Elsa POV

The dining hall was what I would have expected. There was a stark stone table with just two chairs. It was plain why Hades didn't have much company. I was merely surprised he even needed one other chair. My charming host was waiting at the head of the table when I entered. He made no move to pull out my chair, which was fine with me. A queen is capable of seating herself. I did so.

"Glad you could make it," Hades said. His constant jibes were nothing short of maddening.

"To my dismay, I had nothing better to do," I said. I folded my hands in my lap and stared levelly at Hades. He looked at me wide-eyed, and the flame on his head sputtered.

"Well, I wasn't aware you had a sense of humor," he said. He bared his sharp teeth in a half-smile and half-snarl.

"Pardon my impatience, but might we dispense with the formalities? I have no intention of staying here a moment longer than you force me. If you want companionship, I suggest that instead of kidnapping people, you attempt to be a more approachable person," I said.

"Approachable? Princess, I'm hot," Hades said. He fanned out his fingers as if provided fanfare for himself.

"Hey, how about some chow?" he interrupted his own chain of thought. He snapped his fingers and his tiny helpers paraded out carrying covered dishes. The blue one set his before me. He removed the cover to reveal a rather singed piece of meat.

"Panic!" Hades roared. The thing folded its tail under itself and scooted closer to the purple thing, who elbowed it.

"What? Was I supposed to give the burned one to him?" Panic whispered to his friend. They started to bicker as Hades, who was slowly turning red, looked on.

"GET OUT!" he bellowed, making me start in my chair. Panic and his companion scuttled from the room like two cockroaches. Hades swept a hand over his flaming hair and took a deep breath.

"Moving on..." he began. He swept the cover off of the largest dish with a grandiose flourish, revealing a multi-layer cake that appeared to have been soaked in something. He looked up at me like he'd produced the holy grail. I refused to be impressed.

"Hold on, hold on," he said. He snapped his fingers and a tiny flame appeared on his index finger. He held it near the cake and it burst into flames.

"How about that?" he said with his snaggly grin. It was going to be a long night.

Hades POV

Something wasn't right about that chick. Meg hadn't been much more talkative, but it was different with her. She just didn't respect me, and maybe hated me a bit. Elsa was just cold. No banter, no side-eye... she might as well have been a statue. If it wasn't for that one burn, I'd have thought she was hopeless.

After my lovely guest politely picked at a single piece of cake, she made it clear she was ready to retire for the night. I tried to be a gentleman and take her arm, but she shied away like I was a scorpion.

"Come on, doll, why the cold shoulder? And why the gloves? Isn't it hot enough down here?" I pulled at one of her gloves.

"Don't touch that!" she shrieked. Her cold exterior melted in an instant and she looked as scared as she should have looked when I kidnapped her. She jerked her hand away, folded both hands behind her back, and backed away from me. She pressed her lips together regally and tried to glare at me, but I could see tears in her eyes.

"Wow, you all right?" I asked. I might be abrasive, but I didn't expect that to happen. Elsa turned and ran down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

That did not go as expected, I thought. What's the big deal? It's just a glove. Obviously, Elsa was nothing like Meg. She was going to require an entirely different approach. I wasn't sure I could do gentle or understanding, but if she needed a little more convincing, I could make that work. I'd just be careful to never touch her gloves.