Yet, how then were Zelena and Hades able to share TLK if it turned out Hades was just playing her and wasn’t really willing to give up his pursuit of power? Zelena just wanted to share a quite life in SB with Hades and her daughter, when what he really wanted was to rule without any interference from the so-called heroes.
I think it’s because Hades wasn’t really playing her in the sense that he didn’t love her; he just wanted it all–the girl and the power. When TLK was started to work in Skin Deep, Rumple still loved his dagger and his power; but there was enough under that (his love of Bae, for example) that overrode his desire to hold on to his power. At least that’s my guess. Until Hades got to SB, his love for Zelena and his desire to have a family was at the forefront. But once he got to SB and he realized that with a beating heart and the heroes left behind, he could once again take power, that’s what drove him.