WOW long time since I posted… Been busy since my health hasn't been perfect but yeah I should have posted sooner. I apologize! After this chapter there will be another lag, hopefully not as long… but I have surgery so I gotta recover then start school again. Once I'm all settled Ill get back into my writing and stuff. But I apologize for the several months of lacking in updates. Well, on with the chapter.

"Honey…" I said softly, rubbing his back some. "Maybe we should call Hermes or something? You seem really sick" He nodded, emitting a small groan and flopping back onto his back.

"Maybe we should. Just in case." He replied. I brushed his bangs back again, kissing his forehead before feeling it, noting that it was warm.

"You have a fever." Again he just nodded weakly.

"I'm a little cold." I nodded at this,

"Let me get you some more blankets and something hot to eat." I said gingerly. He nodded as I got up to go to the closet and got him some more blankets. I insisted in him letting me tuck him in and went to the kitchen. Jason and Alex were off somewhere else so I attempted making some hot soup myself. It took me a little longer than I'd like, and I made a bit of a mess but I managed. I got a bowl and just brought the whole pot upstairs, placing it on the end table and spooning some soup into the bowl. "Here." I smiled a bit.

"Thanks honey. I was getting hungry!" He laughed. I smiled, hoping he would be able to keep it down. "This isn't half bad" He smiled, knowing I was waiting to hear him say something about how it tasted. He drew a smile, and I just sighed and sat next to him on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and watched him eat, refilling his bowl when he emptied it.

"Feeling okay hon?"

"Warmer with the blankets and soup now." He smiled, but this wasn't good enough for me.

"But do you feel any better?"

"Yeah!" I had a feeling he was lying,

"You're sweating." I told him, jus as I began to notice it. "And still shivering. Herc don't lie to me." I said sternly. He frowned, then cried out suddenly and moved to the end of the bed and threw up the soup he had just finished eating. "Herc!" I gasped and rushed to his side at he retched. I rubbed his back, finding my eyes tearing up again. After he was finished he was gasping for breath. I had him lay and bed and I felt his forehead which was warmer already than just a few minutes ago. "Oh Gods you're burning up!" I said. "I'm gonna go get Phil." Herc just nodded, obviously understanding that there was nothing he could say to stop me now.

Once out of the bedroom I ran for the other wing of the villa just past the kitchen where Alex and Jason would stay. I cried out their names, until they both appeared.

"Can you two do me a favor?" I asked, surprised that I was able to keep my voice steady and calm.

"Of course" Alex replied, Jason nodding behind her.

"I need one of you to watch over Herc. Something is wrong, he's really sick and getting worse. I'm going to get Phil but I want someone to stay behind and keep an eye on him while I'm gone to make sure he doesn't get much worse."

"Alright." Alex didn't argue with me this time and I thanked them both and left to the stables where Pegasus even seemed anxious.

"Come on boy, be nice to me we need Phil" Pegasus just gave a whinny and let me hop onto his back, and flew fast towards Phil's island. It came into view after a relatively short ride, and we had barely landed when I leapt off his back and ran to the front door. "Phil!" I hollered, not even bothering to be polite and knock as I barged into his home. I ran down the steps, but much to my dismay I found that he wasn't there. "Damn it!" I shouted, kicking the nearby table. Which was stupid, since it was made of solid marble. I fell to the floor with the initial shock of pain in my foot and moved to rub it when I noticed half my toenail missing and it was pouring out more blood than I would expect for such a tiny thing. I let out an aggravated groan and used the table to prop myself up as I walked on the outside of my foot so I didn't put any pressure on my large toe and staggered up the stairs to go back outside.

I saw Pegasus wandering back and forth anxiously and got onto his back, and told him we had to search the island for Phil. He flew low to the ground, and it took only a few minutes to see him and I let out a sigh when I saw him, trying to peer at nymphs bathing in a nearby fountain. Pegasus landed rather ungracefully to intentionally scare of the nude figures and Phil burst out of the bushes.

"Whats wrong with ya kid!" He spat.

"Phil stop eye-humping nymphs Herc's really sick now get on." I said sternly.

"Sick? He was fine just a few hours ago!"

"Yeah I know, that's the problem" My voice broke now.

"Lets go… and what did ya do t' ya foot?" He asked as he hopped on behind me.

"I'll tell you later." I had to hold back my anger. I had little patience, and I felt back for snapping over his concern but I had too much running through my mind. The ride home felt like it took forever, even though it was merely ten minutes. We both hurried to the bedroom where Alex was tending to Herc, and I didn't know where Jason was or particularly care at the moment.

"Meg! Oh good thing you're back! He just blacked out and he's burning up!" She backed out of the way quickly as I rushed to his side, feeling his forehead and Phil wasted no time getting started on his evaluation. It was just a few moments later when Jason came in with some baggies of ice, and we placed them at a few different places in his body hoping to cool his fever. It hurt me to have to tear the blankets away and place ice around him when he was shivering even in his unconsciousness.

"Oh Gods… Herc please be okay" I whispered as I bent over and kissed his forehead.

"Kinda' looks like he's been poisoned." Herc said after a while. "I've seen this before." His tone was grim, and I felt a shudder course through my body.

"Poison?" My voice trembled.

"I've seen it before once, Thesius got bitten by a snake and the same exact thing happened, but I've also seen it when Achilles was poisoned with an arrow."

"Achilles! But he…" My voice trailed off my eyes flashing with tears.

"Kid it could be the same venom as the snake, so don't go losin' hope. And if its not; da' Gods might know the cure. I have some anti-venom for the snake if its not that we can see the Gods kid." He assured me. I just nodded weakly. "And let me bandage that for ya, looks painful." He said as he went off to get a small bandage and gave it a simple wrap. "Looks kinda broke so just be careful when you walks on it." I still was not used to him being so tender so me, so I just thanked him. "I'll be back with the anti-venom to try it if is the snake venom." Again I just nodded as he vanished from the room.

"Oh Herc…" I cooed softly, stroking his face as I leaned down to kiss his forehead once more. Alex was still in the room, and came up and squatted down beside me.

"Meg, don't fret. You heard what Phil said. If it is the snake venom he can cure it, if it's the poison used to kill Achilles the Gods should know a cure. Demeter should, she is the Goddess of Agriculture she knows all plans she should know what poison this is and what can cure it. Or Hygeia, the Goddess of health. She may bless him with good health so he recovers."

"Oh I hope so…" I started into Herc's unconscious face and a sound leapt from my throat that was a mix of a sob and a laugh. "We're gonna get married." I whispered.

"Yes, you are. This is just a little bump in the road. But you'll get married, have lotsa kids that you'll make me baby-sit and drive me up a wall as they chase me and Jason's kids." She smiled a bit. I smiled a little too at the prospect.

"I hope Phil gets back soon."