It wasn't easy, but Megara restrained her cackling until they reached the baths. "Your face!" she wheezed.

"What? I thought you liked my face." Hercules set her down with something of a smirk forming on his otherwise stupefied features.

"Oh, but when I tease you in front of people, you get all flustered. It's hilarious!"

He made another face entirely, one that she couldn't read. "I think you could get flustered, too, if people knew what Aphrodite wrote in her scroll."

Megara felt her cheeks bloom as pink as the scroll.

"See? I'm not the only one. Maybe I used to be, but we're even." Hercules tilted his head away, which somehow made the cocky grin that spread across his face all the more heart-stopping. When had he learned to look at her like that? "Y'know, when I was out there fighting the monster, I kept thinking of you… and how I had to destroy the thing for you."

"For me? What about you? You literally jumped into its mouth!"

"Heh! Yeah, I had a sneaking suspicion it couldn't get along without its jaws."

"Oh, now you're mister funny man, are you? You're the one who ran off into danger and opened the cave to reveal our ancient enemy when you knew it was in there. What was that for?"

"It existed, and there was an audience to watch me kill it. If I'm going to be a hero, people need to believe in me."

"So it was for show? What if it'd killed you?"

Hercules raised a brow at her. She wished he hadn't picked that up from her. "I'm pretty sure it's my destiny to be a hero, and if I died right out the gate, I wouldn't be worthy of my destiny." He started to remove his armor. "But you know, Meg, I heard you screaming out there. I'm sorry I upset you."

She was trying to hold on to that disapproval, but she could only stare at him. "I wish you'd consult me on things like that…" she sighed, but it wasn't entirely with frustration.

The changes he'd undergone while they were apart were still new to her. She could see the marks on his skin, which had stretched to accommodate new knots of muscle as they bulged off his frame. Her fingers wandered into the creases between the muscles on his upper arm. "Listen, I know your career is important, but so are you. I don't want to see you make choices that might separate us without consulting me. Maybe there wasn't enough time today, but you can understand why it hurt that you sent me away, right?"

"Of course." Hercules bowed his head over hers and brushed his face through her hair. "Today was different, but the next time, I'll let you stick closer if I think the enemy is less of a threat. Every time I fight a monster, there tends to be collateral damage. I'd hate it if you were injured in an encounter. All sorts of things get knocked over when I'm fighting. I've grabbed columns off of buildings to swing at an enemy, and I've gotten punched through my share of walls. If a monster knew you were with me and targeting you would distract me, he absolutely would. It's too dangerous to test the limits; there's only one of you, and there are no second chances."

"There's only one of you, too. You can try to protect me, but what about me protecting you?"

He pulled back, looked her over, and hid the obvious behind a sheepish smile. "Uh… I-I don't wanna disrespect you or anything, but…"

"I'm not a demigod," she said. "But I'm clever enough to help you strategize, right? I can be helpful."

"What happens when you catch one stray blow from a monster? What happens when something goes crashing through a building and a column lands on you?" Hercules took her by the elbows and drew her closer. "Not on my watch, Meg. Your safety is non-negotiable. But I'm grateful for how you helped me get through today. If there's no choice, we'll obviously make it up as we go along. But I'd like to separate my hero business from my personal life. The moment you're associated with my work, there's going to be a target painted on you."

"There's always been a target on me. Remember what Hades tried to do months ago? Hades is the one shoving all these monsters in your face. He was even behind what happened today!"

Hercules nodded and wrapped one arm around her while removing the rest of his armor. Then he kicked off his sandals, picked her back up, and carried her toward the water's edge. "I know you're here to help, but let's focus on how great it is to be alive together, all right? I hate the idea that my career puts you in danger. I need to keep you safe."

Megara unwound her sash and unpinned the straps at her shoulders. "Athena gave me armor, too, you know."

Hercules cast his eyes swiftly over her figure. "Would it still fit?"

"Of course it would!" Megara blushed darkly. "It was loose to begin with."

"Then, by all means, wear it daily. But don't try to fight anything unless you get some help training. Phil might be convinced to help you. Until then, please keep my greatest treasure safe." He kissed her softly and sank into the water with her.

Megara's dress floated off as if it had been entirely unfastened. She tossed it to the edge of the bath and wrapped both arms around Hercules. As they went underwater, they met in a kiss. Their eyes closed in mutual passion.

When they came back up, Hercules pulled back with a sigh. "Do I still smell like fear sweat?"

"Yes, but that's easily remedied." She nodded to a basket near the water's edge. "Pick some oils from there. There's a wide enough selection that you should find one you'd like."

Hercules nodded and reached across her to the basket.

Presented with an arm close to her face, Megara leaned up to kiss it and let her lips brush along it as he moved.

Hercules paused and groaned. "Meg, I was hoping we could make this last for a while…"

"Are you saying you'd be finished off by a single kiss to the arm, Wonder Boy?"

"If it's from you, possibly!" He laughed, brought back a bottle of oil infused with lemongrass, and handed it to her. "Let's see how good you are after all that talk."

"Excuse me? I'm the best!" Megara took the bottle of oil and poured it out on his shoulders. "Not that I'd let any other woman try and outdo me. This is just between us."

"Yeah," he sighed, watching her knead the oil into his skin. "Wow, that's…" His eyes drifted shut, and he smiled a goofy smile. It wasn't exactly sexy, but Meg was proud to have put it there.

"I didn't know your shoulders were so sensitive," she said, working down toward his pectorals.

"It's just because you're touching me," he replied in a dreamy voice as if his head were in the clouds.

"Maybe I shouldn't have started you off like this. Your brain is going to start melting out your ears." She grabbed a sponge and spread the oil on it instead.

Hercules made a soft whining noise but didn't complain anymore when she rested one hand on him to steady herself and went back to spreading the oil along his skin.

She went under his arms and around his back but stopped at the waterline, watching his face. "Would you melt if I went any lower?"

"No, I don't think I'd get any softer if you did that," he said, laughing anxiously at his joke as if asking permission to make one like that.

"Then there's no harm in continuing. But I can't do much if you're under the water. I'll need you up on the edge for a minute. Then I'll do this for your hair."

Hercules briefly opened his eyes just enough, so she caught a flash of blue between his ginger lashes and, with a crooked smile, lifted himself out of the water.

"Looks like we don't need to wait for you to get excited…" Megara chewed her lip as she surveyed him with a primal hunger she'd have to thank Aphrodite for. She stepped up to his knees and trailed the sponge along them both.

"Ah…" Hercules gripped the edge of the bath. "Meg, do you think maybe you could..."

"Not before I clean it," she said. She moved her sponge over his thighs to the junction between them and teased with just the slightest brush of the sponge. "What will Greece's newest hero do tomorrow?" she asked.

"Tomorrow?" he whimpered. "I can't think of anything outside where your hands are going!"

"It's a game," she told him. "If we can distract you, we can build endurance! It was in the scroll."

Hercules groaned, covering his eyes in his palm. "Okay… ask me another question, that one's a bust."

"If this one scared you, how will you handle the next one?"

Some of the heat left Hercules's face, and he gazed down at her along the refined bridge of his nose. "This one was different, but you're the only person I'll admit that to."

"Different, how?"

"I've fought lots of monsters, but this one… I've had… nightmares. That's the word, right?"

"I think that's what we agreed on, but in Thebes, we debated for a while whether we should call them premonitions." She kept working on him as she spoke and watched both his face and his body to monitor his response to her.

Hercules made a face. "I hate that your life has been like that." He shook himself and reached down to scoop water into her hair. "But I mean that… My first nightmare was about a Hydra, but with multiple heads. And it chased me down, then it ate me!"

Megara's eyes widened. "You mean in your dreams, you don't always win?" She went back to work on him, but he was done.

Before she could work him up again, Hercules slid back into the water and caught her about the waist so she'd move with him. He looked down at her with solemnity in his eyes. "My greatest fear is failure. I'm worthless if I don't measure up to my father's expectations." Hercules replied in a low voice, eyes downcast. He looked away but she brought his face back toward her with a gentle hand on his chin.

"Herc, you could never be worthless. There's nobody out there worthier than you. If your father can't see it, then he doesn't deserve you."

Hercules's eyes widened in horror. "Careful!" he looked around, squeezing her close.

"But he knows you're worthy, so it's not a problem!" Megara protested.

"Don't give him the chance to think you're blaspheming!" He covered the back of her head with his hand and arched his whole body over hers.

An unintended consequence of this defensive posture pressed against Megara's middle, making her gasp in a deep breath.

Hercules sprang back from her and rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to make it like that," he said.

"So what? We're close enough to our wedding day. If you need to be close to me, be close to me."

"I will. Soon."

"Promises promises," she cooed at him.

"No, I mean it." Hercules cupped her cheek to hold her still while he leaned in to caress the shell of her ear with his lips. "See?" he whispered directly into her ear.

Before Megara could steel herself against the tingling pleasure that exploded in her at his touch, she let out a high-pitched squeal she'd be ashamed to admit was her own.

She was still stunned when Hercules lifted her out of the water, close to where he'd sat for her cleaning session. She barely had time to protest before he nudged her knees apart.

His smirk had returned, but she only had a second to register his presence before his face was between her thighs. This tactic left no space for questions or distractions. It was obvious he'd memorized some important segments of the scroll.

Megara had spent so much time playing her games that her excitement had built to an extent she was ready to give him his victory when he reached for it. It was a relief not to hold herself together anymore. She could tease him again, another time. This was for her.

With what little sanity remained to her, she worked the same lemongrass oil through his hair with her twitching fingers. It made him hum and moan while he worked.

Until she relaxed, Hercules remained in place. Then he ducked under the water to wash the oil from his hair. Then he surged back out of the bath, propped up on his elbows to kiss her. "I think we're both relaxed enough to sleep, huh?" He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself, then tossed another one in her direction. "I uh… hope you enjoyed that."

"I'm pretty sure you know I enjoyed it." Megara ignored the towel and bent over the water to wring it out. She knew he'd looked when she heard him gasp. Then she peeked at him over her shoulder. "Soon, right?" Only then did she wrap herself in a towel.

"Soon," he repeated, shifting with what looked like discomfort.

They stood gazing at each other for a long moment before Hercules blushed and looked away.

"Bit late for that now, don't ya think?"

"I've done enough for one day. I-if I look at you too much, I'll… we'll…" Hercules drifted off and combed his fingers through the damp hair clinging to the back of his neck. "I uh… I oughtta let you get some rest."

"How am I going to sleep if you're not with me? After today, I'm going to see you in that monster's jaws whenever I close my eyes."

"It won't be for long," he assured her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We'll be married soon, and I won't have to hold back anymore. Phil's gonna have to keep reminding me of the exact day, but I'd marry you right now if I could."

"Almost everything is ready," she said. "We could go tomorrow and do it."

"You think Thebes is ready for a parade?"

"We could surprise everyone. My brothers will allow me to wed. Even though we haven't done all the things married people do yet, I'm clearly ruined for any other man now."

Shadows collected in the blue of his eyes. "You were ruined for other men as soon as you were mine, Meg. But I don't trust myself to resist temptation if we were alone in bed. So, I'll have to escort you to your own room for the night.

"Whatever you say," she sighed. Hopefully, she'd be too exhausted for a nightmare.