(( ...You guys and gals probably think I'm dead. Right? *sigh* Nope, I'm still kicking. And by that, I do NOT mean the bucket. :) Things have just been extremely hectic, and I'll admit to getting the ever so dreaded writing-block. Le GASP! ...But I had a talk with Wonderboy, and he motivated me to continue writing. ;) So thank you, JB! I DID it! And by that, I mean ...I jammed this thing packed full of information, and things to take in. So I'd suggest reading slowly. ^^; Unless you're the type of person who likes getting major head-aches. Hehe, God bless you all! And thank you for not giving up on me! Love you!
Guest: I hope this chapter lives up to your expectation. :D Tried to more-so introduce Seph and Hades (They shall be meeting one another next update)
Edger230: BWAH-HAHAHA! The minute I read your comment, I literally fell off my bed laughing. Not that that's not a normal habit, or anything. But still! XD Hehe, I'm SO glad people are excited about Hades! He's hard to write for, but he sure doesn't lack in fun.
VAH: Thank you for not giving up on me. It truly means so much to me! *huggles*
emmaleewhittaker: My apologies for the disappointment. I'm not the 'hugest' fan of Meg/Hades. *gags* Hehe, but thank you for your kind words. :)
Guest: Aww, yay! Persephone is so much fun to write for. And I realized something while writing for her today. Mrs. Korinna is a character inspired by my mother. And Seph's personality is kind of like my own, minus the whole "mother traps me away so I fall in love with a bad boy" thing. ^^;
Sheep: Wow ...just wow! Reading your review truly made my day. I love that people give me suggestions, and instructive criticism. I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts if you're still willing to share. I try to keep my spelling and flow of plot on target as hard as possible, but I do slip at times. So it would be nice to know another person's thoughts. You are so very sweet, and I can't thank you enough for your kind words, and for taking the time to read this story. (Also you can send me a note either in the comments, or in a PM.) Thank you again!
AladdinJasmine1: Hehe, once again. I am truly sorry it took me this long to get back to you on both comments. Everyone reading: This girl is probably one of the sweetest girls I've ever gotten to hear from. Oh! ...I'm a big blusher too by the way. I was beat red just writing some of the crap I've written in previous chapters.
Laughs4life: You gotta love people. Right? *sigh, shakes head* You were so sweet for defending me. And I just want to thank you personally for that. Putting that aside. That's so funny you were in Greece when you read the wedding chapter! XD As for the reason for wanting a boy ...I kinda, maybe did, sorta steal that from a post I saw on the internet. It was too cute to pass up! Hehe, love you sweet girl! :D (Again: another one of the sweetest people I've ever heard from!)
Guest: I certainly didn't try to make this "as bad as I made it out to be". So I hope I didn't disappoint. :)
Guest: God bless you, sir/ma'am. You just seem like the kind of person who needs a hug, so... *virtual huggles*
KPFAN3617: Hehe, gotta love Icarus! ..."Woah momma. BANNANAS!" But yeah, I kinda do wish I put Cassandra into the fic, but I couldn't find the right place to put her at the time. :/ Oh well! *shrugs* As for Hades ...Mwah-Hahahaha! He's got a plan up his toga sleeve.
Wonderboy: You are the sweetest! *kisses* (since I can't do it at the moment. XD) Hope ya like!
~10 months earlier~
Everything was dark, moans echoing off the damp walls, and the smell of mold drowning the air of its usual fresh scent. Not that those things weren't a normal thing, this was the underworld after all. What remained of the inhabitants of this gloomy place, were all particularly quiet at the moment. Cerberus, the three-headed, guardian dog was sleeping peacefully, their dreams filled with beautiful things. Things like stripping people of their flesh, their victim's blood dripping from their teeth as they devoured whatever meat was plastered to the bones. It's beautiful dreams for a dog that happens to be part monster.
Charon, the ferryman of the stynx, continued his rounds in silence. Again, a trait he was fond of. Silence. Although he was nearly incapable of showing emotion, he did enjoy his tasks while most would die of the boredom. But then again; when your pretty much dead as it is, anything is better than doing nothing for eternity.
And lastly, Pain and Panic. Without their master; they sat around and did as they pleased. Pain, a fat magenta demon, sat comfortably in the throne that was once Hades'. And Panic, a skinny teal demon, was sprawled out on the floor, playing a card game on his stomach. While Pain was content, Panic was staring to grow weary and irritable as time went by. Hades had only been gone for about a day, and Panic was already panicking... Typical reaction though.
"Do ...do you think the boss will ever come back?" The teal demon finally spoke out. His friend's eyes widened and he looked appalled for a moment before smiling happily. "Nah ...it'll be a long time before he even thinks of finding a way to get outta that river." Pain replied, twirling his finger in a swirled motion. He then leaned back, placing his long arms behind his head.
Panic lowered his gaze while he fiddled with a card absent-mindedly. "I-I-I'm just s-sayin'. Wh-What'll we do when H-Hades does, y-you know ...Get out?"
Pain smirk grew wider. "If, my friend. If he ever gets outta there. It's a beautiful word, so just enjoy it."
"You know what else is beautiful?" A voice laughed mockingly in the shadows. Pain and Panic jumped and gripped each other out of fright. "We're sorry Hades! Please have mercy on our souls! We didn't mean what we said. Forgive us!" They cried pathetically.
Two other wild laughs joined the first, and the fates appeared out of the darkness. "Oh, Atropos! ...THAT was a beautiful display. Couldn't have done it better myself." Lachesis giggled.
The two demons sighed with relief, and released their iron grips. "It's just you three. We thought you were Hades." Pain said more-so to himself than the three woman. "Y-Yeah! ...Th-Thank goodness, i-if it been Hades, w-we would've got fried t-to a crisp!" Panic added.
Feeling something wrap around their necks, Pain and Panic squealed again as they were lifted off their feet. They were greeted by furious yellow eyes, a forced laughter, and blazing flames. "You know, boys ...if is a funny word. 'Cause, you know, I'm wondering if I should fry you two to a crisp. IF I should tie you to a dart board and practice my aim. IF I should feed you to Cerberus, bring you back to life, and do it all over again! ...Yeah, that sounds beautiful! Don't you think?" They gulped, shaking beneath their master's grip.
"Calm yourself, Hades." Clotho spoke up, arms crossed over her chest while a spider hung from her nostril.
"CALM DOWN?!" Hades screamed as he flung the imps across the other side of the room, flaming the brightest red he's ever shown. Screeching; the imps cowered away, their tails hidden like scolded dogs. "Everything I've ever worked for - the past 18 years - GONE! Down the drain, forever to swirl around in a pathetic, endless nightmare! And all - ohh - all because of that skinny, snarky mouthed, bratty, little-"
"Hades! ...Not all is lost. Why else would we have come if that was so?" Atropos informed with a grin, all three sisters standing still as if nothing had happened.
Gritting his sharp teeth, Hades pinched the bridge of his nose and brought his flames down to a lighter shade of orange. "Nothing you can say can make this better."
Their grins grew even wider. "How about we shed some light upon a future we know you desire? ...One that can only come from our own creative thoughts?"
"You know what? You know WHAT?! Fine! ...What do I have to lose?" Hades groaned, rubbing his temples.
Again, the fates snickered wickedly. "Only time will tell." Lachesis whispered, raising their shared eye into the air, watching as it glowed.
"When you hear news of the woman coming with child, you will soon find something that will have made you smiled.-" They began, the picture showing Hercules and Megara laughing joyfully together to which Hades rolled his eyes. Verses? Seriously?!
"-For you will form an unlikely bond ...with a woman drawing water from the underworld's pond. IF what you wish is to rule the cosmos, at the time the child is born - you must release your father, Cronos!"
The deity's yellow eyes widened, his flames coming to a halt. "What?! Are you all nuts?! I can't just release-"
"We will warn you, Hades! ...Ruling Olympus will come at a cost. For the thing you love most ...will be lost!" And with that, the three disappeared.
Pain and Panic watched from behind a stalagmite, shaking with fright. "B-B-Boss?" Panic asked trembling. Hades stood still though, so Pain carefully continued his friend's sentence. "Y-You're not ...REALLY going to release Cronos? ...Are ya?"
Without saying a word, Hades floated down a hallway. The imps looked to each other with wide eyes. "Y-You don't think h-he'd d-do that? R-Right?" Panic gulped. Pain only shrugged, hoping for the best. "Hades DID go down the forbidden hallway." He answered his friend.
Making his way down the narrow steps, Hades took a deep breath and huffed. "Made me smiled? The thing I 'love' most will be lost? Heh ...don't they know anything?! I'm not the type of god to do such ...mushy-gushy nonsense." Shaking his head; Hades looked down at the doorway to the center of the underworld, the place his brother Zeus had trapped their excuse of a father. "The only 'good' thing Zeusy ever did ...such a pity daddy-kinz is the key to the cosmos." He then turned to go back the way he came. "We'll be seeing each other again fairly soon, father ...I do hope everyone's ready for a family reunion. It'll be a blast."
"Pain! Panic!" Hades yelled once reaching the top of the stairs. The two came, hands to their foreheads in a military style. "Yes your most evilness!?"
"I've got a special job for the two of you. The fates said that when our little nutmeg gets knocked-up, that's when I'm gonna find some girl at the pond just outside the underworld ...right?" The imps looked at each other, then to Hades, and nodded. "So ...you two, you're gonna go keep an eye on Jerkules and soon-to-be pregara. You think you can handle that?! Huh? ...Because, ha ha-" Hades then grabbed the two by their necks, and brought them to his face. "If you screw this up - not only am I gonna kill them, and their little brat - but you imbeciles are gonna go with them! COMPRENDE?!"
The demons nodded their heads with great urgency, knowing that this was their last chance. "Yes ...We can handle it!" They promised.
Hades smirked ear to ear. "Good ...Let's get to it, boys."
~Present Time~
"Sephy, dear?!" The green deity called out, looking around their home for her daughter. Persephone sighed audibly, and rolled her eyes.
"In here, mother!" She answered. The young goddess heard her mother's footsteps nearing; and when she found her child, she frowned and placed her hands on her wide hips.
Before her; Persephone was hanging upside-down in a chair, her bare feet resting where her head should have been. At Demeter's expression, Seph smirked wickedly. "What have I told you about doing things like this, Sephy? ...You could get hurt, and it's-"
"Not lady like, nor is it goddess like. No man wants to marry an immature child." Persephone finished, mocking her mother's stern voice. Demeter looked anything but impressed as she shook her head in dismay.
"And speaking of being a child! How am I supposed to 'grow up' if you keep calling me Sephy? ...You know I hate being called that." She added, rolling into the floor before laying on her stomach, absent-mindedly making a small flower grow through the wooden cracks in the flooring.
Before she could get distracted; Demeter overpowered her daughter's abilities, and made the flower cower away into the seed it once was. Persephone turned to her mother with wide eyes, obviously forced out of daydreaming, and back into reality.
"Persephone?" Her mother began, a softness to her voice that only ment trouble for Seph. "You need to stop th-this ...foolishness! It is not becoming of a goddess of your age. You are to choose a nice god to ...to settle down with. I only want what's best for you."
"What's best for me? ...You want what's best for me? Or what's best for you?! ...Do you even care what I want?!" Persephone yelled as she listed herself up off the flooring.
Demeter squared her shoulders. "Don't you raise your voice at me young lady! Not only am I a goddess; I am your mother, and you will respect me!" Seeing her daughter submit; Demeter let out her anger through a sigh, and lowered her voice. "Now ...I am off to the fields. Don't wander off."
Without lifting her head or saying a single word, the young goddess nodded. Demeter kissed her forehead and flew out the window trailed by a sea of flowers. "I love you, dear!"
Slowly lifting her head up, Persephone smirked deviously. "...Love you too, mother." Letting out a gleeful laugh; she stormed out the same window, careful not to go the direction her mother went, and let the cool wind carry her up into the clouds.
Looking down at the ground; Persephone smiled brighter than the sun above her as the breeze tickled her face and played with her hair. She dove down twirling, riding the wind and practically dancing in the sky. Once nearing the ground, she took off at a speed similar to that of lightning, letting her hand skim the surface of the Earth - flowers blooming where ever she touched.
Coming to a practiced halt, Persephone looked back at her cottage home. Just looking at it brought gloom and despair into her heart. Sighing; Persephone flopped onto her back, lying on the ground surrounded by her creations.
"Caged birds like yourself just HATE not being free. But ...it's not the cage that locks them away, is it, Persephone? ...But, the one who holds the key?" A voice said from out of nowhere.
The goddess sprung up and looked around only to find an empty field. "Who's there?"
"To get away from the cage you are locked away in now, you must go to the forest just beyond the mountains somehow. There, you will find a deity at a spring. Freedom from this life you know - he will bring. The life you wish to live by, you must choose soon. But pick wisely dear child ...you have until high noon."
Laughter followed and then drifted away, leaving Persephone to wonder. Could this truly be happening? Freedom? ...Just like that? She stood, and spun around, looking for the voices. "Wait!" She called out desperately. "Th-This isn't ...wh-what's going to - Please! Th-There has to be more!"
You must choose your fate now, Persephone. We can not help you any longer ...Good luck. Said the voices, watching on as the girl looked back at her home before flying towards the mountains. The fates smiled wolfishly, gleeful that their plan was taking root.
"Knowing everything can be boring sometimes ...it's fun to - to shake things up a bit. Don't you agree, sisters?" The two other fates nodded, grins upon their faces.
Five months passed peacefully - well, as peaceful as it could get for the great hero of Greece and his wife. Not long after there engagement did Hercules and Phil decide to start a training camp for young youth who wanted to become heros. As of now; the arena was still under construction and wouldn't be open for another few months. Monsters were still dumb enough to try to attack the cities every now and again, but nothing like it used to be. And on top of it all; Hercules and Meg had to meet up at the palace once a week to learn and discuss certain things from king Creon. Meg already knew a few things being a princess since her birth, so Hercules was struggling a bit. He was a hero, not a politician.
Hercules yawned, and stretched his arms as he started to wake up. He looked over to his wife who was still fast asleep, snoring as she usually did. The thought alone made him snicker. Leaning over; Herc planted a light kiss on Meg's forehead, pushing away her wild morning hair from her face.
Slowly easing himself of their bed, the hero got ready for the day and made his way out without disturbing his wife.
As he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, Mrs. Korinna greeted him. "Good morning, Hercules. Are you already heading out? ...Apollo himself is still asleep!" She chuckled, handing him some bread to nibble on until she had made breakfast.
"Heh, Phil asked me to head down to the stadium earlier than usual ...And uh, I was wondering if maybe you could ugh ...make sure Meg knows where I am when she gets up? I ...I kinda forgot to mention this to her last night." Hercules admitted timidly, fidgeting with his hands.
As he expected; Korinna placed her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows at him questionably. She didn't say anything, but her expression spoke numbers.
"I know, I know!" Hercules laughed, putting his hands up in surrender. "I was really tired, and it slipped my mind. Okay? ...I'll let Meg personally wop me on the back of the head the next time I see her. I promise ...Now, I gotta run before Phil does the same!" He then stuffed the piece of bread into his mouth, and ran towards the door. "Tank ew, Me Kowina!" ((Thank you, Mrs. Korinna!))
Through a cute smirk; Korinna giggled at the young man, shaking her head before moving to continue her morning routine. "These two are going to be the death of me." She said to herself. When a thought came to her head though, she stopped what she was doing and headed upstairs to the couple's room. Creaking the door open, Korinna checked to see if Meg was still asleep before she entered.
Slowly stepping inside once hearing snores, she went beside the woman and shook her shoulders. "Meg? Meg honey, wake up." She whispered. When her violet eyes started fluttering, Korinna spoke up a little louder. "Come on ...You promised me. We've held this off for over a week now, and things haven't gotten any better."
Entering the stables, Hercules went over to where Pegasus and Galaxy slept. "Pegasus? Come on buddy. We're gonna be late." He whispered, patting his friend on the neck. Lifting his head up, Pegasus lazily smiled at the hero before turning towards his mate and licking her on the cheek. Galaxy whinnied happily in her sleep, not noticing Pegasus get up to take off with Hercules.
Back at the camp; about two dozen workers flooded the ground, scurrying around like rabbits being cashed by a fox, trying to complete their assigned jobs before the afternoon sun rose, and became too unbearable to work under. Phil's voice carried over all the commotion though, yelling what needed to be done.
Phil grunted; ever since they started building, things just seemed to keep on piling into an even bigger load than it was before. Once they got something finished, something broke and needed fixing. It was an ongoing cycle of madness! The satyr slammed his clipboard hard to his head, forgetting to turn it the other way so the clip wouldn't hit him. He yelped as the metal struck him, and he rubbed his forehead to ease the sting.
"Having some trouble?" Hercules asked with an amused laugh upon entering the stadium to witness his mentor already stressed out. Phil mockingly chuckled back. "Heh heh, you think you're just so funny, don't ya?"
The hero gave his trainer a huge grin, and shrugged his bulky shoulders innocently. "Well, I do try." Phil snorted, and grinned right back. He was standing on a tall enough podium at the moment, so he patted Herc's shoulders. "Better stick to your day job kid, and leave them snarky comments to that wife o'yours."
Once seeing his protégé pout a little; Phil's smirk widened and he jumped off his stand. "Now get to work, ya lazy bum! Hop to it! Chop, chop, chop."
Hercules rolled his eyes, and groaned before obeying to the satyr's command. Phil then turned his attention to the crew, and cupped his hands over his mouth to project his voice - not that he had trouble being loud of course. "Alright, we need to pick up the pace boys! You got an hour before breakfast, and if you aint done by then ...I'm eatin' whatever's got your name on it!" Within seconds, things seemed a couple notches quicker. Heh ...that's more like it.
As the hours went by, and the sun was at its highest point; work nearly came to a complete stop due to the heat. Everyone seeked out shade, already exhausted from their tasks. The only one left standing was Hercules, which was a common occurrence.
Phil was using his clipboard as a fan. "Kid!" he called. "...Come take a breather, it's been a long morning."
The hero sprinted over to his trainer, and handed him a wet cloth to cool him down. "Phew ...Do you think will ever get this thing done?" He asked sitting down, and looking around at what had already been built. And by the looks of it, they had a way to go.
Two dogs suddenly came closer, but were unnoticed by Hercules and Phil. The larger one yawned, and rolled onto his belly, ready to snooze off. The thinner dog sat on his rear, and stared at his friend before hitting him on the head to wake him up.
"Yeow! ...Panic! What was that for?!" He yelped, rubbing his sore head with his paw.
Panic's eyes widened at how loud he was. "Would you keep it down!" He hissed. "Th-They're gonna hear us!"
Pain rolled his eyes, and lied back down. "Re-lax! ...It's been 10 months since we started watching Jerkules and Meg. And nothing has happened yet! ...Now, I'm going back to sleep, if you don't mind!" He huffed, and turned his back as he curled up into a ball.
Sighing, Panic turned his attention back to Hercules. With every passing day, Panic grew more and more worried, if that was even possible. Ever since the fates spoke to Hades about what was to come, Hades waited day after day at that pond, waiting for him and Pain to tell him the news of Meg coming with child.
And although he wouldn't admit it, he was also worried for what was going to happen to Meg and her family. When she worked for Hades, she and the imps had developed a strange kind of bond. A brother-sister bond if anything really. They didn't love each other, but they didn't hate each other either. Panic breathed another dramatic sigh before laying his head on his paws.
Although; upon hearing a loud whinny, Panic lifted his head to see Galaxy with Megara on her back - flying into the stadium.
At around noon every day, Meg came and brought the men lunch. They guys ran and greeted Meg, and thanked her for the food. What Panic noticed though, was that Meg seemed a little off today, like something was on her mind. But even more-so, Hercules could tell.
Walking over, Herc nervously put his hand on the back of his neck. "Hey hon. Are ...Y-You're not ...upset about this morning, are you?" Meg's eyes widened, and she laughed. "What? N-No no. Wh-What would make you think that?" She asked, smiling.
Hercules' shoulders relaxed, and he smiled back. "Uh, okay. I was just worried, you looked like something was bothering you." At that though, Meg's smile faded and she started fiddling with her hands.
Again, Hercules noticed this. He took her hands, causing her to look up at him. "Meg? A-Are you ...are you sure you're alright?"
"...Y-Yeah. I just ugh, I just forgot to ...tell Korinna something. So umm, I-I'll see at the house." Meg lied quickly, kissing Hercules on the cheek. "I love you."
She turned to get on Galaxy, but just as she was about to hop on, Hercules held her by the waist to stop her. "Megara. Is something going on?"
Meg lowered her head. "Umm ...I-"
"Kid!" Phil yelled from across the arena. "You need to get over here, quick! ...We got a beam about to fall!" Groaning, Hercules looked to Meg desperately. She forced a smile. "I'm fine. You better hurry."
He didn't have time to find this out at the moment, so he let it go. For now."I Love you, Meg." He then helped her on Galaxy, and kissed her back.
"Be careful!" Meg said before flying off. From a distance, Panic watched on with a furrowed brow. "What was all that about?" He wondered out loud. He nudged Pain awake. "Hey! ...Let's check this out, something up with Meg. Come on!" sleepily; Pain yawned and stretched. "Do we have to do this RIGHT now?"
Using his teeth, Panic grabbed Pain by his floppy ears and pulled him forward. "Ow ow! O-Okay! Okay! ...I'm coming. I'm coming. Sheesh!" Pain whined, hurrying after his friend as he exited the stadium.
Pacing across the living room, Meg glanced at the sundial once again. It had been an hour since her awkward talk with her husband. He should be home any minute now! She thought nervously, absent-mindedly putting a hand to her stomach.
Outside; Pain and Panic had finally reached the villa, and they put their paws on the window sill and looked in to see Meg pacing around. "So, why do you think she's acting so weird? You don't think she's ...you know?" Pain asked. Panic just shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and find out."
"What if Herc's not ready for this? ...What if I'M not ready for this?!" Meg groaned in a panicky tone of voice, one she rarely has actually; also while biting her thumb nail. Fears of Hercules being angry coursed through her mind, but just as quickly as they came, she shook them away. "N-No! ...He wouldn't do that." But again, the same fear popped up again, and she didn't realize tears were now trickling down her cheeks. Before she could stop herself, she began to cry. "...Stupid hormones!" She wailed once recognizing what she was doing, but still unable to quit.
She curled up on the couch, grabbing a pillow and pulling it to her chest to try to calm herself. But it only seemed to make it worse. So bad, she didn't hear the door opening or her husband's voice.
"Meg! I'm-" but his sentence cut short because of what he saw before him. His wife curled up in a fetal position, crying hysterically. Meg doesn't show this side of her often, so it made him all the more fearful.
"...Meg?!" Hercules ran to her, and kneeled down on the floor beside the couch, gently caressing her hair since her face was hidden in the depths of the pillow. "Honey, what's wrong?" He asked anxiously.
Lifting her head, she met her husband's loving, but concerned eyes. What if he never looks at you that way again? Her cynical mind asked mockingly, as if it was Hades himself asking her the question, just in her own voice. She shook her head, and buried it back into the pillow as more tears came.
"Hey, hey." Hercules cooed, getting up off the ground. Picking up his wife, he sat where she was once laying, and held her against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head as he pulled her even closer. "Shh ...I'm right here, Meg. It's okay." He tried, hoping it would ease whatever it was that was making her upset.
It seemed his choice of words did make her calm down some, her cries turning into sniffles and attempts to make herself stop crying. Soon; she looked back up into his eyes, not even thinking to wipe away her tears. A very un-Meg like thing to do. Hercules thought, taking it upon himself to do it for her. "Hey now, you wanna tell me what's wrong?" He asked again.
Meg lowered her gaze, but somehow made words come out. "I ...n-nothing's wrong, I mean I ...I don't think it's a bad thing, at least ...I h-hope it's not. I'm just-"
Hercules couldn't help but chuckle, nor resist the opportunity. "Are you always this articulate?"
His smirk widened when Meg huffed a small laugh, and rolled her violet eyes. It didn't last long though - much to Herc's disappointment. Her smile faded back into a concerned pout, and her eyes lowered once again.
Sighing; Hercules put his hand over one of her own, and her gaze went back to meet his. "Meg? Please ...tell me what's got you so upset. You know you can tell me anything." He said, finishing with a kiss on her forehead.
To that; she held back her negative thoughts, and looked at him. She bit her lip, desperately trying to make the few words form, but she stuttered the moment she opened her mouth.
Ugh! ...Just say it already! With the little courage she had; Meg took Herc's hand and placed it to her stomach. He quickly looked from his hand, then back to her face with possibly the most confused expression he's ever mustered.
"...I'm pregnant." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
Pain and Panic gasped, listening to their conversation. "It's time." Panic thought aloud. Pain turned to leave. "We've gotta go tell Hades! Let's bolt." Panic looked down sadly, then back to the window. He sighed, then turned to follow his friend.
Hercules' blue eyes widened. "Wh ...What?"
Timidity snuck back in, but Meg managed to repeat it a little louder. Tears started to brim her eyelashes again as well, thinking the worst was to come. "I-I'm pregnant, Herc."
Hercules' mouth dropped, but a huge grin took over. "Y-You're pregnant?" He couldn't contain himself; he lifted himself and Meg up off the couch and spun her around.
"You're pregnant!" He laughed happily, finally coming to a halt in fear of hurting Meg or the baby. He lowered his wife to the floor, but kept his hands on her cheeks as he kissed her. Once he pulled away; Hercules noticed she was now smiling hopefully. "Y-You're happy?"
Laughing again, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Of course! W-We're gonna have a baby! You're gonna be a mommy, and I-I-I'm gonna be a daddy." He looked to where the child they created was now growing, and he placed his hands to Meg's stomach so gently she could barely feel his hands touching her.
"W-Why wouldn't I be happy? You-" He suddenly stopped himself as a thought entered his cluttered mind. "Y-You thought ...you thought I was going to be upset?" He asked, getting his answer just by Meg's silence.
He smiled lovingly at his wife, putting one of his hands back to her cheek, using his knuckles to sweep across it. "That's why you were crying?"
Meg nodded sadly, but soon felt Hercules' forehead against hers with a cute, boyish grin on his face. "I love you, Meg. And as nervous and ...overprotective as I'm going to be-" he stopped for a second, hearing a chuckle escape his wife's lips. He smirked. "I am so happy about this baby."
Feeling silly about how she had acted earlier; Meg laughed joyfully, and jumped into Herc's arms for a hug, and he spun her around once more - joining her laughter.
"B-Boss!" Pain panted after the long run, tongue practically dragging across the dirt. Panic decided to finish though. "Boss?!"
Hades slowly turned to the two, silent, and his face expressionless but full of wonder all the same. Pain and Panic just nodded, not needing to tell him the news. Turning back to the pond; Hades stared at his reflection.
"H-H-Hades? ...Wh-What do we do now?" Panic asked timidly, twiddling his thumbs.
After a moment of silence, Hades answered back coldly with an evil smirk across his crooked face. "Now ...we wait."
((Okay, that's a wrap ...for now. Hope you enjoyed! Love you guys!))