Daughter of Darkness || Once Upon a Time

Chapter One | To the Underworld

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|The Underworld|
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The ferry slowed to a stop and bumped against the shore, which looked identical to the shore where they had boarded the ferry in the land of the living. Emma took a hesitant step onto land and after she was sure it was safe-ish, she beckoned for the others to follow her. No one said a word as they followed Emma further away from the portal back to Storybrooke. The Underworld was almost identical to the Storybrooke for the living.

Almost.

The group reached the center of the town, where the clock tower usually stood tall. Except in Underworld Storybrooke, the clock tower was buried into the ground.

"Well this is new..." Mary Margaret muttered.

Emma was looking around, trying to figure out where Killian may be - or where anyone may be - when her eyes settled on what looked like her car. The yellow Volkswagen bug. However, this car was charred down to nearly the bottom.

But the most terrifying part about the Underworld was how eerily quiet it was. It was dead silent except for the breaths of the group who was still breathing. And the utter silence tempted them to stop breathing, to just dissolve into the Underworld's silence.

Emma slowly began to walk over to her not-car, simply because it was drawing her in. When she was halfway there, the air stilled. No one breathed.

And then Gold's voice sounded in a shout, "Duck!"

What happened next was like a scene from a movie. Giant axes swung from the sky, and they probably would have killed everyone had Gold not warned them.

In a cloud of smoke - oddly enough, it was dark grey and looked like real smoke - a man appeared. The group from Storybrooke slowly stood up.

"Welcome to the Underworld!" The man spread his arms out. "I sense one of you has been here before." He looked from one person to the next until his gaze settled on Gold. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the great and powerful Rumplestiltskin. Back for a second round of Underworldly torture, are you?"

Gold didn't reply. He knew better than to reply to Hades.

"We're looking for someone--"

"Yes. I am well aware," Hades interrupted Emma. "You're looking for your boyfriend. The one-handed pirate. He should have died long ago, and now, he is paying for the fact that he didn't. I'm afraid I simply cannot let you rescue him."

Emma lunged towards Hades, ready to break his neck, but Regina and David intercepted her.

"Emma, stop!" Regina said.

Emma focused on Regina. "Why?"

"Because you are going to get yourself killed!"

"I'll be fine! I just need to give him a black eye, and--"

"Ladies, ladies, calm down," Hades interrupted. "I admire your efforts for the captain, so I will allow you to bring another person whom you have lost back to the land of the living with you."

"No. I'm here to rescue Killian," Emma said, not afraid of the god.

"I already told you; those who have cheated death are not allowed to return to the Overworld. That list includes, but is not limited to, Peter Pan, Neal Cassidy, any and all of the Dark Ones, Merlin, and your precious Captain Hook. Now you," Hades turned to Regina, "you have lost people who did not cheat death. Let's see, there's your mother, and of course your dear stable boy. And what about you?" Hades stepped towards Robin. "You have your lovely wife and your parents and Kira, of course. And my dearest Snow White. Both of your parents died so early in their lives. I mean, the only person you have to blame is Regina here--"