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kinkfestTitle: Fine Print
Author/Artist:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
syvia
Rating: R
Warnings: innuendo, swearing, adult themes
Word Count: 7216
Summary: Persephone comes home to a few visitors... some of whom are more welcome than Hades would like.
Prompt: Crossover: Kingdom Hearts/Greek Mythology, Hades/Persephone: Marital vows - "Hey, hey! Unlike my glorious brother, Zeus, I've been nothing less than 110% faithful to my wife and queen!"
Author's Notes: I LOVE my betas. *hugs Os and Ceci* I hope everyone who liked Love Me, Love Me Not will like this sequel. ;p
She came home at the beginning of autumn and found that Hades had made a few changes to the throne room.
Rather one very large change; there was a circle of bars in one corner of the room (nearer to Hades' chair) that stretched from floor to ceiling and blocked off said corner.
Persephone raised her eyebrows as she saw a figure lying inside it.
Young, pretty, mortal... and female.
Persephone unwittingly began to change color and her crown hissed softly with greater fire. She folded her arms and glared, and it was a wonder the girl didn't wake simply from the force of Persephone's gaze.
This was the state in which Hades found them.
"Foxglove!" and he sounded slightly aggrieved- as well he should. "What are you doing back so soon?"
Persephone turned and noted the figure of someone else (with very long hair) at her husband's side. If that was another woman, she swore she would-
"It's not Leap Year, Hades."
"Oh yeah, yeah... damnit," he muttered.
"Darling?"
"Yes, sweetness?"
She pointed at the cage- with the now awakened girl staring wide-eyed at them.
"Explain that."
"Um..." Hades bent his arm, pulling the other figure forward by the strap of its vest and pointing at a man, just as young, just as mortal, and just as pretty as the girl in the cage. "I got one for you too?"
Hades dragged him over to the cage- and since that was exactly where Riku wanted to be, he didn't struggle. Hades flicked a finger and one of the bars twisted in place, then sank into the floor. He shoved Riku inside, flicked his finger again and the bar returned. Kairi put an arm around his waist.
The beautiful woman- Persephone, wife of Hades- curled one pretty little hand into the God of the Dead's robes and dragged him out of the room.
Kairi grinned. "Sorry."
Riku just snorted and hugged her. "I think you get into these situations on purpose."
"I like to be saved," she agreed cheekily. "Maybe I should write 'hostage' on my forehead."
"You do that," Riku said. He let go and moved closer to the bars, leaning his face against them. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose. Darkness shot through with tiny bits of light, sulfur, some ghostly form of flower, the acid bite of despair, suffering, and the dull 'absent' thread of apathy. All Hades.
Light shot through with darkness, flowers and sunlight and deep, rich earth- but also a hint of flames and the pain of entering the world into cold and light. There was sorrow mingled with joy and a powerful will to bear up under it, to continue and to be strong. It was powerful, both old and new- rather renewed. Persephone.
Imp, imp, imp, Cerberus- a few Heartless, but they were never fully gone. A few Nobodies- because there were always Nobodies when there were Heartless.
"I don't sense her."
"I tried when Hades left to find you," Kairi said. "No luck."
Riku nodded, looked at her. "So we'll go with the next plan, see what Hades says."
"You think you can pull it off, mister 'my-eyes-can't-lie'?" she asked, her smile affectionate.
"We'll find out, won't we?" He checked the bars, running his fingers over them. "If he doesn't take the bait, we'll start looking for some way out." Which he already was.
Kairi sighed and wondered if Sora's plan- to go in, walk right up to Hades as a unified front and ask him directly- wouldn't have been better. Hades was capable of honesty, right?
"Hey, hey! Unlike my 'glorious brother', Zeus," Hades said, complete with air-quotes, "I've been nothing less than 110% faithful to my wife and queen!"
Persephone gave a sneeze that sounded suspiciously like ‘Minthe’, to which Hades coughed ‘Adonis’.
“I never touched him!” she protested.
“You wouldn’t give him back to Aphrodidiot! She still complains about it at parties!”
“Don’t talk like you didn’t enjoy putting one over on her- you still gloat about it! Besides- I gave him back once it got annoying-”
“Only because ‘daddy’ told you to,” Hades shot back.
“He was pretty!”
Hades folded his arms over his chest and looked at her, just looked. He’d never accused her of sleeping with the mortal- but she’d definitely kept him around when she was definitely married. She’d all but accused him of infidelity with the mortal in the throne room and it was unfair.
Persephone sighed. "Point taken, and I’m sorry.”
He nodded graciously. “You’re forgiven.”
“Thank you. Now,” she waved a hand in the direction of the other room, “what exactly are those mortals doing here?"
"They were snooping around," he grimaced.
"But who are they?"
"The kid is an old business associate, the chick is his girlfriend."
"I'd ask if you lock up all your acquaintances, but it would be a stupid question."
He smirked.
"I also won't ask why they were snooping instead of coming straight to the throne room like normal visitors. Nor," she said, glaring a little, "will I complain about wanting to spend time with you on my first day back-"
Hades winced, then scampered over to lay arms and a very serious lip-lock on his wife. He smooched- she wound her arms about his neck- he supported her at the small of her back, lifting her off the ground and, ooh, tongue. Maybe he could postpone the interrogation. They weren't going anywhere. Mmmm, soft, pink and interested schnookie, just back from topside. He could still feel the sun on her skin- the glow of the Olympus Stone he'd donated blood (and power) to make just for her- on another present he'd given her- the gold belt hanging loosely around her slim hips.
But then Persephone pulled back to breathe, rested her forehead against his. The flame crown pulsed softly, mingled with his hair. "I have backlog to deal with, so I'll leave them to you."
Awww. Yet- the sooner he took care of the mortals, the sooner he could get back to his wife. The longer he left them, the more likely it was they'd find a way to break out of the cage.
"You're too good to me, schmoozie-poo." He kissed her on the cheek, reluctantly let her go.
"Yes," Persephone murmured, pecking him on the lips, "I am."
She disappeared in a cloud of faintly perfumed smoke. Hades grinned, wafted it toward his face, breathing deep. He sighed, loud and obnoxiously, then wiped the grin off his face. It turned into a sadist's smirk and he made his way back to the throne room. Darkness gathered in the corners of the room- the torches burned low. His eyes blazed yellow and orange and his hair smoldered in the shadows.
"How," he said ominously, "does one trap a Keyblade Master?"
"You put him in a room with no doors," Riku answered, turning away from the coma-princess. Well, at least she looked impressed.
"Bingo!" Hades said, pointing. "You win the chance to explain what you're doing down here!" He snapped his fingers and the throne nearer to the cage shuddered, rumbling as it turned on the base. Another snap and he was sitting on it, leaning back in the chair, cheek on fist and looking bored.
"I'm a little insulted that I didn't get an invite to your wedding," Riku smirked. Cheeky little brat was a cheeky big brat, and coma-princess looked pretty good now that she was awake.
"Hey," Hades smirked, spreading his hands, "whirlwind courtship. Ya meet, ya schmooze, ya say 'I do.' Which reminds me- where were you when 'World Conquest Two; The Keybrat Strikes Back' was number one at the box office? You can't tell me Maleficent didn't try and get ya' back into the game."
"I was there behind the scenes," Riku shrugged, "keeping the Organization busy. We didn't want to kill Sora, remember? He took out those idiots in black."
"Yeah, watch it," Hades, currently dressed in black, said, just to be contrary.
"Now," Riku said, ignoring him, "we're free to kick his ass."
Hades shifted in his throne, stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Maleficent's calling the old crew back together again?"
"As many as we can find," Riku nodded once.
Hades circled a finger in the air, some combination of 'whoop-de-doo' and 'go on, your words intrigue me'.
Riku shook his head, grimacing. "Ursula got fried, Oogie wasn't at full brain capacity the last time he came back, so he might not be worth it. Jafar-."
"Also dead, I saw him come through a few years ago, yadda yadda yadda. Everyone else is still around, but who's gonna play?"
The kid rolled his eyes. "Maleficent, Pete, Hook, you, me and Kairi." Riku put his arm around the redhead, who'd been smiling the whole time. Mischievous, a little evil. Sexy.
Okay, Persephone had a valid point.
"We'll be better off this time," Riku said.
Hades looked at them, then stared at Riku, at his eyes. Intent, determined and a little untrustworthy. Just as an agent of Darkness should be.
"No Ansem to screw things up," the kid kept going, "no really big Heartless that could overpower and take control. Just us, taking the worlds down a piece at a time, until the rest are too afraid to fight."
Hades tapped his fingers on the arm rest. "Yeah. Yeah, I gotta say- I like your style, kid. Kids," he said graciously, waving a hand to include the girl. "But you know, I'm gonna take your little bubble right now-" he said, conjuring one in his hand and raising a needle in the other, "and I'm gonna pop it." On the word, he did, and smirked.
"See, because you," Hades raised his index finger, "and the Princess of Lonely Hearts there," next finger, "and the Keybrat," third finger, "are like this," they elongated and braded together. Riku's face had lost expression, but the girl's had a somewhat believable look of confusion.
"Not only are you like that," Hades wiggled his twisted fingers and detangled them to make a loose fist, "but I hear tell you're also like this," he pumped his fist up and down, smirking. Coma-girl was blushing now, still trying to look confused.
"You're Dark, kid," Hades sneered, conjuring a cigar and sticking it between his teeth, "but you're not Dark enough to plot murder for your little boy toy." He held a blazing thumb to the cigar and lit it. Hades gave the kids two smoke circles to think about their next move.
"Wanna pull the other one?"
"How did-" the princess started.
"You will never find a better gossip than a dead man, chickie." Technically the dead gossiped among themselves, but the imps liked to listen, and the only water cooler in the Underworld was outside the archway to Hades' office. He'd done that deliberately- for both the gossip that was useful, and so he could flame the rest for loitering. He smirked at the kids. "Well?"
They looked at each other.
"Hmm, if you're not going to volunteer, I'll just guess." He raised a palm-sized fireball in one hand, which twisted and grew larger, casting heat into their faces even several feet away. Hades puffed on the cigar. "Now- you think Maleficent is up to something. You think maybe she's plotting again," the fireball grew steadily bigger as he spoke. "You're trying to see if she's fishing for recruits and- I don't know, tell them they're being 'very very bad' if they've decided to get back in the game."
Riku had put himself between coma-girl and the bars. His sword was out. The flames gave his skin a reddish cast, turned his hair orange and he glared at Hades.
The God of the Dead smirked. "Am I getting warm?"
Scrolls, tablets and charts and catch-up briefings. The large-eyed yellow imp pacing in front of Persephone's couch was reading from one such in a slow, slightly nasal voice. His name, appropriately enough, was Anal Retentiveness, and Persephone called him Tentive, or sometimes Ten.
One could easily imagine what Hades usually shortened his name into.
"The passage of souls from Notre Dame has increased from four out of fifteen to nine-"
"That seems high, Ten," Persephone murmured.
"Yes," the imp scratched the skin around his left horn, "there is some form of outside influence. Heartless are massing at the direction of a being from outside that world."
"Have there been any problems here as a result?"
"Something of a bottleneck of souls on their way through Asphodel to the afterlives particular to their own world and belief system." The world after death was everywhere and nowhere, nothing and everything, all dependant on the belief of souls. The rulers of Olympus' Underworld had regular contact with those running the afterlives on other worlds.
Persephone was rather fond of that nice young man who had taken on Davey Jones' position as captain of the Flying Dutchman. Hades said he was a poofy-shirted little yutz and began to smoke if Persephone looked too long. After centuries of no men at all, she liked to look. She had a strictly hands-off policy, but she had a great deal of admiration for a nice body.
Not to mention the kind of sex she got from Hades when he felt jealous.
"We'll keep an eye on it," Persephone mused. "If it continues for too long or some of the souls become disgruntled, we'll see what can be done to fix things."
Ten blew out a breath, gave his mistress a crooked little smile of relief. Persephone had something of a temper, but Ten was used to something more volatile so she forgave him his paranoia. Hades not only had a short fuse, it dripped accelerant.
"Tell me about the Underworld. Any mortal visitation during my absence?"
Ten squeezed the scroll in his hand until it disappeared into netherwhere- crooked his finger and pulled another out.
"Forty-two, milady. Thirty-nine of which attended the recent Underdrome Cups- either as participants or spectators. The rest entered the Underworld during the last five hours."
Three of them. Two were accounted for, but the third was wandering around someplace. Best to round the mortal up before Cerberus found it.
"As you were, Ten. We'll pick this up later." Persephone stood and tracked the signs of mortal life in the Underworld. She felt the blaze of them in the throne room- felt their strength and the test of endurance they were undergoing. Hades was undoubtedly enjoying himself.
Kairi curled herself as tightly as possible against the wall. Riku knelt behind her, shielding her with his larger body and the armor that enclosed him. He was just a little flame-resistant, which helped. When Hades managed to sneak a fireball around his shield, he wasn't hurt as badly as she would have been by the attack.
Not that it was an attack so much as it was... playtime.
This was normal for Hades. Kairi wondered if Riku had seen it before, because he'd known- it was obvious he'd expected this... or something like it. He'd worked with Hades before and knew what the god was capable of- it was why, in the end, she and Sora had gone along with his idea.
She had vague, dream-like memories of drifting in Sora's heart- feeling him- but hearing the world somewhere else. Somewhere cold, where Riku was lonely, angry and working for people he knew he shouldn't. Even now, when she could take care of herself, he always tried to protect her.
Which usually put them both in over their heads and waiting for Sora to pull them out.
Kairi felt Riku's arms clench around her as he cast the shield again- just before the fireball struck. He was trying to conserve energy. He believed they would be here for a while. Kairi sighed, and paid attention. Every now and then she sent a trickle of curative magic from her hands to his, intertwined where they lay around her waist.
Sora could get here any time now.
He was lost.
Considering how many times he'd been in this Underworld looking for Heartless, Sora felt more than a little indignant about that. He thought he knew this cave- it should have led down to the lock where they'd had to save Meg that one time. Every time he passed the archway though, there was another cave.
He had the feeling he was going around in circles.
He also felt like he was being watched-
"You know," said a voice at his back, "for a trespasser, you aren't so very skilled at concealing your presence."
Sora whirled around, pulling the Keyblade just in case- and putting it back just as quickly. He grinned. "Hi, Persephone!"
She raised an eyebrow. She might not recognize him- they'd only met once and he was taller. A little taller than she was now- which felt weird. She looked exactly the same. A will-o-the-wisp drifted over his head and the goddess frowned.
"Wait... don't tell me," she said, tapping a finger on her lips. "We met sometime around the- oh. Oh! You're Hercules' friend- that young Keyblade Master." She laughed. "You've grown."
Sora grinned. Persephone smiled as she looked at him- and her gaze drifted down his chest... and her smile got wider. There were butterflies in his stomach... Sora felt like he had when that silver-haired girl from Twilight Town had stared at him and Kairi had gotten snippy-
"You've grown quite handsome," Persephone smirked.
Sora blushed and looked away. "Um- you haven't seen my friends, have you? Riku's taller than me, silver hair and frowns a lot. Kairi-"
"Is a pretty redheaded girl with violet eyes," Persephone grimaced, clapped a hand on Sora's shoulder without waiting for his response. Then they were somewhere else. Sora blinked, widened his stance to keep balance as Persephone let go of him.
"Hades!"
He felt the urge to cringe even though it wasn't his name Persephone had shouted. The goddess sounded like his mom at her most pissed-off. Hades didn't cringe. Sora caught sight of the god just in time to watch him snuff a fireball on the arm of his throne and whine like a teenager.
"Whaaaaaaaat?"
Sora looked at him- Hades turned to look at Sora, and began muttering under his breath. They were in the throne room. Kairi and Riku- must have gotten captured or failed with Riku's bait-and-switch. There were bars, there was carbon scoring on the bars, and he moved towards them, stood close to the cage but watched Hades- waiting for him to make a move. If the god tried anything, he would-
"Was there something you neglected to mention, darling?" Persephone asked sweetly.
"No," Hades drawled, "I wanted to avoid dealing with the Keybrat if at all possible."
"Are you okay?" he muttered, glancing at them. Riku's face was sooty, lines of sweat on his forehead. Kairi looked tired, a little pale, but they nodded. Sora could hear fire. He could always hear fire around Hades, but he'd learned to ignore it. This was louder. Sora turned to look and found the gods having a staring contest. His inner five-year-old whimpered. They were crackling at each other. Persephone's skin had turned all-over red and her crown an eye-burning gold. Hades was red-orange and his hair merged with his eyebrows- was creeping down his hunched shoulders.
Well, at least they were quieter about it now.
Eventually Hades sighed, deeply put-upon, and tossed his hand at the cage. The stone cracked. Sora flinched and backed up as the bars split across the middle. With a groan and the sick tearing sound of rock, they parted, drawing upward and down until the bars gaped like a mouth of broken teeth. Kairi grinned, grabbed Riku's hand and sidled out between two of them. Their friend was bolder, stepped over a jagged edge as if Hades couldn't change the height at any moment.
"Now then," Persephone snapped her fingers, conjured a bench long enough for three people and popped out of sight to reappear on her throne, "what brings you into our kingdom?"
Hades made a face, spinning his finger in the air and putting his throne back to rights. Sora grinned reassuringly at his friends and pulled Kairi over to the bench. Riku stood near one end and looked uncomfortable.
"We're looking for Maleficent."
"See?" Hades said to Riku, flapping a hand at Sora. "Was that so difficult? Trying to get information's like pulling teeth with this kid," he muttered to his wife.
"She and Hades and a bunch of other bad guys-"
Riku winced. Yeah, calling Hades a bad guy might not have been the best route there, Sora. Still, Persephone didn't bat an eyelash. The muses had said she was firmly grounded in reality.
"-they've tried a couple of times to take over the worlds," Sora shrugged, "we wanna make sure they're not joining up to do it again."
"So you snooped?" Hades was smirking. "Breaking and entering, picking through the laundry-"
"Ew," Sora put in.
"We weren't just going to come in, ask if Maleficent had been by and trust you to tell us, honestly, if she had," Riku shrugged. Although technically, Sora and Kairi would have done just that.
"Prudent of you," Persephone murmured. Hades pouted at her. "You've never mentioned this 'Maleficent' to me," she said, air-quoting.
Hey... that had potential. Was Persephone the jealous type? "Well no," Riku said, thinking fast, "Hades wouldn't have invited her to the wedding."
"Whirlwind courtship," Hades brushed it off.
"Perhaps we should put her on the guest list when we renew our vows," Persephone murmured, smiling sweetly.
She just might be going along with the plan. Riku glanced at his friends when Kairi gasped. Sora was trying not to smile.
"You're renewing your vows?" and her gushing was probably only half-feigned. "That's so romantic! When?"
Persephone colored slightly, glowing under the attention- or maybe that was just the light of her crown. "Next year will be our third anniversary." Hades actually softened- for a millisecond- before rolling his eyes.
"No. We're not inviting Maleficent," Hades said.
"Oh, it would be nice to meet your old compatriots," Persephone said lightly. "What is her energy signature and world of origin?"
"It wouldn't be too awkward," Riku drawled. "You two were always close- she'd be happy to meet your wife."
Hades was starting to turn orange.
"You were like this," Riku said, holding up two fingers very close together. "In fact-" he curled his hand into a loose fist.
Hades stood up, bursting into flames and rolling a sphere more than a foot across into his palm.
"Hades," Persephone said, as if nothing was wrong. "Children, let me assure you, Maleficent has been nowhere near our world in the last year. Has she, Hades?"
"Not at all, pookie," he said tightly, sitting down.
"Moreover," Persephone went on, "she will not be." She sounded like she planned to make sure of that.
Riku opened his mouth- and Persephone beat him to the punch.
"Yes, I'm afraid Hades is much, much too busy running his own Underworld and attending to his wife to engage in any plots with off-worlders," Persephone gave her husband a look that said if it wasn't true, it damn well better become true- and quickly.
Hades leered in response, leaned over and caught up her hand, kissing the back of it. He moved slowly upward.
"Thanks!" Sora said briskly. He got up, nudged Kairi's foot with his own. "Sorry we bothered you for nothing- we'll just get going and-"
"Sure, sure," Hades said, still holding his wife's arm. His sneer deepened. "You and Coma-Princess can go, Keybrat. Kid Darkness stays."
Riku froze. What? Why? Why him specifically? "Any structural damage to your throne room was you- not me," he joked, folding his arms across his chest.
"No-no, kid," Hades raised his arm, snapped it downward and unfurled the scroll he'd called to hand. "I mean this." Persephone took her arm back, grabbed Hades' arm and quickly scanned the document, eyes narrow. Hades leered at Riku, shaking the scroll a little, taunting.
He flinched. It felt like someone had put a hand around his heart and begun stroking- turning it over in their fingers like a jewel. Riku gritted his teeth, searching inside for that familiar sickness- no. No, it wasn't Ansem. He would have felt it if- he stared at the scroll- at Hades tapping his fingers against it.
Kairi strode forward and grabbed at the scroll- glared at Hades when it was jerked just out of reach. He smirked at her and she ignored it, snatching it from him the second time and backing away to read.
Riku felt her- the warmth of her hands and the gentle movement of her skin. The scroll- he could remember it at last and... oh shit.
"No," Riku bit out. "That contract wasn't with you-"
"-But just in case anything happened to her, everything in the coalition defaulted to me, because I would keep it going," Hades sing-songed. He smirked and sat back in his throne. "Like you said, kid, Maleficent and I were like this."
Sora was mumbling, reading over Kairi's shoulder.
"I, the undersigned, hereby pledge my service to Hades, a governing body of Olympus Coliseum, for so long as he may need it, in return for his aid in the locating and restoration of-"
"Riku," Kairi breathed, looking at him as Sora read the next part- stuttered and couldn't finish.
Riku didn't need to look. He knew what it said.
-restoration of one Heart belonging to Kairi, Princess of Heart, originally of Radiant Garden re. Hollow Bastion.
Short, sweet and to the point. Simple and damning- Riku could remember signing his name, thick and dark, at the bottom.
"You took advantage of him," Kairi said. "He was fifteen years old and Maleficent-"
"Fifteen's old enough for commitment, kiddies," Hades smirked.
Persephone had left her throne and approached him, took his hand in her small fingers. Her touch was careful, powerful. He felt her warmth and realized his hands had gone cold. The other was shaking. "This isn't the same hand that signed," she murmured, "his thread of life was broken- then rewoven."
"Sephy-babe, where's the nepotism?"
"I'm just keeping you honest, darling. Technically, he did not sign this scroll."
"That's right!" Kairi said, remembering. "He was Ansem for a while."
Riku wanted to laugh. She sounded so happy about it- hell, if it saved his ass, he would be happy too. He just didn't think it would be that easy. Hades continued to smirk. Sora glanced anxiously from one person to the next.
"Oh-no. Ya' got me. Shame, isn't it- the signature was just an identifying marker in case anyone needed to figure out what yutz pledged their service to some evil fairy getting her rocks off by taking over the worlds," Hades frowned. "Yeah- the contract doesn't mean anything- tear it up. Go ahead." He shrugged, mock-pouting. "Who signed, who didn't sign, either way," his voice darkened, almost purred, "he pledged his heart."
Kairi was staring at him. Riku slipped his hand out of Persephone's. He let his hair fall forward, hiding his face so he wouldn't have to look at them. He'd forgotten about that damn contract. It wasn't that he'd trusted Maleficent. He never had- ever. But Kairi had been still and cold and he couldn't have left her like that. He'd needed Maleficent's help. He hadn't thought about possible repercussions then and he'd been too young and naive to think about the wording of the contract.
"So that's settled!" Hades said briskly, grinning. "Want some food before you go?"
He felt Sora deny the urge to draw his Keyblade. "That's not settled- not even- if you think we're just going to leave him here-"
"Woah, woah kid. You'll get 'im back," the god smirked. "Just gotta work out a call system- somethin' to let him know when he's got to hop to- when I've got a job for him and-"
"Technically he pledged his heart to me," Kairi said, clutching the scroll in both hands. "The contract isn't-"
"He signed his service to Maleficent for as long as she needed it," Hades said, gleeful, almost sing-song, "and all she had to do was help find your heart. Well she helped- and he's still bound, because Maleficent died still needing his help, and then I got the contract," Hades snapped his fingers, grasped one end of the scroll in each hand. Riku flinched as he snapped it. "I can always use another minion."
"Bullshit!" Sora called, heedless of Hades' smirk.
"It's okay," Riku sighed, went to Kairi and put his arms around her, "I knew this might come back to bite me, but I don't regret signing."
"Riku, I-"
"It's not okay!" Sora protested.
"Sora, it's done," Riku said, calmly. "The contracts are binding unless the owner changes or voids them. I've worked with Hades before- I know how this goes, and I've seen him do it to others." But as soon as Hades laid his ground rules, they were going to Hollow Bastion to find Cloud. They were going to find a loophole and-
"You're not working for Darkness again, Riku," Sora glare-pouted. "I'd rather work for Hades myself than see you do it."
"Done!" Hades snapped his fingers and the scroll turned from yellow-green to a dull crimson.
The slap of Persephone's hand over her forehead was very loud in the silence.
There was a moment where everything seemed to stop in its place. The world shifted. Then it began to move again.
They all blinked, stared.
What had just happened?
Kairi stared at Sora, at the slowly dawning comprehension on his face. Her gaze snapped to Riku and his lack of expression. Riku lunged forward and grabbed the parchment from the smirking god, reading it quickly.
"Sora you idiot."
Hades eased out of his throne, lips spread away from his bared teeth and the smile growing more eerie as he advanced on Sora. His shoulders hunched forward, fingers crooked into claws.
"I'm glad you only have half a brain, kid. I'm just thrilled you're a heroic little yutz with balls but no sense. I'm gonna enjoy this." He tossed a grin at the other mortals- caught Kairi's gaze and she made a sound- tried to move away from the hands Riku had put on her shoulders. He held her, and any other time she would have leaned into his arms. Not now. This was because of her, because she'd been too weak.
"What, Princess?" Hades smirked, turned to look at Sora, who wasn't moving away, wasn't afraid. If anything his gaze taunted, urged Hades on and it would just end up going worse for him. "You wanna trade?"
"I-"
"Kairi, no," Sora muttered, shaking his head, not looking at them.
"But it's my fault. If I'd been stronger when-"
"This is Maleficent's fault," Sora tried to reassure her, flinching only a little when Hades latched onto his jacket, "not yours. Don't give Hades the satisfaction of twisting you around some more." He glanced at them. "Either of you." The grin on his face, as wide as it was, didn't make her feel any better. She caught Hades' smirk.
"You asshole," Kairi spat. Riku's fingers bit into her arm but she kept talking. "You love to make people squirm."
Hades shrugged, "Duh."
She rounded on Persephone and the pensive expression the goddess had fixed on her husband. Kairi pulled away from Riku hard enough that he had to let go or hurt her.
"You care about mortals," she pleaded. "Can't you-"
"I won't torture him," Hades grinned. The god yanked Sora close, an arm around his neck. The other hand ruffled his hair, knuckles digging into his scalp. Sora grimaced, dropped out of the headlock. He refused to back up. Kairi shuddered at the anticipation in Hades' eyes. "But after, oh," he counted on his fingers, "four or five times he's completely loused up my plans." Hades narrowed his eyes. "I think I'll make some of the jobs close enough to fool ya'."
Kairi realized then that Hades must like Riku, or at least, not feel the utter vindictive urge to maim Riku that he did Sora. The nasty little smirk he'd worn earlier, behind the fireballs wasn't anything like this.
She looked at Riku and knew he saw it.
"This contract is mine," Riku said, raising the scroll. "I never agreed to trade places-"
"That's the beauty of it, kid. You don't get a say. It's me, and it's whoever feels like signing their lives over. But-" Hades said with a sick, sadistic little grin, "If you wanna offer something more valuable than grunt work-"
Riku opened his mouth.
"No."
It wasn't easy to forget a goddess, but they kept doing it in their panic. Persephone stood near, glowing softly, managing to be unobtrusive despite her beauty, despite her power. She smiled at Riku.
"I have nothing against you, dear boy," and she touched his shoulder. "But I prefer a servant who is just a bit more... vibrant?" She laughed charmingly.
"Pookie? This isn't one of those 'what's mine is yours' things," Hades said. "The contract is in my name."
"Mmm. Not really."
"Excuse me?"
"Well," she said, plucking the scroll from Riku's hand, "the contract was between this young man and Maleficent. Maleficent died- although I imagine she must not have remained that way- and the contract defaulted to you. It was not your contract, but the bonds still applied and could be called in to activation. You never bothered because, let's face it, you didn't care about another minion until the children came to annoy you," she smirked, waggling the scroll at Hades. "You didn't activate your claim to the scroll until you pulled it from the netherspace in which it resides. Until very recently, it still read Maleficent did it not?"
Hades grinned, enjoying her perception. "It did, schnookie. You get me so hot when you figure out my fiendish plans."
She smiled, laughed softly. "Now," she snapped her fingers, "it doesn't read your name anymore either."
"What?" Hades lunged forward, grabbed the scroll (with gold caps, now, rather than silver) and looked at it. "How?"
"What did you say when you bought Riku into the throne room?"
Hades' eyes grew very round. Kairi sucked in a breath, glanced at Riku, who was smirking. Hades stared at his wife.
"But!" Hades said. It was all he said. "But- but-"
"I didn't bother to accept at the time, because I had no use for a mortal... pretty though you are, dear boy," she smiled at Riku. "But I have use for a friend," her grin turned a bit licentious, "and I do like Sora. Quite a bit in fact."
Hades crumpled the scroll in his hands, turned orange before thrusting it at his wife and stalking out of the throne room. They waited a few minutes. Kairi jumped at the sudden far-off explosion and watched a little dust shake loose from the ceiling beyond the archway. Persephone opened the scroll and offered it to Sora.
I, the undersigned, hereby pledge my service to Persephone, a governing body of Olympus Coliseum, for so long as she may need it, in return for her aid in the locating and restoration of one Heart belonging to Kairi, Princess of Heart, originally of Radiant Garden re. Hollow Bastion.
Sora
He stared at it for a moment as everything sunk in- what had almost happened, what could have happened, that he was getting a reprieve. It didn't matter that he hadn't really thought about it as it was going on, he was thinking now and Persephone had saved him. Again.
He grabbed and hugged, and Riku was probably muttering something about his treatment of royalty, like he did every time they visited Disney Castle. Persephone made a sound of pleasant surprise, then started to laugh. Sora felt a hand on his back, lifted his arm to let Kairi into the hug, glanced at Riku and pulled his other friend into it as well. Riku sighed fondly. They let go first and Sora muttered into her ear.
"Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. Thank you-"
"Oh stop it." She squeezed around his waist and pulled away. "Before I decide to keep you after all."
"Should I act like Riku so you won't?" He grinned, then scowled. "'I never signed any contract with you.' Ow!" He rubbed his head where Riku had slapped it.
Persephone touched his face, smiling at him gently, like Kairi sometimes did. It made him blush. She was still beautiful, still glowing, and he was an adult now. He'd never use them as an excuse, but he was loyal to Riku and Kairi, and it kept him from having to think of the... possibilities. Or maybe he couldn't help but think about it- but thinking was it! That was all- nothing else. Persephone glanced at Kairi, then at Riku. Sora followed her gaze and noticed their discomfort, but they weren't saying anything. They trusted him. He grinned at Kairi.
"I think," Persephone said, lowering her hand and taking up the scroll, "that you are the most appropriate custodians of this particular contract." She glanced at Riku, offered the scroll to Kairi.
Kairi looked at Sora as she reached for it, breathed out at his easy nod.
"You already have everything I promise on there," he murmured.
Kairi smiled nervously, clasped it in her hands. Persephone nodded once, snapped her fingers.
"If it's ours," Kairi murmured, unrolling it she read the words quickly, nodded at Riku, "I'd rather destroy it."
Sora put his hands in his pockets and kept grinning. They were going to be fine- the scroll was safe with Kairi and Riku- he was always safe with them. But if that’s what they wanted, he wouldn't argue. A contract like that was dangerous because it could be handed off so easy. While Sora adamantly denied that Kairi's heart would ever be lost again, he didn't like the idea that someone might put it in danger to wring some kind of agreement out of him or Riku. Their enemies didn't need ideas laying out on the bookcase.
Persephone smiled at her, approving. "You can do that without hurting him.”
"I dunno," Riku said, putting his hand over one of the caps. "This might be useful the next time Sora whines about doing the dishes."
"Hey!"
Kairi smirked. "We'll just have to tickle him into submission like we normally do."
They moved to set the scroll aflame when Persephone reached out, closed her fingers over it, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Actually... you may want to hold on to it for a little longer...."
Persephone hummed softly as she brushed out her hair, strolling from the bathing room to their bedchamber. Hades pretended to sleep, facing away from her side of the bed. His hair turned dull red as he felt her come in.
The Queen of the Underworld ignored it, slipping under the covers and up against her husband's back, embracing him from behind. She kept humming.
"Done playing with your new boy-toy?" he muttered, disgusted.
She laughed, felt him stiffen. "You didn't seriously think I'd keep him, did you?" Hades said nothing, and didn't relax. Persephone made a little 'o' with her lips and stared. "Hades...."
He shrugged, and his tone was lighter, as if it didn't matter. "My eyes work fine, Seph. Keybrat was a cute kid- he didn't get any harder on the eyes since the last time he lightened our doorstep. We're all gods here. It's pretty normal."
"Yes it is," she said quietly. "But despite father's promiscuity, and mother's inability to stay attached, I am married. To you. If you were wondering."
"Hmm." He let the tension ease slightly from his shoulders.
"I like pretty things. But to me, marriage means looking," she nuzzled beneath his ear, "no touching."
"Oh," there was a touch of bitterness, a wry note to Hades' voice, "you were touching."
"Not like this," she played her fingers over his collarbone before moving, squeezing where it made him flinch.
"Oof- down girl," he purred.
"Lower?" she teased.
Hades rolled his shoulders back into her embrace for a moment- then remembered he was still annoyed with her, pulled away and rolled to face her, leaning on his elbow. Persephone mirrored him.
"You lost me my righteous vengeance and a free minion," he pouted at her.
She gave him a chastened look, pouted back. "I'm sorry, darling. I'm just selfish."
He grunted in agreement.
"When I come home," she slid next to him, fluttering her eyelashes a little, "I want you all to myself. No imps- no mortals- just you and me, as much as possible." He shifted to kiss the hand she stroked up his cheek. "We've already wasted hours on those children," she murmured, leaning forward.
They kissed, Hades grinned. "Not a waste," he said. "You got work done- I got target practice. We got to play with their heads. That was together. We had fun."
"We did have fun," Persephone smiled, and it widened, turning slightly evil. "There should be more fun in a few days." She leaned close to his ear and began to whisper. Hades listened curiously, and then he began to smile, and then to chuckle. Then he kissed his wife passionately and... thanked her quite profusely for being as devious as she was.
Maleficent smiled upon the Keyblade Masters and their Princess.
"You haven't forgotten, have you, Riku?" In her gloating triumph, she failed to notice that the troublesome boy's lips were twitching up at the corners, that Riku himself showed no hint of dismay. "You agreed to act as my right hand- my warrior- in exchange for my aid in saving the life of your beloved." Said beloved smiled, and held her staff ready, waiting.
"This scroll," Maleficent said grandly, calling it out of the netherwhere in which it lay, "confirms my right to-" she gazed down at it, reading, "'have my ass kicked forthwith and with severe prejudice-'" She blinked, widened her eyes as she started from the top and quickly read the contract.
No. No- it could not be! They were unchangeable by all but the owners- she looked up at the snickering children before her. Glancing down again she read carefully, lips twisting as her eyes found the line at the very bottom. Maleficent threw down the scroll and they erupted into true laughter, bright and ringing through the halls of Notre Dame, even as they raised their weapons, waiting for her attack.
Maleficent reached for her other body, twisting into the air in rage and fire. How dare they? How dare they? They would not laugh for long!
We, the undersigned, hereby pledge kick Maleficent(a governing body of Beauteous Thorn)'s ass, for so long as she may oppose the worlds and attempt to cast them into Darkness. We shall do so forthwith and with severe prejudice, as befits both Keyblade Masters and Princesses of Heart.
Sora Riku Kairi
P.S. Hades and Persephone (King and Queen of the Underworld, adj. to Olympus Coliseum) say 'Hi.'
Author/Artist:
syviaRating: R
Warnings: innuendo, swearing, adult themes
Word Count: 7216
Summary: Persephone comes home to a few visitors... some of whom are more welcome than Hades would like.
Prompt: Crossover: Kingdom Hearts/Greek Mythology, Hades/Persephone: Marital vows - "Hey, hey! Unlike my glorious brother, Zeus, I've been nothing less than 110% faithful to my wife and queen!"
Author's Notes: I LOVE my betas. *hugs Os and Ceci* I hope everyone who liked Love Me, Love Me Not will like this sequel. ;p
She came home at the beginning of autumn and found that Hades had made a few changes to the throne room.
Rather one very large change; there was a circle of bars in one corner of the room (nearer to Hades' chair) that stretched from floor to ceiling and blocked off said corner.
Persephone raised her eyebrows as she saw a figure lying inside it.
Young, pretty, mortal... and female.
Persephone unwittingly began to change color and her crown hissed softly with greater fire. She folded her arms and glared, and it was a wonder the girl didn't wake simply from the force of Persephone's gaze.
This was the state in which Hades found them.
"Foxglove!" and he sounded slightly aggrieved- as well he should. "What are you doing back so soon?"
Persephone turned and noted the figure of someone else (with very long hair) at her husband's side. If that was another woman, she swore she would-
"It's not Leap Year, Hades."
"Oh yeah, yeah... damnit," he muttered.
"Darling?"
"Yes, sweetness?"
She pointed at the cage- with the now awakened girl staring wide-eyed at them.
"Explain that."
"Um..." Hades bent his arm, pulling the other figure forward by the strap of its vest and pointing at a man, just as young, just as mortal, and just as pretty as the girl in the cage. "I got one for you too?"
Hades dragged him over to the cage- and since that was exactly where Riku wanted to be, he didn't struggle. Hades flicked a finger and one of the bars twisted in place, then sank into the floor. He shoved Riku inside, flicked his finger again and the bar returned. Kairi put an arm around his waist.
The beautiful woman- Persephone, wife of Hades- curled one pretty little hand into the God of the Dead's robes and dragged him out of the room.
Kairi grinned. "Sorry."
Riku just snorted and hugged her. "I think you get into these situations on purpose."
"I like to be saved," she agreed cheekily. "Maybe I should write 'hostage' on my forehead."
"You do that," Riku said. He let go and moved closer to the bars, leaning his face against them. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose. Darkness shot through with tiny bits of light, sulfur, some ghostly form of flower, the acid bite of despair, suffering, and the dull 'absent' thread of apathy. All Hades.
Light shot through with darkness, flowers and sunlight and deep, rich earth- but also a hint of flames and the pain of entering the world into cold and light. There was sorrow mingled with joy and a powerful will to bear up under it, to continue and to be strong. It was powerful, both old and new- rather renewed. Persephone.
Imp, imp, imp, Cerberus- a few Heartless, but they were never fully gone. A few Nobodies- because there were always Nobodies when there were Heartless.
"I don't sense her."
"I tried when Hades left to find you," Kairi said. "No luck."
Riku nodded, looked at her. "So we'll go with the next plan, see what Hades says."
"You think you can pull it off, mister 'my-eyes-can't-lie'?" she asked, her smile affectionate.
"We'll find out, won't we?" He checked the bars, running his fingers over them. "If he doesn't take the bait, we'll start looking for some way out." Which he already was.
Kairi sighed and wondered if Sora's plan- to go in, walk right up to Hades as a unified front and ask him directly- wouldn't have been better. Hades was capable of honesty, right?
"Hey, hey! Unlike my 'glorious brother', Zeus," Hades said, complete with air-quotes, "I've been nothing less than 110% faithful to my wife and queen!"
Persephone gave a sneeze that sounded suspiciously like ‘Minthe’, to which Hades coughed ‘Adonis’.
“I never touched him!” she protested.
“You wouldn’t give him back to Aphrodidiot! She still complains about it at parties!”
“Don’t talk like you didn’t enjoy putting one over on her- you still gloat about it! Besides- I gave him back once it got annoying-”
“Only because ‘daddy’ told you to,” Hades shot back.
“He was pretty!”
Hades folded his arms over his chest and looked at her, just looked. He’d never accused her of sleeping with the mortal- but she’d definitely kept him around when she was definitely married. She’d all but accused him of infidelity with the mortal in the throne room and it was unfair.
Persephone sighed. "Point taken, and I’m sorry.”
He nodded graciously. “You’re forgiven.”
“Thank you. Now,” she waved a hand in the direction of the other room, “what exactly are those mortals doing here?"
"They were snooping around," he grimaced.
"But who are they?"
"The kid is an old business associate, the chick is his girlfriend."
"I'd ask if you lock up all your acquaintances, but it would be a stupid question."
He smirked.
"I also won't ask why they were snooping instead of coming straight to the throne room like normal visitors. Nor," she said, glaring a little, "will I complain about wanting to spend time with you on my first day back-"
Hades winced, then scampered over to lay arms and a very serious lip-lock on his wife. He smooched- she wound her arms about his neck- he supported her at the small of her back, lifting her off the ground and, ooh, tongue. Maybe he could postpone the interrogation. They weren't going anywhere. Mmmm, soft, pink and interested schnookie, just back from topside. He could still feel the sun on her skin- the glow of the Olympus Stone he'd donated blood (and power) to make just for her- on another present he'd given her- the gold belt hanging loosely around her slim hips.
But then Persephone pulled back to breathe, rested her forehead against his. The flame crown pulsed softly, mingled with his hair. "I have backlog to deal with, so I'll leave them to you."
Awww. Yet- the sooner he took care of the mortals, the sooner he could get back to his wife. The longer he left them, the more likely it was they'd find a way to break out of the cage.
"You're too good to me, schmoozie-poo." He kissed her on the cheek, reluctantly let her go.
"Yes," Persephone murmured, pecking him on the lips, "I am."
She disappeared in a cloud of faintly perfumed smoke. Hades grinned, wafted it toward his face, breathing deep. He sighed, loud and obnoxiously, then wiped the grin off his face. It turned into a sadist's smirk and he made his way back to the throne room. Darkness gathered in the corners of the room- the torches burned low. His eyes blazed yellow and orange and his hair smoldered in the shadows.
"How," he said ominously, "does one trap a Keyblade Master?"
"You put him in a room with no doors," Riku answered, turning away from the coma-princess. Well, at least she looked impressed.
"Bingo!" Hades said, pointing. "You win the chance to explain what you're doing down here!" He snapped his fingers and the throne nearer to the cage shuddered, rumbling as it turned on the base. Another snap and he was sitting on it, leaning back in the chair, cheek on fist and looking bored.
"I'm a little insulted that I didn't get an invite to your wedding," Riku smirked. Cheeky little brat was a cheeky big brat, and coma-princess looked pretty good now that she was awake.
"Hey," Hades smirked, spreading his hands, "whirlwind courtship. Ya meet, ya schmooze, ya say 'I do.' Which reminds me- where were you when 'World Conquest Two; The Keybrat Strikes Back' was number one at the box office? You can't tell me Maleficent didn't try and get ya' back into the game."
"I was there behind the scenes," Riku shrugged, "keeping the Organization busy. We didn't want to kill Sora, remember? He took out those idiots in black."
"Yeah, watch it," Hades, currently dressed in black, said, just to be contrary.
"Now," Riku said, ignoring him, "we're free to kick his ass."
Hades shifted in his throne, stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Maleficent's calling the old crew back together again?"
"As many as we can find," Riku nodded once.
Hades circled a finger in the air, some combination of 'whoop-de-doo' and 'go on, your words intrigue me'.
Riku shook his head, grimacing. "Ursula got fried, Oogie wasn't at full brain capacity the last time he came back, so he might not be worth it. Jafar-."
"Also dead, I saw him come through a few years ago, yadda yadda yadda. Everyone else is still around, but who's gonna play?"
The kid rolled his eyes. "Maleficent, Pete, Hook, you, me and Kairi." Riku put his arm around the redhead, who'd been smiling the whole time. Mischievous, a little evil. Sexy.
Okay, Persephone had a valid point.
"We'll be better off this time," Riku said.
Hades looked at them, then stared at Riku, at his eyes. Intent, determined and a little untrustworthy. Just as an agent of Darkness should be.
"No Ansem to screw things up," the kid kept going, "no really big Heartless that could overpower and take control. Just us, taking the worlds down a piece at a time, until the rest are too afraid to fight."
Hades tapped his fingers on the arm rest. "Yeah. Yeah, I gotta say- I like your style, kid. Kids," he said graciously, waving a hand to include the girl. "But you know, I'm gonna take your little bubble right now-" he said, conjuring one in his hand and raising a needle in the other, "and I'm gonna pop it." On the word, he did, and smirked.
"See, because you," Hades raised his index finger, "and the Princess of Lonely Hearts there," next finger, "and the Keybrat," third finger, "are like this," they elongated and braded together. Riku's face had lost expression, but the girl's had a somewhat believable look of confusion.
"Not only are you like that," Hades wiggled his twisted fingers and detangled them to make a loose fist, "but I hear tell you're also like this," he pumped his fist up and down, smirking. Coma-girl was blushing now, still trying to look confused.
"You're Dark, kid," Hades sneered, conjuring a cigar and sticking it between his teeth, "but you're not Dark enough to plot murder for your little boy toy." He held a blazing thumb to the cigar and lit it. Hades gave the kids two smoke circles to think about their next move.
"Wanna pull the other one?"
"How did-" the princess started.
"You will never find a better gossip than a dead man, chickie." Technically the dead gossiped among themselves, but the imps liked to listen, and the only water cooler in the Underworld was outside the archway to Hades' office. He'd done that deliberately- for both the gossip that was useful, and so he could flame the rest for loitering. He smirked at the kids. "Well?"
They looked at each other.
"Hmm, if you're not going to volunteer, I'll just guess." He raised a palm-sized fireball in one hand, which twisted and grew larger, casting heat into their faces even several feet away. Hades puffed on the cigar. "Now- you think Maleficent is up to something. You think maybe she's plotting again," the fireball grew steadily bigger as he spoke. "You're trying to see if she's fishing for recruits and- I don't know, tell them they're being 'very very bad' if they've decided to get back in the game."
Riku had put himself between coma-girl and the bars. His sword was out. The flames gave his skin a reddish cast, turned his hair orange and he glared at Hades.
The God of the Dead smirked. "Am I getting warm?"
Scrolls, tablets and charts and catch-up briefings. The large-eyed yellow imp pacing in front of Persephone's couch was reading from one such in a slow, slightly nasal voice. His name, appropriately enough, was Anal Retentiveness, and Persephone called him Tentive, or sometimes Ten.
One could easily imagine what Hades usually shortened his name into.
"The passage of souls from Notre Dame has increased from four out of fifteen to nine-"
"That seems high, Ten," Persephone murmured.
"Yes," the imp scratched the skin around his left horn, "there is some form of outside influence. Heartless are massing at the direction of a being from outside that world."
"Have there been any problems here as a result?"
"Something of a bottleneck of souls on their way through Asphodel to the afterlives particular to their own world and belief system." The world after death was everywhere and nowhere, nothing and everything, all dependant on the belief of souls. The rulers of Olympus' Underworld had regular contact with those running the afterlives on other worlds.
Persephone was rather fond of that nice young man who had taken on Davey Jones' position as captain of the Flying Dutchman. Hades said he was a poofy-shirted little yutz and began to smoke if Persephone looked too long. After centuries of no men at all, she liked to look. She had a strictly hands-off policy, but she had a great deal of admiration for a nice body.
Not to mention the kind of sex she got from Hades when he felt jealous.
"We'll keep an eye on it," Persephone mused. "If it continues for too long or some of the souls become disgruntled, we'll see what can be done to fix things."
Ten blew out a breath, gave his mistress a crooked little smile of relief. Persephone had something of a temper, but Ten was used to something more volatile so she forgave him his paranoia. Hades not only had a short fuse, it dripped accelerant.
"Tell me about the Underworld. Any mortal visitation during my absence?"
Ten squeezed the scroll in his hand until it disappeared into netherwhere- crooked his finger and pulled another out.
"Forty-two, milady. Thirty-nine of which attended the recent Underdrome Cups- either as participants or spectators. The rest entered the Underworld during the last five hours."
Three of them. Two were accounted for, but the third was wandering around someplace. Best to round the mortal up before Cerberus found it.
"As you were, Ten. We'll pick this up later." Persephone stood and tracked the signs of mortal life in the Underworld. She felt the blaze of them in the throne room- felt their strength and the test of endurance they were undergoing. Hades was undoubtedly enjoying himself.
Kairi curled herself as tightly as possible against the wall. Riku knelt behind her, shielding her with his larger body and the armor that enclosed him. He was just a little flame-resistant, which helped. When Hades managed to sneak a fireball around his shield, he wasn't hurt as badly as she would have been by the attack.
Not that it was an attack so much as it was... playtime.
This was normal for Hades. Kairi wondered if Riku had seen it before, because he'd known- it was obvious he'd expected this... or something like it. He'd worked with Hades before and knew what the god was capable of- it was why, in the end, she and Sora had gone along with his idea.
She had vague, dream-like memories of drifting in Sora's heart- feeling him- but hearing the world somewhere else. Somewhere cold, where Riku was lonely, angry and working for people he knew he shouldn't. Even now, when she could take care of herself, he always tried to protect her.
Which usually put them both in over their heads and waiting for Sora to pull them out.
Kairi felt Riku's arms clench around her as he cast the shield again- just before the fireball struck. He was trying to conserve energy. He believed they would be here for a while. Kairi sighed, and paid attention. Every now and then she sent a trickle of curative magic from her hands to his, intertwined where they lay around her waist.
Sora could get here any time now.
He was lost.
Considering how many times he'd been in this Underworld looking for Heartless, Sora felt more than a little indignant about that. He thought he knew this cave- it should have led down to the lock where they'd had to save Meg that one time. Every time he passed the archway though, there was another cave.
He had the feeling he was going around in circles.
He also felt like he was being watched-
"You know," said a voice at his back, "for a trespasser, you aren't so very skilled at concealing your presence."
Sora whirled around, pulling the Keyblade just in case- and putting it back just as quickly. He grinned. "Hi, Persephone!"
She raised an eyebrow. She might not recognize him- they'd only met once and he was taller. A little taller than she was now- which felt weird. She looked exactly the same. A will-o-the-wisp drifted over his head and the goddess frowned.
"Wait... don't tell me," she said, tapping a finger on her lips. "We met sometime around the- oh. Oh! You're Hercules' friend- that young Keyblade Master." She laughed. "You've grown."
Sora grinned. Persephone smiled as she looked at him- and her gaze drifted down his chest... and her smile got wider. There were butterflies in his stomach... Sora felt like he had when that silver-haired girl from Twilight Town had stared at him and Kairi had gotten snippy-
"You've grown quite handsome," Persephone smirked.
Sora blushed and looked away. "Um- you haven't seen my friends, have you? Riku's taller than me, silver hair and frowns a lot. Kairi-"
"Is a pretty redheaded girl with violet eyes," Persephone grimaced, clapped a hand on Sora's shoulder without waiting for his response. Then they were somewhere else. Sora blinked, widened his stance to keep balance as Persephone let go of him.
"Hades!"
He felt the urge to cringe even though it wasn't his name Persephone had shouted. The goddess sounded like his mom at her most pissed-off. Hades didn't cringe. Sora caught sight of the god just in time to watch him snuff a fireball on the arm of his throne and whine like a teenager.
"Whaaaaaaaat?"
Sora looked at him- Hades turned to look at Sora, and began muttering under his breath. They were in the throne room. Kairi and Riku- must have gotten captured or failed with Riku's bait-and-switch. There were bars, there was carbon scoring on the bars, and he moved towards them, stood close to the cage but watched Hades- waiting for him to make a move. If the god tried anything, he would-
"Was there something you neglected to mention, darling?" Persephone asked sweetly.
"No," Hades drawled, "I wanted to avoid dealing with the Keybrat if at all possible."
"Are you okay?" he muttered, glancing at them. Riku's face was sooty, lines of sweat on his forehead. Kairi looked tired, a little pale, but they nodded. Sora could hear fire. He could always hear fire around Hades, but he'd learned to ignore it. This was louder. Sora turned to look and found the gods having a staring contest. His inner five-year-old whimpered. They were crackling at each other. Persephone's skin had turned all-over red and her crown an eye-burning gold. Hades was red-orange and his hair merged with his eyebrows- was creeping down his hunched shoulders.
Well, at least they were quieter about it now.
Eventually Hades sighed, deeply put-upon, and tossed his hand at the cage. The stone cracked. Sora flinched and backed up as the bars split across the middle. With a groan and the sick tearing sound of rock, they parted, drawing upward and down until the bars gaped like a mouth of broken teeth. Kairi grinned, grabbed Riku's hand and sidled out between two of them. Their friend was bolder, stepped over a jagged edge as if Hades couldn't change the height at any moment.
"Now then," Persephone snapped her fingers, conjured a bench long enough for three people and popped out of sight to reappear on her throne, "what brings you into our kingdom?"
Hades made a face, spinning his finger in the air and putting his throne back to rights. Sora grinned reassuringly at his friends and pulled Kairi over to the bench. Riku stood near one end and looked uncomfortable.
"We're looking for Maleficent."
"See?" Hades said to Riku, flapping a hand at Sora. "Was that so difficult? Trying to get information's like pulling teeth with this kid," he muttered to his wife.
"She and Hades and a bunch of other bad guys-"
Riku winced. Yeah, calling Hades a bad guy might not have been the best route there, Sora. Still, Persephone didn't bat an eyelash. The muses had said she was firmly grounded in reality.
"-they've tried a couple of times to take over the worlds," Sora shrugged, "we wanna make sure they're not joining up to do it again."
"So you snooped?" Hades was smirking. "Breaking and entering, picking through the laundry-"
"Ew," Sora put in.
"We weren't just going to come in, ask if Maleficent had been by and trust you to tell us, honestly, if she had," Riku shrugged. Although technically, Sora and Kairi would have done just that.
"Prudent of you," Persephone murmured. Hades pouted at her. "You've never mentioned this 'Maleficent' to me," she said, air-quoting.
Hey... that had potential. Was Persephone the jealous type? "Well no," Riku said, thinking fast, "Hades wouldn't have invited her to the wedding."
"Whirlwind courtship," Hades brushed it off.
"Perhaps we should put her on the guest list when we renew our vows," Persephone murmured, smiling sweetly.
She just might be going along with the plan. Riku glanced at his friends when Kairi gasped. Sora was trying not to smile.
"You're renewing your vows?" and her gushing was probably only half-feigned. "That's so romantic! When?"
Persephone colored slightly, glowing under the attention- or maybe that was just the light of her crown. "Next year will be our third anniversary." Hades actually softened- for a millisecond- before rolling his eyes.
"No. We're not inviting Maleficent," Hades said.
"Oh, it would be nice to meet your old compatriots," Persephone said lightly. "What is her energy signature and world of origin?"
"It wouldn't be too awkward," Riku drawled. "You two were always close- she'd be happy to meet your wife."
Hades was starting to turn orange.
"You were like this," Riku said, holding up two fingers very close together. "In fact-" he curled his hand into a loose fist.
Hades stood up, bursting into flames and rolling a sphere more than a foot across into his palm.
"Hades," Persephone said, as if nothing was wrong. "Children, let me assure you, Maleficent has been nowhere near our world in the last year. Has she, Hades?"
"Not at all, pookie," he said tightly, sitting down.
"Moreover," Persephone went on, "she will not be." She sounded like she planned to make sure of that.
Riku opened his mouth- and Persephone beat him to the punch.
"Yes, I'm afraid Hades is much, much too busy running his own Underworld and attending to his wife to engage in any plots with off-worlders," Persephone gave her husband a look that said if it wasn't true, it damn well better become true- and quickly.
Hades leered in response, leaned over and caught up her hand, kissing the back of it. He moved slowly upward.
"Thanks!" Sora said briskly. He got up, nudged Kairi's foot with his own. "Sorry we bothered you for nothing- we'll just get going and-"
"Sure, sure," Hades said, still holding his wife's arm. His sneer deepened. "You and Coma-Princess can go, Keybrat. Kid Darkness stays."
Riku froze. What? Why? Why him specifically? "Any structural damage to your throne room was you- not me," he joked, folding his arms across his chest.
"No-no, kid," Hades raised his arm, snapped it downward and unfurled the scroll he'd called to hand. "I mean this." Persephone took her arm back, grabbed Hades' arm and quickly scanned the document, eyes narrow. Hades leered at Riku, shaking the scroll a little, taunting.
He flinched. It felt like someone had put a hand around his heart and begun stroking- turning it over in their fingers like a jewel. Riku gritted his teeth, searching inside for that familiar sickness- no. No, it wasn't Ansem. He would have felt it if- he stared at the scroll- at Hades tapping his fingers against it.
Kairi strode forward and grabbed at the scroll- glared at Hades when it was jerked just out of reach. He smirked at her and she ignored it, snatching it from him the second time and backing away to read.
Riku felt her- the warmth of her hands and the gentle movement of her skin. The scroll- he could remember it at last and... oh shit.
"No," Riku bit out. "That contract wasn't with you-"
"-But just in case anything happened to her, everything in the coalition defaulted to me, because I would keep it going," Hades sing-songed. He smirked and sat back in his throne. "Like you said, kid, Maleficent and I were like this."
Sora was mumbling, reading over Kairi's shoulder.
"I, the undersigned, hereby pledge my service to Hades, a governing body of Olympus Coliseum, for so long as he may need it, in return for his aid in the locating and restoration of-"
"Riku," Kairi breathed, looking at him as Sora read the next part- stuttered and couldn't finish.
Riku didn't need to look. He knew what it said.
-restoration of one Heart belonging to Kairi, Princess of Heart, originally of Radiant Garden re. Hollow Bastion.
Short, sweet and to the point. Simple and damning- Riku could remember signing his name, thick and dark, at the bottom.
"You took advantage of him," Kairi said. "He was fifteen years old and Maleficent-"
"Fifteen's old enough for commitment, kiddies," Hades smirked.
Persephone had left her throne and approached him, took his hand in her small fingers. Her touch was careful, powerful. He felt her warmth and realized his hands had gone cold. The other was shaking. "This isn't the same hand that signed," she murmured, "his thread of life was broken- then rewoven."
"Sephy-babe, where's the nepotism?"
"I'm just keeping you honest, darling. Technically, he did not sign this scroll."
"That's right!" Kairi said, remembering. "He was Ansem for a while."
Riku wanted to laugh. She sounded so happy about it- hell, if it saved his ass, he would be happy too. He just didn't think it would be that easy. Hades continued to smirk. Sora glanced anxiously from one person to the next.
"Oh-no. Ya' got me. Shame, isn't it- the signature was just an identifying marker in case anyone needed to figure out what yutz pledged their service to some evil fairy getting her rocks off by taking over the worlds," Hades frowned. "Yeah- the contract doesn't mean anything- tear it up. Go ahead." He shrugged, mock-pouting. "Who signed, who didn't sign, either way," his voice darkened, almost purred, "he pledged his heart."
Kairi was staring at him. Riku slipped his hand out of Persephone's. He let his hair fall forward, hiding his face so he wouldn't have to look at them. He'd forgotten about that damn contract. It wasn't that he'd trusted Maleficent. He never had- ever. But Kairi had been still and cold and he couldn't have left her like that. He'd needed Maleficent's help. He hadn't thought about possible repercussions then and he'd been too young and naive to think about the wording of the contract.
"So that's settled!" Hades said briskly, grinning. "Want some food before you go?"
He felt Sora deny the urge to draw his Keyblade. "That's not settled- not even- if you think we're just going to leave him here-"
"Woah, woah kid. You'll get 'im back," the god smirked. "Just gotta work out a call system- somethin' to let him know when he's got to hop to- when I've got a job for him and-"
"Technically he pledged his heart to me," Kairi said, clutching the scroll in both hands. "The contract isn't-"
"He signed his service to Maleficent for as long as she needed it," Hades said, gleeful, almost sing-song, "and all she had to do was help find your heart. Well she helped- and he's still bound, because Maleficent died still needing his help, and then I got the contract," Hades snapped his fingers, grasped one end of the scroll in each hand. Riku flinched as he snapped it. "I can always use another minion."
"Bullshit!" Sora called, heedless of Hades' smirk.
"It's okay," Riku sighed, went to Kairi and put his arms around her, "I knew this might come back to bite me, but I don't regret signing."
"Riku, I-"
"It's not okay!" Sora protested.
"Sora, it's done," Riku said, calmly. "The contracts are binding unless the owner changes or voids them. I've worked with Hades before- I know how this goes, and I've seen him do it to others." But as soon as Hades laid his ground rules, they were going to Hollow Bastion to find Cloud. They were going to find a loophole and-
"You're not working for Darkness again, Riku," Sora glare-pouted. "I'd rather work for Hades myself than see you do it."
"Done!" Hades snapped his fingers and the scroll turned from yellow-green to a dull crimson.
The slap of Persephone's hand over her forehead was very loud in the silence.
There was a moment where everything seemed to stop in its place. The world shifted. Then it began to move again.
They all blinked, stared.
What had just happened?
Kairi stared at Sora, at the slowly dawning comprehension on his face. Her gaze snapped to Riku and his lack of expression. Riku lunged forward and grabbed the parchment from the smirking god, reading it quickly.
"Sora you idiot."
Hades eased out of his throne, lips spread away from his bared teeth and the smile growing more eerie as he advanced on Sora. His shoulders hunched forward, fingers crooked into claws.
"I'm glad you only have half a brain, kid. I'm just thrilled you're a heroic little yutz with balls but no sense. I'm gonna enjoy this." He tossed a grin at the other mortals- caught Kairi's gaze and she made a sound- tried to move away from the hands Riku had put on her shoulders. He held her, and any other time she would have leaned into his arms. Not now. This was because of her, because she'd been too weak.
"What, Princess?" Hades smirked, turned to look at Sora, who wasn't moving away, wasn't afraid. If anything his gaze taunted, urged Hades on and it would just end up going worse for him. "You wanna trade?"
"I-"
"Kairi, no," Sora muttered, shaking his head, not looking at them.
"But it's my fault. If I'd been stronger when-"
"This is Maleficent's fault," Sora tried to reassure her, flinching only a little when Hades latched onto his jacket, "not yours. Don't give Hades the satisfaction of twisting you around some more." He glanced at them. "Either of you." The grin on his face, as wide as it was, didn't make her feel any better. She caught Hades' smirk.
"You asshole," Kairi spat. Riku's fingers bit into her arm but she kept talking. "You love to make people squirm."
Hades shrugged, "Duh."
She rounded on Persephone and the pensive expression the goddess had fixed on her husband. Kairi pulled away from Riku hard enough that he had to let go or hurt her.
"You care about mortals," she pleaded. "Can't you-"
"I won't torture him," Hades grinned. The god yanked Sora close, an arm around his neck. The other hand ruffled his hair, knuckles digging into his scalp. Sora grimaced, dropped out of the headlock. He refused to back up. Kairi shuddered at the anticipation in Hades' eyes. "But after, oh," he counted on his fingers, "four or five times he's completely loused up my plans." Hades narrowed his eyes. "I think I'll make some of the jobs close enough to fool ya'."
Kairi realized then that Hades must like Riku, or at least, not feel the utter vindictive urge to maim Riku that he did Sora. The nasty little smirk he'd worn earlier, behind the fireballs wasn't anything like this.
She looked at Riku and knew he saw it.
"This contract is mine," Riku said, raising the scroll. "I never agreed to trade places-"
"That's the beauty of it, kid. You don't get a say. It's me, and it's whoever feels like signing their lives over. But-" Hades said with a sick, sadistic little grin, "If you wanna offer something more valuable than grunt work-"
Riku opened his mouth.
"No."
It wasn't easy to forget a goddess, but they kept doing it in their panic. Persephone stood near, glowing softly, managing to be unobtrusive despite her beauty, despite her power. She smiled at Riku.
"I have nothing against you, dear boy," and she touched his shoulder. "But I prefer a servant who is just a bit more... vibrant?" She laughed charmingly.
"Pookie? This isn't one of those 'what's mine is yours' things," Hades said. "The contract is in my name."
"Mmm. Not really."
"Excuse me?"
"Well," she said, plucking the scroll from Riku's hand, "the contract was between this young man and Maleficent. Maleficent died- although I imagine she must not have remained that way- and the contract defaulted to you. It was not your contract, but the bonds still applied and could be called in to activation. You never bothered because, let's face it, you didn't care about another minion until the children came to annoy you," she smirked, waggling the scroll at Hades. "You didn't activate your claim to the scroll until you pulled it from the netherspace in which it resides. Until very recently, it still read Maleficent did it not?"
Hades grinned, enjoying her perception. "It did, schnookie. You get me so hot when you figure out my fiendish plans."
She smiled, laughed softly. "Now," she snapped her fingers, "it doesn't read your name anymore either."
"What?" Hades lunged forward, grabbed the scroll (with gold caps, now, rather than silver) and looked at it. "How?"
"What did you say when you bought Riku into the throne room?"
Hades' eyes grew very round. Kairi sucked in a breath, glanced at Riku, who was smirking. Hades stared at his wife.
"But!" Hades said. It was all he said. "But- but-"
"I didn't bother to accept at the time, because I had no use for a mortal... pretty though you are, dear boy," she smiled at Riku. "But I have use for a friend," her grin turned a bit licentious, "and I do like Sora. Quite a bit in fact."
Hades crumpled the scroll in his hands, turned orange before thrusting it at his wife and stalking out of the throne room. They waited a few minutes. Kairi jumped at the sudden far-off explosion and watched a little dust shake loose from the ceiling beyond the archway. Persephone opened the scroll and offered it to Sora.
I, the undersigned, hereby pledge my service to Persephone, a governing body of Olympus Coliseum, for so long as she may need it, in return for her aid in the locating and restoration of one Heart belonging to Kairi, Princess of Heart, originally of Radiant Garden re. Hollow Bastion.
Sora
He stared at it for a moment as everything sunk in- what had almost happened, what could have happened, that he was getting a reprieve. It didn't matter that he hadn't really thought about it as it was going on, he was thinking now and Persephone had saved him. Again.
He grabbed and hugged, and Riku was probably muttering something about his treatment of royalty, like he did every time they visited Disney Castle. Persephone made a sound of pleasant surprise, then started to laugh. Sora felt a hand on his back, lifted his arm to let Kairi into the hug, glanced at Riku and pulled his other friend into it as well. Riku sighed fondly. They let go first and Sora muttered into her ear.
"Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. Thank you-"
"Oh stop it." She squeezed around his waist and pulled away. "Before I decide to keep you after all."
"Should I act like Riku so you won't?" He grinned, then scowled. "'I never signed any contract with you.' Ow!" He rubbed his head where Riku had slapped it.
Persephone touched his face, smiling at him gently, like Kairi sometimes did. It made him blush. She was still beautiful, still glowing, and he was an adult now. He'd never use them as an excuse, but he was loyal to Riku and Kairi, and it kept him from having to think of the... possibilities. Or maybe he couldn't help but think about it- but thinking was it! That was all- nothing else. Persephone glanced at Kairi, then at Riku. Sora followed her gaze and noticed their discomfort, but they weren't saying anything. They trusted him. He grinned at Kairi.
"I think," Persephone said, lowering her hand and taking up the scroll, "that you are the most appropriate custodians of this particular contract." She glanced at Riku, offered the scroll to Kairi.
Kairi looked at Sora as she reached for it, breathed out at his easy nod.
"You already have everything I promise on there," he murmured.
Kairi smiled nervously, clasped it in her hands. Persephone nodded once, snapped her fingers.
"If it's ours," Kairi murmured, unrolling it she read the words quickly, nodded at Riku, "I'd rather destroy it."
Sora put his hands in his pockets and kept grinning. They were going to be fine- the scroll was safe with Kairi and Riku- he was always safe with them. But if that’s what they wanted, he wouldn't argue. A contract like that was dangerous because it could be handed off so easy. While Sora adamantly denied that Kairi's heart would ever be lost again, he didn't like the idea that someone might put it in danger to wring some kind of agreement out of him or Riku. Their enemies didn't need ideas laying out on the bookcase.
Persephone smiled at her, approving. "You can do that without hurting him.”
"I dunno," Riku said, putting his hand over one of the caps. "This might be useful the next time Sora whines about doing the dishes."
"Hey!"
Kairi smirked. "We'll just have to tickle him into submission like we normally do."
They moved to set the scroll aflame when Persephone reached out, closed her fingers over it, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Actually... you may want to hold on to it for a little longer...."
Persephone hummed softly as she brushed out her hair, strolling from the bathing room to their bedchamber. Hades pretended to sleep, facing away from her side of the bed. His hair turned dull red as he felt her come in.
The Queen of the Underworld ignored it, slipping under the covers and up against her husband's back, embracing him from behind. She kept humming.
"Done playing with your new boy-toy?" he muttered, disgusted.
She laughed, felt him stiffen. "You didn't seriously think I'd keep him, did you?" Hades said nothing, and didn't relax. Persephone made a little 'o' with her lips and stared. "Hades...."
He shrugged, and his tone was lighter, as if it didn't matter. "My eyes work fine, Seph. Keybrat was a cute kid- he didn't get any harder on the eyes since the last time he lightened our doorstep. We're all gods here. It's pretty normal."
"Yes it is," she said quietly. "But despite father's promiscuity, and mother's inability to stay attached, I am married. To you. If you were wondering."
"Hmm." He let the tension ease slightly from his shoulders.
"I like pretty things. But to me, marriage means looking," she nuzzled beneath his ear, "no touching."
"Oh," there was a touch of bitterness, a wry note to Hades' voice, "you were touching."
"Not like this," she played her fingers over his collarbone before moving, squeezing where it made him flinch.
"Oof- down girl," he purred.
"Lower?" she teased.
Hades rolled his shoulders back into her embrace for a moment- then remembered he was still annoyed with her, pulled away and rolled to face her, leaning on his elbow. Persephone mirrored him.
"You lost me my righteous vengeance and a free minion," he pouted at her.
She gave him a chastened look, pouted back. "I'm sorry, darling. I'm just selfish."
He grunted in agreement.
"When I come home," she slid next to him, fluttering her eyelashes a little, "I want you all to myself. No imps- no mortals- just you and me, as much as possible." He shifted to kiss the hand she stroked up his cheek. "We've already wasted hours on those children," she murmured, leaning forward.
They kissed, Hades grinned. "Not a waste," he said. "You got work done- I got target practice. We got to play with their heads. That was together. We had fun."
"We did have fun," Persephone smiled, and it widened, turning slightly evil. "There should be more fun in a few days." She leaned close to his ear and began to whisper. Hades listened curiously, and then he began to smile, and then to chuckle. Then he kissed his wife passionately and... thanked her quite profusely for being as devious as she was.
Maleficent smiled upon the Keyblade Masters and their Princess.
"You haven't forgotten, have you, Riku?" In her gloating triumph, she failed to notice that the troublesome boy's lips were twitching up at the corners, that Riku himself showed no hint of dismay. "You agreed to act as my right hand- my warrior- in exchange for my aid in saving the life of your beloved." Said beloved smiled, and held her staff ready, waiting.
"This scroll," Maleficent said grandly, calling it out of the netherwhere in which it lay, "confirms my right to-" she gazed down at it, reading, "'have my ass kicked forthwith and with severe prejudice-'" She blinked, widened her eyes as she started from the top and quickly read the contract.
No. No- it could not be! They were unchangeable by all but the owners- she looked up at the snickering children before her. Glancing down again she read carefully, lips twisting as her eyes found the line at the very bottom. Maleficent threw down the scroll and they erupted into true laughter, bright and ringing through the halls of Notre Dame, even as they raised their weapons, waiting for her attack.
Maleficent reached for her other body, twisting into the air in rage and fire. How dare they? How dare they? They would not laugh for long!
We, the undersigned, hereby pledge kick Maleficent(a governing body of Beauteous Thorn)'s ass, for so long as she may oppose the worlds and attempt to cast them into Darkness. We shall do so forthwith and with severe prejudice, as befits both Keyblade Masters and Princesses of Heart.
Sora Riku Kairi
P.S. Hades and Persephone (King and Queen of the Underworld, adj. to Olympus Coliseum) say 'Hi.'
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