"Your hair is still really pretty," Hercules said, running his fingers through Megara's curls. "I love how it hangs down on one side; it reminds me of how beautiful your face is."
"Do you tend to forget?" she teased.
"Oh, no… no, but…" he stumbled around.
"You're not used to teasing, are you?"
"Definitely not. Nobody messes with me. I guess nobody thinks I'll know how to take a joke. I'm everyone's baby brother, and they think they have to be extra careful with me. That just makes me feel left out because I'm not part of anything with anyone."
"Now you're part of something with me," she said, offering her hand.
Hercules wasn't sure what to do with it, so he kissed the palm and held it. "I want to show you everything beautiful I've ever seen, so each time, I can tell you that even with all that, you're more beautiful than anything I ever saw."
It was Megara's turn to lose her words. She stared at him with her mouth hanging open for so long that Hercules stepped in to press his lips to hers.
Her hand twitched in his, and her free arm wrapped around him. She was still wearing a trancelike expression when their lips parted. "I'll go anywhere with you," she whispered.
They stared at one another in shared wonder for a long moment until the silence was broken by Megara's stomach growling.
"What was that?" Hercules began looking about for a small, disgruntled animal.
"That's a sound mortal stomachs make when we're hungry," Megara replied.
"Oh! Then let's feed you! What do you like eating?"
"Hummus, octopus, cucumbers, grapes, and steak."
"We can try to get all of that!" Hercules didn't wait. He swung her into his arms. "It sounds more interesting than nectar and ambrosia. I have that every day! I'll try anything you tell me is good!"
He carried her along the colonnade toward the scent of roasting meat. "What kind of meat is that?" he asked her. "I only ever smell the offerings. I'm not sure which one is which."
"That's pork, and I don't think most people sacrifice it to the gods. Hestia, maybe, but I'd be surprised if you ever had it offered to you. You're sort of…" She glanced over his broad shoulders and his powerful arms, "... not pig-like."
"Thanks?" Hercules flexed for her.
"You're welcome. Now, beef, I could see that as a valid offering to you. We'll have to get that sorted out when you have your own temple."
"Maybe I'll specify I want an add-on for my girlfriend to get away from her family," Hercules suggested.
"Really?" Megara giggled but covered her mouth as soon as the sound escaped. "I'd… that sounds really nice."
Hercules set her down at a table overlooking the sea and flagged down the nearest server with an unapologetically glowing arm.
"Do you have money?" Megara whispered. "I'm not sure if you use money on Olympus…"
"I'm a god," he reminded her. "I have access to any offering anyone has ever given me, and besides that, I can pay people with blessings. I'll get you anything you want." He took her by the chin so he could guide her close and kiss her cheek. "Anything," he reiterated.
Though she was sure he didn't mean it the way she heard it, Megara's heart skipped, and a blush blossomed across her face. What was she doing? She'd never been so starry-eyed. What was the catch?
Megara sat where Hercules put her, watching him discuss the fact he was on a date and wanted his girlfriend spoiled with the waiter. He was the most open person she'd ever met, and somehow, he'd picked her. What had she done to deserve this?
Hercules rejoined her and offered her his open palm to hold his hand. "Guess what? We're about to get bread and olives. Isn't that exciting?"
Megara restrained the urge to snicker at him. "Everyone gets bread and olives. We're getting the usual service."
Hercules's eyes widened even more. "They're treating me like I'm normal?"
"Yeah, congratulations. For now, at least, they're treating us just like everybody else."
"That's great!" Hercules slammed his hand down on the table a little too hard. It rattled but thankfully didn't snap. "I'm going to get one of everything you tell me is good, and then we can get as much of it as we want!" His aura glowed brighter and brighter as he spoke until she had to cover her eyes.
"You've gotta turn that down, or we'll all turn out like my great aunt Semele!"
Hercules diminished his light, then steadied her with a hand on his shoulder. "Gee, I'm so sorry, Meg; I don't usually have to think about stuff like that."
"I'll be all right as long as you learn how to control that," Megara sighed and patted his arm. "Have you ever had wine before?"
"Yeah! Dionysus is my brother. He's always trying to get me drunk, but it doesn't work too often. Takes a lot to drown my ichor in alcohol, but he's always there to try again."
Megara speared an olive with one tiny skewer and held it out to him. "So when that comes, you'll already know what it tastes like, but you should try this."
Hercules looked carefully at her to see if she was serious about letting him go first, then carefully accepted the olive off of her proffered skewer. "Wow!" he pulled back to marvel at the flavor. "It's… so many things!"
"Salty and savory," Megara supplied. "It's been cured in vinegar before they served it to us."
"That's so complex!" Hercules exclaimed. "Do you eat things like this every day?"
"When I eat!" Megara had to laugh at the expression on his face, but she hadn't counted on him taking her seriously.
"Don't humans eat every day?" he marveled.
"Sometimes I'm too upset, or I get locked up," Megara shrugged off her statement, but Hercules was watching her intently.
"That will never happen again," he told her in a low, steady voice that made her shiver. "If anyone tries to lock you up again, you call for me. I'll destroy your prison and your captor."
She believed every word he said. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring down the mood," she said.
Hercules shook his head and curled an arm around her shoulders. "I never thought of what life would be like as a mortal before. I thought, for the most part, people were happy. But maybe it's my job to help more people be happy. Starting with you."
She had no way of responding to that declaration, so Megara dipped some of the bread in the olive oil at the bottom of the bowl with the olives. "You should try this. It's one of the best things ever."
Hercules bowed his head to try it and surprised her by kissing her cheek. "This stuff is great." He didn't return to his previous level of exuberance until the octopus legs arrived.
With every new texture and flavor, Hercules reminded Megara more of a fresh puppy who'd learned his first tricks. People were staring at them now from all corners of the restaurant, many of them ordering from the menu to try whatever Hercules had praised so highly.
Still, though she knew most of the attention was on Hercules and the food, Megara fidgeted whenever she felt new eyes on her.
"Was that everything in the whole world?" Hercules asked when they'd exhausted the menu. He had yet to appreciate their bevy of onlookers.
"Not even a quarter of it," Megara assured him. "You've got plenty more to try."
Hercules's eyes were aglow with that prospect, but when he finally took a good enough look at her, he frowned. "What's the matter? Did I eat too much? Are you still hungry?"
"Oh, it's nothing you did…" Her eyes darted from his to a badly-hidden couple peering at them through some shrubbery. "We've just become… popular."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Not… necessarily…" Megara cleared her throat. "I don't know if they explain this concept to gods, but too much attention is bad for people. Even if they don't mean it in a negative way, anyone who's envious or approves a little too much can curse someone with the Evil Eye. The only remedies are good luck charms or the Eye of Athena."
"The what?" Hercules frowned. "Athena's… eyes? Oh! Do you mean the blue eye-shaped designs I see everywhere? That's because of Athena?"
"They ward off evil in her name," Megara clarified. "But then I guess…" she paused as she realized a pair of eager blue eyes were staring into hers, "You're her brother. Maybe you have the same power."
"I could! I'll deflect any negativity! It'll never get to you!" He scooted in closer and fixed her with a wide-eyed stare. "Is it working?"
Megara leaned back in her seat and covered her face, but her giggles still exploded past her hands. "You can't look at me like that! It's not fair!"
"What way am I looking at you?"
"I can't! I'm not looking at you until you stop!"
While Megara's eyes were still covered, they couldn't block a pink light or a cheesy chorus of, "Aphrodite, Aphrodite, Aphrodiiiteeee!"
This was so bizarre that Megara uncovered her eyes.
"The goddess of love!"
Megara sat up straight. Was this the part where the goddess of love herself told her that this relationship could never work?
"Hey, kids," Aphrodite said, sitting across the table from them as if she were a friend on this outing with them. "I'm so glad to see the two of you getting along!"
"Nice to see you, too, Aph… but could you please let us finish our date and then give us a review?"
"Oh, I know you'll do great. That's why I'm here." Aphrodite raised her hands, and a pink scroll appeared between them. She then rolled the scroll across the table to them. "You may not be ready for this, but the way the two of you are moving and shaking, it's only a matter of time, and I need to catch you while you're still sane. People in love are really bad at following directions, so I'll keep this simple. That scroll is full of instructions for things you can do that won't make you pop out a demigod on your first try."
Megara sat back and folded her hands in her lap. It was less obvious than covering her stomach. "What do you mean?"
"See, you haven't been a couple for a full day yet, and that trajectory path is– well, it's a slope. As the goddess responsible for love, you two have set off every alarm. Has anyone given you the demigod talk yet?"
Megara and Hercules exchanged confused glances, which was enough for Aprhodite to know she had to take it upon herself.
"There's a reason most gods don't cavort with humans. There's an extreme power imbalance, so if a mortal woman lies with a god, there will always be a child as a result. Sorry, I don't make the rules, but you two have to live by them. That's why I made you this." She tapped the scroll proudly. "This will help you solve that little issue by postponing the inevitable until you've had a chance to get to know each other better and figure this whole crazy thing out."
"Is it that crazy?" Megara asked, even though she was talking to only the second god she'd ever met.
"Oh, honey, this is insane," Aphrodite chuckled. "Zeus frowns on anything unconventional, and he's the only one who's ever openly fooled around by mortals. Hera's only recently forgiven him. Anyway, this sort of thing usually doesn't go well, but I want to change that. We've got a world of possibilities, and the love industry has gotten stale. So let's make this work! We'll make the two of you legendary!"
"Sounds awesome!" Hercules said. "Do you…" he scratched the back of his neck, "... know a lot about demigods?"
"They're cute but demanding. Make sure you've got a plan! And by the way, what a lovely spot you've chosen! You clearly have excellent taste! You should try the theater next!" She blew them each a kiss, and then she rose into the sky on a trail of pink light.
Clarity pinched the back of Megara's mind. Teiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, had once told her, her cousins, and her sisters that many of them would die for love. That phrase hadn't meant much at the time since a plague was ravaging her people, but now, she had to wonder if she would be counted among the bodies by the time the prophecy ran its course.
Hercules waited for a while before he asked, "Have I ruined your life by dating you?"
That question crystallized the prophecy and Aphrodite's admonition as one. Megara shook her head, still formulating what she was about to say.
"It sure feels like this is way out of the ordinary and maybe dangerous."
"It probably is dangerous. The way I see it, I'm probably supposed to be dead, but being with you has definitely ruined my chances of ever falling for another guy. You're all I can think about."