Ben's POV

Nothing could change Ben's mind. Absolutely nothing. He wouldn't budge on this. He couldn't risk it.

"Please, Ben!" Evie begged. Her lips pressed together and her eyes were teary. Ben never wanted to cause anyone any pain but he couldn't do anything about it.

"I can't Evie!" Ben said, exasperated he fiddled with his golden ring. He had given Mal this ring when he first fell in love with her. It felt like an eternity since then. He didn't mind spending forever and ever with her. But due to recent events all of that seemed so long ago and easy. Yes she was dealing with her mothers pressure to become a villain but versus all of these curses and exes that want to kill you he'd say that was much easier to handle. He remembered that day well and now anxious and nervous she looked. He remembered how she cared enough to give him an anti love potion and to come clean. She was brave. He could also remember how she hadn't realized at first that he knew, he remembered laughing at the look on her face. She looked so taken aback he couldn't help himself. But he also remembered how beautiful she looked. He could never forget that.

Evie argued encouragingly, "Yes you can!" She didn't understand. Ben couldn't risk hurting her. Ben wouldn't risk it. For him it seemed out of the question. He was a monster and he wouldn't hurt the person he held dear the most.

"Evie enough! I'm in no position to leave! I can't help you while I'm like this!" He motioned at himself displaying the fur and the fangs.

Evie sighs sympathetically, "That's not true and you know it! Ben, I know you think you're a monster but you're not! Mal wouldn't want you to think like this." She encouraged calmly. Ben almost wanted to listen to her. But he couldn't. He just couldn't do it. He wished he could. But he couldn't. He cared too much.

Ben sighed with a sad expression on his face, "Evie I'm sorry but I can't." he whispered softly.

Jay balled his fists and clenched his jaw as he shouted, "How can you say you love her when you can't even help us get Hades!" His parents seemed taken aback as he was but the other VK's were not.

"Please let us calm down and talk rationally." His mother pleaded. His father agreed with her as he turned to face Jay, "I know everything is tense at the moment but for Mal and Ben's sake we cannot break."

"Jay, Beast and Belle are right. We need to calm down."

But this seemed to anger Jay even more, "No! He needs to hear this!"

Evie reached out towards Jay as she said, "Jay Stop!" But it did nothing to calm him, "If you love her you will help us go retrieve Hades!"

"Do you really think that! If I didn't love her I wouldn't be doing this! I can't stand the thought of her dying or being stuck like this is killing me! But because of Audrey I cannot do anything! Because of Audrey all I can think is that I'm a monster and that I can't help her because I'm like this!" Ben roared. Jay took a step back; he seemed taken back by what Ben had said. "I'm sorry man, I didn't think of it like that." "Well now you know." Ben said curtly his eyes were fixated on Jay his expression was dark and grim. His parents shared a look but said nothing.

"We'll get her back Ben, don't worry." Carlos said encouragingly.

"Carlos is right, we will! I promise." Evie smiled. Ben nodded slowly.

The former king spoke up, "We will send some guards with you," The three VK's nodded and quickly left the room.

…

Evie's POV

The four of them headed outside of the castle and walked towards the limbo. Evie faced them as she said, "If we get Hades he can use his ember to reverse the curse." Evie moved inside of the limbo alongside Carlos and Jay.

Jay had a look on his face, his brows drew together as he questioned, "How do you know it's going to work?"

Evie leaned forward as they conversed with one another. She took a breath as she said,"Think about it, his ember was so powerful it could take away her power it also could save her. He's a god so hypothetically his ember should be more powerful than Maleficent scepter."

Carlos' brows furrowed and he asked, "It makes sense but how can you be sure?"

Evie shook her head she wasn't sure not even in the least. But logically this should work. But if it doesn't she has no idea what she's going to do. Or what they were going to do. "I'm not but he's our only way to save Mal and Ben, at least not while Ben's cursed." She said her voice was brittle, her emotions were getting the best of her. She missed Mal. It wasn't the same without her. She hoped and prayed that this would work. She didn't want to imagine what it would be like without her best friend.

"So what's the game plan?" Jay inquired.

"We ask him for our help and if he doesn't want to we have the guards to help us out." Evie explained.

"That's our plan? There are so many things that could go wrong!" Jay said as he lifted his eyebrow.

"Do you have a better idea?" Evie questioned.

"No but still it's not good!" Jay said.

Evie was annoyed, "I know but it's all we got! Plus Mal was always the planner, not us!" She then continued to say, "I'm trying my best but this is what I got."

"We'll just have to make due." Carlos said as they approached the barrier.

…

"Hades open up! By the orders of the king your presence is needed." One of the guards yelled as he banged on Hades' doors.

"Oh go away!" The guards opened his doors. The four VK's stepped through his door. Evie was the first to speak up, "Please we need your help." She paused, "Mal needs your help." Any sort of smirk or smile he had on his face vanished. He lifted his sunglasses, "What happened?" He moves closer to the group. "She's been spelled by Audrey. Audrey has a Maleficent scepter and cursed Ben and Mal."

"What did she exactly do?" He asked as he got even closer. From where Evie stood she noticed two things. He cared and he was frightening. He seemed angry but a different kind of angry than she's ever seen or heard. He was seething, he was outraged, and infuriated. But under all that Evie could see that he cared for his daughter.

"Mal is under the sleeping curse." She said quickly and simply. Better to rip off the bandage than beet around the bush. Evie had learned from Mal she hated when she didn't get the point so it seemed that he probably held the same idea.

"And lemme guess Benny boy is a beast like his father."

"Yes." Evie confirmed.

He cooled down, "Well what do you want me to do? I'm sure the kid has it sorted out." He said nonchalantly.

'What do you mean?" Carlos asked. Hades stared at the group in surprise. "Haven't you heard of true loves kiss?" Jay sighed annoyed, "He can't, it's part of the curse Audrey bestowed on him. He thinks he's a monster, blah, blah, blah." "And because of that we need your help, please, help her."

"You don't need my help, all you need to do is convince lover boy that he isn't a monster and happily ever after, K?"

Jay looked annoyed again, "We already tried that, it didn't work!"

"He's completely and utterly convinced he's a monster." Carlos said.

"Is he now?"

"Yes!" They all said simultaneously.

Hades sighed dramatically, "I wish I could help her, I do but this is up to Ben."

"Why?" They questioned at once.

"Because true love's kiss is the only thing more powerful than the scepter, he's the only one who can wake her up."

Jay crossed his arms, "Then if you can't wake her up help us convince him that he can wake her up."

Hades reached his arm out to shake with Jay, "You've got yourself a deal, kid." Jay smiled, "Good."

To Be Continued…