Truth Or Fiction

Chapter Three

Ben smiled as he pulled the ribbon and unfurled his scroll. While he wasn't thrilled to think about a death count on the Isle, it was fascinating to find out how things had been all those years ago.

Hades was on edge. It had been about a week since he had taken Mal and walked out of Maleficent's life. There had been no sign, no whisper, that Maleficent was planning revenge though Hades knew it was coming.

"Of course it's coming. It's Maleficent. Why did you let your guard down, past me?" Hades muttered.

His ex-wife—oh Gods how he hated referring to her by that title even in his head; no one had known they were married or even together—was not one who was known for acting rashly. After all, it took her sixteen years to enact her curse on Aurora.

Aurora sighed softly as Leah stiffened at the reminder of the sixteen lost years she could have had with her daughter.

Hades, on the other hand, was the guy who kidnapped a baby because the little sunspot might have interfered with his plans.

"You didn't just kidnap him. You made it so he could never return home," Zeus growled.

"And what did you do in revenge?" Persephone shot back. "We went to you for help. You denied it. You and Hades are now even."

"Father?" Hercules asked, looking over at the Olympus contingent. "What...what does Aunt Persephone mean by that?"

"I'm sure you'll all find out soon enough," Hades said, his voice stiff as Persephone glared slightly at Zeus. Though one might have thought there was a bit of a smile at being called 'Aunt' Persephone.

"Mal, I hope you inherit your mother's patience," Hades muttered while holding his daughter.

Uma, Harry, and Jay looked over at each other and burst out laughing.

"Mal? Patient?" Harry chuckled.

"That's like saying she's not obsessed with dragons or the color purple," Uma snorted.

"That being said, your mother never did have much in the way of patience, at least when it came to suffering fools. Just slightly more than I do."

"See Ben! How many different ways—?"

"Adoption is a thing," Mal said, her voice flat and her green eyes flashing slightly in rage as she glared at Audrey. "Now drop it."

Mal remained silent and Hades sighed. That was another thing keeping him on edge—Mal rarely cried.

"You didn't cry?" Ben asked, looking over at Mal.

"Why would I?" Mal shrugged. "While the motto of the Isle is 'you cry, you die', a baby doesn't know that. But I probably knew I was safe with my dad."

Hades couldn't help but give Mal a sad smile. I couldn't keep you safe though, he thought.

She'd coo, she'd glare, she'd try and grab his finger if she was particularly annoyed. Almost anything except cry.

"Oh so the opposite of Emir?" Aziz asked with a chuckle.

Emir rolled his eyes but smiled at his brother. "I wasn't that bad."

"You once cried because the sun went behind a cloud." Aziz shook his head.

"Uh, H-Hades?"

"What?" Hades barked, turning toward his cowering minion with a glare.

"A c-call for you," Panic said, his knees knocking together out of either fear or habit, considering it was hard to be intimidating with a baby in one's arms, and the likelihood of getting hit with anything within arms' reach was low.