It was a few hours before Meg began to stir, jolting Hercules from his daze. She opened her eyes slowly, trying to focus them on something. At first she could only make out vague shapes, then colors, then edges grew into focus and she could just make out Hercules standing over her, moving. It was then she began to feel her hand clamped within his own, and her cheeks felt funny… no, not funny, he was kissing her. Just like her vision her sense of touch came back slowly, bit by bit until she was able to even feel the wetness on his cheeks from the tears that were flowing down them. He was repeating her name, and it took a while for her to finally focus enough to realize she was in a bed at what appeared to be a hospital. And that everything hurt , a hell of a lot.

"Mmm… Gods…" She groaned, shifting in bed a little and tried to arc her back to stretch but her shoulder and stomach felt like it would tear and she gave a little gasp before relaxing. Hercules squeezed her hand as he looked at her, obviously hurt at seeing her in so much pain. His gaze captured Meg's through the glaze in her eyes as he placed yet another kiss on her face, taking great care to be especially gentle of the giant bruise on her cheek. "Oh thank Gods." He whispered. He wanted to shout for the doctor, have him evaluate her, conclude that she was alright. But he couldn't tear himself away from her. He was overwhelmed the same way he was when she opened those violet eyes after he reunited her soul with her body. He stroked the good part of her face again as her eyes fluttered closed

"Help me"

"I need to tell her"

"Tell him"

"Nut-Meg"

"help me"

"Please help me"

"Help me, I beg you" Voices surrounded her, and she whimpered, placing her hands over her ears

Meg's eyes were rolled back and she was blinking rapidly, her mouth vaguely coming together in muted garbled speech and Hercules panicked, screaming for help and Hippocrates came rushing in and saw Meg and was at a loss, she looked possessed. She began to convulse and he suddenly suspected she was having a seizure,

She tried to run but they were all around her, running bumping her, she would fall and look up,

She saw the terror in Herc's eyes and she felt the same panic,

Please, please. All around her, voices, she couldn't block them out. She tried to scream,

"Stop! Please!"

"Who are you all, please, what are you doing?" Her world began to swirl, she would be torn from the hospital bed and fall back into the banks of the river Styx, Charon forever holding his hand out for the coin she did not possess, those on the other side stared at her longingly as if they knew a devastating secret known to all but hidden to her. She would be aware of flaring pain, then nothing. The river again, blackness again,

"Stop please…" Her convulsions stopped, her eyes settled, she couldn't hear voices anymore. Her breathing was quick, a little blood trickled down her shoulder from a few pulled stitches, Hercules was still clutching her hand and she looked from him to Hippocrates, "What happened?" She whimpered.

"I don't know Meg," Hercules whispered after a few moments of silence. Her breathing game in ragged gasps, trembling as if she was sobbing but no sounds came out. She tried to lift her arm only to find she was too weak to do it. Hercules saw her attempt and reached for her hand, now clasping both her hands firmly in his. Hippocrates decided not to address the need for replacing her stitches just yet. She felt detached, and couldn't shake the idea that during her 'convulsions' she felt the same as she had when her soul had slipped away into the depths of the underworld after her body had finally given up its struggle to stay alive with her devastating injury from that damned column. She felt like her soul had been ripped from her body. Her mind began to swim with the dreams she had, and waking up in odd places but in her weakened state couldn't put the pieces together.

With her stitches replaced Meg was allowed to rest again, Hippocrates wanting to keep her overnight for observation to see if she would have another fit, and within a few hours she began to wake and had a similar episode, but Hercules and Hippocrates were not the only ones to see.

"Well well well, if it isn't Nutmeg!" Meg spun around, once again empty-handed on the banks of the Styx. She froze when she felt a hot breath on the back of her neck and dared not to turn around. The voices around her silenced and vanished with this new visit. Cold fingers slipped over her shoulders before one hand caressed the side of her face, "I've missed you. You were my only real chance to defeat Jerkules,
"I'll die before helping you." She whispered
"You see, that's just what I had in mind." Meg wretched herself from his grip, spinning around and staring at the blue demon before her,
"You'll never win Hades." He laughed at this,
"Its time I take what's owed me."

"Meg!" Hercules shouted when her convulsions began, but they stopped short and she settled, her breathing stopped. "MEGARA!" Hercules wailed, but was pushed back by Hippocrates who immediately began to try and resuscitate her.

"You're owed nothing Hades."
"That's where you're WRONG" His hair burst into flame and he reached out to grip her throat but she slipped through his fingers,

Megara coughed harshly, taking in ragged breaths. Hercules, still distraught with tears, was at her side in moments sobbing so uncontrollably whatever he was saying was lost in a garbled slur. She was trembling, barely aware that it was Hercules who was gripping her now, if she had the strength she would have slapped him out of her reaction to Hades reaching for her. It took some time for her to calm down, her panic heightened by the anxiety of Hercules and Hippocrates.

"What happened?" Meg finally asked after some time.

"You…" Herc's voice cracked and Hippocrates sighed,

"Megara, it appears that you had a seizure… you gave us quite a scare you stopped breathing and your heart stopped for a few moments there. I want to keep you here for observation for a little while."
"No." Meg whimpered. "I want to go home… Herc take me home please…" She whispered.

"With your fragile condition you need to be monitored." Meg sighed,

"What if you come to the villa? Then I can go home…" Hippocrates sighed,

"I have patients in the morning I can abandon them. I promise you'll be well taken care of here." She furrowed her brows some and tried to turn onto her side but found that the pain in her side stopped that. Despite how tired she was she was unwilling to fall asleep. The images kept flashing through her mind. Hercules was diligently by her side and once Hippocrates was gone from the room he kissed her, almost desperately.

"Oh Gods I thought I lost you again." He squeezed her hand and stared at her and she almost couldn't comprehend the reality of what he was saying.

"But you didn't." She wanted to smile but found she couldn't. She wanted to tell him about the voices, the river Styx, the waking up in an alley the night before she was stabbed, about Hades. But a part of her wouldn't let her. Suck it up. She scolded. But she knew this was so much more than nightmares or bad memories. This was something else, and it had damn near killed her. Something was seriously wrong, but she refused to believe it had anything to do with the underworld. She shifted uncomfortably and Herc frowned down at her. She hadn't heard his previous few sentences but managed to focus her attention back onto him,

"-go home soon, I promise" Meg nodded.

"I want to go home."
"You need to rest…"

"No" she interjected promptly

"But-"

"Herc those… whatever they are… happen when I fall asleep here. I'm staying awake until I can go home!"

"If it happens again and we're not here… Meg I can't-"

"You won't lose me." Herc just bit his lip and leaned down to kiss her again, this time getting a response from Meg who returned his affections.

"I love you"

"I love you too."

"I'll get you home soon, I promise." Meg nodded, and felt herself beginning to drift to sleep but forced herself back awake, she refused to fall asleep again. But inevitably her body's desperate need to rest won, and she fell into a deep slumber while Herc remained beside her, clasping her hand in his.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. To clarify something since I dont know how familiar anyone is with Greek Mythology but when a person dies and goes to the underworld Charon is the one who ferries them accross the river styx, but only if they have a coin in their hand. If they do not have a coin they are left behind.