Half and Half

Chapter Two

"Auradon's the best place for her—."

"What?!"

Persephone and Hades turned around to see Mal in the doorway, clinging to the wall for dear life as she tried to avoid putting weight on her ankle.

"Mal!" Persephone exclaimed.

"You're not...sending me to...Boreadon," Mal said firmly, even as she gritted her teeth in pain. Just the short hop from the couch in the den to the kitchen had been torture since she had to put her foot down three times to steady herself. But they had been talking about her and even if Uma trusted them, she should get to know what it was they were talking about! "I don't...even...know you!"

"Mal, honestly! I turn around for two minutes and you're off the couch," Uma's voice came from the den as she and Harry scurried over to usher Mal back to where she could elevate her ankle.

"They were...talking about...me!"

We kept our voices to a near whisper the whole time, how did she hear us? Persephone thought to Hades.

Well she is a Godling, Hades thought back, ignoring the pain in his heart as his daughter said that she didn't know him. He figured that was the case but it still hurt to have it confirmed. Combine that with the fact that she's part Fae...

And thank you for reminding me of that fact, Hades.

I'm just saying that it makes sense why she'd be able to hear us. I bet you five drachmas that Uma probably could hear us too. Hook Jr. would likely be the only one of the three who couldn't hear us.

"Mal, honestly, I think it's a good idea," Harry said, pulling the two Gods out of their mental conversation.

"You...what?!"

"Mal, think about it," Harry said. "You can't hide in the clubhouse the whole time, there's no place for us to keep food. Plus we don't have any furniture in there."

Mal must have told them exactly what we were talking about, Persephone thought as she listened to more of the children's conversation. Clearly there are no secrets between these three.

"Harry's got a point," Uma nodded. "Plus Uncle Hades wouldn't side with Aunt Perseth...Persoph...Aunt Steph about taking you to Boreadon unless he thought you'd be in danger here. He hates weighing the souls of kids after all."

"How do you know that?" Hades asked, looking at his great-niece.

"The kid stuff or your nickname for Aunt Perseth—."

"Both," Hades said, not wanting to go through Uma trying to pronounce Persephone's name for a second time.

"Overheard you complaining to Hook one day after the Barge arrived," Uma said with a shrug. "Don't exactly blame you either, the kids didn't ask for this. As for the nickname? Overheard you using it in the kitchen just now."

You're a child too Uma, Persephone thought. You all are. This shouldn't be your life.

"You can use it too if you want to Uma," was what she said instead. "Persephone's such a stuffy name anyway. In fact you all can use it."

Uma shrugged slightly but couldn't help but smile at the thought of being able to use the nickname In a weird way, it was nice to have a connection to another family member on the Isle other than her mom and her sister Freddie.

And let's be honest, Uma didn't really have that much of a connection with her mom if it wasn't related to the Chip Shoppe.

"Think about it that way Mali," Harry said as they finally lowered Mal back onto the sofa; Harry propping up her ankle with a ratty pillow that Persephone still wasn't sure where he found it. "If you're in Boreadon, you can help make changes to the Isle. Make it so Harriet and the Runt have proper food."

"Make it so Freddie has proper food too," Uma said, her thoughts going back to her sister. "All the kids for that matter!"

"Even Freddy and Zevon?"

Persephone shook her head. Clearly it was time for her to interject into this conversation before it got off the rails. "Uma and Harry are right, Mal. Plus taking you to Auradon will allow you to heal the way you should be able to rather than having to always look around and fake not being injured."

"I can just stay in my clubhouse," Mal shrugged. "No one but Harry and Uma know where it is anyway."

"Uh huh," Persephone said. "And what happens if Maleficent starts to look for you? Or if Uma or Harry can't make it to the clubhouse one day and you have to go out looking for food on your own?"

I can always drop food off at the clubhouse, I know where it is after all from seeing it in the ember, Hades thought. Of course that's if Mal decides to stay here on the Isle. But I don't think she will—she may be four but even a four year old has some self preservation.

Mal bit her lip softly as she looked at both Harry and Uma. It wouldn't be fair to them to have to constantly be bringing her food—and Mal knew both of them had jobs. Uma had to work at her mother's Chip Shoppe and Harry was always working in Hook's Fish Shop whenever Hook needed new wares.

The last thing Mal wanted was to get Harry in trouble with his father—there had been a few incidents where Harry had shown up to the clubhouse with a red cheek or a cut lip. Normally Uma and Mal would have just assumed he ran afoul a Gaston twin or a Stabbington cousin but the way he'd try to avoid answering made it clear that it'd been Hook.

If going to Boreadon means Harry doesn't get hurt...Mal thought, increasing the pressure on her lip. Then it's worth it isn't it? Sure Boreadon doesn't care about us but I'm not going for me. I'm going for Harry. For Uma.

"...fine."

"You'll go?" Uma asked, shocked and truthfully she wasn't the only one.

Mal shrugged. "I want to be in fighting form to kick Freddy back to the shadows he was spawned from don't I?"

Persephone sighed in relief; she had legitimately thought that it would take a lot more cajoling than that. Though, she could have easily just picked Mal up and walked with her through the portal considering she was leaving the next day.

But that wasn't what Persephone wanted to happen—she wanted it to be Mal's choice.

Because so much had been taken from the kids already, she didn't want to take another thing away from Mal.

Mal sighed as she leaned back against the sofa, trying to ignore the throbbing pain from her ankle. Alright Boreadon...you'd better be worth this.