So I hope you enjoyed my twist and introduction of a new character. He is not in Storybrooke to be good I will say that.
"Hades? Lord of the underworld?" Emma repeated, her voice adopting a higher pitch to it.
"He said you made a deal with him." Robin said stepping over to Regina and taking her hand in his giving it a comforting squeeze. "Regina what deal did you make with that demon?" Robin asked her.
"He's not a demon. Those little pets of his are demons. He is a god." Regina replied simply avoiding the question.
"Regina this is not the time for a lesson on who is a god and who is not. Answer Robin's question, what is the deal you made with him?" Emma said firmly.
Regina sighed and she leaned against the wall closing her eyes a little. She didn't know why she had been so foolish enough to think Hades wouldn't find her here. What made her think casting a curse and moving to another realm would stop Hades, Lord of the underworld from finding her and collecting on her debt. "I had been desperate. He had an ingredient I needed to cast the curse. He was the only one who had it. So I summoned him."
"You summoned the lord of the underworld because you wanted an ingredient for the curse? Surely you couldn't have been that desperate? The threat is in his name." David said, receiving a glare from Regina.
"Well I think it is quite clear that I was desperate enough to do just that." Regina replied back sarcastically rolling her eyes at him. "But of course Hades would not just give me the ingredient I had to make a deal for it so…I…" Regina started but trailed off. This was one deal she had always regretted making.
"You traded your soul for the ingredient." Henry finished for her, his fairytale book in hand and open. Everyone looked over at him surprised with his answer. "It's in the book. I don't know how or why I never saw it before."
Regina frowned and pushed off the wall, walking over to Henry and looking down at the book. There she saw in the picture herself and Hades. "Perhaps because you were never looking for it." Regina replied.
"You traded your soul for the ingredient?" Mary-Margaret asked. "But why? Was the ingredient that important? You could not have gotten it elsewhere?"
Regina sighed. "Yes it was important and without it the curse would not have worked and like I said before he was the only person who had the ingredient. There was nowhere else I could have gotten it and at the time I was desperate so lost in my anger, revenge and darkness that I would do just about anything to get what I wanted. So yes I traded my soul to him to get the ingredient."
"But then why are you still here? Should you not be down in the underworld if he has your soul?" Emma asked.
Regina shook her head. "The deal was I would collect one hundred hearts for him in ten years. If I succeed then I could have my soul back…"
"And if you didn't succeed?" Robin asked worry showing on his face.
"Then my soul goes to Hades completely and forever." Regina replied a scared look on her face.
"Why the hell would you make a deal like that?" David asked.
"Because I didn't think I would fail it. I'm not sure if you remember but I was quite adapt at ripping a heart or two out at that time. When I cast the curse I was a couple off the one hundred but I don't know I convinced myself that if I cast the curse and moved to another realm he wouldn't find me and I would be okay. The curse seemed to keep him away from me but now it is broken…" Regina explained.
"It has opened you up to his sight." Mary-Margaret said and Regina nodded her head.
"I was foolish to think he would never find me. I just convinced myself too much of it and then with everything that has happened since the curse breaking I guess I just…forgot…" Regina said shrugging her shoulders a little.
"Forgot? You couldn't just forget something like that." Emma said in disbelief.
"Well I did Miss Swan." Regina snapped.
"So what are you going to do Regina?" Robin asked interrupting a potential fight between the saviour and the dark one who was fighting to show through in Regina. "Do you have the hearts you need to give him?"
"I…I would need to go to my vault and see if there are some hearts still down there but…I gave the hearts back when I tried to redeem myself after the first curse broke. I'm not sure if I have any left." Regina replied.
"But if you don't have the hearts then that means Hades will take you …" Henry said.
"We're not gonna let that happen kid." Emma said firmly hoping to convince not only Henry but herself. This was a battle she had not been prepared for.
Regina, Emma and Robin appeared in Regina's vault, purple smoke swirling around them before disappearing. Emma and Robin looked around them while Regina moved off towards a wall covered in brown wooden boxes. Regina began pulling out boxes and letting them fall to the floor.
"Regina what are you doing?" Emma asked.
"Looking to see if I have any hearts. This is where I kept them." Regina replied continuing to pull out the boxes. Both Emma and Robin moved over and done the same as Regina.
Regina reached for the last box, seeing it empty she turned and threw if with great force it hitting the wall with a loud thump before breaking into pieces and falling to the ground. "What am I going to do?" Regina asked worry showing through her voice. "There is no way I am going to get three hearts."
"Why don't we go to the morgue? There will be hearts people aren't using there right?" Emma suggested.
"He wants a working heart Emma. A heart not beating is useless to him." Regina sighed.
"Right…okay…" Emma nodded trying to rifle through her brain for an idea.
"What about the heart of an animal?" Robin asked. "Would he know the difference?"
"He is the lord of the underworld I have an idea that he would probably know the difference between a human heart and an animal's heart." Regina replied. She sighed and it really hit her what she was going to have to do. "I am just going to have to give myself to him. There is no other way. I cannot break the deal with him. He will find me no matter what and take me anyway."
"No Regina we will figure out another way." Robin said firmly.
"There is no other way Robin." Regina said with tears in her eyes. "Hades will not take back the deal and I cannot get three beating human hearts unless I rip them out of three people now."
"Okay…you will meet Hades tonight and tell him you cannot get the last three hearts and let him think you are surrendering yourself to him." Emma said.
"Which I am doing since there is no other way." Regina said interrupting Emma.
"No I will figure out another way to get you out of this deal. There has to be something. I'm the saviour it's my job to figure this out, right?" Emma said causing Regina to roll her eyes at the blonde. "I am going to figure this out Regina. You are not giving your soul to him." Emma said placing her hand on Regina's forearm and giving a slight squeeze.
It was midnight and Regina, Robin, Emma, Mary-Margaret and David were all standing on Main Street by the clock tower waiting for Hades to appear. Regina knew Hades would be late. He liked to make an entrance. She paced up and down the pathway, a hand on her hip and the other hand in her hair. She was nervous. She couldn't deny that. Emma had insisted she would figure out a way to stop Hades but she had yet to actually come up with anything and tell everyone. Regina stopped turning to look at the others.
"I think you should all go. I don't think you should be here when Hades arrives." Regina said.
"We are not leaving you Regina." Robin said firmly walking towards Regina, taking on hand in his and placing a hand on her cheek. "I am not leaving you alone with him."
"I will be fine Robin." Regina said softly although she wasn't sure if she was all that convincing as she wasn't sure herself if she would be fine. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"Aw how sweet." A voice from behind them came making them all jump. Robin held on tighter to Regina's hand as they turned to see Hades and his little demons, Pain and Panic standing behind them. "But I am afraid my dear Regina that your time is up. Have you brought what you owe me? Or do you owe me yourself instead?" Hades asked with a smirk on his face, Pain and Panic bouncing around at his feet and grinning evilly at Regina.
"I…" Regina started but Emma burst through, a bag in hand holding it up and speaking up before Regina had the chance.
"Here is what you are owed." Emma said handing the bag to Hades. "There should be the three hearts in there. Right Regina?" Emma said turning to Regina and receiving a glare from her.
Hades took the bag from Emma, glancing over at Regina who was trying as hard as she could to hide her anger towards Emma but she was finding it hard. She had no idea what Emma was up to but she just hoped it worked. Hades opened the bag and then looked up at Regina. "Is this a joke?" He asked and Regina felt deflated at that question. What had Emma done?
"Wha…What do you mean?" Regina asked nervously.
"One these are not beating hearts like we discussed in our deal and two these are not human hearts. They are horses hearts." Hades said pulling out one of the hearts and crushing it in his hands. "Did you really think you could fool me Regina?" His voice bounded around the street as he threw the bag to the ground and pulled Regina towards him using magic.
"N-no Hades. I'm sorry. I…" Regina said but she could feel breathing beginning to become harder and felt Hades magic squeezing around her.
"Wait! Stop!" Emma shouted. "It wasn't Regina. She didn't gather those hearts. It was me."
Hades grip on Regina loosened a little but he kept her close. "Is this true?" He asked Regina.
Regina nodded her head. "I don't have the last three hearts for you."
"What? And you couldn't just rip three hearts out of people that live in this town? Where has the notorious Evil Queen gone to?" Hades asked.
"I…I'm not her anymore. I'm not the Evil Queen." Regina replied.
Hades pulled her closer to him and her breath hitched. "I can smell the darkness off you. You possess the dark one but you refuse to let it out. Refuse to let the darkness show through." Hades smirked. "But now you are mine and I think it is about time we let that darkness out, don't you?"
"No!" Regina said struggling against Hades magic.
"No? Well we can always do something to those people you seem to love so much over there…" Hades said using his magic to grab Robin, gripping him tightly and choking him.
Regina gasped and watching for a moment as Robin struggled for air. "No stop! You can do whatever you want with me but please just leave them alone. Don't hurt him." Regina said desperately.
Hades grip loosened on Robin and Robin fell to the ground. "See that wasn't so hard was it Regina?" He turned to the others, grin firmly on his face. "Don't worry you will see Regina again, although she may not be quite the same. Perhaps a little darker." He laughed and with a swirl of grey smoke Hades, Regina and his little demons were gone leaving Robin, Emma, Mary-Margaret and David alone on Main Street not knowing how they were going to save Regina now.