The last few days in the leadup to Harmonia's first birthday had Megara in a frenzy that almost chased away the bone-deep knowledge that she was drawing near the gates of the Underworld once more. There was a possibility she'd evade her ultimate doom, but she decided that Hercules did enough worrying for the both of them. In the meantime, she documented little things that happened throughout the day. She needed these sweet memories to hold onto during her ordeal. They may help to pull her through.

While she maintained a facade of calm, Hercules hovered around her as if he thought she was made of unfired clay, and if anything put too much pressure on her, she'd fall apart. She distracted him with Ambrosia, the dog Harmonia had been gifted with at the same ceremony Hades interrupted.

The dog was no longer a fresh puppy and was more or less independent when it wandered the garden, but she and Harmonia loved to spend time together. Megara exaggerated how much the dog's needs taxed her, giving Hercules constant reasons to turn his eyes on her.

Her tactics kept him occupied until the day of the party, when she wandered the courtyard with Harmonia toddling along, holding her hand. She'd put her in a matching lavender dress with a band of gold around her curls. She looked for all the world like a tiny princess, and she loved every second of it.

As Harmonia walked alongside her mother, her hand was in her skirt, making it swish with every step and cooing appreciatively.

"I'm definitely winning points in the inheritance game." Megara bent, which she was grateful she could still do, and hefted Harmonia onto her hip. She carried her to a polished bronze trophy in the shape of a shield and showed Harmonia her reflection. "Aren't you the prettiest little girl in the cosmos?"

Harmonia squealed and leaned closer to the shield, banging on it with both fists. She gurgled, squealed, and warbled at her reflection, then threw herself backward against her mother again.

"If you like that, wait until your hair grows out, and you can flip it around." Megara made herself imagine, for a moment, that she'd be there to see it.

Through the window, she saw a few chariots and carts moving by the turnoff toward the villa. Were any of those her guests?

Harmonia made a questioning noise now that she didn't monopolize her mother's complete attention and leaned into her field of vision. With those wide violet eyes gazing into hers, Megara felt as if her every thought were under examination. Perhaps they were.

For the benefit of the child, she chased away all the thoughts she couldn't countenance and smiled. "We're going to see our friends soon, Moni."

Harmonia made a questioning, skeptical noise and raised a brow.

"I'm serious! Now, what do we say when we see a guest, Moni?" she asked the girl. She pointed to the door. "When someone walks through that door, what do we say?"

"Hee-e-re-te!" Harmonia recited with well-practiced pride.

"Good!" Megara lifted her squealing daughter into her arms and swung around. "That's how we say hello!"

Ambrosia ran into the room, yapping excitedly at the commotion. She circled Megara's feet and hopped onto her hind legs for attention.

"Don't tell me we started the party without me!" Hercules strode in after the dog, wearing a casual white one-shouldered tunic.

"The party could never start without you," Megara cooed. She didn't care how saccharine she sounded. She'd only have a few months to live with the embarrassment.

Hercules wrapped both her and Harmonia in a hug. "I see the benefit of celebrating birthdays. This was one of the best days ever. Once all the horrible parts were over."

"It's fine. I know exactly what you mean. Besides, I had help to dull the pain. And now I have two cuddly, trendsetting gingers in my life."

"When did we become trendsetting?" Hercules asked, navigating Megara toward a couch.

"After this party, everyone is going to want to celebrate their birthdays, or at least they'll have family gatherings at significant anniversaries."

"You're brilliant. I'm sure you're right." Hercules settled Megara on the couch where they could watch the door and blocked Ambrosia from jumping onto Megara's lap. "You've been taking it easy today, right? I know I'm the only one who sees, but the twins are growing quickly, and I need you to stay comfortable. Don't use up too much of your energy. Are you sore? Do you need a massage?"

"I'll be fine. Don't get me too excited before the party. I've got to keep my energy up, or I'll be a wreck."

"You arranged this one, so I'd be fine spending the whole day with just the three of us. We've got all her other birthdays to make a big deal and invite people from all over Greece. She won't remember this one."

Megara kept her smile frozen on her face. "Yes. There will be more birthdays for Moni. But this will be her first, and that makes it special. She survived a whole year, and no wicked plot got the best of her. Just like it'll be special when she turns eight and can start serving the gods."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Hercules said, playing with the girl's wispy curls. "When I was in high school, I was always aiming to please them, but the gods saw me as a glorified errand boy. I wouldn't want Moni to fall into some cosmic tug-of-war."

"She can always become an initiate dedicated to you, and she can work with the League."

"I'll think about it." He kissed her brow. "Maybe there'll be a gorgeous purple-eyed goddess for her to follow by then."

"Maybe," she replied, aiming an indulgent smile up at him. "We can ask her what she'd like to do. There's no harm in letting her try a few options."

"Great point!" Hercules grinned, but she still saw the pain hiding in his eyes. He was overcompensating for the fear, but neither of them was ready to address it.

They heard wheels trundling up the hill toward their home before too long. The rumbling of the carriage wheels made Megara nod. "The royals are here first in line."

"Cass probably foresaw when the others would get here and wanted to beat the crowd," Hercules agreed. "I'll go greet them. You stay here."

"You know I can still walk, right? They're not even heavy yet."

"Yeah, but help me and don't make me worry too much, okay hon?"

"If you insist." Megara blew him a kiss and directed Harmonia to do the same.

Delighted, Hercules repeated the gesture and darted out the door with the dog running after him.

"Is it your dog or Papa's dog?" Megara mused aloud to Harmonia.

The one-year-old made a series of cooing noises in the same tone her mother had used, then did her best impression of her snicker.

"Yeah, I think you're probably right."

Megara did her best in that moment to capture that image of her daughter's toothless grin as the joy shone from her eyes. She knew from experience how little she would remember when she became a shade in the Underworld. She willed this to be one of the few memories she could take with her.

"They're in here!" Hercules led Megarion and Cassandra into the entry hall, eyes gleaming with pride. "They've got the news, Meg."

"Let me guess: the royal line continues?"

"Blunt and accurate." Megarion bowed his head to kiss his sister's hand and then his niece's pudgy one. "How fortunate that our heir will have such a wonderful cousin."

Hercules hovered behind his brother-in-law, watching Megara and Harmonia as if they might shatter if he looked away. "Cass!" he smacked his forehead. "Do you need anything?"

"Do you have a spare amphora I could use, just in case?" Cassandra asked with a wry smirk. "They're cleaning all the ones at the palace."

Megara snickered. "Been there, done that. I'm sure we can accommodate you somehow. Herc, will you help me stand? I think I can show Cassandra the comfiest couch in the villa."

Hercules chewed his lip. "Are you… sure you want her to have the comfiest one?" his eyes widened the longer he looked at her. "You need one, too!" He lifted Megara and Harmonia into his arms.

Harmonia squealed and clapped, then reached up to bop her father's face.

"We can share, it's fine," Megara said.

"Not if I'm sitting with you, you can't."

"Then let me sit in your lap and be the couch," Megara said and theatrically rolled her eyes at their guests. "The pampering, yeesh. I don't know how I cope."

Megarion nodded solemnly. "I honor your burdens, sister."

"I can only imagine the struggle of having an attentive god to anticipate and attend to your every need," Cassandra sighed. "Somehow, I hope you'll endure it."

"All right, all right, you guys can't stop me, but I get the point." Hercules carried Megara and Harmonia into the courtyard, which was adorned with flower garlands donated by Aphrodite.

She remained one of their primary sponsors. As far as Megara knew, she was working alongside Hera and Rhea to change the laws of immortality, but their dealings were secretive as certain meddlesome gods might attempt to intervene. It would be nice to know whether she would have an answer before the twins were due, but she'd gotten more from that trio than from Zeus. She might as well be grateful.

"When are the others set to arrive?" Megarion asked.

"Whenever they can," Megara shrugged. "Orpheus is just finishing a tour, so he and Eurydice might swing by with Charis. Theseus and Galatea would normally join us, but their little one is still too young. He will just have to make it to the next one."

Again, her heart tightened at the thought of not being there to see Harmonia's second birthday, but she hid it behind an ever-widening smile. "We have a surprise for the both of you, however. We don't have to wait for them to start the party. Two important guests are one call away."

"You're going to summon party guests?" Megarion asked. "I think that might be one of the last powers I expected you to have once you married a god."

"You'll understand when you see who they are," Megara returned with a wink. "Herc, would you like to do the honors?"

Hercules winked at her, then summoned Dionysus as if he were calling him from another room.

Four pillars of purple light accompanied by wild flute and clashing, jangling tambourines filled the air.

Dionysus stood with pinecone-topped staff in hand and his Ariadne on his arm, alongside Menoikeus and Haemon, dressed in the regalia of his party-goers.

Megarion shot out of his seat. "What? How are you two– when?"

"Are you always this articulate?" Menoikeus snickered at his youngest brother.

Hercules's mouth dropped open, and he twisted his head around to stare at Megara, who shrugged.

"I came from somewhere, and quoting people you miss helps make it feel like they're still close."

Though she smiled as she said it, there was a jab of emotion in his eyes. She ought to have known he'd be extra sensitive around topics like that. It was almost as if when she chose to check out of her emotions, they went directly to him.

"You've echoed me, too," she reminded him gently. "It's something that happens when we love someone." That seemed to satisfy him for the moment, but Megara knew it would take more than that. "What if you went and got that raisin bread I made?"

"Sure." Hercules's eyes lingered on her for a long, sentimental moment before he jogged into the kitchen.

"Your father's really worried," Megara whispered to Harmonia. "We've got to help him enjoy today."

Harmonia cooed in a way that almost made Megara think she understood that comment.

"She's gotten even bigger!" Haemon rushed over to Megara and Harmonia and knelt in front of them. "Little Moni, do you remember me?"

Harmonia waved a hand at her uncle, and mimicked her mother's tone, almost like speech.

"A true Cadmea," Haemon gushed. He took Harmonia's hand and kissed it. "What an eloquent princess."

"Would you like to hold her?" Megara asked.

"Oh… do you think she'd let me?"

"She doesn't hate you, and she's friendly for a Theban."

"That'll be the hero's influence, eh?" Haemon snickered. "What about it? Do you trust your uncle not to drop you?"

In response, Harmonia made a few irritated noises and buried her face against Megara's chest, grabbing her dress in both hands.

"Maybe later," Haemon said with a light chuckle. "After presents. Then we can be friends."

Someone knocked at the front door just as Hercules emerged with the trayful of raisin bread Megara had made the day before.

"I'll get it!" Hercules dropped the tray onto a table and vanished, then reappeared at the door to open it.

Megara held herself still, maintaining her smile.

Members of the League of Heroes, some of whom had joined in the past few months while Megara was away, streamed into the villa. They'd brought clay toys in all shapes, little wooden swords and boats, and even a small bow with a bag of arrows.

Hercules eyed some of these miniature weapons with a pout as if he wasn't quite sure whether he liked the idea of Harmonia playing with them, and then his eyes were on Megara again. He raised one brow in question, likely for her opinion on the violent toys, and she shrugged.

They'd figure that out. Maybe it would be good for Harmonia to learn some martial skills to defend herself. The world was cruel to demigods.

Dionysus stirred up the party with a wave of his thyrsus, and the newly arrived Orpheus redoubled the effects of his powers. Food and nymphs and wine appeared to the delight of all, but the sound rang in Megara's ears.

The more it disturbed her, the tighter Harmonia clung to the chain of her mother's necklace.

Hercules jogged back to his wife and daughter, catching them both up in his arms. "Are you two okay?"

"This is… fun," Megara forced between gritted teeth.

Harmonia babbled in an equally tense voice.

"Let's take a break, then, let everyone else cool down." Hercules lifted them both into his arms. "It'll be more fun for everyone if you can last a bit longer." He raised his voice. "You guys have fun! We'll uh… We'll be a minute!" With that, he willed the three of them to their room.