Chapter Fourteen
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.
Guys, can you believe that we're 13 reviews away from 300! I am honestly in shock—300 reviews in 14 chapters! Thank you all so much for your support—it means the world!
I'm definitely going to see about bringing in some more characters, I know there'd been some questions about that. :D
darkpegasuzz: Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Urmimala Hazra: I'm so glad you're enjoying the running gag with Phillip Sr. repeating the sword offer. Zeus might be one of the ones growling, you never know!
Tracie Adams: Ask and you'll receive! :D
Katt Kiki: So glad you're enjoying it!
Guest: Oh thank you so much! I might bring Esmeralda in, if only because I wholeheartedly believe she'd have been against the Isle and the treatment of the VKs. You know, judging people because of who they were born to? Plus she certainly would join the 'I Hate Freddy' club!
Marcus Emrys: I think you may be right!
AmethystDragon14: Yay! I've hated it too but it was just a natural ending point for the chapter! He really is, isn't he? :D Ben and Mal might talk in the next break!
danifan3000: Hmm, that's interesting—as for the Matchmaker, I firmly believe she'd be dead by the time Descendants rolled around. According to Google, Mulan was 16 in the time of her movie. Twenty years later, she'd be 36 and the Matchmaker seemed to be middle age when Mulan was 16.
medical ranger: When they were brought in to do the reading, Mal and Evie aren't friends so Mal's not going to be nice to her. But that can change!
Dance love 2007: Thank you so much!
billyandkimfan1994: I think you might be right about that!
shortanamx: I mean it's entirely possible!
MarvelGirl2005: Thank you so much!
midnight rose112358: Oh I'm so glad you like it!
jedblack1997: Beast should have been put on the Isle but since he's in charge, he's not going to put himself on the Isle. According to Wiki, the Enchantress lives in the Enchanted Forest (probably the same forest where the Enchanted Lake is) so she never got put on the Isle. I'm not sure if she'll make an appearance and same with Kronos. Heh, I love the idea of Mal and her crew befriending Tick Tock and his kids to intimidate Hook.
twilightgirl587: Mal certainly does have a point! And Leah and Audrey need to be smote! How can you forget about the matchmaker? And no one can say no to Dizzy!
Hufflepuff24: It most certainly is! :D
Fangirlnerd001: Thank you!
Anonymous Reader: So glad you're enjoying it!
Ayakitten83: I'm so glad you're liking the story! Hope you enjoy the update!
lilyflower101: It should be good to see!
Guest: I don't think Tiana's in attendance but I can always make her in attendance!
Guest: It should be soon!
SapphiireKitTaeyeon: Thank you so much! I really wish Chip had been the movies but it's fun imagining how he'd react to things!
Roxas Itsuka: I think regardless of their history, Zeus would be hated less because at the end of the day they're still brothers. Poor Jay indeed—and Snow and Lonnie would be the ones to be the most concerned imo (after all Lonnie was the one to tear up in sympathy in canon when she was talking to the VKs). As for Lonnie's comment about the matchmaker, that was just regarding the woman's treatment to Mulan. Heh, I can definitely see Leah ranting about that! As for Leah's comment, it was basically saying that just because Maleficent didn't rant about Aurora, it didn't mean that Maleficent still held a soft spot for her 'beastie' as mentioned above that comment.
Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D
Lucy quickly grabbed a scroll and tore off the ribbon.
"Hurry up!" Alexandria exclaimed.
"I'm moving as fast as I can!" Lucy told her and unfurled the scroll.
Hades could honestly say that he had not expected that question to come from Mal. At the very least he had expected it when she was a lot older, like maybe thirteen or so.
Mal raised an eyebrow. "Really? You use my middle name and you think I wouldn't ask questions until I was a teenager?"
"In my defense, it just slipped out," Hades shrugged.
But he saw no reason to lie to the girl, especially since she was coming to him for the answers.
"After all, she might not take it all that well if she realized you lied to her later on," Phillip Jr. spoke up.
"…he may have a point," Mal muttered.
If anything, she'd probably be a lot more likely to believe him since she was coming to him instead of vice versa.
"This is true," Jay nodded. After all, that was pretty much the case for every one of the kids on the Isle.
"Yes Mal, I am," he said after a few minutes of silence, giving a nod as if accentuating his point. Mal tilted her head as if in thought and Hades couldn't help but be amused. So she did get something from me, at least behavior wise, he thought considering his daughter was pretty much a Maleficent clone though the purple hair was entirely her own.
Mal bristled at the thought of being called a Maleficent clone though smiled at the fact that she'd gotten something from her dad.
"Of course Mal's hair's her own," Uma grinned. "No one could try to be Mal!"
"Why would they want to?" Audrey muttered under her breath.
Her green eyes though were one hundred percent Maleficent however Mal's eyes shown with a fire that was different than that of his ex-wife's. While Maleficent's seemed to shine with rage, Mal's shone with a curiosity and a passion that had yet to be extinguished by life on the Isle or with Maleficent.
Belle couldn't help but smile at that, happy that the young girl was able to keep those desires alive. If one looked closely, they could still see that curiosity and passion shining in Mal's eyes even though it was clear she tried to keep it hidden.
One could argue, however, that Mal's lean frame could come from Hades.
"It is true that the Goddesses tend to be more lean than the Gods," Hera nodded.
"Not necessarily. You've seen Narcissus and Hermes," Demeter told her.
Compared to my brothers, I'm not the most muscular of the Gods, Hades thought. But the Fae were always seen as lean creatures themselves. Maleficent was no body builder after all.
"So I just got the image in my head of Maleficent curling like fifty pound dumbbells," Chip chuckled.
Persephone leaned over and kissed Hades' cheek. "I happen to think you look the best of all of them," she whispered. "Who needs big and bulky?"
Hades smiled at her and kissed her cheek in return.
Plus Mal's been on an Isle where rotten food is the main course. As much as I can try at the restaurant, I'm still working with the food Auradon sends us. Gods, if only I could get my hands on something fresh!
"You mean in addition to the fish, right dad?" Mal asked.
"And the chicken," Uma added.
"Of course," Hades nodded.
"Why did you leave?" Mal asked, her voice soft and breaking Hades out of his thoughts. "Mal—Mother always said that my father walked out on her and me."
"Yeah well she's an evil loon so let's not take what she says to heart," Melody nodded.
"Seriously? Are you all going to start calling the Dragon an evil loon?" Mal asked.
"I don't see why not," Akiho grinned.
Hades sighed and walked around the counter. This was a conversation that he would need to be sitting down to have. Quickly walking to the door and locking it as to not be disturbed, he sat down at one of the tables. Mal quickly followed suit, scrambling into one of the chairs as fast as she could as to not delay getting the information.
Many of the parents in attendance smiled at the image that paragraph had produced. There was a child's innocence there, eager at the prospect of getting information, and they were happy to see that the Isle hadn't completely eliminated that.
"I'm not going to lie and say I tried to stay," Hades said once Mal got settled. Hades had never noticed before how Mal seemed to be too small to sit comfortably in the chairs.
"Seriously?!" Mal grumbled. Ben bit his lip to keep a chuckle from escaping at her reaction. He couldn't help it—it was cute.
She must have been sitting on her knees, he thought and made the resolve to get something to act as a booster. Maybe a phone book—Auradon threw enough of those away that he could pretend it was extra padding for the seat. "In fact, I left your mother when you were about three weeks old."
"Why?" Mal asked.
"Did you miss the part where we said she was an evil loon?" Neal asked and chuckled as Melody gave him a high five.
Mal sighed. "Who started this 'evil loon' thing?"
"Pretty sure it was you," Hadie chuckled.
"When?!"
"When you gave Ben's shadows carte blanche to call Maleficent an evil loon," Chip shook his head in amusement as Emir and Akiho high fived.
"Your mother. She's…she's not the easiest to get along with. I didn't want to have you live in a home where your parents were always fighting," Hades told her, even if that wasn't truthfully the reason why he left. He just couldn't stand being around Maleficent a moment longer.
"And no one blames you for that," Demeter nodded.
"I…I think your mother just complimented me," Hades muttered to Persephone. "Has the world ended and I missed it?"
"You know, I think saying that Maleficent isn't the easiest to get along with is an understatement," Phillip Jr. stated.
However, while he may have hated the fairy, he wasn't going to trash Maleficent in front of Mal. Though, judging by Mal's comment about him, it was clear that Maleficent did not return the favor.
"No! Whatever gave you that idea?!"
"Neal!" Snow and David exclaimed, clearly worried that Hades would take offense. But all Hades did was chuckle.
"You think I'd be offended by a sarcastic teen? I live on the Isle. That's all the teenagers are," he said, shaking his head. "You Auradonians need to loosen up."
"But Mal, I want you to know I never left you. In fact, you lived with me until you were four months old."
Hey dad?
Yeah Mali?
Is…is it weird that I'm a little thankful for these scrolls? I can at least remember those months with you now.
…it's not weird at all Mali. I'm thankful for them too
Mal bit her lip, unsure as to whether she should believe him. After all, she was living with Maleficent without him. That was a pretty clear sign that he had left her behind.
Or that you were stolen, Hercules thought with an inward sigh. You should have grown up with Uncle Hades, Mal. If only my father had actually provide assistance when asked. Had I known…I would have helped. I would hope at least.
But Maleficent always lies, she thought. Why should we believe her now? After all, she said my father was weak and mortal. It certainly takes strength to tell Maleficent no and clearly he's not mortal if he's a God.
"Mal's right you know," Persephone whispered to Hades, wrapping her arms around him in a small hug. It certainly had taken strength to tell Maleficent no but that wasn't the only way in which her husband was strong. Judging the souls, seeing the kids come into his Underworld and not breaking entirely…
"You're my strength for that," Hades whispered to her, somehow knowing what she was thinking. "You and Mal and Hadie. Every time I get a bunch of kids to judge, at the end of the day I know I'll either be coming back to seeing you three in the den or getting a call from you on the portal. Plus now Mal's in Auradon. She gets to actually have a life now."
Why are we believing him though? He could be lying to try to gain power on the Isle?
"Don't want power," Hades shook his head. "Maybe I did years ago but after being trapped on the Isle I can tell you that powers just attracts the imbecilic. A quiet life with your mom, your brother and you is all I need. Oh and access to my powers. And maybe Cerberus."
Estelle lifted his head and gave Hades a doggy grin along with a soft yip.
"Okay, if I can't have Cerberus, at least I have Estelle," Hades chuckled.
"Sorry dad, he's mine," Mal shook her head.
If he was looking for a power grab, he would have claimed he was my father the moment Maleficent allowed me to walk freely around the Isle. He would have told Uma and he would have probably grabbed me back when I ran into his legs all those months ago.
But Maleficent-
Screw Maleficent! If you want to believe the dragon, go ahead but I say it's a safer bet with Hades!
"Go Mal!" Emir cheered.
"Keep at it with that line of thinking," Akiho nodded.
Hades turned to Mal. "Make allies with them. They seem like they'd be good minions."
"They seem to be spoken for," Mal said as Ben shook his head at his friends' antics.
"Steal them from Beastie Jr."
"Why did that change? I mean I'm living with mother right now. Did you change your mind?" Mal asked, breaking herself out of her thoughts, and Hades sighed. That had to be the question that was most like a slap in the face. He would never change his mind about wanting Mal.
Aurora held back a sigh as she glanced over at Leah. She wasn't going to lie, Aurora'd had similar thoughts to Mal's after the events of her sixteenth birthday. When she had wondered if the reason why her parents had sent her to live in a cottage wasn't because they were trying to protect her but because they hadn't wanted her anymore.
"Your mother had…let's call it a change of heart and wanted you back," Hades said, fudging the truth a little. He didn't want to, but how could he explain to his five year old that she had basically been a hostage for five years? That the only reason why he didn't steal her back was because of the threat to her safety?
"I mean five year olds aren't dumb per se. I think she'd handle that," Chip said with a shrug. After all, Ben had to handle the fact he wasn't becoming a big brother at three…
Demeter though glared at the scroll. When would it stop referring to Maleficent as Mal's mother? It was clear as glass that Maleficent did not act the way a mother should toward the young Godling.
"Due to the registry from Auradon and the fact that your mother had only herself listed as your parent, I had no choice but to let her have you. Otherwise she might have issued a complaint to Auradon."
"You know that's completely ridiculous," Emma said. "Lord Hades is Mal's father. He should be able to file for custody if he wanted to. We're really relying on a piece of paper that the villains fill out? Like Mal pointed out in the scroll, Maleficent always lies."
"You do have a point," Ben nodded.
"Gee, if only they had something where the villains could go and a medical professional could fill out a certificate noting both parents at the time of birth," Chip said, stroking his chin.
"Oh you mean like a birth certificate?" Akiho asked.
"That's exactly what I mean!" Chip nodded.
"And what if the villain in question doesn't state who the father is?" Macaria asked. "What, does the doctor just put 'father unknown'? Then we're back where we started."
"The registry?" Mal asked, tilting her head again. She had heard Maleficent talk about it before but she didn't really understand what it was. Hades chuckled a little at her reaction.
"Really dad?" Mal asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't expect it. It was…it was so innocent that it took me off guard," Hades told her.
"It's how Auradon keeps track of the growing population of the Isle," he said and Mal nodded.
"How do they keep track of the population going in the other direction?" Mal asked and it was Hades' turn to tilt his head in slight confusion.
Cinderella gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she realized just what Mal was asking about.
Five years old…she was noticing that at five years old and no one tried to make it so she didn't see it, she thought. I guess I can see now why Uma and Mal seem determined to keep Dizzy and Celia's innocence alive.
"You know, all the kids who are dying because of the lack of food?" Mal clarified and Hades stilled. It wasn't a question one expected from a five year old.
Everyone else stilled as well, the mood growing serious as they looked over at Mal.
"How many were we at that point?" Uma asked.
"You want kids or total?" Mal sighed. "Cause dad could probably give you more exact details but I think we were at thirty kids by that point."
"Dead?" Emma asked, her voice faint.
"No, on vacation," Mal snapped. "What do you think?!"
Jay rested a hand on Mal's shoulder. "She was just taken aback Mal. Be nice, we're going to have to deal with them when we get out of here remember?"
"If she doesn't ask stupid questions like that, I'll be nice," Mal scoffed. "Honestly…"
"And she noticed all of that," Aurora whispered to Phillip Sr. "Honestly Phillip…I think I'm going to help with the next food drive. Figure out what's going on."
"I'll be happy to help," Phillip Sr. nodded.
Then again, I guess when your father's the God of the Dead you're going to notice the death around you a lot more, he thought with an inward frown.
Hadie nodded softly. Mal had tried to keep that knowledge from him but he still knew what was going on. Prince of the Underworld, how could he not?
"I'm not sure Mal," he said softly and then, desperate to change the subject, said, "I'm sure you've got a lot more questions."
Mal shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "So what am I?"
"You're Mal, Mal!"
Mal and Ben stared at Akiho in confusion and concern.
"Your friend's strange," Mal told Ben.
"I'm well aware," Ben nodded.
"Thank you!" Akiho said with a grin on his face.
"He considers that a compliment by the way," Ben chuckled as Mal raised an eyebrow.
"Ben's called us 'strange' or 'insane' once a day every day since we were twelve," Emir grinned.
"What do you mean?" Hades asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know, am I a demi-goddess? A Fae? I'm clearly not mortal," Mal elaborated and Hades nodded, realizing what Mal was asking.
"Technically you'd be a demi-goddess but since you're also half Fae it's hard to say for sure. Though that brings up an important point. Mal, you can tell people that you're my daughter if you want but I would advise caution."
"Why? If I found out Lord Hades was my father, I'd scream it to the heavens," Carlos said, his voice a bit louder than it had been but still quiet.
"Why?" Mal asked. "I'd be one of the few kids who knows who both my parents are on the Isle. That's rare."
Mal chuckled. "Oh five year old me, you were so innocent."
Hades chuckled. "True. But the last thing I want is for a target to be put on you because of me. The barrier severely limits your magic. Oh sure they claim that all magic is suppressed but there's no way to truly suppress a god's magic. Fairy magic is only so powerful. Even with Zeus aiding in the creation of the barrier."
"Freddy would certainly increase his efforts if he found out I was a 'false Goddess'," Mal mused.
"Huh that's a good point," Uma nodded.
"Then again Freddy's not allowed anywhere near you girls so he wouldn't even get a chance to try," Harry stated and Jay nodded.
A few of the adults couldn't help but smile at the loyalty between the four of them.
"Unless they had that potion you fed to Jerkules," Mal pointed out and Hades frowned. That wasn't really something he wanted to be reminded of by his five year old.
Hercules held back a wince at the nickname, his mind inadvertently going back to his teenage years. That'd been the same nickname they had given him even though he never understood why.
Plus Steph would probably tell him that Mal shouldn't refer to her cousin that way, that Hercules would be a good ally to have if Mal ever got off the Isle, yada yada yada.
Meg snorted. "Ease up on the sarcasm there Tex."
"Well sorry nut-Meg but I didn't expect my thoughts to be written down on a scroll to be read to most of Boreadon," Hades shook his head.
"Ah well now you're forgiven," Meg smirked.
"You know, it's times like these I remember they used to work together," Persephone said, her turn to shake her head.
Speaking of Persephone, I should bring Mal to the Underworld. Steph's been dying to talk to Mal. The only reason she hasn't is because of Maleficent's spies being all over the place. If one of them caught her talking to Mal, it might not have been good for Mal.
"They'd have to get through me before they would have the chance to touch Mal," Persephone vowed, a slight growl to her voice.
"Yeah well they only made one of those potions and I don't remember where I had gotten it in the first place," Hades said, pulling himself out of his thoughts.
"That's good," Hyllus said.
"Yeah, imagine if the wrong person got their hands on that," Macaria nodded.
Good thing, otherwise Zeus probably would have insisted I take it before they put me on the Isle, he thought before mentally shaking his head.
Zeus looked over at Hades in shock. Did…did he honestly think I'd do that? I mean, yes I reinforced the barrier and yes I put Hades on the Isle but he's still my brother. Plus Persephone would have found a way to kill me if I actually did that—and we don't exactly have an extra God of the Dead lying around.
The last thing he wanted to do was think about his brother while talking with his daughter. "So while I can't turn into a giant fireball, I can still use a bit of my flame."
He conjured up a small blue fireball to prove his point before extinguishing it, not wanting to risk Mal getting burnt.
"I can do that!" Hadie grinned and conjured his own blue fireball.
Mal smiled. "Nice work storm cloud! It's bigger than the last time you tried."
"Thanks Mal," Hadie smiled and extinguished it.
Though there is that old saying about fire not being able to burn a dragon…
You sure you want to risk Mal getting hurt over that? You don't even know if that saying is true!
"And even if that saying's true, she wasn't a dragon right then," Evie said softly.
"Hmm, Blueberry has a point," Mal nodded.
"Will I be able to do that too?" Mal asked, her eyes widening in wonder, and pulling Hades out of his thoughts.
"Why yes," Mal said with a smirk as she held out her hand to summon a small ball of lilac flames. "Yes I will."
"Whoa," Ben said softly, looking at the fireball. He didn't know why but he couldn't help but pay a bit more attention than when Hadie did it.
"Honestly Bennyboo, are you just going to let her do magic without your permission?!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Audrey, it's not like she's hurting anyone," Ben shrugged.
"I see no reason why not," Hades told her. "You're my daughter after all."
Gods it feels good to say that to her and know she'll actually remember it, Hades thought with a smile. His daughter. No matter how she tried, Maleficent would never be able to take this moment away from him.
Zeus couldn't help but give his brother a small smile. He remembered that feeling, the same feeling he'd had after his first conversation with Hercules. No matter Zeus' feelings toward Hades, he couldn't help but feel happy for his brother.
Mal paused for a moment, as if in thought. "Is that why my eyes have been glowing?" Mal asked softly.
It wasn't because of the Fae powers at all. It was my God powers! Why didn't Maleficent tell me my father was a God? Doesn't that seem like something I have the right to know?
"At least you didn't say that in front of her this time," Jay said. "I don't think we'd be able to mop you up from that."
"I know Jay," Mal sighed. Maleficent was the one who decided what you had the right to know after all…
"It's possible," Hades said. "Though it's also possible that it's your Fae powers coming in. I doubt your mother has explained anything to you though."
"You'd be correct sir!" Hyllus nodded.
Hades held back a wince. His great-nephew had sounded too much like he had when he freed the Titans and tried to take over Olympus. Oh he didn't regret the coup, he just didn't want the kid to potentially wind up like him.
Mal shook her head and Hades sighed. Of course Maleficent hadn't explained anything to Mal. That would be too much to ask of the older fairy.
"Well…if you want to, I'm sure there are some books in the library about the Fae," Jane said, her voice sounding rather meek as if she was worried Mal might shoot down the suggestion.
Mal shrugged. "I mean, I'm a Godling but I still have a bit of Fae. Can't hurt to learn about them."
"So it could be either my God powers or my Fae powers causing my eyes to glow," Mal sighed. "Great. Glad that we cleared that up."
"Easy on the sarcasm, cuz," Elle chuckled. Mal paused and looked over at her, having not expected the girl to say that. She wasn't going to lie, there was a small part of her that kinda liked it.
Hades chuckled. "Well we've got time to figure out what's causing your eyes to glow. You're half God after all."
"Did you ever find out?" Kitty asked.
"Kitty, that's a rather personal question. I don't think—."
Mal shook her head, cutting Cinderella off mid-statement. "No, we never did though it likely was my magic coming up."
Mal nodded and grew silent for a moment. "So what do I call you? You know, when we're alone like this?"
"Whatever you want," Hades told her.
Mal nodded and bit her lip in thought. She wasn't sure what she was going to call Hades.
"Mal, I'm pretty sure you could call your dad a 'limp noodle' and he'd be cool with it," Jay said.
"Where'd you come up with that?" Mal asked.
"Some of the crew were talking one day," Jay shrugged. "The topic of favorite insults came up and Ryan said he liked 'limp noodle'."
"Of course the kid would like something tame like that," Harry chuckled.
"…and we're the strange ones?" Emir and Akiho asked Ben after staring at Jay in shock.
"Yes," Ben nodded.
"For the record, if you do call me that Mal, I'm taking you to your mother to see if you're okay," Hades stated. "And if anyone else calls me that the way you all have been calling Maleficent an evil loon, they're looking at a fireball."
"Understood Lord Hades!" The kids in the room called out.
"Yeah, got it dad," Hadie nodded.
"Don't threaten the kids Hades," Persephone sighed.
"What threat? It's a promise."
What about father? After all, we call Maleficent mother.
"But dad's like the exact opposite of Maleficent," Hadie pointed out.
But that's only in public and it's because Maleficent would beat us bloody if we didn't.
The usual collection of growls that had started whenever the scroll mentioned Maleficent possibly injuring Mal started back up, and unless Mal was mistaken, they were somewhat louder than they had been before.
Remember when we were four and we called her by her name in front of the Evil Queen?
And we're positive the beating wasn't because we disrespected her in front of EQ rather than forgetting to call her mother?
I'm pretty sure the broken ankle you got didn't care about the details as to why it was received!
Phillip Sr. looked at Aurora. "She broke Mal's ankle. When Mal was four. Briar, I'm telling you, I don't care if anyone asks for it, I'm this close to—."
"Phillip, it's taking the last bit of my will power to say no, that you can't take your sword and run Maleficent through with it," Aurora saiid softly, trying not to picture a young Mal in pain because of a mistake. Tears prickled in the corners of her eyes—no mother should lay a hand on their child.
But Maleficent's not her mom. Lady Persephone is, Aurora thought.
Hades looked over at Persephone, his voice hard. "I get to kill her right?"
"Only if you beat me to her." Persephone said and her eyes flashed in irritation. Demeter could be heard audibly making plans to find her way onto the Isle to have a 'talk' with Maleficent.
She should be checked over, Ben thought. I doubt that ankle healed properly with everything we've heard about the Isle. Plus as Maleficent as a…care giver I guess?
Okay, okay. We're getting off topic anyway.
True. What about dad? You know, since it's pretty much the opposite situation that we have with Maleficent? He acts like our father in private but has to pretend otherwise in public?
"Not exactly what I was saying but same vein," Hadie nodded causing Alexandria to giggle slightly.
So why not call him father? After all, he's only really been our father for the past few weeks.
"Pretty sure he's been your father your whole life," Neal said.
"I like him too!" Hades said. "What is in the water over in Boreadon that I'm liking these kids?"
Hades watched as Mal seemed to think over what she was going to call him. He honestly didn't care as long as Mal was in his life.
"But don't actually call me 'limp noodle'," Hades added with a chuckle.
"Father?" Mal said softly and Hades almost missed it.
"I'm sorry?"
Mal rolled her eyes. "Father. That's what I want to call you."
Hades nodded. "Okay. Father it is then."
After all, Wonderbreath called Zeus father; as did Triton to Poseidon. It was only fitting that Mal called Hades father as well.
"But…you call Uncle Hades 'dad'," Herkie said, looking over at Mal.
"It may have been 'fitting' but that's not how we do things on the Isle," Mal said with a smirk.
Hercules didn't know why but the old derivative nickname only amused him now. At least, when it was from Hades.
"Hang on," Mal said slowly as if coming to a realization, "does this mean Uma's my cousin? Since her grandfather's Poseidon?"
Poseidon smiled as Uma wrapped her arm over Mal's shoulders. He was happy that at least the new generation of the family would be able to get along.
"Yes, the little squidling's your cousin," Hades nodded with a small smile. While he didn't have the closest relationship with Ursula or Uma, he was happy his daughter had a friendship within the family.
Jay and Carlos smiled as they heard that, each of them thinking about their respective cousins.
"What about Panic's kid, Virgil?" Mal asked. "Everyone knows that he's the son of Vanessa and since Vanessa was just Ursula's human form that somehow got split from her when the barrier went up…"
"Someone still needs to explain to me how that's possible!" Lucy exclaimed.
"We don't know either," Jay shook his head.
"I'm still trying to figure that one out," Hades told her. "For now, I'm leaning toward 'yes' but still want to do some research into it."
Gods if that's true, then I'd have to call Panic my nephew-in-law. Is that even a thing?
Knowing my luck, it would be.
Eh, Panic's a good minion. A bit well panicky but he's less likely to keep things from you than Pain is. Thank gods Pain never reproduced.
"You know that's a good point," Meg nodded. "Panic always used to say you'd be furious whenever you found out about something. It was Pain who'd put the 'if you found out' in his head."
"I'm going to guess they did that a lot, mom?" Hyllus asked.
"You'd be correct," Meg nodded.
"But I still shouldn't tell them?" Mal asked, once again pulling Hades out of his thoughts. "That we're cousins I mean?"
"It's up to you Mali," Hades said, his old nickname for her slipping out as if it'd been weeks instead of years since he used it. "Like I said, there's a risk of a target getting put on you if word got out you were the daughter of Hades."
"But she found out," Ben pointed out. "Uma didn't react during the first chapter when the scroll mentioned that Lord Hades was Mal's father."
Mal chuckled as Estelle trotted over to her. "I had some help with that. Besides, you don't keep secrets from your crew."
Mal nodded. "Oh. Well I guess it can't hurt to keep it to myself for a while. Besides if we still don't know if Virgil is my cousin, then we shouldn't get his hopes up."
Dizzy nodded. "That wouldn't be fair to him!"
"Exactly," Hades chuckled at the innocence used in that logic. Maleficent hadn't completely twisted his daughter.
Speaking of mothers and daughters….
"Hey Mal?" Hades asked as he got up. "You want to go meet your step mother?"
Persephone chuckled. "I was wondering when I was going to get a chance to see Mal."
"You know you already lived this right dear?" Hades asked, raising an eyebrow.
Mal smiled and took his offered hand. "Yes father!"
"How precious!"
"I think she does it on purpose now," Mal muttered, glaring slightly at Snow White as the faint flush returned once more to her cheeks. "First cute, then adorable and now precious? I am none of these things!"
Hades couldn't help but grin at the ease the word had come out of his daughter's mouth. "Then let's go."
They would probably hear Persephone's squeal of joy from Auradon when she saw Mal.
"Oh so that's what that noise was," Chip chuckled.
"So should we have our break now?" Jay asked and Mal shook her head in amusement.
"I think Jay's getting antsy guys!"
"Says the girl who's been fidgeting for the past five minutes!"
"I have not!"