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|Storybrooke, Six Weeks Later|
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Regina and Robin were standing on the banks of the pond where they had first entered the Underworld so long ago. Hades materialized across from them and Robin stepped in front of Regina.

"You think your thief can protect you this time?!" Hades laughed and blasted Robin out of the way. Regina tried to use her magic, but it wouldn't work. She slowly backed away as Hades stepped towards her. Robin was still down.

"I will get your daughter, Regina! You can't stop me!" Hades lunged at the former Evil Queen.

❃

Regina woke up with a start, bolting upright. Her hand instantly found its way to her stomach. She looked around the dark bedroom until her eyes rested on Robin, who was still fast asleep. Regina's breathing slowed once she realized it was only a nightmare. She glanced over at the clock. 11:42.

Regina swung her shaky legs over the edge of the bed and quietly made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. When she returned to her and Robin's bedroom, Robin was awake.

"What's wrong?"

"Nightmare," was the only answer Regina provided.

"Regina..." Robin pulled his wife into a hug. "We've taken care of Hades. He's gone for good."

"But what if he's not? Every time we think he's gone, he finds some other leverage over us. If we just had something to hold over him..."

"How about we talk to Belle in the morning?" Robin suggested. "Right now, you need sleep."

Regina nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

❃
|The Enchanted Forest|
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Hercules and Cleo were crouching so the three-headed dog couldn't see them. Luckily, Herc had convinced Cleo to take on her human form. A bird made of fire was the last thing Hercules needed while trying to hide from a giant killer dog.

"How are you going to win this fight?" Cleo asked.

"I don't know..." Hercules put a hand on his the hilt of hit sword, trying to figure out the best way too approach his final labor. He would need some sort of distraction for two of the heads while he fought the third.

"Cleo, I need you to fly over Cerberus and distract him, okay?"

"B-but dogs bite. W-what if he bites me?"

"I won't let him," Hercules promised. "But I need you to distract him so I can defeat him."

Cleo nodded hesitantly. "O-okay." She closed her eyes and transformed into the Firebird.

Hercules waited for Cleo to let Cerberus see her before he began the attack. He lunged at the right head with his sword, but the other two heads went in for the kill. Herc managed to roll out of the way, uninjured, but Cerberus's full attention was on him now. Cleo tried to get the dog's attention, but its beady eyes were trained on Herc.

"Uh...nice...dog..." Herc backed up, trying to figure out what to do. For every step the demigod took backwards, Cerberus took one forwards. Hercules was frantically looking at his surroundings, trying to formulate a plan, but Cerberus lunged and sunk his teeth into Herc's left arm.

Hercules cried out in pain and stumbled backwards. "Cleo!" He shouted. Cleo landed next to him and turned back into a human.

"You need help, you can't defeat the dog on your own," Cleo warned. "You need--" but before she could finish, the sky began to darken.

"Run! Hide!" Herc yelled over the loud wind. Cleo nodded and rushed off. She managed to get out of eyesight just as Hades appeared across from Herc, who was still clutching his arm where Cerberus bit him.

"Hello, Hercules," Hades smiled. "I'd like to have a little chat with you about trying to kill my dog."

❃
|Gold's Shop|
❃

Belle had answers for Regina and Robin even before she knew what they needed. She had been doing research on something she had found after Hades left for the past week now. When Regina and Robin entered Gold's shop right after it opened, Belle had several books open and spread across the counter.

"Hello!" Belle looked up when the door opened. "Can I help you with something?"

"We were wondering if there was some way to defeat Hades once and for all," Regina replied. "Every time we think he's gone, he just comes back with something else."

"Actually..." Belle turned one of her around so it was facing Regina and Robin. "I've been thinking the same thing. I don't want Evelyn getting hurt. And I've found the one thing that might be able to take Hades down once and for all." Belle pointed to her book, "The Prophecy of Revelation."

"The Prophecy of Revelation? We're believing in prophecies now?" Regina asked.

"It's a start," Robin said, wrapping an arm around his wife. "And besides, we're living fairytales. We can believe in pretty much anything."

Regina sighed and read the prophecy;

"'In a fiery lake they shall be thrown,
To second death and all alone.
Death and Hades now shall fall
The bird of the lake shall start the brawl.'"

"So we need to throw Hades into a lake of fire?" Robin clarified. "But what about the bird?"

"I think the bird is Cleo," Belle replied. "She's the Firebird, and it's the lake of fire that's mentioned in the prophecy. The bird of the lake. The bird of fire."

"So where would we find this lake of fire?" Regina asked, flipping through the pages of Belle's book. "I've never heard of one before."

"That's what I've been looking for," Belle sighed, "but I've only reached dead ends. And if Cleo is the one who will start the final battle in this war against Hades...we're in the wrong realm."

Before either Regina or Robin could respond, Emma burst into the shop, out of breath. "The kids are with my parents," she assured them before holding up a rolled up piece of paper. "A letter from Hercules. He almost died attempting to complete his last labor, but he and Cleo are both safe. But Hades found him before he died. Camelot is going to be under attack from Hades very soon. He thinks they're hiding the Firebird."

"'The bird of the lake shall start the brawl,'" Regina muttered. "It's starting. The final battle is starting, and they don't know how to defeat Hades."