Megara hadn't enjoyed a trip to the beach in years. If not for the petrified corpses littering the shoreline, she might have lounged among the smooth pebbles and admired the Aegean. But this was a business trip, with no time for pleasure. Her "sunglasses," as Hades called them, weren't to protect her from the sun. They were more like gorgon glasses.

Due to Hades's insistence on consistent branding, looking through them turned everything blue as the sea. Could have been worse. Hades might have found it funny to send her into the gorgon's den with nothing to keep her alive. She'd just have to hope that Medusa didn't overpower the enchanted lenses.

How best to signal herself as friendly?

"Kalimera!" she called. "I am Megara of Thebes, here on behalf of Hades, Lord of the Underworld! Can you spare a minute to discuss a business proposition?"

No answer.

If Medusa represented two years closer to her freedom, Medusa was going to hear from her.

"No soliciting!" shouted a voice from one of the cliffside caves.

"Tresspassers will be stoned!"

Megara put her hands up. "I'm only here because the Lord of the Underworld has big plans, and he wants to offer you opportunities to participate in his new regime! Will you at least year me out?" She hadn't anticipated more than one gorgon. Sooner or later, Hercules would have to face them, even if they didn't join Hades. Personally recruiting them wasn't a morally outstanding thing to do, but maybe it wasn't the worst thing, either. Still, she had to wonder how he'd handle multiple gorgons… She'd think of that later.

One snake-crowned head, then another emerged from the caves. They were much larger than Hades had given her any indication they would be. Why did they have to be giants? How was she supposed to sound good while screaming up at them?

"Wait! Girls, let me handle the saleswoman!" A human-sized gorgon rushed out of a cave at ground level, waving her hands. "Hi! I'm Medusa! So glad to see a new face around here! Euryale, Stheno! I mean it. Let me do the talking!"

The gigantic gorgons retreated into their hissing shadows.

Medusa drew close enough then for Megara to notice she wore a set of eyeglasses similar to her own. These were pink and heart-shaped, like the leftovers of an Aphrodesia dance party. "Wow, you really are from Team Hades, huh? Looks like Hades decided to take a note out of Aphrodite's playbook. Glad he sent you out here prepared. How are things down there in the Chthonic League?"

"No different than the last time you checked in. Asphodel isn't much of a fast-paced work environment. Everyone there already knows there's no upward mobility."

She'd hung out with Hades too long.

Medusa chuckled. "Same old jokes, too, huh?"

"Hardly get any new material down there, to be honest. Only one guy's talking, and he never stops."

"I know that's true." Medusa tapped one heart-shaped lens. "Good thing I had a backup deity with an escape route, or we'd both be down there in those board meetings. Is he still making everyone stare at his chessboard?"

"Only multiple times a day. You get used to counting the squares. Anyway, the boss tells me you used to work with him. Any interest in doing some light freelance work?"

"Depends on what he wants, but it's probably nothing good. I've been keeping things peaceful on the island since I moved in, even if sometimes it annoys my sisters. I get the feeling if Hades got his hooks back into me, I'd start doing the opposite." For a monster, Medusa didn't seem to have all that much fighting spirit to her. It didn't bode well for the deal.

"A distinct possibility, but Hades is willing to offer you a more permanent transformation status and a rewards program."

"I guess he's still moving forward with his whole, 'take over the world' bit?" Her green scaly fingers wiggled air quotes as she spoke. Her snakes wriggled with disapproval.

Megara rolled her eyes. "Does he ever stop? Anyway, I was just glad to get a break from male monsters for a while. They're worse than human men, if you can believe it."

"Not all humans I've met are all that bad, but I think I know what you mean." Medusa gestured into the cave. If there was a trick on its way, at least Megara could comfort herself with the knowledge that it would be over quickly.

Once Megara's eyes adjusted to the shadows, she recognized all the hallmarks of an average household. There was a dining couch with a low table, and a bed tucked behind a screen to shield from the sun. There was a hearth with a small series of votive statues to Hestia and Demeter, but primarily featuring Aphrodite.

"Probably didn't know 'em long enough to learn the truth about them before they got petrified," Megara remarked, sinking onto the couch that surprised her with how normal it seemed.

"There was one time…" Medusa brought her a plate of smoked fish and some water. "I only let Hades get the better of me because I wanted to talk to a boy. There was a sort of predictable set of misunderstandings on both sides, but he's a good guy. What about you, though? What'd he offer you?" Medusa tilted her head, making her snakes bob around her. "You don't look like you'd have a problem getting dates with humans."

"I've sort of had the opposite problem, actually. But this isn't about me. Would you be interested in renewing your contract? For a limited time, Hades is willing to offer you and your sisters dominion over the seas, as long as you are loyal to him."

"We're not interested," Medusa began to say, but another voice from outside the cave interrupted her.

"Speak for yourself!" The voice was feminine, but complete with a feral growl.

Megara jumped, only to recognize that the voice was coming from the same hole that vented the hearth fire.

"Send the mortal upstairs so we can talk!" another female voice added. "Hades has never made us an offer this good before!"

Medusa chewed her lip with fanged teeth, but a moment later, she gestured Megara into the cave. "I hope Hades won't abandon you here if things go south."

"Trust me, I wish he would."

"I'm not done talking to her. Stop eavesdropping!" Medusa called. She clasped her hands on her lap. "So, Megara… I've gotta say, I'm not really game for overthrowing Aphrodite. I owe her a lot."

Megara glanced around the cave. "I can see that."

"It's not about the outsides, it's the insides I'm talking about," Medusa set a hand on Megara's shoulder. "I did go out with that guy, but I wasn't ready for a relationship. I needed Aphrodite to teach me about the other kinds of love first, starting with friendship. Now I'm learning about the love of family. My sisters and I don't always get along, but we love each other. We're all we have in the world, after all. We're the only people who can look each other in the eyes."

"That's gotta be great for you," Megara responded in a monotone. "So this guy. No interest in seeing him again?"

"Kinda don't think he'd be all that happy to see me if I was helping upend the cosmos, y'know what I mean? Heroes aren't really into chaos."

The blood running through Megara's arms froze over. Her fingers went numb, so she set down the food and water her hostess had offered her before she could drop them. "He was a hero?"

"I'm sure he still is. I always sensed a powerful destiny around him. Hades almost got him killed, but I tricked him into bringing my friend back to life. He's not the type to get knocked out of the game."

"Must've been some guy." A notably absent one.

"He was…" Medusa gazed into the shadows of her cave, a hand pressed over her heart.

"More than a friend?" Megara guessed.

"Almost. But it would've been too dangerous for us to stay that close. It was sweet, though. He's the kindest, most empathetic guy I ever met! Not… that I've met too many. But he was definitely heroic, even if he hadn't completed his training, yet."

Megara had a sick suspicion that she knew exactly who fit the profile, but why should she assume that every guy who got brought up in a conversation was Hercules? She wasn't obsessed with him. "A fully trained hero would be formidable, no? For someone like you, it should be important to look out for when they're searching for ways to prove themselves. Have you seen the heroes they're putting out these days? Like burnished bronze sunbeams full of unbridled power. We should all be worried." Ok. Maybe she was a little fixated on one in particular.

Medusa giggled. "Sounds positively scintillating… Sure you're not crushing on one, yourself?"

"Definitely not. I'm over love. Never did anything but turn people into raving lunatics. I learned that lesson once. I'm not fool enough to repeat the experience."

"I'm sorry." Medusa placed a cold hand over Megara's. "That's no way to go through life. I know I was so desperate for someone to love me I almost killed the one person I cared about the most, but that feeling also taught me how to put others before myself. I could've taken the transformation back into a human for myself, but I gave it to him. I've never regretted it, even though I have to stay isolated out here. I know Hercules will do great things, and I'm glad he's alive."

Megara's heart stopped, but Medusa kept going.

"He was just the sweetest boy I ever met! It was nice while it lasted, but the best thing I took from that experience was learning a new perspective on life. Now I try to see the world Aphrodite's way. There's a possibility for all kinds of friendships no matter where you look! And maybe someday, I'll find a guy I can fall in love with who won't be in danger around me. It would only take one accident, y'know?"

Still reeling, Megara forced herself to smile. "Uh-huh… Would you believe he's why Hades sent me here?"

Medusa bared her teeth, and her forked tongue flicked out. "What? Hades wants me to fight Hercules? Hasn't he figured out yet where my loyalties lie?"

"You don't have to accept." Megara hopped to her feet. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not invested in this war effort, but I had a contractual obligation to have this chat with you. Otherwise, Hades was going to… well, I know for sure he'd add more years onto my sentence, but I don't know what else he would do. I'm sorry to inconvenience you. If I see Hercules, I'll put in a good word for you."

"You will?" Medusa followed Megara to her feet.

"You both seem like good people. Maybe the timing was wrong last time, but who knows? Other people seem to believe in love, and Aphrodite seems to like you. Maybe if you're into that kind of thing, you can reconnect over a fake fight. Could get… interesting."

"Maybe…" Medusa followed Megara out of her cave. "But Meg–"

"Megara."

"Right. How'd you meet him?"

"On the job. You know how it is. Hades sends you out to do a few errands, and heroes can't help tripping over you."

Medusa giggled. "Yeah… Sounds familiar! So… Hercules is finally launching his career. Is he still handsome?"

"I wouldn't know about that." Megara fussed with her hair, fighting off imagined frizz. She couldn't wait to get out of there, even if it meant having to explain the circumstances to Hades.

A hand on her shoulder made Megara twitch. "What's Hades gonna do to you when he hears I said no?"

"Don't worry about that, I can handle it."

"What if I said yes?"

Megara resisted the urge to look over her shoulder just in case Medusa's glasses had slipped. "You really don't have to do that. I'd never want to see one of my exes again, I doubt you're in a hurry."

"With him, it's different… Tell Hades to let me know where to find Hercules, or even… tell him to send you to wait for him to show up. You seem like you could use a friend."

Megara's whole body went tense. "Hercules knows me. If he sees me too many times, he'll get suspicious."

"Are you sure?" Medusa laughed softly, audibly lost in a memory. "I think Hercules is a lot of things, but he's not necessarily observant. He'd probably just be happy to see you."

"Tell me this, then." Megara whipped around, face burning. "If he's so great, why aren't you still dating?"

"I already told you. We weren't–"

"He abandoned you, didn't he? He comes off as this innocent, sweet guy, but there has to be a catch. Who is he really? What's he hiding?"

"He's not hiding anything. I doubt he could hide anything if he tried. I was beyond lonely when we met, to the point that I couldn't function around people. He's got so much training to do, or at least he did, plus he had school, and we couldn't go anywhere together. But for just a few weeks, we were the best friends in the world. Then I had a few too many close calls with the glasses and decided we could never relax long-term. Even with all the near-misses, I'd never take it back. Hades likes to take the things that hurt us and turn them into our whole world."

"He makes good points."

"Yeah, about a lot of people. Just… the next time you see Hercules, give him a chance. Trust me, there's more to him than Hades would like you to know about."

By now, she knew it was true. Megara tightened her smile into a hard line. "We'll be in touch."

"Tell Hades we're in!" One of the massive gorgons shouted down from her cave. "Now get out!"