Flame ▪ Harry Hook

III. 01

It was VK day and Hayden was doing all she could to avoid her sister and the other VKs; she didn't want to face any awkward encounters with the sister who was about to abandon her on the Isle.

If Hayden asked then she probably would have found a way to take her back but the blue-haired girl didn't want any handouts and she didn't want to leave her friends behind.

She found herself in the alley where Celia had her tarot card table. "Hey girl" she called out, approaching the daughter of Dr. Facilier. The younger girl smiled up at her and fanned her cards out towards her.

"Pick a card, any card" she said dramatically. Hayden grinned at her, strutting over and picking one of the cards. She examined it for a moment before holding it out to the girl.

Celia smiled as she took the card. "You are going to fall in love" she stated with a smirk. Hayden scoffed as she crossed her arms. She raised her eyebrows, not believing the girl in the slightest.

"Hey, the cards never lie" she defended, matching the older girl's gaze. Hayden sighed and rolled her eyes. She reached down and pulled some money out of her boot, handing it to Celia. The girls eyes lit up as she took the money with a grin.

"You excited for VK day?" Hayden asked, resting a hand on her hip. Celia shrugged as she tidied up her cards. The younger girl didn't seem to be too  bothered by the chance to leave the Isle. "Don't you wanna see Auradon?" Hayden asked, sending her a questioning look.

"Well yeah, but there's no point getting excited when I might not get to go" Celia explained, leaning back in her chair. Hayden frowned at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Y'know, I get the feeling you're gonna be out of here sooner than you think" she stated, offering a reassuring smile. Celia smiled back at her but didn't say anything more, looking to her cards once again.

"I'm gonna get going before the VKs show up, good luck!" Hayden called out as she began to retreat down the alley. Celia waved to her before the girl turned away once again.

The daughter of Hades made her way towards Ursula's in search of Harry. She took the back alleys, avoiding any place that the VKs may have been. It may have taken her longer this way but she didn't want to risk running into anyone, despite the fact they could have been long gone by now.

"Hey Hook" she called out as she dropped her sword into the box. The tall pirate looked up from his tray towards the door. His signature smirk spread across his face when his eyes met with hers.

"Aw, did the big bad pirate not get picked for VK day?" Hayden taunted, approaching him from the opposite side of the table. Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes playfully.

"No but your dad's errand rat did. And that girl ya won't let me steal from" he stated, eating his food. Hayden's eyes lit up at this; she knew that Dizzy had always wanted to see Auradon and Celia secretly wanted to escape the Isle too, no matter how indifferent she acted.

"I told Celia she was gonna be picked!" she exclaimed happily. Harry raised his eyebrows at her but didn't say anything more about it. Hayden ignored this and stole one of his chips instead, earning herself a glare.

"I thought ya would be with your dad" Harry stated through a mouth full of food. Hayden grimaced slightly before frowning. She looked at him with a confused expression, awaiting further explanation.

"Why would I want to spend all day in a dark cave with my dad?" she asked, not understanding what he was talking about. Harry stopped eating and looked up at Hayden with a frown.

"Didn't ya hear? He tried to escape today, used that ember thing of his to fight dragon Mal" he explained, leaning his arms on the table. Hayden's eyes immediately widened as her jaw dropped.

"He did what!?" she exclaimed, attracting the attention of other the pirates. She sent everyone a glare, causing them all to turn away quickly. Harry raised an eyebrow at her, amusement clear on his face.

The blue-haired girl groaned, holding her head in her hands. "How could he be so stupid?" she asked quietly. "And why didn't he tell me!?" she asked more loudly, slamming a hand on the table in annoyance.

The amusement fell from Harry's face as he looked at her with concern. Slowly, he reached a hand across the table, putting it on Hayden's comfortingly. The blue-haired girl smiled at him gratefully although the happiness didn't reach her eyes.

"I need to talk to him" she stated, pulling her hand away and turning back towards the door. As she pushed out of the restaurant, attaching her sword at her hip once again, she saw Harry following closely behind her.

"I don't need an escort, Hook" she stated, sending him a look before continuing on her way. Harry laughed at this but continued to follow after her. "Aye, but someone has to stop ya from snapping someone's neck along the way" he stated.

Hayden rolled her eyes at this but said nothing, allowing him to trail after her. They walked in silence for a while until Harry looked down at her, seeing the flames burn in her eyes. "Woah, hey" he said, grabbing her by the shoulders and stopping her from walking.

"Ya might wanna calm the fire there" he said, looking at her with an intense gaze. Hayden's jaw tightened momentarily before she sighed, knowing he was right. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through her anger before opening them again.

"Sorry, I was pissed" she stated. Harry broke into a grin at this and began to laugh. He slung his arm around her shoulders and guided her back home without saying anything more on the subject.

Unknowingly, Hayden took comfort in the warmth of Harry next to her; his presence seemed to calm her somewhat but she still had the urge to yell at her father.

"Thank you" Hayden mumbled once they reached the entrance to her father's cave. Harry simply stood back and bowed dramatically before walking off, whistling as he went. Hayden rolled her eyes at his antics before turning to track down her father.

"Dad!" she yelled out angrily as she ran down the seemingly endless amounts of stairs. Hades looked up at her, raising his eyebrows. "What the hell did you do?" his daughter asked, stopping in front of him and crossing her arms. "Not much" he answered, boredom clear in his tone.

"Oh, so you decided that attempting to break out of the Isle and hurting my sister wasn't worth mentioning?" Hayden asked with accusation laced through her venomous tone. Hades grimaced slightly at this. "Oh. That" he said.

"Yes that! Were you even gonna tell me? Did you just plan to abandon me here?" she demanded, throwing her arms in the air. Hades frowned slightly at this and stood up in front of his daughter.

"Of course I wasn't going to abandon you, you're my daughter" he stated with a trace of concern in his eyes. Hayden raised her eyebrows at this. "So is Mal" she stated.

Hades rolled his eyes at the mention of his other daughter and turned away. "I didn't raise Mal" he retorted, acting as if he didn't care for the girl. However, Hayden could see the lie on his face. "I'm sorry, okay? It was a spontaneous decision" he continued, glancing back at her.

Hayden's anger began to fade as it was replaced with shock; her father had actually apologised. The blue-haired girl had never heard her father apologise to anyone for anything. Reluctantly, Hayden allowed a smile to grow on her face.

"Alright, but next time you try to leave this place you better let me help" she stated, playfully threatening the God of the Underworld. Hades smirked back at his daughter, pulling her in for a hug. "That's my girl."