Midas' Destiny (Original Version)

Past Times: ... and All for One

"These hands weren't made for us, but they grab at every will we conjure up
My hands weren't built for me, but they still burn the ground enough

Acting like they want to be found, just to go and hide again
These hands are all to blame, tearing where it needs to mend
Each finger bent in shame, knuckles every shade of white
Our hands are all the same, over our face cover our eyes
My passports all worn out, if you need these hands they're all for you
I don't know what I want, but I know what I don't want to do."
- These Hands Weren't Made For Us, Listener

__________

A year after the explosion...

Midas was kneeling next to Maya, waiting for her to gain consciousness. Rue was eyeing his work, the people crammed into the corner of the small container room, frozen to gold. The man that came with Maya and the ginger had been thrown into a cell along with latter. Neither of them were important.
"You knew she was alive", he eventually said to Rue. "You did this to trick me into working with you."
"And you are doing a wonderful job, Clumsy. Look at you, we don't even have to threaten you anymore! You're doing what I want you to do and that's progress. Just wait and see, soon it'll be over and the prophecy will be fulfilled."
"And I'll be gone and you get to deal with Oro or the Underworld. Now, that's something I'm looking forward to." In some way, he had befriended Oro. They were working together to ensure that everything would work out as planned, so that Marie would be save.
"And I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the rivers, which shouldn't take too long." 
Maya was moving slightly and he knew she would soon wake up again. As Midas was checking on her, he heard a loud bang and then engines starting. They had started up the pumps.
"Here we go. Now, who should be the first one to taste the Underworld? I'm suggesting your girlfriend", Rue said, smiling.
Her plan was nuts and she knew it, but at the same time it was smart, just everything that annoying girl did. As it turned out, right underneath where they were standing was a lost entrance to the Underworld, specifically one that led to the, according to Rue, River of Oblivion. That crazy genius was going to use this river to her advantage.
"Not her. Use the ginger. I'm sticking with what I said a year ago when you tricked me. Maya is innocent and should get out of this without any permanent damage." Midas stood and approached her, taking a look at the villagers. They were innocents too, but he barely cared. He hadn't cared about anything but the prophecy in a while. 
"I have a better idea!", Rue walked to the door and opened it and Midas looked at her slightly confused. "Just wait for it. This is going to be fun."
Before he could say any more, two things happened at the same time. First, Maya opened her eyes and sat up, looking desoriented. Second, a child voice yelled his name and sprinted into the room, right into his arms. 
"Say hello to our test subject!", Rue said, smiling, as the door slammed behind her.
Skye didn't let go of him as she talked about what had happened since the last time he'd seen her a month ago.
"She's a child, you can't be serious." He shoved the girl away from him and came up to Rue, ignoring Maya for now. 
"It won't do anything to her. She'll only... forget a little about her life, and let's be honest, it hasn't really been that much of a rollercoaster ride."
Again, he was ready to hurt that little pest, but he kept himself from it.
"Don't break your streak now, I don't want to remind you once again of what's gonna happen if you dare to talk against me." 
Midas sighed and looked at Skye, then Maya, who was watching Skye and then him. For a second, their eyes met, and he looked away. "She's awake. Let her and her little gang leave, this isn't their business anymore. And while you're at it, leave Skye out of it."
"Oh, come on, man, we have one of the coolest trump cards on our side and you don't want to share the fun with the world? We get to suck that river dry and Mr Underworld can't do anything about it until Oro faces him! Let me have some fun! Besides, those people you just turned to gold? They were our ticket to go way down there."
He knew that all this was a big game to Rue and she hasn't played in a long time. The past year, Brutus and her had been working on a plan. With phase one of the plan ending soon and the device as well as the institution being finished, they were close to starting phase two, and whatever it was, they trusted him enough to be in a leading position during that phase.
"I'll be right back, Clumsy. Don't do anything stupid!" Rue left the room without further explanation and Midas was left alone with Skye and Maya. He hestitated, not sure who he should speak to, but knew that he could hit two birds with one stone, if Maya agreed to do it. He wanted to keep Skye safe. As he walked up to her and kneeled down, Maya found her voice again.
"Will you tell me what's going on? What happened to you and what is this bitch talking about? And how did you survive that damn explosion?"
He shushed her and sighed, turning his head to look at her. "It doesn't matter how I survived or what happened. The only important thing is that I want you to take this girl and get out of here before Rue gets back. I will make sure that your friends will be safe." Now he looked at Skye. "Starfish, I need you to go with this woman, okay? You'll be save with her, at least for now."
Skye took a skeptical look at Maya. "Is she going to fight the gnomes with me?"
Midas nodded. "I'm sure she will."
He thoroughly hoped she would.
"Hold on, you want me to trust you after everything? After I spent months trying to help you and then a year thinking you were dead? After what you did to these people?" She pointed to the villagers, her face red from anger. "This isn't how it's gonna work. I will help this girl, because it's what I do, not because you ask me to. I'm done helping you and I'm done giving a shit about whatever it is you're doing now. If you want to be a damn criminal, then be one. I'll find a way to stop you."
"I don't worry much about you stopping me, because that is rather impossible. I worry more about you and Skye's well-being which is why I am asking you to leave right now. One day there will be time to explain everything, but it's certainly not now. I've been paying for everything I've done to you and everyone as we speak and I will be paying that price for many, many years, but it will be worth it, because once this is over, Marie will be with you to build a new life without me in the way. Now go before Rue comes back."
Skye was definitely confused but for once didn't interrupt. Maya was tearing up, but then looked at the girl.
"Fine. Let's go, kid. And I'll be back for you, mister. You're not getting out of this that easily."
He watched them walk to the door and as Maya grabbed the handle, it opened and Rue came in, a vial in her hand, Fiona and Ryder behind her.
"Leaving so soon? And here I was, trying to be nice and actually letting you go, but it seems that someone was thinking the same thing. Skye, my dear, if you're leaving with these people, I want to make sure that you stay hydrated, so be a good girl and drink this, okay?" She kneeled down to the girl and handed her the vial. 
Midas breathed heavily, ready to do what he should've done a year ago. He knew what the vial contained and that no matter what, Skye always did what Rue said and she already took the lid off. Stupid girl.
Four of them shouted "No" at the same time, but it was already too late.
The vial dropped on the ground, as Skye passed out and hit the floor, not moving anything and once again, things were happening too fast. Before anyone could say another word, Midas already shoved Maya out of the way to punch Rue in the face, but she ducked away.
"Calm down, Clumsy, it's not like she's dead! But you're close to it once I'm done with you, darling!", she said, leaning to the wall, smiling at him.
"What was in that vial?", he could hear someone else yell, the ginger girl. Midas kneeled down to Rue and pushed her to the wall, not using his powers though. He couldn't do it yet.
"Water from the Lethe, a river in the Underworld that makes you forget. She drank enough to not remember anything from her life, but she'll be fine. Please do tell me if she's causing you any trouble! You know how to contact us", she said, laughing her annoying laugh.
"Maya, just go. Take her with you."
Midas didn't take his eyes off Rue. His eye teared up from anger once again. Skye was just a child and he failed to protect her...
"Her name is Skye, okay? Tell her that. She's ten and turns eleven today in three months. She loves pancakes and long walks and fluffy dogs and... and she has an imaginary friend named Ollie. They like to imagine helping teddy bears to fight against gnomes. She used to be on the gnome' s side but they betrayed her..." He wanted to continue, wanted to keep Skye's memory alive, but knew that it was all gone. The little girl he had seen as a sister or a daughter even for a year was gone and who knew who she'd be without her memories?
"I'll keep that in mind...", he heard Maya say.
"Maya." Midas turned around to face her. "Take care of her. I'm serious."
Not being able to find any words, she picked Skye up and left with her friends. He kept sitting where he was, still looking at the dropped vial.
For a few minutes, everything was silent and he could hear the helicopter starting.
"You know that you'll be facing consequences for this, right?", Rue eventually said as she stood up.
"I don't care. As long as the girl is save and I have the insurance that you will suffer once all of this is over, I just... don't give a damn." His voice was thin and he was blinking the tears away. His eye burnt. He hadn't cried in a long time and all of his anger just wanted to get out of him.
"I think you've suffered enough today. See this as me being nice to you for once. Now clean this mess up and then meet your kitten friend. We're ready for phase two."
"What exactly is phase two?" Of course they never told him. He was supposed to be the leader of something during phase two, but he didn't really know what it was.
Rue smiled softly. "A little birdie once told me that you enjoyed playing agents with her the most. Now, Midas, I'm asking you this: Would you like to play agents with me?"