All four of them stare in stunned silence, trying their best to acquaint this dark prince, crown and all, with their friend. Hayden's always been dark, and they've always known that he's technically prince of the Underworld, but they've never seen him like this.
Then, Hayden cackles in that hair-raising way of his that's so familiar and they all snap out of it.
"Hayden!" Evie snaps with one hand pressed to her chest. "Don't do that," she scolds.
He shrugs. "It's the truth," he tells her before he cocks one eyebrow. "Now, what could you four possibly be doing down here? You know I'll be back topside on Friday, right?"
"Friday will be too late," Mal says.
"What have you guys gotten into now?"
"Uma has Ben," Carlos blurts out. Evie and Mal both reach over to slap him on the shoulders. "Ow," he mutters, shoving at a snickering Jay's shoulder.
Hayden's brow furrows as he ignores their little scuffle. "Why was Ben on the Isle?"
"Who said he was on the Isle?" Evie asks defensively as Mal gives her a look, reminding her that she's still not happy they took him in the first place.
"I've had six months to know that Auradon's not opening that barrier any time soon for any reason," Hayden says flatly.
Jay, Carlos, Mal, and Evie all wince at his words.
"Yeah, that might actually be part of the reason," Mal admits. She quickly explains everything that's happened since Hayden left Auradon and, when she's done, he just looks at her for a long moment.
"So, let me get this straight," he says. "Despite the fact that you have done everything you possibly can to forget that you come from the Isle including dying your hair, glad to see the purple is back, by the way, you went back because you got caught using magic and had a bit of a breakdown?"
Mal winces at the mention of trying to forget where she came from but nods in agreement. "Yes," she confirms.
He turns to the other three next. "And you three, along with Ben, despite also trying to forget the Isle and doing nothing at all to help me help the people still there, immediately drove over there, opening the barrier like I've been trying to do legally for months?"
Evie, Jay, and Carlos all wince as well. "Yes," Evie tells him quietly.
He nods slowly. "And Uma," he adds, "has captured Ben and will exchange him in return for Fairy Godmother's wand because she wants the barrier opened because she wants mine and Ben's deal to complete so I don't get hunted down for claiming the king's soul? Did I get all that?"
Mal takes a deep breath. "Yes," she says clearly.
There's a tense silence before-
"Well, I leave for two days and everything goes to Hell, doesn't it?" Hayden smirks at the exasperated looks the wordplay gets him.
Mal shakes her head, refocusing on what's important. "Look, Hayden... I'm sorry."
"We're all sorry," Evie adds, Jay and Carlos nodding alongside her.
"Uma was, and I hate having to say this, right," Mal tells him. "We got to Auradon and got so focused on where we were that we forgot where we'd been. You're the only one that's been doing anything to try and fix the whole Isle situation and you shouldn't be."
"Not alone, at least," Carlos says. "We all grew up there. We know how bad it is and we know that no one should have to live like that. We should all be right beside you at every council meeting."
"We're not pirates, but Uma definitely had the right idea," Jay tacks on. "You don't abandon your crew. We did. You've been fighting alone and if growing up on the Isle taught us anything it's that's there's safety in numbers."
"We're so sorry, Hayden," Evie repeats. "We can't take what we did back but as soon as this kidnapping situation is dealt with, I promise you we'll be right beside you, like we should have been from the start. We'll change everything."
The other three nod in agreement while Hayden just looks at them, his face completely blank so they have no idea what he's thinking.
"I don't forget," he finally says, voice completely serious. "It's very important that you know that. I don't forget, but I'm willing to forgive."
They all breathe a sigh of pure relief.
"Now," Hayden continues, "why exactly do you need me to get Ben back anyway?"
"Well, we figured you could maybe talk to Uma," Mal says. "Plus, we need you to handle Hook."
Hayden perks up when he hears the name. "Harry?" he breathes. "How- how was he?" he asks.
The four of them exchange looks. They hadn't realized quite how much Hayden seemed to miss the pirate. They always teased him about the not-relationship, said that he was in denial and they were basically together, despite the whole 'no dating' thing on the Isle, but this...
"He's... different," Mal says slowly.
"He seemed a little unstable," Carlos adds. "Well, more than usual."
"Definitely quicker to anger," Jay says.
Evie watches as Hayden's brow furrows in concern, his bright golden eyes worried. "He smelled like rum," she tells him. "It was strong, like he's been drinking even more than he usually does."
Hayden closes his eyes and drops his head into his hands, elbows propped on his knees. "Harry," he says quietly.
They give him a moment to compose himself, not bothering to ask any questions because they all know how Hayden feels about feelings and, Fates forbid, talking about them.
Finally, he looks up, back to the godling they all know. He bites at his bottom lip. "If I'm gonna head topside then that means we'll need to speak to my father," he says.
The others exchange nervous glances. They're in the Underworld, in Hades' palace, but, somehow, they never really thought that they might have to actually face the god himself.
"Pain! Panic!" Hayden yells. The other four all jump at the sudden sound, scowling when he smirks in amusement.
Their attention is quickly drawn by the sounds they can hear coming from outside the throne room's doors.
"Coming, your darkness!" two nervous voices call.
The doors push open just enough for two odd little creatures to come running through them. The rather pointy and skinny one, a greenish blue color, wrings his hands nervously as he does.
"Oh dear," he mutters in a squeaky voice. "Oh no. Oh no."
The plump one, a pinkish red color, somehow manages to trip two steps into the room. He knocks right into the other and they both roll the rest of the way to the thrones as the four standing there quickly move out of the way.
"Ow. Ow. Ouch," he cries repeatedly.
"Would you two get up?" Hayden asks with an annoyed groan.
They quickly scramble to their feet with salutes.
"Pain!" the red one announces.
"And Panic!" the blue one adds.
"Reporting for duty!" they finish together.
Mal's eyebrows raise in disbelief. "This is Pain and Panic?" she asks. They've heard Hayden talk about the two of them, complain really, but they've never actually met them.
"Unfortunately," Hayden sighs. He looks at the two little minions. "How long until my father returns from his meeting with the Fates?"
"Oh, he, uh, he's actually back already?" Panic nervously turns the statement into a question, back to wringing his hands as he shifts from foot to foot.
"How long has he been back?" Hayden asks through gritted teeth.
Panic backs up quickly at his tone and manages to step on Pain's foot.
"Ow!" Pain yelps before he looks back at Hayden. "Uh, about a half-hour now," he says quietly.
Hayden slowly stands from his throne, towering over the short minions. "He's been back for half an hour and you're just now telling me this?" he hisses, a few flames starting to lick at his hair.
Pain and Panic both squeak before they throw themselves forward on the floor, bowing repeatedly. "We are worms," they grovel.
"Woah," Jay mutters as the two of them turn into just that.
"Worthless worms!"
Hayden rolls his eyes and runs one hand through his hair to snuff out the fire. "Remind me to maim you two later," he says.
He carelessly walks past the groveling minions, not even sparing them a second glance.
"Come on, guys," he tells the four of them. "Dad's most likely in the gardens."
They all slowly start to follow, each of them looking one last time at Pain and Panic as they go past.
"Is that... normal?" Evie asks delicately.
"Unfortunately," Hayden sighs again. "They're not the most competent minions but they have their purposes," he adds.
"The name's definitely make more sense now," Carlos tells him.
Hayden chuckles. "You have no idea," he drawls. They don't ask.
They walk down several long and dark corridors before they come to an open doorway. The large garden beyond it is like nothing they've ever seen. There's a small courtyard in the middle but all the space around it seems to be covered in plants.
There are otherworldly and sometimes even glowing flowers planted all around that would never be found topside. Blues, reds, purples, oranges, yellows, silvers, blacks...
It's more color than they've seen since they entered the Underworld.
There's a single pomegranate tree, a larger version of those lining the palace's main pathway, in the center of the courtyard. Underneath it (it's that big) is a long stone table with black chairs placed around it.
The head of the table is occupied by who can only be one man, one god.
Their first glance of Lord Hades is, in many ways, everything they might have imagined.
He's a tall man with thin, boney fingers and golden eyes. He's as pale as a corpse with bright blue hair that's constantly on fire and dressed in a pitch-black suit so dark it could be made from the shadows themselves.
They've seen Lady Persephone and it's clear which of his parents their friend takes after the most.
"What took so long?" Hades asks as soon as they walk through the doorway.
Hayden rolls his eyes. "The bumbling morons just told me you were back," he explains.
Hades groans and brings both hands up to rub at his temples as his hair glows a little brighter. "Memo to me. Memo to me: remind me to maim them later."
"Huh," Mal hums in interest.
"He really is his dad made over," Jay murmurs.
"In more ways than one," Evie adds as they watch Hades roll his eyes in an extremely familiar way.
"We've got visitors, by the way," Hayden says as he gestures over at the other four.
Hades finally looks in their direction and quirks one eyebrow. "Ah, right, right. The ladies mentioned you'd be coming," he says as he stands up and glides over.