8

HERCULES had never considered himself a man who was terrified easily. But if he had been terrified before, then he thought it was safe to say he was mostly panic-stricken now. This Hydra was unlike any beast or monster he had ever faced before.

No matter how many times he sliced this creature's head off, more kept growing. Hercules' attention was briefly pulled away by the sound of something hitting the ground behind him. He turned, a cry of surprise and shock leaving his lips as Meg stumbled backward, swaying dangerously on her feet. She had gone as pale as a ghost.

Her knees buckled and she collapsed into a heap by Phil's feet from where she and Phil had taken refuge from the monster behind the boulder he had tossed aside when he'd freed those poor boys from being trapped.

"Meg!" he shouted, rushing to her side, and calling her name as panic welled within his chest, causing it to feel very tight. He shook her gently, trying to rouse Meg to respond to him, yet his words or his gentle shaking of her shoulder showed no signs of reaching her. Hercules sank to his knees, his hands shaking."Oh, gods, n-no, oh please, no."

Why was she not moving? No, she couldn't be…could she?

He shook his head to himself violently. He exhaled a shaky breath and tried to stay calm.

He knew nothing of medicine or healing and the only thing he possessed in his person that might be of any help to Meg right now (and the rest of the Thebans, for that matter!) was the sword in his hand with which he fully intended to slay this creature.

Hercules frowned as he looked towards Phil, trying to shoot his trainer a pleading look with just his eyes, willing the cantankerous old Satyr to look after Meg, but Phil's face was terror-stricken and pale.

"Kid! Look out!" Phil screamed hoarsely.

Hercules looked up quickly, just in time to avoid being bitten by the Hydra, one of her many heads, of which there were at least thirty now. The beast made a horrible shrieking sound before lunging at him again. Hercules gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter in his hands and swung at the monstrous creature that looked as though it was spawned from the Underworld itself.

But the Hydra dodged the blow and then lunged toward the demigod again. This beast was huge and fast. It clearly wasn't going to go down without a fight. If it was a fight it wanted, then Hercules was going to give it one.

As the Hydra lunged towards Hercules again, he rolled out of the way, grateful the beast couldn't quite land the blow it wanted. It was then that an idea came to him to focus on damaging the beast's legs. It couldn't lung at him if its legs were cut off. Hercules exhaled a sharp breath and swung his sword at one of the Hydra's front legs.

He nearly smiled to himself in a brief moment of smug triumph when he felt and saw the thickening thud of his sword connecting with the beast's legs as well as heard a pained ear-splitting shriek from the wicked creature that he would send back to the depths of the Underworld by himself. He withdrew his sword and plunged it over and over again into the beast's leg, managing to hack off the leg finally, ignoring the smattering of the beast's blood that now donned his face like it was war paint.

But even that did not stop the beast from leaping forward towards him without remorse, now enraged that it was missing one of its legs. The Hydra knocked Hercules to the ground with one swift swipe of its tail and drew back its many heads, the sickening shrieking sound filling the air around him and terrifying the Thebans.

He could hear the mingled screams of the people behind him. Hercules' eyes widened as the Hydra opened one of its mouths and prepared to lunge, fully ready to eat him as revenge for waking it from its sleep deep within the cave and now for hacking one of its legs off. Hercules froze. The terror in his heart was subsiding, and the burning feeling in his lungs calming down as well.

He supposed he should be panicked, for both Meg's safety and Phil's, to say nothing of the din of Thebans that were watching this fight. But not today.

Today, he felt a swell of courage and hope budding deep within his chest, but from where he did not know, nor did he care. Knowing that he had to protect the crowd and Meg seemed to bring out the courage in him, somehow. He thought that being courageous was so much easier when a friend's life depended on it. He liked to hope and pray that Meg could consider him a friend when all of this was over. Hercules calmly closed his eyes and ignored Phil shrieking at him to move out of the way as another idea came to him to attack the Hydra from within, and he made no move as he let the vicious beast swallow him whole.

Hercules let out a furious blood yell and again and again plunged his sword into the Beast's chest once the Hydra had swallowed him with such a raging passion that caused his pupils to shrink. Fragmented flashings of images flitted through his mind's eye and with it, his sword's hard ripping through the flesh and bone of the beast.

The village kids that used to gang up on him and bully him when he was younger for not being normal, his sweet and kind parents who had taken him in as a foundling child, Amphitryon and Alcmene, who he hoped to see again.

Briefly, he had a strange thought if Meg would like his parents. Even now, death was beating into the Hydra's stomach as he slashed his way out of the beast, and it sounded like his sword was screaming her name. Meg…Meg…Meg…!

Hercules let out another fierce blood yell that was drowned out by the sound of the Hydra's final rattling death shriek as with one final push, he cleaved the beast's stomach in half and emerged from the belly of the beast relatively unscathed, save for a bruise.

His heart pounded and his breaths were rapid as he peeked over his shoulder behind him just in time to see the Hydra collapse into an ungainly heap on the ground, finally and truly dead. Hercules could barely believe what had just happened.

He had just killed this ten times bigger creature than he was, but even as the crowd of Thebans that had watched the fight screamed and roared their approval of him, his one-track mind was stuck on one thing and only thing only.

Meg.

Hercules struggled to run to where Meg still lay unconscious and unmoving on the ground, Phil nearby and trying to do what he could to rouse her. His body seemed to move in slow motion and it felt as if it took a century to reach her side. His mind raced with dread as he fell to his knees and took the young woman in his arms. Meg's limp form leaned back against his strong arms.

"Meg?" he whispered hoarsely and gently shook her.

She did not wake. The situation did not look good at all.

He turned a worried gaze towards Phil, who seemed to get the hint, and barked at the crowd of Thebans who were beginning to circle them to back off and give the lady some space, but everyone wanted an eyeful of the unlikely hero who'd saved them.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he thought he saw her eyelids twitch, and he let out a little breath he did not realize he had been holding when she let out a groan and shifted in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open and Hercules did not think he could bear to see the fear and bewilderment in Meg's lavender eyes as she stared up at him with wonder. He held her tightly in his arms, ignoring the crowd tittering in hushed murmurs around them, likely wondering what his interest was in a lowborn slave girl.

"Wonder Boy, is it—are you—is it dead?" Meg panted, looking around with wet, red, and wild eyes.

For a moment, she seemed to not see him as Hercules shrugged out of his cloak and pressed it onto her wrist to stop the slow but steady trickle of blood. She must have accidentally scraped her wrist against the ground when she'd collapsed, Hercules realized, and quickly nodded, hoping to alleviate Meg's fears and reassure her that she and the rest of her people were safe.

Hercules smiled and nodded, relieved that she was awake and talking to him and did not seem to be too hurt.

"It's dead, Meg. You're safe, the rest of Thebes is safe. I killed it. I-I wish you could have seen it, it was pretty heroic," he told her, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as he felt Phil clamp him on the back, but he barely heard his trainer's words of praise as his attention was fixated solely on Meg. He grew startled by the shift as a pink blush graced Meg's face embarrassedly.

He blinked owlishly at her, wondering why she seemed so skittish all of a sudden. She began to squirm in his arms and reluctantly, Hercules helped her to sit up and let go of her, though almost immediately, he felt himself turning in a sour mood.

"You were…" Meg began

"I think you…" Hercules started at the same time, though they cut each other off and nervously laughed at the coincidence as Hercules took Meg's hand in his and helped her to stand upright. It was a moment before Meg spoke and when she did, Hercules noted that she had developed a habit of fiddling with the bangles on her wrist that gave away her status as a slave.

"You saved their lives, Wonder Boy," she gasped out, her voice barely more than a whisper. Panic took hold of her heart as it fluttered uncomfortably against her chest as she came to the realization that Medusa's pet was dead.

The sensitive Gorgon would likely not take the news well, and nor would her master, but that was a problem for later.

In her mind, she wanted more time to linger with Hercules, but it seemed the Thebans had other ideas, at least until Shorty the Goat managed to bark at them.

"Alright, alright, people, break it off, there's nothin' to see here, give the kid an' the lady some space, for Zeus's sake!" Phil barked irritably and stomped forward.

The Satyr began to shoo away the crowd of Thebans, who were muttering under their breath at being turned away but some of them called to Hercules over their shoulder and called him a hero and promised a feast in his honor for what the man had just done. Hercules waited until the crowd had dispersed and it was just the two of them, though Pegasus lingered behind him and occasionally gave out a frustrated snort that he was so close to Meg, Hercules ignored him.

"I had to do something, I couldn't just let that beast kill everyone," Hercules answered softly, remembering he owed Meg a reply.

Meg, in a bold move that surprised her, reached out and rested a shaking hand on top of his bicep. She did not seem disgusted by the fact that he was covered in blood and bits of the Hydra.

She looked deep into Hercules' deep blue eyes and breathed out in a low and hushed tone.

"You might be one of the most amazing people I think I've ever known, Wonder Boy, and that's saying something."

Hercules chuckled nervously, reddening. "I—I just did what needed to be done."

But Meg shook her head, the edges of her mouth pinching and turning down into a slight frown.

"Don't hold such a low opinion of yourself, Wonder Boy. You're too modest. You should give yourself a bit more credit. Not that I'm telling you what to do or anything. Here I am rambling again and babbling, I should go fetch you something to eat, you look like you're about to keel over. Are you hungry?" she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

Hercules smiled warmly.

"A little, yes, th-thank you, Meg," he stammered.

Meg's eyes darted around nervously before she finally met his gaze.

"Don't mention it!" she chirped and made to turn away to see what she could do about fetching him something to eat.

After what he had just done, surely one of the Thebans wouldn't mind making up a plate of food for him. It was the least they could do for him. But before she could, Hercules called her. She was halfway across the threshold of the canyon and had to step back slightly to attend to Wonder Boy's words. She turned nervously and turned to look towards Hercules and almost let herself smile at the look of hope that was flaring to life as a light behind those pale blue eyes of his that threatened to hold her captive.

Meg looked at him, her face registering her surprise and bewilderment.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to keep the astonishment from her voice as she waited for him to speak.

Hercules squirmed, unsure whether or not to ask, but he knew that he wanted more time to linger around Meg, to get to know her better as a person. He awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other and ran a hand through his auburn hair in nervous anticipation, forgetting that his palm was stained with the Hydra's blood. Meg winced and pretended not to see.

"I-I thought maybe, i-if your master would let you away for an hour or two, i-if you want to…eat with me? I, uh, don't like to eat alone," he asked, hopefully.

Her eyes widened in shock and her mind was reeling from the fact that she knew Hades would not be pleased with the Hydra's death. She had expected to have some time to herself to lose herself in the thoughts of Wonder Boy and her role in all this that were starting to overwhelm her. Meg answered Hercules a little too quickly with a guarded wary stare and quickly looked away.

"Oh, I…" she awkwardly began. "I um, I really do have a great deal of work to do," she stammered, trying to refuse.

She cringed as Hercules tried to hide his obvious disappointment at Meg's rejection of his offer for dinner.

But earnestly, he tried again. "W-well…" he stammered. "You-you need to eat too, for….for your strength, Meg. Your master can't work you to death or else you'll pass out. Surely, he can let you take at least an hour to eat dinner?" he asked, raising a brow.

Meg felt her hardened resolve slowly chip away as she watched the hope shining in the man's blue eyes. "Well, Wonder Boy, when you put it like that, I…I suppose I could eat a small bite," she assented gratefully and rewarded him with a playful smile.

Without giving Hercules a chance to respond, Meg turned on her heels and darted away from Hercules, trying to ignore the burn of his gaze threatening to burn a hole in the back of her skull as she left him to stare longingly and hopefully after her.

Hercules stood there considering what little he knew of Meg and looked forward to getting to know her better over a meal. She was grateful at least this time she seemed genuinely happy to see him. He stood there covered in the Hydra's blood, lost in thought, and then realized with a panicked jolt that he could not eat alongside men doused in the blood of some monster.

Hercules turned to head in the opposite direction that Meg was heading in, to make towards the river to rinse the blood off and as he walked he could not stop thinking about her eyes, how sad and even fearful she looked whenever the mention of this nameless and faceless master was brought up in conversation. He was glad that Meg had shared with him earlier about how she had come into her master's servitude. Hercules hated that it was painful for her to talk about, but at least it was a connection.

Perhaps even something to build upon. He wondered as he walked towards the river what other experiences had shaped Meg. He wondered what part of Greece she came from, what her life had been like before she had lost her entire family.

Hercules paused when he came to the riverbank. His aching bones were still shaking from the battle that had transpired only moments ago, and yet, the moment had felt like it had lasted hours.

His cloak and armor clung to his bloodied body uncomfortably. His armor felt heavier than usual, his body felt strangely fatigued and weak. He was looking forward to having a chance to rest and share a meal with Meg. He peeled off his armor and left his cloak by a boulder as he waded into the river, letting a relieved exhale pass his lips as already, he could feel the Hydra's blood being cleansed from him the deeper he waded into the river. His body tingled and his sore muscles clenched as his hair fell about his face.

His skin, the skin that he could now feel now that it was not drenched in the blood and guts of that vicious beast, was cold. He splashed water onto his face. He ducked underneath the murky water. He stayed there for a few minutes and held his breath, wetting his hair. He wished he had a bar of soap, but for now, just being free of the blood of the beast would do.

As he scrubbed himself furiously to rid himself of the blood and gore of the creature, his mind melted back to Meg. She looked so sad. He did not understand why that was. It shook at him, ate at him, and threatened to tear him apart.

Hercules was ripped from his thoughts when he heard Phil calling his name and Pegasus snorting in frustration and the Satyr's footsteps approaching the riverbank from behind him. He turned and found Phil standing at the edge of the river where Hercules had left his cloak and his armor, gasping for breath and wheezing, doubled over and clutching a stitch in his side.

"Here ya are, kid, I been lookin' all over for you, the people of Thebes are throwin' a heck of a banquet in your honor, kid, 'an they're missin' the star of the show, so get your demigod butt out of the river an' get dressed. We're expected there in five."

Hercules shot Phil an apologetic look and shook his head.

"That's, uh, nice of them to offer, Phil, but I'm eating with Meg," he pointed out, his tone serious.

Phil stood staring at his latest Champ in shock and disbelief, anger marring the Satyr's features. Surely, he had misheard Hercules just now. The annoyance and agitation must have been written all over his features, for as Hercules rose from the water and darted towards the river bend to hastily dress, using his cloak to dry himself, Hercules shot Phil a withering look.

"Do you have a problem with Meg, Phil?" Hercules asked his trainer point-blank, keeping his gaze fixed on Phil.

Once he was fully dressed and dry, he rose to his full height and towered over the Satyr, his stance a challenge.

Phil furrowed his brow as the silence between the Satyr and the demigod lingered past the point of comfort as he thought over what to say to the kid. How there was something of the girl that made him uneasy that he could not quite put a hoof on.

Phil looked up towards Hercules at the slight anger brimming to life in the kid's blue eyes. He almost wanted to contain his honesty, but something about lying to the kid felt wrong, even now, when both of them had only just met the girl.

"Yes, I don't trust her, kid, she's hidin' somethin' and she's hiding from somethin', if you get my meaning, Herc. If you're smart, an' I know you are, you'll stay away from that broad, you hear me? She's proven to be nothin' but trouble for you," he snorted, scuffing a hoof in agitation, and folding his arms across his chest, unfazed by the height difference between the two of them.

He might be retired and out of his prime, but he could still go with the Champ like the best of them and give him a good ramming where it would hurt Hercules the most. Phil only hoped that the kid would listen to reason and at least hear him out.

Phil winced as the blood drained from Hercules' face. The kid turned away for a moment to wipe at his face with the heel of his hand and run a hand through his auburn hair in anguish before turning back towards Phil.

When Hercules did, Phil was surprised to see a look of genuine anger on the kid's face as he glared at him.

"Meg's not any trouble, Phil, what's gotten into you lately? Anytime Meg's brought up, you suddenly get defensive. I'm just having dinner with her, nothing more and nothing less than that. She won't be a distraction to my training if that's what you're worried about," Hercules accused, sounding angry with Phil as he clenched his hands into fists at his sides as he fell silent.

Phil scowled inwardly, his temper surging. He did not know why Zeus's boy had to make things so difficult for him and now this girl that he seemed so smitten with was proving to be an even bigger problem than the Hydra he'd just slayed.

"Kid, listen to me, please," Phil went on with gritted teeth. The shift in the Satyr's voice stuffed the chills down his throat. "Every hero I've fought an' trained has had a weakness. Achilles, it was his damn heel of all things that proved to be his downfall, an' that kid, I don't want her to be yours," Phil warned, an edge to his gruff voice that had not been there before. "You're the son of Zeus, Hercules, you have a higher purpose than need or want, or even love, an' your future doesn't involve that girl, that's all I'm sayin'."

"You will say nothing more, Phil," Hercules warned with a shake of his head as he sent his trainer's words well away. Hercules' expression was impassive and yet, Phil thought he saw the kid's blue eyes glaze over and become distant as if lost in some thought that was troubling him."You've made your point clear, but I'm having dinner with Meg. I will eat with the Thebans tomorrow morning,"

Phil stood there, rooted to the spot, and only able to watch in stunned silence, as Hercules turned on his heel and disappeared back down the path he'd come.

Back towards Meg.

MEG cautiously slipped inside what looked to be an abandoned temple, unable to ignore the prickling on the back of her neck or the cold temperatures in the air. She cringed as the sound of Hades' shouts rent the air and quickened her pace to follow the sound from behind a closed door that was just to her right.

She had spotted a passing Theban on her way back to Hades and had asked if one of them would mind preparing two plates of dinner, which in their elation that Thebes had just been saved, the architect had agreed. But she still needed to check in with Hades. She was beginning to regret her decision as she heard the god shouting.

Meg felt her blood boil as she did not even bother to knock and came inside to find Hades scraping his nails alongside a wooden pillar, his hair flickering from blue to orange, and her mouth went dry at the odd sight. Hades looked to be fuming as Meg entered the darkened chamber and nervously approached the deity. His shoulders heaved with fury and he was panting heavily.

"I don't know what you were hoping Medusa's pet would do, but it clearly didn't work out the way you wanted," she stated plainly. "Wonder Boy's going to keep on hitting every curve you throw at him, Lord, you know that," Meg spat, not bothering to keep the note of venom out of her voice as she looked upon the Lord of the Dead.

Hades was only just now coming down off a violent cast a nervous gaze towards the walls and was grateful she had missed his temper imploding if judging by the blackened scorch marks on the wall was any indicator.

"Not another word, Megara," Hades warned, burying his burning yellow eyes into Megara's very sucked in a breath and clamped her lips shut out of fear, and took a moment to study the Lord of the Dead.

She gingerly approached her master, causing Hades to turn his attention toward her. She swallowed down hard past a lump in her throat as she realized he was ogling her, his yellow eyes lingering over her breast.

Meg caught on and crossed her arms and glared.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but no. I've done my part, I've done as you asked me to, and whatever comes next with Wonder Boy, get your little imps to do it," she snapped. Meg clenched her teeth behind straight lips as she turned away, unready to hear his next words. Unfortunately, Hades seemed to be in a mood to convince Meg otherwise of yet another plan.

"I am doing as Persephone has asked and am attempting to do this 'her way,'" Hades growled, hissing his words through gritted teeth, his shrill voice stuffing the chills down Meg's throat as he spoke. "My wife is too gentle and kind for her own good. She would see my brother usurped from the throne on Olympus without a drop of blood spilled. Unfortunately for my love, I am beginning to think that doing this her way is not going to be possible, nor should I entertain the notion knowing the way my bastard brother tends to behave," Hades angrily reddened at hearing his words and stared, her lips parting slightly in shock.

"And…what would your wife think, if you were to go against her wishes? What then?" Meg asked, unsure where she had acquired the gall or perhaps the stupidity to speak so boldly to Hades, but the question was out before she could stop.

Meg cringed and waited for Hades to lose his cool yet again and raise a hand against her, striking her even for asking such a 'ridiculous' question, but that moment for Megara never came. She looked at him defiantly, waiting for the lord to answer her.

A shadow of anger flitted across Hades' sharp, angular features.

She half expected that he would bear his fangs at her and dig them into the skin of her neck with how he was looking at her now with such venom in those haunting yellow eyes as he spoke, his voice was dangerously soft, shaking in rage.

"You will leave my wife out of this, my little Nutmeg if you value keeping your pretty little head attached to those shoulders of yours. I am willing to give Persephone's way one more chance but if this fails, then I will have no choice but to ignite a full-scale war and unleash the Titans on my two bastard brothers."

Meg stared at Hades incredulously, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. She rose an eyebrow in disbelief.

"And…just how do you think you're going to do that?" she huffed indignantly, suddenly sure she did not want to know the was quick to decide she did not like the glint in Hades' eyes as he glided towards her, silent and swift like the phantom she knew him to be. She swallowed down past a lump in her throat as he came to rest an icy cold hand on her shoulder.

"You, Meg, my sweet, how else? I had thought Medusa's little Hydra out there would take care of our problematic little pest, but now I can see that I haven't been throwing the 'right' curves at him, as you so deftly put it a moment ago. I think our Wonder Boy outside needs a woman's touch, don't you agree?" he purred, instantly spurring revulsion in the pit of her stomach.

Meg wrenched away and turned on her heel to glare at him.

"Don't even go there, Hades. I might be your slave and yes, you might own my soul, but you of all the gods should know I've sworn off manhandling. I'm not going to do anything that causes Hercules or anybody else to get hurt!" she cried, her cheeks flushing red as her anger swelled. She knew the moment she let her temper take over that she had said the wrong thing.

Faster than she thought was possible, Hades lunged towards her and grabbed her wrist in a vice grip, and squeezed, hard enough that she could already feel a bruise starting to form.

Meg was unable to stop the cry of pain that left her lips as she felt her skin beginning to burn as she watched in horror, his hair turning a vibrant bright red. She knew then that his temper was dangerously close to another outburst.

"Did you forget, doll, that I own you? You will do as I ask if you value your freedom, and if you want your precious former lover to stay alive, then you're going to go back out there, wile and beguile him, and keep him out of my way, I don't care how you do it but you will do this for me, or else I'm going to destroy your face and make you one ugly girl that not even a blind man would want, darling," he growled, his voice trembling. Meg squirmed and tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he was too strong.

"Hades, stop, please, you're—you're hurting me!" she cried, tears coming to her eyes as she could feel a blister beginning to form on her wrist as Hades burned her, whether, on purpose or an accident in his anger, it didn't let go abruptly and Meg staggered backward, tears trailing down her cheeks as she cradled her burned hand in her other good hand and held it close to her chest.

She stared deep into Hades' eyes and felt a tug of fear at hearing his next words.

"Keep him out of my way, Meg, my sweet, and your Wonder Boy will live, you have my word. This feud between my brother and I need not get any more complicated," he growled, turning his back towards her and striding out of the temple and onto his next matter of business.

Meg remained frozen and rooted to her spot as Hades was going to leave the abandoned temple and find that architect who had promised to have a meal ready for Hercules, but she was in too much pain, physically and mentally, to do anything but stand there.

All she could do was stare down at the angry blistering burn mark that was shining on the skin of her palm. As she did so, her stomach tightened into knots and Meg felt like she was going to be horribly sick as bile rose in her throat.

Her lavender eyes were focused on the wound Hades had just given her, the burn mark a reminder of who was in charge in this little situation before she turned silently and walked out of the temple.

Her breathing was heavy and her chest was becoming she stepped outside the temple and into the brisk autumnal air of Thebes, she saw spots in her vision and her body swayed dangerously, and her head grew fuzzy.

Meg clung to a lichen and ivy-covered pillar for support until the waves of nausea and dizziness had passed. Tears came to her eyes as she tried to force her breathing to return to something that resembled normalcy.

She let out a little breath and hesitantly moved away from the pillar and aimlessly wandered off in search of that kind Theban man who hopefully by now had their food. She saw no other choice but to do as Hades commanded.

For the deity was the devil himself and he owned her soul.

Meg had no idea how she was going to make it through this with her own sanity intact.