Dead Reckoning

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Zeus…" David stated skeptically after Emma finished telling them of the deity's warning of the newest rising threat against them. "Zeus, the King of the Gods was actually here?"

"I didn't want to believe it at first either, but it was undeniably him," Emma replied with a sigh and then she turned her head to look back at her husband again worryingly through the glass. "He showed me Killian's final moments with him until Zeus brought him back to life and sent him back here to us. It was just as Killian described. I don't know why he appeared to only me while he kept all of you frozen out here in the corridors, but I guess that's just how he wanted it. He probably doesn't reveal himself to hardly anyone."

Snow looked down at her son she held within her arms as Neal stared up at her and quickly smiled when she did so, then she continued, "And Zeus told you that Hades had a son who has come to avenge his father? What are we going to do? We barely defeated Hades and it's not like we have another Olympian Crystal laying around."

The Savior shrugged as she answered, "Zeus told me that while we can't defeat this other God, we may be able to trap him somehow. The only way I can think of off the top of my head to do that, is to trap him inside Pandora's Box. But getting close enough to do that is what's going to be difficult. Somehow, I know that a war is coming and we're going to need as many people here as we can get to fight it."

"Then we'll have to readjust our plans as to who's going to Neverland," David responded as he looked around those who had already volunteered to join him. "It's still best for me and Liam to go. But after what Hook told us about the Lost Boys who still inhabit the island… how they're wilder then they were when they were controlled by Pan, we're going to need a few more too. Hopefully we can get there and back before we miss too much of the battle that's coming here. Grumpy, you can come with us. And Sir Morgan… if you both are still willing."

"I'm more than willing," the dwarf replied smugly. "Count me in."

The Knight looked between the three men looking to him now, turned to his daughter as if seeking some kind of confirmation, then as Violet smiled, he finally answered, "You can count me in too. I mean what I said earlier about wanting to pay Hook back for saving my daughter's life."

Dr. Whale walked between everyone still standing outside of Hook's room and entered inside, while Liam spoke up saying, "I promise, Sir Morgan… I will protect the three of you the best I can so that you will all make it back home alive."

"And when you get there, see if you can find Tiger Lily," Emma continued. "When I went through the door to save Killian from the Lost Boys, he saved her from them as well and Killian said she was on our side in the final battle. Surely, she'll be of some help to… you…"

"Emma, what's wrong?" Snow asked her daughter worryingly when she trailed off and quickly turned back to the room where the doctor was standing over Killian until she suddenly rushed back inside with her hands raised.

Before anything more could be said or questioned, the Savior used her powers to blast Whale back hard against the wall and then angrily shouted, "Stay the hell away from my husband!"

Others rushed into the room in shock upon seeing Emma attack the doctor, as Regina cried out, "Emma… what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm protecting Killian," she responded coldly while she quickly glanced down at him as he struggled to wrap his hand over his arm, crying out softly as he did so, then she continued to glare at the man slowly rising back to his feet as he suddenly began to laugh. "He's not Whale."

"Emma's right," Liam stated as he walked around his brother's bed along with David and saw a large gash cut deeply along Killian's left forearm, then the Prince immediately wrapped part of the blanket draped over his son-in-law around the wound to stifle the blood to take over holding it for his son-in-law. "This man was attacking Killian, not trying to help him."

The Savior's hands began to glow again while she kept her eyes firmly on the imposter as he made the bloodied knife within his hand disappear and questioned, "Who are you? Are you the God we were warned about? I don't care what you really are, but you can be damned sure that I won't let you harm Killian any more than you, or the rest of the villains trying to kill him already have."

The attacker stopped his chortle and waved his hand as he become engulfed in a bright red light again for a few seconds until it faded to reveal the deity's true form, then he finally replied, "You got me. I'm Zagreus. I have to say, Emma… I'm impressed. Impressed that you caught onto me so quickly. But how did you know I wasn't your resident doctor?"

"I sensed something wasn't right with my husband," she answered as the real Dr. Whale came rushing into the room and began to help David with his patient. "We don't have to share a heart for us to sense when the other's in trouble. Somehow, we always just know. That's true love."

"Yes, true love…" the God before them responded smugly. "It's a real shame that true love's kiss won't help Captain Hook now. Not any act of true love can. It's only a matter of time before what's killing him now, will rip out every ounce of the youth from his body and turn what's left of him when it's finished, into dust and bone. Two hundred years is a long time for someone to cheat death, but it will always catch up to you eventually unless you're immortal like me. I only came here for a little of his blood before it's all dried up."

Snow stared at the deity in confusion as she asked, "If you really are some all-powerful God, why do you need some mortal's blood? And why Killian's?"

Zagreus smiled at them eerily and replied, "I'm not ready to reveal my plans for you and the rest of this town just yet. It's only a matter of time before you figure them out. But by then, it will be far too late for you to stop me. It won't be long before the war that's coming begins. So, I suggest what little time you all have left, you forget whatever your plans are and spend the time I'm giving you together saying goodbye."

"If you really believe we can't stop you, then you don't know us very well," Emma answered. "Hades believed the same thing. He underestimated us all along and in the end, we destroyed him. He left us with no choice. But you have one. You can leave Storybrooke and never come back. You can heal Killian and stop whatever you have planned. Please… we don't want to have to destroy you too, but we will if we have to."

"Without the power of an Olympian Crystal?" Hades' son sneered mockingly. "There's no other way to kill a God. And I won't stop. All of you heroes are responsible for my father's death and you will all pay for it. I'm afraid that you and your pirate just so happened to be the first ones to punished, Emma. You will watch the man you love wither away before the rest of you meet your own fates. This punishment is far worse than your own death, isn't it?"

Before Emma could say anything more, the God waved his hand again and vanished from before them, then once he was gone, the Savior rushed over to Killian as she asked Whale worryingly, "Is he alright? What did he do?"

The doctor looked at his patient's wife while she emitted her magic to try to heal the gash until she discovered she couldn't, then he tightened his hold of the cloth around Hook's arm again and responded, "The cut isn't too bad. It's deep, but I can stich it up. I just have to wait until the blood flow stops more so that he won't bleed out while I'm trying to work. As far as I can tell, it's a normal looking laceration."

"The God said it himself," David replied quietly when he finally stepped back so that Whale could do his job without him being in his way. "Hook's already suffering from the effects of the brand. There was no need for him to poison Hook anymore. We should get going before this battle comes to a head."

"Before you go, you should know what kind of battle is about to take place," Gold said with concern in his voice when he slowly came walking towards them upon entering the corridor, then waited for everyone else to leave Hook's room to come out to him before he continued.

Snow looked at the Dark One with surprise as she asked, "You mean… you know what Zagreus has planned?"

Rumple nodded as he pulled out Killian's hook from his coat's inside pocket and handed it over to Emma, then answered, "I borrowed this so that I could spy on the villain who began all of this. In their own small fight, I figured the Captain's hook might have scratched, perhaps even wounded the brute at some point. I was right. Belle and I saw as Hades' son made his first appearance to the pirates, who happen to be hiding out within a cave somewhere out in the woods."

"Does what he has planned have something to do with why he just stole some of Killian's blood?" Snow asked him again.

"I'm afraid so," Gold sternly responded. "Zagreus is a God and Hades' son. Therefore, he has the power to travel between realms and anywhere within the Underworld, including within the Worse Place. The only thing this God can't do, is raise an army without finding a way to open the portal keeping all souls from leaving the Underworld in. That's where Hook's blood comes in. It's the key to opening said portal, like mine. Clearly, getting his was easier."

David stared at their friend with disbelief while he replied, "You're saying his plan is to raise an army from the Underworld to fight against everyone here in Storybrooke? How are we going to fight an entire army of the dead?"

Rumple answered, "I'm not yet certain. If this deity succeeds in gathering his army, it isn't going to be easy. I'm willing to bet that most of them, if not all will have grudges against a few of us for sending them down to their hell in the first place."

"At least a few of us are already dead ourselves," Liam responded sternly. "My men will stay here and fight alongside you, while I'm in Neverland. They will defend you."

"Belle is currently working on the elixir for Hook per my own instructions for when you return from Neverland with the waters," Gold replied again. "In the meantime, I suggest the rest of you work on your protection spells and look for a way to trap the son of Hades."

Emma stepped away and returned to Killian's side again once she saw that Dr. Whale was finished tending to the laceration, while Regina spoke again saying, "Actually, we thought we would trap him within Pandora's Box. You do still have it?"

He nodded and summoned the box into his hand, then handed it over to the Queen as he answered, "It's an excellent way to trap an all-powerful being such as a God. We have much to do to prepare ourselves for what's to come. I will see if there's something I can do to perhaps block the portal so Zagreus cannot open it even with Hook's blood. But should he succeed, I will be here to stand by your side. The darkness still inside of me will finally be put to use in defending this town, rather than trying to tear it apart like in the past."

Meanwhile, Whale walked out of the room when he finished, leaving Emma alone with Killian once more as she took his hand in her own like before and when she couldn't come up with the right words to say, Killian whispered frailly, "What… is it you're not telling me, love?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about," his wife responded sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave you alone. We were only trying to discuss how…"

"Please… I may be blind, but I can tell you're… trying to protect me from what's happening to me," he interrupted. "No more secrets. Remember?"

"You're right," Emma stated worryingly. "No more secrets. I'll tell you everything."