Megara watched Hercules give himself up to the waves and wished that there was no danger in keeping him for herself. She wanted to share this feeling as the heat unwound her mind and all the tension in her body.
Almost all the tension.
There remained a primal hunger. She wanted to devour Hercules, and yet he was so far away…
The sound of wings overhead made her scramble to cover herself, and she rolled the scroll back up before the lapping of the waves could drag it into Poseidon's domain. Or worse, before unauthorized eyes could see it.
"There you are! What're you hidin' out here?" The gruff voice of the goat-man startled Megara, making her huddle instinctively against the stone closest to her.
"You were supposed to be chaperoned. What'd you do with the kid? And what's on that scroll?"
Megara clutched the scroll against her still-sensitive, now aching chest. "That's none of your business."
"Are you a witch?" the goatman stalked closer. "You look like you've been…" Philoctetes's face was filled with a knowing look, and Megara sensed that they were two adults aware of a secret. The fact that she was a teenager seemed irrelevant.
"Listen, I'm not a witch, and this is a sacred text bestowed on us by Aphrodite herself. Please… Herc and I just needed a minute, and we didn't do anything that would have any… lasting consequences. Can you maybe just mind your own business?"
Where was that spitfire attitude that propelled her through most confrontations? She felt as if her father were chastising her for something she'd said at a banquet.
"The kid's my business. His father told me to train him! But he keeps sneaking off to be with you instead of doing his training. Do you know how many laps he's missed because he's been here bein' lazy?"
"Do you know how many things we could've been doing if I was half as bad as you think I am? Just back off and let us figure ourselves out. We're getting engaged soon."
"Is that so? And where do you expect the kid to keep you? He's got a hammock, and it's barely enough space for him!"
"Do you expect him to sleep in a hammock and be your trainee for the rest of his life?" She combed her fingers through her sandy hair.
Hercules sloshed up to the shoreline and interposed himself between his trainer and his girlfriend. "Phil, you have got to pick one. Either I can hang out with people outside of training, like my friends or my girlfriend, or you're a tyrant, and I have no social life. How do you expect me to manage social engagements if you won't even let me talk to people?"
It was clear Hercules's question struck a nerve with Philoctetes, who seemed taken aback by it. "You… you also look…" He looked between them.
Megara sat on the sand, her knees arched to support her elbows. Her hands cupped her blushing cheeks, trying to hide the lingering effects of their quick session. "We were having a bit of fun," she said.
"Yeah, because she's my girlfriend, and we're getting engaged. We'll be married soon, too, and neither of us has done a lot of touching. Neither of us wants to go from zero to making a child in one night, so we're building our comfort level sanctioned by Aphrodite. Do you want me to summon her so you can lodge a complaint? I'm sure Aphrodite would like to make sure you and I have an even playing field."
The satyr gasped at the scandal of that suggestion. "That's different! I'm an adult, and you're still a trainee! I don't need to keep my body at the apex of fitness like you do!"
"Listen, it's not that I don't trust your advice in most things, but can you understand that I'm not a little kid anymore? I'm going to be eighteen soon, and I might be patient, but my patience is definitely not even close to infinite."
Philoctetes peered at him for a long moment before putting his hands up. "Fine. Fine!" He looked directly at Megara now. "I'm glad you've opened up Thebes for him, and he's going to have an easier time launching his career there."
By now, Megara had recovered from the buildup and resulting frustration, as well as her embarrassment at being confronted with the much older satyr. "I didn't do it for you," she said.
The satyr's face reddened. "I'm tryin' to be nice!"
"You could start by not shouting at my sister." Megarion loomed behind the satyr, Cassandra right on his heels. I'm here to help ensure they can spend some time together before the wedding, and my parents might think that means making it more difficult for them, but I'm actually trying to do the opposite. You could stand to do the same."
Philoctetes whirled around. "Where'd you come from?"
"I've been in the non-buzzkill zone; you should join me there sometime. We could be equally unobtrusive."
"Don't invite him to the reading umbrella. He'd ruin it," Cassandra said. "He'd tell us we weren't holding the scroll right, or he'd try to eat it."
"I wouldn't…" Phil paused. "Are we talkin' Egyptian papyrus or–"
"Oh!" Icarus exclaimed, hopping up and down behind Megarion. "I know!" He put the edge of Cassandra's scroll in his mouth. "I bet it's lotus leaf from the island of the lotus eaters!"
"It doesn't matter!" Cassandra snapped and snatched her scroll away from him. "But don't get in the way of our reading. You don't have to be a buzzkill every day."
"There's one thing you can help me with," Hercules said. "I need to pick something to present Meg at the coronation. Will you help me pick how I'll declare my intention to marry her?"
Phil crossed his arms. "Who do I look like, Aphrodite?"
"Perfect! See? I knew you could help me!" Hercules pivoted to Megara and knelt to take her hands. "I'll see you again in a couple of days, Meg. I'll wipe all doubt out of your father and brother, and they'll let us be together." His eyes gleamed. "I look forward to knowing new ways we can be together."
Megara passed him the pink scroll. "Read this in the meantime, then. Pick what we do next."
Hercules gulped, but he pressed the scroll to his chest and bowed his head to kiss her. "I'll do my best to pick something that'll please you, Meg, on both counts."
"That's our cue to leave," Megarion said. "We'll be in Thebes after curfew if we dally any longer." He took Megara by the arm and paused before he walked away with her. "Herc, if she wants to come along, you should bring Cassandra." Though he hadn't spoken directly to Cassandra, his smoldering eyes did all the talking for him. "Maybe we'll start a scroll club to share that scroll from Aphrodite."
Cassandra let out a sigh, hugging her scroll to her chest. She swooned to the sand, forcing Icarus to catch her or let her squash him.
Somehow, he did both.
"Come on," Megarion said, pulling his sister away. That's our cue to get out of here."
Megara waved to Hercules as she climbed into the carriage with her brother. The horses had been watered and rested enough to set off at a hearty trot away from Athens.
"That could've gone worse," Megarion noted when they were far enough away to consider themselves alone.
"By which you mean it went well?"
"You obviously enjoyed yourself."
"And you? Did you do any reading?"
"Sure I did," Megarion smirked across the carriage at her, then slowly relapsed into the typical grim Theban aspect. "We can only hope today went half as well back home."