Published August 15, 2021
"Assumption"
The last thing Meg remembered was Phil's voice, growing fainter as pain clouded her senses. He said something about Hercules coming, and Meg started to reach out; then her strength failed her, and she collapsed. Her last conscious thought was regret that she would not see Hercules again, and had not said goodbye to him properly.
Everything after that was like a dream: drifting, forgetful, restless. She was dimly aware of a familiar presence—someone important to her—pulling her out of the stream, carrying her tenderly over a long distance, and then laying her down.
The next thing Meg knew, she was drawing breath, and doing so no longer caused pain. The agony of her broken bones and crushed organs was completely gone, and strength was returning to her whole body.
She turned her head and looked up. There was Hercules, smiling as he gaped down at her with incredulous joy. She smiled up at him, for a moment simply happy to see him again. He looked even more beautiful than she had remembered.
Then she realized that he was glowing, with a halo of light surrounding his whole body, making him seem more vivid than ever. Meg understood, then, both what he had done, and what it meant. He had become a true hero and, in turn, become a god again; and somehow, he had brought her back from the Underworld, literally saving her from the clutches of death.
For a moment Meg was as inarticulate as Hercules had been with her on more than one occasion. It was hard to form words with so many thoughts running through her head and so many emotions flooding her heart. "Wonder Boy … what … why did you …" She had a hunch, but she did not want to assume, in case she was wrong. There were lots of reasons why he might have done it. He might have felt guilty, like it was his fault she died, or like he owed her for saving him. He might have just done it because it was the selfless, heroic thing to do.
Hercules chuckled and helped her to her feet, repeating the same words she had spoken to him. "People always do crazy things … when they're in love."
Meg gasped, just as incredulous and overjoyed as he, realizing that he forgave her, that he still loved her. It was more than she had dared to hope for.
They both moved to embrace and kiss each other; but then there was a crack of thunder, and lightning struck the ground where they stood, clearly the work of Zeus. A cloud formed around their feet, and for a moment Meg thought Hercules would be taken away from her; but he kept his arms around her, and she held onto him as well, causing the cloud to lift them both, rushing upward through the clouds. Pegasus quickly followed them, carrying Phil on his back.
Meg wondered if she was the first mortal to get this close to Mount Olympus. She could not see what lay beyond the gates, but from what she could see, she perceived that it could not have looked more different from the Underworld. Hades' domain was dark, dank, gloomy; Zeus' kingdom was bright as the sun, airy as the clouds, shining like the moon.
When the cloud stopped at the bottom of the stairs, Hercules took Meg's hand to help her down. The gentlemanly gesture made Meg think of meeting a boyfriend's family, and she supposed this was the closest thing for Hercules: this was his homecoming, and she was his guest.
It seemed that all the gods had assembled to welcome them, lining either side of the stairs leading to the pearly gates. They cheered and applauded, tossed flowers and blew kisses, lauding Hercules' triumph. And at the top of the stairs were the king and queen of the gods, Zeus and Hera.
Hercules cast an excited glance back at Meg, as though to share his joy and excuse himself; then he let go of her hand and waist, and started up the stairs. Meg hung back so he could have his reunion with his parents.
Hera stepped forward to welcome him first, beaming with love and pride was she embraced him. Then Zeus was congratulating him, and declared him a true hero before all the gods.
"You were willing to give your life to rescue this young woman," Hera said, inclining her head toward Meg, though her eyes never left her son. Meg smiled, feeling both proud and humble, perhaps a little embarrassed, but most of all happy for Hercules, and grateful to be alive and able to see this moment.
"For a true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart," Zeus explained. "Now at last … my son … you can come home."
The gates opened, and the gods surrounded Hercules, welcoming and congratulating him.
Meg felt suddenly alone, distinctly aware that she was an outsider. She could go no further, while Hercules had only to cross the threshold and return to his rightful home.
This was it, then. This was what Hercules had been working toward for years. He had reached the end of his journey—gone the distance, as Phil had said—and now the gods were reclaiming him as one of their own.
Meg tried not to feel disappointed. She was not really losing anything—he was not hers to lose. She had no right to expect anything of him. He had already proven how much he loved her, sacrificing everything for her sake; she could not ask him to do that again, after gaining everything he had ever wanted.
She turned away from the happy scene, then spoke softly over her shoulder, trusting that, with his new power as a god, he would hear her address him even from afar. "Congratulations, Wonder Boy. You'll make one heck of a god.
With that, Meg began to walk away, thinking to ask Pegasus to give her a ride back to Earth. She supposed she would have to find something to do, now that she had her life, her freedom, and no one to enjoy them with.
She heard Hercules speak—it sounded like he was starting a speech. "Father … this is the moment I've always dreamed of. But …"
There was a pause, and Meg continued walking, until she felt a hand grasp hers, familiar and strong and gentle. She turned in surprise to see Hercules, looking at her earnestly as he continued to speak to his parents. "A life without Meg—even an immortal life—would be … empty."
Meg gaped at him, touched, as he took both of her hands in his own. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt hope. She looked at him with joyful expectation, not knowing, but hoping, almost trusting, that he was going to choose her.
Finally Hercules met her eyes, touched her face and stated, "I wish to remain on Earth with her." Heart practically bursting, Meg leaned against him, and as he folded his arms around her he said with complete certainty, "I finally know where I belong."
In the shelter of his embrace, Meg glanced up at Zeus and Hera, wondering how they would react. They were momentarily astonished, but then they looked at each other, and their expressions turned tender; then they looked back at Hercules, and Zeus nodded in agreement.
As the decision was made and the permission was granted, Hercules' nimbus faded, and his lips finally met Meg's in a kiss. It was exceedingly gentle, and Meg realized she would have to teach him a thing or two about kissing. She felt his surprise when she pulled him closer and opened her mouth against his, but then he responded in kind, lifting her off her feet and kissing her deeply.
Around them, the gods cheered once more, signaling their approval and support of Hercules' decision. He may not have been a god any longer, but he was still their pride and joy; his happiness was their happiness, and he deserved it after everything he had done.
They stayed at the gates of Mount Olympus for a while, celebrating with the gods before they had to return to the beautiful messiness of the mortal world. Phil spent most of the time making out with Aphrodite. Pegasus signaled his acceptance of Meg with a head-bump. Hermes and the Muses provided music, more joyful and beautiful than any that could have been heard on Earth. Bacchus kept the wine flowing—apparently he had saved a special vintage for the day Hercules returned—and made a series of toasts: to life, to love, to Zeus' victory over Hades, and to the reciprocal rescue of Hercules and Meg.
Finally, Zeus and Hera hugged their son in farewell. "We'll see each other again," Hera promised. "We have a wedding to plan, after all."
Somehow, that had slipped from Meg's mind. Her thoughts had been occupied with the wonder of being alive and the world of possibilities that a life with Hercules presented. Certainly, marriage had been among those thoughts, but she had forgotten to factor in the presence of Hercules' divine parents.
"Thank you," Hercules said to them. He stepped to the side, and then, to Meg's surprise, his parents both extended their hands to her. Off of Hercules' encouraging gesture, she stepped up and stood before the king and queen of the gods, hardly knowing what to say. They looked happy and proud, but there was also a kind of sadness, a resignation, in their faces. Hera embraced her, and Zeus patted her on the back—gently, she noticed with gratitude.
"Thank you," she whispered. It was the best she could manage at that moment.
Hera held her by the shoulders and said with sincerity, "You deserve each other."
For the first time, Meg began to believe that might be true.
They had to pull Phil away from Aphrodite in order to fly back to Earth on Pegasus.
"I can't wait to introduce you to my other parents—the ones who raised me," Hercules said to Meg.
She had almost forgotten about them. "Just how much family am I getting?"
He matched her half-jesting, half-serious tone. "That depends. How many kids do you want to have?"
Meg threw her head back and laughed. She had given up any hope or intention of having children years ago. It was incredible to think that she was free to do so now, with a man who truly loved her.
A warm welcome waited for them in Thebes, and Hercules' adoptive parents came up at once to hug him. Meg looked around, trying to take in how much damage remained and discern what time it was. Then she saw what was happening in the sky, and pointed it out to Hercules and the others.
The stars were swirling in the heavens, forming a new constellation in Hercules' image. Phil froze and gaped when he caught sight of it, and heard other people saying, "That's Phil's boy." The cantankerous little satyr started to cry, until Hercules, Pegasus and Meg surrounded him and congratulated him in their own way, admiring the constellation above them.
Now Hercules would be remembered forever—and if he and Meg had any children, they would be able to point up at the sky and tell them the story of how his love for her had made him a true hero.
Author's Notes:
Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church (also known as the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Eastern Orthodox calendar). I thought that seemed an appropriate day to post this chapter, given the similarity of the events; and an appropriate title in both senses of the word, since the gods assume that Hercules will return to Olympus.
I didn't think of much original material for this part, but I love the movie's ending so much, I couldn't leave it out. Rest assured, this will not be the last chapter, as I have a few more with scenes taking place after the movie!