Hey guys, hope you're still enjoying my nonsense! Summer is a difficult time for me to update as I usually either go camping a lot, or get wracked with migraines because of the extreme humidity. It's like you can swim through the air here sometimes. But yeah when I hit writers block... delays like this happen.
Oh yeah, I found a few continuity errors I made: It was Rada who originally bandaged Meg's wrists, not Alex. The Daily Hornet was a place they interviewed at previously (the night after the movie events), then I repeated the name for a second interview by accident instead of picking a name for a new place. In the chapter "tepid waters" she got out of the bath because the water got cold, but then later told Herc to use the water before it got cold. Please feel free to call me out on more so I can correct them.
Geordi15: I am proud of RW in the sense that I manage to stick with a project for so long. It helped shape my writing style, and help me figure out my strengths/weaknesses. I hope my growth as a writer is noticable, as my style in RW was... primitive. But wow, I'm so pleased you think so highly of this piece! Thank you!
Dinner became far less stressful once I convinced Hercules to change subjects. Phil had brought out the jugs of spiced wine, and we descended into stories and laughter. After some time I was feeling anxious in the cramped confines and made my way outside. The sea breeze on the island made the hot summer evening feel milder than it was; the cloud cover was thin and I sat on the grass, leaning against the stone wall and looked up to the stars.
Hercules's constellation was the easiest to spot, as was The Hunter, and his greater dog; the hydra that Hercules had so heroically sent back to the sky, and the various others that danced across the night. The dark pink streak of the milky way splashing the sky with color, mingled with its dark spots and stripes. I sipped at the cup in my hand, and smirked a little as Hercules and Phil's drunken laughter broke the silence, echoed by barking. After some time the noise died down, and several more moments later Phil came out of his home to walk up to me, instantly setting my nerves on edge.
"Hey kid," He said, and took a seat next to me,
"Hey," I replied hesitantly, glancing at him from the corner of my eye as I sipped at the wine to ensure I couldn't say anything untoward. His very presence was enough to set my nerves on edge. Settle girl, he gave you a second chance. Give him one.
"Look... I owe you an apology," ...didn't expect that. "I don't mean to keep diggin' at ya over the whole Hades thing..." I shifted uncomfortably, and thumbed the rim of the goblet in my hand unsure how to reply. "I never thanked you," He started up again,
"For what?" I scoffed, lifting a brow.
"Savin' Herc ya idiot. C'mon ya know what I was getting at," He replied, though his insults lacked their usual cutting edge. "He's like a son to me... dunno what I woulda' done if somethin' happened to him,"
"What did you expect me to do?" I replied, wanting to vanish from this conversation. We had briefly exchanged words about it once while Hercules fought for Olympus, and I didn't want to a second time. I just didn't walk to talk to anyone about it. I didn't even want to talk to Hercules about it.
" 'Dunno what I expected. Just... thank you. I know you insist ya weren't bein' brave, but still... thank you." I looked over at him briefly and smiled a little. "Now you better keep provin' me wrong," I looked at him and lifted a brow, and after a few seconds of silence he continued "I always figured you were bad for him, keep provin me wrong," He clarified.
"Are you really giving me that speech? Touch early don't you think?" I replied. While Hercules and I had enjoyed months of friendship, we had only tread into more intimate territory for less than a week.
"Yeah," He stated bluntly. "He's head ova heels for ya, so ya better keep provin' me wrong about my first impressions," He repeated. I smiled at this, feeling some of my anxiety sitting alone with the satyr ebbing.
"As long as you do the same," I replied, "Keep proving me wrong about you." I clarified when I saw the confused look on his face.
"Deal," He agreed. I looked back up to the sky, my view of the stars growing more obscured as the cloud cover grew thicker. "Come on, let's go back in," Phil offered, standing and waving his had towards the door. I nodded to him, and followed him back outside. Hercules was sitting on the floor playing with Echo and greeted us with a strange level of enthusiasm considering I had only been outside for a quarter hour and Phil even less. The puppy came up to greet us as well, trying hard to lick my face as I tried to dodge his tongue and pet him at the same time.
"Herc, it's getting late," I commented, trying to imply I was ready to leave.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," He looked through the small window, "I don't usually like to make Pegasus fly in the dark from the island. Why don't we just spend the night?" He offered, and my expression must have relayed my obvious distaste. "Oh come on, it's not that bad," he continued. I glanced around the single-room home, with small bed barely large enough for Hercules, and a smaller hammock above it where I imagined that Phil must have slept when they lived together.
"There isn't room for three," I remarked. Even if Phil was willing to let us share a bed it was too small for one of us, let alone share it.
"I'll just sleep on the floor, you take the bed. I can't fit in Phil's hammock anyway," his voice a bit too cheerful for someone saying they would sleep on the ground.
"That doesn't sound like the most comfortable night for you..." I grimaced.
"I've had worse. Besides, it's not like I'd just let you sleep on the floor. Wouldn't be very heroic of me to sleep in the bed and banish you to the floor," He began to chuckle at the end of his sentence as Echo licked and nipped at his toes. I got the feeling that even if I continued to argue he would insist I sleep in the bed with promises of leaving first thing in the morning.
"I'll get out some extra linens," Phil broke into the conversation, climbing up the furniture into a storage nook stuffed with extra blankets which he tossed to the hero.
"You sure you'll be alright on the floor?" I asked. In Tartarus I had spent many a night curled in a blanket on the stone hearth in the fury chamber, so a stone floor was no stranger to me. I felt uncomfortable making Hercules be the one banished from the bed when I was sure I would get a better night's rest than he would that way. But that would mean talking about uncomfortable subjects, and losing the argument in the end anyway.
"I'll be fine," He insisted. "We'll go home first thing in the morning, okay?" He added, and I sighed,
"If you insist. But for the record you're making me feel bad that you're sleeping on the floor,"
"I'll be fine," He insisted again. I lifted a brow at him, "It's my idea to stay anyway," he added quickly. "I knew when I suggested it I would be sleeping on the floor. You're not making me do anything!" He insisted. I sighed, giving him a skeptical look but just gave in with a shrug and a roll of the eyes,
"If you insist," I replied, trying to make it clear I was agreeing only because I had no other choice. I made my way over to the small bed and sat on the edge, watching Hercules lay down everything Phil had given him, rolling a torn ancient looking wool blanket as a makeshift pillow. He flopped down onto the messy pile of blankets with a solid sounding 'thud', "It's a floor Herc," I winced
"I'm fine!" He replied, his attempt at nonchalance unsuccessful,
"You okay there? That sounded like it hurt," He flashed me a winning smile in reply, and an enthusiastic thumbs up,
"Oh yeah," He tried to assure me. I shook my head, and rolled my eyes expecting them to fall out of my head.
"If you say so Wonderboy, but I think it's time to ease up on the wine" I smirked at him and he grinned back, chuckling. Echo, realizing that Hercules was on the ground, came bounding over and started jumping all over the incumbent hero.
"Whoa, down boy," He laughed, petting the excited pup. Echo, after being pushed down a handful of times, settled on jumping onto the end of the bed I was sleeping on. I moved to put him back on the floor but damn it that dog was just too adorable. I flipped back myself now, and crinkled my nose at the hammock directly above me. I suddenly wished Hercules had just let me be the one on the floor, the thought of Phil sleeping hardly an arm-length above me was disconcerting to say the least.
"Well of both o ya are hittin' the sack I guess I will too," Phil drawled. He waddled over to the edge of the bed, failing to excuse himself as he all but crawled over me to leap up and grasp the edge of his hammock and pulling himself in. I shot Hercules an annoyed glance who just gave me a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Now you kids behave!"He shouted,
"He's on the floor," I retorted to the comment.
"Hey I know how sneaky you can be! I ain't assumin' nothin' just 'cause ya ain't sharin' a bed,"
"Phi!" Hercules shouted, his embarrassment clear by his tone and the deep flush spreading across his cheeks to his ears. I felt the same heat spreading to my own cheeks and bit my lip to keep myself from turning the inappropriate comment into a fight. For Wonderboy's sake... My motives were purely altruistic. Had nothing to do with my own chagrin.
The night would have been soothingly quiet had it not been for Hercules and Phil having a snoring contest. I rolled onto my other side, bored of staring at the wall and decided to stare at a different one. I shifted my gaze onto Hercules lying on the floor and wished I could sleep as soundly as he could. I was a bit surprised at this sudden onset of insomnia. I had done little more than sleep since descending from Olympus, so the fact suddenly I couldn't sleep struck me as irritating. Even Echo was sleeping soundly near my feet, making small noises that were far too adorable to be real.
I rolled onto my back, glaring up at the hammock above me having to suppress a strong urge to kick it. At least that would stop this incessant snoring. The resulting fight would almost be worth it. As a bonus would wake up Hercules too and stop his snoring. Despite the temptation I managed to control myself. I slid my feet out from under Echo without waking him, and somehow crawled out of bed and out the front door without waking anyone, the snoring contest continued.
The night was mild with a pleasant wind, and I made my way towards a small cliff overlooking the ocean. I was finally far enough away to enjoy the quiet of the night, marked now with the sounds of insects. The grass was soft, and not yet wet; too early for morning dew to form. The cloud cover still too thick to enjoy the stars and I sighed, looking towards the inky blackness of the sea. I could hear the waves crashing against the cliff, and smell the salty spray. I pondered simply trying to sleep out here, but ruled it out when I realized how bad Wonderboy would panic if he woke to find me missing. The wounds of the battle for Olympus were still to fresh.
"Megara," I froze, feeling the hairs on my arms and neck stand on end as my heart rate accelerated at the sudden voice. I turned around sharply and could see Aphrodite standing a meter away from me, her hands at her sides. I sat in silence for a few moments, biting back the harsh words that rose to mind reminding myself that she was, in fact, a goddess; and my behavior during our last conversation may not have been looked upon with favor. "I'm sorry to bother you in the middle of the night but I noticed you were awake, and more importantly alone. Listen to me," She stepped closer and I got to my feet, crossing my arms in front of my chest and stared her down, not trusting myself to speak. "I know you lost faith in me, not that I can blame you," She twirled a hand, "but I came to talk to you again. Not just to apologize. After we spoke it got me thinking. Remembering the young girl I would watch from Olympus and how everything just always went so wrong," The goddess sighed deeply, lolling her head back a little, slumping her shoulders. "I think someone was working against me. Why? I have no idea. But never before had my efforts been in vain," She carried on and I clutched at my arms a little tighter.
"What do you mean?" I asked,
"I think I was sabotaged. For whatever reason, someone didn't want me to succeed at letting you find love," She regained her posture, gaining an air of confidence that when matched with her stunning beauty made her intimidating. "I was talking with Demeter, and well long story short she was the one who pointed it out,"
"Why would anyone care enough about me to sabotage you?" I inquired, getting the feeling this was not an answer I would want. It made me wonder of the Sword of Damocles was more than just a superstition, if someone really did hold a grudge against my family for more reasons than my father's station.
"That's what I'm trying to discover," Aphrodite replied.
"But if someone was trying to sabotage you," And my own chance at happiness, "Why would they have suddenly stopped? I mean, with Hercules and all, I'd say if they wanted to keep me away from... love..." The word came with difficulty. At this, Aphrodite chuckled.
"Silly girl..." Her tone didn't carry the condescension the words would have normally carried, "You and Hercules have something too strong too break... Oh don't give me that look, I'm the goddess of love after all, trust me I know what I'm talking about. Facing a traumatic event together, or facing death together, creates a certain bond between people" She continued. I felt my cheeks burning and broke eye contact. She was talking as if Hercules and I had been married for decades. We had been friends for shy of a year, and romantically involved for the shockingly long span of a week. "Whoever has been sabotaging me... us... can't break that bond," I shook my head now,
"This all sounds like some immense conspiracy. Gods trying to sabotage each other over one simple mortal who, in the grand scheme, doesn't matter?" I scoffed.
"The Sword of Damocles," She replied to my skepticism, as if she had read my previous thoughts.
"That's just-"
"We both know it's not just a myth, Megara," She seemed to be growing impatient with my arguing, and I flinched at the use of my full name. "I think it's related,"
"That curse brings death to my family, not simply unhappiness. I mean... they go kind of hand-in-hand, but why would the pattern change for me?" I asked, trying to sound confused rather than argumentative.
"You did die, dear," She explained, as if to a child. "If every attempt at love hadn't failed, you never would have been left by the man you sold your soul for, enslaved to Hades, met Hercules, and sustained those fatal injuries saving him. I think whoever is enforcing the curse is who sabotaged me,"
"The long con," I stated,
"Yes. And I want to find who it is to stop them." She sneered, her fists balling.
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because if someone is interfering with your life like this you deserve to know. And this effects Hercules's life too, he is my half-brother after all. Like I told you before, you were always one of my favorite mortals. I care about you," It felt strange to hear that come from someone who had only interacted with me personally once before. "I'll tell you more when I learn more. But rest easy knowing whoever is doing this will be caught, and can't break what you currently have," She gave me a smile and vanished in a puff of pink smoke, leaving me standing there alone, confused, and deeply concerned.
Well here is the long-delayed update. As I stated before I am not including the Zeus arc, but using RW as a framework I had to come up with a (more coherent) replacement for the storyline that went nowhere. I hope you enjoyed this update.