The next chapter, enjoy!

Thank you to Senema for her help with this story, all remaining mistakes are my own. Tell how you find the new chapter.

Chapter 4

After Hayley had explained to Hope, what had happened and where her uncles and aunts were now, Hope pouted. "Why can't I come with you? Then I could see my dad."

"It's not exactly the right place for a child", Hayley said uncertainly.

Hope, realizing immediately her mother was faltering, had an idea and turned on her puppy dog eyes. "And don't you think my dad would be happy to see me too?"

"You're as stubborn as the rest of the family", Hayley muttered half amused, half frustrated. She held out her hand to Hope. "Take it and don't let go. You will stay with either your father, Elijah or me the whole time. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mom", Hope said obediently. She knew her mother was serious about this.

Hayley briefly closed her eyes and placed a barricade around the house so no one could get in and take the Originals' unconscious bodies with them. Then she and Hope disappeared. Hope was able to come along physically as Hayley's blood coursed through her veins and part of her belonged to the underworld.

Elijah waited patiently in a small cave so that Charon could announce his presence in the correct fashion. As Hayley and Hope appeared in front of him, he raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was too dangerous for her here? How did she get you to change your mind?"

"She said her father should see her now instead of having to wait a few more days", Hayley replied with a smile.

"A very smart and manipulative child, she really is a Mikaelson", Elijah answered and gave Hope an appreciative nod. "Charon!"

Charon appeared. When he saw Hayley, he bowed. "My lord!"

"This is my daughter Hope. Please take her straight to Klaus to have him keep an eye on her", Hayley said.

"I will do so at once. Everyone you have requested to attend has arrived", Charon reported calmly. "We can begin."

"Give Klaus and Hope a few minutes for their reunion and then announce us", Hayley said. She concentrated and suddenly she stood there in her old form as Hades.

Hope stared at her mother with wide eyes. "Are you staying like this now?"

"No, it's just an illusion", Hayley replied in her normal voice. "Our old bodies crumbled to dust thousands of years ago."

Elijah now assumed Persephone's old form as well. "There are certain rituals we must follow. Before we can show our new forms, we must, for old times' sake, appear in our old ones, even if they are but an illusion."

Hayley snorted. "And you want to see the faces of your enemies when they realize who they really bowed to."

"And that", Elijah agreed, amused.

With a final bow, Charon held out his skeletal hand to Hope, who took it after a moment's hesitation. The two disappeared.

Elijah sighed contentedly. "You just made Niklaus very happy."

"Yes, I know", Hayley replied.

Elijah walked up to her and put his hand on her cheek. "It's weird seeing you like this again."

Hayley laughed softly. "Yes, I think so too. And I have to say that I've gotten used and quite fond of your current form. Shall we watch their reunion?"

"Yes that would be nice." Elijah turned to a stone wall, made a hand gesture and the wall became transparent. They could now see what was happening in the hall.

Klaus enjoyed the presence of his family after four long gruelling years. He thought sadly that it would be even more perfect if only Hope were here too. His wish came true faster than he ever thought when suddenly Charon was standing next to him with a little girl.

"Lord Hades asked me to bring your daughter to you", Charon said politely.

"Thank you, Charon", said Klaus in a hoarse voice and knelt down in front of his daughter, who looked at him with wide eyes. "Hello Hope."

"Hello, Daddy", Hope said in a low voice and when Klaus opened his arms she threw herself into them.

Klaus felt rather than saw his siblings crowding around them to shield him and Hope from view, making this moment as private as possible for them. He had to admit he was grateful for that.

A few minutes later, father and daughter finally let go of each other and stood up. Hope held Klaus's hand and didn't seem like she ever wanted to let go.

Charon was now standing on the Dais. He had thrown back his hood, but instead of the skeletal skull he had showed before he now looked entirely human. He looked about 50 years old, his hair was black with white streaks, dark eyes and exotic facial features.

He banged his staff on the ground, a loud gong sounded and Agnes turned back into a human. He banged the staff on the ground a second time, another loud gong sounded, and the witches formed a wide alley, but it didn't look like they were moving on their own volition.

Charon struck his staff a third time, but this time he spoke. "I present to you Lord Hades, God of Death, and Lady Persephone, Goddess of Life. Bow your heads and pay your respects!"

The witches and the Trinity bowed their heads and Klaus could see them fighting it, but whatever forced them to do so was stronger than them. He looked around and noticed that everyone but his siblings, Hope, Camille and himself were bowing their heads as well. Even Jackson, Gia, Davina, his parents, aunt and everyone else were not exempt.

Charon struck his staff a fourth time and a third chime sounded. He bowed his head as well, and with him all the other guardians and denizens of the underworld who had come to see their old rulers again.

A couple appeared at the other end, but they weren't the figures of Hayley and Elijah as Klaus had expected. Hades was almost two meters tall. He wore a crown of black onyx and his whole appearance was reserved, sinister and forbidding.

The woman next to him was almost a head shorter and her skin was as fair as her husband's was dark, only her eyes and hair were dark. She wore a white dress and a crown of flowers on her head; she gave despite her simple appearance a wild and untamed impression.

The couple solemnly and slowly walked down the alley and then climbed dignified the three steps to the thrones as well. In perfect unison, they turned and sat together on their respective thrones.

Charon lifted his head and suddenly, instead of a staff, he was holding a pillow with two golden wands, the shorter wand in the shape of a torch. He first knelt before Hades and held out the pillow to him. Hades took the slightly longer staff and nodded to Charon, who got up. Next, he knelt before Persephone, who took the torch-shaped staff. At her nod, he rose and placed himself between and a little behind the two thrones.

Klaus watched as Hades and Persephone gazed around the crowd until their gaze finally settled on the group by the throne. Then they both grinned and winked at those who could return their gaze before turning serious again.

Hades raised his hand and Charon spoke again. "You may now look at your sovereigns."

Whatever had made everyone bow their heads disappeared and now everyone was looking at Hades and Persephone.

Klaus was pleased to see how offended the witches and Trinity were that they had been forced to bow their heads. He couldn't wait to see their faces when they saw who they had actually bowed to.

Those in the know, who had felt the compulsion too, looked at Hayley and Elijah with varying degrees of annoyance and hurt. Especially Mikael and Esther seemed insulted by this humiliation and Jackson and Davina didn't look too happy either. On the other hand, Gia and Aiden looked more at ease, while Dahlia, Ariane, and Sophie didn't seem too surprised.

"Of course, the old bodies of Hades and Persephone have long since crumbled to dust, so I present to you the new incarnations of them", said Charon.

On cue, Hayley and Elijah dropped their illusions and the stunned faces and reactions from the witches and Trinity was everything Klaus had hoped for and ever dreamed about. He chuckled in amusement and his siblings and Camille joined in.

The corners of Elijah's mouth twitched as well but as always, he could control himself far better than his family. "Camille, Finn, Henrik and Davina, please come before our throne."

With a certain trepidation, they followed Elijah's request.

"I asked Hades for the boon to release you from his kingdom if you so wish, and he granted it to me." Elijah looked at Camille. "You can return as a human or as a vampire. Which will it be?"

Camille glanced at Klaus, then answered in a firm voice. "As a human please."

"Your wish is granted." Next, Elijah looked at Finn. "Since I know how much you hated being a vampire, I can offer you to return as a human like Camille or as a witch."

"As a human please", Finn choked out, who could barely believe that his greatest wish came true. "I don't want to be a witch anymore."

"It is granted to you." Elijah looked over at Kol and smiled sadly. "Unfortunately I cannot offer you the same since you are not dead, but I can give you something else. Davina, you can leave as well, as the person you were with all your powers." He grew serious and the threat in his voice was clear.

"A word of warning. If you ever again threaten, harm, or act against any member of my family, you will lose all your power, forever. You would only keep your life as a favour to Kol. Don't think I'll hesitate for a second if you betray me. And every action against my wishes or me as the ancient patron of all witches will be treated as a betrayal and treason."

Davina swallowed as a shiver ran down her spine. On the last sentence, Elijah's voice had sounded resonant and eerie, as if a man and a woman were speaking at the same time. This hasn't been just Elijah who had declared his judgement. "Yes, I understand", she said respectfully. "And thank you for your generosity."

Elijah nodded before turning to Henrik. "I'll give you the same choice as Finn, but I can't change your age."

"It doesn't matter, Elijah, it will feel good to finally grow up. And I want to be a human like Finn", Henrik said quietly.

Elijah rose from his throne and went down the steps. "It's so good to see you again, Henrik." He hugged his little brother whom he had missed for so long.

Henrik returned the hug.

"We will have enough time to talk about everything later", Elijah whispered in his ear. "But first I have to finish things here."

"I know", Henrik murmured just as softly and let go of his brother.

Those who expected Elijah to return to his throne were surprised. Instead, he approached Gia and gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately, I can't make you the same offer. There are certain laws regarding which souls can be released from our realm, and no matter how unjust your death was it is not enough to let you go back."

"It's alright Elijah", Gia replied softly. "Limbo isn't so bad and eventually I'll find peace."

Elijah took both of her hands, brought them to his mouth and kissed both backs. "You made me very happy in the short time we were together. Nonetheless, there is something I can give you, I will grant you peace."

Elijah released Gia's hands and took a step back. He made a gesture with his hand and Gia lit up brightly before fading.

Elijah returned to his throne. Hayley held out her hand and Elijah took it, squeezed it briefly and then let go.

Now it was Hayley's turn to leave her throne. She walked up to Jackson and took his right hand.

"I can let one more soul go, Jackson and if you want, it can be you." Hayley looked at him seriously. "But our marriage is over for good because I have been married to someone else for thousands of years." She looked at Elijah and smiled. "We are one, and nothing will ever separate us again."

Elijah returned her smile.

Jackson swallowed hard when he heard that. His gaze wandered to Elijah and he pressed his lips together. "So you go back to him after all. Looks like you still won." He gave Elijah a stiff nod. "Under the circumstances, I'd rather stay here."

Hayley shrugged. "As you wish." She waved her hand and Jackson just disappeared. "He's back in Limbo with his pack", she explained calmly. Next, she looked at Aiden. "Would you like to return, Aiden?" She smiled slightly. "I know a young vampire who would be overjoyed if he got you back."

"That is possible?" Aiden asked in disbelief.

"I can still send one back and honestly I can't think of a better one to lead and protect my pack for me." Hayley smiled a little sadly. "I can't do it anymore."

"Then yes, I want to go back", Aiden answered firmly.

"Then join the others", Hayley said softly, nodding her head at the other four returnees. She returned to her throne and sat down. Her eyes fell on Sophie and Ariane. "Sophie, Ariane, step forward."

The two witches stepped forward more than a little afraid; after all, they had both been enemies of the Originals.

"We are willing to grant you both mercy", Elijah spoke up. "You've both suffered enough in the afterlife of the New Orleans witches, and while you've been our enemies, we can understand and forgive your actions. Besides that, I owe Ariane for killing her."

Hayley nodded in agreement and she looked at Sophie. "You tied my life to yours, but when Agnes cursed me, you did everything you could to help us and save Hope."

Elijah made his hand gesture again and like Gia, they both lit up brightly before disappearing.

Next, Hayley and Elijah simultaneously looked at the witches standing in front of them, who were staring at them hatefully.

"You on the other hand don't deserve our mercy. Prepare yourself to be judged", said Hayley, glaring at the witches with a vicious smile.

A golden scale with two bowls appeared in front of the dais. There was a feather on one side and a heart of stone on the other, yet both bowls were at the same level and balanced.

"You will now step forward one at a time and put your left hand around the foot of the scale", Hayley announced. "If the bowl with the feather goes down, you can enter Limbo and have a chance to eventually find peace. If the bowl with the heart sinks, Cerberus will drag you to Tartarus, where you will remain forever."

Now Elijah spoke up. "None of you will return to your old afterlife, which means, the witches of New Orleans will lose their ability to use ancestral magic." The hate in the gazes of the witches grow even more. "One way or the other, none of you will ever get the chance again to meddle in the affairs of the living. Agnes, you are up the first!"

"Why all this fuss? You two already made your decision what our fate will be", Agnes said scornfully.

"No, they can't", Charon disagreed. "I alone watch over the justice of the scales; and neither Hades nor Persephone ever interfered with the outcome, and they won't do it now. They can grant mercy in advance, but they cannot send anyone to Tartarus simply because it is their wish."

Agnes looked at Elijah who was staring at her with a slight smile. "Elijah Mikaelson, the noble one, do you give me your word on that?"

Elijah chuckled softly. "I give you my word that I will not influence the scales in any way and that I will accept the decisions."

"I too will keep to this promise", Hayley added coldly.

Agnes stepped forward and grasped the foot of the scale with a trembling hand. Without long delay, the bowl with the heart sank.

"Tartarus it is", Hayley said with a satisfied smile and a huge black dog with three heads and red eyes appeared beside her. "Cerberus, do your duty!"

The black dog pounced on Agnes, and the ground opened up beneath them to reveal a pit of lava and flames. With a shrill scream, Agnes disappeared into the pit and Cerberus with her. The floor closed again and a second later Cerberus stood next to Hayley again.

"The next one, please", said Hayley with a charming smile and leaned back.

It came as no great surprise when Cerberus dragged Monique, Celeste, Papa Tunde, and Bastianna into Tartarus as well, only Genevieve was shown the mercy of Limbo. In addition to her, many other witches were able to move on to Limbo as well.

It took time, but finally Tristan, Lucien and Aurora were standing all alone. They kept trying to speak but no sound crossed their lips.

Elijah looked at them with a cold smile. "Surely you are wondering, how you all can be here when only one of you is really dead, are you? Quite simply, the other two are close enough to death that we were able to bring you here. Tristan keeps drowning in his container while Aurora is walled up in the compound and slowly drying out."

"You have our permission to speak", Hayley said with a smile as cold as Elijah's.

"You just want us here to gloat in our faces", said Lucien angrily.

"That too." Elijah shrugged and smirked. "But I also have another reason for your presence. Until now Lucien has been in the afterlife of the New Orleans witches as some sort of reward for killing Camille and Finn." Elijah glared at Lucien. "This afterlife will soon no longer exist, which means Lucien will definitely come to our realm and face the judgement of the scales. How do you think this judgment will go for you, Lucien?"

Lucien remained silent. In any case, he didn't think there was much of a chance it would be Limbo.

"Which brings us to Aurora and Tristan, neither of whom are dead. However, as the god of death, I am able to bring you into my realm permanently, but I need your consent to do so, or it won't work", Hayley said calmly.

"By the way, this offer is either for both of you or neither", added Elijah, he smiled nastily.

"And what happens if I decline this generous offer?" Aurora asked scornfully.

"To you nothing", Elijah replied, amused. "You'll merely stay walled in. But I'm afraid the situation is very different for Tristan. Now that the white oak doesn't work on me anymore nor the venom Lucien created, I'm truly immortal, which means Tristan will drown forever. How about it, Aurora, do you really want to let your brother suffer like this?" He smirked knowingly at her.

"You are such a bastard", said Aurora fuming.

"I can't disagree with you on that." Elijah chuckled. "On the other hand, I don't have to make you this offer either. To give you all an additional incentive, we are willing to grant you the mercy of Limbo, which is more than the witches got."

Aurora pressed her lips together. If she accepted this offer, she would never get the chance to take her revenge on the Mikaelsons. She looked at Tristan, who was watching her sadly.

"It's your decision", said Tristan quietly.

Aurora sighed. How could she let her brother continue to suffer? And now that Elijah had become so powerful, he would never let her have the opportunity for revenge anyway. "We accept the offer", she said grumpily.

Hayley sat up straight and spread her arms. She murmured a few words and suddenly Tristan and Aurora sank to their knees. So far they had looked a little like the Mikaelson siblings, pale and not quite there, but now they looked like all the other dead people present.

"It's done," Hayley said echoing. Her voice sounded like Elijah's before, as if a man and a woman were speaking at the same time.

"Goodbye", Elijah added and Aurora, Tristan and Lucien disappeared with another hand movement. "And good riddance."

Klaus chuckled. "You were quite generous to them."

"We still owed them for the first hundred years of their lives", Elijah explained seriously. "But what's even more important to me, with this they're out of our lives for good with no chance of ever posing a threat to Hope."

Klaus looked down at Hope. "I see what you're getting at. What's next?"

"There is one last piece of business, our family has to deal with", said Elijah and looked over at Esther, Mikael and Dahlia.

"Charon, we want privacy", Hayley said calmly.

Charon nodded, he disappeared and with him, everyone else present except those who were family.

"Come on, Hope, we're going back home." Hayley looked at those who would return with them. "Davina, Aiden and Camille, you come with me." She hesitated almost imperceptibly. "Finn, Henrik, you can come with me too or you can stay here."

"I think I endured all I could stand of their presence", Finn said coolly. "I'll come with you."

"I'm coming too. Do you have ice cream, Hayley?" Henrik looked hopeful.

Hayley chuckled softly. "Even several different varieties. And I think I have some other yummy things you'd like to try."

They left, leaving only Elijah, his siblings, his parents, and his aunt.

Fbg = Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry I didn't answer but I saw it just today, didn't notify me like it usually does, when I get comments.