"...Mother?" (A Descendants × Hadeficent story)

Ch. 15 - Dad and Daughter

"You're rather intent on my company, aren't you, Little Miss Maleficent?"

Hades folded his arms before his chest, hiding his emotions behind the cold heat of flames.

Ah.

It seemed she had decided to mirror him as well.

"You didn't reject me this time. Is there not something you find in my company too?"

Mal hadn't expected a reply, but his wistful gaze upon her said otherwise.

"I find you a lot like your mother."

"Oh, everyone says that on the Isle. I'll take it as a compliment." Mal shrugged the words off, not noticing that Hades had stiffened upon the mention of how everyone seemed to say that on the Isle. And then she waited, for Hades to continue with something when he had awoken from his wisteria, but the god seemed more entranced than she had intended, and her patience was wearing thin. "Look," She started, "I'm dating Ben now. I'm as safe as things can ever be. You can tell me now, right? What is it that you know that cannot be told to me? Who else does it affect?"

"I can answer you any question but that." Hades cut her off abruptly, "Mal, you're too young-" "I'm 16!" Mal burst out hotly, "Old enough to be on my own on the Isle, old enough to be treated as an adult! I want to know, because when our magic met that other day, it wasn't quite as simple as, 'oh pardon me, did I touch you by accident?'! Our magic melded together. You know it." "And what would you know about magic?" Hades countered, "A half faerie, whose powers only unlocked not more than weeks ago, when Ben first brought you all over to Auradon? All you've known is gateway magic of childish hair play!"

Mal opened her mouth, first in anger and about to spit something insulting as well, but the god's words wrapped well around her ears, and Mal swallowed back what she wanted to say. "A half faerie?" She spoke the words individually, as though they were every bit as important, and her eyes snapped up to his, "My mother is not fae. She is but a dark fairy." "A slip of tongue." Hades found himself unable to pull away from the interrogative green eyes, the ones that looked just like hers, "Faerie and fairy are the same."

"You, a slip of tongue?" Mal was getting more suspicious, "Lord Hades, known for being most manipulative about words, who would not even let slip a crack of what I don't know, mixed up faerie and fairy by accident?"

He just held his breath as her eyes glowed brighter, hoping that she would be deterred after a while.

"I don't believe it." Mal broke his bubble of hope, however, "What do you know about my mother?" "Nothing. I know nothing at all." Hades pushed her hand off his wrist, "Mal, I've already said. There are things that cannot be said, because they not only concern you, but others as well." "Fine!" Mal snapped, flinging her arm aside in her fury, "Fine! Then I'll ask you something that you, Lord Hades, as the Lord of the Underworld, should be able to answer."

"Who exactly is my father, then?"

...

Hades had never been this nervous before.

"What makes you think I know that?" He glared down at her, trying to disguise his fear with intimidation, but Mal was like a mirror, reflecting everything he was doing back onto him, "You even know that my mum is fae. Something I don't even know. Besides, my father is dead. You would have his soul. You would know, because you seem to know things that others don't." "And don't give me that bullshit about how it concerns people." Mal cut him off before he could even say anything, "If you were worried about interrupting the Fates, you won't. Because he's a dead man, right?"

"It will still interrupt your Fate, my dear." Hades threw this excuse out as a last straw, but he could already tell Mal was not buying it. "You said you could answer any question of mine. Except the first question I asked." She spoke sweetly, but he knew better that she was lacing it with menace, "So. Answer me this, or answer my very first question."