Hey everyone,
First chapter of 2016! And with this chapter I would like to continue on our What If Disney Character train, this time going for a different movie and – depending on how this challenge goes – it might not even concern the actual hero himself. However, that totally depends on how the chapter is going to write itself out.
Let's have a look,

Venquine1990

Challenge #31
I Won't Say I'm In Love

Phil's POV

Having finally found the hero that will make my dream come true by working hard to make his own dream come true, do I hate the fact that I found him slacking off with the worst female human I have ever met. However, what I hate even more is the fact that I have already lost him by falling off his flying horse, Pegasus.
By now I have come by from the fall on my head as I hit an oak branch with my full face, Herc himself not even noticing it as he was too much with his head in the clouds of – what he probably believes to be – love, yet after grumbling about ways to punish the brat, do I suddenly realize that I am not alone.
The female voice of the purple dressed witch – as I personally consider her – comes from just behind me, yet she seems not to know that I am here as she asks: "What am I doing?" And while I peek around the corner of the bush I landed next to, does the girl say: "You'd think a girl would learn." Before she suddenly sings:

"If there's a price for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that." To this I can't help but think: "Yeah, and so did Herc regarding you." And while this angers me, do I hear her sing: "No man is worth the aggravation.""Neither are you, still you cause us aggravation every time we meet." I think before she sings:
"That's Ancient History, been there, done that." And as she throws away the flower that Herc gave her, do I see it be caught by what looks like a statue, yet upon closer look do I see that it's actually an animated form of one of the five Muses of Hermes, who are now all smiling at the girl before they start to sing for themselves:
"Who'd you think you're kidding? He's the earth and heaven to you. Try to keep it hidden. Honey, we can see right through you."Yet, while one of the muses waves the flower over the girl's head, does she then sing the word No as she moves away and then starts a part of her own song, me wondering why she's responding at all.

"No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no." Yet the muses seem not to be accepting of this as they sing: "You swoon, you sigh. Why deny it, oh-oh." And to my great shock, the girl angrily walks away as she sings: "It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in love." And just those three words shock my whole world.
The muses, in the mean time, shrug their shoulders at each other before their magic allows them to move with the girl and while I make sure to run only on the grass to soften the sound of my hooves, do I run for the next part myself, where the girl continues singing after reaching a large and elegantly decorated fountain:

"I thought my heart had learned its lesson. It feels so good when you start out. my head is screaming, get a grip, girl."At this the muses sing, yet when the girl turns to them, do they change back to stone columns holding up a stationary roof. Yet when the girl finishes her sentence, do they slowly come back alive as she sings:
"Unless you're dying to cry your heart out." And while this makes me wonder what could have happened in the girl's past to make her distrust love and at the same time be this stupidly close to Hercules, do I hear the muses sing again, the five of them starting by singing along with the girl's last words before they sing:

"You keep on denying, who you are and what you're feeling. Baby, we're not buying. Honey, we saw you hit the ceiling." Here I have to hold in a snicker as one of the muses is much shorter than the rest and when the other four lift up their stationary roof, does the muse actually get lifted off the ground before the girl sings:
"Oh no." Holding the tones on for quite some time as if trying to block out the voices of the muses before they sing: "Face it like a grown up. When you're going to own up that you got, got, got it bad." And while they sing this, do they, one at a time, take the places of the fountain statues, the short one sprouting water at the top.

By now I just don't know what to think and listen as the girl repeats what she sung before: "No chance, no way. I won't say it, no, no." Yet while she sings this does she jump over small blocks of marble that are floating in the fountain and does the last one make her trip, causing her to fall, were it not for a statue on the other side.
But while the girl looks up, do my eyes widen as the statue – which I could have sworn had been one of Apollo – has somehow changed to represent Herc and while the girl first moves so that her back is aligned with his front, does she then seem to get back to what is happening around her and does she hear the muses sing:
"Give up, but give in. Check the grin, you're in love."Yet while the girl moves away and sings: "This scene won't play. I won't say I'm in love." Do I have to admit that the muses are on to something when they sang of the girl's smile while looking at my boy as she definitely looked like she enjoyed being close to him.

The muses have, by now, changed themselves into a pair of upper torso statues that go no lower than the chest and sing: "You're doing flips. Read our lips. You're in love." Yet one thing I have to give the girl credit for is her persistence as she moves past the five of them with her hand aimed at them while she continues singing:
"You're way off base, I won't say it. Get off my case, I won't say it." Yet while she sings does she also move back to the fountain where I found her and Herc and while she sits down, do the muses move themselves to be one of the portraits crafted into the marble and do they lift up the flower Hercules gave her as they sing:
"Girl, don't be proud. It's okay, you're in love." And finally does it seem as if sensing and finding the rose again convinces the girl as a new smile grows on her face while she sings: Ooo-oo-ooh, at least out loud, I won't say I'm in – love." Keeping the tone going as she lies herself down on the marble, the muses turning back to stone.

And just like the girl have the five of them convinced me, yet then I shake my head and think: "If the muses, the beings created by Apollo, can accept this girl for my boy – why can't I?" And even before I can think of a reason, do I get it presented to me – in a way I never thought possible and that I could have never imagined.
The statue that is above the fountain Meg is lying at is made of 2 people dancing together, yet a fiery line separates them and to my greatest fear and utter shock, does the Lord of the dead, Hades himself, come out from the statue and ask: "Hey, what's the buzz, huh Meg? What is the weak link in Wonderboy's chain?"
And while I can barely believe my eyes or ears and wonder how the muses could be stupid enough to pick someone siding with Hades for my hero, does the girl shock the living daylights out of me and make me worry for her as she boldly tells him: "Get yourself another girl, I'm through." Yet Hades seems obvious and asks:
"Sorry, you mind running that by me again? I got a chunk of brain stone stuck in my ear or –." Yet before the God of the Dead can further humiliate the girl, does she actually prove her spunk as she goes on: "Then read my lips." And she hisses: "Forget it." And with that the girl turns and attempts to walk away.

Attempting being the right proper word as the God of the Dead jumps down the statue and somehow appears right before her, chanting her name and giving her a very degrading nickname before he asks her: "Aren't we forgetting one teensy tiny, ever so crucial, tiny detail?" And then suddenly rages with blazing fury:
"I OWN YOU" And while the girl screams in shock of being that close to the God as he lights himself up, do my eyes widen as I can barely imagine what the girl must have been through to be desperate enough to sell her soul to someone like that lunatic and then I think: "So that's why they chose her. They want Herc – to save her."
And just like that do I get an epiphany and realize what it was that, days ago, Zeus attempted to tell his son about what makes a true hero. I look at the girl in pure shock and then look around, knowing I have to warn Hercules, but not wanting to let the girl be alone. I then get a new plan as I see a stone path next to me.

Hoping that this will work, do I fake to run down the path, jumping up high at first and letting my hooves hit the floor one at a time and then jumping up lower and lower to make the sound of my hooves hitting the pavement get softer with each jump and to my utter delight, do I hear the God of Death falling for it as he asks:
"I'm sorry, hear that sound? That's the sound of your freedom, fluttering out the window, forever." And while relieved beyond words that the God fell for my chance to further spy on him and hopefully come up with a counter plan once he makes his, as I have no doubt the girl will make him realize what I did, do I hear Meg say:

"I don't care, I'm not going to help you hurt him." And while everything bad I ever thought of the girl gets swept out of my mind, do I smile as I hear them continue, Hades saying: "Can't believe you're getting so worked up over some – guy." Yet Meg proves her worth as she argues these words and angrily says:
"This one is different." And while the girl names so many good qualities of my favorite trainee, do I see Hades looking out the distance before he apparently tries again to reason with her as he says: "Please. He's a guy." And while I find it quite hypocritical of the male god to say this, does the thing I waited for happen.
Meg continues, using a honing tone in her voice as she addresses the God and then turns happy as she says: "Besides, oh Oneness. You can't beat him. He has no weaknesses and he's going to –." Yet just by her tone of voice and the evil smirk on his face is it obvious that Hades has figured out the same thing I did as he says:

"I think – he does, Meg." And while he wraps an arm around the girl and takes the flower from her, does he go on and say: "I truly think – he does." And as he incinerates the flower, do Meg's eyes widen and do I think: "I knew it. He's going to use Meg to get to Herc. A guy like him would stoop to any depths to get what he wants."
And with that do I dash for the stadium, determined to be there before the god and make a plan that can get everything done; Hercules saving the girl, his heart proving to be strong enough to be that of a God and Hades getting his just desserts. Yet while I run, do I wonder one vital thing: "What is it – that Hades could want?"
Yet as I reach the stadium, petting Pegasus and seeing Herc in pure elation as he runs across the tracks and works on all our equipment, his elation due to the love he feels in his heart, do I turn grim and determined and think: "Screw what he wants. I'm going to make sure he gets what he deserves and nothing more."

Yet because I know that time is short, mostly because I saw a strange alignment of stars right above me while running that were coming closer and closer to forming a single line, do I turn from the stadium to my boy and then to Pegasus and think: "If Hades wants to make his move, he'll want Herc alone. I need to use that."
And while hating myself do I take a deep breath and start an argument with Herc, one where I actually insult the girl while knowing her predicament and one where, as I had actually hoped, Hercules gets angry enough he slaps me, making me land in a whole set of metal equipment and while the boy apologizes, do I pretend to leave.
Herc buys it as he actually states that he doesn't need me, something I know isn't true as I am the only one currently with a plan and while disappearing out one of the doors, do I then hide behind the wall and instantly hear the voice of the Lord of the Underworld, his smug tone angering me as it proves he believes himself a winner.
I then use the grass outside the stadium to run for the same entrance I came from before and sneak in, yet just when I do, do I see Pegasus heading into one of the stables, the look on his face making me know that he's being tricked. Knowing I need the flying horse for this, do I dash into the same stable – and just in time.

The pink Pegasus mare that had been luring Pegasus away from his owner dissects itself before changing into one fat purple little devil and one slim green one, the purple one shouting: "Gotcha!" Yet before he can reach the horse, have I dashed past Pegasus and used my horns to knock them both against the floor.
The two groan, their heads having hit the wall first and thus making them dazed. I then glare at Pegasus and say: "I'm going to tie these two up, you check on Herc – but stay hidden." The Horse nods and moves out, actually slightly floating above the ground to smother the sound of his hooves as he goes.
In the mean time do I glare at the two dazed little beings and say: "I don't care what your little master may want, you nitwits, but I am not about to let the best trainee I have ever had fall to your master's power. You're going down and after that, he is." And with that do I tie the two up, wrapping a stable rope all the way around them both.

I then run back into the stadium, yet while my hooves clash against the hard stone floor does it seem as if the scene taking place inside the stadium has everyone too busy focusing on themselves to hear me as I see Hercules trying to attack Hades, only to go right through him as the God calmly starts to speak and says:
"Here's the trade-offer. You give up your strength for about 24 hours – okay, say the next 24 hours – and Meg here is free as a bird, safe from harm. We dance, we kiss, we snooze, we go on, we go home, happy. Come on, what do you say." Yet while I have no idea why Hades wants Hercules powerless, do I then shout:

"I got a better idea for you, Hades!" And while sincerely hoping that this will work, do I jump on Pegasus and hit its sides, making it rear up and fly, my hands in its manes leading it directly to Meg before I swing over the flying horse's side and to the utter shock of the girl, my Herc and the god, do I snag her up.
The girl is now wide eyed with shock and fright, yet while I try not to feel sorry for her, do I fly up higher and shout: "If you want Meg, you'll have to face your brother! How's that for a deal, huh?" And while Hercules shouts: "PHIL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Do I shout back as I fly off: "SAVING YOUR GIRL!"
And while I can hear the rage coming from Lord Hades, making me slightly fear for my own life, can I not see but still sense the utter happiness and relief that comes from the smile Hercules aims at me as I fly over to the only place I know we will be safe; the temple where Zeus gave Hercules the hint that will change his life.

Arriving at the temple, do I help Meg off and then have Pegasus take one part of the smoky ropes in his teeth while I grab the other end and thanks to our combined efforts, do we manage to make the ropes disintegrate, making the girl gasp for breath and fall down on her hands and knees, yet I help her up and say:
"Quick! Quick! Inside! Inside! You're safe there. Pegasus, go – get Herc." The Horse nods, his face determined once more and flies off, while I help the girl inside the temple, hoping that the anger of the Lord of the Dead will distract him long enough for the flying horse and the boy that is his actual nephew to reach this temple first.

"Why are you doing this?" The girl asks, her voice void of hope and full of confusion and while I feel terrible for how I treated her so far, do I say: "I heard you sing with the muses of Apollo. And I heard what you said to Hades and about Hercules. I know how you feel and – I just don't get why Hades wants to use that against Herc.
Why does he want my hero powerless? What is his mayor plan?" And then the girl says: "He wants Wonderboy powerless, so that when the stars align and the titans can be freed, the Gods will be defenseless. He got told this by the Three Fates shortly before he abducted and tried to kill Wonderboy all those years ago."

This whole explanation shocks me senseless, but then I feel a rumble in the floor, yet while the girl gasps and whispers: "He found us." Can I almost sense that the tremble didn't come from the God of Death. Yet the girl is still proven true as he suddenly appears right where I had hoped he would; at the feet of the marble statue of his brother.
Appearing in the same cloud of smoke and sense of death as I have becomes used of him, does he look at us as if we're stupid and asks: "So what? This was your big idea? You – you actually believe that this – this statue – can protect you." Yet while the girl starts to tremble in my arms, do I keep my smug smirk on and say:
"Yes. Yes, I do, Lord Hades.""Wow, and you're supposed to be the trainer of heroes. Huh, more like the idiot of heroes." At this I retort: "Oh, I don't know. I think you're the idiot. Daring to go into the temple of the man, whose son you tried to steal and kill and whose same son you are still tring to kill. Wouldn't you agree – oh Lord Zeus."

And while these three words are enough to make Meg gasp and make Hades get shocked before he grimaces, do I then hear Hercules and Pegasus arrive, the former running into the temple, shouting my and Meg's names as I look up and see the same thing Hercules saw only days ago; the torches lighting up, the statue coming to life.
And the first thing that is shown on the statue's face, which makes Hades gulp, is an image of pure, raging fury as he shouts: "HADES!" And while the God of Death waves a tiny hand in humble greeting at his brother, does Zeus shout: "YOU! IT WAS YOU! YOU STOLE MY SON! YOU TURNED HIM MORTAL?
YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM?" And then Meg seems to regain her former strength and self-confidence as she steps forward and says: "Yes he did, Lord Zeus. All so that there would be no one standing between him and his new throne. He wanted your throne, My Lord! Yours and he wanted to use the titans to do it!"

And while I smile in pride at the girl, while Hercules looks at her with clear shock and while Hades glares at her, does Zeus then smile at the girl and does he actually move a single finger over to her, pressing it against her head before suddenly a strange white light – that looks oddly like chains – starts to surround her.
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Hades shouts, apparently recognizing the signs, yet Zeus ignores him and then the light breaks at several places, the sound of metal breaking resounding through the large hall before the God moves back to his throne, Hades now glaring at him while Meg seems shocked out of her wits.

Yet the sound made me know exactly what happened and because I have no doubt that the stars will align themselves any second now, do I step forward and say: "Lord Zeus, please hear me out. I know that it was mostly me and your brother that made all of this happen, while your son remained unaware, but – this is it, isn't it?
You – you knew? You knew your son was in love with this girl and – and you knew he, like I tried just now, would risk his life even against your most fearsome of brothers. You knew all of that, so you – you told Apollo to send those muses. You wanted them together, didn't you? So that – so that Herc could find his True Hero's power."
By now Hercules has looked from me to his father and back with great shock, while Meg seems over her shock as she has her arms crossed under her chest and a warm smile on her face and while Hades cringes and grumbles in disgusted anger, does the statue above us nod with a large and happy smile before he says:

"Yes Philoctetes. Yes, I did. Now, tell me, my son –." At this everyone, from a grumbling Hades to me and a hopeful Meg, looks at the young man, who looks at his father as the statue asks: "How much of what Philoctetes has done, would you do as well – for a girl like Meghara?" And instantly the young hero answers:
"Everything, father. Everything – and more." And while there is a glistering of tears now visible in Meg's eyes, does Zeus nod before his statue turns to stone again, yet while this happens, does something else also happen, something that makes the still remaining God actually curse and that shocks the rest of us.
A golden glow, like an aureole, starts to surround Hercules' body, the newly revived God looking at his hands with shock as I shout and cheer and say: "You did it, kid! You became an actual God! You got your Godlike power back." And it seems as if this brings out the actual hero within the lad as he smirks and looks up.

Yet his eyes do not gaze at either Meg or me, but at Hades, who has turned his back on us and hunched his shoulders while muttering to himself and then Hercules puts a finger in front of his lips, telling us to be quiet as he must have some kind of idea, the two of us nodding, while Meg seems to get worried again.
However, it is the confidence that I can almost see radiating off of Herc together with his newfound power that makes me believe in his plan and the God of Heroes sneaks past us before moving over to Hades and asks: "Hey Hades, how about we make another deal?" And while Meg and I share a glance, does the God ask:
"What deal?" Spitting at the word to prove his anger at the failure of his plan and the loss of his servant and then Hercules, still sounding calm and cheerful, says: "Either you leave my father's temple willingly and leave us be until the stars part yet again or I help you. Hey, what do you say? Sound good, sound fancy to you?"
And while I can barely believe that the younger god is now pretending to be like his uncle was only minutes ago, does the God spat: "Some deal." To which Hercules shrugs, but when Hades turns his back on him, does he move with lightning speed, his cheerful grin still on his face as he asks: "So which shall it be?"

By now Meg is whispering for Hercules to be careful, but it seems as if the Hero is quite confident in his plan and then Hades spats: "Neither! I won't give up on the Gods and I certainly don't need your help with anything!" But it seems Herc was expecting this as he says: "Okay, no titans and no help, but you still agree to leave so – bye."
And before either the God of Death or I myself can comprehend what just happened has Hercules actually smashed his fist right into Hades' face, the strength of his punch enough to send the God flying right out of the temple's exit and to all of our shock does he even vanish into smoke once he lands on the ground.
All of us look shocked, but then Hercules says: "Hey, he said he didn't want my help. He didn't say I couldn't make him leave." And while it takes me a second, does Zeus apparently hear his son as the statue comes back to life, laughing hard and making the whole temple shake and tremble with the loudness of his voice.
Pegasus is the next to start laughing and while Hercules smiles, does he wrap a loving arm around Meg's waist, the girl smiling before, to all of our shock, she too suddenly starts to glow, the aureole of the Gods showing off her body and then Zeus says: "Hey, where there's a God of Heroes, there should be a Goddess of Heroes."
And while this makes Pegasus nod at the great statue of the King of the Gods, does Meg happily lie her Divine head on her Divine boyfriend's shoulder, Hercules pulling her even closer before I see the one thing I always wanted to see. The line of starts that was growing closer changing to symbolize my favorite trainee and girlfriend:

Hercules and Meghara.

HOLY ZEUS ON THE CLOUDS!
That challenge took a good five pages! I was actually only planning on the song and Phil spying on Hades, but after writing about Phil running from the two, I just had to keep on going and even after writing about how he flew off, did I feel I just couldn't leave it there. The whole Meg becomes a Goddess thing, that was planned though.
Seriously, I mean, Herc might have Divine blood, but Meg was the first of them to sacrifice herself for the other, so she too has True Hero's Power, so why didn't Zeus just make both of them immortal. Doesn't the famous phrase go: behind every powerful leader is an even more powerful wife? – or something like that?
I don't know, who cares,

Venquine1990

Rules:

Change an important scene at the end of a movie