Small Twists of Fate

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Who. Keeps. Allowing. Gaston. To. Breed?!"

"Well, that's not exactly the thing I expected to hear as you three walked in," Milah said, shaking her head as Harry cooed in her arms. "And watch the language, the girls are in the other room."

Hook sighed. "Apologies love, but Lord Hades, Smee, and I were just...ambushed by Gaston and his mindless celebrating at the taverns."

"Is he still doing that?" Milah shook her head. "I mean, I can appreciate that he's finally excited about a birth of a daughter but—."

"Nope," Hades shook his head as Smee walked over and wrapped his arms around Mollie in a welcoming hug. "It's a boy this time."

"A boy?" Persephone asked, having just gotten back from putting their daughter down for a nap. "But according to Henrietia, the last child fathered by Gaston was Locklyn. Poor thing, Madam Medusa didn't even bother naming her before she just chucked her into the alleyway like trash. Had Gaston's eldest not found her..."

"You're referring to the girls as Gaston's on purpose, aren't you Steph?" Hades asked.

"If he won't acknowledge that he sired more than three children, then I'll acknowledge it for him and maybe some sense will get knocked into him. Cause Olympus knows there's nothing between his ears!"

Hook shook his head. "Honestly, the limited interactions I have with his lasses makes me think they inherited their mothers' brains."

"Piper's nice papa!" Harriet called from the den. "So's Georgia and Gillian!"

"I know that love, and come in here if you're going to be part of the conversation," Hook said. He didn't want to risk the volume getting too high and potentially waking up Mali.

Yes, all of the adults had gotten into the habit of referring to the youngest dweller of the Underworld by the nickname bestowed on her by High King Eric. It was a lot easier to say than her full name was!

"How often are you talking to Henrietia?" Hades asked as the girls made their way into the kitchen. "I mean...you don't often go to the taverns, Steph."

"I know," Persephone nodded. "But I check in on Vanessa and Panic now on my walks and they live near the taverns. Remember, minions don't exactly get prime housing here."

"I know Steph, I know," Hades shook his head. "Daniel's sunspot doing alright?"

"She seems to be as happy as a clam, but then again she's only a few months old," Persephone said with a small sigh. "To her, likely life hasn't changed much other than gaining a few new friends."

"Allies," Hades, Hook, Milah, Smee, and Mollie all said in unison.

Persephone blinked but nodded. "Right, right allies. Guess my Auradon side was popping out there for a moment...speaking of which, how is Gaston only now talking about Gil? Leith told me about Gil back when he was born and I was in Auradon. You'd have thought it'd be a tired topic by now?"

"For anyone with brains? It would be," Hades said, shaking his head. "But, as we've established, Gaston is not the aforementioned ones gifted with more than one brain cell. I mean you remember what he named his twin sons, right?"

"How did Gil escape the 'Gaston' curse?" Milah asked.

"Gaston wasn't at the actual birth, apparently," Hook told her. "Claudette was the one who named the lad, apparently she likes fish and fish have gills so she named her son after fish."

"Well...I've heard of worse names to give your kid," Mollie said after taking a minute too process what Hook had told them. "And...and how did you hear that?"