Sleep did not provide the haven Megara was hoping for. No sooner did her head hit the pillow than she sank into the gem-encrusted Underworld.
This time, Hades sat on his throne, looking down his nose at her. "So, you never told me what you thought of my remodel. I thought you'd enjoy it more like this, princess."
Megara was too exhausted for this. Recalling the last time this had happened, she was at least grateful that she and Harmonia were no longer so interconnected that the baby relied on her to survive. She could face Hades down on her own terms now.
"What do you want from me?" she droned at him.
"Ah, don't be like that, Meg! We used to get along so well! There's no need to be so hostile."
"You're delusional, aren't you? Or did the vortex scrub your brain and make you look like the good guy?"
Hades pressed a hand to his chest in mock injury. "You always had quite an attitude, Meg, but we can work together now. What's got you so upset? You have everything you ever wanted. Everyone's got a little taste of something, but me, I've got nothing. Except what I've given myself." He raised his arms, and the gemstones around him glowed. "All this time, I hadn't taken the time to appreciate what I had."
This sounded a lot like contentment. She'd never heard anything like it from him. Should she trust it? "Does that mean you're not about to try and overthrow Zeus again?"
"For what? A bunch of clouds and a family full of humorless saps?" Hades shrugged. "I realized everything eventually flows down to me, and everything anyone wants already belongs to me. So I don't need to fight it or scheme or anything. All I have to do is wait. I'm impressed you survived a baby from Wonder Breath. But how about the next one or the one after that? Then you'll come to me. I can't take him into my domain, but you will join me."
"That's not the plan. Herc and I are working on making me a goddess so I can join him instead. That goes for me and all my children. I won't belong to you, and neither will any of them."
Hades shrugged and settled back on his throne.
The Underworld around them started to grow hazy, and Hades hardened his stare as he watched her.
"You're not going anywhere. We're not done," he said.
A meadow appeared in place of the Underworld. Pegasus flapped around the boundaries of the meadow, hopping between treetops and following a series of songbirds, trying to mimic their songs.
Megara was confused at first, but then she realized that everything in the dream was painted with a golden haze.
Hades watched her as long as he could, but the golden haze overpowered him and left her in a dream of the meadow. Now, sheep populated that meadow, and Harmonia sat beside her in a little shepherdess hat that shadowed her delicate skin from the sun.
Hercules flopped down between them, wearing a white single-shoulder chiton with a blue fringe. "How are my girls?" he asked, smiling up at them.
"Hades was…" she started, but judging by the patient smile he wore, he knew.
This was his counter-move.
Hades wanted her trapped in a dark and foreboding dream, but he would offer her something completely different.
"I think we're both having a great time," she said and embraced the child. She felt Harmonia in her arms, and that warmth was real. Maybe she had been taken away from them for a time, but now Hercules was keeping her where she wanted to be. She could relax in Hercules's power, where he would protect her from outside influences.
Seemingly aware of the conclusion she'd reached, Hercules kissed her and Harmonia, then grabbed them both in his arms and rolled around with them in the grass.
Harmonia squealed, then dissolved into babyish laughter that forced Megara to laugh along with her.
"What are you doing?" she asked, but the answer came when they went tumbling together down the hill.
They landed together, with Harmonia and Megara both resting atop Hercules's chest. He leaned up and kissed them both so quickly they were unable to stop laughing.
Then he let them go, and they saw Pegasus waiting for them.
Harmonia got up and ran toward Pegasus, arms open wide. She clasped her arms tightly about the horse's nose and rubbed her face into it.
"Is that really her?" Megara whispered now that she was alone with him.
"I think so. I tried to loop you both in when I realized what Hades was doing." Hercules pulled Megara to a seated position and kept his arms around her. "If Hades can pull nasty tricks like that, I've got to stay adaptable. He's teaching me new powers by necessity."
"He always has…" Megara rested her cheek on his shoulder. "In a few years… This could be real."
"It's real now, as far as I'm concerned. Besides," he shot her a wicked look, "By the time she's this big, you'll be all healed up, and we'll have even more of our little ones to cherish."
Megara glanced down at her dream self and chuckled. "I noticed you pulled me in, looking like my usual self."
"I thought you'd have more fun if you weren't thinking about how much healing you have left to do," he shrugged. Besides, this is how I remember you most clearly, so it was easier to imagine." He leaned closer and rested his brow against hers. "Tell me next time my uncle's doing something horrible… if you can. I only knew something was up because you started to feel cold."
"Am I still cold?"
"No." he brushed his nose against hers. "You're perfectly safe. That's how I'm going to keep you."
A pink light appeared in the sky, drawing Hercules's attention. "I've got to end it now, so I'm sorry if I wake you up."
"I'll see if Harmonia is hungry. Maybe we should take her outside and show her Pegasus to see if she remembers him."
"Sounds great."
The dream dissolved around her, but she was left in gentle contentment rather than disappointment. Megara woke to hear Hera's voice in her room.
"Zeus planned to present this to her, but… events intervened…"
"You mean his plan to excuse Hades and let him do as he wished was revealed, and we all realized what a coward he is?"
"Yes… that. But Zeus wanted Harmonia to be included in our family. He's always wanted our family to get along, and it doesn't sit well with him that Hades is irredeemable. I apologize that he allowed his slothfulness and hope for a better family dynamic to interfere with Harmonia and Megara's wellbeing."
"If he weren't a baby right now, I'd be so angry with him. But all I want right now is to keep my girls alive. So, if you want to help me, we need to think of domains for little Moni and Meg. They need to become divine as soon as possible. Hades can't have them. He was already trying to hurt Meg, and I had to stop him. He can't get Moni, either."
"I understand," Hera said with deep solemnity. "Please don't hold this against your entire family. We will help you in any way we can. Now that my mother is making the rules on the mountain, we ought to find a true solution to this situation."
Megara's eyes adjusted enough to see a medal that matched Hercules's, but this one had a pink, sparkly band. She knew it was something direct from Hera, but she hoped Harmonia had similar tastes or that would get annoying.
She smiled sleepily and wobbled out of bed to grab Harmonia. "Nice to see you…" she mumbled to Hera. "In a few weeks, it'll be dangerous to join us here, though. Once I'm all healed up, the clothes are coming off." She lifted Harmonia into her arms as the girl had apparently realized her dream of a flying horse was over.
She was fussing, and her tiny red fists were balled up in rage.
"Then I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of you," Hera said. "After all, I'm still available to consult for advice with your next pregnancy."