Chapter Seventeen
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.
*waves sheepishly* I know, I know, ToF is still due for an update! But currently that chapter's sitting at 51 pages and it's still got a ways to go but I don't want to hold the other chapters for the other fics up from getting published because of it. Hence this update! :D
OceanBlueSeaEyes: Aww! I love that thought, of Mal and Ben starting a language club! Plus I don't see Hades preventing Mal from learning about her French side (Sleeping Beauty being a French fairy tale after all)
Katt Kiki: So glad you liked it! :D
twilightgirl587: When in doubt, send in the trouble makers! As for 'Aunt Dalia' it's a reference to the Live Action Aladdin, where Dalia was one of Jasmine's attendants and the closest person she had to a sister. :D
AmethystDragon14: Yay! How can you not love them? As for Lucas, well I wasn't expecting him to show up but he just decided he'd appear!
danifan3000: They may need a license but I'm sure Carpet wouldn't let anything happen to the boys even without one.
CrystalKaouri: I love them too! They're so much fun to write especially after all the gut punches the other chapters been! And yeah, Ben's going to be shocked for sure!
eiraclode45: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked the chapter!
Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Beast held back a sigh as he stood behind the counter at Lord Hades' new restaurant. It wasn't exactly what he had been expecting when he ended up on the Isle but as Lord Hades had said after he met Beast at the docks, if he was going to live in his Underworld and take up his limited resources then he was going to work.
Yeah that had been a shock. Hades meeting him at the docks, not the limited resources or the idea of working for a living. Though Beast did wish it was something less public.
Not because he didn't want to work with the public…okay that was a lie. He'd heard horror stories from what working with the public was like from Chip—apparently one of his older brothers had gotten a job in retail—but also it might have made it easier for Ben when he arrived if Beast didn't have such a public facing job.
Not that he was complaining about having a job on the Isle. Not at all.
"Well, well, well, look how the mighty have fallen."
Okay maybe he could complain a little. Especially when he was looking in the face of the man who tried to kill him once upon a time.
"Gaston," Beast said, trying to keep the bite out of his words. He knew Lord Hades' place was fairly new for the Isle and it certainly wouldn't help if Beast started fighting his patrons. Even if every bone in his body was itching for a fight at that moment.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before you got thrown in prison," Gaston scoffed, a small arrogant smirk on his lips. "What, did Boreadon wake up and finally realize that kidnapping a woman and brainwashing her to fall in love with you wasn't exactly 'heroic'?"
"You know that's big talk coming from a guy who's also on the Isle," Hades' voice called from the back and both men looked over to see the God walking toward them.
"Lord Hades, I—."
"I know why you're here," Hades said, glaring slightly at Gaston and ignoring Beast's comment. "It's the same reason half the bloody Isle's been here. To see him."
Beast tried not to react as Hades almost nonchalantly waved a hand in his direction.
"Now, I can handle the gawking and I can handle the few comments that have been made, I can't control what idiots say," Hades continued to speak. "But what I don't appreciate is people coming in trying to stir up trouble."
"I can't believe you're defending him!" Gaston exclaimed. "After all he's done to the Isle?"
"Yeah, trust me, he's not exactly in my good books," Hades said. "However, I know you've always regretted not being able to finish the job when you had the chance and believe it or not, I'm not exactly fond of people who try to increase my workload."
"What—?"
"God of the Dead, you ignoramus," Hades snarked. "And if you make it so that I have to deal with Beastie's soul for the rest of my days, I will hunt you down. Got it?"
"You wouldn't!" Gaston exclaimed.
"Oh wouldn't I?" Hades asked, raising an eyebrow. "See Beastie here might be the combination of everything horrible in Boreadon but there is one thing he has over you. And that's the fact that, according to Persephone, Beastie here is a good father. How are your daughters doing again?"
"LeGumes don't have daughters," Gaston shot back. "We have boys, strapping young lads. And what would you know about being a father, Hades? Last I checked, you had no children."
"And yet I still know more about being a parent than you do…though the amount that I know that you don't could fill all the books you'd never read," Hades said. "Honestly, how you managed to have one son who's even remotely tolerable is beyond me. Must be the work of his mother because we all know what boys raised by you are like."
Gaston rolled his eyes. "I don't need to hear someone who's not a parent lecture me about my sons."
"Well see, I normally don't lecture my customers but you haven't ordered anything so you're loitering," Hades told him. "So order your food, get your food, and then get out."
Turning to Beast, Hades said, "Whatever his total is, increase it by five."
"Gladly," Beast said with a small nod. He wasn't going to ask why Hades wanted to add to Gaston's total but if it aggravated the Frenchman, then Beast was all for it. He might not have been able to punch Gaston but he'd take what he could get.
Besides, he knew with Ben coming to the Isle soon, it would be better if he didn't make a complete enemy out of Gaston. He knew there'd be no way Gaston would ever be an ally of his but anything he could do to make sure Gaston didn't put his sights on Ben…
"I'll have my usual then," Gaston said, pulling Beast out of his thoughts.
"Which is…?"
Gaston rolled his eyes. "What, did Hades not teach you what customers' usuals were?"
"No, surprisingly, he assumed people would realize I lack the ability to read minds and know that I wouldn't know what they usually eat right off the top of my head," Beast snarked. "Clearly he overestimated you."
"You really think you're in a position to be smug right now?" Gaston asked, stepping closer to the counter so that his face was almost touching Beast's. "I'm not the one on an Isle full of my enemies, each one of us wanting nothing more than to see you suffer."
Beast shook his head. "But you are on an Isle with an impenetrable barrier around it so why don't you make life easy for the both of us and tell me your order so I can ring it up and you can leave?"
Gods, the stories Belle would tell about you not taking no for an answer seem tame now, he thought. I swear, if Belle 'tidied' up the stories and I find you hurt my wife in anyway…well I mean I'm already on this Isle for the rest of my life and really no one would miss you Gaston. Maybe your sons but it doesn't sound like your daughters would.
Mentally shaking his head, Beast pulled himself out of his thoughts to record Gaston's order. And if the total was increased by ten rather than five…well whoops. How was he supposed to know how a cash register worked?
"Good. He's finally gone," Hades said after the door closed upon Gaston's departure.
Beast nodded before sighing softly. "Thank you, by the way. For earlier. I…I'm aware that you're not the fondest of me—."
"That would be what we call an understatement," Hades said, his voice low as he looked over at Beast. "I wouldn't be 'fond' of someone who meddled in my job because he thought death was too good for the villains. I would despise someone who actively made my job harder than it needed to be and put kids in a position where they'd be in harm's way."
Put my child in a position where she was in harm's way, Hades thought but held his tongue from saying it out loud. The adoption hadn't been made finalized yet, for understandable reasons as Belle was focused on winning the upcoming election. And Hades didn't want to put a target on Mal's back if, for some reason, Belle didn't end up winning and the adoption promise died before it could live.
"So…why step in when Gaston was here?" Beast asked, pulling Hades out of his thoughts.
Hades gave Beast a look. "I may despise the ground you walk on but I promised my wife I'd give you protection along with your sunspots when they're here. Having Gaston kill you is not providing protection now is it?"
"Well…no, not really—."
"And there you go. Also, I meant what I said. If there's one good thing about you, it's the fact that from what my wife has told me, you're a better father than Gaston. You at least acknowledge the fact that you have a daughter."
"Why wouldn't I acknowledge my daughter?" Beast asked but Hades only shook his head and walked back into the kitchen. Beast sighed but turned his attention back to the cash register; pulling out a small rag to wipe down the counter.
Not because he had a sudden urge to clean but because doing something would make it so that he wouldn't think about Abby, Ben or Belle. He wouldn't think about how much he missed them. He could mope when he was back in his room in the Underworld.
If there was one thing that overlapped in the world of the Isle and the world of the royals, it was developing skills to hide ones true feelings when in public. And Beast might have been a newcomer to the Isle and he might not have had his wife's brains but even he knew that giving any of these patrons a weakness to use against him would be just asking for trouble.
Thankfully the rest of his shift passed without any incidents or accidents…well unless you counted some of the older VKs pelting him with rotten eggs. Yeah. That was fun.
"Hope you can swim," Hades said as he smirked at the sight. "We don't have running water here thanks to your stellar planning job in setting up the Isle, so the only way you're getting clean is if you jump in the Cove."
"…You don't have running water?" Beast asked.
"Nope," Hades shook his head. "Oh don't act all shocked, Beastie. You're the one who set this place up after all."
Beast sighed and took his glasses off; reaching for the rag he'd wiped the counter down with earlier in his shift. At the very least, he'd be able to see without smudges or dried egg whites smeared on the lenses of his glasses.
"…You know we don't have an eye doctor either right? Better hope your eyes don't change too much or those glasses of yours don't break otherwise you're hosed Beastie," Hades said.
"I'll send a letter to Belle, she said she was going to start the process of setting up a hospital here on the Isle," Beast told him. "It can include an optometrist."
One of the few patrons snorted. "Oh yes, convenient how it's only when the prince brat will be spending his time on the Isle that there's talk of any improvements," they muttered and Beast had to hold himself back from going after the patron for talking about his son that way.
They had a point and they were entitled to their opinions of how the optics made the situation out to be but that didn't mean they had to call Ben a brat!
The only reason anyone on the Isle even knew about Ben's upcoming arrival was because it had been broadcasted a few days prior. Beast was sure Belle had worked with Snow to do their best to keep Ben's name out of the news however this wasn't something that could be avoided.
People would wonder where their Crown Prince was when he disappeared for six months, especially if Belle wasn't panicking about where he was.
Beast did have to admit though, it was amusing seeing that reporter get hit with blue, yellow, and purple smoke near the end of his broadcast. He had assumed Chip was responsible somehow but couldn't place the purple. After all, if Emir or Akiho had been involved in some way, there would have been a bit more…well chaos. Or as much chaos as two five year olds could cause.
Which, in Emir and Akiho's case, was a fair amount Beast wasn't going to lie. Still though, seeing them made Ben happy so they were always welcomed at the castle. Just as long as they were supervised.
"Oi! What's the one rule I've got here?!" Hades snapped at the patron.
"Kids eat free, adults have to pay?" The patron asked.
Hades sighed and shook his head. "The other rule?"
"People who annoy you pay more?"
"The other other rule?"
"Oh…don't start anything with Beastie because then you'll have to step in?"
"Bingo."
"But I didn't start anything! All I did was point out that it's only since Prince Brat's coming to the Isle that anyone cares about those of us who've had to live here for years."
Hades sighed and unless Beast was mistaken, the God of the Dead looked dangerously close to pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look annoyance, I'm not sure if you have kids but if you do, would you want them being called a brat?"
"I mean…we call all the kids brats here…"
"Oh for the love of…get out of my sight before I charge you for annoying me!"
The patron quickly scurried out of the restaurant and Hades shook his head. "Idiots the lot of them."
"Thank yo—."
"Don't even start," Hades said. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because, like the kids of the Isle, Prince Sunspot didn't ask to come to the Isle and didn't do anything but be born to you."
"I know," Beast said. "That doesn't mean I'm not still thankful that you spoke up, just like you did before."
Hades shook his head. "Steph should have given you a run down of the Isle before you came here because honestly, the only way you're not going to get yourself killed is the fact that I don't want your soul permanently in my Underworld."
Beast signed but nodded. He knew he should have gotten a run down of the Isle, what to expect, but he only had two week to transition everything to Belle. Two weeks to spend with his children.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a shirt hitting him in the face.
"Here," Hades said. "I've been bringing extra shirts ever since we opened this restaurant and I'm not heading back with you smelling like rotten eggs."
"Why have you been carrying around extra shirts?" Beast asked.
"Because I felt like it," Hades said. "Now you gonna wear the shirt or not? Because if you'er not, then you're walking back by yourself. And I can't promise any protection if we end up walking back to the Underworld after dark."
"I'll wear it," Beast said quickly.
"Good," Hades said. "Go into the kitchen and change. And don't get rotten eggs on this one, I can't promise another clean shirt."
Beast nodded and quickly did just that. He'd wonder why Hades had a shirt in his size later, at that moment he was just happy to eliminate the smell of rotten eggs from his person.
It's going to be rough for you Ben, he thought as he walked back out. But thankfully, you'll have many people looking out for you. You won't get hurt, you'll survive.
The only doubt lingering in the back of Beast's mind though was…would he survive? Hades couldn't always be around him after all. But Beast knew that no matter what, he'd do what he needed to do to make sure he survived.
For Ben. For Abby. For Belle.