Half and Half

Chapter Four

"To Tartarus with the registry!" Persephone exclaimed, startling Belle. "Apologies for raising my voice but Hades and I have already spent four years trying to find ways to get our daughter back from the Dragon's talons since we knew Maleficent didn't list Hades as her father."

"Your...your daughter? I thought Mal was your step-daughter?"

"She might not be my daughter by blood but I am more of a mother to her than Maleficent would ever be," Persephone said firmly. "I for one would never break Mal's ankle over what I assume to be some sort of slight against me or for any reason for that matter! You said it yourself, your highness, the reports from the doctors indicate that the break has been purposefully inflicted. Never mind the fact that if Mal wasn't half God and had friends to help her, she'd be a sitting duck with an ankle injury."

Belle sighed softly. As a mother, she knew she'd do whatever it took to defend her children—poor Abby had been slightly premature which had caused Leah to start back up with her nonsense about a betrothal contract.

It only took Belle ranting to her husband once before Leah mysteriously stopped—though Belle suspected Adam had gotten Aurora involved somehow. The blonde Princess was truly the only one who could get Leah to back down when Leah sank her teeth into something.

However, this wasn't just a request to adopt a child. This was a request to adopt a child of the Isle of the Lost. Even though Belle agreed with Persephone in that young Mal could not (and should not) continue to live in Maleficent's 'care', she also knew that her husband's council would lose their heads at the thought of a child of the Isle of the Lost living among them even if it was only for six months.

"Let me talk with Adam," Belle said after a few minutes. "I promise you, Lady Persephone, I will get you an answer before you go back to the Isle but I can't guarantee anything."

"I understand," Persephone said. In all honesty, she didn't understand but sometimes diplomacy was a better idea than smiting someone. Especially if that someone was key to making sure she kept custody of Mal.

"I would like to talk to Mal at some point as well," Belle said.

"Why?" Persephone asked.

Belle looked over at her in slight shock, as if the reason for her wanting to talk to Mal should have been obvious to the Goddess. "I may be the mother of a four year old and a one year old but my memory still works, Lady Persephone. And as much as I hate to put Mal through it, of the two of you, she is the only one who lives on the Isle full time. You qualified your statement that what you've seen in your six months on the Isle...."

"So you're going to question a four year old?" Persephone exclaimed.

"Who else would I talk to?" Belle asked. "Lady Persephone, I mean no offense but it's either I talk to you or I talk to Mal. And I'm more than willing to talk to you but you've even said that you only know what happens on the Isle during the six months you live there. Meaning there's a period of six months where even you are not aware of what transpires on the Isle."

"You could always talk to my husband!" Persephone said firmly.

Belle sighed. "Alright. And how would I be able to do that?"

"I have a portal that Zeus designed," Persephone said. "It's how I'm able to go back and forth between the Isle and Auradon. While I'm only able to use it every six months to go back and forth, it also works as a looking glass where I'm able to talk to Hades and he can see and talk to me."

"And would I as a mortal be able to use the looking glass to talk to Lord Hades?" Belle asked.

Persephone opened her mouth and then paused as she realized that Belle had raised an excellent point. No mortal had ever used the looking glass before and while Persephone knew it was powered by her magic, that still didn't answer the question of whether or not Belle would be able to use it.