Choosing Family

Chapter Twelve

Hades could honestly say that he had not expected that question to come from Mal. At the very least he had expected it when she was a lot older, like maybe thirteen or so. But he saw no reason to lie to the girl, especially since she was coming to him for the answers. If anything, she'd probably be a lot more likely to believe him since she was coming to him instead of vice versa.

"Yes Mal, I am," he said after a few minutes of silence, giving a nod as if accentuating his point. Mal tilted her head as if in thought and Hades couldn't help but be amused. So she did get something from me, at least behavior wise, he thought considering his daughter was pretty much a Maleficent clone though the purple hair was entirely her own.

Her green eyes though were one hundred percent Maleficent however Mal's eyes shown with a fire that was different than that of his ex-wife's. While Maleficent's seemed to shine with rage, Mal's shone with a curiosity and a passion that had yet to be extinguished by life on the Isle or with Maleficent. One could argue, however, that Mal's lean frame could come from Hades.

Compared to my brothers, I'm not the most muscular of the Gods, Hades thought. But the Fae were always seen as lean creatures themselves. Maleficent was no body builder after all. Plus Mal's been on an Isle where rotten food is the main course. As much as I can try at the restaurant, I'm still working with the food Auradon sends us. Gods, if only I could get my hands on something fresh!

"Why did you leave?" Mal asked, her voice soft and breaking Hades out of his thoughts. "Mal—Mother always said that my father walked out on her and me."

Hades sighed and walked around the counter. This was a conversation that he would need to be sitting down to have. Quickly walking to the door and locking it as to not be disturbed, he sat down at one of the tables. Mal quickly followed suit, scrambling into one of the chairs as fast as she could as to not delay getting the information.

"I'm not going to lie and say I tried to stay," Hades said once Mal got settled. Hades had never noticed before how Mal seemed to be too small to sit comfortably in the chairs. She must have been sitting on her knees, he thought and made the resolve to get something to act as a booster. Maybe a phone book—Auradon threw enough of those away that he could pretend it was extra padding for the seat. "In fact, I left your mother when you were about three weeks old."

"Why?" Mal asked.

"Your mother. She's...she's not the easiest to get along with. I didn't want to have you live in a home where your parents were always fighting," Hades told her, even if that wasn't truthfully the reason why he left. He just couldn't stand being around Maleficent a moment longer. However, while he may have hated the fairy, he wasn't going to trash Maleficent in front of Mal. Though, judging by Mal's comment about him, it was clear that Maleficent did not return the favor. "But Mal, I want you to know I never left you. In fact, you lived with me until you were four months old."

Mal bit her lip, unsure as to whether she should believe him. After all, she was living with Maleficent without him. That was a pretty clear sign that he had left her behind.

But Maleficent always lies, she thought. Why should we believe her now? After all, she said my father was weak and mortal. It certainly takes strength to tell Maleficent no and clearly he's not mortal if he's a God.

Why are we believing him though? He could be lying to try to gain power on the Isle?

If he was looking for a power grab, he would have claimed he was my father the moment Maleficent allowed me to walk freely around the Isle. He would have told Uma and he would have probably grabbed me back when I ran into his legs all those months ago.