While there is no official connection between Meg's ex-boyfriend Adonis from the Hercules TV series and the guy who abandoned her in the movie, I decided to make them the same person in this fanfic. I'm also going to include elements from the actual myth about Adonis to explain why he's not around.

Chapter 18: Ancient History

During the unusually cold summer, Hades sent all kinds of monsters against Hercules. But to his dismay, every single one of them was easily defeated. This made Hades angry, though Meg found it highly amusing.

"I can't believe this kid!" Hades shouted after shooting a piece of pottery down with his flames. "No matter what monster I throw at him, he takes them down and his fame as a Hero goes up. There's gotta be something I'm missing…of course!"

"What?" Meg asked, noticing the malicious grin on Hades' face and being unnerved by it.

"Every Hero has a weakness: for Achilles, it was his heel, Samson's strength derived from his hair and so on. Anyway, Hercules has to have a weakness and you're going to help me find it."

"How?"

"By going on a date with him, I don't care."

"Huh, if I had known that I wouldn't have pretended to be your girl when we were in the Pandemonium Gang together."

Groaning, Hades said, "That was different, though. What's with you today, Meg? You're not usually this sarcastic. Don't tell me you have feelings for the kid—

"Of course not!" Meg snapped.

"Well, good, because if you recall the reason your soul belongs to me is because you gave it to save the life of your boyfriend Adonis when he died in a car crash. But instead of being grateful, he ditched you for the Goddess Aphrodite in human form only for him to get killed by Ares in a jealous fit of rage."

Meg sighed and said, "Look, I get what you're saying and I learned my lesson."

Hades then pulled Meg closer to him with his hands instead of the mist-like tendrils and whispered, "If you find Hercules' weakness for me, I'll give you freedom."

###

Sneaking into Hercules' house, which was a large Greek-style mansion on a hill outside the city, Meg saw hordes of girls assaulting Hercules before Phil lured them away. Fortunately, Phil didn't notice her as she closed the door behind him and helped Hercules to his feet.

"Looks like you need better security," Meg remarked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Hercules said nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"I just happened to be in the neighborhood," Meg shrugged. "Do you want to go somewhere together, Wonder Boy?"

Hercules blushed slightly. "S-Sure, but Phil—

"Phil, Schmil," Meg interrupted. "He's not the boss of you. You're a big Hero now, right?"

"Kind of…it's complicated."

"Then why not tell me over dinner? We could even go see a play afterward. Oedipus Rex is currently playing at the Mickey Mouse Theatre. I've heard it's really good."

While Hercules said nothing, Meg took him by the hand and led him outside. At a Greek restaurant in the downtown area, the two had dinner there and Meg learned a lot of things about Hercules. It was not only confirmed that he was the son of Zeus and adopted by a farming couple, but she also discovered his motivation for becoming a 'True Hero' as he put it.

"So Zeus spoke to you through a statue of himself, claiming the immortality you lost after being abducted from Olympus as a baby would be restored by proving yourself a true Hero," Meg recounted after Hercules explained it to her. "But despite all the monsters you've beaten and people you helped, not to mention the fame you've gained, that apparently isn't enough."

"Not exactly," Hercules replied. "He said those things are fine, though if I really want to prove myself I need to 'Look inside my heart,' whatever that means."

Meg was tempted to ask Hercules about his weakness, but she decided to wait as they went to the play Oedipus Rex. It was a dark story about a man who killed a Sphinx and married the widowed queen of a city, only for her to turn out to be his mother. Afterwards, Meg and Hercules went to a botanical garden full of birds and statues. One of them even resembled Cupid wielding a bow and arrow, which Meg accidentally backed into.

"Anyway, Hercules," Meg began as she pulled Hercules down onto a bench while she sat close to him. "I've been thinking about what your father Zeus said, and maybe the reason you haven't become a true Hero is because you have a…weakness to overcome. Do you have one?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," Hercules responded, looking away from Meg. "I'm incredibly strong, very durable, nice."

"Oh, yeah, then how about that way you reacted when I told you about those kids trapped in the cave with the Hydra?"

"I was excited — not about the trapped kids, but the chance to do something to prove I was a Hero to those people."

"But you shouldn't always listen to people. They don't always know what they want."

"Why would you say that?"

"Let's just say if there's a prize for rotten judgement, I've already won."

"How?"

Frowning, Meg hugged her shoulders. "That's ancient history, Wonder Boy, and I'd rather not talk about it."

"All right." Hercules then reached up and picked a white flower from the tree above them. "I should probably get going, before Phil worries about me. But this was a fun night."

In spite of herself, Meg smiled. "Yeah, tonight was fun."

Then Hercules gave the flower to Meg and briefly kissed her on the cheek before leaving the garden. As Meg felt briefly warm, she shook her head.

"What's wrong with me?" Meg pondered as she strolled around the garden, passing by a set of pillars with the figures of the Muses carved into them. "I thought my heart had learned its lesson. My head is screaming 'Get a grip, girl,' unless you're dying to cry your heart out."

Looking down at the flower again, though, Meg couldn't help but smile again.

End of Chapter 18