Chapter Twenty Four
A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney, the Greek Myths, or for the brief mentions in this chapter, PBS and DC.
Woo! I'm so glad I was able to get this chapter up for you guys! Apologies on the wait, I know it's been a long time coming and I'm glad it could be more of a fluffy chapter rather than what the past two chapters have been! The good news is there looks to be fluffy chapters for the next few chapters and if not fluffy, then at least there won't be any angst.
danifan3000: And I'm just glad there were no scenes showing anyone using that toilet/chamber pot!
OceanBlueSeaEyes: She wasn't originally but then I got your review and found it just made sense to make sure Ben doesn't get confused!
twilightgirl587: Yep, Neosporin. I tried Disney-fying it in some way :D And yeah I think Gil earned some Beastie points!
AmethystDragon14: Yay! Trust me I think it was just as much fun to write the softer side of Beast/Adam as it was for you to read it! And I'll join you in that mob!
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Hades wasn't going to lie, he was very confused as to why his den looked like an art museum threw up in it. Only instead of the statues of Pygmalion or the paintings of Picasso, Hades was looking at the art talents of a five year old.
And honestly, he had to prefer the five year old's drawings. And no, he wasn't just saying that because said five year old was his daughter, thank you!
"Hades…what's going on?" Persephone asked but then smiled as she saw the sight in front of her. Mal had turned the den into almost like a classroom of sorts, with Ben sitting on the sofa with a notebook and pencil in his hands; studiously taking notes.
"Now this," she heard Mal said, pointing to one of the drawings. It was obviously of a person but unlike the other drawings that had a variety of color, this one only had a black outline and a devil tail and horns, "is Freddy Frollo. Harry calls him pure evil and he is. He's got a sister who's okay but don't talk to her much. Talking to her might lead to talking to Freddy."
"Don't…talk…to…Freddy," Ben said as he jotted down the notes.
"Further more, if you do talk to him, make sure you have a sword with you," Mal added. "Freddy's been training himself on daggers according to Uma. So you're going to want a weapon….do you know how to use a weapon?"
Ben nodded. "Papa and I used to go to 'Daddy and me' jousting classes and they taught me how to use a lance! It's where I met Jordan!"
"Who…?"
"Genie's daughter! She's practically Emir's cousin!"
Hades held back a snort from his spot in the doorway as he looked over at Beast. The former King had come over to see what Hades and Persephone were staring at. "Daddy and me jousting?"
"Hey I didn't make the title," Beast shrugged. "Besides, Belle thought it'd be good for me and Ben to get some one on one time especially after Abby was born. Since Ben was so young, we thought it would be a good idea so he didn't feel like he was falling through the cracks between Abby and running the kingdom….what's going on by the way?"
"Mal apparently is teaching your sunspot about the dangers of the Isle," Hades told him.
"By drawing them?"
"Would you rather our children go touring the Isle and potentially running into enemies?"
Beast shook his head, the graze on Ben's arm was still fresh on his mind. Belle hadn't exactly been happy to hear about it when they had the chance to talk to her on the portal but she was just relieved Ben was okay.
That wasn't to say she didn't let out an impressive litany of swear words once both Abby and Ben were out of earshot though. Beast honestly had thought his wife was going to be the one to Beast out so to speak with how she was going.
"Now this is DeVil," he heard Mal say, pointing to a drawing of what looked like a human version of a Dalmatian puppy. "His first name is Carlos but Uma, Harry, and I don't use that much."
"Why?" Ben asked.
"He's not a threat to us," Mal explained. "His mom's cuckoo for coco puffs as Emir would say but DeVil's only three. Besides, he's got Clay Clayton looking out for him so he doesn't pose a threat to us. Not that he could, DeVil's jumpier than Jane."
That…was a fair assessment, Beast thought, thinking about his rare interactions with the DeVil boy and how he was similar to Fairy Godmother's daughter in temperament. Honestly the boy really didn't deserve the Isle, none of the kids did.
"This is Uma and Harry, you've met them already but they'd be annoyed if I left them out," Mal said and Beast looked to see a drawing of two kids with what looked like a glow behind them. "They're two of the best people you'll ever meet on this Zeus damned rock."
"Language Mal!"
Both Mal and Ben looked over to the doorway as they head Persephone's admonishment and they weren't the only ones.
"Really? We're eavesdropping on their conversation and you say 'language'?" Hades asked, shaking his head.
"She's five. And shouldn't you be wondering where she picked that up unless it came from you?" Persephone asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She does walk around the Isle."
"And she's right here!" Mal added, crossing her arms.
Persephone shook her head but looked over at Mal, opting to change the subject. "What are you doing?"
"I'm teaching Benny about the enemies and allies of the Isle!" Mal said, puffing up in slight pride. "If he's going to be here every six months, he's got to know who he can and can't trust. I'm not always going to be at his side after all!"
Ben nodded. "Plus if I don't know this, how can I protect Abby when she comes? I can't be a good big brother if I can't protect her!"
"Exactly," Mal nodded.
Beast leaned over to Persephone. "Should we put a stop to this?"
"I mean…they're spending time together and it's rather cute," Persephone said. "My main concern is…how does Mal know all these people on the Isle? She's five."
Hades shook his head. "She's also been around Maleficent and I'm sure Maleficent has made it no secret who she likes and dislikes around the Isle."
"…I hadn't thought about that," Persephone said, her voice soft as she looked at all the sketches Mal had made. Some of the drawings were obvious as to who they were, Uma and Harry for instance, but others confused the Goddess.
"Mal? Why is one of your drawings just a blue scribble with a crown on it?"
"That's Princess Blueberry," Mal said, and judging by her tone of voice, it should have been obvious to the Goddess. "I almost left the crown off but I didn't want Benny to confuse Uma with Blueberry after all."
I mean…Uma and Evie have different shades of blue, Ben thought but didn't say anything. The last thing he wanted was potentially offending Mal. She was his only ally after all.
Oh sure, Uma and Harry had become a little closer after they heard that Gaston had shot at him and Mal but Ben was sure that they were more concerned about Mal almost being being shot as opposed to him actually being shot.
Though to be fair, no one found themselves at risk of dying from a bullet graze.
But they were still friendlier to Ben, thankfully. They weren't as close as Uma and Harry were with Mal but Ben was okay with that. After all, he and Chad were as close as friends could be after being friends since practically birth.
Or at least they had been until all this mess happened with his dad being sent to the Isle. Audrey had made sure of that.
Ben shook his head softly, trying to clear his thoughts. Mal was taking the time to teach him, he shouldn't have been daydreaming. He would have time for that later.
"And we're sure this is a good idea?" Beast asked, pulling Ben's attention away from Mal's lessons.
"Dad, like I said, how can I be a good big brother and protect Abby if I don't know who the allies are and who to stay away from?" Ben asked, not even noticing the shift from 'papa' to 'dad'. He had to focus after all, he had to protect his sister.
But Beast did notice the change, and had to work hard to not let it show on his face. He knew that at some point Ben would make the switch from 'papa' to 'dad' but…Beast thought there'd be more time.
Why? Why would you think that? You've seen how kids have had to grow up on the Isle, Beast thought. Gaston tried to shoot your son, do you really think Ben would keep his innocence after that? Do you really think you'd stay papa after that?
But…didn't Mal say the Hook boy still called his father 'papa'? A small voice in the back of his mind tried to argue. Maybe…maybe a talk with Ben wouldn't be out of line. Just to make sure Ben's not trying to grow up faster than he needs to. After all, he only gets one childhood to enjoy.
"Okay now, this is Freddie," he heard Mal say, pointing to what looked like a brown stick figure with a halo over their head. "She's Uma's sister."
"But…I thought that was Freddy?" Ben asked, pointing to a sketch of a stick figure with horns and a tail. Honestly the only difference between Mal's drawing and a typical drawing of a devil was that Mal's drawing had a dagger instead of a pitch fork.
Mal shook her head. "That Freddy ends his name with a 'y' or will be referred to as 'witch boy' considering his father's obsession. Uma's Freddie ends her name in an 'ie' and will be referred to by name because she deserves it much more than Freddy boy does."
Ben nodded and jotted something down in his notebook.
"I think if she could, Mal would have all the kids on the Isle attending her little class," Hades whispered to Persephone.
"You know as well as I, the day she's willingly around Zevon is the day the Earth flies into the sun," Persephone whispered back. While the son of Yzma might not have been as high on Mal's list of enemies as Freddy or Evie, he was still up there.
And yes, had they lived anywhere else, Persephone would be concerned about a five year old having a list of enemies. But this was the Isle. Everyone had a list of enemies—the only ones who didn't were the ones who hadn't been born yet.
"Okay now who is this?" Mal asked, pointing to what looked like a red scribble with a sword.
Ben looked down at his notes. "Henry Kersey. You'd find him around the taverns with his mother, always has a sword in his hand, Derek is his best mate."
"Correct, and what do we do if we see him?"
"Engage him as neutral. He's no threat but he's no ally either."
Mal nodded. "Good, however you forgot one very important thing. Who does he hate?"
"Freddy boy?"
"Yep!" Mal nodded once more. "So if you're lucky enough to get into a fight with Freddy near the taverns, you can always count on Henry to back you up…but you are never going to be near the taverns. At least not alone."
"Why?" Ben asked, tilting his head.
"The taverns are where Gaston likes to hang out," Mal said and Ben softly rubbed his arm where Gaston's bullet had grazed him. The wound was healing nicely but everyone knew that Ben was likely to always have a scar there.
Mal nodded. "So you see why you won't be going to the taverns alone?"
"Yes Mal."
"Neither of you will be anywhere near the taverns," Hades said and the two kids looked over at him. "I don't care if it's in my territory, I don't trust Gaston as far as I can throw him."
"And how far is that dad?"
"Not far enough."
"And there's no chance of you actually throwing him?"
Persephone shook her head. "Your father won't be throwing Gaston, Mal."
"But Lady Steph!"
"But Steph!"
Persephone held back a snort as she looked at her husband. "Really? Aren't you supposed to be the adult here?"
"I mean yes technically but—."
"No butts Hades," Persephone shook her head. "Think of the example you're setting for Mal and Prince Ben."
"…That it's possible to get Gaston off the ground with his big head and ego weighing him down?" Mal asked. "Cause if you ask me that's a very good example to have though maybe not a good idea to teach Harry since he'd likely throw Gil the second he could."
Ben frowned slightly; Gil had saved them even though it could have meant a punishment from Gaston. He shouldn't have to be treated badly by Harry just because Harry wanted to.
Maybe…maybe I could make Gil my ally, Ben thought. I mean it'd be the right thing to do, after all. He did save me and Mal, the least I can do is to make him my ally.
He frowned slightly though as he remembered that not only was Gil someone Harry disliked, meaning entering into an alliance would make things harder for Mal, but Gil was the son of someone his papa disliked.
But…papa said bad people can still create good people, Ben thought. And Gil's a good person so I should make him an ally. Just…how would I do that without Mal knowing?
"Oi! Beastie Boy! Are you listening to me?"
"I'm listening Raven," Ben said before he could stop himself. It wasn't his fault; Mal's comment made him think of Emir's favorite show—Ben didn't even know how Emir was able to watch Teen Titans but Emir always said that Genie made it possible.
Mal paused. "Who?"
"Did Emir never tell you about Teen Titans?" Ben asked. "It's this show with super teens and they fight crime."
"Didn't peg you for the superhero sort," Mal said.
Ben shrugged. "They're still cool, even if they're not exactly something I like. Beastie boy made me think of it, that's one of the characters on the show. He can transform into any animal."
Mal paused as she looked at Ben. "Any animal?"
"Yep."
"Can he transform into a dragon?"
"…I don't know," Ben said but his eyes lit up. "Come on, I've got paper in my room, we could write to Emir and ask him. He's got all the episodes memorized!"
The two kids rushed out of the room; the drawings laid forgotten.
"Well…that was…something," Hades said. "I'm going to go back down to where things make sense. I'll instruct Pain and Panic not to mess with the…lesson materials in case the kids come back from their current quest."
"And I'll go and make lunch," Persephone nodded.
"And I…will wonder what the heck Genie's showing the kids when he watches them," Beast said and shook his head. And I'll also wonder when Ben went from liking shows about lion puppets that taught the importance of reading to liking shows about superheroes…when did he grow up? When did I miss it?