The Value of a Crew

Chapter Six

Hades made his way to Ursula's Chip Shoppe, ignoring the stunned looks he was getting. To be fair to the great unwashed of the Isle, he hardly ever strolled around; preferring to avoid most contact with the others on the Isle if he had the choice. But he was on a mission this time.

"Honestly Hades, why are you dragging me into Ursula's restaurant? Blast it all, why are you walking at such a pace? I can barely keep up with you!"

Oh right. That might have been part of the reason of the stunned looks considering Hook for some reason is one of the more feared villains on the Isle, Hades thought as he dragged Hook behind him. The codfish disguised as a human put up barely any fight when Hades barged into the fish shop and grabbed him by the collar.

"Hades, what a surprise," Ursula said as Hades burst into her office; the water in her tank jostling from the force Hades had slammed open the door. Where Ursula had gotten the tank, he wasn't really sure but Hades didn't care at this point. "To what do I owe the honor of seeing the Lord of the Underworld strolling about my restaurant?"

"I'm not in the mood for pleasantries niece," Hades said, his voice flat as he forced Hook into a nearby chair. "I want to talk. To both of you."

"What about?" Hook asked as he straightened out his jacket.

"Your...children have somehow gotten the bright idea in their heads to hold my errand rat hostage," Hades said, narrowing his eyes. As much as he hated to call Mal that, as she was so much more than a mere errand rat, he knew that such knowledge would only put a target on her back.

A bigger one than what was already there after her little performance at Beastie Jr's coronation, turning Maleficent into a lizard. Even if it was probably the highlight of Hades' eons of life.

"She should have thought about that before she turned her back on evil," Ursula said, looking rather unimpressed and unknowingly picking up on Hades' thoughts. "My daughter's many things Hades but at least she knows the meaning of loyalty."

"Right, which is why the little squidling is still running around with Mal?" Hades shot back. "No wait, that friendship dissolved when they were nine. Forcing your child into working at your restaurant and your restaurant only isn't loyalty to you Ursula."

"Spare me the lecture. You banned Uma, your own blood, and the Hook boy from your restaurant which brought all the pirates to me," Ursula shot back with a smirk pulling at her lips. "Including your deal with Hook. Kinda hard to run a restaurant with no food isn't it?"

Hades grit his teeth and dug his nails into his palm to avoid blowing up at his niece. He hated the reminder of what he'd done to Persephone's restaurant, founded only in an attempt to help the kids of the Isle.

But the ban was necessary, after Uma and Mal split. After all, what kind of a father would he be if he sided against his daughter in a fight with her friends? Even if Mal wasn't talking to him, he would always have her back.

"We're not here to talk about the past," he spat out. "We're here because your daughter has my errand rat captive."

"Sounds like your errand rat should have paid better attention to her surroundings," Hook spoke up. "Honestly Hades, I don't know why you care so much. Errand rats are a dime a dozen around these parts. In fact, I'm surprised you didn't get a new one after Maleficent's spawn was invited off of the Isle."

"You and I both know that if Mal had Harry held captive, you'd be singing a much different tune Hook," Hades growled. "But unlike you, I actually care about what's mine. Even if they could be easily replaced by one of the other street rats around the Isle."