Truth Or Fiction

Chapter Eighteen

Beast sighed and looked at the scroll in his hand. "Out of curiosity, how many scrolls are there?"

"Well, counting the one in your hand dad, I got one hundred and three," Ben said. "We've read fourteen scrolls, so we've got eighty nine more to go."

Before Beast could answer, the floating eyeball appeared once more and began to spin. Once the spinning subsided, all that was left was another scroll that landed on Beast's head.

"One hundred and four," Ben corrected himself.

"We're going to be here a while then," Beast sighed and unfurled his scroll.

Mal woke up the next day feeling slightly nervous, though she quickly tamped down that feeling. It wasn't like she could guarantee success; if Hades...if her dad said no to Jay getting a free meal, they wouldn't have any way to tempt Jay into joining the crew.

"I'd have gotten him to say yes Mal," Persephone told her, giving her daughter a small smile.

Scurrying out of her room and quickly leaving Maleficent's castle, Mal made her way to the Underworld. It was early enough to assume that Hades was still there rather than at the restaurant.

"Safe bet. After all, Uncle Hades lives there and doesn't seem too fond of the other villains," Hyllus nodded.

Hades shook his head. Uma calling him 'uncle' he could handle because it'd been years and he'd grown fond of the little squidling. Hercules' kids calling him 'uncle' though? That was just weird.

I'll try there if dad's not in the Underworld. Gods, it's strange...referring to someone as 'dad' even if it's in my head. I mean strange in a good way though. Like days when the cloud cover isn't as dark.

Beast wasn't going to lie, reading Mal's thought was almost like a punch to the stomach. He'd never have that experience, of hearing his little girl call him 'dad' for the first time...he hated to admit it but in that moment he was jealous of Lord Hades.

The only reason she had spent the night in her 'room' at Maleficent's castle was because she didn't want to raise the dragon's suspicions in case she had heard about her confrontation with Evie. The last thing Maleficent would want would be to be made to look bad and her daughter having a confrontation with the child of someone under her control?

"I...I didn't say anything," Evie said, her voice soft as everyone turned to look at her. "Mother handled the invitations to my party anyway."

"Uh huh," Mal scoffed.

Mal held back a shudder at the thought of what kind of 'lesson' Maleficent would teach her for that.

"She even tries and she'll deal with me," Hades promised, growling slightly.

"You'd have to beat me to it dear," Persephone told him.

Aurora looked over at Phillip Sr. "No sword offer?"

"I'm reigning in my urge to kill," Phillip Sr. said. "No child should have to fear their parents' reactions to them getting into an argument of all things."

I should have just stayed the night in the clubhouse, Mal thought as she walked the streets of the Isle. Sure we don't have a bed or heat there but it's better than getting almost no sleep because you don't know when the dragon'll strike.

Ariel felt her heart break as she heard that. While she was happy that her little cousin had a safe place where Maleficent couldn't get to her, the idea that Mal would rather sleep on the floor than on a bed...