*FLASHBACK*

Hades was told time and time again that he would never amount to anything. He never heard the end of it, and never thought he would, being that he was immortal.

That was, until he met Merlin.

Merlin told him he was looking for someone specific, and the signs were pointing to Hades at the moment. He explained that he was the Sorcerer, and every sorcerer needed an Apprentice. Merlin was here to offer that job to Hades.

Hades, of course, accepted. Who wouldn't want to be Apprentice to the most powerful person in any realm?

So Hades was trained to be the Apprentice. He was taught how to wield light magic and warned to never so much as look at dark magic in the wrong way because it could drag you in unexpectedly. Merlin taught him the ins and outs of the Enchanted Forest, Arendelle, Camelot, Wonderland, and the Land Without Magic.

Finally, Hades was named the Apprentice. He was granted the use of magic in all realms, including the Land Without Magic. This gift was only given to three people at a time - the Sorcerer, the Apprentice, and the Author - and once gifted, it could never be taken away. When the Author died or caused himself to lose his power, it was the Sorcerer and Apprentice's job to find a new one. When the Sorcerer died, the Apprentice took over and scored the lands for a new Apprentice. If the Apprentice were to die or lose his Apprentice title, the Sorcerer would have to search for a new Apprentice.

Hades was the greatest Apprentice any world had seen for a long while. Until his brothers grew jealous. They became Hades's downfall, and for that, Hades would never forgive them.

Zeus and Poseidon tricked Hades into using dark magic. 'Just one little bit won't hurt,' they had said. 'Merlin will never know, and surely he'll go easy on you if he's ever to find out'.

Merlin did go easy on Hades the first time. All he had done was use a bit of dark magic to create some peace in the Underworld, but Hades had never been prepared for what it felt like to use dark magic. It felt so much better than light magic. You felt like you could conquer the world, and no one could stand in your way. It was addictive, and Hades had an issue with self-control.

One taste of the darkness and Hades was gone. But what he didn't realize was that he wasn't the one feeding on the darkness. The darkness was feeding on him, and it loved how he tasted.

Hades sought the Dark One at the time - a man named Zoso. Zoso taught him how to control his darkness. During the final lesson, Hades lost his last shred of light magic. That was it for Merlin. He could no longer call Hades his Apprentice. Hades lost the title, and he was furious. Merlin set off to search for another Apprentice, but he had trouble trusting anyone. First, signs pointed to a young, orphaned boy named Rumplestiltskin. Then a man in Neverland who claimed his name was Peter Pan, though Merlin knew better. After this, he was pointed to a fairy leader who always wore blue.

Finally, Merlin found the Apprentice we currently know as the Apprentice. He was slow to trust him, and it took the Apprentice many years to earn the Apprentice title. However, he proved to be a fair Apprentice. He never dabbled in dark magic the way Hades had.

After Hades had been demoted, he swore to get his revenge on his brothers and Merlin. He invited Zoso to the Underworld, intent on stealing the dagger so he could kill Zoso and obtain the power of the Dark One. Zoso brought Hades a gift when he visited. A three-headed dog named Cerberus. It was a gift of thanks for robbing Merlin of his Apprentice, as Zoso and Merlin had a complicated past.

Hades, though thankful for the gift, still tried to swipe the dagger. Zoso outsmarted him though, and left the Underworld. He never returned again.

Hades chased the Dark One relentlessly. He was the first one aware of the change of Dark Ones, from Zoso to Rumplestilskin. He was hidden in the shadows, and had planned on stealing the dagger from Rumplestilskin after he killed Zoso, but the new Dark One disappeared too quickly.

When Emma became the Dark One, Hades felt it. the Darkness had become familiar to him over the years, and he could clearly tell when it switched hosts. However, Hades noticed that the darkness had more than one host this time. Not only was Emma Swan full of Dark One darkness.

Lilith Page also had some running through her blood.