Chapter Thirty
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.
*ducks projectiles* Okay, I get it…but some things are a canon event even in non canon stories! But I promise, it won't be exactly like the Choosing series. I'm not that cruel :D
twilightgirl587: Sadly storm clouds have to come.
danifan3000: Huh…that is something to consider.
AmethystDragon14: Yay! I love writing young Harriet, especially since she doesn't have to be the mom sibling yet! And yeah…the last line is concerning.
miranda88: Glad you liked the chapter!
OceanBlueSeaEyes: You'll have to wait and see!
jedblack1997: Anything's possible!
Guest: Anything's possible!
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Hades shook his head as he wrapped his arm around Persephone's shoulders. All the kids were either asleep or watching to make sure the babies didn't need anything in the case of Jess, Harriet, and Sammy.
Honestly, Hades didn't know why the kids were always so determined to help if either Harry or Mali needed anything but it gave him a semi-alone moment with his wife before she had to go back to Boreadon so he wasn't complaining.
And yes, it was a 'semi' alone moment as the other parents who lived in the Underworld were in the den as well.
"Should we be worried that the kids are being so quiet?" Mollie asked.
"Eh, they've got Pain and Panic with them," Hades said. "Those two may be moronic but they're good with the kids. At the very least they won't do anything that would get Mali hurt."
"I mean…he is right but at the same time, I've heard that silence with toddlers is that silence is a dangerous thing," Persephone said after giving Hades a slight look. "And we've got three toddlers who don't exactly mind getting to what they call 'insanity'."
"And they've got us between their room and the door," Hades said.
Milah opened her mouth to respond but just as she did, three high pitched screams could be heard making their way to the adults.
"Mama, mama!"
"Papa!"
"Jess? Harriet? Sammy?" Mollie asked as the adults sprung to their feet to see the aforementioned toddlers rushing to them; Harriet holding Harry in her arms.
"My darlings, what's wrong?" Milah asked as she bent down to wipe away the tears that were streaming down Jess' cheeks.
"We…we were in Harry and Mali's room…and we were playing with Pain and Panic…and these monsters appeared!" Jess sobbed. "Harri wanted to fight them…"
"But then they made Pain and Panic go to sleep and I just grabbed Harry after the monsters knocked over his crib! I didn't want him getting hurt!" Harriet said.
Harry cooed from Harriet's arms, as if to agree with his sisters' story.
"Wait…where's Mali?" Hook asked and everyone paused. Hades did a headcount of the kids and shoved down all the curse words he thought of as he realized Hook was right. There was a child missing. His child was missing.
"Hook, Milah, Steph, with me," Hades said, tossing a sword to Hook and Milah. Where he got the sword, no one seemed to question but then again he was living with pirates. Swords would have been easy to come by. "Smee, Mollie, watch the sunspots. I don't know who these 'monsters' are but they're not getting my daughter."
"Right behind you Hades," Hook nodded.
Milah bent down to look at her daughters. "You listen to Captain Mollie and First Mate Smee, okay? We'll be right back."
"We'll look after the girls and Harry, Milah," Mollie promised as she gently took Harry from Harriet's arms; Smee herding the girls deeper into the den. Thanks to the cavernous walls of the Underworld, they could still hear a bit of what was going on including Hook's laughter as he drew his sword.
"Honestly James, only you would get a kick out of this," Milah's voice called but the unsheathing of her own sword could be heard.
"Now really darlin', do you really think I'd turn my nose up from a fight? Especially a fight with Maleficent's goblins?" Hook's voice called back to his wife.
Jess bit her lip and pressed closer to Smee. "Is Mali going to be okay?"
"I'm sure the little Lady will be just fine," Smee said as he gently rubbed Jess on the back. "Don't you worry Mistress Jess, knowing your parents the fight will be over in no time and they'll be back here with quite the story to tell."
"William," Mollie said; her voice soft but the tone leaving no room for argument. Smee quickly moved closer to his wife.
"What's wrong?"
"The goblins…they're fleeing…" Mollie whispered and Smee's eyes got wide as he saw that his wife was indeed correct. Dozens of disgusting goblins could be seen fleeing the Underworld. Normally the Smees would have fought to keep them prisoner so Hades or Hook could interrogate them, but they had the kids to look after. Besides, they were fleeing. They were fleeing right?
"Is…what are they holding?" Smee whispered as he noticed one of the goblins seemed to have some sort of a bundle in his arms. But…Hades didn't have anything that Maleficent would want to steal from him…well maybe the ember but Maleficent would have to be completely mad to want to steal a source of a God's power…
A flash of purple from the bundle seemed to make everything come together and Smee looked over at his wife in panic.
"It's Mali!" Smee gasped.
"I'll get her back papa!" Sammy said, having been close enough to hear her father's exclamation. She ran off after the goblins, her foam sword at the ready. She was one of the big kids of the Underworld, she had to protect Mali!
"They have the baby!" Sammy heard her mama shout but tried to not let it distract her. Unca Hades and Auntie Steph wouldn't be happy if the monsters got to keep Mali and she wasn't going to let that happen!
The slamming of the Underworld door in her face broke Sammy out of her thoughts and she stared in shock. Had…had the monsters beaten her? But…but how? They didn't have that much of a head start did they?
Tears started to well in Sammy's eyes at her failure and, even though she tried to fight them, a few slipped down her cheeks.
"Sammy?" Smee's voice came from behind her and Sammy turned to her father.
"I…I tried papa, I tried…"
"I know sweetheart, I know," Smee said, gently picking Sammy up into his arms. "No one is going to think you did anything wrong."
"But…the monsters have Mali…and I didn't stop them…"
"Shh…shh…it's okay," Smee said as they made their way back to the den. Once they got back, Smee could see Milah and Hook fussing over their kids while Lord Hades and Lady Persephone seemed to be trailing behind.
"No…no one stopped them? Persephone asked, her soft voice breaking Smee's heart. "No…no one got Malinoë back?"
"I…I tried Auntie Steph…the monsters…they were too fast," Sammy whimpered. "I'm sorry…I tried…"
Persephone seemed to pause, as if she was absorbing the information Sammy had given her. She bit her lip, screams building inside her and longing to be let out but couldn't be at the risk of scaring the children.
Hades, though, had no such qualms as a low growl could be heard coming from him before he turned around and punched the nearby wall. Shaking out his hand slightly, Hades turned to stalk to the front door.
"Hades? Where…where are you going?" Hook asked.
"I'm going to get my daughter back and make Maleficent a pile of ash and bones," Hades growled, continuing to make his way to the door.
"Are you sure that's a safe idea?" Hook asked.
Hades whirled around and stalked over to Hook, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Considering you have all of your children safe and are able to hold them in your arms Hook, don't be offering advice as to what I need to do to get my child back."
Hook held up his hand as the girls seemed to cower behind Milah.
"I know, I know Hades," Hook said, keep his voice low and soft. "But think for a second. For whatever reason, Maleficent put in a great deal of effort into getting her. She's not just going to quietly hand her back to you with an 'whoops, my mistake' and she probably won't think twice about threatening to hurt Malinoë if you come after her. Do you want your daughter to be hurt?"
"What I want, Hook, is my daughter safely in my arms but since I can't have that right now I'll settle for the next best thing. Maleficent's soul screaming in agony as I transport her to Tartarus myself for causing my wife's heart to break. What would you do if it had been Harry Maleficent had stolen instead? I doubt you would be this calm!"
"Hades, I'm not saying you can't have that. We will get her back, but we need to think this through. No crew that goes into battle without a plan comes out on top!"
"Well while you're thinking it through, I have a devastated wife and a child in the clutches of a madwoman!"
"Papa? is…is Unca Hades mad I no save Mali?" Sammy sniffed from her place in Smee's arms.
"Oh no, no sweetheart," Smee shook his head. "It's not you he's mad at, it could never be your fault."
"Are…are you sure papa?" Sammy sniffed, the tears she had tried so hard to keep at bay threatening to make an appearance once more.
"I'm positive sweetheart," Smee said, rubbing his daughter's back. "He's just very sad and upset that Mali got taken but it's not your fault."
Hades sighed, having heard the conversation between father and daughter. "No, no Sammy, I'm not upset with you. It'd be ridiculous to ask a toddler to stop Maleficent's goons," he said, trying to keep the rage out of his voice.
He turned and gently pulled Persephone into his arms, his wife's tears soaking his vest but Hades didn't care. "Steph…I've got you."
Hook sighed and turned back to his family, to give Hades and Persephone as private a moment as they could get. The sight of Milah clutching their son as tightly and yet as softly as she could broke his heart.
"Did…did we do something bad papa?" Harriet asked, looking up at Hook. "We…we kept Harry safe but…should we have gone after Mali like Sammy?"
Hook pulled his daughters into a one armed hug, taking care to keep the hook away from them. "No lassies, you did just fine. Lord Hades is right, four year olds aren't old enough to go after Maleficent's goblins and win. Sammy was brave for even going to try…but…there was nothing that could have been done. It's not your faults, understand?"
"Okay papa," the girls said softly but Hook could tell that they didn't believe what he had been saying. Still he gave them a gentle squeeze as he held them close.
"What…what does Maleficent want with Malinoë?" Mollie whispered.
Hades sighed and reluctantly released his grip on his wife as he turned to look at the other residents of the Underworld. "I have a hunch…remember when Daniel came here asking for help securing his daughter's safety? He said Evil Queen was making the argument that she should rule because she had a child…and everyone knows Maleficent wouldn't let that go without a fight. And why get yourself pregnant when you can just steal a child?"
"You…you think Maleficent would…you think she'd pass Malinoë off as her's?" Persephone asked, her soft voice breaking Hades' heart with every word.
"As much as I hate to think about it, it makes sense," Hades said with a small sigh. "When she grows up, Malinoë is pretty much destined to be a magic user even if she wouldn't have much access under the barrier. And she has green eyes, which Maleficent could pass off as her own even though they're different shades. Who on the Isle is gong to look that close at Maleficent's eyes to confirm they're the same shade as Malinoë's? Everyone's terrified of Maleficent after all."
"Damn genetics!" Persephone growled, tears still audible in her voice. "Who's idea was it to give my daughter green eyes so that maniac could use it as an excuse to target her?!"
"Won't…won't people question it when Maleficent makes her appearances around the Isle with a kid?" Mollie asked, her voice soft. "She…she was never pregnant…I don't even know if she can get pregnant since she originally died from a sword to the stomach…"
Milah sighed. "Who would be brave enough to question her? As Lord Hades said…everyone's terrified of her…and it's not that hard to stick a pillow to your body to give the appearance of a pregnancy…"
"What if Lord Hades states Malinoë is his child?" Smee asked. "I mean…he'd be the only one brave enough to question her and everyone knows he's fiercely loyal to Lady Persephone so no one would think he cheated…especially not with Maleficent."
Hook sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this but…what if we put a complaint in to Boreadon?"
"You think they'd care? The food's getting worse every month, ever since Ariel and Eric had their kid and they decided ruling and being parents at the same time was too much work," Hades scoffed. Persephone had told Hades about the regents Eric and Ariel had put in place for the every day work of ruling because they wanted to focus purely on Elle.
"But think about it Hades," Hook said. "We've all had to register our kids upon their birth. Malinoë wouldn't be under Maleficent's name, she'd be under yours. There's no way Maleficent could make a fake entry or at the very least, she couldn't remove your entry. Not to mention it'd be hard for Maleficent to argue Malinoë was her child if Lady Demeter or Lord Poseidon could verify our word. They were at Malinoë's birth."
"James has a good idea," Milah nodded. "After all…the High Queen is Lord Hades' family. She'd be more willing to hear a complaint from him or Persephone than any of us or even anyone in Auradon. Especially with the High Queen being Lord Poseidon's granddaughter…"
"Even if we were to submit a complaint, how could we?" Mollie asked with a small sigh. "A letter would take days to get there, and that's if it's even read on time. By the time it gets to Queen Ariel and she reads it…Maleficent could have made the entry and it's her word against ours."
"Persephone goes back in a couple of days right?" Milah asked. "She could petition Queen Ariel in person! Or even petition Zeus for help in getting Malinoë back! Surely Olympus would consider this an insult, if not an act of war!"
"Zeus is good for snot," Hades growled, trying to keep his language clean for the young girls and Harry who were still in the room. "The only way I'll get my daughter back is if I do it myself."
"Zeus may be good for snot but my mother is not. You know as well as I that she would raise havoc if she heard that her granddaughter had been kidnapped," Persephone spoke up.
"Your mother also hates me for falling in love with and marrying you," Hades said. "Can Demeter see past the fact that Malinoë is half me?"
"Half you or not, Malinoë is also half me," Persephone said. "That makes her my mother's granddaughter and, as I'm sure you remember, my mother can be rather…possessive over people she considers hers."
"True…" Hades nodded. After all, when Persephone wound up in the Underworld for the first time, Demeter introduced the mortals to the season of Winter. "But will it be enough?"
"We'll have to hope," Persephone whispered
"Maybe…maybe we could help?" Jess spoke up. "I could get Henry and Virgil…we could get Mali back!"
Persephone smiled slightly and knelt down so that she was at the girls' level. "That's a very sweet offer but I want you girls to promise me that you won't venture near Maleficent's castle. I know you three are big girls and you want to help but what would be a big help to your mama and papa would be if you helped watch over Harry. Can you do that while I'm gone?"
"Aye Auntie Steph!" The three girls nodded, not noticing their parents' sigh of relief.
Hades also let out a small sigh. He would get his daughter back, he had to.