Title: Panta Rhei

Author: owlet

Rating: M

Disclaimer: The film "Hercules" belongs to Disney™. I'm only having fun and make no money with this.

A.N.: Sorry. It took me a while due to an injury of my right hand – but I can type again now and I'll get rid of the needlework on Tuesday. Yay!

Panta Rhei

by owlet

Chapter 3 – Can Of Worms

The children were out walking the dog (they just loved Cerberus) and Meg sat in her room brooding a few days later. Things just didn't add up. Hades was keeping something from her and not just the identity of the mysterious bride. He didn't act like he was in love with anyone; he was his usual cantankerous self. No silly grin (now that would be scary), no staring into space, no mellowing of his moods – everything was as usual.

So maybe he wanted to marry for other reasons. Not unusual for mortals, but gods? They could do as they pleased and she could think of any god who didn't love his wife – at least at first.

So … maybe a goddess that would somehow benefit him. Megara went through the single goddesses in her head. Athena? The Eternal Virgin thing. Artemis Deto. Iris? What use would rainbows be to him? No. Eris? Discord might have its uses, but Meg knew he couldn't stomach this particular goddess. Kore? Springtime and flowers? Puh-lease. Eos? The morning sun? Nah, not the goddess that needed a new lover each night (1). Hecate? No, there would be no need for a makeover. Nike? The goddess of victory. Of course. With her at his side he surely wouldn't fail in his next try to take over the cosmos. That had to be it.

Meg shook her head. It was always the same. Was he even capable of something like being in love? She doubted it.

The steward summoned her a little while later, the artisans had completed their final drafts for the makeover. Meg went through them, made a few suggestions of her own and sent the shadows to work.

They obeyed without question and Meg decided to go and look for her children. As she wandered along the banks of the river Styx something extremely fast and violently blue zipped past her, whirled around and stopped right in front of her.

"Meg? Is that you?"

Megara smiled sadly at the god of messengers, travellers and thieves.

"Yes, Hermes, it's me. How is the world above?"

"Hercules has been searching for you ever since you vanished. He had everybody looking, poor boy is heartbroken... how come you're here? Has Hades abducted you? We'll have you out in no time, promise."

Meg sighed and shook her head.

"No. I'm not here against my will, not exactly. Hades and I just struck a bargain; I serve him as I did before and he lets me see my children."

Hermes just stared at her.

"But … but Hercules needs you! He's beside himself with pain – and we both know that it wasn't his fault."

Meg pressed her lips together angrily. It was always about their precious Hercules, wasn't it? Nobody ever stopped to consider how she might be feeling about things.

"I'm sorry, Hermes. I can't face him, I just can't. Every time I close my eyes I see my children on the floor covered in their blood and my husband standing above them with his sword. The man I loved killed our children, Hermes. I know he didn't know what he was doing, but that doesn't change the fact. How can I ever trust him again with my life? With that of a child?"

"So you hide down here."

Megara shrugged.

"Not that I ever had a choice. Hades held me to a deal that Hercules made with him. I go, Hercules stays. He went away so Hades was fully within his rights to drag me back here. But I don't mind. I can be with my children."

"Fine. I guess nobody can blame you for wanting to get away from it all... fine, I won't interfere. I'll let him know you're safe, but not where you are."

"Yes, thank you Hermes," Meg said with a relieved smile.

Hermes gave her a wave and continued on to the palace. Meg's eyes followed the blue streak fondly; he had always been one of the more level-headed gods and a decent guy all around.

"I'm surprised that you didn't beg him to rescue you."

Meg whirled around to face Hades, who melted out of the shadows and stepped closer.

"As I told him, you've got my children."

He drifted even closer and took her chin between thumb and index-finger.

"And that's the only reason?"

Oh great, he felt like teasing her again. Megara batted his hand away.

"Cut it out. Yes of course that's the only reason. What else is there to miss? The scenery? The harpies," she forced herself to look into his yellow eyes, "you?"

"Ouch. Haven't you missed me just a little, my sweet?"

Meg snorted inelegantly.

"Missed you? No. I was quite glad to be rid of your oh so charming company."

Hades grinned at her.

"At least you've admitted that I'm charming."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Ah yes, of course. Well, would love to continue this thrilling conversation, but I think I've kept Hermes waiting long enough."

He was gone with a poof and Meg shook her head. What was he playing at? When she had served him before, he had never came on to her that strongly. Get the goddess and a little mortal plaything on the side? Very possible, his brother did it too after all.

Gods. Sometimes Meg wondered if the world wouldn't be better off without them.

Cerberus bounded up to her, one of her children on every head.

"Hi mom!"

Meg smiled at her little ones.

"Having fun?"

"Yes," Chloe chirped at her, "Mr. Hades promised that we can play with Pain and Panic later."

Meg laughed.

"You do that."

The children cheered and urged the three-headed dog to walk towards the palace. Meg sighed and followed slowly. Focus, she thought, think about your goals. Keep close to your children, get the palace ready, keep Hades off your back.

She found the Lord of the Dead moping on his throne. Meg stopped in her tracks and looked at him, biting her lip. Should she ask? Maybe it was something amusing, something she could snicker about later.

That would be petty.

It was astonishing how quickly she fell back into old patterns – there had been a time when she had lived for those rare moments when somebody had managed to pull one over him. She had been bitter, vengeful and sarcastic until a certain hero had bounded into her life with all the enthusiasm and complete lack of grace of a puppy dog. He had been kind and trusting and downright sweet – it reminded her of how she'd been before the whole debacle with the man she had literally given her life for; a man she still didn't think of by name, who would always be That Jerk to her.

She had reclaimed that loving, giving part of her personality. Was it leaving her again? Would she again find joy in the suffering of another being, even if it was Hades? Slightly ashamed of herself she continued to the way down when Hades spoke.

"Another gathering on Olympus. Zeus wants our input on how to deal with the situation of your husband – or is it ex-husband now?"

Megara ambled over to the Table and leant against it. She wouldn't let him get to her; not this time.

"Shouldn't you be happy about being able to gloat about his misfortune? That he's going to be punished?"

"If only. They'll let him off with a slap to his wrist, no doubt. He is their golden boy, you know; he can do no wrong. And I'm going to have to bear everyone clucking over him, the poor darling."

Meg shook her head.

"It wasn't his fault, someone cursed him with madness."

It hit her at that exact moment. Of course, it made perfect sense.

"It was you, wasn't it," she asked quietly without looking at him.

"Why would you think that," Hades asked, sounding shocked, but one never really knew with him.

"Well, he foiled all your plans, so you must have thought about having your revenge. You wanted to take everything from him that he loved, his children, me... but you couldn't touch him directly, so you had someone curse him."

He appeared next to her.

"You know when it happened I really wished I'd have thought of that. A perfect plan, simple yet elegant. But it wasn't me, Meg."

Megara moved away a little, not believing one word.

"Oh really. This reeks of you. You had the means and the motive, and you got someone else to do the dirty work for you. A classic Hades," she spat at him.

"I told you, I didn't do it," he roared flaring up in bright red flames.

"Who else would have? He's got no enemies but you! It would be really difficult to figure out the other way around because I can't think of one single soul that doesn't want to get rid of you," Meg screamed up at him.

Hades simply stared at her.

"Yes," he whispered slowly, "that's it, Meg."

Megara blinked confusedly. She'd never get used to how quickly he changed gears sometimes.

"I know I didn't do it. But you are right, this does look like something I'd do, doesn't it? Someone wanted everyone to suspect me, and I bet that's why Zeus ordered me up to Olympus – he's going to pin this unfortunate incident on me..."

"So you're saying someone framed you," Meg said sceptically.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying."

Megara shook her head.

"I still don't believe you."

Hades took one of her hands into both of his and looked at her soulfully – well, at least as soulfully as someone with a face like his could manage to look.

"I wouldn't have, my little Nut-Meg."

"Why?"

"Because it would have caused you to hate me. Yes, I missed you and I wanted you back, but to hurt you or your children would have defeated the purpose."

Meg snatched her hand back.

"What purpose," she asked narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Er..."

"Well?"

"Meg..."

Megara exploded.

"To get me into your bed perhaps? Did you really think I'd be stupid enough to get involved on any personal level with someone like you? Did you think that once you manage to drag me back here,I'd just lie back and spread my legs for you like a hmpf..."

She found herself wrapped in that damnable smoke of his, one tendril wedged between her teeth.

"Calm down and stop screaming like one of my Harpies. No, I wouldn't kick you out of my bedroom, but getting you there isn't one of my priorities. I missed you because I don't really have anyone to talk to down here and believe it or not, I like to have some intelligent conversation now and then. Besides, you were pretty useful back in the day. And now you'd better start showing some respect or it's a trip to the Styx for you, my sweet. Got it?"

Meg nodded wide-eyed. He'd done that to her once before after she had really made him angry. She didn't have any fond memories of that experience, of ageing decades within seconds, the pure agony of it. Hades released her with a snap of his fingers and she sank to her knees feeling light-headed. Her eyes were screwed shut now and she simply wanted to sink through the floor and disappear. Or crawl into the darkest corner of the underworld that she could find.

"Here's what we'll do. I go up to Olympus for that damnable meeting and try to fast-talk my way out of this. You know your way around here – try to make a few discrete inquiries about the death of your children. Nobody would find it strange if you did."

Meg nodded, still too mortified to meet his eyes, got back on her feet and fled to the sanctuary of her room.

(1) Eos was said to be responsible for young men ejaculating in their sleep. If it happened, they'd been her lover for the night. Boy, what a sex drive!