Hades' smile was proportional to Mal's fear. Rashid felt no fear, but he certainly didn't want to stay any longer than necessary. It seemed that everything there existed to take life and frighten.
As Hades anchored the boat, Rashid kept his eyes on the shadow he'd seen earlier.
"I don't like this place."
Mal whispered to Rashid.
"Nobody likes Hades." He responded. "Do you see a huge shadow move?"
Mal didn't have time to signal a response, because the shadow came at them at a frightening speed.
"Hi Cerberus." Mal and Rashid stared dumbfounded. A huge three-headed dog that looked like a monster ran and went to Hades who opened his arms to welcome the animal. "I missed you too, buddy."
"You're seeing the same thing I am, right?"
Rashid asked in disbelief that what he saw was real.
"If you're seeing a three-headed dog playing with my dad, then, yes, we're seeing the same thing."
"You called him dad?" He faced the girl with emotion. "If I wasn't in that situation, I'd say 'awww'."
"Get lost, Rashid. Hades, I don't want to interrupt your reunion, but we have more important matters."
"Yeah, sure." He recomposed himself. "See you later, kid."
It had been years since Hades had smiled in such a genuine way. His joy was genuine and his eyes were shining as he saw every spot in that vast place.
"Do you know where the arrow is? Tell me you know."
Rashid questioned tired from a short walk.
"Moros said it was in the temple, but he doesn't have one. Watch your step." He warned, as Mal was about to step into a pool of lava. "The Underworld wasn't created to receive guests. Anyway, the temple he says can only be to his daughters."
"Daughters?" Rashid asked. "Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos?"
"Or, the Moirai. Moros loves those things enough to leave one of the arrows with them."
"And where are they?"
Mal asked.
"If we're lucky we won't see those shrews."
"What?"
"We don't have a very happy past."
"Hades, please make sense."
"They're not welcome here."
"So, what are we doing here?"
Mal asked already thinking that this was all a big deception.
"The Moirai left the arrow here, they hid it in that cave." He pointed to the cave a few meters away. "You just need to go in and get it."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, I can't go in there, let alone the stranger."
"The name is Rashid." Mal looked at them and walked over. "Why all the blah, blah, blah to say the arrow was there?"
"It's cooler."
"Hades, son of Kronos and Rhea."
Three voices said.
"I don't have the slightest bit of luck."
He complained looking at the ground.
"What is the former king of the Underworld doing here?"
The first sister said floating in front of him.
"It's not allowing mortals here."
Lachesis said joining the other sister.
"Unless he's dead."
The youngest said smelling his scent.
"Hello disgusting creatures, before you wonder what I am doing here, may I ask who allowed your detestable presence in my realm?"
"Oh, come on, Hades."
"This is no longer your kingdom."
"The new queen of the Underworld is in charge here."
"New queen?"
Rashid asked.
"Does she know you're here?"
The youngest questioned.
"I don't know, you should ask her."
He joked trying to ignore what to him were three noisy flies.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to get your father's arrow."
He said quietly and causing such astonishment that it made them stop flying at the same instant.
"How?"
"What did you say?"
"Who let you?"
"If your daddy didn't say, I won't be the gossip to say."
The three headed as fast as they could for the cramped cave.
"Shouldn't we go after it?"
Rashid asked concerned for Mal.
"No, they can't do anything."
(...)
Mal was looking at every part of the cave trying to find the arrow, however the place was small and the fact that there was little light did not help. While, the young girl was looking focused, the three sisters entered the environment and when they saw the girl the amazement took over their hearts. Astonishment not because of the arrow, but because of who she was.
The Moirai knew the life of all living beings, all the past, present and future. Clotos saw and was responsible for the birth of the girl, Láquesis was the one who determined her fate and Atropos is waiting to cut the thread of her life.
"Κακός."
They said her name in Greek.
"Who are you?"
Mal was startled when he saw the three women.
"You." Clotos went up to her. "Born on a rainy day."
Mal didn't understand, though, refusing to move.
"Raised in the worst place there is to live." Lachesis continued. "Without the love of your mother and father."
"Nothing has taken the life out of you."
"You're the Moirai, am I right?" Mal came to a conclusion. "I'm looking for something from you."
"It's behind the smaller stone on your left."
Mal walked over to where Clotos said and picked up the arrow as if it were the simplest act in the world, as if it wasn't the object that would change the world forever.
"Thanks." Mal spoke to the three. "I'm sorry, but about what you said before, I didn't understand anything, although I've really gotten used to literally everyone knowing things about me, how did you find out about my birth?"
"We are daughters of the god of Fate."
"You will do great things yet."
Clotos said.
"Shut up!"
One of the sisters said.
"I know, that's why I came after the arrows."
"No, I just want to...I don't just trace bad times, there are good things too."
The middle sister took Mal's hands.
"Lachesis be quiet please."
"I think your sister is right."
Mal spoke up.
"It's all about fate." Clotos spoke. "We didn't know about the arrows and we don't know what you'll do with them, but if Dad trusted you, he has a good reason."
"Thank you?"
"Lachesis and Clotos are enough now."
Atropos warned.
"You don't like me, do you?"
Mal asked.
"It's not that, you just...have a reason human don't know us."
"I'm not human."
"We know." They said at the same time. "We know your mother, Κακός."
"Κακός is Maleficent?"
"Yes, your lives connect and separate."
They began to fly above Mal's head and showed her a series of scenes.
"The life of a sweet girl transformed by evil."
Clotos said and then Mal saw her mother turn into a dragon and without a second thought she began to cry. Crying in a way that Mal had never seen.
"And life of one who was destined for true love."
Lachesis spoke and Mal saw her and Ben, but it wasn't them, she had huge blue hair, while Ben looked like a peasant.
"Maleficent thinks she has had her life ruined and that more than once she has been abandoned."
The three beautiful women showed the day Hades left home.
"You think you were abandoned too."
"When the sun's glare crack, it's time to come back."
Mal was taken aback when she saw Hades. She saw and heard him say this to a baby.
"Your choices were different, Maleficent wanted to give up feeling, but you chose to love."
Her and Ben's first kiss.
"But in the end, it all comes back to fate." Mal was suddenly no longer in the Underworld, a place that was certainly sunnier and she would even say happier. "A world of new opportunities, where no one lives out the destiny that doesn't belong to them."
"I'm going to find you, you naughty little thing."
Hades' voice reached her ears and she saw him cross her as if he were a spirit.
"Mommy"
Mal looked forward and saw a little girl. A child who was running from Hades.
"We're coming, baby."
It was Ben. Her and Ben hugging. An older version of them. Ben even had a beard and she, she wore a crown.
"Keep running."
Mal heard herself say to the child, as she kissed Ben.
"He's got me."
The little girl said laughing, as Hades showered her with hugs.
"Wait for me too, I want to shower this little dragon with kisses."
Maleficent. It was her mother's voice.
"One destiny, only one destiny."
(...)
Outside the cave Hades and Rashid stood quietly waiting for Mal.
"Hades, how many monsters do you have?"
"Cerberus is not a monster, okay?"
He warned him.
"Whatever, how many of those do you have?"
"As far as I remember there's only him, why?"
"Then tell me, please, that that huge dragon over there is a new one you adopted and don't remember."
Rashid asked and pointed to where he was seeing a gigantic dragon spitting fire.
"That's not a monster, my friend." Hades could only think of his lack of luck. "That's my ex-wife."