Chapter Thirty Two
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 incoming projectiles* I know, I know! But give me another chapter or two and your hopes will be answered! Well, hopefully lol!
SeerKing: Oh yeah, he definitely goofed!
Lauriverfanboy1: Hmm…anything's possible! :D
61394: That's…not a bad idea, why didn't I think of that?
AmethystDragon14: Oh yay! And yeah Zeus is certainly being petty here but then again, when isn't Zeus petty?
danifan3000: it'll certainly be interesting to see what the muse comes up with there!
OceanBlueSeaEyes: Oh yeah, it won't take that long I can promise you!
jedblack1997: It'd be interesting to see who'd be the new ruler of the Gods if there was a coup!
SaikoGoyangi: Well in the myths, Hera's also Zeus' sister so maybe Hera felt some familial loyalty? Otherwise I've got nothing!
SnowWhite45: *checks Zeus' resume* I believe….ah yes here it is. He didn't get eaten as a baby :D
LotusQuil: Heh you just gave me the image of Ariel yelling at Zeus and it is glorious!
alexis: Hope you enjoy!
Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Hades pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried his best to focus on his work. No matter what kind of torment he devised for the souls bound for Tartarus, his mind kept flashing back to the conversation he had with Persephone.
Well…rather with Demeter. Persephone, it seemed, had been loathed to leave the bedroom she'd set up in Olympus and while she had assistance in her plan to get aid in bringing their daughter home, Demeter was the only one who was at Persephone's side one hundred percent.
Hades couldn't fault the other Gods, well with the exception of Zeus. Zeus would always have a share of the blame in Hades' heart.
Poseidon was doing what he could but between being there for his family and trying to track down Morgana, his often forgotten daughter who had somehow escaped the round up of villains to the Isle; Poseidon understandably didn't have much in the way of free time.
The other Gods Persephone had reached out to were helping where they could but they also had their other duties to deal with.
"Forget this," Hades muttered and got up from his seat. "If Zeus doesn't want to do his job as King of the Freaking Gods and help a God out, then I should get to have a break once in a while."
He went up to the living quarters though he immediately wished he'd stayed down in the Underworld proper as he tripped over one of the toys the sunspots had lying around.
"Are…are you okay Unca Hades?" Sammy's soft voice broke the silence and Hades looked at her from his spot on the ground.
"Oh I'm just fine, don't I look it?! Next time pick up your toys!"
"Don't talk to her like that!" Harriet spoke up, glaring at Hades as Sammy ran out of the room. "Sammy was being nice Unca Hades, it wasn't even her toy you fell on, it was mine! Yell at me!"
"Harriet, don't yell!" Milah scolded as she walked out of the nursery. "I've just gotten your brother down for his nap before I got started on lunch, now what in the world is going on?"
"Unca Hades was being mean to Sammy!" Harriet said, crossing her arms over her chest. "He shouldn't yell at her just cause he tripped over my sword! All Sammy did was ask if he was okay!"
Milah sighed and nodded. "Okay Harriet, why don't I talk to your Uncle Hades and you and Jess go do your 'guard' duties?"
"Okay mama!" Harriet nodded and rushed to join her sister in standing guard over Harry while he napped.
Milah shook her head before going over to help Hades up. "Are you alright?"
"…I'm fine," Hades said with a sigh.
"Hades…" Milah said, raising an eyebrow. "You know I've lived here long enough to know when you're hiding something. I also know that there's a reason why James and William have been spending more and more time on the ship or at the fish shop."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"Well I'd wager it's because they don't want to be around you when you're like this," Milah told him. "And I know you've got more than enough reason to be in this mood but I'd appreciate it if you didn't take it out on us or the girls. We care about Malinoë too you know."
"…I know," Hades said with a small sigh. "It's not just Malinoë being gone, Milah. Steph isn't talking to me, not…not even on the mental link and I know she's upset but…I can't go six months and not talk to my wife."
Milah gave Hades a small smile and gently rested her hand on his shoulder. "I think something that might help would be if you had the chance to get out of here."
"Out of the Underworld?"
"Hades, truly think about it," Milah said. "You're always in a place where you're reminded of the worst day of your life as a parent. No one would blame you if you found a way to spend time away from here, if only to clear your head."
"I…Milah, I can't leave you alone with the sunspots," Hades said. Mollie had gone back to The Rose, claiming it might be a good idea if the crew actually saw their new captain from time to time. Personally Hades thought the other woman was merely making her escape attempt; the same way Hook and Smee had made theirs. Not that he blamed her in any way.
"Why not? I'm skilled with a sword," Milah said. "And if there's truly a danger, Hades, I can go to The Jolly Rodger. I'm the wife of its Captain, I'll always be welcomed there unless the crew mutinies. And let's face it, James would suppress a mutiny in five seconds if it came to it."
"Especially if Jess and Harriet are by his side," Hades added.
Milah chuckled. "Very true…you know what? I've got an idea. Come with me!"
"Milah? Where are you dragging me off to?" Hades asked though if the God was honest, there really wasn't much dragging involved. He had to confess, he was curious as to where Milah was taking him.
"Hades?"
"…Steph?!" Hades exclaimed as he realized he was in the portal room.
Milah smiled from her spot off to the side, having moved out of the way once Persephone had spoken. "She'd been calling for the past fifteen minutes, I heard her voice and promised her I'd get you over here," she said.
"You couldn't have just said Persephone's on the portal?" Hades asked.
"Where's the fun in that?" Milah chuckled as she walked out of the room.
Hades shook his head. "Ignoring that…how have you been Steph?"
"I feel like I should be asking you that," Persephone said, her voice soft as she gave him a small smile. "I'm so sorry for the silent treatment Hades…I promise I wasn't trying to shut you out. It's just…after Zeus announced he wasn't going to help I just…I couldn't see anyone. Mother's been my only exception, other than this portal call. Still though, I shouldn't have shut you out."
"Steph, it's fine—."
"Hades, it is a number of things but fine is not one of them," Persephone said with a small sigh. "I can't even talk to Ariel about it, she had mentioned the last time I was in Auradon that Malinoë would be able to come to Princess Elle's first birthday and now all I think about is how much thinking about it hurts."
"Steph…why not talk to Ariel?" Hades asked. "I know it's surprising coming from me but this wintery spring isn't just impacting Auradon but it's impacting the Isle as well. Are we really looking at six months of this?"
Persephone sighed. "I can talk to mother about seeing if it's possible to avoid the Isle, but otherwise I can't see any other way to make the point to Zeus. He's so stubborn and hard headed, it'd be laughable if it wasn't impacting our chances of getting Malinoë back."
"And we're not talking to Ariel again why?"
"Hades, you know Ariel just as well as I do. What do you think she'd do if she heard Malinoë was being held hostage?"
"Try to help get her back…oh I see now why you're not telling her."
Persephone nodded. "Not to mention she's got so much to worry about now anyway, with Princess Elle's recovery and growth."
She sighed and shook her head. "But enough about me, dear, how have you been? It's not fair that I hog the whole conversation."
"…I snapped at Sammy…"
"Hades! Why on Earth did you do that?!"
Hades sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, I tripped over one of the girls' toys and I was already in a funk about Malinoë and not talking to you and then Sammy asked if I was okay and I just…snapped. I didn't yell at her or anything but I wasn't the nicest either."
"Oh Hades…" Persephone said with a small sigh.
"Milah thinks it might be a good idea if I find a way to spend time outside of the Underworld," Hades added. "She says it's not fair to me to have to always spend time in the Underworld where Malinoë was kidnapped."
"What do you think?"
"I mean…she has a point but what could I do? Work at Gaston's Duels Without Rules? I'd kill the man the second he opened his mouth, and then that's more work for me anyway cause then I'd have to deal with his soul."
"What about working with James and William at the Hooks' Fish Shop?" Persephone suggested. "You've got an alliance with them anyway so it wouldn't look out of place and you can watch the girls play on the docks if Milah ever needs a break."
"I won't lie, I don't hate the idea," Hades said. "But…"
"But?"
Hades sighed. "This is going to sound mean and I don't mean it to be but being around Hook and his sunspots? Not exactly the best way to boost up my mental health from Malinoë being kidnapped."
"…I hate that you have a point," Persephone said with a small sigh before seemingly perking up. "Wait Hades! I have an idea that might just work!"
"What is it?" Hades asked.
"Open a restaurant!"
"…I'm sorry?"
Persephone shook her head. "I'm serious. You need to get out more and it…it might give you a chance to see if there's a way of getting Malinoë back without going mad staring into your ember. Please, Hades? Poseidon's worried about you."
"…I thought I was the older brother?"
"Yes well even older brothers need someone to look out for them," Persephone told him. "I ran the idea by him—."
"Wait, I thought you weren't seeing anyone?"
"I still have the mental link, Hades. Saying I'm not taking any audiences even if I'm in the mood for them keeps Zeus from bothering me."
"Huh…smart."
"I do have smart ideas from time to time," Persephone said with a small smile.
Hades returned the smile before sighing. "You really think the restaurant's a good idea?"
"I do," Persephone nodded. "And…Hades, with whatever's going on with the quality of the food in the deliveries lately, at least with the restaurant we can make sure our allies can get decent food. Milah's taking care of an infant and two three year olds, she can't afford to be worn out."
"True…but I'm not really a people person Steph. I work better with the dead."
"Hades, if there's not a better avenue for people to get food, you're going to have a whole lot of dead people to work with. Do you want that extra paperwork?"
"Oh Gods no!"
"That's what I thought," Persephone shook her head before giving Hades a small smile. "You've got this. And you know you've got a huge support system, including me. I'll try to—."
"Steph whatever you're about to say, you don't need to," Hades told her. "You're still getting over the fact that our daughter was taken from us. If you need time on your own, I get it. I still like talking to you but if it's just over the mental link, I understand."
Persephone gave him another small smile. "I love you, how did I get so lucky to have you as my husband?"
"Pretty sure you insisted on eating pomegranate seeds so you wouldn't have to leave," Hades said with a small chuckle.
"Oh right," Persephone nodded. "Well…I'll let you go. You've got a lot of work ahead of you. And Hades?"
"Yeah?"
"Apologize to Sammy? She didn't deserve you snapping at her, even if I'm sure it was just a reflex."
Hades nodded. "I will, I was going to anyway after Milah and I talked but then she dragged me here…not that I'm complaining about that mind you."
"Of course you're not," Persephone said, shaking her head. "I love you."
"I love you too," Hades said. "And we will get our daughter back, Steph. I promise you that."
"But…what will she be like when we do get her back?"
"The same bouncy, giggly baby girl we had because this will only be a blip in her development," Hades promised. "We will raise her, we will be the ones to see her grow up. I promise you Steph."
"I wish I could have the faith you do," Persephone said softly. "And how ironic, I'm normally the optimistic one."
"I think living amongst the mortals is rubbing off on me," Hades shrugged. "I should get going, I don't want to but you know you can't leave toddlers unsupervised for long and it's getting close to their feeding time."
"Hades, they're not animals." Persephone said though a small giggle colored her voice.
"I know that," Hades said, shaking his head. "I love you."
"I love you too," Persephone said and the two of them disconnected. Hades sighed but knew there was nothing else he could do but go and apologize to Sammy.
"Mama? Where's Sammy?" Hades heard Harriet ask as he made his way to the kitchen; the younger girl clearly having finished her 'shift' of guard duty as young Harry was also up and about.
"She's…" Milah said as she handed Harriet her plate and looked around. "Mollie? Where's your daughter?"
"In William's and my room," Mollie said, having come back from The Rose to help with lunch. "After…after everything, she still blames herself for not being able to get Malinoë back in the first place."
Milah sighed softly. "It's not her fault."
"I know…but she thinks Hades blames her," Mollie whispered. "She can't seem to face him…at least not until Lady Persephone and Malinoë are both back home…"
I probably didn't help that belief by snapping at her, Hades thought with a small frown. Come to think about it, that was the first time Sammy's talked to me since Malinoë was kidnapped.
"Why don't I take her food in to her?" Hades offered, making his presence known to the two women.
"Hades! Are…are you sure?" Milah asked.
Hades nodded. "I need to talk to her anyway…and Milah, it sounds like Harry needs some food too. It wouldn't be fair not to help in someway."
"You're helping us in every way you can, Hades," Mollie said but handed the plate of food to the God. Hades took the plate and gave Mollie a small smile before walking off to the room she shared with Smee.
"Sammy?" Hades called softly from the doorway. "I've got lunch for you, can I come in?"
"…It's your house," Sammy whispered from her spot on the bed. Actually, Hades had to fight the urge to smile as Sammy had apparently burrowed into all of the pillows on her parents' bed like a bunker.
"I know it's my house, but it's your room. Or it's your parents' room but still. I won't go anywhere you're not comfortable with me being," Hades told her, making sure to keep his voice gentle. "And I…I wanted to talk to you."
"…Why…why would you want to talk to me?"
"Because I owe you an apology," Hades said. "That wasn't fair of me to snap at you, especially since you were asking if I was okay."
"But…I didn't save Mali…" Sammy whispered.
"No one's upset that you didn't," Hades said. "It wouldn't be fair of us to be upset that you couldn't do the thing none of us did. It was very brave of you to even try. So don't feel bad that you couldn't do it, it should have been one of the adults who got her back."
"So…so you're not mad?" Sammy asked.
Hades shook his head. "I'm mad at myself for not being able to get Mali back but I could never be mad at you Sammy. Promise. And I am so sorry I made you feel like I was mad at you."
"…Thank you Unca Hades," Sammy said softly. "Can…can I eat lunch with Harri and Jessie?"
"I think they'd like that very much," Hades said and took the plate so Sammy could crawl off the bed. Making their way out of the room, Hades smiled as Harriet seemed to perk up upon seeing her friend.
"Sammy!" Harriet said, rushing over to her and giving Sammy a giant hug.
"Hi Harri," Sammy said softly.
"I missed you! You can't leave! That's an order!" Harriet said, still maintaining the hug.
"Okay, okay," Sammy said, her voice still soft and Hades couldn't help but smile. Somehow, he had a feeling everything was going to be okay. He didn't know how, but he knew it'd be okay.