"It's okay, Hercules." Megara managed a smile, staring up at the new, glowing form of the man she loved. His eyes were alight with new warmth, a sense of belonging stirring within him. She wouldn't lie: she wouldn't say she was overjoyed as he was reunited with his family, as all his dreams came true. Because as his hopes became reality, hers crashed into the dust. But, she was in love. She was in love with optimism and the happiness he showed in his expression now –how could she ever take that away from him? "You belong here. This is your home now." Her smile only dwindled when he took her hands, when he squeezed them firmly, and bent down to her eye level. He knew she hated this, just as he hated saying good bye.
"I love you, Meg. I'll always love you. But this is where I belong. This is home." She nodded, as silent tears meandered down her cheeks, and gently he kissed them away. A firm hand ran through her heavy locks of brown hair, a tender embrace – and the last they'd ever share. For, as soon as his touch left her skin, the cloud beneath her feet gave a jolt. Slowly, it began to float, carrying her away with it. Back to Earth – back to home. Back to loneliness. Hercules waved at her as she began to peel away into the distance, yet already gods and goddesses were beginning to surround him, overjoyed with his return to the place he'd left so long ago.
It was a matter of minutes before Meg placed her foot down on solid ground, yet it felt like hours. Thoughts of new plans, of new things to do with her new found freedom fluttered through her mind, yet none seemed real. She could travel, see the world as she'd always hoped to, perhaps fall in love again – yet she doubted that would ever happen – or even reunite herself with her family. Have they been missing her? All this time she'd been apart, under the cruel hand of Hades' bidding, unable to see them and not wanting to anyway. By seeing them again, it would have only made it harder to turn aside.
She had a wealth of possibilities before her, hundreds and hundreds. There was nothing stopping her from doing anything she wished to. However, time and time again, her mind returned to Hercules. The way he'd kissed her - so gently, so sweet – upon the cheek the first day they'd really gotten to know each other. How he'd beamed at her, and with the strength of that grin she believed she could do anything as long as she was with him. That she could defy Hades, that she could turn this thing around; that maybe, after all this time of running after others, she didn't have to be a pawn. But, once again, she'd been left solitary. She was the one who had come last, whilst Hercules had gotten everything he wanted. She'd given her life for him! And now she had it back, but with nothing to show for it yet a tired, beating heart that had become scarred and rotten and trampled on.
The tears lead to sobbing, and soon she knelt on the ground, placing her palm in the dirt and feeling it crumble beneath her fingers. She was so stupid. So, so stupid. And she paid the price – time, and time, and time again.
After a while of sniffling, and finding self-composure, the steel mask Meg had learned to wear during her service with Hades returned. This was who she was: the temptress, seductress, who could make any man's will bend under her fiery words and lilac eyes. She was strong, not a snivelling wreck.
Just as she had straightened herself up, and rubbed the grains of earth from her purple dress, she felt herself fall back down onto the grounds. This time, however, it was from the force of two weights and not her emotions crippling her. Screaming, she managed to roll around just enough to see the sight of those two, wretched imps seizing her from behind, their slimy hands moving over her arms and wrenching them together. "Get off me! Get the hell off of me!" Pain and Panic only giggled in response – but during the sudden movements, Meg managed to catch sight of a few burnt patches on their greasy skin. So, Hades wasn't as damned as they'd thought. Great.
Hades yelled in defiance as he began to drag himself from the River Styx. Souls clung to him at every opportunity, begging him to rejoin their deathly swim. Every groan from their dead mouths sent a chill down his spine, and he felt disgust rise within him at every second, his hatred sending flames to sprout from his body – flames which were only doused out by the disgusting waters. Yet, finally, after hours of dragging and swimming, he finally took a breath of the familiar underworld, a tired, bitter laugh escaping his blue lips. It took a matter of seconds before the scolding flames on his head sprouted back into being, and the liquid from his little trip evaporated from his body in curdles of green steam.
"Pain! Panic!" Hades heard the scampering of feet not too far away and frightful yelps escaping the little demon imps. He despised those two almost as much as the souls who were calling out to him, but of course they became necessary sometimes. His limbs extended in smoky tendrils, easily snagging the small bodies from behind jagged rocks, and suspended them in the air. "I see you were working so hard to get me out of there." He snarled, bearing his pointed teeth as his body teleported to float in front of them. He found strength in their snivelling and trembling, his hands becoming red as heat spread over them. The pair screamed in agony as their necks were singed beneath his fiery grip. "You know what I could do? I could blame the two of you entirely for this. If you'd killed little Wonder Boy off when he could barely even walk, I'd be ruler of the Cosmos right at this second. But, no-" his grip tightened, resulting in further wails of agony, "-you two dimwits ruin my plans and let the golden boy run free. And now where am I? Stuck once again in this pit with nothing to show for my troubles. I've lost my army. My freedom. My dignity. Even Meg." With every word his anger grew, blue skin transforming into scorching red flame, sending dancing shadows around the room.
"And it all started because of you two." He scowled menacingly, slowly lowering all three of them back to the ground (although making sure the imps landed less than gently). "However, there is one of those things you can return for me – and if you value your pitiful lives, you will do it correctly. Or I will make sure to give the both of you the most torturous deaths imaginable. Is. That. Understood?" He stared down at the pair of them, eyes unforgiving, blazing with his uncontrollable rage.
"Yes, your great darkliness, whatever you ask!" The two squeaked, squirming anxiously as they stared up at their master.
"Excellent. Fetch me Meg. Quickly. My little Nut-Meg and I have a score to settle."
After wrestling with Pain and Panic for a few minutes, it became apparent they were going to win. They may be small things, but they were brutes, and their pointed fangs and sharp claws were leading to painful cuts which scoured the length of her limbs. So, eventually she felt a thick rope wrap around her wrists and ankles, tying her to immobility before in a puff of smoke she felt her body move. One minute, she stared out at the blue sky of Greece with barely a cloud in a sky – although a few bolts of lightning, which she assumed were the celebrations of Zeus at his returning son - and then the next she was surrounded by dark cavernous rock and jagged edges. Lying on the cold ground, she didn't bother to try and stand up, knowing her bounds would only lead to her foolishly falling over again. Instead, she simply lay there, waiting for whatever fate was to become of her.
Would Hades kill her? He'd been known to be unmerciful in his fits of rage, and she'd seen many human souls being dragged from the River Styx for him to torture, just so he could contain his anger and not be irrational decisions. Would she be his temporary play thing? Let her feel the flames of his power and die in agony, so he could enlist some of his revenge onto her mortal body. Hours ago, she would have thought the fate dreadful. It would mean she'd have been separated from Hercules, that her love would be wasted – burnt into ashes. But, now, in some ways it seemed a mercy. She would die, without truly feeling the depth of loneliness that was destined for her now. Or, perhaps, she was being a little dramatic.
She heard the footsteps coming towards her before she heard the sarcastic, familiar laugh. Hades – the god of death, leader of the underworld – made his way towards the small woman. She couldn't see him, at first, but then he bent over her and she saw the yellow eyes stare down at her, a mischievous grin over the god's face. Smoke moved behind her, and as if solid, lifted her upwards onto her feet, the force propelling her forwards until she fell against Hades' chest. Growling in defiance, Meg stumbled backwards, about to fall from the harsh rope around her ankles but only to be held in the air by long streams of hot smoke. It was uncomfortable, but she knew that was what Hades had in mind, especially as her feet left the ground and dangled just high enough in the air so she couldn't reach the floor.
"Well, well, well, babe. Seems we both lost out in this one, didn't we?" Hades snarled at her, placing a thumb upon her chin in order to tilt her head downwards, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Seems Wonder Boy isn't so wonderful after all, is he? Leaving poor little Meggy on earth all by herself. Don't say I didn't warn you, doll, I told you guys were no good for you. All they bring is pain." As if to emphasise the point, the smoke holding her in place reached an excruciating temperature for a matter of seconds, before returning to normal. Meg didn't let the discomfort show on her face, instead only her harsh, emotionless expression remained.
"Oh, just shut up Hades and get on with it. What do you want? Shouldn't you be grovelling to Zeus by now, begging for forgiveness? Isn't that what cowards do?" Meg had no idea why she was insulting him – true, she hated him, but usually she was smart enough not to let that show entirely. Perhaps she really had given up. From her words she expected a backlash of rage and fire, but instead the god only smiled at her, allowing a small chuckle to escape him.
"Oh, Meg, my sweet, I almost missed your fiery tongue. That is, before Wonderbreath showed up and you turned all soft." Meg managed a bored sigh, rolling her eyes. "But, to get back to business, what I want, dear, is you. Your soul. You were a good little minion, more brains than those dim-witted imps. So, how about we make a deal? You sell your soul to me, and I won't punish you for your betrayal?"
"What sort of punishment were you talking about?"
"I was hoping you'd say that." The grin only broadened, and Meg let out a scream as she was suddenly hurtled through the air, her hair flickering around at the sudden increase in speed. Then, coming to a quick stop, she looked below her and saw the slimy depths of the River Styx. Immediately, her skin paled with fear, her eyes widening as she saw the translucent hands of souls reaching up for her, begging her to re-join them in their depths. Could she hear their name being called in their ghostly voices? Or was she just imagining that? "Time's a-ticking, Meg. Make your mind up. Perhaps I'll even pay your friend Hercules a visit whilst your drowning in there, I'll even tell him of what's become of you before I kill him."
"Y- You can't kill, Hercules, he's immortal."
"I made him mortal once, and I'll do it again. I'll sneak the poison into his food, and whilst he's sleeping I'll end him once and for all. Perhaps I'll save killing you until after I've murdered him – I'm sure you'd watch to see the life leaving him. Or, you can give me your soul, and we'll skip the unpleasentries."
"If I accept, you won't kill me – or Hercules?" Meg tried to keep her composure, but she could feel herself breaking down inside. She couldn't give herself to him. Not again. But, at the same time, she couldn't allow her beloved to be in danger. Hades had risen from nothing in the past, and almost succeeded. At least now, if Meg accepted his deal, she would have nothing to lose and could do everything in her power to prevent his evil plans from the inside. But, tears were falling down her face, as the god lowered her body closer and closer to the water's edge.
"As long as Hercules doesn't cross my path, his life will be safe." That seemed as good as she was going to get. Meg bit down on her lip, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. Seeing the defeat in the woman's eyes, Hades let out a victorious bellow, allowing the slender body to move back onto the ground – the rope at her ankles disappearing in a puff of billowing smoke. "Shall we shake on it?"
The girl allowed a weary nod, holding her small palm out to the god's large, blue skinned one. His grip was firm and warm, and after the handshake was finished, he didn't let go, only used the hand to pull her closer, his face moving inches from her own. "This is the thing I've always loved most about you, my little pet. You're always so easily manipulated by your heart."