((Hey all my lovely viewers! A couple days ago I uploaded my first one-shot. And because of the wonderful reviews and support you all gave me, I got the urge to write yet "another" Hercules one-shot. So yes...within a 2-3 day time period, I wrote this. (That's a record for me.) Please forgive me in advance for the flighty-ness of this fan-fiction, and for the many possible run-on sentences. I hope you enjoy none-the-less. Oh! And since I'm sure most of you have watched "Hercules" before, you know what happens after I stop. For those who haven't, I didn't want to ruin the ending for you. Thank you again, and have a blessed day. :D *I Own Nothing.*))

Phil looked up at his student; horror washed over his face. So this is what I get for tryin' to save him?! For actually carin' about whether he gets hurt or not?! For stickin' around and trainin' him so he can fulfill his dreams? And all that wasted...for a girl that doesn't even love him! "Okay...Okay, that's it. You won't face the truth? Fine!" Phil grumbled, slowly removing the weights and chains from around him.

"Phil? Wait! ...Where are ya going?!" Hercules all but begged. Never in his life had he gotten really mad at Phil; yes they had little tiffs every now and again, but he was never angry enough to actually get physical. Until now.

The satyr waved his hand dismissively. "I'm hoppin' the first barge outta here...I'm going home." He answered, sounding like he just didn't have a care in the world. Herc couldn't explain his emotions just then. It was a mixture of sadness, confusion, anger, and so many other things; all just piled up on top of one another. "Fine! G-Go, I don't...I don't need you!" He choked out, trying to forget about Phil by picking up a dumb-bell to release his tension. What am I saying?! ...Of course I need him! Looking back once more, Phil breathed a sigh. "I thought you were going to be the all-time champ...not the all-time chump." And with that, he left.

The world seemed so much darker than Phil had remembered. Maybe it was just the upcoming storm making him think so, but a part of him knew: Without Herc, I'll never look up to anything. He was the only reason I even started doing things again. Phil finally made his way back to the villa, and a whole new flood of memories engulfed his mind. He tried pushing them aside long enough to remember the things he was going to need. Once he had his things in hand, he went back outside and noticed how much darker the skies appeared. "Rain. Why does it always have to be rain?!" He mumbled, thinking the gods were just trying to test his limits, and punish him for whatever he's done wrong in the past. "Heh...they can't make my life any more miserable than it already is. So, go ahead...give me your best shot!" He screamed at the skies, expecting the gods to throw everything they had at him. He almost wanted them to; he wanted to laugh at their attempts. Heh, so there is one good thing about hitting rock bottom...nothing can bring you down any further. He thought, making his way down to the docks. "Phil?!" His eyes widened; he knew that voice. "Phil, Hercules needs your help!" Megara called from atop...Pegasus? So not only do they make someone bring up the kid, they have the biggest pain in my patilla do it! Oh yeah, the gods are trying to punish me. "What does he need me for, when he's got friends like you!?" Phil demanded bitterly, narrowing his eyes.

"He won't listen to me!" Meg answered, looking like she was about to break down into tears, but from the looks of it...she had already been crying. It's just an act. "Good! ...He's finally learned something!" Phil spat, turning his back to her and going down another step; he would've went further had Pegasus not been face to face with him. He was almost frightened by the growl that rose from the back of the stallion's throat. He looked up at Meg.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong! ...But this isn't about me, it's about him." She tried saying, but Phil wouldn't have it. He walked straight past Pegasus, not saying another word. It took all his might not to blow up, but he wouldn't give her that satisfaction. "If you don't help him now, Phil...he'll die."

This finally hit him like a ton of bricks; like an even harder slap from Hercules. Phil looked back, his face was much softer, and he looked worried. That expression didn't last long when he saw Meg before him. She's the one who's been planning his death. "Why do you care?!"

Meg grabbed the sides of her head as if to keep from exploding. "Why would I come to you for help if I didn't care?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Now Phil looked scared? Or was he...Impressed? This was a side of Meg he hadn't seen before, and he wasn't sure how to take her. A man from the boat was getting irritated and finally called out; "We're shoving off...you comin' or not?!"

Both Phil and Meg whipped their heads around towards the man. "Give us a minute!" They yelled simultaneously. The man only put his hands in the air, and went back to his crew. Phil returned his attention to Megara, and she opened her mouth to speak. "Alright, listen. Either you help us...or you get on that boat, and leave Hercules to die." She stopped for just a moment to let Phil think his options through. "What's it gonna be?" Phil slowly looked back to the boat, and then to Meg. She sighed, and held her hand out to him. He raised a brow, and finally made up his mind. "Alright! ...But you've got some explainin' to do on the way!" She nodded her head eagerly, and helped him on top of Pegasus.

"Come on, H'yah!" Meg told Pegasus giving him a gentle tap on his sides, telling him to take off. Phil looked confused for a second. "Hey! I thought you were afraid of heights?!" Meg rolled her eyes. "Out of all the questions...that's the first one that comes to your mind?"

"No!" Phil huffed, as he crossed his arms over his chest. And within an instant he was mad at her again; "So which was it?...Medium or well-done?" Phil mumbled sarcastically. Meg looked back at the satyr, confused. "What are you-" she then remembered, and her eyes widened. He was talking about her discussion with Hades. "Yeah...I know about that, you traitor." He growled.

And if Meg's heart could've broken any more than it already was, it would've been in that moment. He wasn't lying; but it still killed her to know that she was a part of this, a really big part actually. "Phil...how much did you hear?!" She asked, fearing the worst. He grunted with anger; "enough." Meg put a hand to her forehead in disbelief. "You didn't listen to the whole conversation?!"

"I didn't have to...I heard all I needed to hear!" Phil reported back. Meg spun around, and looked straight into Phil's dark eyes. "You don't understand, I-" but she was cut short by Phil standing up on Pegasus' back, and getting only inches away from her face. "No, you don't understand! ...You don't understand what that kid means to me; you don't understand what he means to these people! You don't understand what love is...and you especially don't understand how much he loves you! ...So don't you dare tell me that I don't understand!"

Meg only starred at him for a moment, not even flinching away from his face. "Phil," she began as calmly as could. "You didn't hear the rest of what I said to Hades. What you heard was all...sarcasm." Phil's eyes widened in surprise. Not only because of her response, but because of how calm she was being. "After you left, Hades offered my freedom for Herc's weakness. When I told him no, and that he didn't have one...he was furious! And I just kept running my mouth, telling him how wonderful Hercules is, and how he would never hurt me." She then paused, and finally looked away from Phil. When she stopped, Phil tried piecing everything together, and his eyes widened when he realized where she was getting at. "You ...You're his weakness." He whispered. Things were starting to make sense, but that still left a big question. "So...Why does Hades need to know the kid's weakness? What did he do to him?!"

"He promised my safety for Herc's strength...18 years ago, the Fates told Hades that if Hercules fought against him during his attack on Olympus, then he would loss." She explained, as she looked back at Phil, she continued. "He's released the Titans, Phil...and he sent one to kill Herc. And because of me, he won't fight back!" Tears suddenly filled Meg's eyes, and a couple fell down her cheek. "This is all my fault...if only I'd kept my mouth shut from the beginning, none of this would've happened." She whispered, lowering her head.

Phil looked up at her, but she hid from him so he wouldn't see her crying. Now, only one questioned burned in his mind. One that would really tell him if all of what she said, was true. "Why are you doing this?"

Meg was so taken back that she returned to his gaze, tears and all. Phil knew she wasn't going to answer immediately, so he kept going. "Hades has what he wants, so that means you're free, right? Why are you sticking your neck out like this instead of...running for the hills, and forgetting everything?" She was silent, trying to think of the right words to say.

"I'm tired of running, Phil. And I don't want to forget...I want to fix everything I've made a mess of. I might not be able to, but I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make things right." Meg answered, leaving out a certain detail. If she told Phil she was in love with Hercules, he wouldn't believe her, and she knew it.

Phil could tell she was telling the truth, so he nodded in understanding. After spending a couple minutes in uncomfortable silence, they finally reached the center of Thebes. In the midst of the fire and buildings that no longer stood, Phil saw the beast that Meg had told him about. It looked a big blob of fat that was just squished together to form a body with only one eye attached to it. From the looks of it, it was tossing a small object, like a ball into the air, and then hit it against a building. "Hercules?!" Phil gasped as Pegasus landed against the stone pavement.

Hercules looked up at his trainer through black eyes, and attempted a smile. "Phil?" He couldn't believe it, he came back! Phil rushed over to Herc's side, and another figure came into his view. When he saw Megara; his smile, and will to fight faded again. "Come on, kid! Come on...fight back! You can take this bum. This guy's a push-over, look at him." Phil tried. Hercules shook his head; "You were right all along, Phil." He stopped to glance at Meg again; he wanted her to know just how much this had affected him. "Dreams are for rookies." She shifted at his words, but kept her eyes on his. It took everything inside of Meg not to just run up, hug him, and tell him how sorry she really was. How much she loved him.

"No, no, no, no, no kid! Giving' up is for rookies...I came back 'cause I'm not quittin' on ya." And when this didn't work, he knew how to get to him. Phil grabbed the side of Herc's face and forced him to look. "I'm willin' to go the distance...How 'bout you?"

Herc let out a gasp; it worked. Just as he was getting his urge to fight again, the Cyclops's hand was reaching out and grabbed Hercules. "Ha Haha...me bite off...head!" It laughed. And with what will Hercules had left, he grabbed a stick that was burning with fire, and struck the titan in his eye. The creature wailed in pain, and let go of Herc.

"Woah...ba-by!" Phil and Pegasus cheered. With some rope Hercules found in an abandoned wagon, he ran over and tied the titan's feet together to knock it off balance. The Cyclops went top-heavy and came tumbling down the cliff, and fell to his death. Hercules looked to make sure the Cyclops was dead, but he stopped when his name was called. "Hercules!" Meg was running towards him, and pushed him away from his position near the edge. "Look out!"

He rolled off to the side, and heard something come crashing down. When he came to a stop, he looked over and saw that a pillar had fallen and landed right where he was sitting. As the dirt and ruble cleared, his heart stopped. "Meg?! ...No!" He screamed realizing she had pushed him out of the way only to be crushed underneath the column instead. Phil and Pegasus watched in awe as the scene took place. Hercules ran and tried with all his might to remove the pillar. Just as Phil and Pegasus were about to help, they stopped when a light shone from Hercules' body. In an instant, Herc's strength had somehow reappeared and he was able to lift the pillar as if it was a pencil. "What's happening?"

Once the weight had been lifted, Meg turned over and lied on her back. "H-Hades deal is broken." She winced; "...he promised I wouldn't get hurt."

Phil could only watch as Hercules ran over to Meg's side. She was trying to smile, trying to make Hercules think she wasn't in much pain; but even Phil could see through that. After hearing 'people always do crazy thing...when they're in love' pass from Meg's lips, everything finally made sense. "Y-You haven't got much time...you can still stop Hades." She said, her voice barely at a whisper. Phil slid a stone over for Meg to lie on; "I'll watch over her, kid."

"You're gonna be alright...I promise." Hercules said to Meg before taking off on Pegasus to fight Hades. Phil watched as Herc's figure faded into the distance, but was brought back to reality when he heard Meg wish "Wonderboy' good luck. He looked over at her already paling form; her breathing drastically slower than what it should be. Letting a sigh escape, Phil rounded the stone Meg lied on to face her. "You," he shook his head; he didn't know what to say for once in his life. "I-I...I never thought." Meg tried to laugh, but it sounded more along the lines of a whimper. "Now I see where..he got...so articulate." A sad smile formed on Phil's face; even after everythin's that's happened, she's still got that sarcastic sense of humor. I never thought I'd actually want to hear it. "Hey now, y-you've gotta save your strength, the...the kid's right ya know? ...You're gonna be j-just fine. When he gets back...w-we're gonna take care of ya. Okay?" Phil told more-so himself than Meg as he gently put a hand to her cheek. She shook her head, but Phil wouldn't let her give up so quickly. "Hey, keep them eyes open...we'll let ya rest in a little bit. But you've gotta stay with me."

"Phil, I...I can't." She admitted, choking on her breath as she did. "No! Y-You're stronger than that, Meg." Phil tried. She shook her head once more, using whatever strength she had left to keep her eyes open, let alone speak. "There's just..some things...y-you just can't change."

He watched as Meg was about to give up; she couldn't hold out much longer. "Meg?!" He begged, still needing to tell her one last thing. She opened her eyes again, and looked up at the satyr. "I was wrong...you do understand what love is." Tears started welling, but he held them back; "...And I'm sorry."

Meg smiled one last time, and held her hand up, in which Phil took hold of. Within a few moments, she was no longer able to keep her head up. She could no longer feel any pain, or even Phil's hand stroking her own. Looking off into the distance, she saw a tree burning and a single white flower, like the one Hercules can given her; escaped the flames, and fell to the ground. Just like me. She thought. While I may have escaped the flames...I still came crumbling down to a certain death. Her eyes fluttered. But at least I know Hades is coming down with me, and that Hercules is alright. So...I guess my life wasn't a complete waste after all.

Phil watched helplessly as Meg's hand went limp, and she took her final breath. His eyes widen for just a moment before he lowered his head in dismay. Slowly, he laid her hand down across her abdomen, and moved the stray hairs away from her face. And as if on que, Phil heard the sound of Pegasus' whinny. When Hercules unmounted, Phil didn't have to turn around to know the look of agony that must have been in his student's expression. But still, he looked back...and shook his head. As Hercules mourned over his lost love, Phil could only think of Meg's final words. And finally letting his tears fall, he put a hand on Herc's shoulder. "I'm sorry kid...th-there's just some thing you just can't change."

~When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57