"
She let out a frustrated sigh, then added, "Because that's what I would do."
"No," he said again.
"You want revenge and until you get it, you will never be satisfied," Zelena continued darkly, while Hades' anger and his own hate began to rise again from deep inside him. "You need this spell. You need to go back to beat your brother, just like I need to go back to beat my sister! Love is not enough!"
He kept his anger in check as he retorted, "No, Zelena. I don't want that anymore. I want you."
When he walked around the table to stand before her he gently whispered, "I love you."
The witch fought to keep her tears at bay and then answered miserably, "No one could love me. But if you did… you wouldn't want to take away my best chance at revenge. Go back to your brimstone. I never want to see your face again."
"You will regret this… Zelena," Hades replied bitterly after he took a few steps back in defeat and then vanished from her sight within his burning flames.
Back in the present…
"Forgive me for making you wait," the deity apologized upon his return, startling her from her thoughts, which she quickly pushed aside and looked up at him when he walked around to stand in front of her. "It's just that I had one matter of business to take care of that I had put off until now. Is there something wrong? Is the food not satisfactory?"
She shook her head and then responded worryingly, "It's all fine. It's just… the last time you and I were talking, in a setting just like this, you threatened me. You told me I would pay for refusing to accept your love. Is that why I'm here now? So you can kill me?"
Hades looked down on her sadly while he asked, "If there was a part of you that believed I had brought you down here for revenge, why did you agree to come with me instead of remaining with your sister?"
"While I'm not certain of your motives here, I enjoyed the satisfaction in displeasing Regina," the Wicked Witch answered haughtily while he laughed, then poured her a glass of wine, as well as one for himself. "Besides, while you may be a God, I damn well know how to care for myself. Tell me… if revenge on me isn't what you're after, why have you really brought me here?"
"Because I still love you," he replied to her again with sincerity in his voice and in his eyes. "And because… I wanted to prove it to you by allowing you to help me destroy these heroes, including your sister. For you. I'll admit it's for my satisfaction too, but I know you'll be happy once you're freed from them forever. I was angry with you for rejecting me, Zelena. But over these many years since our time we spent together in Oz, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I couldn't stop loving you. I don't want to. And now… there isn't a time travel spell, a brain for me to steal from you, or a pesky little girl from Kansas standing in the way of our love."
Zelena looked into his eyes as she sought out any hint of deception in them, then upon finding that he appeared to be speaking the truth, she responded quietly, "A lot's changed for me since then. First of all… I'm with child. With Robin Hood's child and while I hold no feelings for him whatsoever…"
The God quickly spoke again saying, "I know. I've been keeping my eye on you. To make sure you stayed safe. And because I missed you. I know you're worried that archer and your sister will succeed in taking your baby away from you. But if you'll let me, I can protect you. And like I said before, we can destroy them so they will no longer be a threat to you and your child."
"If you truly love me… or perhaps in time you could learn to truly love me, true love's kiss will restart my heart and then I will be free to join you in your world where we can live happily," Hades continued steadfastly. "We can rule over Storybrooke as you've always wanted ever since Regina first cast her dark curse. However, until you can find it in your heart to love me… to save me from my own hell… I made a large part of the Underworld in the image of Storybrooke for you. We can live here and you will be well cared for. You and your baby. You can terrorize everyone to your heart's content."
"I need some time to think about all that you're proposing here," she said again in worry after she took a few spoonfuls of the soup he conjured up for her. "Secondly, there's still the matter of your revenge against your brother. And I can't tell you I love you, or give you true love's kiss now because I don't love you."
The God shook his head as he answered, "I know you might not think so now, Zelena. I know you're scared, but don't deny you feel something for me. Even after all these years. I can see it in your eyes. Surely, it's why you agreed to come with me so we can talk. As for my vengeance… I can let it go. I already have. I'll prove it to you. I won't push you into anything. I never want to hurt you, but all I ask is that you take time to think about what I'm offering you here. You have all the time you need. Go out and look at what I've created for you. Terrorize some of my souls and help me to defeat those who have come down here to take what belongs to me."
The Wicked Witch glanced at him again while they continued eating, then uttered, "You mean… Captain Hook? I knew he had been killed. So his soul must be down here, which must be the reason why the Savior and Regina are here. The others too, of course."
"That's right," he replied. "I've set a trap for him and his Savior in motion should they fall for the bait I've laid out for them."
"Which they have," Cruella responded when she suddenly appeared before them upon entering the God's lair.
Hades laughed, then gloated, "I knew Emma wouldn't be able to resist. Soon, I'll finally have my slave back."
He magicked a bottle of gin into the vile woman's hands as a reward for her help as she smiled and then said, "Thank you, Hades."